Hand of Bela Peck : crafting

crafting

01/25/2013

Studio Work That Feels Like Play

Some days I beat myself up about not getting much done. But then I turn around to find my studio full to the brim with new critters nearly ready to roll.

The spring chicks went through some minor revisions for 2013- adding hearts for Valentines Day and being paired up with their sweethearts. Though I have three birds pictured here, my work basket is toppling with little tweets just waiting for wings.

The primitive hearts are going faster than I can make them! And sadly- I'm moving on to Spring goodies and new adventures after this last batch.

The whale pod has been rescued! Previously beached after some scoundrels robbed my house of all the silver somewhere around Christmas (grrrrrrr), the whales now have nut pickers as their wee bases. I had my nose in the air holding out for silverplate but the stainless pickers were perfectly aged and textured.

Though they still need eyes and finishing stitches, one whale showed off his plant staking talents nestling up to the ever-blooming forget-me-nots in the back garden. He is hoping his showing off will land him in a magazine just like his buddy currently in the Winter 2013 issue of Somerset Studio's Prims. (shameless plug!)

All in all- I'd have to say this week has been a productive one- play time and all!

LOVE & DO WHAT YOU LOVE!

Jan 25, 2013 8:11:23 AM | crafting, Primitive , Vintage

01/21/2013

Chicks In Love

Inspired by the abundance of hearts in production, the studio chicks have begun pairing up and falling in love. In lush up-cycled mohair blends and vintage cashmere, the budding romances will certainly lead to a bumper crop of spring song birds and primitive nesters!

In keeping with the primitive tradition, these wee birds are cut from a simple pattern on old fabrics that would otherwise be tossed in the trash. A vintage mohair garment never goes to waste at Hand of Bela Peck! Even the tiniest scrap can be used as beaks, bow ties, hearts and wings. What can't be used becomes stuffing for future rag dolls.

Mohair blends are by far my favorite up-cycled material. The thrifting gods have been very good to me this winter! With prices as low as 50 cents for an old sweater or jacket, I can buy in bulk and I often do! I've never met a mohair I don't like.

Having waaaayyy too much mohair blends lets me experiment to my heart's content! I have been chucking sweaters in hot baths, boiling others with mulling spices, and infusing the bland with hand-dyed color! One technique I've fallen in love with is needle felting mohair on top of mohair. I love the imperfection and instant charm!

This Valentine's Day show your love with a customized set of two love birds from Hand of Bela Peck! I love special orders and at the rate these chicks are pairing up it looks like there will be no shortage of love to go around.

LOVE & SWEET TWEETS!

Jan 21, 2013 7:45:52 AM | crafting, holidays, Primitive , Thrift, Vintage

01/17/2013

The Wandering Packages

Have you seen me??

Oh I have heard the stories from fellow artists; disappearing artwork, badly damaged boxes, and then the packages that simply vanish! Even armed with the best protections of tracking labels, delivery confirmation, and insurance, packages never hit the radar. Where in the world do they go?

I once sold a handbag to a fabulous customer in Thailand. After 4 weeks of international no-show, money was refunded and I was out the money and the purse! Luckily, I have the best customers in the world! More than a year later the purse safely arrived in Thailand as if it had just been mailed that week! Oh the stories that purse could tell!

Another international vagabond appeared in my mailbox this week after three months of missing in action. My mohair lamb was detained in Austria, held against his will, and returned to me as unclaimed.

So where is it that the lost spend their time? Are they scared? Confused? Their hopes of a loving new home dashed?

Loss is a part of every business. But working in creative goods makes loss a bit tougher. There are no duplicates to rush out to the frustrated buyer, and rarely does an original item find his way home. Hopefully Seamus McSleety has just detoured to a frozen pond for a skating fix- but in the meantime I'll keep my fingers crossed and my customers happy.

LOVE & THE LOST

Jan 17, 2013 9:38:52 AM | business building, crafting

01/14/2013

Love Is In The Air!

Hearts of all shapes and sizes are pouring from the studio! So easy to make and such fun to embellish, I can't help but make them in excess! Choosing between primitive Valentines or bright whimsically romantic themes, I am reminded of choosing just the right box of Valentine cards for classmates back in elementary school.

Here in the studio, the thoughts and excitement of February 14, keep the sewing machine humming along and the stuffing flying! Now I just need to make my list of love recipients and make sure I have enough to share!

LOVE & SHARING THE LOVE!

Jan 14, 2013 6:55:30 AM | crafting, holidays, Primitive

01/11/2013

Market Day

A basket of fresh handmades is ready for Galveston's Hendley Market on the Strand!

With February just around the corner- Valentine hearts are the primary focus of this delivery. From romantic to primitive to practical, small heart ornies are always a holiday hit!

The Grungy Marlowes are by far my favorite 2013 creation with their primmed-out staining and vintage rhinestone embellishments, they remind me of antique tokens of love found tucked away in secret places. Perhaps I'm even more partial as this Marlowe quote was something hubby use to say when we were dating. Now that we've been married almost 20 years, the first part stays the same but we ad-lib the second as to what we might be proving.

Some up-cycled decorator satin check gets an antiqued feel after it's mulling spice-infused coffee bath. Smelling of oranges and cloves, these hearts are perfect for a treasured basket or hanging from a cabinet knob.

Valentine's Day is never complete without a furry critter or two to delight the soul! The love birds, Herbert and Shirley, are still madly in love after all these years! And the new wee mice are over-joyed with their pink cocoons, hand dyed by another Hendley Market artist!

With the Romantic mice, Cyrano and Cupid leading the group, everyone piled into the market basket and headed to Galveston just in time for a front row seat to the Civil War reenactment activities on The Strand!

LOVE & MARKET DAYS!

Jan 11, 2013 8:17:08 AM | crafting, holidays, Primitive , Texas, Vintage

01/09/2013

Of Mice and Romance

Mice are mushy romantics at heart! They believe chivalry is not dead, romance is an art form, and that a warm smile is worth a thousand words. My studio mice are no different. With Valentine's Day fast approaching, the mice have been busy brushing their wooly coats and cutting out red hearts to offer while courting.

Cupid carries a quiver of woolen hearts and is ready with a line or two of latin to woo the lady mice. He is not above some mischievous match making amongst his peers.

I used an old camel hair coat, laundered, to make Cupid. I really love his texture!

Cyrano has high hopes of finding the love of his life this February. He is quiet but thoughtful and quite poetic. He can quote Marlowe on the fly and steals hearts with his unassuming charm.

Cyrano is one of 2 last mice made of this particular vintage cashmere suiting. Luckily I have found another gray cashmere suit to upcycle into a new generation of mice.

Cupid and Cyrano are off to Galveston's Hendley Market this week to sprinkle romance along the Strand. They will be missed in the studio, but other romantics are hot on their heels.

LOVE & POETIC MICE!

Jan 9, 2013 7:27:08 AM | crafting, holidays, Primitive , Vintage

01/08/2013

Cold Hands, Warm Hearts

On my recent road trip I did, indeed, go with all my heart. Actually I went with alllllllllll my hearts! And I returned with more hearts than I thought possible.

Hearts are just so easy to make. A simple pattern with one fluid line of stitching; a quick turn, stuff and a blank palette is born! No matter the base fabric, I love adding layers of paint, rhinestones, and ribbons.

The red plaid wool lived its former life as a Pendleton skirt and kept my chilly hands toasty as we ventured north. Even though my travels hugged the Gulf Coast, it was still cold by my tropical standards!

There were a few bark cloth hearts in the mix- perfect for primitive Valentines. A few random wool sweater hearts as were in the bag as well.

But then I found some silk checkered napkins along the way and I just couldn't resist making more hearts! Two large shopping totes and 5 bags of fiberfill later, I have hearts coming out of my ears!

Time to break out the embellishments and make these hearts sing! From simple whimsy to extreme grungy primitive, this year holds an abundance of love thanks to one long, cold road trip!

LOVE & ABUNDANCE!

Jan 8, 2013 8:06:29 AM | crafting, holidays, Primitive , Travel

01/07/2013

A Whale Of A Start To 2013!

2013

The new year is off to a fabulous start here in the Hand of Bela Peck studio! The Winter 2013 Issue of Somerset Studio's PRIMS magazine has hit the stands and I have my first article upon its pages! I can now be found sitting in Barnes and Noble staring at the art mag section like a visitor at the Louvre!

Am I alone? Do all artists do this for their first feature? I am in love with the experience and can't imagine anyone would ever tire of their work being published.

Over the Christmas break, though my Etsy shop and blog were on vacation, my hands were busy stitching and stuffing new sea shore primitives. A 16 hour drive from Texas to Florida, and back again, offers miles of road to disappear while turning wee beaks and whale tails, pushing small dabs of fiberfill into the smallest sewn crevices. Even as the winter sky stole away my daylight, I continued to stuff birds in the dark. Turns out I really can do this with my eyes closed!

By time I was back home in Texas, I had a bag full of folks just waiting for their coats of paint.

In no time toothy whale grins filled my work basket. My plan was to have everything finished and bounding off my etsy shelves when I reopened on January 2. The unfortunate reality was that I returned home to discover my house was broken into while I was away and all the silver spoons essential to completing the spoon whales were gone!

Luckily, I am of the belief that we must count our blessings and not our losses. So with the two spoons I found in my driftwood bin, I picked up and carried on.

2013 promises to be a year of new adventures, new characters, and leaping out of my comfort zone with a grin as large as that of my toothy whales! Oh what fun we will have!!

LOVE & 2013!!!!

Jan 7, 2013 6:44:50 AM | crafting, Primitive , Vintage

01/05/2013

The Slow Return

A very Happy New Year to all my bloggy friends!!

A new year is upon me and I am slowly crawling out of holiday hibernation. Slowly. Sssssssssssslllllllllllllllloooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwly.

Look for my regular Monday through Friday posts to begin again first thing Monday, January 7, 2013.

I have been crafting up a storm riding from Texas to Florida and back again so I have lots of goodies to share!

LOVE & GETTING MY CRAFT ON !!

Jan 5, 2013 6:54:42 AM | crafting, holidays

12/18/2012

Cold Heads, Warm Hearts

There's something about pin cushions I simply can't resist. Easy as pie to make and so visually rewarding, custom pin cushions are my fave orders to fill.