~~~Gratitude~~~ winter makings

This is how it looks out my window this morning.  Not very spring like!  March came in like a lion and is going out like a mule!  A slow melt may not be so bad.  It is...I...afterall, that always gets anxious when winter has nearly come to an end and I haven't gotten to all my winter projects.  I have, finally, accepted I will never be caught up!  That is an illusion because, for me, ideas beget ideas.  So here are some the ideas that have been hatched this winter and have actually been completed!

March is when I enlist the assistance of my DH for sewing machine maintenance.  I lug all the machines to the dining room table and DH brings in his compressor and blows all the lint out my machines.  Then we oil and grease.  My newest fancy machine only requires one drop of oil.  But the rest have detailed oiling diagrams.  The little Singer Featherweight I found at church sale years ago, paying only $10!  I haven't been using it...the sewing room is pretty crowded. Since it just got oiled I thought I should run it through it's paces.  Well, folks, I think I am in love!  It works so sweetly and is perfect for puppet making!  There IS room for one more machine in my space and heart!

This winter I came up with a new product!  I call them Pillow Puppet Pocket Pals.  First came the Bunny then I made some Piggies!  Working on a Panda pattern right now ideas are begetting ideas!

Bunny

Piggy!

I had some fun with my prototype bunny!  Bunny has a dot of velcro on it's paws for fun positionings and goofy poses!  Like this one reacting to another snowstorm!

Hanging in there with some goofy fun!

Peaceful contemplation of the winter beauty...

Here are a few more of my winter creations!

Black-eyed Susan

See no Evil * Speak no Evil * Hear no Evil

Goldie Fish

....and today's sewing...Bachelor Buttons!

 I am grateful for the lingering winter that is extending my creative ideas beget ideas without the distractions of spring.  And the time, the room, in my life to make them come true!

~~~~~~~~~~~My Lively Life~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fiber Art, Weaving, Hand Spun

http://www.etsy.com/shop/injoyemporium

Hand Made Eco and Upcycled Cutie Buntings, Clothes, & Toys

http://www.etsy.com/shop/InJoyEcoCutie

Vintage Collectibles, Buttons, Clothing & MORE! 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/injoytreasures

Sea Glass & Copper Wire Ornaments with things I have gathered

http://www.etsy.com/shop/InJoyGatherings

My Blog~~Makings, Musings, &  Lifestyle on the Land:  

http://injoyemporium.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/injoyemporium

http://instagram.com/injoyemporium

http://www.pinterest.com/injoyemporium

"Be Joyful because it is humanly possible"~~~Wendell Berry

Which came first--- the Cat or the Mouse? (Part 1)

Cats & Mice

I have been hemming & hawing over how to tell this story.  Maybe it is a bit of cabin fever or just that the story is a rather long and drawn out tale.  We are still very much in the grips of winter.  There are signs of spring, though.  The sun is a little higher on the horizon, my onions have sprouted on the window sill, and our cat, Vern, is going a bit nuts!  (...notice the cat chew marks in the wood...those shims are there to prevent Vern from using my onions as a cat bed!)

I have made strides to alleviate his cabin fever.  I found this nice big piece of wool fabric at the thrift shop.  I took time away from Etsy sewing to hem it and create a cat tunnel behind the couch for Vernie.

I also sewed up a batch of catnip mice toys I call EcoNips for my Etsy shop. Not sure that helped with Vern's craziness?!?  The tale continues to wind...I thought my EcoNip photos needed a something to jazz them up a bit.  With cats on my mind I decide to revisit an old puppet pattern.  This puppet was inspired by our wonderful old cat, Zippy, and my son's love for the nursery rhyme The Owl & the Pussycat.

Zippy lived to the ripe old age of 16.  He was still with us when Vern came to us 3 years ago.  He was a wonderful mellow cat.  My DH & he had a very special bond the Vern has not quite fulfilled.  We still miss him!

This a photo of my son's fun with our mellow boys!

Here are the original Owl and PussyCat (Zippy) Puppets as they look today! They have held up pretty well considering they are around 16 years old.  They were my son's toys but, I, also, used them for 5 years of elementary school substitute teaching!  They got some real use then!

My son's 4th birthday party with me doing The Owl & the Pussycat Puppet show!

Red-Wing Blackbird & my Boyo!

So here are the new puppet that are now in my shop...Inspired by Zippy & Vern!

Ok...I am * NOW * a mom of a college man ...but once upon a time....

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat

BY EDWARD LEAR

I

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea

   In a beautiful pea-green boat,

They took some honey, and plenty of money,

   Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

The Owl looked up to the stars above,

   And sang to a small guitar,

"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,

    What a beautiful Pussy you are,

         You are,

         You are!

What a beautiful Pussy you are!"

II

Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl!

   How charmingly sweet you sing!

O let us be married! too long we have tarried:

   But what shall we do for a ring?"

They sailed away, for a year and a day,

   To the land where the Bong-Tree grows

And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood

   With a ring at the end of his nose,

             His nose,

             His nose,

   With a ring at the end of his nose.

III

"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling

   Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."

So they took it away, and were married next day

   By the Turkey who lives on the hill.

They dined on mince, and slices of quince,

   Which they ate with a runcible spoon;   

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

   They danced by the light of the moon,

             The moon,

             The moon,

They danced by the light of the moon.

---Shop News--- Technical Difficulties = Moose

A new herd of Moose Puppets are back in my EcoCutie Shop--Yeah!  I have to admit it took me longer than I had hoped.  I had the usual distractions --- FINISHING the Gardens...well nearly <---next blog...I hope.

I hope, because I am having technical difficulties these days.  It all started when I nonchalantly updated my 2011 iPad 2 with iOS8.  Guess my "old" iPad is not limber enough for this operating system.  Now I feel like I am on dial-up internet during a big freeze... I get random freezes now.  Oh well, I thought, I do most of my work on my desktop.  Late last Thursday night I got a blue screen on my 2007 Vista Desktop.  The next morning after posting it on FB I was informed by several reliable techie sources this is know as the "Blue Screen of Death"!  Ah, how melodramatic, except I wasn't feeling very mellow about it!  I got into sort of a tizzy.  I had been planning to upgrade and go over to the Mac-Side this fall....that was until my son's college book bill came....

I spent Friday in DIY crash course trying to understand DH's Windows 8 laptop.  Windows 8 is the number one reason I am going to Mac.  If I have to learn something new it might as well be Apple.  DH uses his computer mostly to read the news, email, and watch a video now and then.  I had all sorts of tangles trying to get a few programs loaded.  I kept breathing and telling myself, "If I can warp a loom, I can do this...this isn't harder than teaching my Self to weave...."  I took some programs off my Vista and did a systems restore.  It is working for now and I am rearranging some of our finances so I can get the new Mac Mini.  Limitations may happen and blogging will go down on the priority list.  So if you don't hear from me you will know why!

Blue Screen of Death

I was a bit cranky by the end of Friday.  May face had been in front of screens for too long.  I decided to turn everything off, make a cup of tea and just look at a real window for a while.  We were having a wild rainy Nor'easter.  I felt better after that.  I spent the evening creating in quiet.  Just my little weavette loom, handspun yarn, needle & thread.  I made these little beauties for gifts.  I really enjoyed creating them so much that I hope to make some more for the Emporium shop this winter.  It was fun to dive into my huge collection of doodads and create off the grid so to speak.

I continued with the off the grid theme and finally finished my Mooses!  It was quite a lovely rainy day for sewing.  Computer woes does have the benefit of "showing" me how much time I have been spending "there" instead of "here".  Feels like time for a re-evaualtion of my use of TIME!  Always, a silver lining!  

Puppets make fun tree toppers too!

Spinner of Yarns, Weaver of Dreams, & Sewing to Mend the Soul

~~My Lively Life~~~
~Fiber Art, Weaving, Hand Spun 
http://www.etsy.com/shop/injoyemporium
~Hand Made Eco and Upcycled Cutie Buntings, Clothes, & Toys 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/InJoyEcoCutie 
~Vintage Collectibles, Buttons, Clothing & MORE! 
http://www.etsy.com/shop/injoytreasures
~Sea Glass & Copper Wire Ornaments with things I have gathered
http://www.etsy.com/shop/InJoyGatherings

My Blog~~Makings, Musings, & Lifestyle on the Land: 
http://injoyemporium.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/injoyemporium
http://instagram.com/injoyemporium
www.pinterest.com/injoyemporium…

Pause & See ::: a Visitor

Looking out my window right now this is what you would see~~~big, fluffy, wet snowflakes coming down.  9 to 16 inches is the last prediction I saw...I will keep you posted!  I better get this blog done quick...there has been some power flickers already!  This is what I call March Madness!   

But what I want to share with you happened earlier this week.  I went for my walk in the woods without my camera because I was carrying a pack basket full of cracked corn for the wild turkeys.  I have stopped feeding them near the house since the coyotes took all of my ducks.  I figured I was luring their natural prey near my house.  This  made it a bit easier for the coyote family to choose duck for dinner.  

So walking away from the corn I saw these prints!

I went back to the house and got my camera AND a ruler...

MOOSE PRINTS!

Funny thing is my son's guest told us she wanted to see a Moose before she graduated.  I told her it is fairly rare to see a Moose around here.  In 20 years, I have only seen one Moose on this property.  Next day after she left Moose Tracks!  Go figure!  And I am not leaving the camera behind again!  Well, time to batten down the hatches and stare out the window~~Happy Storm!

Moose Puppet

This is a regular feature on my blog.  I try to see something new each day. The art of seeing is essential to any creative work in my humble opinion.  My favorites are the ones that stop me in my tracks!  Like so many folks I have a very busy mind that I struggle to quiet.  But by creating this practice it has given me many opportunities to pause and be with a new wonder.  I love to wonder about wonders.  These little seeings can be just the jolt my creative process needs to get out of a rut.  But mostly they provide a pause which is that moment of peace I need to heal from a frustration. These seeings are grounding for me and bring me to the present.  I will admit to laughing out loud with joy over some of my discoveries, they are a moment of childlike wonder!  

"When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky"             ~~~Buddha

---Shop News--- & Etsy MaineTeam Cash Mob

Now that the Gardens are DONE 

(well my new list is getting pretty long...but just a lot of little jobs...) 

Thread has been flying!  

3 new puppet are listed in  www.injoyecocutie.etsy.com 

Moose ~ Rose ~ Monarch Butterfly

I thought I was done making puppets.  I started making them back when I tried to sell handweaving at craft coops and fairs 20+ years ago.  Weaving is a tough to sell so I made puppets to make my rent at the craft coop.  My patterns have been stored away in the attic for years. When I opened my EcoCutie Shop they started to call me.  The truth is I love puppets!  Not just making them but playing with them too.

Mr. Moose is a totally new design this fall.  Have you ever hear of the book, If You Give a Moose a Muffin, by Laura Numeroff?  (love this book...read it many times!)  Well, if you give a fiber gal a fleece she makes a Moose Puppet.  Back in September at the Common Ground Fair I swore I would NOT buy a fleece...I have enough stuff and enough to do!  But then I found this beautiful, to me, 5 pound Cotswold yummy brown fleece for $3.00 a pound!! I couldn't pass it up.  It has nice light brown tips that I noticed matched this light brown felt I had recently aquired....well I saw a MOOSE!  It took 3 prototypes to get him right...I just love him.  He is a bit of a ham too!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/166987730/maine-moose-brown-hand-puppet-kids?ref=listing-shop-header-2

Puppets Make Great Tree Toppers!

Add rose oil to the mouth of Ms. Rosetta then she won't have stamen breath ~ LOL 

Really, it is another way to give a roses to someone!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/166999411/pink-rose-hand-puppet-kids-toy-eco?ref=shop_home_active

Not all the Monarch Butterflies have flown South!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/166989782/black-orange-monarch-butterfly-hand?ref=listing-shop-header-0

(here is another blog post about my puppets if this isn't enough)
http://injoyemporium.blogspot.com/2013/06/shop-news.html

ANNOUNCING ~~~ ETSY MAINETEAM CASH MOB!!!

Go to Etsy and type in maineteam <--- one word ---> to start deciding what you want so you can <3 ahead of time.  Buy Local on Line (for my Maine Readers). Many shops will be having specials that day including me!  For November 8th ONLY use coupon code cashmob13 in any of my 4 shops and save 30%!  This will be my only sale this holiday season.

https://www.facebook.com/MaineTeam

---Shop News---

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MzM1ODA4MTN8MjcyNDYwMjQyMA/need-a-little-sunshine

Sunshine has been hit and miss this week in Maine so felt inspired to create a yellow is a jolly fellow treasury!  

All Team Madcap items~~~Because it IS a Madcap World!

Puppets for Sale at www.injoyecocutie.etsy.com

Puppets are made with "eco-fi" felt which is made in the USA 

100% polyester made from 100% recycled post-consumer plastic bottles.

SHOP NEWS ~~~ for In Joy Eco Cutie!  Puppets!

There is a little story around these puppets...of course...always a story!

I love to sew on felt.  It is fuzzy fun!  So what better than fun puppets to create with felt.  My first puppets were gifts for a growing population of nieces and nephews about 30 years ago.  Then later I got involved with a couple of craft coops.  I tried to sell handwoven items (not always easy...but weaving is a true passion www.injoyemporium.etsy.com ) Well, the weaving didn't sell to well.  I added puppets to my items for sale and they sold like crazy!

Decided to create another nephew for the family...stayed home and had my son!  Of course, puppets were a part of his growing up.  We had a lot of fun, even had a puppet theatre.  When my boy started school I became a substitute teacher at his elementary school.  I had a LOT of fun doing that job!  Being a substitute is a lot freer than being a teacher (who I bow to with GREAT respect).  No staff meetings and some allowance for my eccentric "ways".  I had a reputation for dressing like Ms. Frizzle of The Magic School Bus.

Oh yeah...PUPPETS!  I devised a way of getting super wonderful behavior out of a class...usually.  I had my "Super Secret Substitute Teacher Suitcase" an old fashion suitcase filled with PUPPETS and surprise craft supplies.  I would start the day telling the class that every time they worked well together or follow directions they would get a "Good Job" tally on the board.  When a couple were earned they would get to have quick peek in the suitcase.  This would continue throughout the day until the end and the puppets would be released and I allowed a little mayhem to ensue!  Birds and butterflies soaring, fish fights, and flowers in deep conversation!  It was fun and I was loved...all the tasks the teachers left were completed too.

So here is a gallery of the puppets from the suitcase.  Not too shabby even after all that mayhem and rugged play!

Owl & Parrot

Red Wing Blackbird & Kingfisher

Butterfly, Flower, and Rose

Fishy & Rose again...Rosy is my favorite...one will be coming to Etsy soon...cut out but not sewn ...YET!