Getting a Jumpstart on the Easter Bunny- with Bunnies

This week I made these little bunnies, which I saw on MADE, for the kids' Easter baskets.  (Wow, it's really kind of weird to be thinking in terms of "the kids.") 

Looks like my surgery is scheduled for Good Friday, which means we will most likely still be in the hospital Easter morning. So I'll put these in baskets ahead of time with a few other small treats, and Easter is ready to go. 

I did all the face embroidery with stitches on my machine. I'd love to learn a little hand embroidery someday, but for now I am just fine with the easy way out. I kind of like the girl bunny more, I think because I made her limbs chubbier and eyes lower. 

I'm usually not this good at planning ahead, but this is really just my way of procrastinating making H's birthday gift. His birthday is Wednesday and I really can't decide what handmade gift to go with. I like the idea of a big car playmat, but I just can't get that excited about it. Maybe a better idea will come along... maybe you have it... 

Squid Softie

I made this from one of Bit of Whimsy's free patterns. I might have to also invest in one of their doll patterns because they are so adorable. But this free little squid was a fun find. 

A word of advice though if you try it. Those tentacles are pretty thin, so you would be wise to learn this turning trick. Actually, you should learn it anyway, because there are many sewing instances where the clothes pin trick makes life a lot easier. 

I felt pretty satisfied with myself after I had easily turned all the tentacles that way, but then I realized they still had to be stuffed. I'll be honest, that part was kind of a bitch, but it gave me a chance to sit and enjoy a couple old episodes of Arrested Development. (By the way, if you love AD, look at these paper dolls!) 

Lots of people use a chopstick for stuffing and poking out corners, but I prefer a bamboo grill skewer. It's longer, thinner, and sharper. 

I also added that ribbon loop on top so it can hang from her infant carrier or play gym. 

Less than 6 weeks left. Holy moly. 

Funny Valentine

Do you ever make something that comes out so goofy looking it kind of becomes cute again? That's how I feel about this hippo-like valentine stuffie I made for H.

It's big enough to hug and has belting arms with velcro so it can hug you back. Well, that's mostly so I could hang it in various spots around the house today for Hendrix to find. The eyes are vintage buttons from my grandmother's collection, and you can't see in the picture too well, but the legs have Wizard of Oz characters on them, you know, because hippos love that movie. 

There's a pocket on the back for little Valentine's Day treasures for him to find each time. This morning when he woke up, the Vday Fairy Godhippo had brought a new little Cheetah. He's big into cheetahs lately. 

Maybe the Fairy Godhippo will visit every year? Who knows. I am so not into Vday, but I can definitely get into making it fun for the kids. I'm sure I will also have more fun with it when they are in school and we get to craft Valentines for the classmates. My mom thought it was a little crazy that I got Hendrix gifts and nothing for my actual Valentine. He's a server in a fancy schmancy restaurant, so Vday means one thing- busiest night of the year. He'll be making that money tonight and I'll probably be sewing up Baby Girl's crib bedding. We are romantic like that.

Most of the fabric I used was from a scrap exchange I did with Tara of SewTara. (By the way, I still don't think she has got my package yet and we sent them on the same day. She lives in Canada, so the Canadian postal service wins. So they have that and Justin Bibber going for them.) She sent me all these cute scraps, plus a lovely little pincushion she made. It was really fun to do a scrap exchange because everything I got is pretty different from the fabric I normally buy. I always love the Japanese prints and cutesy animal fabrics I see on the internet, but I just don't spend my money on them. Now I have some of my own. I'll have to figure out some more scrappy projects to use these up on.



Happy VDay!

Henrietta is back.

She was my first Etsy sale, (thanks to this crazy guy) and I missed her when she left. So I've conjured her back.

This is Henrietta. She likes rolling down hills and catching frogs. She does not like when her little brother monster comes into her room. She keeps a bird named Paul in her mouth to keep her teeth clean.


I'm working on a batch of brand new monster faces today for peddling at Red Tree Gallery. I will show you tomorrow, and after that, more new listings in the shop. 

A Couple More Softies

Things have been sparse around here lately because our internet is being spotty. Which is perfect for the week you decide to open an Etsy shop. 

This weekend Hendrix's little buddy Campbell had her first birthday party, so I made some very last minute gifts Saturday morning and took some very very last minute pictures of them.

I've made this owl shape before, but I just made up the duck pattern. It's ok, but it's head came out a kind of square... looks a little special.

A heart on the booty is unnecessary but cute.

Poor square-headed duck. You're still pretty. Maybe you will grow up to be a swan.