new bunny

this fresh little bunny was just posted in the shop.
he is made from a wool and cashmere blend and is so soft!

weekend

just a couple of highlights from the long weekend. some sketches done by our nieces who we spent alot of time with.
the first one are some animals that i like. the second were outfits designed especially for me. i'm a lucky auntie.


and an early dinner and drinks last night at the new latitude restaurant on main street. SO delicious. all of it. we ordered the soccas with shrimp, the avocado and mango salad, the charcuteries de le mer, the halibut and the cheese plate for dessert. i can't wait to go back.



how did you spend your weekend?

wood stapler

a stapler made out of wood.
i like it.


(via simple lovely. i forgot to mention that, i usually do, it was so early this morning. so...sleepy.....)

have a great weekend!

new bear

thank you everyone for the giraffe love! it's nice to hear such sweet words and comments when you try something new, especially when you see it all of it's flaws. it makes me want to keep at it and try out some other ideas floating around in my head.

speaking of new, i have just posted this new bear in the shop . i LOVE the fabric on his belly. the colors are soft and muted and yellow is probably one of my favorites. i find these bears fun to make, since i rarely use my sewing machine and all of my other animals are hand stitched.


i consider these bears to be a limited edition since the grey wool suiting i have is such a small quantity and i can't get any more of it. i have enough for maybe 15 bears? maybe? we'll see. it's too bad because i like working with it, but now it will be fun searching for replacement wool. let the hunt begin. (i wish we had more fabric shops in vancouver.)

when the urge strikes.

i haven't worked on a new pattern in, what feels like, quite some time. i've been so busy making up stock for orders and the craft fair that i haven't had the time needed to work out a new pattern.


i find that i can't really create something unless the urge strikes me. this is partly why i haven't been taking custom orders for specific animals. if i'm not feeling it, it doesn't happen. i got the urge yesterday afternoon to make a giraffe, something i've been wanting to do for a while now. so i drew out a rough sketch and started cutting. here is my finished prototype. he's a little wonky, he is a also a little top heavy. one wrong move and he's flat on his face. ha! but overall i'm fairly happy with it. a few more runs and i think he'll be more what i had in mind. plus, i'm waiting for some mustard wool to arrive that i think may be a perfect color for his body.


(more pictures here)

also exciting (for me anyway) is that he is stuffed with 100% local wool. this is something that i looked into about a year ago, but thought it may be to expensive to do. polyfill was more economical and worked just as well i thought. well, times have changed and i think the few dollars more are worth it. it's much nicer for me to use, plus i think most customers will appreciate knowing their animal is stuffed with natural fibers. i will slowly start integrating the wool stuffed animals into the shop soon, so for now customers will have a choice of stuffing.

so much fun

as the title says, the show on sunday was so much fun! being my first, i was extremely nervous beforehand. (which is why i only took a couple of shots two minutes before the doors opened, ugh, i'm still irritated i did that) so far, i've gotten used to simply popping my animals in the mail and chatting about them through email. being anonymous has felt safe to me so this was definitely pushing me out of my comfort zone.


but once the doors opened and i was settled in (and stopped sweating) i was able to relax and enjoy the experience. it was so nice to meet so many new people!! it was also a treat to meet some lovely ladies (hi ella, becka, sam) who i have gotten to know through flickr or blogging, or some just through admiring their work. on top of it all, i made out with some pretty sweet loot. some purchased, some swapped, but all really loved.


(please see more pics on my flickr and for info on where to buy)

thank you to everyone who came out and stopped to look, or took an animal home or smiled and said hi. it really made my day! and a big thank you goes out to andrea and rob who did a great job organizing an event like this. thanks guys!!

got plans?

i hope they involve coming to the got craft? show tomorrow! if you are one of the first 30 people you get a free bag filled with swag.
(click image to read all of the crafty goodness that will be there)