HeartFelt by Andrea

Treasures for Tuesday

2012-02-28T10:57:00.000-05:00

Good morning! Today, I am launching what I hope will be a regular feature for my blog! Please let me know if you like it, or if you hate it...:)!

I'm going to share items from fellow artists and crafters that they have for sale in their online shops. Sometimes it will be all Etsy, some weeks there will be shops from other venues and private storefronts! Just where ever I find something I love enough to share it with you!

I simply adore the dresses from this shop!
RestorationThreads

I'm sure there is a gizmo or a widget or what-not that will make this feature look better or have some kind of interactive wonderfulness but for now... I'm gonna type, copy and paste.... :). A clickable link to each shop appears after the photo caption!

My friend, Pam, is the talented lady who brought these cute and quirky hats to life!
Gypsy That I Was

Another friend, Jayne, has an impeccable eye for detail and her modern take on classic quilts and other textiles is awesome!
Twiggy and Opal

I genuinely hope you find something in one of these shops that you just cannot live without!

Happy Shopping!

Happy Monday!

2012-02-27T10:35:00.000-05:00

So... I went on an adventure over at wordpress.com. While I enjoyed my time there and will likely keep that blog for personal ramblings and the occasional rant, I found I was just not smart enough to utilize that platform as well as I can this one! Not to say that this is blogging for dummies or anything, but Blogger is, for me, much more user friendly!

I have spent considerable time lately researching the different styles (if you will) of blogging. I want my blog to be read. By a lot of people. Often. I also want a place where I can be myself and share this journey with others who are interested. I don't want to bore you to death with my art work, pics of my kids or our pet turtle... rather, I want to include you in all this and more. I would love to have ongoing conversations via comments and it would make me so happy to see that even one person learns to make felt by using the tutorials I'm working on!

My hope is that, as this blog develops, it offers a platform for other artists and crafters, fans of handmade goods and those who wish to learn why handmade rocks to express themselves, promote their own online businesses and fellowship with like minded folks!

Feel free to sit awhile, read and click to your hearts content! Thanks for visiting....

Happy Monday!

Buy and Stay!

2012-02-06T10:39:00.001-05:00

We're open! Come visit Handmade Circles fabulous Buy and Stay event, taking place all week, starting this morning!

Beautiful shops with some really unique handmade and vintage gifts, wearables and supplies! Everything from beaded chokers to greeting cards!

Say I sent you!

Come shop HeartFelt and others!!! SALES

2012-02-05T15:32:00.001-05:00

HeartFelt will be featured in a BNS event (Buy and Stay) on Etsy beginning tomorrow! That's Monday, February 5, 2012. The event is a happening of Handmade Circle.

Be on the lookout for links to the BNS treasury! I'll post as soon as I can!

For now, some of the participating shops can be seen here.

I'll be offering a special 15% discount if you purchase from the BNS!

For the unitiated, a BNS is a curated list of shops, usually 16, that you can purchase from. Once you purchase from one of the shops, your shop is then in a spot for the next BNS (usually the next week, some do them daily). Anyone can purchase from a BNS, not just other shop owners. There are often great sales and coupon codes to be had during these promotional sales!

This is all being organized by Debbie Nowicki of Growing Phases Farm.

Just a note on my life...

2012-02-04T10:35:00.003-05:00

There are so many reasons to be thankful. So many small things we all tend to take for granted that are, in fact, miraculous.
For instance, the smile on my son's face when he gets a new book! I am so happy that he has a love for the written word. Sometimes it would be nice if he appreciated classic literature a bit more than he does science fiction and fantasy works, but at 17 years old, his appreciation for any literature is remarkable! He does recognize the awesomeness of some greats, like Tolkien.
My daughters, both of them, make me so proud and fill me with wonder and joy every day.

Our youngest, Salena, with big brother, Bailey.

My beautiful daughters, a less than stellar picture though! Toccoa and Salena.

Without my children, my world would cease. There is no way to imagine a world without them. I thank God all the time for allowing me to be their mother.

Pictures...are great. This is a test of new image editing I'm doing.

2012-02-02T11:24:00.000-05:00

Peony flower pin I recently completed! Similar pins and flowers are in my Etsy shop...link on the right!

Cardinal ornament!

Purple Posie..on Etsy!

Made to Order on Etsy!

Sweet little lotus blossom...

Blue roses...mmmmm....

And a winged Wonder....or two!

All these and more are in my Etsy shop!

Poll: Vote for your Favorite

2012-01-26T08:30:00.000-05:00

Poll: Vote for your Favorite

Visit the link above and peruse the awesome shops!

Vote for your favorite!

I'd love if it were my shop but totally good if you vote for someone else!

I'll never know....lol.

There are PRIZES to be won...for you...and the winning shop! Please visit and vote!

"New Year, New Chair" Photo Contest

2012-01-24T05:42:00.000-05:00

"New Year, New Chair" Photo Contest:

Visit this wonderful organization on facebook. I voted for Noah, but you can read about the children and vote for whomever you wish, of course. Be sure and "like" Convaids page, let us all help by spreading this around. Maybe some attention will get these kids a corporate or celebrity sponsor...who knows....

'via Blog this'

Blog giveaway and hat workshop update! « Clasheen by Nicola Brown

2012-01-19T08:13:00.000-05:00

A generous and lovely giveaway! What a wonderful opportunity! Thank you Nicola Brown for this giveaway and for writing such an interesting blog!

Blog giveaway and hat workshop update! « Clasheen by Nicola Brown:

'via Blog this'

Global Burrows art project by Elis Vermeulen, visual artist.

2012-01-18T07:20:00.000-05:00

This is one of the most beautiful and for me, thought provoking, art installations I have ever seen. Please do yourself a service and visit the artists blog, linked below, to see images of Global Burrows.

Global Burrows art project by Elis Vermeulen, visual artist.:

'via Blog this'

What's in a name?

2012-01-17T11:40:00.000-05:00

A lot, actually. My collection of art work is called HeartFelt for several reasons. One of the most obvious to the person just discovering my work would probably be that it's something I love to do. Of course. Another reason I call it this is that everything I create becomes special to me, nothing is ever exactly the same as anything else and somehow each piece develops it's own personality as I work. Especially my characters but even scarves and felt jewelry.
Probably the reason least apparent is that I am physically disabled with a progressive and debilitating heart disease. My illness is called idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, which literally means sick heart muscle with cause unknown. The leading theory of the origin in my case is pregnancy.
When I was carrying me eldest, my son, I was diagnosed as preenclampsic. All my symptoms and everything went away when he was born, or within a day or two. Three years later, with Toccoa, the symptoms were worse and showed up earlier in the pregnancy. I also developed gestational diabetes. After she was born at 36 weeks, the symptoms persisted and some even got worse. The shortness of breath and edema (swelling) were tremendous. I sought help from doctors and was misdiagnosed for almost 3 years... everything from a "summer cold" to asthma to psychosomatic illness (in other words, all in my head)...the whole time I was aware that I was slowly dyeing. It was not only an instinctual feeling, I was a nurse by training and vocation so more aware of the seriousness of some of my symptoms than many of my physicians at the time were willing to acknowledge.
Finally, after two years and nine months of suffering and getting progressively worse, I was taken to the emergency room for the fourth time in three days for shortness of breath and oxygen deprivation. My oxygenation levels were measured in the 70's while wearing oxygen! The medical resident on duty ordered a chest x ray...another one...and for some reason, when it came back she took a closer look after the first glance ruled out pneumonia and noticed my heart was enlarged. So, she ordered all my past chest x rays and other imaging studies done during the time I'd been symptomatic. Lo and behold...my heart had gone from normal (fist) sized 3 weeks after Toccoa's birth to 1 1/2 times the size of a regulation football (here in the US) on the x ray done that night.
I was unaware of her epiphany. I had to be cardioverted that night. Shocked with an external defibrillator to bring my heart back into a life sustaining rhythm. I was given the same drugs (many of them anyway) as are given to someone who has had a cardiac arrest. I wasn't really aware of much of that...:).
My first clear memory of that hospitalization is of my current cardiologist introducing himself and sitting beside me on my bed, taking my hand and telling me I was in a cardiac care unit and that my children would be brought in to visit with me. He then described my disease to me and told me my heart function was very poor. I demanded specifics and once he was sure I understood what the actual numbers meant and was not going to be placated, he told me.
It was not good. I actually was not aware that a person could live with some of the numbers I had. But, obviously, some can and I did...lol.
I've also gone on to have another child, against all medical advice and odds...it wasn't a planned pregnancy, by my partner and I anyway, but God had His own set of plans!!! Her name is Salena and she is our miracle!
I have bored you enough with my story...I tell it to give some perspective on what it is that's in a name.

My Garden Blooms In Fiber.. by Andrea and Toccoa Meadows on Etsy

2012-01-14T08:13:00.000-05:00

My Garden Blooms In Fiber.. by Andrea and Toccoa Meadows on Etsy: I made this treasury the other day for one of my teams treasury challenges! The team is Handmade Circle, we have a facebook group too, and it's a fabulous resource for Etsy shop owners. So much support, promotion and just advice and fellowship! A really nice group to hang out and chat with!

'via Blog this'

Extreme Southern Couponing: "Fatten Your Wallet Friday" $50 Paypal Cash Giveaway!!

2012-01-13T09:34:00.000-05:00

Extreme Southern Couponing: "Fatten Your Wallet Friday" $50 Paypal Cash Giveaway!!

Go. Enter.

...and the overhaul begins!

2012-01-12T12:46:00.000-05:00

Finally, right?!?!

As some of you are aware, my family and I lost a very sweet and generous lady in early December. She was the cousin and best friend of my fiance Billy. I considered her one of my closest friends too and she will be greatly missed.

Then the holidays hit and all the business and chaos, as lovely as it is, kept me from getting anything else accomplished! I so admire those artists and others who can get so many things done in their personal and professional lives. I am often in awe of the talent required to truly multitask. I usually have more than one or two things happening at once but multitasking is not what usually occurs for me...more like I procrastinate and just gum up the works for myself...lol.

So far this fall/ winter, I have become involved with a wonderful group on facebook dedicated to supporting and promoting handmade artisans. It is called Handmade Circle and can be found here and here. The first link is to our group page while the second takes you to the fan page for our group! The group also has a team on Etsy and a rather nice blog.

I've also been busy around the house, organizing and trying to carve out work space for Toccoa and myself! Ha! That is no easy task when five people live in less than a thousand square feet and have only two bedrooms....I'm not complaining, mind you, I am extremely thankful for what we have been blessed with.

Toccoa has completed her first Nuno felt piece, a silk and wool scarf. It is beautiful and she is very pleased with it!

Here are a few pics of the making...:)

Laying out fiber and giving me instructions...

Our work surface, fiber all laid out on the silk and covered with foam shelf liner.

The finished scarf...still wet here!

2011-12-18T19:27:00.000-05:00

I've been away from this poor blog for way too long! Our family has had a tremendous loss recently and I am just not up to keeping track of it all right now. It's getting better, day to day, but I can say with confidence that it will be the new year before I get the blog revamped and add new and interesting content!

I hope you all have Blessed and Happy Holidays, and a Merry Christmas.

Andrea

2011-12-05T18:19:00.001-05:00

Prayer requested for our family right now. God knows the particulars and we appreciate all of you so very much.

Sunday happenings...

2011-12-04T10:05:00.001-05:00

In the coming days, I am going to redesign the blog and include some tutorials and DIY stuff, recipes and other goodies. I also hope to add a page of links and lovelies from around the web!

For now, here is a BNR I am featured in on ETSY...a BNR is a Buy and Replace where , if you are an Etsy shop owner, you purchase from a featured shop and an item from your shop replaces the one you purchased from! If you are not a shop owner, its a great place to shop....lots of special discounts offered during BNR's. Here is the link....Christmas Angel Team Open BNR # 3.

Happy Sunday!
Andrea

CRAFTY SAINTS:: Destash DIY Sewing Soft Cuddly Christmas Lamb Religious Christian Book

2011-11-24T06:45:00.000-05:00

CRAFTY SAINTS:: Destash DIY Sewing Soft Cuddly Christmas Lamb Religious Christian Book

Made for Jake: 100 Fans Celebration Giveaway!!!

2011-11-18T14:15:00.000-05:00

Made for Jake: 100 Fans Celebration Giveaway!!!: We have reached 100 Fans on our Facebook page! In celebration of reaching this goal, we are going to have another giveaway! The winner of th...

Shopping opportunity for fellow etsians and anyone!

2011-11-15T10:08:00.001-05:00

This BNR is perfect for getting some Christmas shopping done! A nice variety and some great deals! Be sure to check the coupons codes and specials offered by participants!!!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTYwNDU3NjV8MTExMzYzNjU1NA/open-4-great-gifts-under-20-bnr-3-total?page=7#comments

Just Monday...

2011-11-14T08:20:00.001-05:00

Carpal tunnel is bothering me today. Not gonna stop me from felting though...lol. If I had a brain in my head, I'd take a day off from typing and felting too but it's just not gonna happen. I will make this a short post though...

On my felting pad today is an angel sculpture for a friend, some little animals, penguins and chickens among others. Also doing some embellishing on some Christmas ball ornaments and maybe make an angel ornament or two...probably won't get ALL that finished today but it will be started. The angel sculpture is going to take another week or more to finish. She is spectacular, if I do say so myself...lol.

Hopefully gonna get some more pics and make some new Etsy listings. Its a balancing act with listing things there and preparing for the craft show coming in December!

Until later...

Andrea

Thursday...if nothing else...lol

2011-11-10T10:26:00.001-05:00

Ohhhhh I am such a bad blogger!

I must admit, sometimes I forget, but usually I just procrastinate. I should be banned from the blogosphere...lol. No....not really. I am not a great blogger but far from the worst, I hope.

I've been busy with life, work and etc. Listed some new items in my shop on Etsy. Slowly but surely I'm learning to use Pinterest. So fun and totally addictive. I love to see what other people are looking at and making and baking...lol. It is such a small world!

I have added bunches of blogs to those I follow. Hopefully, someone somewhere is reading mine! I am trying to pick up tips and tricks to make it more interesting. I promise!

Off to do house work and perhaps get some felting done, pictures taken of the new felt and the existing children.!!!!

Check these out:

My son, Bailey, and his girlfriend, Brittney.

My love, Billy.

Salena....

Ditto...

Salena and her great Grandmother, my Grandma Hazel.

Finally, my Toccoa and our dog, Madison. Madi lives with Grandma now, she's elderly and a baby in the house was more than she could handle. We miss her so much, but she is happier. A 40 pound lap dog....sheesh...lol.

Thankfulness...

2011-11-03T06:38:00.001-04:00

Many of my friends are posting something each day that they are thankful for. I think this is a wonderful thing to do and hope that they stick with it!
It is hard to remember sometimes to give thanks for the many small and sometimes huge blessings we all receive every day. Even harder to remember to find the time to get online and post them to facebook, twitter or ones blog! I know I have trouble updating every place I should...lol.
I am thankful each day for my children. I don't always say so but there isn't a day that goes by that I don't have moments of absolute amazement that these are my children. That God saw fit to bless me with such funny, thoughtful, helpful and obedient people to raise. Other times I have a similar sense of awe when they do foolish or willful things...lol...I guess that's the beauty of parenthood.
I am thankful for so many things, the air I breathe, my partner, Billy, who is an amazing man and doesn't even know it. For my grandmothers who are still with me and the grandparents who've passed on already. They were all such an important part of my upbringing and I was so blessed to have known them. I am thankful that I knew my mothers love for the years she was by my side and that I still have my Daddy.
I miss her, my Mama, and my brother, Marshall. Mama was only 48 years old and Marshall just shy of 33. They left too soon for me but I know in my heart that they both went on to better things, God was ready for them. For that, I am thankful.

I am blessed to have a talent and a way to express my passions.

Until next time...give thanks for all the little blessings....
Andrea

I LOVE HALLOWEEN

2011-10-30T21:52:00.001-04:00

Very simply put, it is my favorite! At least among the non religious holidays. My absolute favorite is Christmas. Halloween is special to me and always has been. It is my Daddys birthday and when I was growing up, Mama always made something of a to-do over it. We went trick or treating over the entirety of the tiny town I grew up in, started early and ended late. The three of us piled into whatever car our parents had at the time, home made costumes and pillow case or grocery bags to haul the loot in.

There was always a special supper that day or a weenie roast over a bonfire or something to mark Daddy's birthday as an adult celebration...and to get something besides sugar into us, I'm sure.

The crisp air and soft night sounds would lull us to sleep, sometimes still wearing the shoe polish on our ghostly faces or the mascara on our mustaches....

Happy Halloween!!!

Andrea

HeartFelt by Andrea on Etsy

So, what are you up to today?!?!

2011-10-29T08:31:00.000-04:00

I am getting excited about the coming holidays! I really am. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas so much. I love to get cozy at home with my family and enjoy the really special things that we all too often take for granted. This is Salena's second holiday season but her first to really be a participant.
I'm so excited for her to see other kids dressed up for Halloween...she is going to be a duck...lol! We get to take her cousins, our great niece and nephew trick or treating with her so it should be an adventure! They are 3 and almost 2 years old, she is 13 months! Of course, Toccoa gets to go too!
In the art world...lol...I am gearing up for a craft fair on December 3rd at Rugby Middle School here in Henderson county, NC. I need to take some pictures of stuff and get them uploaded to my etsy shop!!! Along with the ones we took the other day. It seems pics are a never ending battle for me. Can't wait till I can afford a new camera!
Right this moment, I am fiddling with some promo tools, trying to learn to effectively use Twitter and other social media sites. Facebook is great for me but I'm not adept at much else yet!
Until later...xoxo
Andrea

Where am I?!?!?

2011-10-20T06:51:00.000-04:00

Well....just like so many of you, I have a busy life and often the day to day gets the best of me and I run out of time! I am also not the most adept at time management...
I can literally spend hours looking at interesting images and reading how to articles online. Especially when they are contained in other peoples blogs....:).
This probably makes me a sloppy blogger but I am trying to do better. I'm also on a mission to streamline my online presence so if you note some weird things going on with the blog or whatever, please, bear with me! I am on a pretty steep learning curve here!
I am very hopeful to get to attend this weekends fiber festival...SAFF or Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair...is coming to Asheville and I very much want to be there at least one of the three days!!! Of course, money is an obstacle, as usual. I need some fiber though and can get some really great deals at the festival since many vendors and farms are represented there, no shipping fees and lots of specials for the fair!
Next year, I want to be a vendor at SAFF....it would be my biggest show ever...maybe I can round up another fiber artist to share space with...and expenses!
This week, I've done no felting...none....and my hands thank me...lol. I am planning some Christmas ornaments and maybe a playscape or toy or two for the next few days/ next week. I don't have another craft show scheduled until December 3 (and that one is tentative) so I've got some time for a little break and some creative planning....lol.
The pic below is of the beautiful Maple and Poplar trees close to our yard. Enjoy!
Off for now...the Etsy shop doesn't run itself and the coffee cup is empty!
Happy trails...
Andrea

Moby and Puddle: Moby and Puddle say hello to everyone!

2011-10-20T04:48:00.000-04:00

Moby and Puddle: Moby and Puddle say hello to everyone!: Moby and Puddle want to say hello to everyone! I am hoping to entice a few more followers to this blog and I have updated the photograph...

Close Friends

2011-10-14T09:54:00.002-04:00

I absolutely could not have said this better!

'via Blog this'

Clouds and rain...

2011-10-13T10:28:00.001-04:00

Have you ever looked, I mean really looked, at the sky on an overcast morning? Here in the mountains where I live, it is spectacular to look upward and toward the horizon and see the beautiful leaves as they are going from green to crimson, gold, lavender and brown...even an occasional dash of fuchsia and chunks of orange!
The rain will knock some leaves off early, to be trampled underfoot, swept off porches and piled up for fun and chore! It will also bring on the bloom of those last few wild asters, periwinkle and royal blue, and goldenrod...whose name fits it perfectly.
I love my home. I am thankful for our four seasons. I am blessed to have air I can breathe, clean water and these mountains.
Above all, these mountains. They are just good for my soul.
Happy autumn,
Andrea

Sun is shining...

2011-10-12T10:04:00.000-04:00

For this I am grateful. As always, I am thankful to wake up and greet my family.
Had some computer issues this morning, hopefully that's ironed out and there will be no repeats!!! I'm busy felting this week, getting ready for an upcoming craft bazaar at a local church and stocking my Etsy shop for the Holidays. Praying for some sells this week and in the upcoming ones, we really need the extra income!
Short and sweet today...gotta get back to the fiber that's calling my name!

Broken roads...

2011-10-07T07:27:00.001-04:00

I hate to quote songs or make plays on words that other people made first...but it really is true that I thank God for the broken road. It led me through many difficult places, some scary curves and a few collisions with the guardrail, so to speak, but ultimately, God laid before me a road that continues to lead me to the most beautiful earthly things a soul could ever wish for!

I wake up to quiet darkness, my love beside me. I can hear him breathing. I thank God for every breath he takes, every beat of his kind and gentle heart.

My sweet Salena giggles, breaking the monotony of my early morning time to myself. She is sleeping with Toccoa...sisters...I am humbled and feel so incredibly blessed that God gave me suck precious a gift as these daughters.

Toccoa grumbles and growls, my little girl who used to love early mornings, growing into a young woman who prefers afternoon...Praise Him as He leads her down her own road. I am proud despite myself...

Bailey staggers about searching for wakefulness...my young man. My son. My only son. I am amazed at how he has grown and matured, shocked at how he has not! :) Again, Praise Him.

My hands ache. It is good. It comes from doing the work of my heart.
Who can ask for more?

Thank you, Lord, for loving me.

This day,

2011-10-04T07:36:00.001-04:00

It is a beautiful day the Lord has made! I am so thankful to be blessed with another day...
I am grateful for:

My son and daughters and the joy they bring to my world!
My beautiful grandmothers...
The opportunity to write these words and spread the small joys that make our lives worthwhile.
This fabulous cup of coffee...:)

This is but a small list of the things I'm grateful for!

and today...

2011-10-01T08:41:00.002-04:00

I am grateful for cooler weather.
So happy to have warm slippers...
Thankful for my baby girls snores!
Blessed to be a part of the International Day of Felt today...
Grateful for hot coffee and the hands that let me make it.

Gratitude...

2011-09-30T17:07:00.001-04:00

I realize that by reading my last couple blog posts, one could be led to believe I am a whiner or complainer. Sometimes, I am. Usually though, I am absolutely full of gratitude. I make a point each day to list to myself at least five things that I am grateful for or that I feel blessed to be part of.
From this point on, I am going to start a new page on this blog, it will be a Gratitude Journal. In it I will list the things I am grateful for every day (or as often as I can) and welcome you to leave comments expressing your own thankfulness, or your complaints and whining...:). Either will be fine and welcome. Anonymous posts will be welcome too, so long as they are respectful of me and others.
In other news, I have been working quite a bit lately and have completed several small projects and one fairly large one. I've listed new items on my Etsy shop today and will put a couple more up this evening. I still need to take some pictures of the cobweb felt scarf I made for Toccoa...actually, that she and I made together. She is going to be quite the felter if her interest doesn't wane. I am excited to work with her and learn together.
The way Salena loved water, she might just be a helper too!
Until next time!
Andrea

Wonderful people...

2011-09-29T08:31:00.001-04:00

Today, I am so thankful for the many wonderful people God has graced me with! I have a beautiful family, loving "real world" friends and a very supportive network of online friends who encourage me so much! I am struggling right now on some levels but I have not forgotten how fortunate I am and I appreciate this opportunity to express my gratitude just a little....to all of you and to God. Thank you!

My stash is dwindling...

2011-09-27T06:54:00.000-04:00

and it makes me sad! I am not one to share my woes with the world but I've been told it could be good for me if I did...so here goes! Ha! I'm sad to see my fiber stash dwindling because I love to felt. Without my stash, I can only dream of creating and look at pictures of other happy felters and their creations! Without my stash, I am without my outlet for all the funny, ridiculous, silly, sad, angry and just me, thoughts and feelings that regularly zing around in this gourd of mine! I cannot restock my stash because to do so , I'd be robbing from the grocery fund...and that would be ok with me if it were only me affected by it but since I have babies ( they will always be my babies) to feed....I can't be raiding the grocery money to buy fiber...not ok.
So....I really, really hope something gives with my Etsy shop, HeartFelt by Andrea , and I make some sales soon! I would be so happy, I might just break out in dance and song....really....it could happen.
I hate to whine and air my troubles for the world to see, but it actually does kinda feel nice to just say it. I am broke. My family is not poor....but we're definitely not flourishing financially either. We live on fixed incomes...both of us have physical disabilities that prevent us from holding regular jobs...not gonna whine about that...I'll save it for another post! LOL...:) . It is incredibly difficult, sometimes, to make ends meet.
I know millions of people around the world have it much worse than I do, and I am grateful for every blessing I have, I really am. I just find myself holding onto the last know in the rope quite often these days...so as I struggle to climb back up, I sometimes wonder if I shouldn't just give up on this hobby of mine...quit trying to make it a little profitable...actually I've already kind of given up on that, my goal now is to just make my hobby pay for itself. I would love for it to be a source of real income for my family...at least enough to pay for supplies and maybe make the light bill every month. Something.
I know my work is good enough. I've sold it before. It just seems like I can't get a break now! I can't even find a local outlet for sales...like a craft fair or tailgate market that I can afford to participate in or that will accept new artists/crafters.
I will not give up...not yet, anyway. Thank you for allowing me to bore you with my troubles! My next post will be more upbeat...I promise!

Moody...

2011-09-22T08:38:00.000-04:00

I get depressed. I get angry, frustrated and sad. Lately, frustration has been big for me. I am frustrated with my felting, with my family, our finances, living conditions and so many other things....I feel like no one listens to me, that no matter what I say or do, no one really pays attention. I should be used to it by now, it's been this way my whole life. The only time anyone pays any attention is when it suits their own purposes....
Ugh...

Autumn is here...

2011-09-20T10:16:00.001-04:00

and I love it! I'm a creature of the seasons, I think. I love the summer, the heat and humidity. Grasshoppers and lightning bugs, blooms and blossoms everywhere, blackberries and peaches. Swimming holes and camping...all the things that make summer time special in my part of the world. Then the apples start to weigh down the trees and the leaves take on a little yellow and red...and the morning dew is heavier and colder...the evenings a little chilly and my heart races. I feel the fall in the air! I start making soup and stews for supper. Baking and cooking those apples and crunching them out of hand...the fair comes to town. Soon the roads will be clogged with "flatlanders" coming, to see the colors and smell the air...then the frost will nip, and then it"ll bite...and the snow will fly. And I...will be just as excited for it.

Days like this...

2011-09-19T10:54:00.001-04:00

Since this blog is about something that I love, that is an integral part of who I am, I find myself unable to treat it as a business tool alone. It is about to be unleashed to continue to evolve, as I am, into a very personal expression of who, what and how I am.
Today is gloomy and cool, perfectly fitting for my mood. I'm not sad, just taciturn today....no reason, exactly....except perhaps feeling more than a little unappreciated. I'm also frustrated as a mother and home educator today. It's as if my teeneagers are functionally deaf. They hear nothing I say....not one thing.
House work needs doing, errands could use some attention, the baby is just fabulous...and the teens are awesome if as deaf as posts. Life is really good and I am blessed...I just don't wanna do what I need to do....I just wanna play with fiber and color and piddle around on the computer!
The chores and errands will still need doing tomorrow....

Etsy shop now open...and other stuff...

2011-09-15T07:01:00.000-04:00

I finally got my new Etsy shop up and running! http://www.heartfeltbyandrea.etsy.com/ I really hope this helps to at least sell enough to continue to buy supplies! My short term goal is just that, in the longer term I hope to start showing at local art/craft shows and perhaps get a semi permanent booth at a tailgate or farmers market close to home. It seems the felt sculptures sell more readily when people can see and feel them in person...fiber art of any kind is very much a tactile experience after all.
On the homefront, we've celebrated our youngest daughter Salena's first birthday!!! It is so hard to believe she is already one! How she has grown... from a 4lb 3oz premie to a 23 pound big girl! Today, she has an appointment with her awesome pediatrician and gets the latest round of immunizations.
I appreciate all the page views, apologize for the clunkiness of my posts to date...I'm getting the hang of blogging again but I must admit, it's taken awhile!

New pics on Picasa web albums...

2011-09-08T11:42:00.000-04:00

My sea monster...lol!

2011-08-30T15:01:00.000-04:00

Terrifying isn't she?!?!

My latest work...

2011-08-29T12:16:00.000-04:00

I've seen these in the past where the stone was wrapped with beaded wire, of course, being me, I thought..."Why not felt?" so here we are! A card/photo holder. I covered wire with wool, needle and wet felted to form a stem, wet felted around the rock and the flower is needle felt.
Other than this I've been busy looking around for a local art or craft market to show and sell my work in, researching craft shows and holiday bazaars and the like! I've felted a bit each day, mostly getting some hangers made for already completed work!
More later....the baby is crawling and I'm going to play with her for a bit!

Some examples of my work!

2011-08-26T12:05:00.000-04:00

Ideas and inspiration...

2011-08-17T14:24:00.000-04:00

Sometimes my children offer inspiration for my work, other times they are just another obstacle to getting anything accomplished! Today is an obstacle day...lol. We went to the library and ran some errands, came home for lunch and once I got that cleaned up, I was on to paper work and battling the youth of the house to get some chores done before I begin packing for our weekend trip to the beach!
I will felt a bit later on today if I can, until then I'm letting ideas run through my head as I attend to the mundane!
Join me for more when you can!

Busy, busy days....

2011-08-16T07:54:00.000-04:00

Summer is starting to give way to Autumn here in Western North Carolina...slowly and with some snarling and tossing of the green, green branches...but soon the wild cherry trees will have red leaves and then it will progress like a drawn out sunset....pinks, yellows, reds, oranges...purples and blues and then Autumn will ease into Winter. We still have some long , hot and humid days ahead but , as a felt maker, I am excited to see an end to the 90 plus degree heat we've seen this year! Wool and steamy weather are not fun together...lol.
I'm looking forward to felting like crazy on cool fall evenings, picking up acorns on a crisp morning with the Carolina blue sky over my head and dew at my feet! There is still a ways to go before the seasons change but I can feel it coming. "On little cat feet", as Carl Sandburg wrote so famously from his home so close to mine!
Stay tuned to my blog...I'm uploading pics from every device I have and will be posting them here and on HeartFelts facebook page too!

Making myself at home...

2011-08-11T09:00:00.001-04:00

I'm still learning and playing around with blogger.com. Thanks for your patience as I experiment and flub things...lol.
I'm a very creative person and limitations irk me...time constraints worst of all , but here in the real world we all must learn to work around such mundane things!!!
Back to my felting pad...more from the intrepid blogger later!

An introduction and hello....

2011-08-09T13:49:00.000-04:00

Hi....my name is Andrea, HeartFelt is the brand name for my art. Most of what I do is needle felt with some wet felting thrown in. I'm experimenting with beading and some mixed media projects right now.
This is obviously a new blog, so for the next few days I'll be exploring the different options and what not available from blogger....fun! I'll also be spreading the word about my new blog, adding some content, like pics and linking to other places I can be found online!