Down Syndrome Awareness Month Giveaway!

Win a copy of 'Hansel & Gretel: A Fairy Tale with a Down Syndrome Twist' and a Tiny Needle Felt Bunny

Winners have been picked and the contest is now closed. 
It's the three-year anniversary of the release of Hansel & Gretel: A Fairy Tale with a Down Syndrome Twist, written by the late disability superstar Jewel Kats, and illustrated by me and published by Loving Healing Press. This is the first book I illustrated in my distinct style with needle felted wool. In honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Month,  we will be giving away three copies of the book. Plus, the top winner will also receive a tiny needle felted bunny like the one pictured with Hansel below. 

To enter, comment on this blog. For an additional entry share this post to Facebook or Pinterest and include that you have shared in the comment. 
The paperback books have a value of $15.95 and the bunny has a value of $30. The giveaway ends Oct. 14, 2017 when three random names will be drawn. 

Here are some reviews of Hansel & Gretel: A Fairy Tale with a Down Syndrome Twist:

"I love that this book addresses not only the low expectations that society has of kids with Down syndrome but that the Mother has as well. What a gifted author to see past the diagnosis and tell a magical story of potential and belief!"

--Nancy Gianni, Founder & Gigi's Mom, GiGi's Playhouse: Down Syndrome Achievement Centers

Hansel & Gretel: A Fairy Tale with a Down Syndrome Twist

“Hansel & Gretel: A Fairy tale with a Down Syndrome Twist” is a fairy tale adaptation that combines excellent illustrations with a powerful narrative that reminds readers that fairy tales are transformative. It is written as a children’s book, but has those moments of re-thinking that allow people of any age to question ideas of disability. — Derek Newman-Stille Through the Twisted 
Woods

Giveaway Bunny will look like this one

"I find that Jewel Kat's message that someone's disability is not what makes a person, a great one. I like how she portrayed Hansel. He reminded me of my nephew who had Down syndrome-not only someone who was kind but also very smart. I believe it's a great book for every kid to read." --Janet McNevin, Museum of disABILITY History

Hansel & Gretel: A Fairy Tale with a Down Syndrome Twist is illustrated in gorgeous needle-felted wool paintings that give a rich and magical feel to this surprising and delightful tale. The needle-felted images and scenery are beautiful and stunning.  They set the tone perfectly and whisk you to a far-off land. Each page is imbued with magic. You will find that you want to linger on each page a little longer just to take all of it in. —The Picture Book Review

The sensitive fiber art portraits of tiny but expressive needle felted dolls capture a feeling of delicate awareness that enhances the positive and empowering message of "Hansel & Gretel: A Fairy Tale with a Down Syndrome Twist.” — Midwest Book Review

How I Made Tiny Felt Food for Needle Felted Book Illustration

DIY Felt Food and Candy Ideas

I recently was at a book fair where a 5-year-old boy purchased Hansel & Gretel: A Fairy Tale with a Down Syndrome Twist.  I asked him which picture was his favorite. He told me he liked the candy houses because it looked like the candy was popping out of the page and he wanted to eat it. 

Easter Inspired Candy House in Hansel & Gretel: A Fairy Tale with a Down Syndrome Twist

It was gratifying to hear from a child that he connected with the 3-d illustrations. When Jewel Kats asked me to illustrate this book, I was immediately excited about the forest scenes, but I wasn't sure how to handle the candy houses. To be honest, I don't get particularly excited about candy, but I do like cakes, cookies, fruit. So with the gingerbread house, I added some window boxes with iced berries, chocolate chip cookie trim, and of course candy canes lining the entry. The other candy house (you have to read the story to find out why there are two) was created during Easter and you can see how that influenced the design, pastel M&Ms, lollipops and even Peeps on the lawn. 

Hansel eats a marshamallow off the Gingerbread House

Creating the sweets in both candy houses and for the feast scene was an exercise in trial and error. This is not a step-by-step tutorial, but I will share some tips and techniques I used. I hope you can be inspired and create some fun felt food.  

• Fiber to Create Cake -- One of the most important tips for creating cupcakes, cakes, marshmallows, is to use a wool that is very springy and fluffy. I used Rambouillet. To be honest, I had picked up some Rambouillet from a fiber store and found that it wasn't useful for my needlefelt animals. However, it makes great cake dough. I used Rambouillet extensively in the pastel house and in the feast scene. 
• Coffee is Great Cake Dye -- The Rambouillet was white, but if I soaked it in leftover coffee for a while, it turned the perfect beige shade. 
• Felt Baked Goods -- The cinnamon roll in the feast scene was simply the Rambouillet and a cinnamon-colored wool rolled up together and held in place with a little needle felting. The cake slice was a bit more complicated. I layered rambouillet with a red wool in the middle, like a sandwich, and needle felted until it was dense, rolling a bit as well to keep it roundish. I finished with chocolate-colored alpaca as the icing and felted lightly, but firmly. When my cake was finished, I used very sharp scissors to cut a piece. 
• BFL Silk Blend for Icing --The icing on the roofs and berries was created from a Blue-faced Leicester and silk blend. I wet the wool then tore off little pieces, which makes it curl. After placing it on the roof, I used hairspray to keep it in place. 
• Waffle Irons make Waffle Cones -- I actually used a waffle iron to make the waffle cone and the waffle door. This didn't work out as well as I had hoped. I dyed some 100 percent wool felt the color of golden waffles. While it was still wet, I put it in the waffle iron. Do not put the waffle iron on! I pressed it in and let it sit in place for about a day. The indentations were not as deep as I had hoped, so I had to needle felt around the edges. 
• Candy Canes and Lollipops -- At first I made the candy canes out of pieces of felt that I twisted and then inserted a wire. That didn't look so good. So then, I took a piece of copper wire, a thicker gauge, about 18, and wrapped it with white wool and then swirled the red wool. This made it easy to shape the cane. 

A felt food sweet table in Hansel & Gretel: A Fairy Tale with a Down Syndrome Twist

BFL/Silk Icing over felted berries on Candy House

Marshmallows of Rambouillet wool on the tower

Have fun creating! I'd love to see what you come up with and you can share on Claudia Marie Felt on Facebook.