New Year and New Items in our Etsy shop!

"Purple Taffy" hand woven scarf.

Hand woven scarf.

"Lavender Meadow" hand woven scarf.

Hand woven scarf. 

It is 2014 and the students of Hope University are looking forward to another fun filled year.  Field trips, performances, parties, and fun with friends top the lists. 
Our Etsy shop has some new items for purchase.  We have listed a new item, our hand woven scarves.  The students do enjoy creating these one of a kind pieces.  Using a rigid heddle loom is a new skill that we were able to add to the fiber arts classes in 2013, and it has proved to be very popular. 

Etsy Sales!

Felted bead hair clip sold order on Etsy.

Felted bead hair clip, another sold order on Etsy!

A pair of green wrist warmers we sold on Etsy.

A lucky shopper bought this tool holder from our Etsy shop.

Felted bead hair clip that we sold from our Etsy shop.

A set of felted easy grip soaps sold to a group called Reece's Rainbow, a special needs adoption group.

Sales at our Etsy shop have been brisk.  It is very exciting to see people from around the United States taking an interest in our Hope Handmade items.  We have had several sales of felted bead hair clips, wrist warmers, felted soaps and even a colorful pencil/art supply holder.  The students at Hope are so happy to know that others from around the country are using our products.  This is a wonderful opportunity for the students to feel appreciated and valued for their abilities and to contribute to their program though Etsy.  So, if you have not stopped by our Etsy shop for a look, now just might be the right time!

Etsy Sneak Peek...Shhhhh.

Autumn Orange mono-print decoupage frame.

Underwater Fantasy mono-print decoupage frame.

The artists at Hope University are always making wonderful things for our boutique and Etsy shop.  They create faster than we can add it!  Here is a sneak peek at some new items coming soon to the Hope Handmade at Etsy.com.  Don't forget to start your holiday shopping early.

Felted Wool Barrettes!

'Autumn Sunset' hand felted wool Barrette.

'California Desert' hand felted wool barrette.

'Blueberry Summer' hand felted wool barrette.

We now have our colorful felted wool barrettes available for purchase in our Etsy shop!  They make wonderful gifts for your self or others.  Perfect for teachers, teens, girls or to tuck into a spa basket.  The students here at Hope make the felted wool beads  in the Boutique class with teacher Lisa LoRusso.  100% wool roving is formed into loose spheres and then submerged into warm, soapy water.  The students then rub them between their palms in a circular motion to 'felt' the wool into a solid bead.  After they have been left to dry for several days we use them to make broaches, barrettes, pins, earrings and ornaments.  We also have a few new uses for them in the works, so you can look forward to many new items created by the students. 
We can make the barrettes in a variety of colors to suit your color pallet, so if you want a custom item created, please send us an email or give us a call!
Remember that all of the proceeds from our Etsy shop and other sales go directly to enrich the students day program.  

Hoot! A New Product at the Hope Boutique

A shy owlet.

Just a peek.

Pensive gray owlet

Owlet says 'hello'.

You may (or not) be familiar with the Hope University Boutique.  The students at Hope U make a wonderful line of gift items that they sell at the Christmas Show and at other venues.  We have beaded ornaments, 'refrigerator' magnets, felted purses, earrings, felted soaps, knitted wrist warmers, knitted hats, hand sewn felt play food, jewelry created from the students artwork, greeting cards, calendars, mugs and journals just to name some. 
The knitting class recently added a new product....'owlets'!  Each owlet is hand knitted by one of the students in the knitting class and then sent on to the sewing class to have the eyes and beak added, then the ears, seaming and stuffing is completed by a staff member.  Then you have a finished, hand knitted happy little owlet.  We have some great ideas for these little guys, and hope we can keep up with demand!  Also an idea has been 'hatched' to create a stop action film staring our very own little Hope owlets, so we are adding a 'stop action' camera set up to our wish list.  We hope you like our new additions, if you would like to purchase or reserve an owlet or to donate a stop action camera set up please go to our website to contact us.  Hoot-Hoot!

Guest Artist Tom Walker

Kimmie N. shows off her creation.

Karen L. basks in the simplicity of her metal design.

Tina G. and Michelle E. are proud of their metal sculptures.

 A student explores the play of light and shadow on the metal.

Three metal sculptures.

Tom Walker demonstrates with a jack-o-lantern in metal.

Darren P. and Carol W. concentrate on their designs.

In August we had a guest artist come to Hope University.  His name is Tom Walker and his medium is metal.  He makes sculptures both large and small using metal to create his art.  Tom brought with him some rolls of wire which he cut into smaller lengths.  Each student was given a length of wire with which to work.  He showed the students some examples of shapes to make, like a pair of glasses or a bicycle and talked about how to work with the wire.  It looks almost like sketching in three dimensions! The students really enjoyed working with the wire and having a guest artist come to teach is such a treat!  We are all very thankful to Tom and hope he can come back again to help us create more art.
"I made a dolphin."
Lori Slikker
"I made a penguin and an Orca whale."
Tanette Tuttle
"I made a flower."
K.
"I made a snowman."
Bradley Clayman
"I made a Christmas tree."
Darren Crow
All of the students were inspired by Tom, he really brought out their metal creativity!

Hope Handbags

Hope University creates items for sale at our boutique shows and performances. We have a wide array of items ranging from refrigerator magnets to original linoleum block prints. We also have a Cafe Press Shop where you can custom order or choose from items already on display, made from Hope U student artwork. Our most recent addition to the Hope University Boutique is the Hope Handbag! We are very excited about his new item. Each one is as unique as the creator, and the magic happens....in the washer!
Here is the information found on the tag added to each bag.
"The Hope Handbag, Wicked Fun Wool Felt Bags". 'Felted or "fulled" wool bags are created by knitting the bag with wool yarn on large needles, then shrinking the bag to the desired size. Due to the differences in wool, and the shrinking process, each bag is unique. The knit on this bag is very dense, sturdy and easy to care for. Just hand was in cool wash in cool water and then air dry.'

Here are what some of the students are saying about the new Hope Handbags:
"It has very pretty material on it." Darren P.
"I like the color and think it is very furry." Chris F.
"It is so beautiful." Rene S.
"It looks good." Delores F.
"The knitter did a good job." Margaret K.
"I like the blue color on the bottom." Richard G.
Here are some photos of two purses available now from the students at Hope U!