Top Ten Tuesday -- March 6, 2012

There are birds and fiber galore in this week's top ten! From a hand embroidered bluebird lunch tote to a burnished bird necklace, and 7 other wonderful items in between, I feel great kinship to those who hand-make bird-themed items and fiber arts projects! If there were more than 24/7, I'd be interested in trying my hand at many of these types of projects. Oh well, I cannot make the days any longer, but I am so happy to pass along contact information for these creative folks!

#1 Hand Embroidered Blue Bird Canvas Lunch Tote

Jemzy on Etsy makes this sweet bag which measures 9" x 11", and comes complete with a pink floral calico pocket lining. This may be the best Easter basket you've ever received! Visit with the talented Jemzy here.

#2 Sparrow Tea Cups from Rustic Peace

I originally saw these lovely cups on Pinterest and have tracked them as far as I can to Rustic Peace on Tumblr. I hope that if anyone gets further in the search for these coveted cups, you will share with all of us!

#3 Seamless Felted Mittens with Floral Design

Aurelial T Felting in Lithuania is making these charming mittens to order on Etsy! I know that winter is almost over for many of us now, but springtime in the Rockies can be seriously snowy, so these mittens look just right to me! If you live in a place where it is snowy or cold at least part of every year, this mitten purchase just makes perfect sense. Visit AureliaLT felting and see her complete line -- you'll enjoy yourself!

#4 Needle Felted Landscape Ball

I'm really impressed by the detail that The Felted Egg shopkeeper Emily puts into a simple 3.25" spherical shape! You can see photos of all angles of this ball on her charming Etsy shop, and I'll bet that you will be impressed, too! She has used both wet and dry felting techniques and 100% natural plant-dyed wool. Lovely!

#5 Pink Embroidered Felt Birds in time for Spring

The applique and embroidered details of each Beedeebabee item is artistic and perfectly balanced. Don't you love the uniformity of her hand work and the charming shapes of her designs? This little pink bird brooch is nearing the top of my list for sure...enjoy your visit with Beedeebabee on Etsy here!

#6 100% Re-Turned Recycled Norwegian Wood and 100% Adorable

Hand turned wooden birds made in Norway by Lars Beller Fjetland are catching my fancy this week. Lars used left-over wood from carpentry production, like a table leg or armrest, and turned them into these adorable sculptural birds. Let's all keep our eyes open for production of these charming pieces!

#7 Meg Hannan's Fabric Jewels "Millefiori" Hearts

I have to share with you these textural treasures from Rag Sky Art Studio in Seattle, Washington, and the hands of Meg Hannan. She has used vintage fabrics and fibers to make these layered and rolled fiber hearts. I found a shop named Great Green Goods that offers them through Renga Arts to us folks outside of the Seattle area!

#8 Peony Eco Shopping Bag

I would feel very special indeed carrying this exceptional shopping bag! Colettecolor on Etsy tells me that it folds up to stash into my purse when not in use, but it is so lovely, I think I'd proudly walk into the grocery store with it on my arm! It measures about 15"x17" and has a 22" strap. That's some good-looking grub!

#9 Burnished Nest Necklace from Sidney Hanner

I was intrigued to see all of the great classes in jewelry making being taught by designer and instructor Sidney Hanner. I also love the name of these classes: Gilding the Lily Classes! I know that classes like this are only available for specific time-frames and places, but I am inspired by this necklace and Sid's generous sharing of her techniques.

#10 Funny Animal Photo of the Week!

Someone has a sense of humor! Perhaps it isn't me, but here's my funny animal of the week!

Thanks for stopping by,

Georgianne

Ladybugs for Alicia

I have a feeling that a majority of my friends have worked in a retail job at some point in their life. They bagged groceries or sold leather gloves at the mall. Picking up a retail job to make Christmas special is an easy and temporary effort.

Other people I know have made work in a retail store their career. As the Education Coordinator for a retail chain, I have met many great folks in the past 3 years at JoAnns in Westminster, Colorado. Today I want to tell you about Alicia and her mom. They shopped at JoAnns yesterday and remind me of why I get a kick out of being in the retail world.

Alicia is 7 years old. She is a sweet freckled-face girl who is so easy to be around. And she loves making things. I met her when she celebrated her 7th birthday in my classroom, painting bobble-head animals with her 8 BFFs. She comes with her mom to visit me now about once a month. She received a toy sewing machine for her birthday and has the goal of learning to sew her own clothes! Yesterday, I helped Alicia and her mom select supplies to sew bean bag ladybugs. We selected black flannel, red cotton with white polka dots, and after much debate, a package of medium wiggle eyes. Alicia carefully considered each choice by feeling the fabric and deciding whether or not it was ladybug-worthy.

You should know that Alicia's mom has never learned to sew. She doesn't have the language to talk about the items on a project supply list. When Alicia read that her project requires iron-on stabilizer, Mom stared blankly at me and pulled on her sweater. What Mom lacks in vocabulary, Alicia makes up for in enthusiasm.

So the 3 of us slowly walked the aisles of JoAnns with a mission. You probably guessed we were collecting red, black, and cute for the ladybug project. But we also need to shop for a little confidence. Mom really wants Alicia to excel at sewing. She wants the excitement in her daughter's eyes to grow and continue so that this lack of sewing as a life skill can end; and end in a fun way!

When this little family left the store with a bag of goodies and a date to come back to the classroom to be taught how to sew ladybug bean bags, all seemed right with the world. Retail jobs can, to quote Shakespeare, truly sucketh. Today, my retail job warmed my heart.

Here's to your creativity today!
Georgianne

P.S. My classroom at JoAnns is changing. Watch my blog for more information about where and how my workshops and classes will be offered!