Little Miss Emily Rose ~ A Dainty Lady Mouse

 I just finished little Miss Emily Rose this morning. I believe she is my last felty for the year. Her auction starts Tuesday night on eBay at 6:45 PM PST and her reserve price is my usual $135.00.  I've done a few things differently from my usual mice. She has Apoxy Sculpt and hands and feet and some of her features were hand shaded with achival artist inks.  I'm working on refining my felties a bit. I hope you like her :-)!

Here's a recipe to make your own edible Southern Teacakes:

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees~

In a large bowl sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder together. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Dough should be soft. Roll dough out onto a floured surface until approximately 1/4-inch thick. Cut dough into desired shapes and bake on a slightly greased sheet for 10 to 12 minutes.

6 to 8 dozen...

Enjoy!

Christmas Greetings from the Desert

Meet Woodrow ~ A Very Dapper Rat

Please meet Woodrow. He's a very dapper rat dressed in his top hat and tails. This jaunty fellow is ready to ring in the new year with you.  His eBay auction is scheduled to start Tuesday evening at 6:45 PM PST.  His reserve price is $135.00

A Gift from Old Dog Haven

I recently found out that I'm the sponsor of one of Old Dog Haven's final refuge dogs. It was kind of a thank you for all of my past donations. In a way, each of my customers is also sponsor of Jessie, too. If it weren't for your support of my art it would not have been possible. Your support is helping to pay for Jessie's food and veternary expenses during his final years. Thank you all very much :-)!

If you would like to sponsor a final refuge dog of your own, you can do so for as little as $25 for a three month sponsorship. Please click here to learn more.

Emma - a Sweet Little Bull Terrier Pup

Here's my latest little one, a sweet little bull terrier pup. Her auction starts tonight at 6:45 PM PST and her reserve price is $135.00.  20% from her auction will be donated to Old Dog Haven, a senior doggie hospice and rescue.

A Nice Surprise

I was so surprised and honored to receive these awards for my blog from a very talented bear artist,  Cheryl of Bingle Bears. She does the most amazing little Teddies. They are so sweet.! Here's a link to her blog. I always enjoy reading her blog and seeing her her wonderful new works. It is truly an honor to receive this award from her.

Here are the rules for the award acceptance:

(1) Thank the person giving the awards
(2) Copy awards to your blog
(3) Place a link to their blog
(4) Name 7 things people don't know about you
(5) Nominate 7 bloggers
(6) Place a link to those bloggers
(7) Leave a comment on their blogs letting them know of their awards

Now for the 7 things you probably didn't know about me.

(1) I like peanut butter and pickle sandwiches
(2) I used to slam dance at the Mabuhay in San Francisco. Yes, I was a punk. Mohawk and all.
(3) I like collecting old bits of blue willow pottery that I find while out hiking in the desert.
(4) When I was kid, I loved to play Tarzan. But since I was the littlest, I always ended up being the chimp.
(5) I was a Joey to the World and belonged to Clowns of America. My clown name was Pumpkin.
(6) I love horned lizards. I think they're my favorite lizard.
(7) I was featured in an Amercan Kennel Club Gazette article titled "Dog Walking San Francisco Style".   Yep, I used to walk dogs for a living among many other things.

My 7 nominees for the award:

(1) Chrissy at The Felted Chicken
(2) Joan of Desert Mountain Bears
(3) Melody  of  Original Art (ACEO) of Melody Lea Lamb
(4) Kimi of Son Blest Bears
(5) Patricia of  Woolytales Miniatures
(6) Kasey of Tanglewood Thicket Creations
(7) Dewfall of  Worksop of the Tireless Artist

There are so many wonderful artists and blogs out there, it was really hard to choose!

Hope, the Raccoon, Friend to Grace

Here's little Hope as promised. Her auction starts tonight on eBay and has no reserve price.  The starting bid is only $9.95.  Thanks for looking, ~Robin

Meet Pepita and Grace

Here are my latest little ones. I'm particularly happy with the way Pepita's nose turned out.  It's pretty rare for me to be completely satisfied with my art. I guess it's a good thing to have a critical eye. I think it helps me to improve my work. Her little nose is the fist one that I've ever done out of Apoxy Sculpt. I really like this type of nose for the pups and think I'll continue to do all of my doggie noses this way.  I'm working on a Bull terrier next.
As for Grace she is going to have a little raccoon companion to be sold seperately. The little raccoon's auction will be a 5 day auction and will end the same time as Grace's.  Both Grace's and Pepita's auctions start tonight at 6:06 pm PDT. They both have a reserve price of  $135.00 each.

Gabriel

Here's my latest little one. I named him Gabriel. His wings were needle felted then hand-dyed. Gabriel's 7 day auction started on eBay last night at 6:45PM PDT.

When I was making him, it reminded me of a church Christmas pageant that I was once in. It was a tradition at St. John's Lutheran church in Anchor, Illinois to have the pageant on Christmas eve. It was also a tradition with my family to open presents after church. The church pageant was always a very exciting event for the Andreae kids. But this year was even more exciting. I was going to be an angel and my sister was to play Mary.

That night we ate our bowls of chili and quickly dressed to go to church. So after the 30 minute ride through the slushy snain (rain & snow) we arrived at our beautiful little brick church. My sister and I headed down stairs to get dressed. Valerie was beautiful in her Mary costume. Being the smallest angel my costume seemed to overtake me. I had to tie the belt extra high to keep my gown from dragging. Plus I had to walk very gingerly or else my halo would fall off. When we were ready, we lined up to go up the stairs and into our assigned pew. It was the larger angels first and me in the rear. That was the way we were also to file onto the stage and the opposite upon leaving.

I sat in the pew watching my sister as she knelt before the manger. Joseph was kneeling behind her. The light from manger cast a warm beautiful glow upon them. It was now the angels turn to stand behind the holy family. As we filed up on the stage, I noticed Joseph was looking kind of green. Then as we were standing behind, Joseph bent over and threw up in the manger. You can well imagine the smell as it hit the source of the beautiful light, a 150 watt trouble lamp. My poor sister had to kneel there for the rest of the evening. Luckily for us angels we got to go back to our pew. But I led them astray into the wrong pew. The pastor's wife had to redirect us. As I sat down, the chili took hold. I let out the loudest fart ever. It seemed to echo through out the whole church. It was hard not to laugh. As I sat there trying to hold back the giggles, my halo fell off. I bent down to pick it up. And guess what? Another frog had escaped and the whole row of angels were all cracking up as we sang "Angels we have heard on high". Proving once again my Mom's favotite saying. "You can dress them up. But you can't take them to town,"

Java ~ A new Siamese Cat

I just finished this kitty a couple of days ago and have him listed on eBay now. He's kind of a big fellow for one of my felties. He's 9 inches long. His auction ends on Sunday at 6:45 PM PDT. I named him Java for his coffee and cream colored fur and because he reminds me of my Charlie who was a very mischievious Siamese. His favorite thing was to walk along the edge of the bath tub and splash water at you. However he wasn't the most graceful of cats and would sometimes fall in. He'd also get in one of those moods where he would race around the house knocking things over. And because he was so cross-eyed he'd end up running into walls. But that didn't seem to stop him. Charlie very often seemed like he had one too many cups of coffee. He was a great character and a part of my family.

20% from his sale will be donated to Old Dog Haven. They now have 190 senior pups in their care!

I hope you all have a very spendid Thanksgiving!

An Arabian Mare and a Little Christmas Piggy

Here are my latest two, an Arabian mare and a little sleepy piglet. They're both on eBay now. I'm having one of those days that I don't have a lot to say. It's been a bit chilly here. But not as cold as elsewhere in the U.S. I got out for a hike a couple of days ago and was surprised to see that the Mojave green rattlesnakes are still out and about even in this cold. I finally got to watch the movie, "There will be Blood"'. It reminded me of what this area must have been like back in its hay day. We have a bit of local drama going on concerning something very similar to the movie. A new mining firm bought out the area and it looks as if half of Red Mountain will have to move. Red Mountain is a neighboring community of about 100 people. Silver was mined there predominately. I'm not too sure what they are after now as the mine has been played out. One thing about buying property in this area is that you may own the land but not the mineral rights or you may own your home but not the land. The folks in Red Mountain fall in the latter category.

It's November Already!?!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I can't believe how this year has flown by! We've already had a couple of pretty good freezes. And both my husband and I came down with the flu! So while I was resting between sneezes and coughs, I tried to catch up on some reading. When I opened up my last month's Utne reader, I saw the cutest thing I think I've ever seen. It was a photo of a little St. Andrew Beach Mouse by Joel Sartore. It brought to mind warm days, white sand beaches and the gentle waves of the Florida coast. And when I finally finished little Periwinkle and listed her, she sold right away.

My second piece was of an Inuit man and a baby harp seal. I continued my sale and it didn't go as well as I had expected. One of my regular buyers got a real bargain. They sold for under $30.00! I think that's the lowest any of my work has ever sold for. I was happy it was to one of my good customers. I guess people aren't ready for snow and cold, warm sunny beaches did much better.

I have three pieces on now, a little chipmunk named Hazel, a piglet by the name of Gingersnap and a little mouse named Kringle. They all end Sunday at 6:45 PM PDT.

Click here to view their auctions.

My flu is still lingering on a bit. Living in such a small town you get see how these things progress through the community. It seems the whole town has had this one. It's just the regular old seasonal flu. But we've had a couple of cases of swine flu already. One of them is a pregnant woman who contracted it by going to her prenatal checkups at the Ridgecrest hospital. She is recovering nicely. But it was a bit of a scare. The town children (all nine or ten) get innoculated for swine flu soon. I hope you all stay well!

A Spotted Owl & Woodland Mouse

I listed these two last Sunday and they sold within an hour of listing.

I just finished a new piece and wll get pictures soon. It's of a Eskimo and a harp seal. I was surprised when I got him to stand the first time with no adjustments. He's in a bending over position looking down at the seal.

At present I'm working on a St. Andrew Beach Mouse inspired by a photo I saw in Utne Reader by National Geographic photographer, Joel Sartore. They are really cute little guys. They're usually very pale with a light tan top and white underneath. These little mice are probably one of the most endangered small mammals.

Also, I'm working on a sewn mohair elephant. There's kind of a funny story behind this one. I found this gray mohair jacket at the thrift store. I immediately thought this wouls be great for making bears and elephants. The tag in the jacket read "teddy bear fabric". The fiber was loomed at Shelton Looms. Well, I didn't find the tags until after I ripped the jacket apart. The jacket was worth more money than the fiber. Live and learn. It's really a nice dense mohair and will make some lovely teddies and friends.

Last Week of my Sale of Sorts

This is the last week for this month that you'll be able to win one of my items at well below what they usually sell for. So if you've always liked my work, but thought you couldn't afford it. Here's your chance. Next week, my auctions go back to having a reserve price. There are two new auctions for this week's sale. One is for a little panda bear named Mei Lin and the other is Honey Bear redressed with a bone choker and her first catch, an impossibly large needle felted salmon.

Mei Lin is five way thread jointed. She has steel shot to give her some heft and a real feel. She sits at 4 1/2 inches tall and is 6 inches from head to toe.

Honey has a tiny bone choker that is attached by braided leather straps. She has steel shot also and is free standing. However, she may be posed in a sitting position, too. She's 7 inches tall.

Mention my "Sale of Sorts" and this blog to get free shipping in US or $10.00 off international shipping if you win either Honey or Mei Lin or both. Good Luck! Click here to view my auctions.

I'm Having a Sale of Sorts

This week I'm starting all of my felties at $9.95 with no reserve! There have been quite a few people who have expressed interest in my work. But they could not afford it. Now those buyers have a chance at winning one of my pieces. Who knows, you could win one of my felties for well under the $100 0r more dollars that my work usually go for. The auctions are set to private just in case the item is purchased for a gift.

Included in this set of auctions is a little mousie on a wooden spool. He was inspired by the mouse in Beatrix Potter's tale, "The Tailor of Gloucester". I have seen others use this image without giving her credit. This is just my gentle reminder to myself and others on eBay to give credit where credit is due. Since the economy has taken a real hit, I've noticed a lot of artists are only doing what they know will sell. Consequently, there are some very similar items and items that are taken from other's imaginations. I'm not too sure that competition in the marketplace helps creativity. My opinion is that when things are tight, people take fewer chances. In effect, it ends up being like a dog chasing its tail. The fewer choices there are, the less interest and less purchases. The one good thing is it helps to hone your technique when your up against some other very talented artists. So when the economy picks up, there will be some really innovative highly skilled works out there. In the meanwhile , I'll try to expand my works with new styles and techniques while sticking to my tried and trues.

I hope you all like my latest works. Mention this blog if your the winner of one of my items and you'll receive a coupon towards free shipping on your next purchase. Please click here to view my auctions.

Thanks, Robin

What's My Name?

Well, it's finally happened. I'm stuck for a name for my next little piggy. I hope to have her up for auction Sunday. But I haven't a clue as to what to call her. She was a bit of a struggle. I started out with the idea of making her a little Christmas piggy with a holiday wreath around her neck. But no matter what I tried it just didn't look quite right. She wanted to be a pretty little pink girl. I'm thinking maybe naming her Molly after Molly Ringwald (Pretty In Pink). What do you all think? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Who does she look like to you?

Pim and his Crawdaddy

Skip Fall. I think Winter has arrived. It's about 50 degrees Farenheight and the sun isn't down yet. Brrr. I don't think I'm ready for it this year. Since I last wrote, I made it to Michaels's. I bought some PrismaColor Art Markers and had to try them out. I shaded the crawfish with them. They're a lot of fun. I plan on buying a whole set when I'm in town next. I just finished the little raccoon and his crayfish this morning. Photos were a bit difficult because I had to take them indoors. The wind was too strong to get many outdoor shots. I have some trouble getting the lighting the way I want it in the indoor ones. But I think they turned out ok. What do you think?







Here's how I do indoor pics. I use a home made light box for my pics. It's constructed of a 16 inch cube box with 3 sides cut open. one side open and interfacing glued around it to filter the light. I use two flexible gooseneck lamps with daylight bulbs. I use poster board for the backdrops. It's worked out pretty good. But I'd like to invest in some other lights and a dettachable flash.








Click Here to view my auctions.

Andy & his Corn, a New Little Gray Squirrel

Well I just finished this little guy. His listing will start tonight and is a ten day listing. I've got a lot things happening this weekend and thought it might work out better if I just went ahead with a ten day tonight. Hopefully I'll get to go to Michael's. I haven't been to one in over two years. it's just too impossible to get to without a car. But we're taking some friends to the train station and we'll get to borrow their car. So here's little Andy and his ear of corn. he stands just 3 1/2 inches tall and is weighted with steel shot. His ear of corn is not removable. I hope you like him.

A New Little Mousie in a Shoe

When I was a kid, the winters in Illinois would get so cold that the mice would hide in your shoes and slippers at night. You always had to shake out your shoes before you dare stick a toe in to avoid a surprise. My Dad once told me that they were checking to see if the shoes the elves made were in need of mending. I found this ceramic baby shoe when I was in town on Saturday and just couldn't resist making a little mouse to fit into it. So here's Little Benjamin and his shoe. His auction starts tonight at 6:45 PM PDT.