Felted brooch in robin egg blue

I hand felted this flower brooch in a shade of robin egg blue, sky, green and white. Those are perfect winter colors that will cheer us up during monochrome days of winter.
For me blue is a color of magic and fairy tales. It is airy and light and has some mystery to it. Blue will go well with pretty much any dress and outfit. It's such an appreciative color!

Felted flower web brooch in white red gray

With all the holidays approaching we will need a lot of accessories to spice up our outfits. The same nice top could be worn to a few occasions and yet it will look different every time. Just add a new brooch or pin every time you go out! It's amazing how much even a small brooch can do to a dress.

Brooches are fun as they are easy to wear and usually not expensive. Made from felt they are durable as well. One can pile them up in one's store room and they won't take much space. Yet brooches add so much style and color to our outfits. I have a whole bunch of them in different colors and shapes. It's nice just to look at them. All those colors and shapes make me feel happy somehow!

Warm and cozy hand knitted items from Socksandmittens

Winter is approaching and we are all looking for soft and cozy knitted items to keep us warm during this cold and harsh season. I recently came across a wonderful shop on Etsy called Socksandmittens that offers accessories for men and women: wool gloves, socks, wrist warmers, hats, etc. Every piece is hand knitted and unique.
It's a mother daughter team that is constantly working on improving its designs!

Q: How did you start knitting?
Many many years ago a young girl named Valentyna saw a knitted garment on a girl in a street of a small town in Ukraine. She got so interested in how to make one that started knitting herself. Since that day Valentyna continues improving her knitting skills. She cannot let go of her favorite needles and yarns. Valentyna is my mother and I remember her knitting my whole life. She is never alone and never bored because we run our Etsy shop together and she is very passionate about her favorite thing, knitting!

My mom has been knitting for me all my life. Later she started knitting for my son and now, when she is retired, she finally can do this full time. That's how we came up with an idea of an on-line store. We opened our online shop on Etsy in 2009. It's been a success so far!

Her knitted garments are amazing. My mom's inspiration comes from nature with its bright colors. She creates items thinking about people's real needs and preferences. When we create a new design we are always trying to picture a person who will wear it. Is he or she spending most of their time at the office, by a computer desk? Does he or she love outdoors? Is he or she a hunter, a fisherman or stay at home Mom? There are so many different ideas! We make our best to turn all these ideas into beautiful, warm and cozy hand knitted items.

Q: What yarns does your mom use in her knitting?
She loves to work with wool but we are also thinking of people who might be allergic to it, so we are making some of our items from vegan and other natural yarns. I have to say, these other yarns have improved so much in recent years! They are soft and come in a huge assortment of colors and are really easy to take care of!

If you would like to see my mother work please visit our shop on Etsy or follow my blog to receive updates.
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Red Berry hand felted brooch

Brooches are excellent for adding color and style for one's outfits. A bright brooch can completely change the way a dress or a suit looks. Red, raspberry and cranberry colors and hues work especially well with pretty much any attire. Even the outdoor clothing can be decorated with a pin. Just think about a brown or charcoal grey coat with a bright red pin attached to it. It will look so much better!

I always wear all my brooches and that's much fun as people always pay attention and take a notice. With a unique and beautiful brooch one will always stand out from the crowd.

Hand felted wool flower brooches

I discovered a few really cute buttons in a store and bought them without any particular purpose. They were so lovely that I just desperately wanted to attach them somewhere. Finally I found a place that fits them perfectly. Hand felted flower brooches with multiple layers of felt in different colors look nice with a large vivid spot in the middle. That's where my buttons belong from now on.
The key is to match the color of a button with a color of the felt flower. It's hard to find nice looking buttons but relativery easy to buy wool of diffferent colors and types. So here is the rule: Start with the button!

Felt wool white frosted berry brooch

It's Christmas season and we will eventually get some snow here in Virginia. Coming from Russia I personally love snow. There are so many things one can actually do in winter. And don't forget about beautiful winter forests! Trees are covered with snow, one can see frosted berries here and there, animal traces. It always feels like a fairy tale in a winter forest.
White felted beads are plush, durable and beautiful. They are easy to work with and there is this natural feel about them. Felted beads are made from wool using eco-friendly techniques and, thus, are ideal for eco-conscious and nature-loving individuals.

Chocolate raspberry felted brooches as Christmas gifts

For me Christmas season colors are white color of snow, red color of holly berries, green color of pine trees and brown color of trees' branches. The combination of brown and white is especially typical for winter. It's always nice to add red and green to make it more colorful! Bright cranberries and holly berries are what we need. Perfectly shaped and small they look fantastic on white snow.
Christmas holidays are approaching and we all start thinking about gifts for our loved ones. I hand felted a few bright red beads and attached them to pieces of wire covered with chocolate brown wool. My creation turned into a brightly colored brooch. Pins and brooches are great gifts as they could be used not only to add color to an outfit but as home decoration and ornament as well. Such a brooch could be hanged either in a kitchen or living room or even an office cubicle. So much for a Christmas gift idea!