Annie Bananie August 2011 Newsletter

As I write this I am sitting in

the woods, overlooking a beau-

tiful lake. The birds are singing

and a light breeze is blowing.

I love nature and it’s effects on

me. I feel so at peace and

grounded when I am

in her presence.

I think you would

agree that July and

August have been

fabulous months

with lots of sunshine

and warm weather.

You might have noticed that

the days are getting shorter and

cooler. Whether we like it or

not we are heading towards

September and back to school.

As much as I am loving my

summer of 2011, I am also

excited to resume hosting

felting workshops, that gather

and inspire.

I love hosting workshops from

my home. When we gather at

the long tables in

my big red room

with bags of wool

roving, a fun, crea-

tive vibe is created.

As we felt our pro-

jects and conversa-

tion takes a life of

their own. When

people leave they feel invigor-

ated for having created a piece

of art and to have connected

with others. Many crafters

leave with intentions of giving

their piece of art to a loved

one. That is precisely what I

love about coming together

and felting; the friendship, the

creative expression and the

giving. In this way these

workshops are more like a

gathering of the spirit.

Annie Bananie

Felting is easy and fun. It’s the

art of sculpting raw wool with

a barbed needle. As the needle

punctures the fibers the barbs

pull the fibers upwards and

they bind together. It’s like

magic! There are no stitches to

count like in knitting or a ma-

chine to contend with like sew-

ing. In this way projects are

easy to put down and start

again. It is highly addictive and

meditative. My first project was

doll making. I was so enam-

ored with the art that I made

10 dolls in 1 week! Yes, I was

felting all day and night. I

could not put the needle down!

What is needle Felting?

August

Volume 1, Issue 1

Felting is...

Fun

Easy

Meditative

Creative

Inexpensive

www. anniebananie.ca

“ In this way these

workshops are more

like a gathering of the

spirit.”

Fall Equinox is but a month

away, Thanksgiving and Hal-

loween just around the cor-

ner.

What a great time to cele-

brate those great orange

pumpkins that we see in the

markets and maybe even in

your garden. In this work-

shop you will felt a mouse in

a house. The pumpkin is

actually hollow which makes

a perfect little house for your

mouse. This cute mouse and

pumpkin take on a character of

their own and make a great

centerpiece for your dining

room table on Thanksgiving or

your nature table.

We will learn a short and cute

story to go with your mouse so

that you can use them as

props. Children love to be

dazzled with a little puppet

show.

Come and join me and your

friends in the Ottawa commu-

nity for this fun workshop.

you might put a felted doll

and name her Mrs.Thaw to

represent the melting snow

and coming of warm weath-

er. Come summer you

could gather as a family to

make felted butterflies to

decorate the space.

There is a nature table in

Waldorf classrooms and in

many homes around the

world. It’s a special place, a

shelf, table that honours

nature. As the seasons

change from spring, to sum-

mer, to fall and winter so

does the table. In the spring

It is a great space for adults

and children alike to re-

member nature and it’s

strength and her year long

story. Nature is within us,

there is no denying it.

Mouse in a House

What is a Nature Table?

do as little as 11 minutes a day

to feel a difference in your life.

The class will be an hour and a

half long followed by some

yogi tea and hang out time. It

will be a small class of 7 stu-

dents. Come and experience

this great wisdom. It’s time to

invest in you.

Sat Nam...

September Yoga Class

Kundalini yoga incorporates

pranayama (breath work),

Mantra (meditation) and asanas

(posture) to elevate you into a

higher consciousness.

In this class we will learn a

simple basic set that you can

take home for your personal

practice. The beauty of

Kundalini yoga is that you can

If you’ve experienced the

wisdom of yoga you

know that it leaves you

feeling elevated and ever

so good. It heightens

your body awareness,

stills the mind and

deepens your connection

with your self.

Page 2 Annie Bananie Volume 1, I ssue 1

When?

September 21rst, 2011

Time?

19:00– 21:30

Where?

Address will be given

upon registration

Cost?

$40/person includes

supplies, light snack

and tea

Register at:

[email protected]

When?

September 14th, 2011

Time?

19:00– 21:00

Where?

My house address to be

given upon registration

Cost?

$14/ includes class and

yogi tea

Register at:

Mother Nature and one

of her Earth Children

Wool Anyone?

My Green TOY BOX

If you were to walk into my

crafting room, you would

find wall to wall, wool roving

and batting. The colours

come in various shades of

yellows, pinks, oranges,

browns, blues and purples.

They look so pretty and hold

millions of possibilities.

Also in my bag of tricks, I

have 50 lbs bags of white

roving. I plan on learning

how to dye my own wool

with natural dyes. Nature

supplies us with plenty of

color choices for our natural

fibers. Onion skins give

you a shade of yellow, tea

bags a shade of brown,

beets red and so much

more. Mother nature is our

playground.

I love to felt with my 6-year old daughter. It's a time

when we both get excited about making our own

projects and connect with each other while felting

away.

She was so excited when we picked up another load of

brightly coloured wool today!

-Nanda and Tray

Page 3 Annie Bananie Volume 1, I ssue 1

Available, Coriedale and

Merino wool roving. Great

for needle felting, wet felt-

ing and spinning.

$2/meter

Medium felting nee-

dles. Great for all of

your needle felting

needs.

$1.50/needle

Introducing my line of felting kits called

My Green TOY BOX. Each 100% cot-

ton bag holds enough wool to make 3

beautiful balls or wherever your creative

mind takes you. That

is what is great about

felting the possibilities

are endless. This

makes a great gift for

adults and children

alike.

Although children will

need help and supervision

there is no better way to

connect with a child than

through creative expres-

sion. Children are fasci-

nated by the magic of

felting.

$20/per bag, includes a

lot of fun.

Questions? Inquiries? Comments? Please contact me:

[email protected]

At home: 613-421-0523

My Cell: 613-240-1845

wares. We created a Face-

book event and invited all

our friends and family. A

sign outside invited

passerby's to feel welcome.

There was food, wine and

great things to purchase.

The Ottawa community has

a great opportunity to buy

local. From jewelry, up cy-

cled clothing, toys, food,

crafting supplies and so

much more.

Workermade wants to bring

back the value in handmade

goods and the value of you

getting to know the artisans

who put their heart and soul

into making the products

you buy.

Learning how to sell hand-

made goods has been a

learning curb. My friend

Karie and I from Rehash

walked the road blindly

slowly, stumbling along. In

our efforts to become suc-

cessful in our trade we de-

cided to form a hand mak-

ers collective called Worker-

made.

To make this idea reality we

collected names and contact

info of local crafters and

sent an invite for our first

meeting last January. Since

that first meeting we have

15 very talented members.

This past June we had our

first Trunk Show where

each artist took a space in

my home to display their

If you missed Workermade

June’s trunk show, no wor-

ries we plan on having an-

other in the next few

month’s. For now you can

check www.anniebananie.ca

for links to these amazing

talented women.

Workermade: The Handmakers Collective Indigo Designs

Haley By Hand

Tweal

Workermade

The Gallery