Finally Fowl Friday once again! Debra is busy getting ready for Kate's graduation and is leaving us in charge. Well kind of considering the list says things like, "No partying especially with roosters from Hatch.com" (Freda is devastated, a little red wine may help!) "No bathing in the kitchen sink." "No eating chocolate on the white couch!" (although the chicken feet marks make an interesting pattern, but apparently not appreciated as they are on the now underside of the cushion!)

Basically we are going to have a very quiet boring weekend perhaps a little sunning on the deck in the hot pink and kiwi green lawn chairs might be allowed! We are also hoping for some treats from the graduation considering it is Pastry Arts! Kate has made some very yummy treats! Follow the crumb trail! Fran & Freda!

Spring is fickle here, one day flipflops, the next snow is falling once again! Such was the saga of the Easter weekend. It began with snow and worries of my daughter driving from another province and ended in warm sunshine with us hoisting lawn chairs up over the railing on my second floor deck!

I have been busy sewing summery accessories with bird themes, birds are found on everything and I have a growing collection of them in my place. I decided to applique a pillow with so soft birds created from Xotic bamboo felt by National Nonwovens.

The fabric birdhouse compliments the pillow and will make a nice accent for a table next to the chair. Now if it will just stop raining this week.....Debra, CEO!

I like Mondays! So here is to a Marvellous Monday full of sunshine and surprise, new creative endeavours! Spring seems to have officially arrived and hopefully the snow is finally gone!

Beginning with May the Designer Crafts Connection will post the first Monday of every month, so next Monday there will be a collection of wonderful Mother's Day projects.

This past week I was introduced to Pinterest, where you can "pin" images that interest or inspire you from the web to "boards", ownership and origin is acknowledged, pins are repinned and followed by others. There are different categories and you can create your own style boards. There are many beautiful ones and a great resource for inspiration. The pinmarklet goes in the tool bar and "pinning" is simple. Follow the JOY! Debra

This week we (Donna Mulholland (Chief Creative Officer at Creativity Matters) and myself held a creative evening, a sample of Jill Badonski's Modern Day Muses program. Donna and I were the only members in the teleclass from the East Coast to receive Muse Faciliatator training. We were a little nervous about how our "A Musedom Evening" would be received.

We held it at our studio and ten amazing women showed up! We greeted them with a dubbing with the Musedom magic wand and a scroll designating their Muse for the evening.

After our brief intro everyone got to create themselves a "no name" tag as their muse and then share their creation. The tags were colorful, feathery, glittered and dazzling in their uniqueness.

Our next playful activity was making art to music, a sort of version of musical paper where the group circled the table dancing to music and just made marks, scribbled with pastels on the page in front of them. It was such fun as the songs changed so did their movement and expression.

The Modern Day Muses provide playful tools for unblocking and inspiring creativity through fun tools, exercises and the "Muses" who embody characteristics to enhance and encourage creativity. We are planning some upcoming Creativity Workshops. We were very grateful to our group who were our "guinea pigs". They were awesome! Follow the JOY always! Debra

I have had the pleasure of working with STYROFOAM brand foam products for over ten years now and even more delightful pleasure of working with Sharon Currier during these years. Her new blog Crafts 'n Coffee features all kind of great projects you can create easily with foam.

This week there is a give away, cute chicks which will make a whimsical spring centerpiece. This design was featured in Crafts 'n Things magazine, I really enjoy designing birds, chicks, bunnies, any kind of fuzzy creature really! So grab your coffee and enjoy Crafts 'n Coffee! Follow the JOY! Debra, CEO!

Drum roll or egg roll please! It is the Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop! This month's theme is Easter Crafts. Just click on the button to hop along and see all the other Easter treats! Julie McGuffee has a give away when you find the Scrapbook Memories logo as you hop along. Full details on her blog!

My Easter design is a Canadian Easter bunny, there is still a chill in the air so a sweater please but the snow is gone so tootsies are laid bare and sport sandals, flipflops or Berks! I have recycled an angorah sweater and used my favorite STYROFOAM brand foam and wool from National Nonwovens.

Sweater, Wool Wisps, Clover Pen Tool

Cut off 8" of sleeve for body.

The weather holds spring in its heart now and the air is warming slowly. The snow remains small drifts sparse, bedraggled while frisky bright crocus shout I am here, tis time for growing things! Metamorphosis and fresh beginnings, I find myself in that space of fresh exciting beginnings in my work and my life.

Creativity is as unconscious in my life as breathing and as necessary. The same for each of us but as we are all unique so is our expression and journey into our own creativity. My interest lies more and more in assisting and encouraging others in this journey.

I have just finished a twelve week course with Janet Whitehead and Jill Badonsky to become certified as a Modern Day Muse Leader Facilitator.

In the class was the talented Donna Mulholland from here and we were excited to meet and then plan a fun evening on Tuesday April 19th, complete details here.

Donna created this beautiful watercolor for our event, the Modern Day Muses dancing with creative delight! Be inspired to create & follow your JOY always!

Finally Fowl Friday once again! Freda & I have been woefully neglected lately. The reasons apparently because we are not "cute" chicks as in the meringue pastel fluffy version popular around Easter! Freda is so upset she has taken to her nest and not even chatting with the latest rooster she met on Hatch.com! Cute is her middle name or so she thought!

We even had to pose with some chicks and pretend to smile. Yes we chickens do smile, we grit our beaks and did! We will just have to suffer through another couple weeks of fluffballs and chirping! Follow the Fowl, Fran & Freda!

One of my favorite projects I have ever had come to fruition was the fabric line based on the puppet I did for my Easy-to-Sew Playful Toys book. Buggles became a cotton and flannel line manufactured by Northcott.

I received a delightful FaceBook message from Kerry Pratt Goulder with a picture of her darling daughter holding a Buggles quilt panel blanket.

"Last year my daughter and I went to a Project Linus Blanket Day here in Maine...and made this blanket. That's actually my daughter! I stitched all the way around the bunny! That was the cutest fabric!...I gave it up for a great cause!
Project Linus Cumberland County ME Chapter: March Upcoming Blanket Days - Please c...ome and join us!"

In the children's ward at the hospital here it also is a wall hanging. To know that Buggles is keeping someone cozy and will be their special blankie is very touching. So much of what we do is made meaningful by the stories people share.

Creating a fabric line with my good friend ilustrator Deborah Peyton was exciting for us both but beyond that is knowing many babies and children are warm and cuddled in the blankets each night. That is the real gift of our creativity. Mom's grandmothers and caring people took what we designed and created their gifts of love.

Creativity & caring, sharing life's gifts. With gratitude, Debra!

Spring is whispering, I am really coming, I promise especially after the wild snowstorm on Friday! The snow is almost gone again and a small drift remains on my deck slowly melting each day.

I have been creating a design each week for STYROcrafts Facebook page. This week I am also finishing up my Muse Facilitator Course with the magical Janet Whitehead and head muse herself Jill Badonsky! (Jill Badonsky's Nine Modern Day Muses.) This being the last week we are to create our own Muse, I decided to create her as well as describe her in words.

So using my favorite products, STYROFOAM brand foam, Wool Wisps from National Nonwovens, Pen tool from Clover and technique, needle felting on foam I created Serenity Spring, a needle felted fairy muse.

The Materials:

Spring is definitely in the air and the time for baby chicks, daffodils, bunnies and baby lambs frolicking in the green fields! I was inspired to create a little lamb for the Designer Crafts Blog Connection and Styrocrafts. Is a great month for "hopping", just hop forward or backward on the button in the sidebar to see clever Easter creations!

I combined needle felting with Wool Wisps from National Nonwovens, colorful cardstock papers, ribbon and pretty flower embellishments from Prima with several foam shapes to make my lamb.

You will need: 2 Eggs, 1-7/8" x 2-1/2", 3-1/16" x 2-15/16", 2 Discs, 2", 4", Cone 4", .2 oz Natural WoolWisps, piece of pink, 3" square white felt, 3 pieces of patterned cardstock, 1/2 yard each of two patterned ribbons, 18 asst flowers, 6 buttons, 2 black head quilting pins, pink blush, Clover Needle felting Pen Tool, 3/8" x 12" wood dowel, white and black craft paint, 4 toothpicks, scalloped scissors, glue, knife, scissors.

1. Cut the dowel into four 3" pieces. 2. Slice 1" off top of cone and take a thin slice off one side of egg.

3. Cover head and body with wool wisps, needle felt leaving body a little fluffier than head. 4. Add pink to end of head for nose and needlefelt. 5. Insert pins for eyes and blush cheeks. 5. Cut two 1/2" x 1-1/2" ovals for ears. Glue ears to each side of head. 6. Insert toothpick between head and body extending 1" for neck. Wrap with wool and glue.

7. Paint legs white and paint ends black for hooves. Let dry. 8. Make holes in bottom of body and glue in legs. 9. Arrange flowers around neck and glue adding buttons to centers.

10. For base use discs as guides. Cut out with scallop scissors three 4" circles, one 2" and one 3" circle. 11. Using picture as guide glue circles to discs. 12. For cone center roll cone on back of cardstock tracing with pencil. 13. Cut curved piece to cover cone and glue. 14. Glue ribbon around disc edges. 15. Insert toothpicks between cone and discs. Glue. 15. Add flowers and glue. Set lamb on top! Follow the JOY! Debra, CEO!