Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Some Christmas Angel decorations.

I thought I'd share Jacob's poem with you that

he wrote to go in our Christmas card this year.

I am a very proud mum indeed!

Hello Jolly Snowman

Hello Jolly Snowman,

In your winter coat.

It reaches from below your tum,

to halfway up your throat.

Hello jolly Snowman,

with your orange nose.

Why does it point at the stars at night?

Is it so it glows?

Hello jolly Snowman,sitting by the sea.

Why not come to my house,

and join me for Christmas tea?

by Jacob Phillips (11 yrs) , a tribute to Spike Milligan

Looking forward to getting some catch up time

 in blogland over the holidays!

Have a wonderful creative Christmas and may

2014 be full of "play" time!

I may be over excited but its a teeny weeny jellyfish!

Can you see it!

A teeny weeny Jelly fish.

My friend Zoe bought me a tutorial 

on how to make jellyfish 

to put in your beads - such fun!

Lots of practice still needed......

Some Christmas presents.......happy snowman

I had so much fun making these for some friends.

They have gone to their new homes today so I can share.

The beautiful felt vessel they are hanging from is

by the wonderful Jenny Pepper.

I created some felt pebbles then created some

 little glass snowmen to live on them.

With button hat and a bell at the base.

Their stripy scarves are some lovely twisties by

Frit n chips on Etsy.

What have I been upto this week....?

Dying Harris tweed and fibres for a needle felter.....

Also creating felt making packs for a customer up north!

Oh yes......and working on a special card!

Day out at Kelburn

Such a lovely day on Sunday we

headed to Kelburn Country centre

for a wee walk.

Just a wee heads up! Stitch is having a 24hr sale.....

SBS is having a sale today - so grab a bargain!

Felting yarn packs.....

Today's work if you can call it that!

has been creating felting yarn packs

Great mixes of hand dyed and commercial 100% wool yarns.

Super for felting and ideal for embellishing machines!

silk chiffon.....yummy

Today I have been dying chiffon for orders and some

for the shop, all drying out slowly and hopefully get a minute

to list tomorrow.

Had a wee helper today as Hope off school with bad

ear ache so no venturing out doors.

Once the calpol started working she was happy

to keep me company while I dyed in the kitchen.

But I think lack of visitors

(she thinks I am always having folks round for coffee)

will mean a return to school in morning...lol

Lovely Mulberry bark...half price offers!

Some great offers at my Ebay Store - Hope Jacare designs

 on Mulberry bark.

Sadly my supply is coming to an end.

So if you fancy trying some.....grab some quick.

Have you ever played with mulberry bark? It has a texture and feel similar to raw silks. Surprising? Not if you happen to know that silk worms live off of eating mulberry leaves. Because of this silk-like texture, mulberry fibres are great for incorporating in  multi-media artwork and creative textiles.

Until recently mulberry bark was only available in its unprocessed state for sale to paper makers. The processed bark looks like a mesh of criss crossed threads.

There are many ways to play with the bark. You can cut up the fibre and stitch or glue it to your artwork. Funky threads and ribbons can be woven through the fibre.

More three dimensional shapes and thinner, wispy layers can be created with the bark. Soak the bark in water for a few minutes to soften the fibres. While wet, the fibres can be separated into thinner layers, distressed through stretching, ripped into smaller strips, or  pressed onto moulds.

Mmmmmm cotton scrim......

apricot and peach with a splash of  soft brown

Forest......

I do like dying cotton scrim!

In reality a very soft shell pink.....

Great bases for nuno felting.

Aly has just created a wonderful jacket using some 

scrim I dyed for her recently which you can see at

Country Cottage felts

The potential to combine.......

I think there definitely is the potential to combine felt making

along side a new love "lamp working".

Still not convinced I am a bead maker but I do love to play!

A big thanks to Louise Nelson I know know how to attach my gas tank and

torch safely.......can't wait to have a good old melt!

Just incase....pazzles Inspiration for sale

Just incase anyone is looking for one.

I am selling my Pazzles Inspiration cutter

on Ebay to fund the new hobby...lol!

You will find it here.

More weekend beads!

More playing with colour and texture.

A Single Stitch - AKA Nikki at Select Sunday post!

Today I thought I'd show you another customers work.

We haven't done a select Sunday for a while.

So today we have

Nikki AKA A Single Stitch

You can find Nikki's really lovely cards

and creations at

  A Single Stitch

on facebook,

where she has also been

creating some very special poppies.

Nikki can also be found at the following craft fairs

16th November - Earlston 

18th November - Jedburgh

23rd November - Kelso

28th,29th and 30th November - Galashiels

1st December - Newtown St. Boswells

5th December - Earlston

Good luck Nikki!

Texture and colour and a bit of baking soda

A few more beads....playing with colour and texture.

Still haven't got a steady hand for it too much

oohing and ahhing...lol.

I bought some lovely broken glass - 'frit'

from Beadbug to add spots of colour.

Texture created with Baking soda....I love it!

Working with colour and texture - such a joy!

I love the variety of fabrics and fibres I dye for customers.

From lovely cotton scrim above for a customer

to use in Nuno felting.

Harris Tweed packs for a customer that needle felts.

Recycled silk chiffon sari ribbon

for a jewellery designer!

Lampworking....oh my!

I spent a truly wonderful day on Friday on

a lampworking course in West Kilbride

with Louise Nelson

( I have linked to her flickr pics)

I cannot express the wonder of molten glass

it was quite spellbinding.

My efforts were indeed somewhat wobbly but I just had so much fun!

School pic and some carving!

Hope's not her normally smiley self 

but really pleased with their school photo

it's rare to get both the boys smiling!

Below their handy work yesterday.

Thanks to Granny and Grandad for

pumpkin carving kit....such fun!

Happy 11th Birthday Jacob!

Jacob at 7!

He loved his long hair...lol

Jacob 7, Caleb 5 and Hope 2

And Today!!!!!! He's 11...what happened.

I feel like I blinked and missed it.

Very happy with his Kindle that he wanted for his Birthday!

Out with the kids at Blair Drummond

Lots of fun yesterday on a day trip to

Blair Drummond Safari park.

I love otters.

This gopher was rather cute!

A very cheeky teeny weeny friend we made.

Giraffe's what can I say ......so elegant!

Then there were those Phillips children!