Etsy Monday - Cozy Cottage Creations

After a bit of a break over the holiday season I'm glad to be starting up Etsy Mondays again! This week I'm featuring Lynne of cozycottagecreations, who creates wonderful 3-D needle felted works of art - like this!

Felted Earth Ball

I first came across her work when I was checking out a tutorial on needle felting over in the Virtual Labs on Etsy. I was blown away by her Felted Earth Ball, and when I checked out her shop I found so many more amazing pieces! I love needle felting but I have never tried anything 3-dimensional. I'm always impressed with those who do, and Lynne is extremely talented at what she does. Here's what she had to say about her craft:

1. When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist/artisan?

I don't think I ever realized or decided I wanted to be an artisan - it's just my nature to want make things and do it as well as I can. Throughout my life I would rather make something myself than buy it in a store. Sometimes when I go to buy something, because I'm so picky and have a clear picture of what I want, I can't find it! So, I make it myself. I would so love to go back in time and live in the 1800s when making everything you have was just a way of life.

2. How long have you been working with your medium and what first sparked your interest in it?

I've been felting for almost two years now. I've always loved knitting and one day an email newsletter from my local yarn store arrived in my in-box with a photo of a felted bowl. I fell head over heels in love with it, and seriously couldn't sleep because I kept turning it over and over in my head. I was leaving on vacation the next day and absolutely had to stop at the yarn store on the way to the airport to pick up the pattern. After telling myself over and over "Do not leave this pattern on the plane....", I actually left it on the plane. So then I had to figure it out for myself, and I've been creating my own patterns ever since.

The Courtship - Needle Felted Scene

3. What do you find most enjoyable/rewarding about your art/craft?

I love the figuring it out part, especially in the area of needle felting. Often I see something and my first thought is "I'm going to make that out of wool!". Then my unconscious brain chugs away at the process and my fingers get itchy to get started. I'm happiest when I'm about 2/3 into the process and I can actually start to see my vision form into reality. I also love the sound of the needle felting tool sinking into the wool - it's like the crunch of boots into new fallen snow.

4. Where do you find inspiration for your art/craft?

Mostly in nature, and lately at the grocery store. I'm probably the only Mom that tells her kids "Don't eat that apple!" because I'm using it as a model for my needle felting.

5. What message or values do you wish to convey with your art? What does your art say to the world?

Hopefully that art and beauty can arise from all sources. I have two young daughters and they are always right by my side wanting to know "what are you making?" It's important to me that they know from this pile of wool (which came from a sheep) anything can be created. That the possibilities are endless as long as you have the vision and the patience to bring it to life.

A Pair of Needle Felted Pears

6. Are there any other creative outlets that you use to express yourself? What are they and what do you enjoy about them?

Right now I'm totally obsessed with wool, and I just want to explore every possible thing you can do with it. I always have six other projects running through my head while I'm working. I do also love to sew, and I used to do a lot of it - making quilts, playthings and occasionally clothes for my daughters. However, my sewing has really taken a back seat to my felting. I'm not a very good multi-tasker, and I like to completely exhaust one medium at a time. It might be awhile before I get back to sewing!

7. Do you have any advice for other artists/artisans

Make what you love and put it out there to the world. If you love it to pieces, so will someone else! Persistance and patience are the keys to success in anything you do! And on a practical side, if you're an etsy seller, join a team of like-minded artists and become as involved with that team as you are able. I belong to several teams and am quite active with Boston Handmade and the NaturalKids Team. The support and comraderie I get from these teams has been invaluable to both the growth of my business and my growth as an artist.

Felted Fleur Vase with Daisy

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In closing...

What's on the horizon for you right now?

I'm very excited to be participating in the Boston Handmade Downtown Gallery this holiday season. The Mayor's Office for the City of Boston is sponsoring our Handmade Gallery, located right in one of the busiest shopping districts in Boston. So, if you're in the Boston area this December, come to 505 Washington St., just off the Downtown Crossing T stop, to see my work in person!

Polaris - Handspun Merino yarn

I've just listed a brand new handspun yarn in my Etsy shop. "Polaris" is 188 yards of the squishiest sport weight Merino.

I absolutely love the way this yarn turned out. Blues aren't normally "my colors" but they sure are soothing to spin. And the way the predominantly cool blues and purples are balanced with warm flashes of yellow and brown.

The roving was dyed by the amazing Kristin of All Spun Up on Etsy. As always it was a joy to spin, perfectly prepped with deep, vivid tones. Here is a picture, borrowed from the original listing.

Happy 2009!

I'm not big on New Years resolutions, but I do feel like now is a good time to set some goals to work toward in 2009. Something about the air of completion and creation that comes with this time of year compels me to take stock of what I've been doing for the past little while and lay out some things I'd like to accomplish in the coming months. Of course a lot of these will be related to fiber and my Etsy shop, but there are a few other improvements I'd like to make as well. As for my blog, I'd like to expand the scope of it to include a some of what goes on in my life outside of Etsy, to share a bit more of what fills my days with all you lovely people. So, here are my main goals, in no particular order:

My main priority for Black Mustard Fiber Arts is to polish my branding, logo, etc. I've got a couple of ideas and I'm hoping to have my artistic boyfriend help me finalize them. From there I can get all my packaging, tags, labels and business cards unified and done up properly. I also plan to take stock of all the online tools I use (Twitter, Flickr, PW, etc) and see how I can maximize their effectiveness while cutting down on some of the time I usually spend surfing once I get started. There are a couple new things I'd like to look into as well, such as starting a YouTube channel and a mailing list. There's also a big development on the horizon in the way of a second Etsy shop... I hope to have that ready to lauch by the end of January! I'd also love to take part in at least one craft fair in 2009.

For myself I've got a lot of your standard fitness goals... I want to get back into taking regular yoga classes and I plan to run 3-4 times per week. I'd also like to research nutrition a bit more. Since I've gone vegetarian I've been feeling great, and I think I'm getting everything I need in the way of protein, iron and such. But I'd like to be sure. Also, now that I'm getting close to the point where children could be a real possibility in the next couple of years, I'd like to kick any unhealthy habits I have so I can lead by example to help them develop a really good relationship with nutrition and exercise. Once the weather gets a little nicer I'm going to start riding my bike and taking the bus to work. I can't wait!

Another big area of interest for me is finding more ways to live in harmony with the world and the universe at large. In the Spring I'm going to build a compost bin in the back yard and get serious about recycling at home. I also plan to find at least one volunteer opportunity this year - to contribute my time and energy to helping someone other than myself or my immediate circle of people. This last year I've been a bit on the isolated side - spending so much time at home working on crafting and building my Etsy business. Although I've enjoyed it immensely, these last few weeks I've really felt a push to get back out into the world and interact with people more. I want to be more open to connecting with others again.

I've got 3 guitar students starting up in January, and I can't wait! My music has been another thing that's been put to the side so I could focus on knitting, spinning, etc. And that's fine, but I do miss it as well. Getting lessons going again will be a great way for me to remember to practice and play on a regular basis, and from there I'd love to schedule a few shows or hit some open mics and maybe write some new songs. I think I may start a YouTube channel for my singing and playing as well. If I do I'll be sure to share the link here.

Catching up...

Well, the holidays have made it difficult to keep up with my blog and my Etsy shop is looking a little sparse, but I've really enjoyed the rest and the time spent with family and friends. I've also been busy trying to navigate this crazy weather we've been having. Vancouver is not used to snow like this and the lack of snow plows in my neighborhood have made things very interesting. This is my back yard as seen on Christmas Day.

I've actually gotten quite a bit of knitting done for the shop - now I just need some time with my "models". I finished a new style of fingerless glove that I'm very pleased with, and I've made pairs in about 3 or 4 colors. I really hope to get a chance to photograph them soon, especially since I got a new camera for Christmas! It's a Fuji Finepix and I've been having lots of fun playing with it and getting comfortable. The biggest perk for me so far is the super macro feature, which I've been using to take shots like this.

There seems to be a bit of a grainy quality to some of the pictures I've taken, which I also read about in reviews (after I'd bought it). However, since most of the shots I've taken so far have been indoors and in low light, I'm remaining optimistic. I'm very eager to try it out in good light. Although I have less occasion to use it, the long distance focus also seems to be very good. 12x optical zoom is very decent for anything I'd need. This shot was taken from my doorstep, across the yard and into the back lane.

Cafe au Lait - Handspun Falkland wool yarn

Well, my poor little blog has been a bit neglected lately... With Christmas coming I've found the days slipping away more quickly than usual. Happily today I listed a new handspun yarn in my Etsy shop. I named it "Cafe au Lait" because it reminded me so much of the yarn I used for these gloves. This one is 133 yards of squishy worsted weight Falkland 2 ply.

"Cafe au Lait"

The roving was purchased from FatCatKnits on Etsy. This was my first time spinning Falkland and I must say I loved it! It was very well-prepped fiber and I'm a sucker for browns so I really loved watching the colors swirl together. I will definitely be popping back into this Etsy shop from time to time for more fiber!

Be sure to check in tomorrow for Etsy Monday!