Experimenting with new fur

Well, it’s difficult to craft with ease when I keep thinking about hurricane Sandy as it ravages the East coast.  My Sister and her family are there and I think they are okay in Western Mass.  They seem to be having lots of rain and high winds, but that’s all.  My thoughts are with all the people on the East Coast.

I got some new fur, which I meant to use to make polar bears, but it’s a bit more beige than I would like.  So far, I have made a bunny and a yeti.

The bunny has wool arms and a sullen face.

The Yeti has some big and furry feet which were fun to make!

The yeti is not very happy to be spending time in West Hollywood.  If he had his choice, he would be living in the snowy glaciers.

Today I will be making another yeti and a few brown sasquatches.  Should be fun!  Yours in crafting,

Seriously? Do I have to?

 

Okay seriously?  I just don’t know how I can sell my newest creations?  This bunny and bear have stolen my heart for real! 

I mean come on?  This bunny makes me smile every time that I glance over at him!

And this blue bear?  He’s so hip and darling!

Well…. at least I have another week with them until the Patchwork  Holiday Craft Fair in Culver City!  Yours in crafting,

Windy and working…

There are very high winds here in Los Angeles.  It’s the Santa Ana winds which are warm, but gusting and tonight there is a wind warning.  It’s a good night to get cozy and watch a good film.
I have been sewing away and have created many new critters.  I finished this grey cat and blue bear this afternoon.  Milton the blue bear isn’t from around here.  Blue bears are very rare and special.  His fur is very feathery and muppet-like which is nice.  Here’s one more photo and I’m off to get cozy on this windy night… Yours in crafting, 

Seattle and Plush You pt 2…

I realize that I didn’t finish writing about my trip to Seattle, so I will today.

There  are a few more photos from the Plush You show that I didn’t have room for.  These were interesting.These were adorable and hanging from the ceiling!And who can resist a good yeti or bigfoot?This little guy was so cute, yet so delicious looking – hummous and carrots by Scrumptious Delight!There was only a bit of sun for my trip and I snapped this up while walking down to the ocean at Pike Place Market.  It is a lot steeper than it looks.  Pike Place Market had some beautiful food such as these little bread puddings…These were from a french bakery called le Michou and I highly recommend it for the best(well and only) zeppoles I’ve ever had!  For my second breakfast I headed to the Crumpet shop which is very cute and quaint and they have organic fresh baked crumpets with numerous toppings to choose from.  I chose egg and I also had a wonderful loose leaf green tea to go with it.  The flowers at Pike Place were very beautiful and fall is the perfect time for Kale flowers!  I had a few visits with my best friend from high school, Kendra, who lives up the hill in Queen Anne.  It was great to see her!  (I am in the pink hat)Kendra took me to Paseo’s which is a Seattle must-visit sandwich place that is know for it’s line-ups!  Oh, and it’s Carribean sandwiches.  It was messy, yet so delicious and I ate the whole thing!  We also went to Ballard which is an adorable little neighborhood near Seattle up on the hill and it had so many cute shops and restaurants.  It reminded me of the Pearl District in Portland.  We had coffee from Ballard Coffee Works and it was amazing!  I took this photo for my husband as he is quite the Dr. Who Fan!  I like how Darth Maul is photobombing the background!  And lastly, a photo of a rainy Seattle from up high!  Who knows?  Maybe I’ll make it back again next year?  Yours in crafting,

It’s a Busytown kind of day!

I have been sewing softies a lot and so today I took a break and worked on some Halloween costumes.  My sister and family commissioned me to make them their Halloween costumes this year and so I am proud to say that I started,  and finished them today.  They are going to have to provide some of the accessories, but  I  am quite proud of what was accomplished.

Do you remember the Richard Scarry books that you had as a child?  Well, my 4 year old nephew is obsessed with them and so he delegated the family costumes this year.  He will be his favorite Busytown character, Huckle the Cat.  Tilden’s Mom will be appearing as Sally, Huckle’s sisterThe baby, will be going as the Goldbug…I like the fake pair of arms attached to strings under the real arms.  And finally, my Brother in law Jeff, will be Lowly the worm.  These will be mailed off tomorrow to Massachusetts and will get there just in time for Halloween, which I hear is quite the celebration in Northhampton!  Yours in crafting,

Masked Bandit Mischief…

Three little raccoons,

sitting in a row.

One wants to eat popsicles,

The other two say “NO!” 

These are my newest creations.  I was out of raccoons and now there are three!  I love them a lot!  They will available for purchase at the Patchwork Holiday Craft Fair in November in Culver City.

I have been working very hard these days, almost to the point where I spend all day sewing.  Sometimes I get frustrated and exhausted, and I question what it is that I am doing.  I have a few commissions and things to make for upcoming craft fairs and it gets a bit overwhelming at times.  But,  I love doing this and I have to remind myself of this sometimes when I am up to my elbows in polyfil and faux fur. 

This is what I chose and that’s why it’s happening for me.  I had a dream and it has now come to life.  I may have unleashed a monster or two, but all I have to do to get grounded again is go for a hike, or hit the gym and then I can’t wait to come home and sew some more.

I heard  a great quote from a guy who was being interviewed on the radio the other day.  I’m sorry, I don’t remember his name, but he said, “Take your passion and turn it into your income.”  I like that a lot and it spoke to me because that is what I am working towards.  And every time that I turn a softie inside out and see what I have created, I feel blessed with creativity.     Yours in crafting, 

 

Seattle and Plush You!

 

This weekend I was in Seattle for the Plush You!  show at Schmancy Toys.  Kristen was great and it was fun to see her shop and meet some of the other artists who attended.  The world of plush and softies etc is so small still, so it’s really great to connect with others who really “get” what it is I am doing every day.  I got to ask people about their processes and I learned a few new things.  Mostly, I learned that everyone has such a unique sewing style.

 

There were a few plushes that really stood out and it was interesting to note that all of the artists that were  there, we all had different favorites.  I was very drawn to Andapanda from Spain.  I love this anteater.  His tail was very nice and soft.  This little guy in a paper bag also really spoke to me…I apologize but I don’t know the name of this artist, although I do see from the tag that they are from Wisconsin.  One of my plush, (Liesel the Lion with Boombox) was already sold and off to a loving home, but Fergus the Raccoon and Fulton the Fox remained and were busy making friends from far away places!  The doll to the left was made by my new friend Rachel Linquist who drove down to Seattle from Idaho.  Rowan from Out of the Frame Amigurimi was another friend that I made.  She and her husband are british, but are currently living in Bosnia for work.  They incorporated Seattle into their vacation to stop in for Plush You.  Here are two of her pieces…I also got to meet Anges from Betty Turbo and she was really sweet!  She makes these great pillow type softies out of her art which she prints onto fabric.  Her pieces are in the box on the left.  This basket of Petal People by Olbapi from Portland make me very happy!  I will leave you with a few more random Plush You! photos, but I realize that I am going to have to do a Seattle part 2 tomorrow, because I have lots of sewing to do today!  Enjoy! Yours in crafting, 

Terrific Tuesday

It’s Tuesday and I am getting excited for my trip to Seattle on Thursday.  I am featured in and attending the Plush You show, at Schmancy toys in downtown Seattle and I can’t wait.  I used to live near Seattle when I lived in Vancouver, but I never went and explored the downtown.  It will be great to meet other Plush Artists.

I am finishing up a commission to send off to Worcester Massachusetts and today I am working on a wolf and a fox. 

Before I moved to L.A. I lived in Vancouver, Canada and I had five girl roomies.  One of them lives in L.A. and we meet up occasionally.  Last night another roomie came to visit and the three of us hung out at my place and caught up.  It was great and there is something special about spending time with old roomates.  I think its the comfortable factor.  These girls have probably seen me in my underwear, or some really gaudy pajamas, so we are quite familiar.  It was also great to be around fellow Canucks!

I must get back to crafting now on this beautiful autumn West Hollywood day.  Yours in crafting…

Thanksgiving Canuck Style

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!  Canadian Thanksgiving is today and I am celebrating.  I made some butter tarts which are a Canuck treat and they don’t have them here in the States.  The closest description that I can give is pecan pie, without the pecans.  Here is what mine came out like…They may not look like much, but they are mine and many other people’s favorite dessert.  Basically they are homemade pie crust filled with a mixture of brown sugar, syrup and vanilla with raisins.  They are also supposed to have a little melted butter mixed in, but I don’t like butter very much so I used earth balance margarine and earth balance shortening for the crust.  Why the aversion to butter?  I’m not totally certain, but I think it’s because my childhood neighbor who used to baby sit me would make me peanut butter and jam sandwiches with slabs of butter in them.  I guess her butter was difficult to spread, so she just sliced it like cheese, or so it seemed to me.  I’ve never really liked butter since then.  Anyway, message me if you’d like my butter tart recipe.

Last night was Under the Bed, a Nerdist art show and I had two monsters exhibited.  It was fun and Danielle the curator was super nice and I was happy to be a part of it.  My monsters got a great response and I got to explain what it means to be a Plush Artist to a few people.  I hope that somebody adopts them.  If  you are interested, contact Meltdown Comics in Hollywood.

I have been a busy little crafting bee lately.  I have a few shows coming up before the holidays, and a few commissions to work on, so I am sewing every-single-day.  I’ve got a few new hedgehogs and a lion that will be listed in my shop by tomorrow.  Here’s what they look like.  So, have a great day!  I am spending the rest of mine with a few friends and turkey balls, stuffing, cranberry, pumpkin pie and cake.  It’s okay if you are jealous, it’s going to be delicious!   Yours in crafting…

Ready for MOCA

My softies are almost ready to go to their new home at the LA MOCA!  It is a great honor to sell my softies here.  First of all, this is one of the best art galleries in the country for contemporary art.  Secondly, their shop is an amazing collection of art books and modern art.  They even sell a few skateboard decks.  I love how art has become more accessible to everyone.  Everyone deserves to have art in their lives, even if they aren’t in the one percent.

Here are some softies that will be going to MOCA this week.  That is a fox, a hedgehog and a bird/owl.  How about these two lions and a fox?  And this grey wolf is most definitely from Silverlake, Los Angeles.  It was just rated the most hipster neighborhood in all of the U.S.A. by Forbes magazine.

I know I’ve said it before, but one of the reasons why my husband is the best is because he is very patient and supportive of my craft.  It’s not a great photograph, but just look at the state of our couch these days.  Luckily for him, these softies will be off to MOCA very soon.  Well, I have a busy few weeks ahead of me, including a gallery show and a trip to Seattle to be in Plush You,  an all plush gallery show and I still have more things to make!  Yours in crafting…