It finally feels like Winter

Happy Halloween

The last week has been blissful in terms of temperature, I've even been wearing long sleeves which has been exciting. In a complete roundabout I've returned to sewing, its been months and the last thing I sewed was probably a hem. It's a good thing to have had a break as I have a renewed enthusiasm and I'm excited to make new things. Here's a couple I've been working on, although if you follow my instagram you'll have seen some of these behind the scenes shots. I'll be taking part in a few show in November including Patchwork Show on Nov 2nd in Long Beach and Nov 30th in Santa Ana as well as Maker's Arcade in San Diego on Nov 22.

Sample fox new design

I made this guy in a flurry of enthusiasm, literally drew onto the fabric and cut it out, not really thinking about how I would make it again without a pattern. I don't really want to unpick it apart so we'll have to see if the pattern I made is close enough.

Look at all the owls, I have banned myself from buying any fabric till I get through the mountains of wool that I have collected. I have mini wool mountains of felted sweaters and dismantled clothing everywhere, it looks bad but it always does when I'm busy.

Here's a felted sweater purse with appliqued bear.

Fox and Bear

Mr & Mrs Nighty Night Owls

Tis the season to be jolly

Halfway point of the Chrimbo season, I feel like I've been working since September non stop, a bit like a continuous spin cycle. The OC mart mix popup shop was a huge whirlwind of activity and it was nice to have a change of scenery. Alongside its me Mary and pooka queen I think we did a wonderful job transforming our temporary home.

In other news I've had some commissions, a little dog plush, dog pin and hedgehog. I think I mentioned in the last post that I have a kind of love/hate thing with commissions mostly because it pushes me out of my comfort zone, and always inevitably takes longer than a normal piece. I'm pleased to report that at least half of these were fun.

This is hedgehog. He's rather robust.

This is a little daschund dog, this has inspired me to make a Sanford dog plush. So,In all the frantic ness of the Xmas season I forgot to hit publish , so I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. In case I don't get to the blog before the new year, thank you to everyone who has supported my handmade vision. I am continuously humbled by the generous enthusiasm and appreciation shown for my designs. I have plenty more ...so please continue on this journey with me!

Rush Rush

Wow, it's a whirlwind action packed Summer. Having a permanent shop front means you have to keep it stocked and that has been a challenge. Casae Larae Photography stopped by a few weeks ago to shoot my very messy craftroom as part of her artist series and managed to successfully frame each shot to not reveal the piles of fabric everywhere. The pictures are lovely so head over and have a look.

I still need a work table for the booth and some storage for all the clutter I seem to bring with me. I found this old wooden box covered in stickers (for at least 10 years according to the other half) at the local goodwill and it's been de-stickered but still needs a little more work doing to it before it makes it into the booth.

I have been making a lot of stuff but it's been selling well that I don't seem to have documented the new stuff, oops. I have begun my first bowtie and bought some hardware to make the back strap which is kind of exciting to have a new project. I also made a scrap doll and I think I'll take my bag of scraps with me to CRAFTED and make some more or maybe some furry travel buddies, too much choice but I miss those funny little creatures.

News just in, Mr Fox will be making his Crafted debut with a couple of pals. I seem to Instagram everything these days must get better at using the proper camera.

Back from me Break

After a restful time in Norcal where I probably got more done than I would have done normally given the lack of distractions and chores. There's an awful lot of sewing to be done. I managed to overfelt a particularly nice Pringle sweater that came out of the washer toddler sized. It's so thick that it will make perfect pot holders or coasters, maybe embroidered if the needle can make it's way through the denseness without too much effort.

The catalog is coming along nicely, here's a peek of some of the photos that I took whilst away. It was actually a blessing that it was overcast as all the colors are dense and not sun drained.

Lil hoodie Bear

Napping Owl

Misfit Owl

Lil Penguin hanging by a thread literally

Behind the Scenes

Surf cycled Notebook

This is an early attempt at notebook making, still learning the machine. Praise be for Youtube, manuals just don't cut it for me, too much information. I soon realized that my wires were too big for the projects so ordered a huge box of littler ones. Tomorrow I plan on perfecting my technique, will report back on progress.

Owls, thrift and other news.

It seems of late that I have neglected the old blog. Been keeping busy with lots of design work which has left me not wanting to stay longer on the computer. A new website is coming together slowly but surely. More card designs have been added to the collection and still the drawings continue to flow which has resulted in four new owl prototypes in production as I write. Well I finished one sample at least. It can take a while to fine tune the pattern but I was lucky enough to find some very appropriate buttons that make the project.

The husband helped me to make a card display using an old frame which is almost finished just a few technicalities to sort out but I'm excited about it. Since I wrote it's now complete. I had planned on using fishing line but it sagged too much so I switched to wire and it's perfect.

 In thrift news following on from mini chair I found a fabulous office chair on castors. Very sturdy and comfortable, given the current overstock of furniture in our apartment I did debate purchasing the chair for maybe a minute till a man decided he would use it as a perch while he tested a TV. In the end I asked him "are you buying the chair ?" to which he nodded. I don't think he understood me because after half an hour of testing every possible button on the TV with a cracked screen he just left it there and I swooped in and wheeled it away ! The moral there is go with your first instinct or prepare to do some mindless hovering.

the back can be adjusted which is very cool.

No distressing needed !

the perfect office chair

So there you have it three blog post's for the price of one. Enjoy !

I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain....

With an almost three week layoff due to a persistent cold I hope you haven't been too disappointed about the gap since the last blog. Honestly I picked up a pair of scissors and started cutting and within the same breath put them down again as the effort was too much ! There was nothing for it but to succumb and watch Tivo'd programs and sleep a lot. One of my recent favourite shows is Modern Family, I kept seeing ads and thinking that looks funny, I should watch it and then never did so now I'm catching up on reruns and new stuff....Where is this post going. I was going to keep it all upbeat and now I'm rambling on about telly !
2010 has been a year of progress and positive change. I am thankful for all the talented people that I've met and the opportunities that have come my way. I'm happy to be doing something that I really enjoy and that brings a smile to people's faces. According to something I read online it takes at least 5 years to build an empire which is where I hope to be 3 years from now ! Anyway enough of the serious stuff, here's some photos I took this morning (and then accidentally deleted 20 of them !!!) fortunately there's still 100 but here are some of my faves. You may have heard about the recent rain in Southern California, well the sun wasn't out but it did stop raining today. Enjoy and Happy Christmas.

Red Squirrel finds natural Camoflage

The Red squirrel is surrounded.

Two Rare Red Squirrels

Owl up a tree

Don't mess with me !

Run Squirrel Run

Grey squirrels fear nothing not even miniature donkeys !

Hello Kitty or Cat Cat in this case

Drumroll.....I am proud to say that I have been burning up the sewing machine these last couple of weeks I'm certain it makes a lot more noise than when I first got it. The idea for cat cat came maybe about a month ago but I hadn't got around to making a finished one till now. Readers of this blog will know that I have no cats which doesn't mean I don't like them I just like dogs more. However I'm still trying to come up with a viable pattern for each dog so not having emotional ties to cats speeded up the design process. I opted for a black cat as my first one but expect to see a wide range of colours by the end of the week. I'm hoping that this inspiring time of creativity lasts a while ! We have had a bit of rain these last couple of days which although you would think perfect time to go surfing, (as you get wet anyway) you would be mistaken. All drains lead to the ocean, say no more ! Anyway I must get back to the machine although I'm feeling the urge to paint again....

Before I go though on a recent Ikea marathon trip I spied this, it was attached to what can only be described as an open loo but anyway I digress. How cool would it be to have a portable tree for craft shows and displays. It's a task for the husband and his handy power tools but I hope to have one soon, a bit more rustic looking though. The owls would look so cute.

Polar Babies

The latest kids on the block Polar babies are here and child friendly too !

Chickletto is here

Hot off the sewing machine, my newest prototype Chickletto. He is another winged creature which is in keeping with Penguino and Owletto. You like ?

Ha ha chickletto is safe from Sanford, for now......but he wants that chicken bad.