Tis the season... for making!

(Sorry to those followers getting this a second time, I discovered that a link needed to be fixed so I'm re-sending...)
Despite the time change giving me that weird feeling of unease, and the daylight dissipating so early, I am finding myself relishing the change of season. No, I'm not talking about Christmas music and shopping, but the chance to hole up a bit and do some handcrafting. My studio was occupied by family members who converged to deer hunt last weekend, so I stuck with the computer instead. In addition to the little online class of Kim Klassen, I've also joined her "Photoshop Test Kitchen." I'm having a blast slowly learning some new techniques and pulling out old photos to try them on. (Here's just one sample of many I've been playing with, texture by Kim Klassen).

I ended up with a full, blissful day in my studio yesterday, as both kids were home with bad colds and M wasn't up for our home schooling. It was the first large, guilt-free block of time I've had in ages, and I got sooo much done!I dyed fiber and silk for future nuno-felting projects,Hand-dyed silk scarves, pre-felting

Spun some yarn (my first time spinning in quite a while!)Handspun bulky yarn, baby alpaca and cashmere blend

Felted some soaps, concentrating on trying to make each one into a tiny, unique piece of functional art and avoiding any sort of "mass production."

And today I've been jewelry-making (in the time after home-schooling was done). I've still got lots to do to get ready for the upcoming events at which I'll be selling- Art in the Barn and the Jingle and Mingle Handmade Gifts Party!Handcrafted pendant that will go on a copper necklace

Do you like my Moo mini cards? I had them printed with lots of my favorite images on the fronts and standard info on the back, and they're doubling as earring cards and price tags. What a great company to work with, easy and quick process! Pin It Now!

Vacation Memories

Playing in the creek, Zion National Park

So, it's been a long time since I've written! It seems like forever since we were in Utah and there's been a lot of water under the bridge since.... our son was in an accident (he's okay now), school started, and we made the decision for me to home school our daughter (more on that later..). Utah left a big impression on me, and provided the space and inspiration that I'd hoped to have with extended time away. Especially the hiking! Walking those sandy trails with castles of rock rising all around helped clear away lots of cobwebs in the way that beach walking does for many. Since I've been letting my memories simmer for so long, I think I'll leave out the details of our trip for now and catch up with my current life.My camera broke on the first day of our trip (I fell on it when my scooter skidded out in deep sand), and when I returned it was hard to get excited about blogging without a decent camera! After a lot of research, I decided to buy a used duplicate of the Sony DSC H50 on eBay (for less than a minimum repair bill), and it is working out great.The first hat I made upon our return- definitely Utah-inspired colors!

I found some time for fiber arts, but not enough yet since the Midway Festival and other good selling opportunities are fast approaching! I'm enjoying making jewelry using alpaca fiber beads, and it's nice to have another alpaca product that's not dependent on cool weather! Speaking of.... it's supposed to be a cool and beautiful Labor Day weekend, hope you have a nice one.

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