Friday Finds: All Things Fairy Tale Castle

So if you read my previous post, HERE, you'll know I am working on a Felt Castle Nursery Art Piece for my neighbor's new baby girl. And since castles are on my mind I thought today's finds should reflect that.

I think I found some really fantastic and fun castle themed items for kids and I hope you'll take time to check out these great shops!

Rose and Elaine

A sweet watercolor Cinderella Castle print, perfect for fairy tale decor.

 Decal Vinci 

  

Really wonderful castle decal art that provides a backdrop for imaginary play.

 Info Papercat

Richly detailed paper Kingdom paper toy set that both boys and girls would love.

Go Go Dragon Business

I absolutely love this wall decal! It's so great that you can get a darker skin version too.

 

Zooble 

Fantastic Felt Castle Play Set. This shop has several castle sets including an "Ice Castle", Rapunzel Tower and Woodland Castle that are worth checking out.

Hancocks Embroidery 

Enchanting soft castle play set with lots of castle characters to interact with.

A peek at another wip pic of my fairy tale nursery felt wall art. 

 This is starting to come together and I'm feeling more confident about it as each piece gets cut out and placed. I'll probably devote a whole post just to this project at some point but for now, I'll pop wips in other posts.

Worktable Wednesday: Penguin Felt Plush Pattern Launch and a Nursey Art Piece Wip

I launched my 2nd PDF Felt Pattern! I'm really so very proud of this! Being in the hospital and having to take it easy when I came home really set my plans back and this pattern launched later than I expected. But it's up and available now!

This felt penguin pdf pattern comes with 2 face designs. I just love that sleepy/bashful eye design!

 You can make a regular colored penguin or a whole colorful rainbow of felt penguins!

This felt penguin plush is a nice size for pretend play. Not small enough to loose and not too big to go on adventures. Kids who play Club Penguin would really enjoy this plush.

I'm currently working on a add-on felt pattern set that will be listed soon. So keep your eye out for this!

More worktable projects this week include:

A Fairy Tale Felt Nursery Art Piece. My upstairs neighbors are having a baby, they actually just got home from the hospital last night so I'm super behind on getting this piece done for them It's a gift so no time frame to worry about, but I'm super busy and trying to fit this in my schedule is challenging.

I had already done research for it previously so at least that part was done. I had also made a rough sketch of an basic idea I liked. This is seriously rough you guys so don't laugh!

 After looking at popular baby bedding in this theme I decided to change from a cottage to a castle. 

 I refined the idea a little more to a castle coming out of a book.

Then I made a life size sketch of the design. Normally I'd make this on the computer, very neat and precise but I just don't have time so I'm winging it. 

 I started cutting out felt last night. I'm starting at the bottom and working my way up. I hope this turns out as nice as it looks in my head!

Worktable Wednesday: Shooting Cover Photos of My New Penguin Pattern

Weeks and weeks worth of work went into this pattern. There are 2 add-on patterns that go with this pattern that I'll be revealing and launching sometime in June too.

Honestly as much as I love this pattern, I'd be happy not to see it again for a while, lol!

Being in the hospital kind of set me back a bit on this so instead of a big splashy countdown launch, I'm just going to quietly put this in my shop in the next few days. 

Here's the final cover design.

Subscribe to my newsletter and find out the exact date, plus there will be a giveaway of one of the prototypes soon. Don't miss out!

 

 If you like making fun felt things or penguins or both, I hope you'll come check it out!

Friday Finds: 5 Of My Most Favorite Felt Needle Books On Etsy

I just adore needle-books. They come in so many different designs and styles and there is a special one out there for everyone. Needle books can be super simple and utilitarian or absolute works of art. There are some really lovely needle books on etsy and I spent time looking through them all to find some favorites.

In case you don't know what a needle book is I'll explain, they are literally a small book usually made from felt or linen with a design on the front and has 3 or more "felt pages" to hold your needles. They are compact and easy to carry around so you can sew anywhere. It's also harder to lose your needles when they are stored in something so pretty. 

I picked 5 of my most favorite needle book designs on etsy to share with you today.

 MMM Crafts

My hands down favorite are these gorgeous needle books from MMM Crafts. A very talented woman named Larissa Holland is the designer of these lovelies. I've followed her blog for years and I have a felt girl crush on her. Her patterns are outstanding and I'm going to do a post just devoted to her soon. 

These needle books are available as a diy pattern so you can pick your favorite colors and make your own special one.

Fabric and Ink

I'm a real book lover not a KIndle lover so I find this awesome "antique leather, hardcover book" design to be so very charming. Unfortunately it's not a pattern, you have to buy the finished product. I wish it was a pattern cause I'd make one in a heartbeat, that's how much I love this design! This color palette is my favorite.

This seller makes a lot of different kinds of needle books and I had a hard time choosing just one, so please go visit this shop and see the other great designs.

Jenn Maruska Designs

I adore super cute things and I found this design to be so whimsical and fun. This needle book is a different size than needle books normally are which allows you store larger and longer needles. The button closure detail is different and fun too. This seller also doesn't offer patterns so you'll need to buy the physical product.

 Pretty Little Pink Bird

What a darling matryoshka doll needle book!  I have loved Russian nesting dolls since I was a child and had a great wooden set years ago. Such a cute and a lovely place to keep your sewing needles. This is also a physical product and not a pattern. 

I checked this shop before I posted this and this particular needle book has been sold, but if you love it I'm sure the seller will make another one for you.

Handcrafted or Vintage

Last but not least is this beauty. I love how the bright colors pop off the black background and the embroidery is very nice too! This maker carried the colors from the front to the inside, making this a special treat for the eyes. This is another physical product and there are many to choose from in this shop.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my 5 favorite needle books from etsy as much as I enjoyed finding them for you!

Worktable Wednesday: Nothing to share today.

 I went to the Emergency room Sunday evening and ended up being put in the hospital for 2 days. I just returned home last night and am just too exhausted to organize and post things right now.

I'll have something ready for Friday's post so pop back in then. And I also hope to have a new FREEBIE for you all next week.