DIY Cute Pumpkins for Halloween

We will felt a few cute pumpkins for Halloween. Our pumpkins could be great gifts for friends and family. They will look wonderful in your living room or your kitchen as signs of beautiful Autumn and approaching Halloween.



We will need some orange felting wool, a glass of water and a piece of soap, black thread and a needle. We will felt our pumpkins with water and soap so it makes sense to do it on surfaces that don't get damaged by water. A kitchen table should be a good place once it's covered with a water resistant tablecloth. You won't need too much space. The amount of water you will use is minimal.



Take a piece of orange wool and form a ball in your hands. Water your wool and add some soap to it. Now gently squeeze the piece of wool a few times. Start rolling it between your palms. Keep rolling for 5 to 10 minutes adding water and soap if needed.



Once your ball has become somewhat firm and solid rinse it well and let it dry. The goal is to make the ball not too firm so that you will be able to get a needle through it once it's dry.



Once your orange ball is dry it's time to turn it into a pumpkin. Take a black thread and a needle. Start in the middle of the orange ball adding loops around it. Six loops should be OK. At the end it makes sense to add an extra loop to serve as a hanging thread.



It's an easy DIY project that produces a great result. You will have bright and cute pumpkins made of natural materials. They could serve as small Halloween gifts for your friends.

Crocheted dolls and toys by FancyKnittles

I've recently came across amazing and super cute crocheted dolls and toys by FancyKnittles. Each doll looks different and unique with every detail thought out and nicely crafted. I had a chance to talk to the artist behind FancyKnittles whose name is Irina.



Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

I was born and raised in Perm, Russia. I'm a professional architect and a very creative person by nature. A few years ago we moved to Sauthend on Sea in Great Britain. I started crocheting when my son was about two years old. He is 16 now.



Visiting one of the local Perm art shows many years ago I got fascinated by all the beautiful art pieces created by local artists. That was like a awakening for me. I realized I had an urge to start making my very own art. Crocheting looked like a relatively easy skill to learn. I figured out that I could keep crocheting and taking care of my little son at the same time. All one needs is a hook and a thread. Crocheting offers a relative flexibility as one can crochet and still play, draw or be on a playground with a child. Besides I was always much into dolls. Thus, my first crocheted dolls were born.



My first dolls were rather dull and plain I should admit. But within time I learned the skill and before I knew it people started buying my tiny crocheted creatures. I have a son and he never expressed much interest in my crocheted dolls which was probably a good thing. I could concentrate on making dolls for my customers and, thus, earn some money. Life in Russia back then was rather tough. I remember making whole "Doll houses" full of different doll personalities, furniture, etc. Once I started working I had less and less time to devote to crocheting and eventually I took a break from making my crocheted dolls. My break lasted for about 10 years.



These days I'm crocheting again. My dolls are somewhat similar to ones I used to crochet and yet a bit different. Everything changes! I'm continuing to be a mom of a big big family of crocheted creatures and all my "babies" have the same last name - FancyKnittles.

I wish I could tell you how I come up with a new design for a new doll. Honestly I don't know. I get inspired by a lot of things I see around me or events that occur in my life. All visual and sensual information turns into a new creation that has its own character, looks unique and different.

Colorful hand made bird brooches by Moloco

From time to time I come across amazing artists who make unique and special hand made items. This time bright and colorful birds of different shapes and sizes caught my eye. They are so happy and positive that it's impossible to ignore them. Colorful birdies turned out to be felted brooches created by a talented artist Marina of Moloco.



Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Marina and I'm from Kiev, Ukraine. I work as an architect and designer but my true passion is hand making. I sew and stitch in my spare time creating different accessories out of natural fibers. To decorate I add embroidery of my own design.



I've been creating my little birds for some time now and have accumulated many birds of different designs and colors. At some point I've decided I have to share all my little birdies with the world and opened my own on-line shop. My birds are for people who love and appreciate unique handmade things just as I appreciate handmade creations by so many talented artists around me.



Many items that surround us in our everyday life inspire me. I find my inspiration in architecture, landscapes, beautiful interiors and traditional embroidery.
My favorite fibers are felt, wood and cotton. Natural fibers are the best to work with. They are so pleasant to touch and beautiful to look at!

Crochet and plush toys by RomeoShop

I came across bright and cute toys by RomeoShop looking for a gift. They look very cheerful and radiate a lot of positive energy. That's exactly what we are look for in toys. We all want toys to be fun, to make our children happy. Helen who makes these amazing toys and is originally from Ukraine talked to me about her own childhood and the art of toy making.



Helen: I love toys! I don't remember if I ever played with toys but I remember very well as I actually made them with my own hands. My mom had a sewing machine that I mastered by 8. For inspiration I used patterns from a magazine Burda that was available in Ukraine back then. If for some reason I couldn't use my mom's sewing machine I would crochet my toys using a simple thread and a hook. My mom still owns a few of my first handmade toys.



At some point of my life I abandoned toy making and led a life of an ordinary person. I had my full time job and all the corresponding routines. But when I gave birth to my son Romeo something has changed. I'm making toys again and that's how it should be!



My main inspiration is my son Romeo. We explore outside world together looking at butterflies, chasing cats, reading beautifully illustrated books, watching cartoons. It all helps me to come up with new ideas. Inspired I draw a picture first and then transform my picture into a toy. If for some reason I cannot sew my toy I crochet it.

I've got a lot of plans for the future. I'm a realist and perfectly understand that probably not all of my ideas will turn into real toys. I sometimes regret that I don't make enough toys for boys. That's why I plan to make a set of bugs boys could play with. When we think about bugs we have a picture of something not very attractive. My goal is to make my bugs cute and funny. I plan on making a toy chain saw and a drill.



I love bright colors and simple forms. All my toys are funny, happy and cute. Children are exactly the same. That's why children really like my toys!

Art dolls by MioPupazzo

Art dolls are one of a kind objects that bring back memories of our childhood. Art dolls made by MioPupazzo are tiny fairy creatures that belong to our favorite fairy tales books. I was curious to know more about MioPupazzo and her beautiful art.



Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?
I was born and raised in a loving family in one of the most beautiful cities in the world - St. Petersburg, Russia. The city is famous for its tsars' palaces turned into world class museums and parks.

From an early age I often visited such places as the Hermitage museum or Peterhof known for their architecture and beauty. Almost every weekend my mom took me to a museum. My favorite one was a museum of decorative and applied arts.

As beautiful as St. Petersburg is, its climate is not that welcoming. In 2003 I moved to warm and sunny Israel on the Mediterranean coast, where there is no snow at all. My new country and a different climate somehow changed me. I became a much more open and outgoing person. In Israel I met a lot of wonderful people and found something I fell in love with - making art dolls.



How did you start?
I graduated from St. Petersburg (Russia) Technical University with a major in material science and engineering. After graduation I worked in a patent office and that's where I met an amazing and very creative person. This lady taught classes on papier-mâché and had her shows at different art galleries. Inspired my her I made a few toys and participated in a Christmas show in 2000 in St-Petersburg. That was how my interest in dolls and handmade craft got to a totally different level.

When I just started creating dolls I experimented a lot. I tried every possible doll-making material. These days I mostly work with paper clay. In the beginning I made all kinds of traditional clothes for my dolls. Later my love for patchwork and dolls merged and I evolved my own signature style of tiny crazy quilting dolls dresses. I love the fact that my work is so tiny. Typically, fabric art works are done on a large scale - big wall panel or a quilt. I create the same layered textured effect but in tiny dolls' dresses and soft sculptures.



What are you working on know and what are your plans for the future?
I've been working with an American publisher C&T Publishing for two years. Together we have created a wonderful book “Enchanting Art Dolls & Soft Sculptures”, which will be published this summer. It's actually already available for pre-order on Amazon. In my book I talk about the technique of embroidery “crazy quilting” and the creation of dolls. There are 8 unique projects including a beautiful mermaid, a fantasy fish, an elegant princess, and a sweet teddy bear with step by step photos.

Last year I switched to the creation of small brooches-dolls. They are very cute! Dolls could be used as brooches or decorations for a purse. One can turn my brooches into an ornament or a home decor item.

I've recently came up with an idea of creating crazy quilted letters. Letters are very unusual and elegant. I'm not sure I’ll be able to recreate all alphabet letters though. I've already made “L” ,“O”, “V” ,and “E”.



What inspires you?
I love collecting old photos, especially those with small children and their toys. Girls in aprons with their beautifully dressed dolls or boys on rocking horses offer a lot of ideas for my art dolls. Also I have a huge collection of small decorative keys that inspires me in my creative process.

Holiday house decoration ideas

Holidays are approaching and we all are about to start decorating our houses. There are millions of ways to do it and tones of ideas how to make our homes cozy and beautiful. Here is one of the house decoration ideas for you to consider.

I've been felting for a while now. Let me tell you that it's quite easy to create felted wool balls. It's a matter of rolling felting wool between your palms occasionally wetting it and adding some soap. When squeezed these felted balls take shapes of ovals and fit perfectly into acorn heads. The result looks super cute. These felted wool acorns will last forever unlike real acorns! They could be of different colors and sizes. One can hang it on a Christmas tree, next to a computer, on a book shelf or just put them next to his or her bed.
A good idea is to decorate a holiday table with bowls of felted wool acorns as a tribute to all natural and eco-friendly. For a romantic dinner one can always hang acorns on a beautiful tree branch in a vase, lit a few candles and voila you've got a perfect date!

There are so many ways how wool felted acorns could decorate your house! Just use your imagination and you will add uniqueness and style to your sweet home!