the spareGus

NH Wool Arts Tour

2009-10-14T12:37:00.004-04:00

The NH Wool Arts Tour was this past weekend. I inadvertently discovered it on craigslist and found some time on Sunday to go to a couple of stops. It was a beautiful day, and I really wish we could have gone to all the stops, but finances would not permit...plus, I know I would have ended up with much more roving than I could handle...maybe even a sheep or something!
Anyway, we traveled first to stop #2, Chauncey Farm in Antrim, NH. It was so quaint. They had pumpkins out front and cute dog named Maggie who loved her tummy rubbed.
At this stop I found Brimstone Hollow Farm from Hancock, NH. They had so much to choose from and all of it lovely!
My two purchases:

"Zachariah" and "Ellie"
These two rovings are both much browner in person, the light through my window is a tad harsh today. The colors of Zachariah are subtle and earthy, I loved it on sight. Ellie is an amazingly soft Romney/Border Leicester.

A closeup of Zachariah that's a little closer to actual color.

I had to make myself leave or I probably would have ended up with even more from this couple. Deborah and Les Weymouth are the owners and they were both awesome to talk to.

Next stop we went to for the food, honestly! My husband Andy loves Italian Sausage, so we headed to stop 5, Mirage Alpacas in Washington, NH.
This farm was great. We got to see the alpacas out grazing and many sheep in the barn.
Andy had his food and I bought more roving, this time from Collards of Painted Shadow Farm. This is a mother/daughter team out of Marlow, NH. They had so much to choose from, I felt overwhelmed. Here's what I ended up with:

One ounce of natural wool, one ounce of merino, mohair and alpaca, and 4 ounces of hand dyed wool. These two were super helpful in explaining the dying process to me and just all around cheerful, despite the barn being frigid.

After these two stops we decided to call it a day, or, at least our wallet did. I would have loved to have had the time to go see everyone's work, so we are planning on next year!

If you're interested, check out the website for this year: http://www.woolartstournh.com/

Featured on Geek Crafts!

2009-09-30T09:06:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited to hear that my latest cross stitch project that I posted on craftster was noticed by Shayne from Geek Crafts and is being featured today!

Here's my work:

Go check out Geek Crafts if you can at http://geekcrafts.com/ and leave a comment!

New Tool!

2009-09-22T13:11:00.002-04:00

As I happen to be obsessed with new tools and techniques, I picked up a woodburning tool at the craft store last week and here's my projects so far:

I had some pre-cut wooden pieces to work with...I can't remember what I originally purchased them for but they work pretty good for wood burning, if a little difficult due to the grain. This one's just a little bird and I like the way that the coloring of the wood works with the image. The disc is about 2" diameter.

A little lamb.

Two birds

Two images on a wooden plank. Currently trying to figure out the best way to cut them out. This likely would have been better thought out if I cut the pieces first, then burned, but forethought wasn't really there. Ideas?

My work setup. Nothing fancy, but it does the job.

A finished piece using one of my burned pictures. I was a little messy on the poly, so I've got to clean that up, but right now I love it!

blog feature

2009-03-10T17:22:00.002-04:00

My artwork is being featured on the Etsy Fine Art Gallery Blog this week, check it out:
http://etsyartgallery.blogspot.com/

I am so excited and honored to shown there!

Fun Linoleum Printing

2009-01-27T12:24:00.002-05:00

I have been on a linoleum block printing kick. It's such a quick and easy way to make art prints, and has helped me be patient in waiting to have my printing press set up. Cutting them out is therapeutic and somewhat meditative for me, too.
Here's what I've been working on:

Using watercolor for tinting works so well with these, too. I will most definitely be making more!

more pretties

2009-01-09T18:12:00.002-05:00

Lately I've had another little obsession...making these little brooches. I am totally enjoying their small-ness and making up little stories about them...I might need to get out of the house more.

Etsy Front Page!

2009-01-07T13:30:00.004-05:00

Ok, so this was old news even when I found out about it...but it turns out I made it to the front page of Etsy! It was on December 24th, I don't know what time, though. I found out through Google Alerts, which has proven to be a very useful tool for me.
Here is a screenshot:

My painting is the second from the bottom on the right.

wheeeeeeee!

Felt Cupcake Pincushions

2008-12-18T12:17:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine begged me for a felt cupcake pincushion this year, completely disregarding that I've never made either a pincushion nor a felt cupcake before.
I ended up doing a lot of research and scouring of the internet and now I am thoroughly obsessed!
Here are my attempts:

white frosting

pink frosting

my favorite, the lime slice

It was so much fun making these, I might make more. You can never have too many pincushions, right?

Charlie Brown Time

2008-12-15T22:36:00.001-05:00

Charlie Brown time
Originally uploaded by marciawood3

Our Christmas tree.
It took a 2 hour drive to family land in northern NH, only to remember that it is an old growth forest, which means virtually little to no small bushy trees.
So we grabbed 3 unfortunate saplings and came home with this. I couldn't stop laughing as we put it up and decorated, and I can still hardly stop when I'm looking at it.
The cats also do not know what to think. They have not experienced a tree of this type before.
Ah well, we love it anyway.

It hadn't snowed yet

2008-12-07T19:49:00.001-05:00

We took a walk through our neighborhood yesterday. It was, so chilly, but it hadn't snowed yet. Got some inspiration, though. We find it so interesting, it's urban but somehow so barren.
Andy took this photo of me:

I'm yelling at whatever.

Busy

2008-12-04T21:13:00.002-05:00

On all the 'wrong' things...but a lot of fun in the process. This week I finally finished a cross stitch project that I've been working on for awhile:

I really enjoy it. I think I'm going to have a house full of un-sentimental cross stitch, including this one, in case you haven't already seen it:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=277061.msg3133301#msg3133301

And if you can't tell, I've been very inspired by Subversive Cross Stitch. It's probably my favorite collection of designs for this medium.

Making Plans

2008-12-03T00:05:00.002-05:00

Earlier today I became inspired by the idea of the "Shop Local" feature on Etsy. I thought about all the awesome things that are made by fellow Etsy-ers here in New Hampshire and decided to put together a pitch for our own shop local.
So far, response has been great! I have items ready for my poster sketch from:
Lap Dog Creations
MuchachaK
Pandys
Beccas Bead Creations
Crafty Kathy
Two Moms Five Kids
Artesprit
Sweet Lollipop Shop
Bags By Melanie
and of course my own, spareGus

I can't wait to put it all together and write the pitch.

Poor Negleted Blog

2008-12-01T12:18:00.000-05:00

I swear I will find something to say to you.

I love me some sweets

2008-03-26T16:08:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I baked some of these:

They are called "Mexican Wedding Cakes"....I have no idea if they are actually used at mexican weddings, but they are completely delicious.
They have a wonderful crunchy texture, and they are rich tasting without being heavy. They are also just sweet enough, all you need is one to satisfy a craving...though, we find we eat many more than that.
Plus, I think they look just plain adorable.

This recipe is the first time I've successfully used a 'Martha Stewart' recipe. I also have no idea if she actually had anything to do with the recipe herself, but it came from her Everyday Food show on PBS.
Recipe here:
http://www.pbs.org/everydayfood/recipes/mexican_wedding_cakes.html

Week old News

2008-02-01T11:38:00.000-05:00

I think it was last week, or maybe the week before, my husband & I took a trip to Portsmouth, NH to drop off some new purses at ellO Gallery.

I'm really excited about consigning my work there, in a really great looking place on State St.! I can't wait to see what happens there once the good weather rolls around....they are just so different from most of the galleries in the area. Because, while I can appreciate 'traditional' 'NH' 'art', it's also exciting to see someone breaking out of that role.

Their website is here: http://www.ellogallery.com/aboutcon.html
You should really have a look, especially if you're familiar with Portsmouth, NH

It's almost February

2008-01-30T11:44:00.001-05:00

I was determined to do more of this 'blogging' stuff in the new year....hasn't happened.
Well, I'm going to try harder....
first I'll have to find a way to be more interesting.

And, I need artistic inspiration! Any ideas? I have no money, so even though I would love to take a class, it's not possible. I really need to get out of this rut I'm in lately, I need help!

I know I can't afford it...

2007-12-19T14:45:00.000-05:00

but I've made a decision...

I'm going to eat anyways.

morning after the snowstorm

2007-12-14T11:40:00.001-05:00

It is wonderfully sunny outside today after the snow. I adore the snow, I did a little dance when it began yesterday and now we are covered and it is sunny. Hooray!
I heard an awful noise this morning, though, and it turned out to be this:

Clearly, it is time for a new lamp. It's been a fixture (pun intended) in every one of our apartments for 4 years, and now it's over. Farewell, $3 Ikea lamp.