Plush Team Retreat 2012

Plush Team Retreat 2012, a set on Flickr.

I finally made some time to weed through all the photos that I took at the Retreat, and decided to make photo-collages instead of uploading a ton of pics to my blog. Click on the link above to view the collages in a larger size. Here's a few more photos that give you a glimpse of the fun that was had this year in awesome Lancaster County, PA.
No self respecting Fabric-a-holic could pass up a trip to the most awesome and amazingly affordable PA Fabric Outlet. BINGO, indeed!

Part of my haul from the outlet- getting into trouble! ;D

A Plush Team get-together would not be complete without the traditional Taco Night- which included all the fixin's, spanish rice, and frozen margaritas, too. Here's the lovely Jessica of Plushroom Soup getting her tacos.

Which in turn inspired us to make a large group plush of a taco. It has contributions from at least 5 members of the Team who pitched in the last day to create a plush version of most of the Team's favorite food. It almost got finished before the retreat was over, but not quite. It will be making an appearance at next year's Retreat, you can bet on that. :D

So what have I been working on since I got back, you ask? I finished up a couple of small sets of popcorn plush for the Plush Team's Funky Fridays, and here are a few images:

They are for sale in the Plush Team's etsy shop as we speak, along with all the other great and super-affordable plush created for Funky Fridays.
I'm also feverishly working on my pieces for the "Sew Nerdy" show at Bear and Bird Gallery in Florida, so it's back to the sewing machine for me. I'll post photos somewhere around mid-June, and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you. :)

Philadelphia...

I had a great time wandering around the City of Brotherly Love, thanks a million to Diane of Cutesy but not Cutesy for showing me around this great city!
I was in awe of all the major historical events that happened there, and the architecture is fantastic. I love looking at those old brick buildings on the East Coast.

Here are some of the photos of the awesomeness that is Philly:

Bust of Ben Franklin- made of keys!

Graveyard where Ben Franklin is buried.

It was really cool to go and visit the house where Betsy Ross created the first flag of the United States- she was a feisty lady who was ahead of her time. She didn't retire from her work until she was 76- and then only because her eyesight was too bad to continue. This is the house that she lived in until she retired to her daughter's farm:

replica of the first flag design

I also got to sneak a peek of the amazing architecture of City Hall, as well as the famed Liberty Bell:

and the Eternal Flame monument:

Independence Hall:

There was also the awesomely amazing food market in Reading (pronounced "redding"- go figure) where I had the BEST cheesesteak sandwich ever- although it was tough to choose from all the different stands offering them....

To walk off the cheesesteak and whoopee pie, we headed on a trek from Reading Terminal to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where we paid homage to the statue of the Italian Stallion himself:

and then climbed the famous steps up and in to the Museum, where we saw some incredible art- this museum has some amazing pieces in its permanent collection.

Speaking of art- we also walked through "Love Park" which was the site of the first Robert Indiana "Love" sculpture:

I was bummed that the famous Barnes Collection was not on view- it opened in its new location a few days after I was gone, darn it! That just gives me an excellent excuse to go back, and I definitely plan on it.

I'll be posting photos of the Plush Team's retreat soon- just gotta weed through them all to find the good ones. Have a great week everyone!

Away from my studio...

and so excited to be attending the second annual Plush Team Retreat! A bunch of our Team's members are off to the land of the Amish in Pennsylvania to spend 4.5 days laughing, creating, and sight-seeing.

 I will be back in my studio and creating new plush soon, but for now, it's off to Pennsylvania! Woot! As soon as I get back and get the chance, I'll post photos and write all about it. :)
If you'd like to see photos from last year's retreat, click here, and to find out what shenanigans we got up to, check out last year's blog post.

Meet the Ventriloquist!

I was SUPER excited a few weeks ago to get a box in the mail from one of my favorite plush artists- can you guess who from the sketch on the top of the box?

Even though I knew who was in there, I eagerly unwrapped the new addition to my plush collection:

A wonderful Ventriloquist plush from the awesome Nichol-B of Pink Cheeks Studio!

He is a special piece of plush art from a special lady; just look at this face- how could you not love him? :D 

To see more of the work of Nichol-B, head on over to her etsy shop where you can find quirky mustachioed men and amazing mobiles, like the one below, among her other fantastic plush creations.

Citrus Bears

I found this great fruit-themed cotton print, and was inspired to make some mini bears in bright and cheerful citrus-y colors. I used the print for the bear's tummies and ear accents, and used a contrasting color thread to applique the fabric to the bodies. Their mouths are hand embroidered, and their eyes and noses are made from felt.

These little guys (6.25 inches X 6.25 inches/ 16cm X 16cm) are great for baby gifts, since they have no buttons or other choking hazards, and are made from soft and cuddly fleece.

Lemon Bear

Lime Bear

Tangerine Bear

You can find the Citrus Bears in my etsy shop.