Three More Friends...

"Daisy Girl" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer

Have I said how much fun I'm having with these?
:)

"Cinnamon Bear" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer

"Freddy Acorn" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer

I have put these on eBay...
All of these sweet little friends are lining
the shelves in our studio!

It will be a happy-sad moment if they sell.
Thrilled to make a few dollars so
the hobby can support itself...
Then again...they're so soft and welcoming!

Hope you're finding some creative projects
to have some fun with!

Hope you have a fantastic week~
Michelle

Happy Thanksgiving...

"Muffin Bun" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer

Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope your day has been blessed with love,
great memories and yummy foods!

We enjoyed a quiet day together at home~
Shared a lot of laughs, cooked together and
watched the Macy's Day parade
for the first time in YEARS!

"Sugar Owl" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer

Sharing some of our Christmas collection!
These are on Ebay now...

"Santa Claus" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Wishing all of you the best~

Ebay Time!

"Bitty Bird" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer

Eleven of our new
needle felted friends
are now for sale on Ebay!

We did it!!!
You can find them by going to the
main page on Ebay
and type in Michelle Palmer!

You will also see some of our other
licensed products (fabric, Crazy Mt. etc.)

"Little Hoot" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer
Doesn't he sit so sweet in Frosty's corncob pipe?

"Timothy Owl" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer
See the tiny bits of paper wasp nest...

"Little One Hoot" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer
Ohhhhh....wouldn't that make a great sled!

"Teenie the Elephant" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer
I love the vintage boot!

My FAVORITE!
"Squeaker" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer
Waiting for that quick peek at Santa...

WHISKERS!!!
"Trudy Mouse" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer
Can you imagine how big a strawberry field
must look to a mouse?

"Cup Full of Love" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer
LOVE the vintage Chenille snow pile they're on!

"Snowman Joy" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer
This sweet little snow friend is
all dressed up for Christmas with
vintage ornaments...sitting on a silver spoon!

"Tippy Turtle" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer
I just want to hug'em & pinch his chubby cheeks!

Last...but not least~
"Sweet Blue" Copyright Michelle L. Palmer
This is the one with the bird, skunk...
and turtle leg features!

There are more photos of them on Ebay...
Different views & close ups!
It is fun to be able to share some original
Michelle Palmer Designs again!

I miss the years of seeing all of you
at our open houses,
art festivals and watercolor workshops.

Do hope each of you have a wonderful,
safe and memory-filled Thanksgiving holiday!

Three Little Kittens...

"Oh Daddy, Dear see here~ see hear..."

"Your breakfast milk we want..."

MMMmmmmm
Nap time!

(I won't wake them to check for whiskers...)
:)

Needle Felting 2...

More photographs from Saturday night's fun!

Mouse.

Our camera is being a tad grumpy~
Sorry about the fuzzy pix...

Mouse looks like he's begging for
food...or a friend!

Snugly warm...

Wee little bird...

In flight!
Looks sweet from this perspective...

Part skunk...part bird...sea turtle wings!
It was my first try!
:)
Gotta giggle...
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to have something to
do after work...sitting watching TV~
Just be VERY careful when you look away...
Needles are VERY sharp.

Hope you have a wonderful week...
More to come & I'll let'cha know
when they are listed for sale...just in case!

Hope you have a fantastic week~
Michelle

Needle Felting...

My first attempt at needle felting!
I LOVE IT!

I have been searching the web for information
on needle felting for a few months!
(When there are new tools to buy~
I try to get as much information as possible.)

The first time I saw this fantastic art was on
Martha Stewart, LAST holiday season.
She was dressing up hats & scarves...

I found everything I needed at
Liberty Cottage, Canandaigua, New York
Please click to find out more about them here...
Such a fantastic store!
The gals were wonderful yesterday &
said they will be having classes on NF.
Liberty Cottage is more than supplies...
I have always found the PERFECT gifts!

One of the best tutorial resources for me...
Home made videos on You Tube.
The women made it look soooo easy!

To begin & get the feel for the
needles & how much wool was needed
we made some small, flat "tests"~
It is all sweet!
I made several pieces yesterday...
I'll share them later today!

We will be selling some pieces on Ebay!
I'll let you know~

All Is Calm...

This sweet little friend sits patiently,
all puffed up...
trying to stay warm...
Feeders are full, suet cages stuffed!

Kids Christmas Two...

Snowman Heads!

Christmas Craft #2 for kids...
These are great fun & cost very little to make.
Photos of materials are at the end of this blog.

Kids socks for hats!
If you don't have any little ones left~
Try thrift stores baby section...

Crackle medium for kids who like to take
a little more time with projects.

Add an antiquing medium for aged look.

Simple ribbons, buttons, snowflakes, lace~

It's all in the nose!
I like Sculpy or Fimo bake hard clays.
You can mix a few colors for the perfect carrot!
Mix same brand products

So here's what we do...

Roll up several pieces of tin foil,
shaped~ but not tight...recycled is great!
Mix the paper clay...directions on the package.
Cover the foil "like your making a meatball."
These will need to air dry completely.

Paint & you're ready to add hats & noses!
Or
Paint the dry paper balls brown...let dry.
Paint the dry "meatball-looking" balls
with crackle medium, let dry.
Paint a white/off white top coat & let dry.
LOVE the crackle texture...
Antique with medium if you want...

I do seal with a clear/satin spray paint...
Makes them a bit more durable.

To make the noses.
We roll the clay into a long rope.
With a thin knife, make the little lines
to look like carrot creases~
Cut into nose lengths.
Shape them into fun noses! Some curl up!
Bake according to directions.

When noses are ready...parents might need
to help make the nose hole.
I use an awl with much care. Best to set
the finished head on a safe surface, push gently...
(Please do not hold in your hand)
Make the hole close to the exact size
of the clay nose. Glue it in!

Add eyes & mouth...
Paint? Nails? Buttons?

Hat time!
Cut the foot part off the sock...
The calf end is around the snowman's head...
The other end can be tied with a piece of string~

Add a hook or string to hang from the tree...
There you have a sweet little
home made ornament!

Adults can make large ones...with socks!
Tiny ones can be made (no tinfoil needed)
The mitten with no match...the fingers
are perfect for tiny hats!

Hope you have fun~
Michelle

Thanksgiving Arrangement...

They almost made it to Thanksgiving!

It has been a beautiful day here...
As long as you can stay inside & off the roads!

These mums look as if they have fluffy, fuzzy,
white winter hats on!

Late Fall Snow...

The ground is covered this morning...

When it snows this time of year~
The golden field grasses still fluffy here n' there...
Lanes with puddles reflecting an early winter sky...
I miss my childhood home~

Images by my kindergarten art teacher
W. Ralph Murray
Remind me of home...

The above image is his hand...please visit his site!

Okay, I Admit it...

I've been tagged to list 15 things that I'm
not afraid to admit...we'll go for fun this time!
From when I was a child...
Debra from Sparrowgrass had a great list!

1. As a young adventurer...
I LOVED playing in the dry dump.
I took old "stuff" and made homes
for forest animals & birds...
A few~ with critters came home at night!

2. As a young adventurer...
There was NO time
to run home & take a potty break~
So...thank you, God...for thick shrubs
and soft leaves!

3. As a young adventurer...
I LOVED going into abandoned houses.
I cleaned them & made the critters meals.
Pretended they were my own home.

4. As a young adventurer...
I loved to get lost in corn fields & forests.
I would find old coins, keys, nails, plate chips...

5. As a young adventurer...
Our basement was mud & water at times~
I would catch newts & frogs...
***sigh***
Yes! I had to make them at home!

6. As a young adventurer...
I would snap the traps so the mice
could get away.

7. As a young adventurer...
I would empty the poison bait
in the trash &
fill the box with grain.
Oh MY!

8. As a young adventurer...
I would do my best to make the bull mad.
I just LOVED when the cows got out!

9. As a young adventurer...
I didn't fall in the pond by accident!

10. As a young adventurer...
I didn't fall in the creek by accident!

11. As a young adventurer...
I DID fall in the manure pit by accident!

12. As a young adventurer...
I didn't mean to take the tractor apart
and not be able to put it right.
Great learning experience!

13. As a young adventurer...
I did use an entire box of roofing nails
to build a bookshelf.
A very small bookshelf.
I had no books.

14. As a young adventurer...
I loved to climb trees.
I fell out of many~
But thought a house in a tree
would be a possibility some day!

15. As a young adventurer...
Before I knew God.
I would climb the highest hill and
yell as loud as I could~
Each and every hope I wanted to come true!

Yep.
Tomboy!

Happy Monday, Friends!
Hope I shared a smile....
Michelle

Paper Stars...

A good movie & a craft project...
I had a great time choosing from our
piles of paper scraps...

Paper covered stars that I read about on
Beyond The Picket Fence's site!
Her's are gorgeous~
Please stop by & view her tutorial.

These photos are a bit washed out...
I needed to get outside for more light...

I have seen these stars in all shapes & sizes
at discount stores...also Christmas Tree Shop.

These were gifts from a very sweet friend...
Misty...tell your momma thanks again!

Two different profiles.
Some are soft folds & shallow~
Others have sharp, deep angles.

These could be just the start of a fantastic
mixed media collage!

Fall Memories...

We took these photos this past summer~
Genesee Country Village
Mumford, New York
One of our most treasured Historic Villages...
Well worth the travel!

The animals there seem to know they're part of a
museum and behave in a nice way!
They pose for photographs...
and don't chase after me!

Okay...so sometimes they become weary of
posing ~ and give me their best side.

I remember splitting wood for HOURS
on weekends as a child. My dad and neighbor
worked together & made their own wood splitter.
The farmer & he respected the woods.
Took the trees that had fallen first, selected others
that had damage from storms...

When stacking the wood I would tuck food scraps
in between the layers...without being caught...
for the new tenants I was hopeful to soon meet!

And tenants we had!
(Inside and out)

For the first time in years...the air seems spotted
with the smell of wood stoves & fireplaces~
On country drives we see porches packed
with cut wood.

Fond memories...

Baskets of Goodies...

After long hours of work it is always refreshing
to take time away from the studio to "recharge."

Hubby took a vacation day Monday~
I don't know if it was HIS way of recharging...
but we went for a country drive toward the lake
and hit one of our favorite antique malls!

I try to keep $20 business cash tucked away
just in case BARGAINS are found.
Today was our day!
Two baskets stuffed full...one LOW price for each~

The handles will become spoon rings
and treasure box pulls...

So beautiful!
I won't clean a bit of the patina off...

These are perfect for tiny, acrylic-painted details...
Then sealed with a clear, matt finish...

Hand worn...

These were all in that basket!!!

I love to share...
Many of these will find new homes...

LOVE the packaging design...

Christmas red!

Love the soft tones...

More than ONE-OF-the same-KIND!

Sweet for baby...

I love out of the way places...
with time to spend looking on bottom shelves,
inside cupboards...

Treasures are to be found...
The taxes put me a bit over budget~
Thank heavens I brought Hubby along!
:)
Wishing you a wonderful rest of the week~
Michelle