HEART in CRAFTS

Cozy Cat Cave Collection

Have you seen the latest in cat habitats? These comfy wool hideaways are made using a wet felting technique that relies on soap, water and agitation to bind the wool fibers together. Not only do cats (and tiny pups) love them but owners also love them because they actually look good! So many pet products have such bad design but not these felt cocoons. Another plus is that wool has natural antibacterial properties, so it doesn’t get stinky. Check out these amazing cat caves.

Cat bed - cat cave - cat house — by AgnesFelt

You can also make a felt cat cave at home. Here and here are two great tutorials.

-diy-

Clock o’clocks

January 2July 17 heartincrafts

DIY Wall Clock

New year, new apartment, new clock!

clock o'clocks

Sean made this clock from…clocks! We had been collecting clocks for a few years in preparation for the clock o’clocks. After countless thrift store visits to find clocks that were just the right size and look, we finally turned to Ebay to complete the collection. Since the clocks didn’t need to be functional, we were able to purchase a lot of vintage clocks for a reasonable price.

Here are some close ups of my favorites. If you look at the top photo, you can see how each clock is set to the hour it represents. 11 o’clock is my current favorite.

vintage clock favorites

And if you have sharp eyes, you might notice that one of the clocks is not vintage. 12 o’clock is a modern twin bell alarm clock that we ended up buying from Amazon in the eleventh hour 😉

The actual clock hands were used in our last apartment for our leaf clock, also a Sean original. In the fall, we collected leaves from Prospect Park and preserved them with glycerin. Someday I’ll do post on that process.

leaf clock

-diy-, -needle felting-

Learn to needle felt @ Brooklyn Brainery – December 4th

October 28 heartincrafts

Sculpting with Wool: Needle Felting Basics

Class description

Location: The Brainery (190 Underhill Ave in Prospect Heights, BK)

From Etsy to Martha Stewart, needle felting has been making the rounds in the craft world. In this three-hour class you’ll learn how toturn un-spun wool into your own miniature 3D creation, and you’ll walk away with a finished project and some basic supplies to continue crafting beyond the classroom. As an added bonus, you’ll finally understand exactly why your wool sweater shrunk in the washing machine.

For the uninitiated, needle felting is the art of sculpting wool with special barbed needles. Stabbing the wool over and over again meshes the wool fibers together, creating a firm, textile object. Needle felting is an ideal craft– it has a quick learning curve, requires minimal supplies and can be done almost anywhere. Join us for a relaxed night of crafting!

-diy-, -needle felting-

Learn to needle felt @ Brooklyn Craft Co. – November 5th

October 28February 16 heartincrafts

Needle Felted Pets // Nov 5

Create a tiny woolen replica of your favorite pet! In just three hours you can learn the craft of needle felting, and create a mini animal modeled after any dog, cat or other pet of your choosing. (And if you’re not a pet person, you can really make any shape at all!)

In this workshop you’ll learn:

The basics of needle felting, including an overview of tools, supplies and techniques
How to form raw wool fibers into intricate shapes
How to replicate a specific animal of your choice

All necessary materials will be included: we’ll provide wool roving in a variety of colors as well as needle felting tools, and great instruction. Students are encouraged to bring a photograph of the pet they want to create as reference, but this is optional.

-needle felting-

Craft night with Mindy & Anna Belle

March 4February 16 heartincrafts

A few weeks ago, my fellow needle felter friend Anna Belle and I taught Mindy the sacred art of needle felting. We knew she’d be a natural. Perfectly Content Dinosaur is her first stab at needle felting! Angry Panda is Anna Belle’s creation — – I’m pretty into this little guy.

Angry Panda by Anna Belle rides Perfectly Content Dinosaur by Mindy

Screen Shot 2016-03-04 at 6.07.20 PM — This panda is very angry!