Plush You! 2011 teaser

Hmmm... what can I be making for the premier plush art show of the year? I am very excited to be participating again in Plush You!, which opens in Seattle at Schmancy Toys on October 14th at 5pm. I'll be unveiling the finished pieces closer to the show's opening, so stay tuned. 

Mister Bones

Mister Bones here was made for the Day of the Dead Group Art Show at the Starkweather Arts Center in Romeo, Michigan. The show opens October 7th and runs until November 3rd.

It was a lot of work appliqueing all the arm/leg bones on both front and back, and he also has a lot of subtle sparkly white felt sugar skull accents on his skull, which were hard to pick up in the photographing process- hopefully you can somewhat make them out here. I wanted him to read first as a skeleton, and then on closer inspection you see the sugar skull details.

I had found this great sugar skull fabric last Halloween, and I knew that someday I would find a use for it, and this show became the perfect time to use it. I also had some fun adding color with ric-rac and strings of pompoms, and I finished him off with a colorful sombrero and lapel flower.

If you are in the Michigan area, check out the show- there has been a lot of great work created for it. If you head on over to Ben's blog, he'll be posting his amazing paper collage piece for the show soon. It was really great to be in the same show- and I think it helped us create some really fun pieces.

Just a tease...

A brief work-in-progress photo of the piece that I am doing for the Day of the Dead Group Art Show happening in Romeo, Michigan this October. Stay tuned to see photos of the finished piece coming sometime this week! :D

A Birthday Commission

I was asked to create a plushcature of Noah for his 4th birthday this month, and it was a fun project, especially since his mom was very specific about his outfit. 

He had to be wearing all black, with a black and grey striped t-shirt, and black high-top converse sneakers.

Here's the real Noah- what a cutie! 

 The most detailed aspect of this commission were the converse- it was fun to re-create such a classic shoe in plush form. It was also a trip down memory lane for me, since I wore my own converse high-tops when I was a kid, although I preferred the cream colored ones. :)

                                                          Happy 4th Birthday Noah!

Ghosts with the most

Meet the Boo Brothers. This ghostly trio wear shirts that describe their personalities perfectly.

First, we have eldest brother Boo, who is the calmest of the trio, but don't let that fool you- he can let out a BOO cry that will curdle milk and scare you right out of your shoes.

Next we have the baby of the family, whose slightly grayed-out ghost form and "boo hoo" emblazoned shirt conveys his "why me?" moaning personality. He's the ghost that moans in attics and in graveyards, making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Last but not least, we have the middle Boo brother. His shiny rah-rah attitude comes from haunting too many frat houses on college campuses- and his boos are the loudest and most boisterous of all. He will glide silently up behind you and let out a yell that will make you jump right out of your skin.

The Boo Brothers will be appearing in my etsy shop one day at a time, starting later today with Baby Brother Boo, and ending friday with Elder Brother Boo. To view all my Halloween themed items for sale in the shop, click here.

Wee Ghosties & Jack O'Lanterns

I saw this cool Halloween plaid fleece at Joann's the other day, and knew that I MUST have it. The pattern was too big to use in my regular sized plush, and as I was trying to figure out what I could make with it, it finally came to me- pillows! 

It was a nice change of pace to make something different from my usual plush. They measure about 11 inches square (28cm); perfect to use to rest your head on, or simply to bring some Halloween cheer into the room. :)

 The ghosts on this pillow are made from fleece as well, with hand embroidered green eyes. I free-hand cut the word BOoOoooo from orange fleece, and then appliqued it to the pillow.

I decided to go with a different texture for the Jack O' Lanterns, something that would give the idea of a pumpkin skin. They are made from a lovely soft flannel, and appliqued on.  All the materials in both pillows are washable, so they should be able to be gently washed and dried.

These ghosties and pumpkin pillows will be available in my etsy shop later today. More Halloween goodies are coming tomorrow!

Getting ready for Halloween...

This week I'll be adding my 2011 Halloween items into my etsy shop- a few things each day until the weekend. I'm starting the week off with these sets of Mr. and Mrs. Frankenstein ornaments, which were fun to design and make, but were slightly labor intensive with all those little pieces to sew on.  

Each set is one-of-a-kind,  made from fleece and felt. There's also a set of 3 mini Jack O'Lantern ornaments hanging around the shop with a mini vampire bat and some fall leaves, so feel free to browse around, and stay tuned for more Halloween goodies launching tomorrow. Happy Monday! :D

Rain Forest Fun

The Plush Team's July/August Challenge theme was the Rainforest, so I did some research and decided to make something that I'd never done before, a Toucan. My plush is of the Keel-Billed Toucan, which is the national bird of Belize. I fell in love with all the amazing colors on their beaks:


I found out that the more common variety of Keel-Billed Toucans are green billed, but they also have a blue billed variety, which inspired this little guy. He's made out of super soft minky, with a fleece bill, and felt accents.

To see more of the exotic plush created for this Challenge, and to vote for your favorites, head on over to the Plush Team's blog. My Toucan and all his rainforest pals are available in the Team's etsy shop.