Happy New Year, Happy New Decade!

Happy 2020!

Wow, 2020... that seems so futuristic, doesn't it?!

Hopefully your new year is off to a positive start. It somehow seems mine is and it is only day 2 of this brand new year! I'm not sure if it has to do with a sense of newness, like when you open a gift of something you've been coveting and can't wait to spend time with this new item. Or, is it because there is something different in the air... like the feeling that comes along when snow is on its way? Maybe it's due to a chance meeting with a special new friend, and feeling like there are great things in store! Whatever it is, I'm pretty much all in already, yep, here on day 2. 😃

I have given myself the gift of "work on whatever it is you want" since Christmas, and what has come out has been art with a "Home" theme. Is this a sign?! I AM doing a workshop on Saturday, January 18 featuring Winter Home hoops (learn more HERE), so maybe that is why cozy houses are on my mind. Plus, winter coziness is best spent at home, right?!

And would you look at this menagerie of felted wool?! Where my mind dreams up these things, I will never know or understand! When I began this wooly project, my intent was to create a gnome-home sort of creation, but this is where I have ended up. You know, the funny thing is this is the art creation of my childhood. Always drawing cozy homes with flowers and a bird or butterfly. In some ways, I am still in my childhood heart, and that is fine by me! 

As with every new year, I make a declaration promising to spend more time on my blog. I am not going to apologize or make some long-winded excuse about not blogging, but I do want to say it is my intention to spend more time here talking over my artistic process, thoughts on needle felting and how to go about knitting together my mental health advocacy and artistic worlds. I just have the feeling they are coming together. Ever so slowly, indeed, but coming together, they are. I will bet a "4" on it (referencing 2020)! 😉

Take care, friend, and talk very soon, kay?!!
xx
Val

A look back: Favorites of 2016

One of the things a new year brings for me is a look back at the past year's projects. Basically, I take inventory of what worked and what didn't work so well. Which items I will add into my regular repertoire - meaning I will definitely make them again, and which items I will retire. This year I thought I would share with you :o) *All of these fall into the category of 'Worked out well'!

1. This Mrs. Robot was a labor of love to create. I worked on her off and on for months. She sold at the first show where she made her grand debut. I missed her the moment she went into the bag. She is irreplaceable and one of a kind. Yes, I will certainly keep creating these wonderful Robot dolls!

2. Owl hoops with a glitter frame and tied with a bow? Heck YES! I love the addition of embroidery stitching, and bold background fabrics. Super duper sweet, and I will continue creating these bird hoops!

3. These Santa elf dolls.... I have actually seen people swooning over them. What is not to like??? Fair isle sweaters? Tiny working bells? Sparkle fiber beards and mustaches? Posable legs, and button sewn-on arms? All these features are winners in my book!

 4. I doubt I will ever stop making these special bird pillows. They truly make for a unique piece of room art, one that doesn't need to be hung on the wall.

5. Woodland needle felts. These are some of the most requested items I am asked to teach. Even though each character takes several hours to make, I love working the wool and watch as it goes from loose fiber to a sculpted character. Yes, these fantastic creatures will definitely stay among my repertoire!

6. Mr. Squirrel with acorn in hand? Are you kidding me? This is one of my all time favorite, top of this list cutes... well, almost top of this list! I would like to create a whole series of woodland hoop art pieces, each carrying something beloved from the forest :o)

7. Sniff-sniff sweater. Each baby sweater is truly so special. This one has a bone on the back, which is what this pup has her eye on. I modeled these eyes off my dog, Lola's eyes. She is all "sniff-sniff-sniff-sniff" when she spies a treat! This sweater also had big embroidered "sniff sniff" above the dogs head. It sold right away. Too cute!

8. Ok, this one... Hands down, the cutest thing I have ever made!!!  A bumble bee in a donut car? Oh gosh, I love it so. This one may need to stay with me... forever!

I hope you've enjoyed the show! As ever, I am so happy to share my work with you. Thanks so much for another year of fun projects, support, and love. :o) 

xx

Val

Are we Holly and Jolly yet?

I don't know about you, but all this needle felting has me as holly jolly holiday as I will ever be! Here I am smack dab in the middle of the show season, teaching needle felting classes, home crafting parties, custom orders and more. But I am jolly, jolly, jolly about all of it! It is all good, and I am 

So Thankful :o)

that you all love my craft, and wish to give what I make to your loved ones. 

I wrap up this holiday season with a 4 day handmade holiday pop-up stint at the UTC Mall. I know... The mall, right? Well, I am in business after all. And I am working very hard to get my product out there. So, yes, the mall it is. If you're in the San Diego area, I do hope you will stop by and see me. I will be located in the children's area near Geppetto's. 

And, lastly, I think it would be nice to finish out the year with a parade of some of my custom orders. So, get ready for that coming your way soon.

Happy Holly Jolly to you and yours!

xx

Val

Glitterfest Prep!

Glitterfest is this weekend, and I am getting so ready! This morning, I freshly painted my nails with a nice coat of glitter polish, aren't they pretty?!

Even though I don't normally do more than a few Halloween related pieces, this year, I am doing so many more! Will you look at this Trick or Treat party girl? She's killing me!

Then, there are the skull and pumpkin brooches. I made a few last year, and sold them all. So this year I made more, and even threw in a feisty mustached one. Lol, you've got to love a mustached pumpkin!

And, dolls.... I am smitten with the dolls right now. I have one halloween masked doll, and this Pretty in Pink sweetie. The purse... look at the purse! She's so Vogue :o)

And then there's this Miss Pumpkin doll, who I finished today! Oh my! She's standing in a glitter pumpkin patch! With a sparkle crow friend.... 

Come and see me at this weekend's Glitterfest. I'm sure it is going to be so much FUN!

xx,

Val

I will be at Glitterfest on Oct 10!

Have you heard of Glitterfest? I have heard it is a wonderful show! I have never been to Glitterfest before now, but I am completely smitten with the name. I mean, really? "Glitter-fest" The pictures conjured up in my mind are so sparkle-pretty, I can't bear it!

I will be there, in Sparkle-delight! In fact, I am creating some extra fun pieces with Glitterfest in mind....

Glitter-sparkle Hoops!

Halloween Dolls in Costume :o)

And certainly, I will be sporting Glitter-sparkly fingernails :o)

See you there! (Find out more by clicking the show link here)

xx

Val

SpoOOky

Hi there! Can you believe it's already almost late September, and time to get ready for some Fall-ish-ness?! My, how time flies... 

There has been a little bit of Halloween crafting going on in my studio this week. So I thought I'd share it with you...

Mr. Hoot will be an upcoming needle felting class. 

These two silly ones have just come upon each other. eek!

These funky pumpkins will become brooches. The one on the right is Picasso Pumpkin :o)

I love making fun vignettes.

That's it for now. Oh, wait! I will just leave you with a quick selfie...

Boo!

xx

Val

Soulful Sea for MATS Bootcamp June assignment

My entry for the June Gallery for MATS Bootcamp on Lilla Rogers website

The June assignment for MATS Bootcamp was delivered at the beginning of the month, and it was a welcome theme and assignment; a Sea/whale theme for a Wall Art assignment. Originally, I had thought I would create a painting onto board, but since I have been obsessed with hoop art lately, well... it only made sense that's how I would work out the assignment. 

Here's my process:

I ran out of time to stitch the text in place, so thanks to a bit of photoshop/Studio editing, the text was easy to overlay on the top of the photo. And, thanks to the talented and Photoshop savvy teens in my life, namely my son, Kyle Hebert, the image at the top of this post was created and uploaded just in the nick of time to the classroom gallery on Lilla Roger's site. Whew! It becomes a lot of work as the clock ticks down to the deadline. Isn't that always the way it goes?!

I always enjoy the way these assignments stretch me out of my normal comfort zone. Heck, even I need a break from birds from time to time! (I can't even believe I admitted to that fact!)

Check out Lilla Rogers Bootcamp studio school by clicking here. If you are an artist who likes the occasional kick in the pants, and to stretch yourself, you will love this class. I promise!

xx,

Val