Welcome to the world!

My twin boys were born at the end of February. They were 4 weeks early, but are both well!
As you can imagine, all of my time is taken up caring for these two at the moment. However, my Etsy shop is still open with felt creations made pre-babies for sale  (my partner Rick is taking care of orders!) and my scheduled posts will still be popping up on social media.
My maternity leave ends in October- how much felting I will get done then I'm not sure! I am already booked in for the Dorset Team Etsy Christmas fair at the Allendale Centre in Wimborne.

Needle felt dog portraits

Mack - needle felt portraits of a special dog

In case you have missed the news, I am currently on maternity leave awaiting the arrival of twins!  This means I am not going to be taking on any pet portrait commissions for a while.  However,  I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to felt this collection of 2D and 3D portraits of Mack the dog before I finished work.  It was a special privilege to do this for his lovely owner. She provided me with some beautiful photos to work with, right from when Mack was a puppy.  I was also able to incorporate some of Mack's fur into all the pieces.


My maternity leave ends in October, so get in touch then if you would like a portrait of your pet.

Apulina in 2019

 

Happy New Year!

  I can now share with you some of the needle felt 3D and 2D pet portraits I made as Christmas orders!

I also made a felt kingfisher ornament  as a gift for my parents, who often see one at the river where they walk.

As you might have guessed from the headline photograph, I am off on maternity leave soon until October. I won't be able to accept commissions after 16th January.
A selection of stock I already have made, including some of my masks, weather tree calendars and other popular items will still be available in my Etsy shop (my partner has kindly volunteered to take care of packaging and sending orders!).
You will also still be able to find stock at Handmade New Forest in New Milton and Lymington, The Factory Shop in Pokesdown, Bournemouth and Forever Green in Moordown, Bournemouth.

You will also still be able to see my social media posts on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, but most of these will be scheduled, rather than 'live' posts, so apologies for not responding to any comments you leave for quite some time!  I also won't be able to respond to any messages sent to me, although I will check in from time to time.

Thank you for all your continued support.  I hope to be back full of creativity and ideas in October, but I am guessing more likely I will just be tired!  Wishing you all a very lovely year ahead.  See you on the other side!
Lauren (Apulina)

Big changes at Apulina

There is going to be a big change here at Apulina next year as I am expecting twins! 
I hope to get back to felting as soon as I can, but I think I will have my hands full for a while to say the least!  I won't be able to accept commissions from the start of next year, so if there is something felty you have your eye on then try to get in touch before Christmas.

The run up to Christmas has already proved very busy.  I went to the South Coast Makers market last weekend, which was very popular and well organised!  I recommend looking out for their future events in Bournemouth.
Next weekend (1st-2nd December) I will be at the Dorset Team Christmas Craft Fair in Wimborne.  This is a brilliant event with quality arts and crafts on offer.  You can probably get all your Christmas shopping done in one!

My Etsy shop has also been very busy, with baubles being a big hit, including my snowmen families where you can request a snowman family to match your own in a glass bauble.  I have also been making lots of 3D dog portraits.  I will share photos of those after Christmas so as not to spoil any surprises!

 Don't forget to order you colour in weather tree calendar if you want one.  These are a great gift if you are stuck on a purchase for someone, whether adult or child.  You simply colour in a leaf every day to record the weather (or other daily event).  It is a lovely way to stay in touch with nature.

That's all for now.  I hope you and your family have a peaceful Christmas / Yule / Hannukkah / seasonal period!

Dragons! Autumn & Christmas Felt Decorations and Craft Fairs

In case you missed it on social media, my needle felt dragon mask has made it to the Musee Atelier du Feutre in France.  It is on display there until the end of October, together with felt creations from other artists using Roux D'Ardenne wool.  It will then be going on tour at venues in France and Belgium.  I can report that the wool felts beautifully and smells wonderful.  I hope to have more time in the future to devote to more complicated pieces like this!

Meanwhile I have been busy making felt autumn and Christmas decorations and gifts.  As well as my usual makes, I have some new felted creations, including bees, ladybirds and angels in bottles, hedgehogs, robin brooches, and glass baubles with snowmen families (to match your own family!) and toadstool houses.  I am also working on some Christmas tree pin cushions - watch this space!  You can find all my felt decorations in my Etsy shop, or contact me through social media links.

I will also be doing a few craft fairs this autumn/winter.
Find me at Community Crafts at New Milton Memorial Hall this Saturday 13th October
South Coast Makers Market at Bournemouth 18th November
and the Dorset Etsy Team Christmas Fair in Wimborne on 1st and 2nd December

Mask Making

June is going to be all about mask making!

Full head needle felt fox mask. This is made from 100% wool and nothing else.

Modelling the masks is also a good excuse to dress up (wearing a mask makes having your photo taken much more fun and an excuse to be silly. I highly recommend it!)

Full head cat mask in needle felt

I can see these masks being great for live action role play, festivals, theatre, carnivals and performance art.

Cat Face Mask in Needle Felt

I've been focusing on cat masks as I will be attending CatFest in London on July the 14th. I have managed to rope my partner into wearing one of my cat masks and doing selfies with visitors! One of the charities CatFest is supporting is ERHAM, which works to help street cats in Morocco. There is a video here explaining their work (warning, it is quite upsetting) https://katzenworld.co.uk/2018/05/05/erham-offering-hope-to-the-street-cats-of-morocco/

Watch this space for some different animal masks once I have got cats out of my system!

Thank you for reading.

New Website!

 

 

My latest needle felt dog portrait

It's been a busy month. I was lucky enough to work with a beautiful photograph of Lizzie to create my latest needle felt dog portrait. I really love creating my felted pet portraits, so if you want one of your pet, then please do get in touch.

Sitting at my stall at the Art & Makers Market in Bournemouth Gardens

I also had a great time at the Art & Makers Market in Bournemouth Gardens near the bird aviary. Definitely worth a visit if you are in town.

Me wearing my first full head needle felt cat mask!

I've also made my first needle felted FULL HEAD cat mask. I am incredibly excited about this, and have already started work on a full head felted fox mask. I envision making lots more, including some fantastical creatures ( dragons, mythical creatures etc). If you know someone who needs a woolen mask in their lives for a production, performance or just for fun, then please do send them my way!

My new website

Finally, I have also created my new website for Apulina with the help of the Arts Development Company. I will be updating this in the future. If you see any mistakes, or links that don't work etc, then I would be grateful for a heads up! You can find it at www.apulina.co.uk

Thank you for reading!