Well, I barely do.  Is there even a link to it in the sidebar?  Nope.

Now that the baby is finally starting to let me put her down for more than 15 seconds at a time it’s high time I updated the little sucker.  The true irony of letting my shop sit idle for the last year is that I am the leader of an Etsy team.  heheh.

Any hoo ~

I recently moved my studio and acquired a very large piece of equipment (more on that later) so this first listing is what we in the biz like to call a de-stash.  It’s kind of like a yard sale of sorts and if you join my Fan Page on Facebook then you’ll get some pretty smokin’ discounts on some pretty cool stuff.

There will be fabric.  There will be scraps.  There will be piles of weird, old children’s books that contain lots of cool pictures and unusual typeface for those of you who make jewelry from that kind of thing.  There will also be some random vintage pieces from my personal collection.  All items in this listing will be barter-friendly too.  woo hoo!

So run on over there and check out my policies and such so you can jump right in next week.

It looks like the double vision is creeping into my sewing projects as well:

This is my new fire lotus applique design, featured here on a pair of wraparound leggings that will be in the next shop update (which is now Sunday, February 22, 4pm MST).

Perhaps it’s time to have my eyes checked?  Or maybe I’m just preoccupied with thoughts of two little ones underfoot…

Last week was a pretty big week! With a huge push to get my shop updated, write an interview for Gypsy Road, tweak a few things here and there in the online world, and take care of my family, I must admit I’m a little tuckered.

I’m pretty bummed that this set of leggings didn’t quite make it in time for the big shop update:

And neither did this hat:

Hopefully they’ll make an appearance sometime this week.

So I’m trying a new approach with my work, and that is making big shop updates once a month or so rather than trying to list items as they’re made. In addition to actually creating the stuff, the process of taking pictures, editing the photos, and listing the work takes up a considerable amount of time!! I tried doing a large batch, taking all of the photos at once and listing everything at once, and it seemed to fit in with our schedule a whole lot better.

I’ll probably update the shop with a couple of items here and there, but as the time for our newest member of the family approaches I’d like to tinker around with some ways to maintain the balance around here. This also gives me a little more room to fit custom work into the schedule as well.

Because really, who would want to miss this?

I was reflecting on the work that I’ve done this year and it aligns right along with how much this little man has grown. One year ago, I couldn’t even operate a digital camera or upload photos…he could barely wave his little arms around and was just beginning to smile.

And just look at us now.

I’ll be devoting the rest of the month to the Gypsy Road Team Challenge: Taking Care of Number One. This to me means finishing up a few high-energy items that have been sitting for far too long. And of course I’ll be bringing you all along for the ride!

You know, like the Count from Sesame Street. Oh, never mind.

Here are two of the little beauties in all of their sublimely green glory:

The hat on the left is a mushroom style cap made from 100% wool with hemp detailing. That’s a Celtic knot that has been needle felted to the top of the crown, also worked in 100% wool.

The little cutie on the right is 100% wool (of course, I’m obsessed) and features a hemp brim. It’s so cute on that I will definitely be making one for myself once I finish the other hat that I’m making for myself.

Both will be available in the shop update on Thursday, January 8 at 6pm MST. Holy crap. That’s tomorrow.

Back to it!

I finished up my project for the Gypsy Road team challenge with what, six hours to spare? Nice. Check ‘em out:

It’s a representation of Vesica Piscis, a sacred pagan symbol that possesses much power and energy. It’s also a constellation that appears during the time of Solstice, which makes it a perfect study for the “Celebrate Solstice” challenge. A closer look:

You can see them in The Shop for a full description. They’ve been creating visions of fire dancing in my head all week.

Have a happy new year everyone!!

Whew. Survived another one. Here are just a couple of the little gifties that I whipped up for the holidays:

A fancy-dancy scarflette made of a superfine mohair and silk blend that is lighter than air. I’ll be making up a couple more of these for the shop soon.  This is an original design composed of a lacy Solomon stitch and a shell and picot edging.

A happy accident involving a pair of felted slippers. My attempt was to make a pair of felted moccasins but they ended up being more like lilies, which I totally love. These will definitely be making an appearance in the shop as well.  This is an original design concocted once  I ditched this pattern and started making up my own rules.

And speaking of appearances in the shop, I’m happy to report that there will finally be some new listings this week!! These legwarmers are first up as part of a Winter Solstice Challenge for the Gypsy Road Etsy team. I’m still working out the kinks with the wraparound legwarmers–I’m not entirely happy with the applique stitching on these so they will be discounted 10% when I list them. Nothing structural, just the perfectionist in me.

So now that the Christmas craftiness has passed,

where was I?

Happy New Year everyone!!!

ps–did you notice the common trait of the Christmas gifts?  They’re pink.  It’s a girl!!!

I was inspired to write the information about the Symbolism of Peacocks while I was working on a headband for The Shop. Initially, I had planned on a simple floral design painted with wool but when I crocheted the border onto the headband everything changed.

The felted design was lost next to the magnificence of the Himalayan recycled silk yarn, dropping so far into the background that the piece no longer looked harmonious. I set it aside for a day to incubate and my thoughts turned to peacocks.

I wonder what process the Creators were going through when the peacock was brought into fruition? Was it a combination of beautiful parts or was it an idea that was clearly planned? What if this most stunning of creatures was simply a few odds and ends that were incredible on their own but when joined together suddenly didn’t mesh? Maybe it started out as a rather large bird with a rather large tail that just needed…a little something more. “Should we make it blue?”

Out came the beads. I find that there is rarely a problem in my work that can’t be solved with some serious yet tasteful embellishment. Was it the same for the creation of peacocks? “Well, now the tail looks a bit off. Let’s put some things that look like eyes on the tips.”

Almost there. The flowers still drooped into the background. I’ve broken my habit of running to the store whenever an issue like this arises, so I dug into my inventory of trims and decided that a hint of embroidery in gold just might do the trick. I think I must have been a crow in a former life…I have a real affection for shiny things.

“Let’s make it shimmer in the light. Keep going. A little more. Now that’s a bird.”

And that’s a headband, which is of course much more stunning in person.

Though the process was a bit of a reach for me, I instinctively followed the inspiration that was leading me to this point. This little beauty has already been claimed but you can count on more designs featuring my new path of wild abandon. It’s the difference between a peacock and a bird that slightly resembles a turkey.

Follow your bliss. ~Joseph Campbell

I was pretty sure these wouldn’t last very long in The Shop. I don’t even think they were up for twelve hours before finding their loving new home.

Here’s the other one:

Don’t worry, there will be more. Remember the eye popping pink and yellow plaid wool from the Apron Tutorial? It’s making its way into a funky pair of warm and wooly legwarmers lined with a one of a kind vintage floral print as we speak. There’s also a lambswool set featuring some kind of applique or wool painting in the incubation tank…those might be for me though.

And the time has come to begin the work of an actual real live website for The Peaceful Peacock!! This day has been long in the works but I would really like to feature a gallery of work and a clearly defined listing for custom options.

And yes, you can get custom legwarmers. Of course you can. And headbands. And hats. And ornaments. And just about anything else I come up with. And there will be plenty to come as the snow flies and the belly grows, that’s for sure.

I’ll be updating The Shop later today with a couple of items and I’m hoping that the project that this little baby is a part of will be ready as well.

Oh, I am having fun these days. A ruthless purge is indeed good for the soul.

I just updated The Store with a couple of items, one of which is another wool headband.  This one is called “Solstice Sunrise” because it reminded me of a photo that Papa J took on his first visit to Montucky. 

Here is the headband:

And here is its inspiration:

It’s fun making things that remind me of some of our most magical moments.  I’ll definitely be doing more of that!!  There are also a couple of needle felted ornaments listed as of today, but here is a little preview of one in the works:

Of course it’s a peacock.  He still needs some eyes and a couple of finishing touches but he’ll be ready to check into his new abode pretty soon.  Have a wonderful day!!