Paper Birds

I have wanted to make some simple paper birds.  These would be fun to send in the mail or add to a wrapped gift.  They are easy to make and fun because you can use any design of scrapbook paper you choose.  The feet are made with a paperclip so they stand :)

Needle Felting

My hope was to order the Sumi-e instruction book by now to learn how to draw chrysanthemums, but that hasn't happened quite yet. 

So for this month I learned more about needle felting than I ever knew before --I never heard of it.   I love trying new things and I attended a craft happy hour at an art museum.  The combination of sharp needles and beer consumption left my fingers a little tender but I had fun.  Needle felting is a craft that definitely takes practice (as you will see in the picture better examples are on a sample sheet in the background).

Needle felting is the act of forming shapes or designs out of loose wool.  This is done by taking a special needle that has a textured shaft.  The needle catches the wispy fibers and tangles them together.  By repetitively poking the needle into the loose wool, a shape is formed.

-JM