Craft and cleverness

I love handmade stuff. Love it, love it, love it. And I love buying from the person who makes the stuff. Especially magical things like pottery and lampwork and stained glass and jewelry and onions. I wanted to show you some of the cool stuff I found at the market, but some of it’s presents, and that wouldn’t be good. And since I spent the day cleaning out the freezer and the fridge and the pantry and folding three months’ worth of towels and rags and other odd stuff (I was WONDERING where that shirt went . . .) because my dad and my sister are coming up from Texas, and my Gin and Max from RI, and I don’t want them to know the truth about how I force G to live, I haven’t taken any pictures of the rest of it. And because it’s hot. And because I’m still limping around in that squeezy full leg tourniquet.

But I CAN show you a couple of things I found at Etsy, because I can rip the shots.  If you click on the pictures, you’ll find the etsy listings.

I love the feeling in this painting.  I love the dog and the detail, the shadow and the surprises.  He sleeps while the universe goes whirling on, all around him.  I bought a card, but i want the print.

These two patterns, designed by the adorable Julie, are only the beginning.  You can find her stuff on flickr littlecottonrabbits I think – or LCR knitting) – the most amazing knitting I’ve ever seen.  She is able to create characters out of yarn, for gosh sakes.  And her blog is wonderful.

This is so simple, and at the same time, so clever.  The craftsman is Cedar.

This guy tempts me SO BAD.  A scrap creature.  The problem is that when you buy something that isn’t mass made, you end up spending more, of course – to cover the time each thing takes, and the materials.  I am attuned to factory pricing.  As much as I love the odd and unique, I’m not sure I can afford it – unless I make it myself.  But my imagination runs short of this creature.

Isn’t this fabric GREAT?

Felting fascinates me.  I wanna do it, but I know I’m never going to.  I have a house full of tools, but fall a little short in the passion and talent department a good deal of the time.

I love mixed metals.  I’d love to learn how to work in little bits of metal, overlaying them and finding the character inside.

More felting.  This, I really wish I could do.  I’ve made feints – none of which have gone real well.  I have one mouse body that I actually felted out of dog hair.  I haven’t given him a face or a tail yet, but I better do it before he gets knocked on the floor and mistaken for a nasty dog nugget and flushed.

More clever metal – these birds made of recycled airplane parts.  Just cool.

Okay.  I just wanted to show you guys this stuff.  And maybe as an apology for my previous rant, which didn’t seem to resonate with anybody.  And now I’m all tail-tucked and curled up in the corner, trying to keep quiet.  No more barking.  Not till tomorrow.