inside sqrl & bee studio

Laundry Day!

2010-08-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

Which is pretty much everyday and looks similar to this on most. Rainbow diapers! We could be an ad for Fuzzy Bunz!

Two of My Most Favorite People!

2010-08-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

Sleepy Morning.

Maya Amelia Frueh

2010-08-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

Born July 13th, 2010 at 1:46am 7lb, 4oz 19". She was born at home after about 18 hours of labor, it was long and painful and perfect. We had two of the most wonderful midwives - Kate Aserson assisted by Christy Santoro - we are so lucky. Maya is a sweet, gentle little girl and it's hard to believe that only a month ago she was still in my belly, it feels like she's been here the whole time.

Brand new - 1 day old

2 days old (in her Mobi wrap)

6 days old

two weeks

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

I painted this flag. Not for this holiday specifically although what good timing! I just wanted a flag for my little flag holder. And I'm real happy with the way it turned out.

Us!

2010-07-03T15:07:00.001-07:00

Maya, these are your parents....

Handmade Philly Book Exchange

2010-06-29T19:01:00.001-07:00

Here's my entry for this month for the book exchange. I finally remembered to take a picture before sending it off. I think the image is appropriate for me, don't ya think? It was one those accordion type books - pretty fun to work in.

Starch Paste Tutorial for Natural Kids

2010-06-22T16:37:00.001-07:00

It's my turn to do a kid friendly activity tutorial for the Natural Kids Blog. Since I don't have kids yet (soon as we all know) I decided to share our homemade Starch Paste recipe. It's a great recipe to have on hand for any kind of paper craft - especially paper mache.

Starch Paste! A glue for paper crafts that is Non-toxic, Biodegradable and can even be Organic.

Recipe:
1/2 cup flour
4 cups water
1/2 tsp thyme oil
1 tbsp salt

First you add the four to cold water.

Heat the water and flour -- stirring all the time!!!

Cook until the mixture starts to get translucent (you do not need to get to a boil) -- it will only get ever so slightly thicker at this point. As you can see below on the spoon.

Now, remove from heat, let the mixture cool. Once it's cool it's pretty much ready to use. You can use the paste fresh. Or put the leftovers in fridge -- it will get gelatinous (rubbery) from getting cold, and you will have to break it up with a wisk when you want to reuse it.

Above is Andrew showing you go about dipping paper for Paper Mache. We mainly use Starch Paste for paper mache but there are other uses for it such as::

collage
book binding
any paper craft
make your own paint by adding dry pigments, Bio Shield (their link is currently broken too bad 'cause they are such a great company) and crayola make non-toxic pigments.

This is why I do it.....

2010-06-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a message from a buyer::

"Hi there,
A few moths ago you custom made a beautiful mobile for me and sent it all the way to Australia. I already left feedback but I just wanted to again express my thanks for such a beautiful product. I had my baby on the 20th of May, a little girl named Sable. She just loves her mobile. I have attached a photo if it over her cot."

Just to be a part of someone elses life in a small way. To make someone happy with what I've made. This makes me happy!

There's that Belly again...

2010-06-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

We just keep growing. 35 weeks and counting.

A little garden montage

2010-06-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

Why not, right? What else does one do when they are finally reunited with their long lost camera. Yup, we're back together and it feels good.

So here's what's happening in the garden. We're having a darn good season so far, I'd say.

Blooming rose, only gives a us a couple but they're are worth it :: Snap peas :: Red cover :: A Peanut Plant! :: Andrew made me a Lettuce Box so I could have a field of lettuce 'cause the individual plants just weren't working for me :: Delicious Honeysuckle
Resident "wild" cat - Meena patrolling her land :: Pea flowers :: The last of the Strawberries - we got a ton this year, at least a bowl every morning :: Avocado tree :: The Pickle Patch! I think were gonna have a lot of pickles this year - they look SO healthy and Andrew did this chicken wire situation for them this year that I think they're gonna love. Chicken Wire Rocks my friends, I couldn't recommend it enough :: Yellow and orange cosmos :: Radishes (that need to be pulled and replaced with the peppers that are dying to get into the ground) :: Tomatoes!! :: more Snap Peas.

I Grew This!

2010-06-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

And I ate it. And it's was delicious!

Farm Stands!

2010-05-27T07:32:00.001-07:00

Yay! The season of buying completely local is starting! Best time of the year!

Etsy Baby Shower

2010-05-25T10:13:00.000-07:00

I'm part of the Etsy baby shower - on both sides! I'm a giver and a receiver! And it's been real fun so far. Now that my Mom's have received their gifts I can show them off. I didn't want to spoil the surprise.

As a giver I signed up for two Mom's - meaning I would make and send two expecting Mom's a gift from my shop or something custom. I went for custom 'cause I figured this a special thing and I get to talk to them directly, why not make them a custom mobile to match their new nurseries. Right?! So one of my Mom's in having twins a boy and a girl! So fun! And she showed me an image of the quilts that she's getting and therefor I matched her mobile to that(blues and browns). And the other Mom had stated in her info that she's going for pinks and greens so I sent her an image of the pinks and greens I have available and she got to choose for herself. The best thing I got from this whole adventure was usual color combinations that I would have never thought of. Thanks ladies for the inspiration!

Now, as a received I get to get gifts too! Yay! Well Maya and I do! Four different Etsy shops have me as one of their Moms. So far I've received stuff from two of them. And oh my! So much fun! Check it out.

A Bicycle/ Stroller bag from Beatrice Holiday.

Fancy accessories for Maya! from Peanut Feet.

Symphony of Science

2010-05-21T16:36:00.000-07:00

I'm loving this!

Manufactured Dissent

2010-05-21T04:14:00.000-07:00

Hey I've been interviewed! Check it out.

Website Bakery

2010-05-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hey check it out! Sqrl & Bee Studio is being featured on Website Bakery!

Sweet Melissa

2010-05-06T14:52:00.001-07:00

Otherwise known as Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis). And you thought I was talking about myself, didn't you? Nope, I just happen to have a whole lot of this herb growing in the yard and yesterday we had other first little harvest of it. Lemon balm is super delicious, it's lemony but in a very sweet and subtle way. To me the tea tastes like like fruit loops though I'm not sure everyone would agree. It's a member of the mint family, is considered a "calming" herb. I can see how they would say that. The favor is very soothing and comforting and the smell is divine. Try it sometime.

One of the many bushes.

Our first little harvest.

Iced lemon balm tea.

Ahh....

2010-04-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

::Citrus::

A fresh new look for the blog with a new banner. It reflects what's really going on these days in the studio - mobiles and baby rattles. Lot's has been going on I just can't show it off 'cause I have no means of capturing it - no camera. It finally pooped out on us. Error 99, error 99! That's all it was willing to say. So it's in the shop. I've scraped by and managed to get a couple new mobiles in the shop by using a friends camera (Thanks Danielle!) - until it's battery got too low. I'm just not having much luck here with cameras. Well let's keep our fingers crossed that the "genius" camera guy at Cardinal Camera can make it work again. And I'll be back to regular postings.

Natural Kids Earth Day Celebration

2010-04-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

As many of you I'm part of this really awesome Etsy team - Natural Kids. Well we all got together and decided Earth Day was just the right holiday to celebrate with store discounts and promotions, a really awesome free PDF full of recipes, tutorials and activities (that is, if you find the Gnome) and a bunch of different blog giveaways. For many of us (myself included) this celebration starts today and runs the whole week of Earth Day (April 14th - April 22). You can find out more by checking into all the shops that are participating on the Natural Kids website. Each shop lists their promotions (and an explanation about the "find the Gnome" game) in their "shop announcements". Check them all out, there is SO much to see, lot's and lot's of treasures to be found.

Our first Blog Giveaway is being hosted by the lovely Magic Onions. Hey look! see someone familiar?! This giveaway will be open until Earth day April, 22. Go on now, sign up and tell all of your friends about it!

Advertising

2010-04-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Sqrl & Bee Studio has been advertising. That's right. And it's certainly been a learning process that's for sure. But we're getting somewhere.

You can find us at::
Design Sponge (though this one might be over now)
Scoutie Girl
Website Bakery

This list will be changing pretty much every month as we spread the love.

The Belly

2010-04-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

So many people are asking about my belly. It's a funny thing. And now (of course) our precious camera is having issues. We've at least gotten it to the point where we can take pictures again, we just can't see the menu. No camera means one sees anything I make - this is not a good thing. If you can't see them how can you know if you want them? I'm panicking a little. I LOVE this camera and it's too darn expensive to replace. So keep your fingers crossed that it's just a software update that it needs.

Anyway the reason why I'm posting - well it's that much asked about belly. Here it is making it's debut. We are almost 27 weeks (6.5 months) and everything is going smoothly. She's quite the busy girl these day, I swear she's building herself her very own little empire in there.

Handmade Philly Book Exchange

2010-04-02T06:34:00.000-07:00

So I signed up for this really fun project with a local group of artist that I'm part of - Handmade Philly. I signed up probably a month or so ago and of course( a habit of mine from time to time) I procrastinated until the very last minute. But this time I'm glad I did. Oh I should say what the project is. Well as you can deduce from the subject it is a book exchange. We are in two groups ('cause it's such a great idea so, so many people wanted to join in) and we all have a book/journal (handmade or not) and we do a entry or so and pass it on to the next person in the list. Pretty simple and pretty darn fun too 'cause after almost a year you get your book back filled with tons of art, inspirations, scribbles, writing, thoughts, whatever that person was into at the time. I'm excited. So above is my book - it's a little book The Little Book of Art. It's about 4"x5" and it's handmade by me, with much help from the resident expert book make himself - the boy, The Bee - Andrew.

So back to procrastination and why I'm happy about it (this time). Well the month goes by and I keep reminding myself that I have to get this book together and I never have any idea of how I want it to look, how big, what's it made of, all that stuff. So I just keep putting it off - work needs to be done, mobiles need to be made. And I keep thinking what am I going do with this thing? I let it stew - this is one of my best strategies for project that are quite figured out - I just let them stew. You who also say I just procrastinate them or put them off, but in the end it feels more like stewing. Because they needed it, my brain needed to figure them out more before I could start. Anyway I digress.... Check it out my friends look at all the fun books flying around the postal service this week.

A New Kind of Mobile

2010-03-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

Needle felting starts to hurt after a while. Unfortunately I am not ambidextrous enough to felt with both sides of my body so my right side starts to really suffer. I have a constant poppy right shoulder anymore. But I cannot stop myself from making - it's an obsession. Wool is also an obsession so I'm trying some new things. I'll continue to needle felt (well because I just can't stop myself) but I'm trying out some wool felt also. The result so far - Cars that Go Vroom (above) as well as a couple others. I have so many more ideas, I just wish there was more time in the day and more of Me to do all of these things.

Baby Rattles

2010-03-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

Woah it's been way too long my friends. But sure have been busy in the studio. Rattles and Mobiles are pretty hot right now so I just keep on making them. Check 'em out...

Easter/Spring NaturalKids Team Blog-A-Thon

2010-03-04T07:10:00.000-08:00

The NaturalKids Team was started by woodmouse in 2007. Early members included faerierebecca, fairiesnest, cozycottage. It was a small group, with a small presence on etsy. Since that time members have come and gone but our mission has stayed the same. To be a group of sellers dedicated to creating natural products for children. We are a diverse group of artisans who make natural toys, utensils, clothing and accessories for kids. Our sellers work with materials from the Earth, such as wool, cotton, silk and wood. Our goal is to support, promote and have fun together while building our businesses.

One of our 1st Team Blog Post read as below and it is still true today....

We are a diverse bunch from all over the globe who have at least one thing in common: we all work with natural materials in our products for children. Oh yeah, and we're all pretty darn crafty & talented too! Wool, wood, cotton...just simple materials direct from the Earth.

So who are we?

Some of us are mothers of small children.

Some of us are mothers of grown children.

Some of us make dolls, some of us make hats, some of us make toys.

Some of us have been selling our wares for many years.

Some of us are just starting to discover our talents and start selling.

Some of us work with natural materials for environmental reasons.

Some of us work with natural materials as part of the Waldorf educational philosophy.

Some of us work with natural materials because we believe they are healthier and safer.

Some of us just like working with natural materials.

Some of us sell our wares for a living.

Some of us sell our wares as a hobby.

Since that time, some of us are fathers.

Here are a few of my favorite things:

Blue bird, blue bird :: Down in the Meadow

Audrey in the spring dress :: Sew Natural Wink, wink everyone remember we're having a girl!

Custom Knitted Woolies :: Woolies

Thank you for reading and now join in the fun to take a trip to see what you may find at these NaturalKids Team Members Blogs! Happy Spring!!!

Visit these Blogs to see who else is blogging about Natural Kids::

http://thereluctantcitydweller.blogspot.com
http://thefairiesnest.blogspot.com
http://SewnNaturalstudio.blogspot.com

http://www.tribaltimes.blogspot.com/

http://www.katsinthebelfry.blogspot.com

http://www.polarbearcreations.blogspot.com

http://fairtradefamily.blogspot.com/

http://germandolls.blogspot.com

http://www.curlymonkeyandco2.blogspot.com

http://www.bananabottoms.blogspot.com

http://woolies-woolies.blogspot.com

http://birchleafdesigns.blogspot.com

http://pinpon-dayanara.blogspot.com
http://www.thesittingtree.net

http://www.themuddyfoot.blogspot.com

Dress Form for Sale

2010-03-01T11:17:00.000-08:00

Hello friends and family. As you know we a have a little one coming. And we live in a very small yet cozy space. Things that aren't used often take up precious space in this cozy little home. I wanted a dress form so badly a couple years ago and I good friend gifted me one. Now, I did use it at first until I realized we had made the mistake of choosing a size that was a little too big for me. So I couldn't use it for anything that was for me. Well everything I was making was for me so alas it almost never got used. Now, it must go for it lives where the cradle will one day (soon) live. So if you are looking for a wonderful, adjustable, easy to use dress form contact me and if you live far away enough to have to ship we'll discuss shipping costs. Here's some info on it::

Model:: Dritz(R) My Double Dressform (Medium #20200)

Measurements :: # Bust: 39 Inch -47 Inch , Waist: 32 Inch -39 Inch , Hips: 41 Inch -49 Inch , # Neck: 14'' +, Back Waist Length: 16'' +/-

It's also posted on Craig's List.

Did you know....

2010-02-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

That we make soap? Yummy delicious organic soap that makes your skin real happy. For those of you who do know and are looking at this photo scratching your head thinking why is it orange, well I made the mistake of ordering Palm Fruit oil instead of Palm Kernel oil and who knew there was a difference. Andrew opened the bucket and to his surprise he found 5 gallons of Orange colored oil. So we went with it. And I think we really like it, so it was a happy accident. They say it's a richer oil, high in Vitamin E usually used in cooking. So there you have it - the soap is even richer, if that's possible.

2010-02-19T16:58:00.000-08:00

Shop Update

2010-02-19T06:39:00.000-08:00

It's all about mobiles right now.

I Love this Boy!

2010-02-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

And he loves me too!

Snow Days

2010-02-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

Lot's and lot's of snow fell Friday night. We're still not done shoveling ourselves out. I want to go out and measure just to know exactly how much we got but I'm betting it's somewhere around 14"-16" Certainly taller then that little Snow Cat there below. Being snowed in though certainly has it's upsides especially when the sun shines brightly the next day. Pancakes and blueberries and lot's of work getting done. You see, we've starting a new huge project in the studio similar but at all the same as Wellington. So if you we're a fan of Wellington check in for updates. See that funny little mechanical bird-ish looking thing that's a little sneak peek.

Look at this California boy shoveling his way out. He's very adaptable

Snow Cat -- the snow was taller then he was and he would scratch at the snow to tell if he could jump up on it. Pretty darn cute. At one point he had to use his 4-wheel drive to get out of the snow. It was pretty killer.

Pancakes and blueberries

bird-bot

Beautiful Birthday Present

2010-01-22T11:14:00.000-08:00

We just received this most beautiful tapestry handmade made by Andrew's Mom. Isn't absolutely wonderful? And it's full of meaning. Within seconds of opening it I knew exactly where it was going to live. I love stuff like this, a perfect fit!
Actually now that I look that this picture everything (besides the french cat) is made by her.

Another Shop Update

2010-01-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

Oh boy we're on a roll! Check it out!

Mobile Madness

2010-01-13T12:06:00.001-08:00

Wool

paper

Paper Craft

2010-01-12T10:58:00.000-08:00

What's that?! That's not wool. Well there's been a request for a new circle mobile so I broke out the fancy paper and the paper scissors and the glue and got to work. I forgot how fun it is to work with fancy papers. I'll be making a couple and putting them in the shop. Spice things up a little, why not.

Shop Update!

2010-01-07T10:03:00.000-08:00

Just a wee little update. It's start, taking things slowly. Trying to pay little more attention to the shop.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-30T19:27:00.001-08:00

A Merry, Merry Everyone!

2009-12-24T07:23:00.000-08:00

Our Snowman and his little friend.

10 Years!

2009-12-18T11:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary to my Bestest friend in the whole world. It feels like my whole life, like he's been there the whole time. Sometimes I forget he's a separate person. Boy, I'm lucky. We've never been big on the celebrating, actually we've never celebrated. Isn't he lucky, he's probably the only guy out there that doesn't get in trouble for forgetting. Most years it's someone else who reminds us. It's a funny thing, I'm not sure why we don't celebrate it. May be "cause we've got the same birthday and that day always seems so special. Dunno, but we're doing a little something this year, well 'cause you only hit 10 once, right. So with a little help from my (Monster) friends - Sqrl hearts Bee forever!

2009-12-09T07:41:00.001-08:00

Oh boy! Did I fall off the blogging wagon or what! There is just WAY too much going on to even begin to wrap my brain around it. Shows every weekend for the past month, in between a 10 day Thanksgiving trip out to LA to visit family and back at it 2 days after getting home (what was I thinking?!). This weekend is my last show - Thank goodness.

This shows a big one though so lot's to get ready. I'm trying to get a couple new things out to see how they do - a couple holiday cards and gift tags. I know I'm cutting close on the holiday deal. I really wanted to have calender finished but I got half finished and well 6 months just isn't gonna cut, now is it.

So far though we've have a great season. Felties are pulling them in by their heart strings, it seems not many can resist. It's great to have this kind of reaction to the imaginary world I too often find myself in. At least I can justify my imagination, not that I have to of course. The only thing is there's only so much the body can take. I'll be crippled if I have to continue making this many creatures. So somethings gotta change. Which is why I'm looking at prints and more elaborate pieces. The characters aren't going anyway, I'm too attached but I've got to find a way of bringing them to life with hurting myself in the process.

So this weekend -

SquidFire's 2009 Holiday Art Mart

Saturday December 12, 11-6pm

DuBurns Arena | 1301 S. Ellwood Ave. off of Boston Street in Canton

Join Squidfire and 60 other talented artists and crafters for an all day shopping experience on December 12. The Du Burns Arena in Canton will be transformed into an alternative shopping center when diy/indie crafters from all over the east coast descend upon Baltimore to offer you the most unique, handmade gift ideas. Whether you’re looking for locally roasted coffee beans, handmade soap or even freshly baked dog treats, we’ll have it there!

From Scratch Market

2009-11-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

Hi there friends and family! Felties will be in Allentown tomorrow at the "From Scratch Market". This is a new show for us but the Felties we're invited and we love being invited, so we couldn't resist.

So come on out and start your holiday shopping early. This year buy your loved ones something handmade.

Feltie Watch!

2009-11-04T19:15:00.000-08:00

Felties will be making an a appearance this weekend locally here in Lansdale. Check it out, it's a good thing.

That time of the year again.

2009-11-04T08:01:00.000-08:00

Oh man! I love the Fall. I can't even explain it, it's like it's a part of my soul. It's very visceral for me. I thinking it was probably the main reason for moving back to the east coast (I gotta soak it up while we're still here), sorry family but I guess you come in second to Autumn.
My favorite, favorite part - when the leaves rain down from the trees they catch the light and sparkle.

Happy Halloween From the Scoobys!

2009-10-31T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hey, we rocked it! We had horrible light to work with for the photos so you've got to use your imagination but we had awesome, homemade costumes. Hey! and we won Best Costume! Last night at John and Alyssa's rockin Halloween Party. I wish I could describe the detail they went to with their decorations.

Happy Halloween! Zoinks!

Pumpkin Sunday!

2009-10-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

Good food...

Good people...

Good carving...

Spectacular Jack-O-Lanterns!

MIA

2009-10-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

Woah where have I been? Good question.... Man the studio has been busy these past few weeks. I've taken the week off from Felties and trying to play a little catch up here. Finishing some projects for the house - I finally made our bed quilt after years of saving up interesting flannels and I really wanted to make some matching pillow shams so that's what I accomplished yesterday. I'll post pictures of that soon. Things are good and things are busy.

Oh I did pick a winner for the last "give away" - Mrs. Dorie Jane! Well she had 50% chance of winning since only two people put their names in the hat. Yeah Dorie! I'll send that out to as soon as I can. I think that's it for Give Aways until after the holidays. Too many shows and events over the next months and I'm already bad at remembering to pick those names. So I think I save it for January when things are slow and cold.

Two Things....

2009-10-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Philly Art Mart is this weekend!
Saturday, October 17th 11-6pm
Old Pine Community Center
Phila., PA
It looks like there's going to be a lot of fun artist there. It's a great list of people and I'm happy to be one of them. May be you wanna start your holiday shopping early this year. You'll find lots unique, handmade gifts here. Or something for yourself - you know you deserve something handmade. Come on down and check it out!

Next, I want to remind all of you out there about the wrap skirt giveaway. Just in case it got buried under all your other friends posts about what they eat for lunch on Saturday or how their feeling Sunday Morning. I'll keep this skirt up until the middle of the week. That should give ya'll enough time to decide. I know it's a very Spring time skirt not at all what your in the mood for right with this chilly weather - look to the future my friends.

Give Away!

2009-10-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

Another wrap skirt. We have one more left after this one and that's it. Woohoo! I love getting rid of stuff or err I mean giving things new loving homes. So this is a wacky summer skirt although I'm sure you could pull it off in any season. It's just so light and soft and bright. Mostly sky blue and spring green in color with hits of lavender throughout. This skirt if also a one-size-fits-most the difference with this skirt is that depending on how you wrap it changes color a bit - a bit more green one way and more blue the other. You'll see (if you win of course).

So leave me a comment here on the blog or on Facebook and I'll draw a name sometime in the beginning of next week. I've given up on setting an actual day to pull the name since I don't seem to be sticking to the plan. So we'll say... Tuesday-ish.

Box of Felties

2009-10-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

(Obviously at this point) No giveaway this week too busy filling orders, yeah you heard correctly. Oh baby, filling orders. Oh and getting ready for The Philly Art Mart hosted by Squidfire on the 17th. Be there or be square my friends!

Between Felties

2009-09-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

Some rusty star garland for Mut, gourd garland for me and a much needed new coat rack.

A couple new fun things were made this weekend. None of which involved wool or felting. Ah it's good to step back a little for a minute, take a break and come back with fresh eyes. Mut and I went to Lancaster (Pa) on Friday to do some shopping, some driving country side and some new inspiration. As you can see by the above photos I was certainly inspired - homespun fabric, rusty stars and rusty wire, vintage buttons and gourds! I love gourds!

And the winner is....

2009-09-21T07:13:00.000-07:00

Mikey! Yeah! Mikey (Michael, Michael motorcycle turn the key and......) is my brother and I'm real happy to send this pup down south to live with him. You see, my brother is a real life Tom Bombadil when it comes to animals (and it sounds like plants too now that he's got his garden growing). Yay!

I'll be sending him off to you when we get back from a short trip across state to Pittsburgh, we're going there to visit Carnegie Mellon for the day to see if it's our next move. Should be interesting.

Above was the highlight of the weekend - a little family gathering for Courtney's 30th on Saturday - an absolutely glorious day for such a thing, it was perfect.

OH!!!! Wellington Dreams won an award at that little film festival I was telling ya'll about - Best in Animation. Fun huh!!!

The Picture Show 2

2009-09-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

Super last minute here folks. But Positive Space is hosting in Philly is having their annual film festival and guess who's got top billing. That's right Wellington the Woolie Elephant in Wellington Dreams will be one of the films being featured. So if your in the area and looking for something different to do on Friday stop on by and say hi. I'm so happy it's so local because all the other festivals are so for away like Denmark. Jeez, I wish..... Well hope to see you there.

Dog Needs a Home

2009-09-13T09:15:00.001-07:00

This little doggy here needs a good home. Where he'll be well fed and loved. He's completely made from recycled fabrics and has posable arms. He's like wearing his snuggly scarf and wool vest but both can be removed. Leave a comment here or on Facebook. This one closes on Friday also (or.. ah.. I mean around Friday-ish)

Happy Sunday everyone!

2009-09-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

The sun is shining. It's a good lazy day here. And we have a winner of the "Peaches and Cream" skirt. I know, I know I was supposed to do this on Friday. Oh well - The Winner is - Kat! She's a fellow follower of Inside Sqrl & Bee Studio. Yay Kat!

Free, free, free!

2009-09-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

Ok so this is my first give away here on the blog. I've seen a bunch of other bloggers do this and it seemed successful so I'm giving it a try. I've been cleaning out. New season, time to clean house. I've come across a bunch of different things I've made over the years. Mostly leftovers from shows in the beginning of all of this back when Felties were only one of the many things I was selling. When the very first people were freaking out about Felties (of course before they were even called "Felties"). Before I realized that they were what I should be focusing on. Lot's of skirts, shirts, stuffies and a few bags are left. And I have to get them out of here. Our home is SO small this stuff is taking up very valuable real estate.

So I'm starting off with this skirt above. It makes me think of Peaches and Cream. The material is an absolutely beautiful peach colored vintage cotton with the palest white daisies with little hits of pale yellow and springy green. In between this is small panels of cream color organic cotton flannel. And the sash is made of the same fabric.
It's practically a one size fits it's most, since it is a wrap skirt. Wear it on your hips or waist, it's super comfy since you can easily adjust it to your size. I believe it's about 23" long to just below your knee (if your short like me). I have a bunch of these myself and wear them all spring and summer.

Please just leave me a comment here on the blog or if your one of my Facebook readers then just leave me a comment there and I will throw all the names in a hat or use one of those nifty random number generators and pick a winner on Friday. I'll contact you for all your info then.

Yeah! Can't wait. Oh and hey there more to give so if this one skirt doesn't suit your fancy there's more to come.

This past week

2009-09-06T05:11:00.000-07:00

Was a super busy week that I manage to get almost no work done. How is that possible? The one highlight of the week (which was certainly worth not getting any work done) besides Monday's meeting with two brilliant ladies was a much needed day of total girlfriend-ness.

Color Lines

2009-09-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well I've decided to pick some color lines for Felties. Soon my shop will be off the Felties site and (I think) I'll use my Esty shop for seconds and experiments. I want there to a one stop shop for finding Felties. Nice and easy.
So in saying that it got to be super overwhelming with all the random colors I'm always making these creatures out of. So I'm narrowing if down a little, to the best color combos and the best colors that represent each character. As you can see it's a learning process 'round here. I'm kind of winging it. But I must be doing something right 'cause we're moving right along. I think I can blame that mostly on them though. But shhh... Don't tell them that, they already have a complex after doing the BMAC.

PS
I had an awesome day yesterday with two wonderful and creative ladies - Lisa ~ Milkshake Crafts and Linda ~ Little Flower Designs. We had a beautiful day and a delicious lunch. Talking about life, business and family. We also got to take a peek at where all the magic happens in Linda's cozy home studio. It was real fun and can't wait to meet up again.

S&B

2009-08-21T14:08:00.001-07:00

Finally!

2009-08-19T12:06:00.001-07:00

A good photo shoot. This is something of a struggle here in the studio. Contrary to popular belief little brightly colored, fuzzy creatures are not easy to photograph. These are still a wee bit on the fuzzy side but they are fuzzy, right. Well I'm happy and I think the girls are too.

Summer time

2009-08-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

Cicadas and Peaches!

2009-08-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

"A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books."
~ Walt Whitman

BMAC

2009-08-06T09:27:00.000-07:00

It was just a little too dark in there to get good pictures.

Hey we did really well at the BMAC this past weekend. I'm SO excited about the stores that will be carrying our Felties. I feel honored to be a part of their collection. Check them out - they're really fabulous, I would love to visit them in person.
The Land of Felties had it's debut this weekend at the show and the reaction was overwhelming. The displays were so well received that an order wasn't place without a couple trees or a house added. It's such a great feeling seeing my imagination justified. I made up this world and people like it, who knew. Here I thought I was just crazy playing with Monsters and Gnomes all the time.

Felties will be arriving soon to the following boutiques(Yay!)::

Fire Opal

Red Orchard

Creations

Green Tomatoes and Sunflowers

2009-07-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

This certainly means summer to me.

The recipe is from Simply Recipes. Enjoy!

Feltie

2009-07-21T17:53:00.000-07:00

Little by little the land of Feltie is being built.

Oh My!

2009-07-19T17:26:00.001-07:00

That's a lot of Felties!

Meet Jack

2009-07-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

He's part the "seasonal" group of Felties.

Flower Garden

2009-07-13T15:18:00.001-07:00

Here are just a few of the beauties gracing our garden this year.

Fresh Bread

2009-07-09T19:23:00.001-07:00

I just want to take a quick second here before I climb into bed with my new book and share one of my favorite places to go - Bakers On Board. Every Saturday we pick up bread for the week and get ourselves a breakfast treat - two croissants please! If your ever in the Souderton/Telford area or really it's worth the distance so if your in the mood for a really beautiful ride through the Bux/Mont country side then you must stop by for good, strong coffee and treats.

Gettin Ready

2009-07-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

for the show.

New Banner!

2009-07-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

Brought to you by the kind folks who live in the Land of Feltie!

Busy, busy weekend

2009-07-06T07:17:00.001-07:00

Fresh Blueberries

Dried Blueberries

Pickling the first two cucumbers with some radishes

Happy independence everyone!

I missed a couple days or actually the whole darn weekend or may be I took a moment of silence in honor of our independence. Ha! sounds good to me.
Well let's see I have a wonderful message on Saturday it was thank you gift from the Mut (my Mom). And dinner with good friends and of course fireworks as our happy ending dessert. Yesterday was a busy, busy day. One of those days were your just doing stuff all day. This and that and everything. Getting ready for the trade show - figuring out and building the first of the displays, grilling veggies, pickling our first two cucumbers, drying some blueberries (see pict.) making tortilla dough for the week, reading some news blogs in between, cleaning up the garden, mulching the holly bushes (I mean trees).
It's was such a magnificent day here, it seriously could not have been nicer.

Felties!

2009-07-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for the Buyers Market. It's a little overwhelming all the stuff I have to have together. We're building a whole wooden display, tack lighting, wholesale order forms, press releases, post cards and oh there's more I just can't remember it all.
I'm going to be a "Green Exhibitor" which I'm very excited about. Sierra Magazine wants to do an article on "green" holiday gifts and they've asked the Green Exhibitors to submit our stuff for that article. I hope I get in 'cause that's a whole lot of readers that are interested in Eco friendly products - direct marketing for me. Kid and Earth Friendly Wool Toys! Oh yeah!

Blueberry Pickin!

2009-07-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

We went blueberry and raspberry picking today at Solebury Farms in New Hope. If you live in the Philly area you must go. Thursdays are best because they're closed for picking Monday - Wednesday so the bushes are bursting by Thursday, begging to be picked. Yum!

Calendula

2009-06-30T19:10:00.001-07:00

Copper Pinwheel

2009-06-29T19:36:00.001-07:00

Three for you today...

2009-06-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

To make up for missing yesterday. We had a super busy day yesterday, Playing and helping build an outdoor wood fire oven at the Farm, Swimming with Mut (my Mom) and then Andrew had his first "gig" last night playing with a bunch of friends at Muggs in D-town. If your interested, you can hear bit of it here, here, here and here.

So it was one real looong day but fun the whole time all the way to the end.

Today is for recovery....

Oh My

2009-06-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot, again!

aPaD Library

2009-06-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

I went to the library today.

That's all I was going to say. But I changed my mind. I think the fiction section is intimidating. Not just at the library, but any book store. I only going in there when I know what I'm looking for. If I don't have a book in mind I find my self getting lost in book spines and book covers. They all blur to together. I'm sure there's some really good stuff in there, I know there is. I just scan over them waiting for a title to sound interesting or a cover to draw my eye. I am judging all the books by their cover. I do this with wine also. I shop for "ooo that one has a pretty label".

Oh I did walk out of the fiction section with two books though.
The Girl with no Shadow by Joanne Harris (I liked Chocolat)
and
The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff (I really liked the cover)
We'll see how they turn out.

aPaD - Blah.....

2009-06-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

Blah photo today. Blah 'cause I'm feeling blah. Staring at a computer screen all day makes you feel blah, even when your designing I think may be that makes it even more blah after a while.

This blanket isn't blah though. I've been saving fabric for years now to make a quilt for our bed. I've piling up favorite flannel pieces, scraps and yards waiting until I had enough for a queen-ish size quilt. I don't know about you but flannels can be pretty blah. It takes time to find the good ones. I don't want snowmen or moose (although I do like the occasional moose) or all plaid, you know what I mean. Anyway, it was time, the pile felt big enough and I began making the quilt in the winter. Now, I want to finish it before it gets too hot to sit under to quilt, if you know what I mean. I'm almost finished.

aPaD

2009-06-22T08:04:00.001-07:00

My Boys!

aPaD

2009-06-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Cracker making is great for gloomy weather. And boy have we had a lot of that lately. Today is the first day of summer and you certainly wouldn't know it. It's more like the middle of Autumn around here.
The garden is fairing ok. But we are started to see some unhappiness in the onion patch. They're not standing straight and starting to look a little yellow. They're starting to get overwhelmed, that's what it looks like to me. Everything just seems to be waiting... Waiting for the sun. The peppers are certainly waiting, they are big and green and have a ton buds just waiting, waiting for the sun and heat that comes with in. Now, on the other hand things like the lettuce and other greens (collards, chard and kale) are thriving, but of course this is the kind of weather they prefer. The trials and tribulations of gardening....

This cracker recipe comes from one of my two favorite recipe blogs. I am so loyal, these are the first places I go when looking for recipes or ideas.
Check them out, your sure to be inspired. Real people, cooking in their kitchens with real recipes. Not just some cookbook.
101 Cookbooks
Simply Recipes
Here's another just 'cause it's a pretty awesome reference for Tex Mex and by far the best tortilla recipe ever -
Homesick Texan

aPaD

2009-06-20T08:00:00.001-07:00

Ah this was supposed to be for yesterday but I got all caught up in pizza making and forgot to post. Oh well....

aPaD

2009-06-18T12:49:00.001-07:00

aPaD

2009-06-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

The Gnomes have changed! They are currently being simplified and (I think) cute-ified. They have been needing a rework. They were too complicated, too time consuming and just not cute enough. So I got away from them for a while and now that I've come back with new eyes I think it's working out.

aPaD

2009-06-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

A weed has sprouted.

Not from my garden, I swear.

a Photo a Day (aPaD)

2009-06-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

teeny, tiny snail.

I'm going to try to do a photo a day. Well I guess that's obvious from the title. I'm not sure how long I want to do this. May be a month? Yeah that sounds good. No rules.. or well one, I can't just take garden pictures. That's too easy. Oh and they can't be older then like the day before.

Craft:

2009-06-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

"Wellington Dreams" is on Craft: Blog
Yay!
Thank you Tara from Handmade in Pa

Garden Update

2009-06-08T06:43:00.001-07:00

Kale, first tomatoes, flower garden, clematis seed pods, nasturtiums

garden silhouette, potato flowers, calendula, peas

string beans, garden shot, columbine seed pods, strawberries, strawberry leaf with a fly, gourds.

So I've randomly going out of taking pictures of the gardens progress but never finding the time to update the blog about it. While I've waited many of the plants have out grown their pictures. I've now been motivated by my Sister-in-Law updating her blog about their new garden. It seems may be it's genetic thing - gardening.

We are having the best season ever. Everything is full, green and healthy. We have certainly exceeded last year in growth - we already have two little tomatoes. It's all about the lights and of course a bit of fertilizer helps too.

Much of the stuff you see above were started by us. This years new plants that we started were string beans, basil, greens - swiss card, collards and kale (we eat A LOT of greens and we're real happy that were growing enough this year to not have to buy any!). The rest (tomatoes, lettuce, onions, peppers) we've started in previous years and just keep getting better at it. I love it. We've got lattice everywhere this year - tomatoes, gourds and squash. I love climbers.

Wellington Dreams

2009-05-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

Well friends, Wellington the Woolie is making his debut in a new short animated feature. Check it out!

Beauty

2009-05-22T07:03:00.000-07:00

Is in life and death....

The Ladies

2009-05-11T08:51:00.001-07:00

Thanks, Mom

2009-05-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

Because I don't have enough time to do an actual post but want to let everyone know that I'm taking part in a super cool thing this weekend for Mother's Day here's a quote from offmanhattan.com

"The Thanks Mom Pop-Up is part of 303 Grand’s experimental venue where revolving theme markets will come and go as vendors and owners take turns reinventing the space. So, what better reason to have folks from across the country form a local consignment store this weekend than on behalf of your momma truly?"

Sounds good, huh?

Look at these pictures, so many beautiful things. I'm happy to be a part of it.

See those pretty little flowers there, that's me!

Mother's Day

2009-04-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

A little something for Mom ~ Flower Pins are in the shop!

The Ladies

2009-04-27T18:39:00.001-07:00

Top:: Kelly, Jamie and Me
Botton:: Donna, Courtney and Pearl

Dishman Strikes Again!!!

2009-04-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Movies (in no specific order, that would be way too hard)

2009-04-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

Sqrl::

Amelie ( or - Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain)
Chocolat
Labyrinth
The Neverending Story
When Harry Met Sally
16 Candles
Muppet's Take Manhattan
Science of Sleep
Penelope
Much Ado About Nothing

Bee::

Baron Munchausen
Time Bandits
Punk Drunk Love
Brazil
Raising Arizona
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
The Dark Crystal
Science of Sleep
Back to the Future (the whole thing)
Twice Upon a Time 0r Fantastic Planet (can't choose)

Seedling Update

2009-04-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

04-24 is when I started the tomatoes, just to give you some idea of how long it's been. I am SO happy with the seedlings this year. It has certainly been the best year yet. They're so stocky and hardy, they're like little trees. The one's in the individual container are from my Grandmom, she started too many so I got the leftovers. They're are starting to catch up to the first batch. The key - lights and fertilizer. Especially lights though, they have four 100 watt bulbs on them for 12 hours everyday and of course we put them outside when the sun out and it's warm. This year we finally broke down and bought a box of veggie fertilizer. It's organic (of course) it seems like a great company and the plants really seems to like it.

We're doing less this year and just focusing on a couple different plants and really get to know them and what they need. Plus, we don't really have that much space and what we have seems to fill up fast. You get stir crazy in the winter and all excited and essentially your eyes are bigger then your stomach or space in this case. So this years it's tomatoes, string beans, greens - butter lettuce ('cause this variety does best here), kale, collards, swiss chard - onions, potatoes, cucumbers and of course herbs and some flowers. I've got some peppers also (you may be able to see in one of the photos) they're extras from my Grandmom too.

Yay! Can't wait!

Zuri Was Here!

2009-04-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

Shrinky dinks and Gilmore Girls

Hendrick's Farm for milk, cheese and eggs

Lunch at Dilly's Corner

Disc Golfing

Playing Croquet - well repainting them first

Playing on the tracks in between the rains

Digging in the mud

Playing 'Let It Be'

Playing on the Wing Damn - or near it since it was cover in water from the storm the day before.

Making boats and sailing them out into the river

Philly Featurette

2009-04-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

I would like to do a little spotlight on each of the members of a group I'm a part of - Handmade Philly. I love being a part of this group, we're all so different and unique , with the common treads are our home and our craft. It's all about passing on information, helping each other grow and gathering support. It's so good.

So I'm going to start off with one of my favorites - Botodesign. Now, of course I'm going to try and cover everyone eventually but I know I'm being a bit over zealous here and will probably not meet that goal because there are a bunch of us and we just keep growing but I'll try.

Meet Boto! A robot that lives in Japan! Seriously it can't get any better than that for me. Chen Reichert is behind the designs of all these cute characters. I'm a huge fan of robots so I was a sucker at first site.

I have figure out a way to mold wool into a box shape so I can make some robots.

Oh I am here... Promise

2009-03-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

Just a little too lost in my own mind to post. Honest.