Stuffed Bunny

{Amelia with Stuffed Bunny, 2009}

{Stuffed Bunny Front, 2009}

{Stuffed Bunny, 2009}

{Stuffed Bunny from Side, 2009}

I made this as a Christmas gift for my cousin's baby. (The same cousin that I made the barrettes for in the previous post... she has 2 girls!). I made a template for a leaping rabbit out of paper and cut out the front and back. I embroidered a few details on the face and sewed the stuffed critter together. I finished it by embellishing it with a ribbon and button. I want to try to make a cute stuffed squirrel next!

Crafty Felt Barrette Gift Set

{Barrette Gift Set, 2009}

{Detail of Barrette, 2009}

One of the gifts I created for Christmas 2009 was a set of barrettes with little felt flowers. I made it for my cousin's two year old daughter, Josephine. Aside from the actual barrettes, I was proud of the packaging I created to go with the gift. These were so fun to make and I plan to make a few more of these in 2010 to add to my Etsy shop. I have a few more handmade gifts to share with all of you in the next few days, so make sure you come back and visit again soon!

Merry Christmas 2009!

{Amelia settled in, 2009}

{Oliver watching Amelia before she had ever been in our home, 2009}

{Oliver watching the feral cats eating as a family, 2009}

While not an official Christmas gift, it is definitely a Christmas blessing to have a new (well... new to our home) addition to our family. My husband and I help to manage a feral colony of cats in our neighborhood. Earlier this fall we trapped several of the cats and brought them to the ARL to be neutered, spayed and checked. The younger kittens were to be adopted out and we "adopted" the adults with the intention of releasing them back to the outdoors to continue to live the way they were accustomed to. During this process we also decided that it would be beneficial for Oliver's active personality to have another cat in our home to play with.

Enter Amelia.

Amelia was born this summer in the foundation of my neighbor's utility garage. She was in a litter of four cats. Two orange and two tabby. The two orange cats looked identical while the two tabby cats had very different distinguishing characteristics. We watched them grow from little hamster sized fur balls into young cats and enjoyed feeding them on our deck so that we could watch them eat as a family. While watching the young cats develop, I started to notice one cat in particular that had markings very similar to Oliver. I assumed the cat was a boy (with absolutely no reasoning behind it) and occasionally Oliver was allowed to go outside and play in our fenced backyard with the young cats and he seemed to enjoy being with his own feline kind. (you know, those tough outdoor kitties). Oliver bonded with the orange cats and the little tabby that looked like him seemed afraid of his presence.

When we brought the cats to the ARL, I told them that we would be interested in adopting one of the young ferals for our home. Due to Oliver's seemingly pleasant interactions with the orange cats, I assumed we would take one one of those home and the tabby would be worked with for the adoption center longer than the others. When we were called back 2 weeks later, I was told that we would be taking home a female cat that was tabby. When I saw which cat it was, I was surprised to learn that she had made incredible progress with humans and seemed to enjoy a good cuddle or scruff on the neck every now and then. We brought her home and let her into the house. She ran and hid, while I did additional research on how to adapt a feral cat to a human home.

I learned a lot in a few hours. As it turns out, Amelia was past the age (at an ancient 5 months) when cats need to be socialized with humans for best results. Usually cats should be tamed within 6 weeks of birth. She also had a few health issues that we had to deal with: Roundworm, tapeworm, fleas and a kitty cold picked up from the facilities she had been at. I decided that even if Amelia was going to be shy, I would try to make sure we could teach her to trust us and love us, even if other humans made her uncomfortable. For the next few days she hid under the bed or couch. As days turned to weeks she would let us hold her for longer and one day even purred! (I read somewhere that you know you have won the heart of a feral cat if it will purr in your arms... success!) After two months of living with us, she now sleeps with us in our bed, plays with us, jumps up to sit with us and just ADORES her adoptive big brother, Oliver.

My husband and I love this cat and do not regret going through some tough months of feeling rejected by her. We were patient, tried not to take it personally and tried to give her space and be understanding of her feelings. While I believe we handled the situation to the best of our abilities, I also think it helps that she had been exposed to humans (us!) all her life, even if it was just to be fed or watched out in the hot Iowa summer. She is a doll and seems to appreciate the modern comforts of our home. She likes sleeping on soft blankets, loves store bought toys (Oliver prefers cardboard and other non traditional toys) and she sleeps by the radiator vent because of the warmth.

We got Amelia in October, but I still consider her to be a Christmas blessing because she came out of her shell so fast and seems to be adjusting at a miraculous rate. I guess its simple, but it is our Christmas miracle.

Merry Christmas to all of my blog readers, I hope you have a truly magical holiday and God Bless!

A Pet Portrait: Scout

{oil on canvas, 2009}

I just finished this little 4"x4" portrait of my parents' Boston Terrier, Scout. He has quite a lot of personality, so it was important that I catch a little gleam of impishness in his eye! I will be giving it to my dad for Christmas, but its really for both of my parents. If you are interested in a mini oil painting pet portrait please e-mail me at candartist@aol.com. 4"x4" pet portraits are $50 and I just need a few pictures of your pet to choose from and a few weeks to get it done and in the mail!

Illustration Friday - Hatch

{Sketchbook, 2009}

{Sketchbook, 2009}

{Sketchbook, 2009}

What a hectic week! I've been desperately trying to finish up all of my handmade Christmas presents which left very little time to work on a suitable Illustration Friday entry this week. The first image is my main concept for this week's theme of "hatch". I would like to find the time to elaborate on my concept later, but I still have a lot of portfolio pieces sitting on my art desk that are begging to be finished! I've also posted a few recent pages from my sketchbook. I should have some photographs of the crafts I've been working on to share pretty soon too!

Christmas Crafts 2009: Handmade Cards

{Handmade Cards, 2009}

{Handmade Cards, 2009}

{Details, 2009}

I finished my Christmas cards and they have been sent off to different parts of the country. It is the only time of year that I get a chance to go through my entire address book and send off a little holiday joy to people I have known throughout my life. I think that is why making a handmade card is so important to me. I don't really send birthday cards and I don't send much for other holidays either, so I want the one thing that I do send each year to be special. I used my embellishments from THIS post and cut strips of matching decorative paper to decorate the hand cut bright white cardstock card. Each year I enjoy coming up with a new design and this year was no exception! I also posted my 2008 cards last year if you want to check those out.

Giant Stacks of Pancakes!

{Watercolor, 2009}

I just finished this illustration for the December issue of "My Light" Magazine. The December issue should be available by mid month. (right around the corner!) I know this is a pretty strange mixture of images... so if you are curious about it, you'll have to go over to "My Light" and read the story when it has been published. I promise, it is a very sweet story! After working on this all afternoon, I suddenly crave some flapjacks!

Christmas Crafts 2009: Pretty Vintage Garland Tutorial

{Paper Crafted Garland, 2009}

Want a tree that is one-of-a-kind? This simple paper and ribbon garland is a great way to add a handmade touch to your holidays! I came up with this idea as a way to avoid using store bought garland and icicles. (which are dangerous to my two curious kitties!) I've decided to go all the way this year and decorate my tree with things I have made by hand. This is my first craft, but I plan to make a star for the top of the tree and some different ornaments too. Look for similar tutorials on my blog as Christmas creeps closer and closer...

To Make this vintage inspired garland you'll need:

• 1" scalloped circle craft punch
• single hole ribbon punch or hole puncher
• Pretty double sided scrap-booking paper or cardstock (I found this inspiring collection!)
• Thin ribbon (I used silver ric-rac that I found in the bargain bin!)
• scissors

Step 1: Decide how long you want your garland to be and cut your ribbon to a little longer than your desired length. A regular sized 12x12 scrapbook paper will do about 85"-90" of garland. Tape each end of the ribbon so that it doesn't fray when you start construction.

Step 2: Use the 1" craft punch to cut out pieces from your double sided scrap-booking paper or cardstock.

Step 3: Take your single hole punch and make a hole on each side of each 1" scalloped circle.

Step 4: Start threading the ribbon through the prepared scalloped circles. Push them to the center of your ribbon of garland. (this is so you can approach it from each side and you don't have to travel the entire length of ribbon.)

Step 5: Continue threading the ribbon through the scalloped circles paying attention to the overlapping pattern. There are several ways you could play with overlapping. I overlapped alternating patterns from my double sided scrap-booking paper making sure that I looped on the back side of each piece. The tighter the circles are overlapped, the easier the garland is to maneuver.

Step 5: Once you have started to accumulate several circles on your garland, the front side should look like the above picture. No ribbons should go across the front side of the circles. The ribbon should look like it is connecting them from the front.Step 6: Flip over your garland and the back side should look like the above photo with the ribbon going through the center of each scalloped circle. Once I got going I developed a rhythm and made two different garlands. I would suggest making multiple garlands no longer than 95 inches. The longer the ribbon gets, the more you have to contend with! :) Plus, when I did two, I played with different patterns and even used up a few of my leftover embellishments from card making! (I'll be posting my Christmas cards pretty soon, too)

{Christmas Tree with Pretty Garland, 2009}

I hope you take some time to try out this craft! It was very relaxing and fun to do. I think you'll agree. Also, I feel that simple handmade touches can make your living space more personal and heartfelt. If you do make one for yourself, send me a picture so I can post it on my blog with your name and website!

Let us build a nest together.

{mixed media, 2009}

This is a graphite drawing with colored pencil, white acrylic ink and stitching. It was inspired by certain birds that mate for life. Nature can be cruel, but it can be so romantic too! I plan to do a female bird drawing too, but for now this little guy's love must go unrequited.

Illustration Friday - Entangled

{Mixed Media, 2009}

{Graphite, 2009}

My submission for Illustration Friday's theme of "entangled" is a mess of octopus tentacles. I've always wondered how Octopus' are so serene and graceful with eight legs. I have a hard enough time with two! I drew the entangled tentacles in my Moleskine watercolor sketchbook and then used a mixture of watercolor, ink and acrylic to finish it off. Oh, how I love the sea!