The cutest Sloths !!!

It took some time to finish these two.

The real ones are so super cute, I felt like I could never get close to that adorableness.

But the last few days the sun was shining, it was so very nice outside and I was totally relaxed so I gave it another go.

That must have helped, everything looked much brighter and well, here they are :

Two playfully little Sloths !
Of course they had to bother Pinky 

 But Pinky didn't feel like playing so they climbed through the apple tree

 After a while they were tired and crawled inside their basket :-)

 It took just a minute to fall asleep . . . 

In my Etsy shop :-)

Helen XXX

Burrowing Owl Youth Gang :-)

I've been busy. . . .

I didn't want to post about this little gang until they were all  finished !

It took some time because the weather was so fine and I wanted to make my garden pretty again as well.In the meantime I played with them . . . . .

And here are the final mug shots :-)

They will be in my Etsy shop  :-)

Helen XXX

What can I say.. . just love them

In my Etsy shop :-)

Apologies for my absence, I was in Germany and had a lovely time.

Pics will come soon :-)

Twins . . . . . .

I wanted to make more Sloths, twins !

And a bit smaller then the other two, the other two are life size 4 Months old and these  about 1,5- 2 Months.

I found the noses where good ( especially the first sloth baby) but it took forever to paint, paint again, paint again and varnish.

So I decided to experiment with rubber/latex ?!!

I made a  nose with a bit of mouth out of clay, then a plaster mold of the clay nose/mouth.

The liquid  latex must be applied with a brush in a thin layer on the inside of the plaster mold. 

You have to let it dry and apply another layer, eventually you have to build up eight layers of latex.

I did two layers :-) , quick dried it with the blow dryer and then poured the latex in the mold and poured it out again. Again the blow-dryer on the hottest temperature and VOILA ! 

The rubber nose has a softer feel but I didn't figure out yet how to paint it. I used a skin-coloured latex and painted it with acrylic paint , it holds but I don't think you can get an even layer.

You can not use oil-based paint on rubber ( oil is a NO NO on rubber) so that is something I have to figure out.

Here is a close-up :

 You can glue it with the liquid latex on the wool ( very firm) and and . . . . with the reverse felting needle you can pull out wool through the rubber and make it a bit hairy :-)

So, if anyone is interested I can make a photo-shoot from the entire process ! ( I don't think I described it very clear)

Well, here are the twins, not ready yet but cute so far

Helen xxx

Little three toed Sloth in the making. . . . .

In case you don't know how cute these are :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1mAGQAw3Oc

Hellooooo !

The little curious girl . .

She is a really nosy one, didn't have the patience to wait until I finish her claws, or as a matter of fact her ears ! Yes they have tiny ears and that explains it ! She don't listen !

Found her on a tree this morning. . .

 Big smile of course !

Between the pillows . . .

I could catch her and here she is , I thought she would be sleepy by now but NO

As I was working on her ears, she sneaked up on me, climbed upon the table . . . . 

Pheeew, she snuggled up with Pinky and I think she is asleep now :-)

White faced scops owl

Before I left for Germany I was working on this little chap. Finished him today !!

Helen XXX


p.s. in my Etsy shop later this day

Little Vacation

I'll be in our German house ( I must come up with a name for the house soon) until March 10th.

I will take my wool with me ( addict!) but I'm not sure I have time for needle felting.

We are planning on painting the bedroom, making curtains and explore the area ( as in hiking).

 Oh and  Mama Barn owl's eggs have hatched :-)

See you then sweet readers :-)

Helen XXX

Spring is in the air

Yes, you can definitely feel it, smell it, hear it and in my kitchen there is a sign . . . . . 

I'm so pleased with the new "reversed "barbs" needles I can't stop making the new needle felted Barn owls .

You can see the difference : both wings are needle felted with the "ordinary" needles and after that I used the Reverse needle on the wing on the left side. See how the colours blend in ? 

I particularly love the part around his head and on the chest. All fluffy and soft looking :-)

Here is Mom laying on her nest and Pa and the "real " stuffed :-( owl are watching the progress.

She needs a beak and the little dots on her feathers.

I couldn't needle felt the dots, the fluffy effect would be gone so I used Norwegian sock wool ( it's a mixed colours wool) and I embroidered the wool on the grey parts.

Here they are : Mom and Dad :-)

The only thing I have to do is attach her to the nest .

Doesn't she look happy and comfy ?

Helen X

Barn owl wool :-)

I finally found the right colour wool to needle felt a Barn owl. I made them of woolfelt but never needle felted one.

I couldn't find the right colour, up until last week.

I only ordered a pound of each colour but the box was huge !

 Yummy yummy colours ! I immediately made a "test"owl and used my newly discovered  felting needles with inverted barbs.
(http://www.etsy.com/listing/91478286/felting-needle-inverted-reverse-40-groz)
 

These needles pull out wool and create a fluffy look and . . . . and ! you can blend the colours.

I needle felt very firm ( if you want to cut a needle felted animal I made in half, you need a chainsaw) ( Mmmm who would want to do that you might ask) because it's so firm the surface colours don't blend in that good. Now with these "inverted"needles you pull out the core colour and it becomes much more "one".

So, I'm happy and the owl goes to a very generous Birthday girl. ( I can't tell who of course)

Because she is but half an owl I put her in this box and I like the way she is taking a peek :-)

Helen XXX

"how to " make the panel-mouse

You will need : piece of wool for the head, piece of wool for the leg, felting needle, eyes,  little piece of skin-coloured felt, eyes ( 4 mm. ) thread ( white) pipe-cleaner, scissors, piece of cardboard

 You roll the piece of wool for the head in a egg-shape, one side more pointier.

Poke until it's firm-ish.

Poke the tiny piece of skin-coloured wool on the pointy side ( nose)

Like that :-)

Forgot to mention : super tiny piece of orange wool

Poke it in like this to form the mouth and nose-stripe

Until it looks like this . . . . 

Put pins in the head to determine the position of the eyes

Check from all sides if they are symmetrical

Put the thread trough the eye

Stick in the needle in the place where the eye will be and come out with the needle in the back of the head

Pull a bit and knot the string on the back of the head ( you can needle felt a bit of wool over it to hide the knots.

Work the other eye the same way

Cut ears and needle felt a bit of fluff on

Poke the ear on the head

Squeeze it a bit together to make it a bit folded

Work the other ear the same way ( check if they are symmetrical) and I put a bit of blusher in the ear, looks good :-)

Cut a piece of the skin-coloured felt for the leg and cut fingers

Glue the pipe-cleaner on it

And wrap a piece of the white wool, make sure the fingers bend a bit otherwise it looks funny.

You can stop now and wrap the little one in a blankie ( if you don't have eyes you can sew a little stripe for the eyes and it will look as he is asleep )

Get the piece of cardboard and draw a half circle around the head, like this

Cut it out and colour the inside black ( I used a marker) , I left a little white on the right side for the effect but you have to stick the finished mouse on something where the light comes from his right side ( for the proper effect)

You cut the leg so it's as short as this .

Tadaaaa meet Hank !

( by the way, the light comes from the wrong side, the effect is better if it comes from the other side)

So, I hope you all like this and I would say: go go go ! make lots of them !

Helen