Hands On : Handpainted Silk Scarf

 That's me at the Art barn in Douglas Michigan.  Handpainting silk with vibrant dyes.  Creating colorful flowers.

 Here is the finished product.  the greens didn't show as well in the photos, I am happy with the vibrancy in person!
                                                      

Weekend Finds!

Loving the " folk art " found at the Roadside Marked Sturgeon Bay

A Huge Edison Mazda Filiment bulb with original packaging

Pretty as a Peacock

Greetings from postcards

The flowers left from the weekend sale, the basket from Apron Strings with Mom and me!

Back to our Creative Roots!

Feeling like I had been missing my creative roots...especially this Holiday Season...
 My Daughters and I decided to create"One of a kind" projects!
Among them... this pretty, colorful scarf!

Laying down the fibers.  Approx. 25 strands of beautiful and colorful... Noro, 100% wool.
 this is old stock from about 2001

Years ago...
I had chosen my Etsy shop name to be

Opendoorstudio.etsy.com...

It would be a place for all things handmade, 

one of a kind items...

but instead,

It turned into my Vintage shop!

It was supposed to have been...

A place where I would sell my one of a kind paintings, Photographs and handmade items
 including my Scarves!

Fast forward 4 years... 

My Daughter Aubrey approached me to help her create a scarf

I was delighted she asked me

 and

It was wonderful to have had the chance to share my knowledge!

Together...

 We enjoyed making this felted scarf! 

This time... as a gift for a boyfriend's Mom 

for

 Christmas!

Here is the process:

selecting roving for the flowers

 It had been 8 years since I had pulled out the  fibers and I was so happy she was willing to learn.

I had the roving on hand so it was fun to choose from these bright colors
 to
 Create our signature COLORFUL florals!

some alpaca locks that were hand selected in Estes Park Colorado!

laying out the floral design

details of a woolen floral

adding colorful fibers!

A  little "glitz' for the flowers... note the  center... sequins on cotton thread.

the design is complete

The felting process beging... layers of  cotton towels, bubble wrap then voile, followed by the fibres and more voile...  add  some suds and  water to begin the felting process.

continue the felting process.  " roughing up" the fibers ... and continuing until your piece is " ONE"

close up's of the finished product!

Insulator fun continued ...start reading from the bottom for even more fun! or read your computer upside down.

                                                                                  Enjoy!________________________Step 4.  Finished product...this time it has been converted into a pretty vase...you can                   adorn your garden with pretty pops of color where they may not usually grow.

               (root some plants in it while you are at it!)
step 3.  Hang from the cup hook and place a tea light inside...light and enjoy.  Be sure                  you do not light it if it is too close to dry dead wood.  This idea is meant to use                    with tealights only.  I don't recommend anything larger.

   
step 2.  I wired around the bottom with some very heavy but workable wire.

               I made the piece long enough that you could use the" tail" to bend into a loop to                hang on the cup hook that I screwed into the tree.

step 1....last year I placed several larger insulators in my garden...I had just pushed them down partially into the dirt.  They were wonderfully glowing.  This year, I wanted to improve on my insulator idea...and this one is a fresh idea for you to try!