Amazing Knitting In Miniature!

Turn up your speakers

What's New At My Etsy Shop
I have a New Piece in the shop. It is called: "A Rose By Any Other Name Should Smell Like Sheep!"

Etsy Buy Handmade motivatedmotion

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/05/amazing-knitting-in-miniature-turn-up.html

What Happened To Me Friday (before the rumor mill gets really started)

If you were following the Facebook feed or Twitter feed you know something went terribly wrong with my health on Friday.

First: to let you know I am a diabetic and have been a completely controlled diabetic since 2003. I am a quality eater for my diabetes and I test regularly and I am under complete Dr. control.
I have a type 2 auto-immune disease related diabetes.
I have secondary Sjogrens and I am an C.R.E.S.T. identified arthritic patient.
I am allergic to the regular diabetic meds like Metforman, so I have used either nothing, or one of the cell wall reducer meds like Avandia or Actos when I need medicated relief. (which I do at times when I have bad pain episodes with from the aquired brain injury-trigeminal neualgia from shingles of the brain)

C.R.E.S.T. identified means that I have so many auto-immune symptoms yet the ANA results are stable enough that no specialist can identify at this time what the Sjogrens is secondary to. But folks with the secondary Sjogrens are susceptible to polycystic kidney and/or lung disease and sclaraderma, and lupus. These are connective tissue disorders. So to help you understand better...I have severe arthritis of the glands blood vessels and any tissues that hold your organs in place and any tissue that excretes something. My esophagus, hand blood vessels, all exocrine glands including the pancreas are effected. That is why at 41 I was susceptible to shingles of the brain which only folks over 65 usually get.
I have had almost every exocrine gland removed that can be removed. I have had my abdomen peeled off and put back on and part of my face peeled off and put back on. I have had joints replaced. ( my face-perotid saliva glands will probably be the next removed.)

My pancreas and kidneys do not function at normal speed. My stomach and esophagus have permanent nerve damage. I have lost the frontal laryngeal nerve. So there are some song notes I cannot reach any more.

This has been a long progressing problem that I have been able to deal with and basically lead a normal life through until the brain injury part. I have gotten to be a scientist, a race car driver, an education specialist, an editor, a writer, a transport truck driver, a driving instructor, a musician, and an artist. Plus a few more things in between. I have fulfilled everyone of my dreams in life. I have traveled the world. I want for nothing and I have fun. I have a great and fantastic life even with my limitations. Plus to this day I am coming up with new dreams to fulfill.

Today I live quite normally and look and act fine, but seem to be over weight. It is a weird side-effect off all the meds etc. But I go through periods where I can actually get my weight back to normal often so when folks see me I may be fat or may be thinner depending on which months they see me in. It is a daily work for me with my weight. I keep food diaries and monitor my blood and meds like a religion.

I am the ultimate human experiment. All the specialists want to research me. The person that has helped me the most was my own Grandfather. He was a histologist at Sunnybrook and had done a lot of research on these problems through the years, and my specialists use his notes to help me 23 yrs after his death. He never knew me with these problems and he would have never ever expected that his last years of research would have saved my life.

I am a cheery and very greatful person for my life. I don't let any of this stuff identify me as a person and I know I am a better person for the knowledge I have gained through this weirdness of my life, and I have been very proactive in the research of my issues. I use all of my own education to keep copious research data for my med team, and I get to be active in my own research and care.
I would not be a blogger or and Etsy crafter or a Needle Felting Manual writer or a seminar teacher or a writer of brain injury recovery manuals if none of this happened to me.

Once in a while I get a curve ball in my medical condition that puts me in a life or death situation. That happened Friday.
I had been having some Nephrotic distress (kidney issues) for the last three weeks. Then I had some problems with my lower colon, and these were being investigated in the regular timely fashion. Urine, blood, ultra sound and booking a sigmoidoscopy. All very routine. Then suddenly on Friday my vitals went to shit.
My blood pressure went wonky. Low number was too low and high number was elevating. My sugar went from 7.4mmol to 11.00mmol then to 8.00mmol then started to climb steady and my sugar is always 6 -6.3mmol. My heart rate was high then low, then high then low and nothing would stay steady and I was nearly unconscious. I could not smile and my left eye was drooping and my face was numb. My tongue was sparking like I was licking a battery. My vision was blurred and my mouth was so dry. I was having a hard time speaking and later I got a migraine that transected my head from ear to ear and involved my whole face.
I was having huge neural reactions and I started spasming in my face and knees. Besides having numb shins and numb hands. I got freezing cold and I could not keep my head up. It felt like I was in a weird dreamy state too.

I thought I was having a stroke.

After 12 hours in the hospital the conclusion was that I had an allergic reaction to a new diabetic drug I was trying called Januvia which is a gut hormone which can help with weight gain issues and control sugar if necessary. This is only for folks who are conrolled if you get Januvia alone.

Once I was more stable and out of danger I was sent home on observation.

By this morning I was feeling more normal and I am worn out, like I have been running a marathon.

Next week will mean a week at Sunnybrook Hospital with all the specialists deciding the next plan of action. Lots of meetings and a ton of $18.00/day parking bills to contend with.

Thanks to everyone who sent me well wishes. Thanks to my Husband who just happened to be home on a holiday day when it all went aweful, and thanks to my kids who kept in touch throughout the ordeal and were home waiting when I got back. Thanks to Amber who drove in to help my son Alex who did not go back to Peterborough after work on Friday, and to Cam who kept Alex informed.

I will be low key this week and I am hoping to return to my normal routine by next Saturday.
If I don't satisfy folks by talking to them on the phone this week I am apologizing up front, because I am not gonna be in the mood to do much this week after the huge daily commute to the trauma centre all week for follow-up.

So I am not dead and I didn't have a heart attack or a stroke. I am the same as I ever was, but had a bad allergic reaction, and in the mean time we now know that the Nephrotic irritation is not a bad infection as we did do the labs that were missing while I was in the hospital. So now I just need a bit of rest and to figure out the diabetic treatment we will use for the next few weeks.

So unfortunately my artwork did not go up in value this week cuz I am not dying today LOL.

And believe I am putting the problem behind me. :)

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/05/what-happened-to-me-friday-before-rumor.html

I Am So Proud Of This Commissioned Piece


I hope I don't give away a surprise! I hope I don't.
When a pet dies it is devistating. We get so attached to our pets they become a member of the family.
I received a very emotional letter from a person inquiring about rabbits on my site.
After a brief interchange of emails I realized the person was looking for a present to help overcome a loss of a pet.
I suggested a commissioned miniature replica of the pet.

On my Etsy page I have examples of commissioned pieces that I have done, which act as commission order for your own commissioned miniature. I suggest your pets or your favourite teddy bear. My Son (the Rock Star) who is so Heavy Metal and wears black-commissioned a miniature of his favourite teddy bear so he can have it in his pocket when he travels (see Pinky on Etsy)

As I wrote earlier this week. I used my new technique of Tufting to add petable fur to the rabbit.

So today I introduce to you the finished piece after his Garden Photo Shoot! This little rabbit is so special to me he got to perch on my very special Amethyst with the Maple Leaf (Canada) flaw.
Finished May 20, 2009
You can click on the photo to make it bigger

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-am-so-proud-of-this-commissioned.html

Tufted Needle-Felting

I have tufted needle-felted works before for effect, but I have never tufted a whole piece before.

Today is a landmark day for me in this aspect.
Today I spent 8 hours tufting a commissioned piece I am doing.
After I finished the great little needled felted rabbit, it was just missing something.
I could not put my finger on what it needed.
I knew I wanted to tuft a bit of the top of the head and face and after I finished that I realized that the piece took on a life of its own and began to get the dimension that the rabbit needed to look realistic.

I then set out to tuft the whole piece.
Tufting is basically adding hair strands individually to create 3D fur.
You can trim the fur to the depth you want. What I wanted was something petable so I went with a velour consistancy.

My first exposure to tufting by hand was with Canadian Aboriginal women who tuft beaver and elk and moose hair into small 3D pictures. I took my skill as a needle-feltor and applied this ancient technique of tufting to it. Needle Feltors do use a similar technique for adding long shaggy hair to a piece, but I have never actually seen it trimmed and tufted before my own works.

I am so stoked by doing this I think I will write a manual on it. I am really happy with the
technique.

I am thinking that this might be the world's first completely tufted animal miniature. The fur is now dense and about 3cm thick. The tufting brightens the colours and make the sculpture so soft.

I do realize that I will have to charge more for future tufted pieces. So this customer is getting a real bargain because I was inspired to tuft on a regular commissioned piece quote.

I will write the seminar and create the book quickly so I can pimp it to publishers! I want to be a ground-breaker in this aspect of Needle-Felting!

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/05/tufted-needle-felting-i-have-tufted.html

Got Credit In A Video

My Tweet Buddy Bryan Brinkman (Twitter @bryanbrinkman) is a really talented Short Film Maker. He is known for his short "Coffee Bird" which I think is just the cutest little film out there.
A few weeks ago he sent out a Tweet asking for circle pics. Any pic you could take of something circular.
That night everyone was going crazy looking for circles to post. I posted about 10 pics of different circles from drums to cymbals to centrepieces...and a huge wall hanging in my home which is this huge celtic knot. I am certain my celtic knot is in the final cut of the film and possibly others I cannot recognize because of the speed with which they pass by....

I hope you enjoy this short film. I think it is really interesting.
I made a few friends on Twitter from chatting with others about their photos, so the whole experience was quite rewarding.

I even get credit as @WitchAmy for my pics...you can pause the credits to see that if you like.

Here is the Short

#CIRCLEPIC from Bryan Brinkman on Vimeo.

Bryan Brinkman's film "Coffee Bird"

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/05/got-credit-in-video-my-tweet-buddy.html

Where In Canada Is Vicki Pinkerton!

Standby and in a short while you will see my first video-cast about Vicki Pinkerton the Durham Region writer who has set out on her dream journey.

Perhaps you can help her...

She left on Monday May 11th and is heading west. She needs a few new friends to help her out along the way. If you can help her let us know..
Can you spare the time to let her have a shower at your place? Can you accommodate a couch surfer?

Do you live in Calgary or Vancouver or Victoria? Do you have a spare free room or land for a camper? Can you accommodate a person who will earn their keep? Does your community group need motivational speaker?

Vicki is setting out westward as the beginning of a huge journey. Her plan is to travel from sea to sea to sea and to find out what the definition of what a Canadian is today. Does a cultural identity exist for the Canadian today or is the identity lost? She will also write a work of fiction and journals.

This is not a summer vacation, it is quest that could take many years. Vicki wants to join communities and work in them and then write about what makes the community tick...

Come back and see more soon.....

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/05/where-in-canada-is-vicki-pinkerton.html

Etsy TweetUp in Toronto Today!

As per usual I am a couple of steps behind on news.
I found out last night that there is an Etsy TweetUP in Toronto today!

I was so excited to hear this!
I also saw about the TweetUP on Jessica Doyle's TweetFeed.
She said she had traveled into Ontario for the TweetUP!

In 2006, when I became a serious blogger, Jessica Doyle's blog was one of the first I started to read regularly. She is a great artist who has written about her work, her struggles, at times being homesick, and lifesick, and her about her artistic routine.

I was tickled pink to think that now we could meet face to face.

West coast, to East coast and now Here!

I will be attending the Etsy, Toronto TweetUP today.
At The WorkRoom on Queen St. West 5-8PM

If you are an Etsy seller or buyer in the GTA please take the time to come visit today.
I want to meet you! I am excited to meet you!

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/05/etsy-tweetup-in-toronto-today-as-per.html

It Is Time To Think About Who You Are Going To Support....


I would really like you to think about supporting my buddie's Girlfriend.

My Tweet buddy Tom Felton (twitter TomFelton) sent out a request for folks to support his girlfriend in the Race For Life. The cancer research support race is a 5km race that takes place at the end of May.

Jade Gordon is Tom's girlfriend. She is not an athelete, but she really feels strongly about supporting this cause. She has gone public so she can get as much support as possible. She promises "I aim to be the silliest looking fairy there! And i aim to raise as much money as i can!". She is gonna do it, so I give her props!

So now for the big ole name dropping...if you don't know the name Tom Felton, you will know his movie character's name.... Draco Malfroy. Yes, Tom is one of the famous "Harry Potter" faces....

If you have not chosen who you are going to support please support Jade Gordon...
Here is her donation site: http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/jadegordon
I love that they accept PayPal!

If you support Jade please put in the donation site comments that you found out via Motivated Motion Blog

If you support Jade please Tweet Tom (@TomFelton) a note and let him know. He has requested that.

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/04/it-is-time-to-think-about-who-you-are.html

Queen's York Rangers Family Day
(click on the photos to see them bigger)











My Husband Carl and my Son Alex are in The Queen's York Rangers. They are an Armoured Recce Canadian Reservist Unit that volunteers to fight in Afghanistan.
(Prince Andrew and The Unit)

This weekend was the QYRANG Family Day. We were asked to join the Regiment and His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, The Duke of York at CFB Bordon.

We had a tour of the Range and a BBQ, we had machine gun camp and we watched the promotion of Rangers by Prince Andrew.

Carl was promoted to Corporal from Trooper by the Prince.

The Prince mingled around with us all and made
a wonderful speech about why his unit is so important. He is the Colonal and Chief of The Queen's York Rangers.

The weather at CFB Bordon which is in Angus, ON, Canada was cold and rainy. The men had been on exercise all weekend before we arrived. The Prince flew in by helicopter that morning.

We had a steak BBQ, fired machine guns and had tours of the vehicles and the camp.

You are welcome to view my two facebook albums of the day:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=252950&id=768070095

http://tiny.cc/Rangers2




(Prince Andrew Promoting Carl to Corporal from Trooper)

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/04/queens-york-rangers-family-day-my.html

Today is officially Etsy Day!

Today is officially Etsy Day!
I am excited about this.
The day I switched to be an official Etsy Seller, and left as an official (other web selling service) seller was an excellent day for me.

I went to Etsy on the suggestion of a friend who was a seller. She said,"You should really look at Etsy." So I did, and never looked back!

Why is Etsy so good for the crafter? The answer is simple. You are networking with like-minded people who want you to succeed. Everyone in Etsy is following their passion and dream--> To be able to share their hand-made products, or to be a collector of hand-made products and gifts.

The Etsy family has Teams, Groups, Discussion Boards, Tutorials, Advertising, and Features of every subject or craft product available on Etsy. You can make friends with other crafters and you can support them as they support you in your endeavour.

I Twitter Etsy. Most of the folks in my Twitter network are Etsy sellers. So if you like to browse Esty shops and get ideas for your own crafting or if you want to find unique crafts to buy it is a great idea to Tweet with us. Etsy Tweeters are World Wide. So you can see and network with folks near and far to you.
On Twitter you can find me as Witchamy

To see more of us who are networking on our Etsy you can look at our shops and then find the area that says "Who {hearts} this shop" and look at the list of our shop watchers.

If you like crafts join Etsy as a member so you are ready to be a buyer or a seller. The get your imagination ready!....and Go!

Below are my most recent Etsy items for sale. Click any of the item pics to head to my shop or go HERE to my shop. To become a member of Etsy start HERE.

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/04/today-is-officially-etsy-day-to-be-able.html

Nerd And Craft Combo In New York

n Brooklyn NY there is a cool Hacker space called NYC Resistor, this group combines the like-minded Nerdiness of Geeks and Crafters. I think this is awesome!

If I could make an armchair analysis of why this works.....it is completely because of the psychological profile that makes a Hacker a Hacker and a Crafter a Crafter. It is the same profile.

Those that are really good at Hacking (programming, developing, reverse analyzing, and engineering) have the same mindset as a person who would be good at carving or faceting or or knitting. These are very patient people who need to be a combo of kinetic and digital/analytical learners.(as are drummers, and photographers and artists alike). So it is no surprise that a lot of folks who love gaming and programming and hacking, also have craft hobbies and are into music, and some are in bands...

I was like that. I was a race car driver, I was in bands, and from the time I was old enough to hold something in my hand I have crafted. I love video games and I am way into music in a big way.

Before computers, folks who were great crafters were also great at intellectual pursuits that required lots of observation analysis of data- like anthropology or archeology. The development of computers in the digital age brought a new interest for this intellectual crew.

NYC Resistor has tapped into the base of the productive makeup of this community group with the perfect balance of Nerdiness.

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/04/nerd-and-craft-combo-in-new-york-in.html

Feeling Sorry For Myself Today

I woke this morning with a shrill ringing in my ears. The vibration so intense the pressure from the neuro-vibration was actually making my eardrums twitch.
Muscle spasms pulse as the inner corner of my eye puckers in a permanent cramp freezing each eyeball into place.
My lips are tingling and numb, my head is thrust backwards as my shoulders shrug in a cement like spasm forcing my chin in the air...
And then there's the pain....
Deep at the base of the brain it starts like my head is resting on the pain.
Like a sword has punctured the back of my skull and angled upwards and erupts through the bridge of my nose........
My throat is in a spasm and my tonge is pressed upon the roof of my mouth so hard you could actually hear a "Schmuckle" sound as I swallow and my tongue shifts its bond.
I am dizzy, the pain and spasms take over and it feels like my spine is curling sideways.....

I never talk about this....but today I feel very vulnerable and in the mood to share the horror of what makes me different today.
The monster that gripped me for a solid year 24/7 in 2005-2006 leaves me this migraine of a remnant of the time Normal took on a whole new meaning....


This is like a reckoning. A reminder to me how fragile all this life is and a notice to those who sometimes don't realize that I am sick because most days I seem FINE because I look normal.
Damn thing about neurological injury! No outward deformities or scars or war wounds to identify you as disabled in some fashion.
Some days my confidence still falls apart.

I know when the bad migraine is coming. In my head I am crying and screaming because I am not doing well at keeping the affasia at bay when the bad headache is coming.

Affasia doesn't go away for me. It is there but it is a purposeful act for me to stop the wrong word from coming out before it reaches my lips. It is like when the brain injury happened the affasia was so strong I didn't know the wrong word was going to come out until it was already said. Then as my body started to heal a bit I felt like I was thinking about my speech at lightning speed to catch the word before it came out of my mouth wrong. Which sounded like me studdering to fix the word as I spoke. Then as I healed more I got better at heading off the word at the pass. On my great days I just seem to pause a lot when I speak...and I can fool everybody.

But the thing is I am thinking every word through as a conscious act not a subconscious one, so I am constantly stressed if I am speaking. It is exhausting. This is why I rarely speak to someone on the phone. This is why I like being alone now. (actually absolutely need to be alone now)
I choose the days I have lots of contact with people. No one knows that. Well now they do...

I teach to challenge my mind. Like a physio therapy for my brain. The classes put me on overdrive but I figure I have to exercise my lightning word catching speed three times a week. Like going for a workout at the gym.

But on the pre headache and headache days ( I interchange migraine and headache- there is no difference for me now) my lightning word catching speed is set to "Turtle" and so the "Mumblypeg" in me is clearly visible.

People also comment on my memory. Most folks don't know I used to have a complete photographic and audiodynamic memory. Means I could remember a visual picture of anything and I could remember full conversation quotable from the past. This is why I can remember folks personal stories so well. Like the fact that MaryAnn liked her toast just passed by the toaster when we were kids, or the Fact the Laurel has a January Birthday or that Mike wore glasses and was left-handed and I havent seen him since 1981. My past memories are perfect.
But ask me to remember anything at all from 2004 and I don't know it. I remember 5 different days from 2005. I remember most of 2006. I remember from 2006 to three weeks ago. Then nothing.
The past three weeks of my life in a perpetual action are missing. But in three more weeks I will remember them fine. So if I had an exam I would have to study for it three weeks prior to the date of the exam or I would remember nothing. I then retain it in my long-term memory fine.

The consolation the education of like is not wasted on me it is just three weeks retroactive!
Problem of this is there is stress to it. Each day I awake to a new panic. Something I just remembered I have to do or tell someone but I was supposed to do it three weeks ago!

To lesson my stress I have a very large daily planner so I can referr to all my appmts and committments. I write myself notes three weeks ahead in the calendar to help me stay on track.

The tough thing is forgetting about the calendar. This sometimes happens.

Blogging helps me know what I did. And things like Twitter are great quick references. Email is a life line as I can re-read the mail. Converstation boxes and forums help me to. Well the threads references in the email are the actual true helper to me.
I have to keep all my thread historys for about a month to help me stay on the ball with stuff.

Well now I have completely scared you off. I am going to sleep. I am getting weird flashes of lights in my vision field now...

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/04/feeling-sorry-for-myself-today-i-woke.html

Cam's 21st Birthday Slideshow

Cam's 21st Birthday was on Sunday (the 19th)

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/04/cams-21st-birthday-slideshow.html

In The Studio This Weekend

(click on photos to see them bigger)
This two week period is filled to the brim with workshops and lessons and prep for the next manuals. I am also taking some time in the studio to do some re-organizing.













It takes so much time to re-org a room.
I started over a week ago, but didn't get very far because I was committed to tons of stuff to do elsewhere.

I have workshops planned, and my weekends are full.

This weekend was supposed to be the first Rose workshop class but I ended up unwell on Saturday, so I have had to postpone it until May 2nd.

I opened my third compartmentalized container for my roving. I have tried to organize like colours but not like fibre.
Now I am trying to figure out how to store the large cases. I toyed with the idea of attaching them to the wall of the closet, but that idea was scrapped quickly when I realized there was not enough room on the wall for 3 cases!

My weekend craft projects are Ruffled Cravat and the Ishbel Shawl/Scarf.

I had an awesome idea for marketing the Needle-Felted Rose kits. I put the roving and needles into a dollar store bud vase for each student so they had a bud vase to display their finished rose.

This rose turned out even nicer than the first ones I did. I like that about needle-felting. If you try to repeat the object it will improve with each one made.

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/04/in-studio-this-weekend-click-on-photos.html

"There Was This Time...There Was This Time In High School......"


In the past you have heard stories from me about my public school education back in Scarborough Ontario. You know that I had great opportunities for art and music that other folks didn't get, just because of the area schools I had the chance to go to.

Well one of my artistic buddies from high school is finally showin' the world his talent.

I was really surprised when I joined up with him on facebook to find out he DID NOT become and artist or designer as per his post secondary education, but choose the security of an artistic trade as a stone mason instead. Like me, his family is getting to the independent age and he seems to have more time to focus on his art as a secondary income, and perhaps change it to a full-time income.

This guy is very very talented. He whips off his cartoons and sketches like they are doodles! I asked him to try to post a daily cartoon on his blog, and I would like to see if he can get a following.

The great thing about this is that Canadians have a very quirky sense of humour and he really represents the Canadian mood, so he is fresh! I believe he has the potential to be the next "Toothpaste For Dinner".

I am appealing to everyone, especially my Nerdy Sons' friends who follow all the cartoon icons on the web. Let's all pay it forward. Give a buddy a chance, and let him be as blessed as we have been with our blogger followings. I know we can to do it! I know we can be part of changing an newbee's blogging life forever! I have faith in my blogger friends to ask their friends to post about him, and their friends to post about him, and so on and so on and so on.......
When you ask your friends to post about Mike Spicer and his cartoon blog please direct them to come to my blog at this url: http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/04/there-was-this-time.html and add themselves to the Mr. Linky so they can get the recognition they deserve too!

Please blog post about Mike Spicer, and Tweet, and "Stumble Upon" and DIGG This! Please, Please Please!

I am asking all my blogger friends to post this url http://tiny.cc/spicer on their main posts and ask their friends to do the same. Can we make this week Mike Spicer week?

Below is one of Mike's Cartoons. If you click on it you can get to his blog and see his great work!

If you guys help me get him famous I promise to post more stories about when we were teens and the silly stuff we did at school! I will even post pics!
I want you to imagine what it was like sitting beside this guy in classes, and at the lunch table......

I am keeping stats on the Tiny Url so I can let you know how many hits he is getting through my tweets and the blogs.

We bloggers can all remember the first day another blogger wrote about us and expanded the number of readers we received. I am appealing to you all to post about Mike Spicer and use the Tiny Url so we can see the difference we make for him.

http://motivated-motion.blogspot.com/2009/04/there-was-this-time.html