Saturday, December 20, 2008

Felted Sculptures in Snow

Felted sculptures © Kim Buchheit; Photograph © Mike Buchheit
Enjoyed shooting more felted pods in the snow. My husband joined me on the shoot and we had some good laughs as we sunk into the mud, battled the wind, and scouted out the best icicles in the park. Regarding these felted pods: the cream-colored pod is covered in tiny mirrors with one large one in the front. I was hoping that the mirrors would pick up the light and make for some interesting compositions.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Felted Acorn Ornaments in Etsy Treasury

Oh, yay! My felted acorn ornaments for Hanukkah made it into Lora Hart's beautiful Etsy Treasury (thank you, Lora!). Lora makes stunning jewelry which is available through her Etsy store — be sure to check out her selection.

UPDATE: My Hanukkah ornaments are SOLD OUT, but I may still be able to do a few custom orders if you contact me via my Etsy store before Sunday, Dec. 21.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Felted Works in Snow


Felted artwork and photos © Kim Buchheit
We had a glorious snowfall last night... I awoke compelled to photograph some felted pieces outside in the glistening, magical environment. I'd love to hang a pod from a tree and leave it there throughout the winter to see if, and how, nature might reclaim it. Would critters nest in it or pick pieces from it to build their winter homes? Might a coyote trot off with it and use it as a plaything. Would it get heavy with moisture, fall to the ground, and be lost till spring? I wonder. ~Kim

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Felted Cosmetics :: Faux-bidden Lipstick

Felted mixed media work and photo © Kim Buchheit
Finished another felted lipstick today. Created a sexy backdrop for this new, upcycled, faux product. ~ Kim

Friday, November 28, 2008

Felted Bowl in Etsy Treasury


What a great morning to find that my little aubergine felted bowl made it into a gorgeous Etsy Treasury. Thank you Lori from Risky Beads. (Be sure to check out Lori's unique and enchanting handmade jewelry collection!) ~ Kim

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Felted Lotus Seed Pod


Felted sculpture & photo © Kim Buchheit.
Here's a fun felted project that I worked on yesterday. I plan to make a few more to create a nice grouping. Don't you just love lotus seed pods? They are beautifully organic, yet have a noticeable geometric designerliness to them too. I'd like to get my hands on some dried lotus pods... does anyone know where I might find them? ~ Kim

Felted Sculpture :: Wall Pods

Felted sculptures & photo © Kim Buchheit.
Pictured above are some more felted wall pods that I created. I like them hanging from a tree branch that I nailed to the wall in my messy studio. I've been playing with adding mirrors to these wall pods; one is shown here. I plan to add several more tiny mirrors to this pod after the holidays. Speaking of, happy Thanksgiving to all! We plan on having a house full here at the canyon. ~ Kim

Etsy Treasury


Oh, what a delightful way to start the day – with a notification that one of my felted bowls made it into another Etsy Treasury. The very talented Leah of Spider Felt assembled this beautiful collection. Do check out her Etsy site when you're doing your holiday shopping – she makes gorgeous cozy-warm scarves and collars, among other lovely felted things. ~ Kim

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Felted Sculpture :: Wall Pods


Felted Sculptures © Kim Buchheit

A series of needle-felted sculptures that I've been developing. The dark brown-grey wool is 60% llama, 30% wool, and 5% silk... it's such a handsome blend! (The contributing llamas were Triumphus, who has since passed, and Charley, who now lives in Vermont. Thanks, guys.) These pieces are approximately 24 inches in height; am working on large-scale versions. ~ Kim

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Felted Cosmetics :: Concealer

Design © Kim Buchheit
Latest in the line of felted cosmetics: Eye Concealer (promises, promises!) :)

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Felted Cosmetics :: Shadow/Blush

Design © Kim Buchheit
I'm just laughing while making these felted cosmetics... they just make me happy! I think I love these little mixed-media pieces for the same reasons I love trompe l'oeil. Stay tuned... more to come :)

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Felted Cosmetics :: Upcycling is Fun!


Design and photos © Kim Buchheit
I am just having way too much fun making needle-felted make-up for recycled cosmetic containers. My faves are the lipsticks in Clinique's pretty silver tubes! Will post an entire vanity full as soon as they are finished. And, yes (!), the lipstick moves up and down, just like the real thing. Would love to hear what you all think :) ~ Kim

Felted Mandrake

© Kim Buchheit
Ever since I learned the folklore and myth surrounding the ancient mandrake, I've been drawn to this little man root. With needle in hand, I thought I'd make a few out of wool, and include their story, to give as gifts for friends who need a good luck charm, love Harry Potter, or are trying to get pregnant (mandrakes are supposedly helpful in this endeavor if placed under the pillow at night). May consider selling them on Etsy, if they are well received. ~ Kim

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Felted Acorn Ornaments

Felted acorn ornaments by Kim Buchheit. Photo © Kim Buchheit
These life-sized felted acorn ornaments were both wet felted and needlefelted using merino wool glued into Shumard Oak acorn caps. Each acorn cap was drilled and threaded with tan embroidery. Ideal for holiday tree ornaments, gift toppers, party favors, hostess gifts, or home decoration -- tie them anywhere for a beautiful accent. Color sets for Thanksgiving and for Hanukkah now available at Kim's Etsy store (more color sets coming!). 

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Felted Acorns


Felted acorns by Kim Bucheit.
We took a seasonal break yesterday and made some cute and cozy acorns for the holidays. These little nuts are needle-felted and then glued into Gambel Oak acorn caps. A fun, upcycled (!) party favor or little treat for the nature-lover in your life! Available here...

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Felted Bowls in the Woods


Felted bowls © Kim Buchheit; Photo © Mike Buchheit
We ran into the woods today with a colorful bunch of new felted bowls to shoot. Fun to photograph them in the wild where they seem to belong. A small mule deer watched us from a distance :) [These new felt bowls are available in Kim's Etsy store... just in time for holiday gift-giving!]

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Holiday Bowls

Felted bowl © Kim Buchheit; Photo © Mike Buchheit
The holiday season is fast approaching, so my elf-self is felting Christmas and Hanukkah bowls as quickly as possilble. These latest gift-giving creations are now available through my Etsy site! ~ Kim

Friday, September 12, 2008

For the Birds



Photos © Beth Seely
I recently found a deserted bird nest near my house that had a Christmas tree icicle built in. So, knitters, save those yarn ends for early spring, put them on tree bark and help the birds in your area make some colorful nests! ~ Beth

Beth's Beautiful Socks

Design and photo © Beth Seely
I just discovered Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn – it’s fun to knit with because you can’t be sure what wonderful color is coming next. I don’t know how well the yarn will wear in socks but they’re good to look at. I must be thinking about the change of season and keeping toes warm! ~ Beth

Note: Beth's beauties will be available soon in her Etsy shop... stay tuned! :)

Monday, September 1, 2008

More Bowls


Design © Kim Buchheit
I just completed three more bowls -- available now through my Etsy shop. One has matching removable feet so you can adjust its profile. The bowl posted here was created for a dear friend who just got her MBA (congrats, Tery!)  ~Kim

Monday, August 4, 2008

The Doors Have Opened at Kim's Etsy Boutique

I've just opened my Etsy store and would love for you to come visit. Currently, there are 6 felted bowls for sale. Beth will open her own store real soon. ~Kim

Saturday, July 26, 2008

New Bowls Inspired by Old Work



Acrylic Painting (3o" x 40") and Bowl Designs © Kim Buchheit; Photography © Mike Buchheit 
3 new felted bowls 85/15 wool/mohair. A friend of mine noted how much my bowl designs look like a painting series (sample shown above) I had done a few years ago... wow, I didn't even notice that. Interesting how we have these symbols from our visual language appearing over and over again in our work throughout our lifetime. ~ Kim

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Red Felted Bowl


Bowl design © Kim Buchheit; Photography © Mike Buchheit
Front and back view of latest felted bowl. I'll be posting more bowls tomorrow. Just need to add some roving applique to them (that's the fun part ;) ) ~ Kim

Friday, July 18, 2008

Preparing for Etsy


Bowl designs © Kim Buchheit; Photograph © Mike Buchheit
While not quite ready to open our respective Etsy shops... Beth and I are working toward this goal :) Here are three bowls (85% wool, 15% mohair) I've just completed. Beth will post some of her lovelies soon. ~ Kim

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Nature-inspired Bowls




Bowl designs © Kim Buchheit; Photographs © Mike Buchheit
Latest felted wool bowls inspired by nature. The organic, mushroom-like "growths" inside some of these bowls (top) and the roving "seed pods" on the outside of others (bottom), make for more tactilely pleasing pieces. I also like the idea of having the outer design curl over the top of the lip and inside the bowls, which you can see here on the grey bowls. ~ Kim

Monday, June 2, 2008

Wool Festival in Flagstaff

Churro sheep come in many flavors: cream, beige, brown, black.


Dropped by the Wool Festival in Flagstaff over the weekend! Watched two Navajo women expertly hand-shear a Navajo-Churro sheep. ~ Kim

Photos © Mike Buchheit

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Cat Toys



The photos above show the vigorous testing that goes into each and every one of our products (okay, not really)! Our R&D department has finally given a thumbs-up to our new felted jingle balls. We hope to make them available to kitties around the globe real soon :)
Photos © Beth Seely