PHOTO GALLERY

FIBER ARTS

I absolutely love creating with wool. There’s something wonderful about taking soft, loose fibers and slowly shaping them into a little character with its own personality.

Needle felting is the art of sculpting wool fibers using a special barbed needle. By repeatedly poking the wool with the needle, the fibers become tangled and compacted together. Little by little, the wool can be shaped, layered, and detailed to create almost anything you can imagine. Different colors of wool can be added for clothing, faces, eyes, hair, and all those tiny details that give each piece its character.

I especially enjoy creating whimsical characters that make people smile. Sometimes I start with an idea, and other times the personality seems to develop as I work. That's part of the fun—watching a handful of wool slowly come to life.

Here are some of my needle-felted creations from over the years. As I continue going through my photographs, I’m sure I’ll find more to add!

Rise of the Guardians
I made these elves when the Rise of the Guardians came out in 2012. 

COW and CHICKEN

My artist interpretation of the Cartoon Network animated series!

BEADED JEWELRY

I did a lot of beading while I was recovering from my back surgeries. Recovery meant spending a great deal of time sitting and taking things easy, and I needed something creative to keep my hands and mind busy.

Beading became a wonderful outlet for me. I worked with tiny seed beads, pearls, crystals, and other beads, learning different patterns and bead-weaving techniques along the way. I loved watching a design slowly take shape, one tiny bead at a time.

Some pieces were delicate and elegant, while others were colorful and fun, like my American flag bracelet. Looking back at them now, they remind me of a time when creating wasn't just something I enjoyed—it was also a way for me to stay occupied and continue doing something I loved while my body was healing.

Here are a few of the beaded pieces I created during that time.

PAINTING ON FEATHERS

Hand-painted on Turkey Feather!

CLOTHESPIN DOLLS

                Marilyn Monroe

Wizard of OZ 

CERAMICS 

I’ve always enjoyed painting ceramics. One of my favorite parts is seeing how the colors transform during firing—I’m still amazed by how beautifully they come to life when they come out of the kiln.

Back in the 1990s, when I was making porcelain dolls, I had my own kiln and did all of my own firing. I eventually sold it when I no longer had the space or the time, as I was busy raising my children.

A few years ago, I bought another kiln and once again found myself enjoying the creative process of painting and firing ceramics. Unfortunately, space became an issue again, and eventually I sold that kiln too. But my love for ceramic painting has stayed with me.

Here are a few of the pieces I’ve painted over the years. I’ll be adding more as I make my way through my collection of photos and rediscover some of my earlier work.

Before fired in the kiln, and after! 

Cupcake Confections! Pincushions!

A whimsical twist to a pincushion! Look Delicious! Non Fattening! No Calories! A Sweet Treat --- But please do not eat! Each one is one-of-a-kind! A perfect sewing companion for the quilter or crafter. A perfect gift for Mom, Grandma, or anyone that sews! Even if you don't sew, it's adorable to have on display! Each pincushion is hand-sewn using acrylic felt. Some cupcakes are in a 2oz melamine red fluted cup and some are single cupcakes in a felt cupcake liner! Each one includes a ®Singer sewing needle, assorted color 37mm length ball head straight pins (sprinkles), ®Darice crystal aurora borealis 76mm length hand made pin decorations, and may also contain one or more embellishments such as buttons, ribbons, ric rac, bows, flowers, sequins, hand embroidery, etc... They also come wrapped in a celophane gift bag for gift giving.

Special Needs Baby

This reborn doll was created to represent a baby with Down syndrome. She was very warmly received, and I was especially touched by the many mothers who applauded my decision to create a doll that looked like their own child. Their response made this doll particularly meaningful to me.

Sweet Baby Pearl

I just found these photos on a 8mm Compact Flash card from my old Nikon digital camera! What a pleasant surprise! It is a "reborn" baby doll that i made in 2004 named after my mother, Pearl.  This was one of my favorite reborn babies!