My new little shop Marijkearty's on felt.co.nz

Blog land is an exiting place to be, I have found many creative and interesting blogs and I have put favourites on my blog list. I love to read about other artists and crafts people and what inspires them.

I admire the beautiful blogs I find and then feel I still have a lot to learn about blogging.

There are no courses available, as far as I know and I find it so much easier if someone shows me what to do instead of reading manuals on the internet.

Hand knitted cupcakes

In this time of my life I can't work because of the cancer treatment I had, so I am trying to find other ways of being creative at home and maybe earn a little extra.

So I found the website "felt.co.nz" on the internet and opened my own online shop called "marijke arty."

The website felt is similar to etsy and started in New Zealand.

Only handmade products are for sale on felt, so it is a makers only online marketplace. 

 I only started this week and selling hand painted watercolour cards and my knitted cupcakes, but more will follow.

My latest watercolour shell cards.

I would love you to visit my little shop on felt, see you there.

Spinning, knitting.... winter has arrived.

Winter arrived very suddenly.

I missed late summer and the warm autumn days because of my cancer treatment in Christchurch and seven weeks away from the cottage and the garden is a long time.

Now winter is here and the first frosty nights were a bit of a shock, so cold outside, but amazing starry night skies.

Waking up in the morning to a white world,even the pond is frozen and my goldfish are swimming under the ice till the morning sun comes out and melts the ice away.

All the growth in the garden has slowed down and` the winter vegetables are not doing well in this sudden cold snap.

I have planted the last spring bulbs and Henk is pruning the fruit trees in the orchard.

When the afternoon sun is warm enough I sit outside on the deck with my spinning wheel and spin away for a hour or so.

Handspun wool

My wool is not finely spun, I spin a bit more chunky, but I like a textured look and feel in my knitting,also I spin different yarns together.
Black Alpaca wool with grey Romney wool and some dyed fleece to create a burst of colour.

The first frost of winter.

Different fleeces spun together.

I can't wait to start knitting my next slippers.

Creative again

After two weeks at home I start to feel well enough to be creative again.

Slowly my energy levels are returning and I feel I can do a little bit more each day.

Most afternoons I am very tired, so I do some spinning or painting.

My friend Ruth lend me her mothers spinning wheel and I bought some carded fleece at Eyebright near Richmond,also Ruth left me some carded wool to spin. 

The last spinning I did was nearly two years ago, so it took me an afternoon to get into the swing of spinning again.

I hope to spin every day and use the wool for my knitting.

Paul is the next person I am knitting winter slippers for and Jean my friend put an order in for a pair of slippers.

My paintings are simple, watercolour images of every day items, mostly from my garden.

I use recycled paper and small pieces of watercolour paper for the cards.

I found the birds nest without the egg.

Henk is going back to work this week after nearly three months looking after me and being with me during my cancer treatment.
I won't be able to work for a while, so we have to live of one income what will not be easy.
The only way I can earn some extra money is through my creativity and I hope to be able to sell my little painted cards and hand spun knitted slippers through my blog and face book.

Another birdsnest card

Pumpkin from the garden.

Another pumpkin card.

Olives from the olive tree in the garden.

The cards cost $ 5 not including postage.
The hand-spun knitted slippers cost $ 25 not including postage.
I am selling my cards on trade me under crafts: Greeting cards and envelopes  in "other" catagory.

I will post some more information about the slippers in my next blog post.

Email me: frowijnmarijke@yahoo.co.nz if you are interested in my cards.