Can you hear that?  It’s the sound of the critters blowing their trumpets in glee at the awesomely exciting news that critters will now be found at a new home………  at the Contemporary Craft Art Museum in Pittsburgh

Ooooooh lah  dee dah………..Needless to say they are very excited and quite frankly feeling a little pretentious about being in a real art gallery,  I keep reminding them it’s in the store but I think they have stopped talking to me…..apparently I’m far to menial to reach their heady heights of fame…………..sigh………poor me.

What I’ve been working on for ages………..

It’s always a challenge to get prepared for winter shows when needle felting takes so long,  I’ve been knitting mini scarves and stabbying snowmen since the start of July so it’s nice to finally show them to you……..although I do kinda think to soon to share?………….nah It’s almost November,  gulp can you believe it?   I’m shocked at how fast this year has flown by.

Anyway I will be starting to add the Christmas goodies to the shop so grab ‘em quick as my first show is less than 2 weeks away……………eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!!!

Critters can now be found at the super gorgeous yarn store The Cat and Crow in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.   I can’t tell you how thrilled I am about this fact,  but it does ensure I’m going to be mega busy in the next couple of months.

Browsing around on Etsy the other day I saw these cute egg cups

From the Peacock and the Pearl.  I  knew instantly what I would do with them if I had them so after hmmmming and hawing for a bit I made the purchase.   And here they are now………

I LOVE these guys so much I have become obsessed with finding more feet egg cups,  which has become a quest of Arthurian measure as so far none that I have seen are really quite right,  either the feet are too big or too small or the wrong colour or not as nice as these ones,  so far none have been just right………maybe my name should be Goldilocks?

Anyway for the moment I only have two chickens and 2 turkeys and I will of course add them to the shop.

In the meantime I am preparing for my first show of the year.  The St Cornelius Fall Fest in Chicago next Saturday (October 3rd) and so I am stabbying away and trying to organise the critters ……not my favourite thing in the world (the organising not the stabbying) but it does make setting up the booth so much easier if everything is somewhat in order……….so back to it.

Little turkeys are here,  I had the idea of them being place card table settings for thanksgiving……Do people still do that? If you are wondering why my piccies are a bit crappy it’s because I had to use my i phone camera as Mark has taken the good camera away with him.  He’s taking part in the Single Speed World Championship in Durango and is staying in Santa Fe,  gotta admit I’m a little jealous……….good god,  not about the cyle race!!! but Santa Fe looks like a beautiful place I wouldn’t mind checking out sometime,  although not when there’s a thousand smelly, lycra wearin’ cyclists in town.

So why the gulp?  well I have 2 new shows to add to my list of upcoming winter shows,  I just found out I got accepted into Bazaar Bizarre in Cleveland a 2 day show in Ohio and I am really excited about it!!!  I don’t know why but I applied and then instantly convinced myself I wouldn’t get in……….talk about a doom and gloom merchant huh?  I guess I should really knock that off.  I also heard from the Craftacular in Madison and I will be vending there this year too …..yaaaaaaaaay I always have a good time at that show……….So my list of shows so far are

The St. Cornelius Fall Fest on Saturday, October 3rd in Chicago

The Red Sled Holiday Bazaar on Saturday November 7th in La Grange, Illinois

Craftacular in Madison Wisconsin on the 28th of November

Bazaar Bizarre on Saturday the 12th of December and Sunday the 13th in Cleveland Ohio

So not bad 4 shows (so far) I think I’m going to have to get very busy soon………….waaaaaa

Little Esther the glamor puss of the East.  Do you like her shoes?  Esther loves them,  she was lucky enough to pick them up for a song from a house clearing event she attended…….The only bad thing is that now Esther walks everywhere her broom gets very little use at all,  maybe she’ll swap it for a handbag to match.

I will add Esther to the shop if you want to check her out some more.

Oh how I love schtuff………

yup my new couch arrived from Ikea and I love it!!!!  I had to get the kidrobot/Heidi Kenney donut pillows to go on it,  aren’t they just fantastic?  It breaks my heart when my hubby actually gasp,  shock,  horror………uses them.   I tell ya one of these days straight to the moon………

Other new schtuff is I got the most brilliant request for a piranha plant flower.  Nikki wanted to get a flower for her boyfriend’s VW bug flower holder……..and how perfect is that as an idea?  I swear it makes me want to trade in my beloved mini for a bug……anyway I hope she likes it.  I have the thought of a Mario hanging from the rear view mirror and the plant waiting to gobble him up below.

Occasionally (as you guys well know) I really want the schtuff I’ve made,  and the little piranha flower has just been added to my list of my stabby must haves…….although I really want a whole vase of them……..sweeeeeeeeeeet

New critter boxes!!!!! yaaaaaaaaay

Little sheep boxes……and the unbaaaaaaaaaalievable news is that these little sheepies and some more critters are heading on over to their new home Unique Yarns, where I am also hoping to teach a few felting classes in August………..how exciting is that?  eeeeeeek I’m positively giddy,  can’t wait to see the critters in their new home it’s such a beautiful store I just hope they behave themselves!!!

Of course I’ll list the sheep in the store too………

1.  I really hate camping.

Oh sure the barbecuing outdoors and looking at the stars late at night are terrific fun……….but the sleeping in the tent in the dark woods with no running water,   and is that rain?  why yes it is………not so much……..and don’t get me started on the porta potties

2.  Grown men in lycra stops being funny and starts to get icky after about 5 minutes.

I don’t think I need to say anything more really……..

3.  I like it best when my hubby does his races with his friends

Actually it was kinda cool to see Mark and his amazing feats of strength……he took part in the 24 9 mile bike race in Waussau, Wisconsin this weekend.   He did the 12 hour solo men’s endurance race,  he started riding at 11am and didn’t stop until 10.30 at night putting in 7 laps (one lap being 14 and a half miles).    Mark came 14th out of 56 riders which may not sound that impressive but when you consider he was the only one on a single speed fixie bike (you have to pedal all the time or the bike doesn’t move and no gears) it suddenly becomes quite a bit more wow.  His actual results.

So no new critters to show but lots and lots of mosquito bites this weekend which leads to number 4…..

4.  I hate mosquitoes!!!

So that was my weekend a little odd and very out of character for me I’d really rather be crafting but it was definately different

So the store is now officially open…………..yaaaaaaaaaaay

So as a little grand re-opening surprise I’m doing free shipping and a free goody to the first 5 customers.  Yaaaaaaay I’m so glad to be back and hopefully the critters will all stop their squeeking about wanting to go and travel.