I am very pleased to be featured on Brenda Pinnick's Color U blog today! Brenda is a talented licensed artist whose vibrant color palettes are signature in her stunning art work!

The Color Cafe's menu serves up International Flavors on Wednesday. This got me thinking about the influence of being Canadian in my design work. Yes we are known for our long cold winters, I realized here on the Atlantic coast that winter does influence my design sense. I love cozy wools, fleece and felts, a majority of my design is winter inspired.

Combining pretty hues with sparkly white for a striking whimsical winter palette is my favorite design palette. Last winter I created a needle felted snow scene for a Floracraft Make it: Fun ad. I will be demoing the technique on segments I am taping after the CHA show for the PBS show Creative Living.

Needle felting with National Nonwoven's Wool Wisps and Styrofoam TM Brand foam is so easy. The barbed needle adheres the wool quickly to the foam pieces. Full tutorial here. Full instructions for this project.  Project bricks were used to build the cottage, they are simple to cut, stack and paint, very realistic looking especially when actually painted a brick color! Since a pink bunny lives here along with a mouse and bird, pink bricks were a must! Enjoy the snowy wonderland, the days the sun shines and the trees and ground are glittered are so beautiful! Therein lies my inspiration especially when a mouse wearing a fuzzy scarf scurries by!  (photos courtesy of Floracraft)