Discovery Tote - Mini

This is a new Discovery Tote mini! My daughter was the inspiration for this one. She loves little bags and purses. She also really gravitates towards small hand held dolls, something she can just clutch in her little hand. So, voila the mini tote was made.

If you live near Greensboro, NC find me here.......

Feelbie and friends

Hi, we are Feelbies, my friends and I have sweet faces that show how we are feeling. Can you guess how I feel today?Measures approx. 6.5 inches high, has a flat bottom so feelbie's are perfect for sitting on a shelf or bed. Made of cotton, with a woolfelt bottom. Stuffed with polyfil and beans in the bottom for weight.

I made these little guys so I could have some variety for "Art in the Arboretum" that I am going to do next weekend. I thought they would be a great addition to my etsy shop too. My original idea was for them to have removable faces so the child could talk about how they feel. Then I decided that was to much, so why not just make several that have different faces evoking different emotions. There you go, the story behind "Feelbie". The kids love them, they talk about what feelings the feelbies have....."this one is shy, that one is sleepy, and this one is angry".

A Day for a Hike

This is a new Discovery Tote I recently finished, and I have to say my personal favorite. Making scale models is most evident here. I have so much fun coming up with the ideas for these totes. This one has a beautiful vintage fabric on the exterior.

Excellent Reminders

I was reading a friends blog.....metal love and came across this list. So incredibly true. I just had to post for a personal reminder.

Interviewed by The Little Peanut Shop Blog

I just got back from an excellent weekend on Oak Island, NC with my family to read an article written about me, Helicopter Studios. I was interviewed by a fellow blogger/Etsian tagged Little Peanut Shop before I jetted out of town. I was eager to get back to computer land so I could read the finished piece. She did a great job, I thought the feature was well written. If you would like to check out her Friday feature and blog just click here

Making Some New Friends

These are a work in progress......I am taking a break from Discovery Totes right now for some reason? I love making them and coming up with the ideas, I just really enjoy sitting quietly and doing handwork. I never thought after so many years of banging on metal and loving it, that here I would be sitting and hand stitching. I have become interested in making some small items, and of course having ADD or so it seams.....I like to move around and keep it fresh. I haven't come up with a name for these guys and gals, they remind me of little aliens of sort... any suggestions?

A Day in the City

I have been wanting to upcycle some old sweaters in my work and finally found a way to do just that. I made the skyscrapers on this Discovery Tote out of a 100% merino wool sweater, I added some stitching and some embroidery to embellish them. The roads are cut out of wool felt and the tote is trimmed with red bias tape. I had to change the design in order to accommodate the tall buildings. The buildings lay on their sides and the tote has a snap that holds the tote closed. The strap pulls the rest of it together.

Playland Pillow

Before I went to graduate school, I worked for two years at an architecture firm where I built scale models. We did huge models for large timeshare properties and hotels like Hilton and Ritz Carlton. I loved the work I did there and have found that it creeps into the work I do now. I thought I would do some topography pillows for children to play on. They are multifunctional to be used as an accessory and a playland--- I came up with the title----Playland Pillow.

My New ETSY shop---Heilo Studios

This piece is a small sterling silver vessel that is about 1x1x1 inches. It is hollow and holds a strip of archival handmade paper that attaches to the inside of the lid. When the view opens the lid, out comes the paper. The idea here is that you can write an message or sentiment to whomever it is intended for and when they open it they can read your thought. I give them to my children for birthdays.

So, I bounce back-and-fourth between metalworking and stitching. I have had some of these pieces on hand and decided to open up a second etsy store. I am calling it Heilostudios, I wanted to put the two together somehow. In my mind they should be in the same store but, I felt business wise this was a smarter decision. Please, check it out!!!!