Wednesday 28 July 2010

To A Needle Felter...

...There are few things in life more pleasing than a brand new piece of foam!


Especially since the old one is so trashed on both sides too since I use one side for dark colours and one side for light!
The toucans came to investigate and they agree!

Yes I am officially a felting geek...

Friday 23 July 2010

Budgie Fun Part 2

My first budgies met with a general cry of "you need to make them girlfriends, so I did! I didn't know that boy budgies have a bit of blue on their beak and girl budgies have pink... well my fans set me straight.

By popular demand... the girls have arrived.
Pretty blue and improbable pink budgies... yes I know there's no such thing as a pink budgie but I like pink... OK?

Monday 19 July 2010

Budgie Fun

When I was growing up my best friends dad kept birds, he bred all sorts of little cuties but my faves were always the budgies!This week has been spent making budgies! I am learning lots about them like did you know that boy budgies have a little blue bit above their beak? All the budgies I have made so far are boys because the book I was using for reference on has boy bugies in!It's always a fun process working on a new bird design and getting the character right, much of the design process is about what to leave out and what to put in. Too much detail and you lose the cute factor to little and they don't look budgie enough.
I have really enjoyed this project and I think I will make some more, I know they don't occour in nature but I am dying to make a pink budgie! (Just for fun!) Budgies are now available in the Pet Birds section of the shop!

Friday 16 July 2010

Inkmeup Blog Launch Giveway


Inkmeup has been going strong for 9 months now and it's been a really fun ride so far. Ink has spent a lot of time piggy backing on her big sister shop Feltmeupdesigns and it's time for the baby girl to break free and have her own identity and her own blog!

So to launch said blog what better way then to have a giveaway! The winner gets to chose from a Kingfisher, Owl, Wren, Blue Tit or Chicken Goody bag. I'm offering a prize of 1 notebook, 1 print and one lavender bag and a goody bag with some postcards, mini prints and other bits in, this is a fab prize worth $40.
Head on over to Inkmeup's New Blog to find out how to enter

Christmas In July... What's that All About Then?

Every July lots of Etsy sellers go a bit crazy and offer all manner of discounts, deals, bargains and offers in their shops. This year felt and inkmeup have decided to join in the fun!

Feltmeupdesigns is offering free shipping ALL birds until the 25th July

Inkmeup has a fabbo sale section where you can pick up a bargain till 25th July, lots of reduced prints and mini prints for just $5 which is quite a silly price if you ask me, so you might wanna grab them before I change my mind!

If you want to find out more about the 3rd annual etsy Christmas in July sale visit the Etsy blog to find out more about how you can pick up a bargain and get organised in advance for Christmas.

Sunday 11 July 2010

Where Wild Birds Sing...


Invitation
Come, leave the city's toils and din,
The Weary Strife,
The cankering cares and sordid aims,
That deaden life.

Come, leave behind this restless rush,
This anxious strain;
Dame nature tenders healing balm,
For the tired brain.

Come, by yon grassy, shady lane,
Rest tired eyes
On yonder meadow's vernal green
On cloudless skies.

Come to the wood where oak and beech
their shadows fling.
Come weary toiler, rest a while
Where wild birds sing.


S. Whiting

When I first started Inkmeup, I found a book held together with sellotape and falling apart at the back of an old book shop called "Where Wild Birds Sing" by James E Whiting. At the time I was far more excited about my new gocco press and making prints then I was about the book but one day I sat down and read a few pages and fell in love.


I then rather foolishly checked ABEbooks.co.uk to see if I could get another to keep and found to my surprise that the poor broken spined thing I had taken apart had been worth quite a bit of money if it had been in good condition. Since then I have been longing for my own copy but couldn't afford it. For my birthday this year I got one present from my mum, wrapped in calico with a big red bow... and it was Where Wild Birds sing!


The book is very important to me as it was the beginning of my inky adventure and I am really happy to have my own copy now, this one won't be getting taken apart and my inky fingers will be staying well away from it's crackling pages!