New and improved, Sharktoplush!

Several months ago I made a sharktopus plush for a friend. I posted that version in here a while back. I have since revised the pattern a bit and made another large one for the director, but something terrible happened. He started multiplying! Now there is a adolescent and baby sized sharktopus, and I'm afraid for all the beach goers out there. Especially with the baby, he's super cute, but deadly. Don't let his cute baby charm or the fact that he hasn't grown in all his teeth yet fool you! He'll chomp your ankles the second you turn around!



Who can resist this face? Well you better if you want to live!


Uh oh, it looks like a beach babe grabbed his attention. Looks like he's going to get himself a snack.


Murder and mayhem make for an exhausting day. Time for them to rest a little before their next attack.



NOTE: I'll be using him as my example for my "How to attach tentacles" Tutorial I'm working on. Hopefully I'll have it ready by the end of the month. :)

Sharktopus - templates in the work

Whoa!  Its been a busy last several weeks.  In addition to 2 wholesale orders, I had to travel out to Seattle for work.  Its been a while settling back into things. After returning, there was work stuff to catch up on, wrapping up a wholesale order, wedding planning things, and some unexpected kitchen floor repairs. 

So now that all of that is easing up, except the kitchen floor which still needs to be done, I am getting back into things.  I had said I was holding off on making things for Suzannah Ashley to sell, but I really just can't help myself. I've had SO MANY requests, particularly for Sharktopus Plush. Plus I can't stand not having some kind of creative outlet.  I've already started cutting out the pieces for holiday ornaments, so I can get a head start on those. I had no idea how popular the Sweet Owls would be last year.

Also, I've drafted a revised pattern for the sharktopus plush.  Just added a few minor tweaks. I've also drafted a pattern for a smaller version that I will test out tonight. So yes, that means there will soon be sharktopus plushies available in my shop.

And because I've been asked a couple of times now, while I'm working on making some sharktopi, I'll be putting together a tutorial on how I attach tentacles to these types of plush. So if you ever were wondering how to attach tentacles, then keep an eye out for that tutorial.  :)

Dead Bat Plush - Clothes That Kill!

A few weeks back, I was contacted by Clothes That Kill! about coming up with a plush of their Dead Bat Logo. Its the first time I was asked to make something to produce in multiples and sell at wholesale. It took a few prototypes to come up with a design that both was easy enough to reproduce in multiples, and was as close to the original artwork as possible. After several revisions to the pattern, a final prototype was made.



Going through the different prototypes allowed me to adapt my techniques and learn more about plush construction, enhancing my techniques.  Once his pattern was finalized I made several more...



But I turned around for a minute and they all flew off!  I finally found them hiding in an empty shelf on my bookcase.



I guess they didn't like the daylight so much.  I managed to wrestle them into a box and deliver them to their buyer.  And another 10 to be made and delivered before the end of April.  :D

They'll be available exclusively through Clothes That Kill!

Early Cuyler Plush

My sister is a big fan of the Adult Swim show Squidbillies. Her favorite character is of course, Early Cuyler. Knowing this, her fiance and I conspired to make a plush Early for her birthday.

I did some research both to get an idea of his facial expressions, and an idea on how to construct him.  I came across vikangaroo, who had made a custom plush Early too. I got a better idea of how to construct his head, but decided to go with my floppy tentacles and to use different techniques for the face.

Here he is all stuffed. I'm using my hat to get an approximate measure for his head, so that I could make his hat.  Also this is before his mouth was embroidered.



I actually really like him like this, he's almost like a Clockwork Orange octopi.


And here is the finished piece with hat and his mouth sewn on:



My sister loved it! And a few weeks later when we both went up to my parents, Early came up with her. He road shotgun all the way to PA from NC, telling everyone along the way, "Don't touch the triiim!".

Sharktopus is a hit

Apparently my cute little sharktopus is a hit!

Not only did I get an email from the Editor-in-Chief of Rue Morgue Magazine telling me that Declan O'Brien, the director of Sharktopus wanted to know how he could get a sharktopus plush, but SyFy tweeted about my plush too!

I could just explode!
*twirls*

Sharktopus Plush

UPDATE:  SyFy tweeted about my plush!  Tweet Tweet.

So I've had to keep quiet about a recent commission for a while now. Its been killing me because its so cute and I'm really happy with how it turned out.  Luckily its finally been delivered to the person it was made for so I can finally now share.  Share what, you say? ...

SHARKTOPUS!!! Half shark, half octopus!



He's actually not that bad of a guy. He just wants to take a tiny nibble of your leg is all....




Here he is watching tv with my boyfriend. See, friendly as can be!





This is his skin suit, and what he looked like before being stuffed and sewn shut.


A friend of mine asked me if I could make a plush for his girlfriend.  He's a fan of "bad" science fiction movies, and apparently had made her watch the SyFy's masterpiece Sharktopus. He wanted to reward her for being a good sport by having a cute plush version of the creature made.

I had never attempted anything like this before, and it involved drafting a pattern and trying to fit 8 legs nicely around the base of the shark. I had to come up with some new techniques for things, like using a stabilizer inside the dorsal fin to help make it rigid. Also, the tentacles aren't stuffed. Instead I used a cotton batting to plump them up a bit, but to keep them flat and flexible. Perfect for grabbing prey, or hugging unsuspecting girlfriends....

I'm really happy with how he turned out. I'm absolutely in love with his little tentacles and now need to think of even more things to add tentacles too.  I hear he is also a big hit with the unsuspecting girlfriend which makes me super happy.  :D

Ninja Santa ornament

Its pretty obvious that the story of Santa with a sleigh and reindeer is a lie. I mean flying reindeer? Come on!  The truth of the matter is that Santa is a Ninja. That's right, a Ninja.  He uses his Ninja training to sneak into all the houses of good little girls and boys and leave them presents. That's why he doesn't need a chimney to come down. Ninjas can find a way into anywhere!

This is my last ornament design for the season.  I got started late and look!, Xmas is almost here. I'm hoping to start a lot earlier next year and come out with a few more new designs. He's for sale in the shop now.

Sweet little owls

I came up with some super cute owl ornaments just in time for the holidays. They are completely hand-sewn, and made out of felt, thread and a wee bit of poly-fil to poof out their bellies a bit. I'm totally in love with their cute little embroidered sleepy eyes.

These will be listed in the shop later today, and can also be found in the Soundry starting later this week.

More colors coming soon!

Squiddly Prototype

So a while back I doodled a cute little guy absent-mindly.  He looks sort of like a squid-monster thing.  I was really fond of him, so I tore him off whatever scrap piece of paper I had been drawing on and saved him, not sure exactly what I'd be doing with him.


Several days ago, I decided to sketch him out bigger into a test pattern for a plush.  He actually went pretty well, but I'll probably revise the pattern some to make his arms/legs/tentacles thicker. They ended up being skinnier than I thought. I always forget that when working with fleece, I need to go larger than I normally do.

So here's his little prototype:

I also think I'm going to make a slit in his back to stuff him, so I can make sure the crown of his head is smooth and less bumpy.  I may also add some polka dots. This little guy is currently for sale at The Soundry.


Now that I'm back from my mini-vacation visiting one of my sisters and my nephews, I need to get crackin' on the holiday items. Both for my gift-giving and for selling.

Commissions and Christmas

Yes, its already time to start thinking about Xmas.  Especially when most of the gifts and goodies you've planned are handmade.

I'll be visiting my sister and her husband, and my nephews this weekend.  We're going to have some Xmas Crafty Time, since I think its something that they really haven't gotten the chance to do much of in the past. I figured I'd whip up some patterns and we'd make some cute felt ornaments, as well as make them each an ornament with their name and birth year on it (sort of a tradition in our household).

Speaking of ornaments, I'm working on creating a line of ornaments to put out for sale both at the Soundry, and online in my Etsy shop. More on that later.

Besides ornaments, I'm diligently working on making and finishing crochet afghans for my parents. I just learned to crochet a few months back at the Maker Faire in Brooklyn New York. I started work on an afghan for myself soon after, and decided it would be a great present for my parents.  They are both older so its hard to pick presents for them, as they do not use any kind of gadgets (they still have a rotary dial phone line) and aren't very materialistic. They also don't like it when we buy them stuff, because they feel we shouldn't have to. But, super cozy afghans that I made, that I'm sure they will like.

In addition to all the Xmas projects I have in my crafty queue, I also have a couple of commissions on the horizon. A friend asked me if I'd be able to make a custom plush based off a made for tv horror movie for him to give to his gf. I just finished up the sketches this weekend.  Also, some of my coworkers saw the plush girls I was dropping off at the Soundry and asked about getting some custom ones made as presents for friends.

Looks like I'll need to stay organized and on task through the holidays!

I got in!

Or more accurately, my two plushies I sent off got into Stuffed Magazine! I'm not sure which issue yet, but I am so pleased.  And I'm hoping to have my shop open in time to include it on the information I need to fill out and send into the editors.

Yaaay!  *twirls*

Its been so long!

So long since my last post! Time got away from me as I was busy with preparing for our annual conference at my day job. I was out in San Francisco for only 12 hours before I got a call that there was a family emergency. After some calling back and forth between my sisters and I, I decided to head back to the east coast. My dad was in the hospital for a week, but is out now and feeling a lot better. Plus now he has a scar to show off where they put in his pacemaker.

I spent last weekend wrapping up one of my little girls so I could send her along with a monster friend to California to meet the editors of Stuffed Magazine. I only took one quick picture of her, but will try and get better pictures of her sisters as I finish them up.  I hope the editors love her and her monster friend as much as I do. :D

I'm pretty proud of her, and can't wait to finish up her sisters.

The pieces that didn't sell at the Baby Canvases II show are back in my care. I'll be putting them up for sale in my shop soon.  I'm hoping to open my Etsy shop by the end of August.  I'm so excited!  *wiggles* I'm going to be looking around for a good pigment ink printer so I can print out some art prints and other paper goods for the shop. 

I'm also excited for other opportunities coming up soon. The Soundry is going to be starting up an Art Market at the end of the month. I would LOVE to participate if I can find the time to get some things finished up.  I'm really excited because it might turn into a weekly event, which I would LOVE, because I could definitely particpate.

Also, the next Teeny Tiny Art Show is going to begin accepting submissions for their next show starting in October. Both of these opportunities have me excited, especially since Artomatic may not be happening until next year.

 Look for more frequent updates from me as I dive more into my art and crafts! 

Doll Parts?

Who has a closet filled with partially stuffed doll parts?  Oh, I do!

There is mischief and shenanigans afoot!

Leprechaun Gangster?

Its been so long since my last post.  Oops! I was out of town for a little while for work, and I'm slowly getting back on the crafting ball. My most recent completed item was a little gag gift for one of my sisters. Apparently she thought one of the lyrics in the song "Here comes the Hotstepper" said: I'm a leprechaun gangster. This amused her boyfriend a lot. Enough so, that he contacted me and asked me to make a leprechaun gangster plush for her as a surprise.

I believe you, but my tommy gun don't!

I had a lot of fun making him, even though I ended up having to pinstripe the fabric myself with a ruler and sharpie marker.  I just couldn't find a pinstripe fabric I liked, and in green no less. And I really love his little felt tommy gun.


Also, he's showing off my spiffy new labels I got a few months back.

From what I hear, he was very well received. :D Now I want to make a little plush version of my boyfriend with his fedora that he wears.  Will have to add that to the to do list.

Plush You LA application submitted!

YAY! Here are the 3 images I sent in. You'll recognize the one from the Mortal Plush show. I decided to go ahead and use her for the application.

Now I can focus on packing and moving before beginning working on other projects. :)

Too busy to update! Oh no!

More snow this weekend makes me very happy.  Did I mention I LOVE snow.  :D
*does a snow dance* 

I've gotten a bit busy with the day job so haven't gotten to work on my art and crafts as much as I would have liked. I did work on a painting, and got a good under painting on the canvas. I've also sketched up some other ideas for pieces that I really like and have a good solid plan for my Olympic Plush Challenge entry.

I've got a really cute idea (I think) for something else, but I'm not quite yet ready to share it. So far I've not seen anything exactly like it yet, so that makes me really pleased. I should have a prototype finished by this weekend, along with my Olympic challenge plush.

I may or may not get enough done in time to submit to Stuffed Magazine like I had hoped, but I can always submit at the next deadline which is August 15.  It might be better, because by that time I should have a few more things completed, and hopefully I will have opened my Etsy shop by then.

I do want to have things finished up so I can submit an application for the LA PLUSH YOU show.

More later. I'm exhausted from Zumba class, and the kittehs want to play Laser Pointer Chase Extravaganza!

Plush happenings

I have been planning for a while now on submitting some plush cuteness to Stuffed Magazine. Their next deadline is February 15. I was going to rework my Vox plush that was in the Mortal Plush Show last year, as well as create some "sisters" or friends.

Its helpful that I've started to get into a plush mood. I get crafty moods, where I am completely focused and only interested in a certain art or craft. I've been trying to work on some art, but my brain was just completely elsewhere. Its a good thing though, because not only am I working toward submitting some work into Stuffed, but I just came across two more fun tidbits. Schmancy Toys is having an Olympic Plush Challenge for the upcoming winter games. So I thought, hey why not toss my hat into the ring for that.  Also the next PlushYou! show has been announced. Applications are due February 22.

I must admit I am quite giddy about all the possibilities. I'll be sure to post what I'm working on as things progress. Getting into Stuffed, or into the PlushYou! show would be so exciting.  *wiggles happily*