Embellished Felted Vessel

Remember my foray into wet felting?

Back in November, I made this little felted vessel; I wanted to embellish it, but I put it aside, because I was busy working on my Head-to-Head challenge neckpiece (and working, and working...)

I finished the neckpiece a week ago today (yay!) - and started embellishing my felted vessel on Tuesday of this week, after enjoying a few days away from tiny seed beads.

After 2 days of stitching, here is my bead-embroidered vessel:

I added one of my enameled flowers, and embroidered a stem and leaf for it - the leaf is a little outsized for the flower, but that's OK!

I reined myself in, and didn't go all overboard with the embellishments. I like it!

Happy Thanksgiving

The bead shop is closed for a nice, long holiday weekend, and Bailey and I are settled in for a nice, relaxing vacation!

I enjoy a very non-traditional (for most people, anyway) Thanksgiving - I get to stay home with Bailey, in my PJs, doing whatever I want. Whatever! Peace and quiet! I love it!

2 years ago, I brought home wire and a jig, and spent all day Thanksgiving making colored earwires:

 Lots and lots of earwires .... I still have some left, but have sold quite a few! I really enjoy matching the earwires to my earrings!

Last year, I spent the whole long weekend reading.

This year, I am contemplating trying wet felting. I have purchased a couple of gorgeous felted vessels in the past, and am fascinated by them, and by the process, but have absolutely no experience with it.

After I purchased my second vessel, I impulsively bought a few books on the subject, and ALL the supplies I would need to make a vessel. While I DID read the books, I simply piled all the supplies up in a huge box, which sits on top of the cedar chest in my bedroom, covered in layers of dust. The last item I needed for this endeavor was some colorful roving - I ordered it in March, 2011 from an Etsy Seller, and never even opened the package - I just added it to the pile (I swear - I was thinking I would dig into the felting THAT weekend. REALLY!) So it will be exciting to dig into all these goodies! [If I blog it, it will happen....]

I don't want to take home any beads ... and this long weekend seems like the perfect opportunity to try something new. I'll need to re-study up on the process, and I'll photograph my "progress", and we'll see what develops! I skimmed through the books again early this morning, and it turns out I may not have everything I need - I don't think I have any rubber or latex gloves here at the house (they're optional for the process, but since I'm allergic to wool, they are probably not that optional for me!) cause I am not going anywhere near a store this weekend, period.

I hope I can pull all this together this Holiday weekend - it would feel like such an accomplishment. But if nothing else, I will study up on the process, and then grab the few remaining items I need next week, and be all set! But cross your fingers for me - I may have some latex gloves hidden away in the first aid stuff.  Who knows? Gotta go exploring!

I want to get back into Zentangling, too - I have taken WAY too long a break from that! I cannot believe I haven't done any tangling since July 6! [I love that my blog serves as a "diary" of my creative endeavors, and I can look back and see what I was doing at any given time - of course, this has a downside, too: I am quickly reminded about promises to myself that I haven't kept! But that's another story....]

Happy Thanksgiving!