Felted Wool

The thing I love most about felting is the uncertainty. I hand knit wool pieces that start out obnoxiously large and then I shrink them. Each one taking on a unique shape and style. To me wool yarn has a mind of its own when felted. It takes on a personality. When I make my bowls and wine bottle cozies I never quite know exactly how I will end up using them or what I will try to sell them for until after the felting process is complete. What starts out as a wine cozy may shrink down to a point that its personality is more suited as a bowl to hold candies or paper clips. Or maybe it would look great with a plant placed inside or to hold a little girls precious hair clips.

In addition to the personality of the wool, I love to add various textures to incorporate more depth to my items. The colors and combination possibilities are never ending and no two are ever alike! The many eyelash yarns that are available add some fun and silly to the finished piece and make me smile! They become a conversation piece - a feeling of "I want this, this is really fun... what could I use this for?"

Incredible Etsy Artist Series

When I spend time surfing through "Etsyland" as I like to call it, I am always amazed at the many, many talented artists. I had hoped to do a weekly "feature artist" but my time is not always my own (or the computer for that matter!) and thus I have scrapped that idea. I do hope, though, to feature someone amazing as often as is possible with my schedule. This first artist I will feature is a soap artist ~ sculpting absolutely beautiful and stunning pieces using soap. I have never seen anything like it, and I am truly captivated.

Diana is a stay at home mother of 2 who has been crafting since she was a child. She began crafting with soap approximately 2 years ago, designing and creating very unique soap favors for weddings, showers, etc. Her very first soap creation was the Calla Lily soap favor and says that the callas are her absolute favorite! Diana says she is amazed at how far soap can go. "This is only the beginning for me. Many more soap creations are on their way! I absolutely love what I do and am thrilled by the opportunity to help make special events so very memorable." says Diana.

I, for one, can't wait to see what new soap sculptures Diana will create. It is quite obvious that Diana takes a great deal of time in detail and has great pride in her work. Thank you, Diana, for sharing such an amazing talent with us!

Be sure to check out Diana's shop at:
http://www.enchantingsoapfavors.etsy.com/