For my mother’s birthday, I drew this dreamy surreal crayon drawing for her. As many adventures as she’s lived in her seventy years on this earth, ever more await her!

Happy birthday, Mom! I love you!
Today’s post is a sneak peek of my latest needle felting project: Anthopleura sola, the Starburst anemone.
These are one of the most gorgeous sights you’ll see as you walk along the tide pools of the California coast, with their jewel-like tentacles dancing in the currents. You can spot this particular species by the stripes radiating out from the center in a luminous “burst.” Here is a photo I took on one of my excursions to the tide pools:
And more photos of these magnificent life forms:
I want the felted Anthopleura sola to be life-sized with a diameter of about 150 cm. I’m pushing myself to work larger which allows me to get in more details.
I loved poking these creatures when I was a kid and watching their tentacles retract, and then poking them again and seeing the water gush out. It was so exciting! I doubt they enjoyed it very much, however, and I no longer practice this harassment. But I still adore watching these beauties in their shallow pools.