STUFFED magazine!

I've been meaning to do a blog post about this for awhile, but life got busy, and I kept putting it off. I was lucky enough to be included in the most recent issue of STUFFED magazine, which hit the shelves towards the end of December, 2009. It was a thrill to be chosen and asked to write a small blurb about my creative process. If you haven't seen the magazine yet and you love plush of all kinds, this is the magazine for you. A few other Plush Team members are inside, as well as a TON of other amazing artists. Featured on the cover is my good friend (and fellow Plush Teamer) Becky Gould of Scrumptious Delight. You should be able to find copies at any bookstore, craft store, or on the stampington website.

Haitian Earthquake Relief

As some of you know, the members of the Plush Team are currently offering items up for sale in the Team's etsy shop to help raise money for the American Red Cross. 100% of the proceeds from the sales of items marked "haiti relief" will go directly to the Red Cross. I am offering up Blu the cat for sale in the team's shop. Here's a little bit about Blu:

"Blu is a very mellow cat who likes to spend most of the day lounging in the sun. She'll move from place to place in the garden, following the sun as it changes during the day. Blu does not like rainy days. When it rains she gets quite grumpy and hides under the bed."

Please take a quick moment out of your day and look over all the items for sale in the shop, a lot of great stuff has been listed, and it's going fast! More items are being added every day.
It's a nice way to do some donating and get something for yourself (or as a gift for someone special :D) at the same time.

If you'd rather donate directly to the American Red Cross, you can do so through this link or by texting “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 (USD).

Starting the week off right!

What could be a better way to start the week than this? ;) As you can probably tell, this is a portrait of our scruffy dog, Waffle, by the wonderfully talented Christian Robinson. We commissioned this mixed-media painting from Christian (for our christmas present) knowing it was going to turn out well, and we were blown away when we saw it- WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!! So a HUGE thanks to Christian for doing this for us, we will treasure it always. If you are interested in having Christian do some art for you, (you'd better get some now before his prices start rising. :D) check out his blog and his Big Cartel Store to see the many ways that this talented artist channels his creativity. Thanks a million, Christian! :D

Sneak Peek!

My Year in Plush 2009

I thought it might be interesting to compile a mosaic of all the plush that I made this past year. (Which doesn't include the plushed wall hangings I made for the Haunted Mansion show- the photos wouldn't fit in the small photo-mosaic box format.)
I'm going to use it as a motivational tool- try my best to make more this year and grow creatively at the same time. I am busy working on a few things right now, so I should have new plush to post within the next few weeks. It's been a bit harder than I thought to get motivated after the Christmas break- although slowly but surely I get more done each day, which I guess counts as some sort of progress. :)
Enjoy the rest of the week everybody. Gotta get back to the sketchbook and sewing machine. (I think they felt ignored over the break- and they are right, since I did barely any drawing or sewing. It was totally worth it though. So there. :D)

Iginla gets plushed

What can be better than starting out 2010 with a hockey-themed post? For a Canadian hockey-lover like me, not much. ;)
Meet Jerome Iginla of the Calgary Flames hockey team. I made this plushcature for one of Ben's christmas presents. Iginla is probably Ben's favorite hockey player, and he joins his teammate Dion Phaneuf (who I made last year) as our good luck charms as we watch the Flames play hockey this season. So far so good- they've been playing quite well over the Christmas break. Knock on wood that they keep it up.

Sewing the plush went a bit faster for me this time around, since I had the pattern for the jersey. (YAY! :D) I realize now how much easier it is to modify an existing pattern than come up with a new one every time, which is my usual M.O. I just had to draw up my caricature of Iginla, and then add his name, number, and Captain's "C" to the jersey. Much more efficient, but I don't think that I will quit making one-of-a-kind designs, it's too much fun to make something totally new. Which, btw, I have tons of ideas for this year...
I hope that you all had a great holiday break and are ready to face 2010 with new energy and creative inspiration! Now I'm off to get to work!