Meow-velous Gift!

The Dreamer and Caveman were invited to a wonderfully whimsical fairy-themed birthday party of a sweet friend! The party was hands-down the best kids' party that we have been invited to attend. There was a fairy food buffet and fairy tinkering stations for the mixing of magic pixie dust and fairy house/garden decorating. The party was magically fanciful and quietly invigorating by enchanting little minds and imaginations. 

Upon receiving our invite, we knew that we had to create a perfect gift for a kind and delightful little girl...

Sew... 

We sewed a little cosmopolitan fairy cat. 

 

First, we needle felted a head and tail

Second, we sewed a little muslin body and stuffed it with loose batting.

Third, we attached the head and tail to the muslin body by hand stitching and covered our stitching with a layer of felted wool.

Fourth, we decorated the body with tabby stripes, little cat foot pads and claws, and tummy scruff using fabric pens. 

Fifth, we accessorized! We sewed a vest, socks, scarf, fairy skirt, and leather satchel. We crafted spectacles using gold craft wire and decorated a wand and straw cap with elastic and rosettes using a hot glue gun! 

Finally, our socialite feline was complete! 

Burlap Tapestries!

The Dreamer has been sewing little felt creatures and designs onto scraps of burlap for quite some time now. This past weekend, she was happily engaged in such an activity when the Caveman decided that, he, too, was filled with the desire to sew. The thought of a just-shy-of-three-years-old creature sewing seemed to be the perfect set up for an all to familiar scream-tastrophe. I was envisioning my frustrated heathen son deep in the throes of a tantrum with burlap, needles, and various sewing articles strewn about his writhing heap of despair, but we tried it anyway.

I tied one end of the approximately foot long strand of fine cotton yarn to the burlap, and the other end in a square knot around the eye of the tapestry needle. I did one stitch for him, showing him to "pull through, stick the needle in nearby, flip over..." 

I reluctantly released the project over to an eager caveman with a sense of dread building in my stomach, but to my complete surprise, he did it it! He could sew! 

He was so enthralled with the activity, that he silently sat stitching with the occasional drool drip that comes with thorough concentration falling onto his tapestry. 

He even added a yellow flower! 

The moral of the story: I underestimated the little Caveman and his motor skills, and could've easily, in a less patient mood, have completely denied him the chance to try. I am so glad that I did, because he loved sewing his tiny tapestry   just as much as searching for earthworms... 

Needle Felting Spawn!

Fluffy, The White Rabbit

In our home we love quiet busy activities that take up time and engage little fingers and minds, thus limiting the free time that often sparks boredom spats or some version of inevitable bickering sessions concerning someone "footing", spitting, or otherwise pestering the other. we decided on needle-felting as of late due to the rainy weather and overcast spirits, and while the Dreamer and Caveman have long enjoyed felting flat pictoral or colored wool pictures, today was the day for the Dreamer to exert her feelings of maturity and demand to try a three dimensional creature. She asked if I would assist her in creating a rabbit, to which I agreed.

Caveman Creation

Flat Design by Dreamer

Bluebird Flying Over a Rainbow

The Dreamer began by rolling up an oblong shape with white wool and felting it until it was to her desired texture and density.

She next rolled and needled a smaller ovalish shape for the head and a teensy weensy round cottontail, and attached these to the main body.

For the ears, she needled two flattened shapes and then attached them to the sides of her rabbit-in-the-making.

Eyes were next, and the Dreamer smushed some black wool between her fingers prior to felting it to the head.

 

She did the same to create a little pink nose finishing, then beaming with pride at "Fluffy".

 

Happiness can be found by felting flat or in the round, it's as simple as going searching for earthworms...

Needle-Felted Heart!

Mister and I rarely exchange gifts for any occasions. We usually opt instead, to go out to dinner. However, for our 7th wedding anniversary this past October, I decided that I would felt him a little love token, and, what better is there than an anatomical heart? Nothing.  Follow the photo tutorial below to make one for your own special someone!

 

For the finishing touch, grab a scrap of fancy paper and scrawl a sentiment... I chose the following: "I thought aorta let you know that my ❤️ is yours!"