My Baby is 1 year old!!!

My little inky shop has been going for 1 year... how fast time flies! So I have decided to celebrate a year of success by sharing the wealth and having a blog competiton

http://inkmeupdesigns.blogspot.com/2010/09/1-year-on-anniversary-giveaway.html

the prize is worth $50 and you get to pick it! Head on over to Inkmeup's blog to see how to enter... where did the year go?

SQUAWK!!!SQUAWK!!!

I'm always looking for new ideas for felty birds and these guys are two that have been percolating around my brain for a while now. There have been a few abortive attempts with ended up looking a bit like transvestite melodrama rather than classy parrots but I think I have finally got it right!The Blue and Yellow Macaw stands at 3.5 inches and has a long tail and distinctive facial markings and the red macaw is just under 4 inches with bright blue wingtips with yellow and red markings, he has blue and red in his tail although you can't see this from the pictures.

The Hardest part was doing the beaks as these are only3 quarters of an inch long... meaning very pricked fingers for me. They have lots of detail but often it's more about the details you leave out and of course each has the little trade mark feltmeup white dot in the eye which helps give them life and character!

When the Red Red Robin...

Goes bob bob bobbin' along...I've been thinking alot about Christmas lately, as a craftsperson it's my busiest time so I want to get new designs in... where to find the time tho? I'm still working as a bookslave and struggling to balance my hectic schedule, I've already given up a social life and sleeping so there not much else I can do!
Traditionally I tweak my robin design for Christmas but I love last years design so much that I just decided to do a darker version of him using this gorgeous chestnut colour, I think they look supercute as a pair!

No Blog this week...

Ok so this is kinda a bit bloggish... I am wiped out and too tired to blog so here is a pretty picture for you instead!

New Packaging...

I recently decided to try and make Feltmeup a little greener... more environmentally friendly. We already use organically farmed wool from happy sheep so I felt a change in packaging might be required.
I love my little takeout style gift boxes but I import them from the US and then send them all back one at a time... which can't be great for my carbon footprint! I love the boxes but I love the planet more!
New packaging is made from 100% recycled fibres and is totally recyclable! Very nice! But it needed a little extra to make it special... cue custom *stamp* from littlegreyclouds on Etsy and a little shredded pretty coloured tissue paper... there, that's the ticket!

I Now Name This Tweet

Rosehip Wine!
Thanks to Kreativlink for the suggestion of Rosehip... you reminded me of being a child, picking rosehips from the hedgerows to make wine with and they are almost exactly the same colour as this little tweet!


Renata also makes these stunning Journals so why not check out her gorgeous shop over at etsy, I'll be sending you a little pack of goodies soon, thankyou so much for the inspiration
x
Mel

Autumn Creeps In...

A nestful of Autumn tweets

Pumkin Pie Tweet

Things have been a little quiet at the menagerie, lots of making but not a lot of new things going on, and then this week I noticed a slight chill to the air which hails the end of our all too brief British summer.Chestnut Tweet

Pretty soon the leaves will start to turn and we'll be settling into the Autumnal season, long rainy days, windy nights and an extra blanket on the bed. Copper Beech

Autumn is actually my favorite time of year, an excuse to get out all those big jumpers that I packed away at the end of winter, harvest festival, crunchy dried leaves underfoot, the kids all back in school, the tourists all gone home.

Sweetcorn Chowder Tweet

Inspired by the change in the weather I decided to make some Autumn colour tweets and am enjoying naming them all. Am having a little trouble with this last fella tho... any ideas... he's a cutie no doubt but he doesn't want to settle on a name! Sweet potato? maple leaf? He just can't settle... any help would be gratefully received and the person who suggests the best name will get a little goody bag of postcards and magnets as a thankyou!