Dancing Vulture

Excited to be in talks of becoming the new compiler for my favorite local Christmas Bird Count... Not sure if I'll be the top guy or part of a group, but it sounds fun!
I love our local CBCs. I participate in 2 every year with my dad and brother and I prefer them over actual Christmas ngl

I went from gym time 4-5x/week plus kayaking, climbing, and hiking on the weekends to barely scraping 1-2 days/week and just fighting to stay awake over the course of November.
My only real concern here is I have mountain adventures coming up soon and I would like to not be totally wrecked for em!

How am I supposed to drag myself to the gym after work when the sun clocks out an hour before I do?

I CANNOT WAIT for our magical mountain trips this year. This is my and Mr. Wolverine's 3rd Christmas adventure in a row, I'M READY!

I'm happy for people who had this experience. My Christmases looked beautiful but were incredibly stressful as far back as I can remember. I much prefer my tiny tree, kitty stockings, and escaping to the mountains for the actual holiday. STILL unlearning things tied to this season.

A safety pin with single crochet pink yarn on the top, and a needle-felted turkey vulture head with a small key hanging as charms from one side.

You guys see those $800 Prada brooches?
I couldn't stop thinking about how silly they are (here's some single crochet on a safety pin, gimme money). Obviously had to make my own. Needle-felted turkey vulture head and tiny key for charms, because I said so.

Describe your cat's personality with one photo
(Opal and Bobo)

I am Far Too Broke for buying stuff right now. I also am struggling with some pain issues so I can't take custom orders. Weemp womp.
You can buy art from me though if you want! I also have a book out and have a few copies on hand if you want one. No pressure tho
linktr.ee/dancingvultu...

Introduce yourself with five animals you've seen in the wild:
- California Condor
- Periodical Cicada
- Vermilion Flycatcher
- Short-eared Owl
- Blanding's Turtle

Finally finished the right panel (just have to sew in the ends)! The big back piece is next... The real struggle will be to not overdo it and hurt myself again lolll

Tendinitis is really bumming me out, basically can't do anything.
Tomorrow is another day...

A crochet monarch butterfly cardigan in progress. The left panel is done and you can kind of tell I was still learning. The right panel is coming out a lot cleaner!

This project... I actually got too into it and gave myself some minor crochet elbow 😅 So I have to take the week without crocheting and then be very mindful about breaks and not overdoing it! Why must crochet be so addicting and yet so repetitive motion injury inducing...
Pattern by Biyabimi !

Me posing under my Barred Owl siblings ♥️

Art show last night was a blast! The quality of work was excellent, got to chat with folks I hadn't seen in forever, and overall just a super fun time. I hope they do more group shows!
For any Pocono people, this show is at the Brodhead Creek Heritage Center and will be up for the rest of the year!

It's so weird to have winter activities I actually look forward to while also having seasonal depression lol
Energy please come back

Welp, back to work. For how stupid that was, I'm grateful for all the time I was able to spend making art!! I finished 5 projects, my witch hat, darned my socks, and started my first crochet piece of clothing. I really needed that.
Gonna doy best to keep the art momentum going.

Bird art you say 👀
These are just pieces I completed this year, but I have so much gotdang bird art it'd make your head spin! 😆
This is fun to look at. I think I created more work this year than the previous 5 combined ♥️

A giant felted Cecropia Moth hanging on a wall. He is 4' across!

I've never heard of InvertFest before but it looks so cool! Just submitted my big boy, Cronus. Hope he makes the cut!
I made Cronus for a call for art back in 2014-2015. The place closed submissions the day before I finished him due to the influx of art, so he's lived in my stairwell ever since!

announcement image that says Have bug & slug art? Submit to #InverteFest Digital Art Book. Publishing every April, August, December. Download previous editions & find the submission link at InverteFest.com/#Artbook the image is decorated with artwork of various animals from various artists, featuring insects, slugs, and so on.

#InverteFest season is almost here, which means it's time to submit your bug & slug art! The form closes at 100 entries.

Find more info, download past art book, and submit here:
invertefest.com/#artbook

Oh how cool is this?? Just submitted a piece, fingers crossed! Love to see some bug love!

Omg KITTY!! I had a kitty one while my sister had a puppy one and hers would beep at her all night long. These are so cute and brought back great memories haha ♥️

A close-up of my sleepy barred owl siblings. Needle-felted with doll eyes and sculpted beaks

Flyer for the art show! "Opening reception November 14, 5:30-8:00 pm. 'It's in My Nature' What does nature mean to you? We're looking for artworks that explore personal connections to the outdoors- the places that inspire you, the moments that ground you, and the landscapes that shape your story. Brodhead Creek Heritage Center"

I finished my barred owl fledglings last week and just dropped them off for a local art show this morning ♥️ I haven't shown my work in person since May. I'm really excited to get out there for this nature-themed show!
Opening reception Friday November 14!

I guess this would be a good time to toss out there that I do have a lil shop and there's work in there for anyone interested! I mostly needle-felt small bird soft sculptures, but there's other pieces in there too ♥️
dancingvulturedesigns.square.site

I have been on the constant verge of opening up for commissions for the past month and a half, but I KNOW the moment I do, the govt will open back up and I won't have time to do them. I can just feel it lol.

... This summer I got my brother in a kayak for the first time! My wolverine fixed up 2 SMO duckies and my brother rocked one. He did great!
So I fused these two things together lmao

So the first time we visited my sister in Oregon, my brother spotted what he thought was a Catbird. He was alarmed when he saw it plop into the stream!! My dad and I came running and we were thrilled to see it was a Dipper!!
My poor brother though panicked at first 😆
As for the kayak...

A needle-felted soft sculpture of an American Dipper in an inflatable kayak. He is paddling with a black-handled, blue paddle, wearing a green helmet and red life vest. The inflatable/ducky is red-orange and black.

A needle-felted soft sculpture of an American Dipper in an inflatable kayak. He is paddling with a black-handled, blue paddle, wearing a green helmet and red life vest. The inflatable/ducky is red-orange and black.

A needle-felted soft sculpture of an American Dipper in an inflatable kayak. He is paddling with a black-handled, blue paddle, wearing a green helmet and red life vest. The inflatable/ducky is red-orange and black.

Just finished my brother's Xmas gift. I'll explain in a thread below, but it's a little American Dipper paddling an inflatable kayak 😆 I couldn't get the idea out of my head, so here he is! Totally needle-felted and so small!

OMG YESSSS! I vote him the head of any coop!

Oh my goodness, he is SO cute!!! I love his expression and that little cane!!

Green, yellow, and purple patches in socks, made via darning.

My favorite fuzzy Halloween socks are pretty beat up with holes in the bottom. Figured I'd practice darning with embroidery floss and see how it holds up!
Not the cleanest but I've learned a lot and I love the way the woven embroidery floss looks.
If it doesn't work out, they'll be used as stuffing.

Flu shot got me feeling like doodoo but it's better than getting the actual flu! Resting today under strict Opal supervision.