Bird and Bloom

Owl Handmade is going to be featured in Bird and Bloom Magazine!  My Garden Snails will be in the holiday edition of Bird and Bloom magazine!  There will be a "how to" section that will describe to readers how to make snails from polymer clay.

Rocking Chair

Quilt Chair

The Wilkes County Chamber of Commerce in North Wilkesboro, NC is sponsoring a silent auction featuring rocking chairs painted by artists in the area.  Each chair will have a different theme from different attractions in Wilkes County.  I was inspired by the barn quilts that can be found all over the county.

Embroidered Pillows

I got busy embroidering finally! So far I have finished these 3 beautiful pillows.  They also have pattered fabric in bright colors on the back!

Fabric!!!

I love getting new art supplies and materials!  Today I picked up some fabric and embroidery thread from a local quilt shop.  I have in mind exactly what I want to do, but where to begin.  I cherish the fabric and tread and don't want to make mistakes!  But making mistakes is what leads us to be better artists! I have a hard time jumping over that first hurdle and plunging in. 

Dyeing Wool with Kool-Aid!!!

Now that my wool is all clean I can start to dye it!  Kool-aid works really well.  The colors aren't solid, but varigated.  I used about an ounce of wool with one packet of Kool-aid and heated it in the microwave for 3 minutes.  I let it sit for about 30 minutes and then rinsed.  I can't wait to card the wool to see how the colors turn out when the wool is brushed!

Not only does the Kool-aid produce beautiful, bright colors, it also smells really nice!  My kitchen smelled of lemon, black cherry, and blue raspberry lemonade! 

WOOL!

Now that summer has started, so does me jumping  head first into projects! I have 2 pounds of raw wool to clean...and in the beginning it's kinda gross.  I start by filling my bath tub with hot water, adding detergent, then putting the wool in the tub and let the detergent do its magic.  If I move the wool around it would felt, so I just let it sit.  Then I put it on my porch to dry, which is much harder than one would think because of our wonderful humid climate!  More to come about the art created with the wool!

Why Owls?

Oh...why? My students ask me. I'm not really sure myself, but something is appealing about that bird. Maybe how still they are. Many other birds are too fast, make moves in an instants. While owls, are calculating, observant; they take their time. I feel like I sound like a crazy owl lady! But they do inspire me, maybe to be more still myself.