Our Friends at Wee Folk Art

We are so jazzed to participate in a Give-Away with our friends over at http://www.weefolkart.com/. Kimara and Michelle have designed this brilliant Advent Calendar. This is a great project that could easily be worked on by kids too. Let the little ones paint the buttons while you sew the tree. Older kiddos could easily sew on the buttons too.

What a great idea for a creative little project. Maybe if your family is looking for a little craft to do after the big Thanksgiving feast - you could work together to make this. How about letting the kids each make a small little version of the tree out of felt to decorate as they wish. Buttons, beads, lace, fun foam - you name it! The gals at Wee Folk Art also have a wealth of plenty of other ideas to keep you busy. Head on over there to be inspired.

Check out the details on their website from November 4th-10th. Be sure to leave us some love here in the comments section to earn an extra entry in their drawing for 2 free kits from us.

We'll also have all the supplies available for purchase on our site HERE: www.woolfeltcentral.com/woolfeltpatterns.html

Here is a little interview with the gals at Wee Folk Art:

We are a mother/daughter team (Kimara/Michelle) with a mutual love of crafting and the gentle art of homemaking. With the "wee folks" in mind, most of our crafting is focused on children. We do, however, throw in crafts for the home, self, or yummy recipes just to keep it interesting. Kimara has degrees in home economics and education. She is in her element when crafting and children collide! Michelle has a degree in photography and graphic arts. She is homeschooling her three children ages 6, 5, and 3 and shares many of their experiences on Wee Folk Activities. (http://www.weefolkactivities.com/)

We do a wide range of crafts including clothing and accessories for children, wooden toys, gnome and fairy crafting, household decorating and our specialty . . . applique blocks, made from felt, but adaptable to many other materials. All of our patterns, over 100 and growing, are offered for FREE. Why do we do this? Our rationale is simple. We are trying to simplify our lives and become more responsible consumers. We know there are a lot of other people out there trying to do the same thing, and we support their efforts. By offering free directions and patterns, we hope to encourage and support others that want safe, natural, inexpensive and high quality items for their children and their homes. So, it is our plan to never sell patterns on our site, and to continue to share projects that enhance our lives, and hopefully those of others. Join us for some crafty goodness.

Now Prairie Point Junction/Wool Felt Central fans . . . . Head on over to those amazing gals at http://www.weefolkart.com/ and check out their inspiring site. Be sure to tell them we sent you . . .

Christmas Ornament Contest

Hard to believe that Christmas is only 7 weeks away. Last I knew it was still August. Since the holidays are coming whether we are ready or not, lets get a jump start and have some fun.

One of my favorite parts about the holidays are digging out my boxes of decorations. I love to reminisce about all the memories that go along with my collection of ornaments. Would you believe I still have some of the ornaments that I received in grade school when we would exchange with our classmates? One of my favorite ornaments is a felt stocking that was made by by cousin Marilyn when I was just a small girl. As soon as I get my boxes of Christmas decorations down, I'll be sure to show you.

That leads me to our ornament challenge . . .

Send us a picture of your favorite hand-crafted ornament to prairiepointjunction@yahoo.com by November 25th. Be sure to put "Ornament Challenge" in the subject. Let us know which category you are entering your ornament in.

We'll choose our favorite ornament from each category and the lucky winner will receive a $10.00 gift certificate to use on our site -- plus will have the honor of having their ornament picture posted on our blog. Enter as many ornaments in as many categories as you want.

Cozy Christmas Ornament by Bits and Pieces by Joan)
Order HERE: www.woolfeltcentral.com/woolfeltpatterns.html#xmas

Ornament Challenge Categories:

Wool Felt Ornament - Original Design
Wool Felt Ornament - Made from another designers pattern.
Ornament - Any Material, Original Design
Ornament - Any Material, Made from another designers pattern


Would you like to see your blog/etsy shop/flicker stream/designs featured on our site? We'd like to feature several sites that offer ornament inspiration. Let us know if you have a site that you'd like us to consider. E-mail prairiepointjunction@yahoo.com with "Featured Site" as the subject.

Now for a little inspiration . . . Here are some of our favorite ornament patterns available for purchase on our website:

Christmas Classic Ornaments by Bird Brain Designs

Order Kit HERE:

www.woolfeltcentral.com/woolfeltpatterns.html#xmas

Christmas Ornaments by Under the Garden Moon

Order Pattern or Bitty Bundle HERE:

www.woolfeltcentral.com/woolfeltpatterns.html#moon

Indiana Jones, Wool Felt, and Random Trivia

Isn't it amazing what kids can come up with? My 6 year old boy is very much into Indiana Jones (as if you couldn't tell from the photo's below). We eat sleep, breathe, and play Indiana Jones all day long. During a sewing day with a few friends, my sweet boy was bored and wanted to sew along. I set out my grand tub of wool felt and let him have at it. This Indiana Jones banner (plus seven others, with Indiana Jones character names that slip my over-taxed-mind at the moment) is the result of his handi-work. I see a budding fabric artist, don't you? At least he'll have something to fall back on if the golf career his dad dreams about falls through.

The moral of the story? Wool Felt is a great creative outlet for kids. (Plus it allows you to get some sewing and chatting done with your friends too).



As if that wool felt treasure wasn't enough, guess what we made a few days later for Halloween? Presto! An Indiana Jones pouch and jacket. Nothing fancy, we just cut around an Oshgosh hooded zip-up sweathshirt for a general pattern for the body and sleeves. Those days of garment sewing two decades ago in 4-H actually came in handy after all. The pouch, though, was the talk of the street. Everyone thought it was perfect for carrying trick-or-treat loot. No plastic pumpkin required.

We had a great time out and about in the neighborhood. The 8 inches of snow from the day before didn't even stand in our way. 60 degree temps melted most of what fell.

Left a perfect evening to ring some bells and go on an adventure that Indy would be proud of.

Quilt Nebraska 2009

We've just returned from a weekend vending at Quilt Nebraska at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska. Here are some pics from our merchant mall booth.

One of the favorite items in our booth were these great ornaments from Under the Garden Moon. Amy let us borrow some of her gorgeous samples for the weekend. Thanks, Amy! I couldn't believe how quick these went together. I'm not very good at sitting around with idle hands, so I had the set of Fall Ornaments and the Valentine Ornaments prepped and ready to stitch. I actually finished 10 of the Fall Ornaments and 4 of the Valentines just while tending our booth. If you need a quick and easy project, be sure to check these out on our website. We've got wool felt packs for them too - so you don't even have to stress about which colors to buy. Check them out here: http://www.prairiepointjunction.com/woolfeltpatterns.html#moon




Our display of patterns . . .

You can also see the Bouncing Baby Boy Flannel quilt in the background. Give us a call (308-784-2010) if you need a baby quilt that can be completed in an afternoon. We simply added a piano key border to this panel. Available in pink for little girls too.

Most of the projects pictured below are not on our website yet, but give us a call if you are interested in any of the kits or patterns.

1. Cream Quilt with Snowflakes: Made from the neutral fabrics in the Frosted Memories Layer Cake

2. Red/Green Quilt with Stars: Large throw made from the book Big Blocks, Big Quilts using the dark prints in the Frosted Memories Layer Cake.

3. Figgy Pudding Quilt: Check out the free pattern at http://www.unitednotions.com/un_main.nsf/free_patterns. We have a limited number of kits available.

4. Warm Winter Wishes: Wall Quilt with Cardinals, snowflakes, and flying geese. Project by Cottage Creek Quilts, kits available. Pattern is posted on our website here: http://www.prairiepointjunction.com/winter_patterns.htm#cottage

5. By The Verse: Fall and Winter made with the Figgy Pudding Charms. This is an original design by our shop. Order the pattern here: http://www.prairiepointjunction.com/patterns.htm

6. Chocolate Covered Cherries: Blue/Brown quilt. The pattern actually shows this quilt in pinks and browns - but who can resist this color combo too? Order the pattern here: http://www.prairiepointjunction.com/favorite_patterns.htm

7. Get Strippy With It: Original pattern by our shop. Jumbo rick-rack accents strips in this quick-to-piece quilt. Find the pattern here: http://www.prairiepointjunction.com/patterns.htm

8. Create by Cottage Creek Quilts: We used fabrics from Fig Tree quilts to give this pattern a shabby-chic flair. Order the pattern here: http://www.prairiepointjunction.com/winter_patterns.htm#cottage

9. Sweet Sugar Swirls using the Patisserie Honey Bun by Fig Tree Quilts.

Stop by the shop, give us a call (308-784-2010), or visit the website at www.prairiepointjunction.com to see all the great new products we showcased.

And the winner is . . .

Letty of Ventura, CA.

Congratulations Letty and thanks to all who submitted entries for our random prize drawing in the "Flower Shower" challenge! We were definitely showered with some amazing wool felt flowers by talented artisans from around the country. Keep up the beautiful work and don't forget to check back for our next challenge to be posted in August where you too could be the winner of a fabulous prize from Prairie Point Junction!

Kelli
The Guest Blogger

Flowers, Flowers, Everywhere

Our Flower Shower Challenge is going strong. Have you submitted your entry yet? Need a reminder? Here's a little summary of the rules . . . Plus a few quick snaps of some flowers from my front porch.



Use your garden for inspiration or go for a walk in a nearby park to check out the gorgeous lilies and daisies in bloom. Not only will you find it inspirational, but it’s good for your heart too!

- finished project must include a least one flower and incorporate wool felt
- embellishment with stitching or beading is encouraged
- a photo of your completed project must be submitted by Friday, July 17
- please email photos to ppjguestblogger@yahoo.com- include a brief description of your item along with your name and location (Example: Julie G., Cozad, NE) with your email
- only one entry per person
- The winning entry will be randomly selected and posted on the blog the weekend of July 18th
- The winning entrant will be notified by email

What can you win?

Your choice of 12 wool felt 12” x 18” pieces & a wool felt swatch card

Total value: $27.80

Flower Shower Continues . . .

Have you taken a minute to submit your entry for our flower shower challenge? We're so excited to see all your creations.

Just in case you need a little more inspiration to get you started, we'd like to introduce you to Heidi Ryan. Heidi uses such clever stitching to accent her pins. Love those zigzags to spice things up.

Here's an interview with Heidi to answser some of your wool felt questions:

1. What lead you to open an Etsy shop selling your felt creations?

I thought that opening up an Etsy shop would be a great way to make some extra cash, but also a portal to disperse my stock....if I kept everything I ever made, I'd have no room in my house! Being creative is such an important part of my life...and the fact that people want to buy things that I make is a real compliment.

2. There's always a debate about whether wool felt should be pre-washed or not prior to using it. What are your thoughts on the issue?

I think that if you like the look of the felt after it is washed, go for it. I don't think it's necessary, unless it's part of your design. I've made complete pins before and then thrown them in with a load of clothes to get a different look. I've also accidentally washed them after leaving them on a shirt...but I always like how they turn out! But normally, I do not wash the felt before using it.

3. What do you find inspiration for your projects?

I find inspiration everywhere...this is a cliche for anyone creative, but I always think of ideas when I'm trying to fall asleep at night. Color is always so inspiring too, I LOVE all things colorful...and I think that's apparent in my designs!

4. Where can fans find you online?

You can find me online at: pinksparrow.etsy.com

Thanks for sharing your tips with us, Heidi.

More Flower Shower Ideas

I stand completely in awe of all the amazing things people can do with wool felt. If you think of only penny-rugs and country inspired projects when you hear about wool felt, you've never dipped into the amazing online community of crafters out there.

Today I'd like to introduce Thine-Marie Van Blommestein. She has lived in Texas, Colorado, California, North Carolina, England and Denmark in the past ten years. Wool felt has been the perfect, portable project to take along on all her moves.

Thine-Marie shares her answers to our interview:

1. What inspired you to start creating with wool felt?

Well, I am kind of lazy and felt is really easy to work with. It doesn't fray or require any special treatment. I prefer wool felt to acrylic because of the superior quality and appearance, and the fabulous colors wool felt is available in. Acrylic felt is also glossier and does not photograph as well.

2. Tell us a little bit about the diverse array of wool felt projects you create.


I make hair accessories like hair clips and headbands, brooches, vase fillers, cake toppers, Christmas decorations, "disco" balls and wall art. I have two shops on Etsy where I sell accessories (shoozieshoes.etsy.com) and home decor pieces (heymiemie.etsy.com).


3. Where do you find inspiration for your projects?

Fashion magazines, home decor stores, flowers, nature, colors, fabric and Children's books. And sometimes the buyers themselves come up with the most amazing projects. One of the biggest and most challenging pieces to date is the necklace wreath I made for a large toy animal in a baby nursery. It is made up out of clusters of over 20 individually handmade felt flowers. The piece is finished with hand-embroidered leaves and is made to tie around the neck of the animal with a satin ribbon bow.

Hope you've been inspired by all of Thine-Marie's creations.

Another Bit of Inspiration

How are your flowers coming along for our little flower shower challenge? Don' know where to start? Here's another bit of inspiration to get you going.


I'd like to introduce Amanda Rosander of Berkley's Clippies. I met Amanda online as a customer of our shop. Her adorable clippies makes me want to have a little girl to dress. (Well, almost anyway) (I have a 6 year old boy). I think I'll just admire her creations and save them for all the mommies of little princesses out there.


Here's a little interview with Amanda to give you a behind the scenes peek at her designs:



1. What lead you to start creating wool felt flowers as a business?



My designs have taken a very long but fun road. When my daughter was born, I really, really loved the typical "big bows", but thought they looked ridiculous on my daughter's tiny head. She had a darling dress with a fabric flower attached to it and I remember thinking, "that would make THE cutest hair clip!" After a few months of playing around with fabric, I tried wool felt and fell instantly in love! The versatility, the wide array of colors to choose from, and most of all, the uniqueness of the fabric just sold me!


2. Where do you find inspiration for your creations?


Inspiration comes from 2 areas: my daughter's clothes for the most part and then also little spurts of color combinations "come" to me at random times.


3. I noticed that you had been featured on several blogs and even a magazine. Any tips for other crafters on getting their products noticed?



Being featured by magazines and/or blogs has been THE best part of it all! I love it when someone takes a second to let me know that they truly enjoy my little creations. Getting your product "out there" takes a lot of time and even more patience. If you are taking your creations to a "business level", you must invest your time in multiple areas and just hope that 1 or more get noticed. Marketing has been the biggest challenge for me. I'm not by nature a sales person and I literally have to force myself to make those calls and send those types of emails. The best tip I can pass on would be to offer samples of your product to a wide assortment of bloggers, shop/boutique owners, and websites.


4. Where can fans find your creations online?

Berkley's Clippies are available at http://www.berkleysclippies.com/ and also on Etsy at: http://www.berkleysclippies.etsy.com/


Thanks for sharing with us, Amanda!

A Little Inspiration . . .

One of the best parts of owning Prairie Point Junction is all the opportunities to meet fantastic people that are using wool felt in extraordinary ways.

Here's a little inspiration to get you started thinking about using wool felt for flowers. Amber North is one of those super talented gals that I happened to "meet" through our website. I asked Amber to share a little info about herself and her creative projects:

1. What lead you to start creating with wool felt?

I first started making felt play food for my daughter who was 4 at the time. She was my muse but as she got older and my skills became more refined, I began to create "plushies" and appliques with embroidery. I enjoy teaching my children about our natural world and we spend loads of time outside collecting and inspecting bugs, their favorite being the "Roly Poly" bug or "Pill Bug"....which led to the creation of "Charles Chuggypeg".

2. What other types of creative projects do you enjoy?

I also enjoy making fabric and felt flowers (http://www.rebloom.etsy.com/) . My grandmother was a floral designer who was my inspiration for these "Reblooms". They are even more special if they are made with a piece of fabric that one is sentimentally attached, like a child's favorite outfit that has been outgrown.

3. Where can fans find your work online?

I have 2 Etsy shops online: http://www.rolypolyplanet.etsy.com/ and http://www.rebloom.etsy.com/

Thank you for your interest in my creations and I hope you have a great day!


Sincerely, Amber North

Thanks for sharing your work with us, Amber.

Hope you've inspired everyone to try their hand at our little wool felt flower challenge.

Wool Flower Shower Challenge

We’re going to shower the web with flowers! Wool flowers that is! And, one of our lucky readers will have the chance to win a FABULOUS prize from Prairie Point Junction.

Drum roll . . . and the fabulous prize is . . .
Your choice of 12 wool felt 12” x 18” pieces & a wool felt swatch cardTotal value: $27.80

Use your garden for inspiration or go for a walk in a nearby park to check out the gorgeous lilies and daisies in bloom. Not only will you find it inspirational, but it’s good for your heart too! I’ll also be posting some works from other artists to showcase their talents and to help get the creative juices flowing.

Here are the challenge guidelines
- finished project must include a least one flower and incorporate wool felt
- embellishment with stitching or beading is encouraged
- a photo of your completed project must be submitted by Friday, July 17
- please email photos to ppjguestblogger@yahoo.com
- include a brief description of your item along with your name and location (Example: Julie G., Cozad, NE) with your email
- only one entry per person
- The winning entry will be randomly selected and posted on the blog the weekend of July 18th
- The winning entrant will be notified by email

Craft on!
Kelli
aka The Guest Blogger

Road Trip

Summer is flying by much too fast. It seems like school just got out, but yet that was already 4 weeks ago for us. All my big plans are still sitting on the back burner. One fun thing that I did get squeezed into the schedule was a fun little road trip with the gals from Prairie Point Junction. On June 6th, six of us piled into a van and headed to Kansas for a little Shop Hop fun. We visited quilt shops in Hebron, Nebraska; then Kansas shops in Abilene, Concordia, Salina, Belleville, Manhattan, and Holton. We found plenty of treasures and tons of inspiration.

A special little side trip on our journey was a stop in Paxico, Kansas. If you never been to (or even heard of, for that matter) Paxico - this is a must see stop on your journey across I-70 - smack dab between Manhattan and Topeka. Their downtown area is straight out of a western movie. Check out the Paxico Merchants Association web page for more photos and details about all the fun antique stores and more there. http://www.paxicomerchants.com/

You may be wondering what in the world led me to this town in the first place. As the gals at my shop know, most of my conversations start with, " I was messing around on the internet . . . " Well, another Julie - Julie Dillingham - happens to own The Gathering Place in Paxico and she happend to by messing around on the Internet and discovered Prairie Point Junction. Julie is considering adding fabrics and/or wool to her antique shop and contacted me for some information. Several e-mails later, I discovered I was going to be passing be her darling shop and she rolled out the red carpet to welcome our caravan on Sunday afternoon.

Be sure to head on over to The Gathering Place's website at http://www.thegatheringplaceinpaxico.com/. And if you ever happen to be in Paxico, be sure to stop by and tell Julie that Julie from Prairie Point Junction sent you.

Introducing . . . The Guest Blogger

Julie has honored me with the invitation to blog on Prairie Ramblings. I've been promised a fancy title . . . oh, what should it be. . . Executive Guest Blogger? Vice President of Blogging? Any suggestions? Whatever the title, the promise is fun and the opportunity to share and explore the world of creative ideas.

Who am I?
My name is Kelli and I'm a friend of all arts and crafts. I love fabric, felt, beading, crochet, knitting and more! I love fiber and glass! I love metal and plastic! I love buttons and ribbons and rick rack! I love paper and found objects! I love it all! I'm a huge fan of Prairie Point Junction and an even bigger fan of Julie! You could say she is the sister I never had. Julie and I met in college and spent many an idle hour day-dreaming about Prairie Point Junction (PPJ) and all of the wonderful possibilities. The coolest part our day-dreaming is that Julie and her awesome staff have made it a reality in Cozad, Nebraska! And, if you can't make it to the store, they have a wonderful website where you can order online!

Safety briefing:
Before we begin our blogging journey, we must first start with a safety briefing. I've attended several quilting workshops where the instructors insisted that all students close their rotary blades while not in use. Very wise advise! Well, my safety story is to encourage you to be careful with your cutters (scissors too!) at all times! Almost two months ago while working on an adorable Buggy Barn quilt, "It's in the Bag" from the "Those Crazy Kids" book, I had a slight accident. Short story: sliced finger, later passed out and knocked my head on the wall, woke up laughing at my "stupid" accident, went to the emergency room for a CT scan and 6 stitches in my head, a very large bandage on my finger and a prescription for pain relievers. My finger is still healing and now the bills are starting to arrive in my mailbox. Of course, I thought I had it bad until a friend reported that she met a woman with a similar experience except that when she passed out, she also broke a tooth! Healing can take a long time so taking all safety precautions when working on arts and crafts is advised. Have fun, but be safe! On a more positive note, the quilt will be on display later this summer at PPJ. Then, it will be sent to Omaha to serve as the featured silent auction item for "Art in the Bag" a benefit for Cancer Awareness, Research and Care.

Until next time
Kelli
aka The Guest Blogger

Needle Book Tutorial

School's out and summer time fun has begun.



Have you tried a project made from wool felt yet? I love how portable wool felt projects are - just glue the appliques in place with Quilter's Choice Basting Glue, then pack some pearl cotton or embroidery floss and you are set. Perfect for stitching in the car on the road, on the porch, or while you sit and wait during T-Ball practice.



Here's a quick little project you can make in under an hour to try it out. Have kids or grandkids around this summer? This project is easy enough for a pre-teen to stitch with a little supervision.



Hope you enjoy this little free tutorial to make a wool felt needle book. Visit the Tips and Free Patterns page of my website here to download the instructions:



http://www.prairiepointjunction.com/woolfeltcentral.html

Shop Hop

Wow! Cozad sure rolled out the red carpet to welcome Shop Hoppers to town. Thanks to all the businesses that extended a welcome to our special guests. Your hospitality was appreciated.

We had a wonderful turnout of hoppers on the 11th Annual Nebraska Independent Fabric Shop's Hop. 1400 quilters enrolled in the hop to visit 33 participating quilt shops across the state. Quilt shops handed out patterns for 12" quilt blocks designed by Thangles - plus original patterns for projects utilizing the blocks.

Hoppers validated their passport cards at each shop they visited to qualify for gift certificates ranging from $25 - $500 dollars that can be redeemd at any of the participating shops. We'll draw for certificates on May 6th, so be sure to check back to see our winners. You can visit http://www.fabricsandquilts.com/ for more information.

Thanks to everyone that came out to visit us. It's always great meeting new quilters as well as reconnecting with friends we only get to see every one in awhile. Hope you had a fabulous time.

Where did March go???

As you can tell, I haven't kept too up to date on the good old blog posts. Now, here it is, offficially spring on the calendar, and I feel like I'm still back in February.

This snowy, blustery weather is for the birds . . . or if you happen to hop on over to http://www.weefolkart.com/, perhaps you'll remember that spring is for bunnies.

They have the cutest free pattern download for this basket of eggs. Plus, they have some free patterns for adorable little appliqued wool blocks too. Now hop on over there, and tell the gals we sent you. Plus . . . you'll find a handy little special link on their site back to our wool felt site with a special discount code so you can fill your easter basket with goodies.

Creative and Then Some . . .

Wow! Two posts in a row, can you believe it. Those of you that follow my blog at all know that I have a habit of being pretty random. I'll be inspired and do several consecutive posts, then life gets in the way and it will be over a month before you hear from me. Wish I could make one of those promises that I'll post regularly from now on, but I know me too well. As I told one of my friends today, I'm much better at finding ideas than actually caring them out.

Which leads me to the real topic of today's post.

I've followed the blog http://www.skiptomylou.org/ for quite awhile. She is the most super-creative-inspired blogger I know. She had the BEST tutorials for all sorts of projects. There are crafts for kids, holiday decorations, recipes, and directions for all sorts of handcrafted projects like CD holders, tote bags, you name it!

One of my favorites is her wool felt crayon roll. Check out the directions here:

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2007/04/25/on-a-roll/ (Fabric Roll)

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2008/08/06/felt-crayon-roll/

(Felt Roll)

While you are on the Skip to My Lou site, be sure to check out the following sites that are part of the Chic Chick Network. We're advertising http://www.woolfeltcentral.com/ on all four of these blogs this month. Be sure to stop by and see what these talented ladies are up to.

7 Degrees of Blogs

Remember that whole "7 Degrees of Kevin Bacon" thing where you supposedly could link Kevin Bacon in 7 steps to any other movie star? Well, I think the same thing is true for Blogs! I just love to read all the creative goings on out there and admittedly, pursue waaaaay too many interests. It's amazing how many connections you can find out there, though, in the creative community.

Here's an example that I discovered this past weekend . . . .

I love digital scrapbooking. One of my favorites sites is http://www.designerdigitals.com/

Every week they post a color challenge where they create a little digital mini kit freebie based on an image from an advertisement, website, etc. Last week they had this beautiful picture as their inspiration. Well, you all know my obsession with wool felt as part of my http://www.woolfeltcentral.com/ store, so of course, I had to check out the link to the origin of the picture which was http://www.princesslasertron.com/.

I fell in love with this gals creations. She makes custom wool felt and button bouquets for brides, proms etc.

Then . . . . I noticed from her column that her work had been featured in the Omaha World Herald (Nebraska's largest newspaper). Hmmmm . .. .. Could this gal actually be from Omaha? Lo and behold! She is! What a small world to discover such an incredibly talented gal right here in Nebraska.

Now run on over and check out Megan's blog so that you can continue the 7 degrees loop! You'll be glad you did. What gorgeous eye candy!

Christmas Ornaments

Our Junction Function club had a fabulous time at our Christmas Party last night. The gals folded green and brown fat quarters into darling little Christmas Trees. Wow! 10 Junction Functioneers proudly display a completed project. (We're known for starting projects, not finishing them!)

We also made these super-easy poinsettia wool felt ornaments. You can download a FREE copy of the pattern at http://www.bhg.com/holidays/christmas/ornaments/poinsettia-ornament/.

You'll have to login to their website, but it's worth it for the amount of things you can do there. My son loves to play their "Create a Cookie" and "Make a Snowflake" games. Keeps him busy when I'm tyring to get supper together. To find these games go to their "Holiday" tab at http://www.bhg.com/holidays/

This pattern by Better Homes and Gardens was so quick to make. We used Moss wool felt for the background and Rustic Crimson, Barnyard Red, and Red wool felt for the poinsettia. Don't have wool felt on hand, you can order it on our website at http://www.prairiepointjunction.com/.

Wool Felt Advent Calendars

I just love how the world of blogs allows you to jump from place to place getting inspired. All the great links on my favorite blogs lead me to a wealth of creative ideas.

One of my favorite ideas that I stumbled upon today was on the blog Squirrel Acorns at: http://squirrelacorns.blogspot.com/2008/11/advent-calendars.html

This crafty gal is working on making her own version of a Pottery Barn Advent calendar that is now sold out from the catalog. Check out her blog to see what she is up to. We were so excited to see that she had mentioned Prairie Point Junction as her source for the felt for her project. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

Mini Market at Camp Comeca

I had a wonderful time out at Camp Comeca, just outside of Cozad on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The Nebraska Independent Fabric Shop Owners group met for a business meeting to plan Shop Hop 2010. After our meeting we had the opportunity to attend 20 minute "Schoolhouse" sessions to learn about new products and techniques. The best part of the event was getting to meet with 13 vendors to purchase new products for the coming year.

Fabric is typically ordered for delivery 3-6 months down the road - so I was actually ordering Christmas fabric for next year's season. Its hard to plan so far ahead, but sooooo much fun to see all the fabrics. Pictured below is Cheryl Cantoya, my rep for Moda fabrics. You can check out all the new Moda lines that will be appearing this spring at http://www.unitednotions.com/.

Moda is famous for their Charm Packs and Jelly Rolls. Well, now they've added even more "treats" to their Bake Shoppe Line. The idea is that you are able to get a little sampling of about 40 fabrics from each collection in a pre-cut size that is ready to sew with. Pattern designers have stepped up to the challenge and have "cooked" up tons of designs to use these pre-cut fabrics.

Here's a quick "recipe" list of what all the pre-cut terms mean:

Charm Pack: 5" squares

Layer Cake: 10" squares

Jelly Roll: 2 1/2" strips

Honey Buns: 1 1 /2" strips

Turnovers: Triangles made from 6" squares (They fit perfectly with 5" squares when sewn into half-square triangle units.

We ordered the new Patisserie line from Moda in both Honey Buns and Turnovers. They are expected to arrive in February. We'll let you know when they are here.

Wow, its been a whirlwind of a few months both at the shop (Prairie Point Junction, home of Wool Felt Central) and in life in general. I'm so glad to feel like I'm finally catching up a bit over the last couple weeks. I'm looking forward to start up some regular posts here on the blog.

I love to see all sorts of creative endeavors that people are up to. My plan is to feature a creative, crafty, inspiring artist periodically here on the blog. Let us know what you are up to; whether is be quilting, crafting, sewing, beading, scrapbooking, or whatever it is that brings you creative joy! We'd love to feature you here. E-mail me prairiepointjunction@yahoo.com for consideration.

The first gal I'd like to profile is my friend, Kelli Sweet. Kelli is one of the most talented people I know. She loves to dabble in all sorts of creative projects. We were roomies in college, way back when, and still love to get together and quilt or scrap whenever we can. Check out Kelli's blog at http://www.sweetkelli.blogspot.com/. You'll find all sorts of cool links too.

Wool Felt Central SALE

Don't miss out on

http://www.woolfeltcentral.com/

Wool Felt Frenzy

July 4th-14th, 2008

Take 20% off all wool felt

yardage, bundles, and 12" x 18" pieces.

Welcome

We're working to get a blog for Wool Felt Central up and running. We'd love to hear your suggestions of what you would like to see here. E-mail us a woolfeltcentral@yahoo.com to share your requests.

In the meantime, visit our website at www.woolfeltcentral.com to view our selection of 60+ colors of wool felt available by the yard, in 12" x 18" pieces, and in coordinated bundles too.

Looking foward to your visit.