how to make a felted winter girl

 Recently I went over to  friends house and I saw this lovely lantern girl. She was made out of pure felt and a tiny copper lantern. My friend showed me how to do the girl and I think it can be a base for any kind of girl or boy you would like to create. Here are instructions to make your own.
 Material:     8- 10 pipe cleaners
                    wool tops
                    silk tops
                    felting needles




The first thing you need to do is get yourself four pipe cleaner, make yourself a round head shape and with the remaining pipe cleaners, twist it tightly to secure it.Then create arms, the best way to get them even is to make a crease in the center and twist the ends to make hands, twist it onto the bottom of the head, this will create your head, arms and torso. Then combine two pipe cleaners to make a round base, the size you make this is your choice.

Then you you add two pipe cleaners, you hook them to the bottom of your circle, shape this however you like, depending on the style you want. My skirt was quiet rounded up the top.Then with some fleece, needle felt it to get a nice round head shape, place it through the center.

Once you have done the head, needle felt the arms. Needle felt some fleece to fill the center of the skirt. Choose your desired colors for your doll, get two pieces of fleece, place them on each shoulder of the doll and wrap around, add  some silk tops for hair, needle felt a hat or wrap,add more fleece to your skirt and needle felt away. You can embellish whichever way you like.

Enjoy your doll!

bikram and I

I have been doing bikram style yoga for almost a year now. Initially the heat was overwhelming, trying to stay in a pose while you were sweating bucket loads was almost unbearable.
However I stuck at it, it became a challenge, how long could I focus and stay in  a pose, and I began to notice my concentration levels were changing and I was becoming more flexible.
However there was a element of my practise I was struggling with. It was hard to meditate with your eyes open, and there was no focus on how your body or mind felt within a pose, the connection was not there.
 Bikram has been a blessing in disguise, not that long ago , I was pretty unwell, it coincided with going to bikram. After many test and copious types of medications the problem has been resolved, although it brought to the surface many issues for me. It made me reflect on my life and how I manage stress, I thought I was doing a good job, but when parts of your body shuts down, and there  is a direct correlation to your lifestyle choices, somethings gotta give.
So I have changed my diet, I have cut down my drinking,( I never really was a big drinker).
 I enjoy a good glass of wine, but I discovered along time ago, I need to only drink preservative free wine.
Its been a interesting time or me, our social environments almost depend on alcohol being involved and now for me, its trying to interact with people without that element. I feel very blessed that I have a unique circle of friends, I share space with these amazing individuals and for me it has not come up as a issue.

I had to find a  less aggressive yoga which I have, Iyengar yoga.
I had been dabbling with meditation, not really focusing enough time on it. Now I meditate everyday, sometimes twice a day! It has changed me in a way that I feel more centred, focused and the most important lesson has been, that I can not control other peoples actions, nor should I dwell on what people say or do. The only thing I can control is myself and my reaction.
 Ive also learnt not to  try and  react from a negative space, (I  say try as I am constantly working on this) there is no point in feeding the negative, it doesn't serve you or the people around you.
So this has been my story lately, things constantly changing, forever evolving and forever discovering.