Yesterday I decided I was going to become a cobbler. I figured that’s probably a niche that hasn’t been filled in our area. I wouldn’t be just any cobbler, but one who used local leather and other materials and was all organic and crunchy. What a neat idea! Then I started doing a little bit of research about cobblering, and I quickly nixed that plan. Mostly. Maybe I can make some sandals. I could be a sandaler.

With my shoe-filled dreams mostly behind me, I thought instead I’d make a needle-felted bumble bee. I took a class in needle felting at a fiber festival about five years ago. The class project was a llama. I really think we should have started with something a bit simpler because after creating what looks like a floppy camel, I gave up on the craft until this morning. A few weeks ago I found a needle-felting book at the library, and in its wisdom, the book started with a bee. Bees, unlike llamas, have no legs or necks.

One problem. No black fiber. I did have purple, and purple is like black. Sort of. I got started with the body. I made a little purple ball and rolled it around in my hands and poked it with the needle, and I decided…this does not look like a bee. The lump did, however, sort of look like a beetle, so I went with that. I needled in wings and shaped a head and added on hot pink over the wings. For a touch of pizazz, I added some lime green spots. Now all I need are some googly eyes.

I usually try to make gifts for friends each Christmas. This year I put together goodie bags with a wire star, gift tags made from old cards and magazines, and pomanders. None of the recipients shrieked with terror upon opening their bag, so I am going to consider the gifts a success.

The pomanders, also known as “oranges with cloves jammed in ’em,” were very pretty, so I asked Andy to photograph them. I am starting to realize that the key to nice crafty photos is not so much the scene as the photographershopping. (I’m still amazed I was able to tie bows that looked like bows and not tangled spaghetti.)

Don’t you feel inspired now to make some of your own?? The best tips I have to share are to pre-poke the clove holes and use satin pins to hold the ribbon on. (I didn’t know what satin pins were and had told Andy I needed to buy some “straight pins without the plastic thingies on top.”) I think I would have liked a few more cloves, but I didn’t have enough, and we were snowed in again (got the fridge and freezer cleaned the second day!).

Anya helped me make the pomanders, and so did her Barbie. Barbie really liked the cloves and danced in them and swum in them and passed out in them. Perhaps cloves are to Barbie what catnip is to cats? Crafty Bloggers, eat your heart out with this awesome crafty photo!

Okay, one last picture. This is from when I was assembling the cards and stars for Anya’s kids and teachers. I don’t think any of them read my blog, but if they do, oops. Here’s what Anya is giving you for the holidays…at some point after the holidays when school starts up again.