MWAH! Creations

Felted Hairpin

admin — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 14:45:00 +0000

For those tuned into fiber art trends, you may have noticed that felted creations have been making their way into many corners the past few years. One such corner is the world of hair accessories that Babs from MWAH! Creations has leapt into. One hundred percent wool and attached to an extra fancy bobby pin, these felted hairpins are two-toned and about the size of a nickel. My pin added lovely flair to my short coif, and I received compliments on the street. People also wondered what the hairpin was made of and got me talking about the felted world.

For everyday wearing I would have preferred a louder hairpin with more texture and height, but if you're looking for a subtle hair accessory made by an independent fiber artist, then this is the hairpin for you. My two-toned pin has a white background with a red center-piece, so it has become my period pin, giving the keen folks in my life a little clue into the reason for my more frequent bathroom visits. I'll be seeing that pin every 28-37 days!

MWAH! Creations doesn't stop at hair accessories. They also make bags, felted jewelry and many amazing animals - including my favorite, The Missing Piece, from the Shel Silverstein book. If you're interested in working with felt or just appreciate it, MWAH! Creations is a great place to check out. Long live felt and don't forget to thank the sheep!

Written by: Kaytlyn O'Connor, July 28th 2007

Felt Flora

admin — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 00:31:00 +0000

MWAH! Creations

MWAH! Creations consists of two good friends who co-run an internet shop on etsy.com (“your place to buy & sell all things handmade”). Babs lives in London, while Tanis resides in Vancouver. Tanis, “a schooled artist,” who “enjoys creating whimsical pieces of felted wonder” made this felt flora pin.

Tanis says that these blossoms are “unique and definitely one of a kind,” so if you order a felt flora pin, it will be different from mine. When sporting such distinctive artwork as accessory, you’ll never have to worry about running into someone else wearing a replica of your pin. For folks who don’t like anything already available, there is the option of customized felt flora; the client gets “to choose colors, textures, fiber types, and all the little details like beading, and more fibers, feathers and ribbons.”

These textile creations are hand felted, which Tanis explains this way: each piece of the flower is first wet felted with wool roving, and then the pieces are combined and needle felted onto a base. What I understand is that this flower is beautiful: in shades of purple and burgundy and blue, with hints of yellow and green thrown in for good measure. It will look gorgeous on either my purple or red vintage coat - like a soft fabric corsage that will never wilt.

Written by: Chantel C. Guidry, July 12th 2007

Art Cards

admin — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:46:00 +0000

MWAH! Creations

Fun and spirit cheering: I love these cards so much that I don’t want to give them away! They totally rock. Not only because the art design on one of the cards – a bird perched under a tree – is cute and effective, but also because its simplicity evokes a kind of ethereality. The art feels like a poem on a page. The other card I admire has the caption "always trust yourself" written in a thought-bubble that dribbles from a black and white photograph of a woman bearing a confident and resolute expression.

Crafted from post-consumer recycled card, they measure a good 4 x 6 inches and come with professional-looking off-white envelopes. Not everyone, I feel, will appreciate these handmade beauties. They are nature’s products after all; crude and made with that special ingredient—love. Go to the stores if you’re looking for those mass-produced expert print-cards. For my part, I’m sticking with Tanis Alexis Laird’s unique style.

Write your own heart-felt words inside, as her cards are left blank. Who wouldn’t be grateful for a personalised message?

Truly inspiring, I guess I’ll have to let mine go, eventually…

Written by: Payal Patel, June 15th 2007