In My Shop: Stuff For Babies--and a Story about Sleepy Bears

I have a fresh out-of-the-oven batch of Babies on a Stick.  No, they do not contain actual babies--just rattles--so if you work for child protective services you can relax already.  You can buy one for yourself here.

  I also cooked up a few Chow Bebe bibs which are made with 100% recycled towels on the backsides.  You can buy those right here.  

I whipped up a side of Sleepy Bears  too.  These are one of my favorite newer designs--made from organic all cotton fleece it has a lovely dreamy feel perfect for snuggling.  I happen to especially love this design because it was inspired by a plushie I had as a child--actually, it belonged to my older brother first and then it became part of my plushie menagerie later on.  We always called him Sleeper.

  Last year I unearthed him in my childhood toy chest and was just charmed by his sweetness (and look how threadbare he is--those are patches of love).  His fur is a little curly and very soft--which inspired me to start with that organic cotton fleece when I began to cook up some of my own Sleeper designs.  It took several iterations before I finally settled on the design you see here.   While they are different, they are both simple, sweet and perfectly sized for cuddling by a child.  I can only hope my Sleepy Bears will be as cherished as Sleeper was by my brother and me.  (by the way, Sleeper has since reverted to living with my big brother, where he sleeps next to his bed--or so my brother's wife reports...just goes to show that love for a plushie can be eternal)

You can get your own Sleepy Bear here.

Kids Crafternoon Blog Party and a Lucky Day Give-Away

Here I am, stop number 6 on the Kids' Crafternoon Blog Party--think of it as being a bit like a pub crawl, only with blogs instead of pubs, and kids crafts instead of shots of whiskey.  Yes, Kathreen is at it again--putting together more fantastic books of kiddo-friendly crafts--this time centered on beads and felt.

For this portion of the party, I decided to let Beeper and his friend, Ivan, take over--meaning I had them take a look at the books and pick a project to make for their own personal crafternoon.  They quickly decided upon the Robot Softie by Bianca Brownlow--which was a relief to me since they are 7 & 8-years-old respectively and it appeared to be a simple first sewing project.

Like any good little robot designer, I had them each start off by making a sketch of their robot and any special features they may have--like a yoyo that doubles as a weapon (always handy when bored and faced with a spot of trouble) that Ivan's robot sports , or the cell phone that Beeper's robot keeps handy in his chest cavity (I would assume for quick calls to his mom as needed).

Next, we cut out the felt pieces then I put them to work on the sewing machine--this was their very first time driving the sewing machine and they were naturals.  That is Ivan's mom (Hi Chellie!) there overseeing Beeper's work like a good sweat shop supervisor.

Next, I gave them a chop stick and had them stuff all those narrow little robot limbs--and again, they were pros.  Okay, maybe they got a little impatient with it after the second leg, and I jumped in to make quicker work of it--but still, for having the attention-spans of a tse fly, they were softie-making rock stars.

Et voila!  Their finished robot creations.  The best part was how very proud they each were of their work--Ivan declared he would be sleeping with his tonight.  And then they each took their robots along with them as dates to the Children's Opera performance we went to later.  

But, I suppose you might like to know more the types of projects you might find in these books--so, let me share a few of my own favorites...

From the Beading book: Woodland Beaded Cards by Sharon Baldwin; Lego Jewels by Nicole Vaughan; Push Button Canvas also by Nicole Vaughan; and Freckles Photo Frame by Lisa Tilse.

Oh, and look, its one of my projects from the book--a little bejeweled skull and crossbones tote.  Swanky, eh?

And from the felting book: Stitched Jewels by Cassi Griffin; Zombie Critter Charms by Lisa Tilse; Upcycled Sherpa Hay by Lisa Siebert; and Designer Wallet by Claire Dollan.

Oh, here's my project in the felting book--some simple felt cards.

You can read about the first round of Kids Crafternoon books here, and if you want to continue on with the pub crawl--I mean, blog party--you can party on at any of these swell blogs:

Monica Solorio-Snow from The Happy Zombie 20-Nov

Cate Holst from Go Make Me 21-Nov

Shannon Cook from Luvinthemommyhood 22-Nov

Jennifer Casa from JCHandmade 23-Nov

Kate from Picklebums 24-Nov

Steph Morgan from Modern Parents Messy Kids 25-Nov

Kara Fleck from Simple Kids 26-Nov

Li’l Magoolie 27-Nov

Jackie Boucher from Oh Dee Doh 28-Nov

Bianca from Sadie and Lance 29-Nov

Tricia Hogbin from Little Eco Footprints 30-Nov

Lisa Siebert guest posting at Poppytalk 1-Dec

And, if you would like to get your hands on a copy of either of these books--well, I just so happen to have a copy of each to give-away to two of you.  So please go ahead and leave a comment here telling me which book appeals to you most and whatever else you might want to share.  But you should do that by the end of the day on November 20th and I will try to come back promptly on Monday. to announce the winners (but please keep in mind my track record here--so, no promises)

And just in case you were wondering, the Robot Stuffies spin exceedingly well on the floor--clearly they are gifted break dancers.

You can read more about the Kids' Crafternoon Felting and Beading books over at Whip Up, and buy your own copies of the books here.   And don't forget to leave a comment if you want to be in the running for the book give-away.

Studies in Positivity: Studio Mela

Yeah, I've posted about Studio Mela here before but I've been having a crappy couple of days and when I came across her Etsy shop again tonight--well, for me, it was just what I needed to see.  So, I thought I would share some of Shelli's brand of optimism and positivity with you.  Because who knows?  Maybe you could use some of it too.  

You can find all the Studio Mela prints above--and then some--here.

In My Shop: Stripey iPod Monster Cozies

A dozen stripey iPod monster cozies are in my shop.  Yep, right now.  I think they might be having a party, in fact.  That's what happens when you leave them alone together--mischief, kool-aid keg stands, hysterical giggling, finger biting--oh, and gobbling up iPods (iPhones, iPods--they aren't picky--although the littlest one does have a taste for the Nano).  Actually, iPod gobbling is sort of their job (when not moonlighting as models for Kathreen's Crafternoon book series).  If asked, they would probably tell you they were made of burrs, dirt and moldy fur--but really, it's just recycled wool sweaters that have been felted.  Go have a look at them if you must.  You can find them all here.

Sharing: A Handful of Some Late Autumn Projects

When I was putting this list of projects I was of two minds--I was thinking about late autumn and that feeling of wanting to begin to hunker down in your home as the weather begins to get colder--but then, I admit, I was also thinking about the holidays.  I am sorry to bring it up in early November, but it is right there smack in the middle of my own mind lately because I have already begun making and stocking my own Etsy shop for the holidays and have been thinking about all the things I want to make for my own family and friends.  And if you hand-make things for gifts, I am sure you get this--because these things do not make themselves in a few days and it can take planning to realize all the grand crafting and gift-giving plans.  So, this is what you have here in this list of projects--a bunch of projects I would love to make for myself at this time of year (that dyed plaid scarf, the feedsack bag), but also a list of projects that could just as easily translate to gift giving (the drawn-on porcelain, the whiskey and salted caramel truffles, that itty bitty walnut pincushion from Ariana that makes me want to die).

Here are the makers and the links to their projects, clockwise from top-left: Dyed Plaid Scarf from Readymade; Whale Plushie from Valaan Villapaita; Personalized Crockery from The Happy Home; Printed Photos on Old Dictionary Pages from Take-Out Photo; Feedsack Messenger Bag from The Crafty CPA; Personalized Shrug from Imagine Childhood; Salted Caramel and Whiskey Truffles from Bakers Royale; and Walnut Shell Pincushion from Crow Roosters Crow. 

As always, happy crafting--and gift-planning.

In My Shop: Cute as a Button Barrettes and Hairpins

I just made a whole buttload of my Cute as a Button hairpins and barrette sets.  That's right--a buttload (okay, 11 sets if you need to get exacting about what precisely amounts to a buttload).  They are all made with vintage buttons (which I suppose is why I made so many--I could sort through and play with my collection of vintage buttons endlessly--and incidently, I also used to do this with my mom's tin of buttons when I was a wee lass--and have since caught Beeper doing it with my tins of buttons--clearly, a genetic thing...).  If you want some for yourself--find them in my Etsy shop, here.

Belated Post Ahead: The Great Pumpkin Patch

File this spot away for next year--that is, if it happens to be October and you happen to be in central Illinois, right smack in the middle of an Amish community, lots of soybean fields, and small town America.  It is called The Great Pumpkin Patch and is located in a Arthur, Illinois, down just about a million intersecting dirt roads, just past 100 or so farms, and take care not to hit the Amish teenagers driving that buggy there.  It also happens to be just down the road a spell from where my in-laws live.  There's lots to do--it's sort of like the Disneyland of Squash--check it out...

...learn your ABCs via squash...

...visit an old time school house...

...become a pumpkinhead--variety of your choosing...

...admire the rainbow o' squash...

...eat a freshly made caramel apple or 12...

...get lost in  corn maze...

...admire the variety of presentations of squash...

Unfortunately, the actual Great Pumpkin Patch was closed the day we visited due to MUD, but it's not like there are any shortage of pumpkins to choose from...

Yeah, we took home a trunk full.  I wish I had taken a photo of all the brilliant jack o' lanterns Mr. Beeper and I designed and carved--the one with two faces was my favorite...but, you'll just have to imagine what that looked like.

You can see more photos--but only if you really want to--because there was lots more to see and do--find it here.