Day #22: Sharing the Love (& another give-away!)

Some of you may remember that I discovered Yarn Bombing this past summer.  I love anything that involves spreading goodness anonymously - so it must be why May Day was always one of my favorite holidays growing up.  (Does anyone do May Day?)

Well, my mother-in-law, secretly known as the "yarn doodler," is one creative, inspiring woman - that is for sure.  On her last visit she...er...um...I mean...the "yarn doodler"...dropped a yarn bomb at our neighborhood park at Kestan's request.  After I left a felted flower at our local farmer's market, Kestan started making his own knitting creations (balls of tangled yarn) to be secretly dropped in locations of his choosing.  So he was more than ecstatic to share this experience with his cool grandma.

With hammer in hand, together they discovered a new happy home for this felted flower - in perfect view from the swings and slides so Kestan could see it each time he visited the park. (Unfortunately it was gone after a few weeks, but that is the exciting nature of "yarn bombing" - you just never know where it will travel to next.)

So today I'm thanking the "yarn doodler" (due to her sleuth yarn bombing international skills - her name must remain anonymous.)  YOU...knitting-felting-painting-dancing-full-of-joy-and-love-beautiful-woman...are such a source of happy light in our lives.  Thank you for all you do for us and thank you for being YOU!

And as a thank you to one of YOU, the "yarn doodler" herself is giving away a hand-made flower like this one - ready to be dropped anonymously at a location near you.

For your chance to win, simply leave a comment here and I'll announce the yarn bomb winner this weekend.  And you can still enter to win yesterdays give-away HERE.

Make sure to visit the Yarn Doodler on Facebook and Do Dads For You to see more of her fabulous creative crafts.

Your Personal Reflection:  Have you ever dropped an anonymous gift to someone before?  How about giving it a try this week?

Great Gift Ideas: Playing with Felt

My mother-in-law was visiting this past weekend and she gave me an early birthday present.  This beautiful felted flower pin now has a permanent home on my winter coat. Isn't it lovely? (Check out her other fabulous creations here.)

She created this flower out of an old cashmere sweater - recycling at its best!

And it just so happens I ruined one of my favorite wool sweaters last week in our new washer - which offered a perfect opportunity to continue my One Small Change efforts and make art using materials I already have.

Here's what you need to make your own 

Recycled Sweater Felted Flower Pin:

*wool or cashmere sweaters (try thrift stores)

*fabric scissors

*needle and thread

*pin to sew on back

First, wash your wool sweaters on hot cycle in your washing machine.  Choose a higher agitation cycle if possible and add a small amount of detergent.  If you are only washing a few sweaters you might want to add some towels or an old pair of jeans to help balance the load.  The heat mixed with the agitation will shrink the fibers causing them to felt together.  

Cut the sleeves off and use them for this project.  Reserve the remainder of the sweater for other projects.  (Here are a few other ideas.)

Make a pattern using fabric or paper.  You'll draw three or four separate peanut shapes, each one a little smaller than the next.  In this flower, the largest "peanut" is roughly 3 1/2 by 6 1/2 inches.  No need to have exact measurements, just determine how big you want your flower and go from there.

Cut three or four peanut shapes for the petals.  I used three.

Stack one on top of the other, starting with the largest one first.

Gather from behind and stitch all of the petals together.  Feel free to fold and curve the petals until you get the look you like.  Stitch together using a needle and thread.

Cut out a smaller peanut size, and then cut it in half length-wise.  

Starting at one end, roll the piece to create the center of the flower.  Stitch it together, then stitch it to the flower.

Cut out three leaf shapes from another color and stitch them to the back of the flower.

Add the pin and attach to your favorite coat, sweater, purse, scarf or hat!

These flowers will make great simple holiday gifts this year and offer you a fabulous way to recycle, while bringing new life to something old and presumably "ruined!"

For more fun with felt, check out my newest piece in the winter edition of Rhythm of the Home and learn how to make felted snow people.

Your Personal Reflection:  In what ways can you simplify your gift giving this year?

Felt Inspired

Several weeks ago I sent a felted necklace to a beautiful woman, and new friend, who lives in The Netherlands.  I think my necklace was sent to Neverland instead, because she never received it. I felt sad about it for a few days, but then decided that maybe someone else is enjoying that necklace somewhere, and I was grateful that I had all the wool and beads to recreate a new one. 

It felt so good to get my hands on some fiber again.  Ever since launching my e-course in January, I haven't touched any wool or yarn, and doing so brings me great joy.  I love the texture.  I love the smell.  I love the comfort I feel when my hands are in the wool.  I've been feeling in need of some restore time, and I find felting to be such a peaceful activity.

After making the beads for the new necklace, I pulled out an old project that I never finished.  It's a flower landscape, and considering I'm still craving spring, I thought it would be the perfect project to brighten my mood.

Not sure if I'll ever really feel finished with this piece.  I kind of like the organic, alive quality it has as I continue to add and change things to it every so often.  It feels like the garden is growing over time.

Regardless, gifting myself with time to do something that I love, helped me feel more creatively inspired, energized, and reminded me of the healing qualities that come from making art.

And since I know so many of you are also itching for spring, I thought I'd leave you with a bouquet of colorful flowers.  If I can't see the flowers blooming in my yard, I might as well make some that last year round.

Your Personal Reflection: What creative activity helps restore and energize you?

I Heart to Felt

Thank You November

In appreciation for an amazing gift that Leah has provided through her Art Every Day Month experience, I would like to share a gift with you!

As we welcome winter - the month of retreat, reflection and solitude - and with the new year just around the corner, I'd like you to think about this one question:

Your Personal Reflection: What would you like to bring into your life this new year?

Leave a comment for your chance to win one of my free spirit funky felts. I will draw a name on December 1st.

There's Some Knitting & Felting Goin' On

Today - Sunny. 66 degrees. No plans. Loving life.

As I continue making art every day for the month of November, I've had the bug to play with some fiber. Here are a few of my recent projects.

Funky, fuzzy, knitted scarf:

And felted wool rings. I'm excited to make more of these!

Your Personal Reflection: What are you creating today?

Too Cute Cap

Here's my latest knitted hat. I played around with the stitches and tried something new, which resulted in this really fun ridge effect. The hat is bumpy, lumpy, colorful and is the perfect size for a sweet little toddler. (fits 18-24 months)

Check here to see it on my Free Spirit Knits Etsy store.

Quite stylish on a pumpkin, too, would you say?

Your Personal Reflection: When have you tried something new and were happy with the results?

Lolly Pop

Thanks to all of you who shared your name ideas for my funky pink and green felted scarf. Maddie is the winner with the name, "Lolly Pop!" Lolly Pop is looking for a good home. Check her out on my new Etsy shop.

Maddie...be on the lookout for a little felted treat in the mail.

It's All in a Name

Here's my most recent scarf. I originally started it with Lissa Rankin in mind. She's the creator of this cool company called, "Owning Pink". She offers great inspiration for women (and men) on living their fullest lives. After felting this crazy wool wrap, I remembered that Lissa lives in California, so she probably doesn't have much use for something so warm and woolly! So I've started a new pink scarf for her that's a little lighter and more cali-friendly.


This thing is warm, really warm, and ooooooh so super yummy and fun to wear. And it needs a really great name. Any ideas? Leave a comment, with your name idea, for a chance to win one of my crazy felts!

Your personal reflection: What kind of creative fun will you have today?

Fiber Speaks

Simply put, my yarn cubby has been whispering to me lately. "Hey....pssst....play with me. Make some scarves. Psssst....seriously....get to makin' some scarves. Yo....what are you waiting for? Make some scarves, already."

So today, I stopped ignoring those voices and pulled out a yummy, light yellow, baby alpaca yarn, and found an old felted flower that has inspired an idea for a new scarf.
I've been working on the computer so much more these days as I'm developing my Creative Adventure e-course, so getting my hands on some fiber has been long overdue and it feels amazing.

Your Personal Reflection: Is there a particular project that has been inside your head or heart for a while now? Are you ready to get your hands on it?

To Inspire

Free Spirit Knits has been nominated for the "Shine A Light" contest as an inspiring small business. I need your help! By the end of today I need to have at least 50 votes to be considered by the judges. Could you please take a few moments and cast your endorsement? Click HERE.
(You must register on the site first, then follow links to ENDORSE Free Spirit Knits.)

As I continue practicing dreaming BIG and believing in myself, I am excited at the possibilities that manifest and unfold. Being included in a mix of such amazingly compassionate organizations is a great honor. And winning such an award would be a welcome gift to help expand my business ideas on a bigger, bolder scale to so many more people.

This contest has offered me a great opportunity for self-reflection. I've had to ask myself, "What do I want Free Spirit Knits to represent?" "Where do I want it to go?" "How do I want it to grow?"

So I wanted to share with you why I started "Free Spirit Knits" and what it means to me to "inspire".

About 8 years ago a friend asked if I wanted to learn how to knit. My first reaction was, "Why? Sounds boring." (How limiting!) But I gave in and was hooked ever since. When I learn something new I want to share that enthusiasm with others. So naturally, the more my knitting obsession took hold, the more I wanted to bring others with me! And that's when I really started to see that even something like learning to knit, can bring out the destructive behaviors - fear, self-doubt, negativity - those nasty things that keep us from being our true selves.

Many women I met had the desire to learn something new, but had such a fear of breaking out of the box. If they made a mistake, they wanted to tear out the project, or made an excuse or decided to give up. I want to inspire knitters and non-knitters that being creative is something we ALL can do. It's something we MUST do. So the idea of Free Spirit Knits started as a place to show others how playing with yarn, and trying new things, and doing something that you love, can be a meditative, spiritual, creative experience. I started my first program "Knitting & Giving" because I saw women's joy that came from feeling creative, discovering new things about themselves and how much they loved giving back to those in need. Click HERE to learn more about this collaborative knitting circle.

Free Spirit Knits has grown way beyond knitting. I now see it as a place that "knits/links/joins/unites/connects" us to mindful awareness, self-discovery and inspiration to live a life of vibrant authenticity.

To be free, to live free, to FEEL free, is a gift we all can enjoy. My goal with Free Spirit Knits is to provide you (and myself) with opportunities to grow. Opportunities to expand. Opportunities to think a new thought. Try a new thing. And ultimately, to see what you already know. That your wisdom, your beauty, your strength, your peace, and your creative potential live within you ALL the time. You CAN live a happier life, everyday, doing the things that bring you bliss.

Through inspiring art, yoga, life coaching, connecting and my soon-to-be E-Course ("Inside Out: A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery), I see what Free Spirit Knits is today, I see where and how I'd like it to grow, and I am OPEN to the endless possibilities that the future holds.

Your Personal Reflection: How can you be a source of inspiration to others?