A Mostly Original Sock Monkey :)

In 2009 for Christmas, I was so excited about my new found sewing skill,

I went a little overboard trying to make things for everyone. I was quite exhausted.

(When you only sew by hand and you're lucky to have an hour a day to do it, it takes a long time to complete a project!)

This past Christmas I decided to give myself a break.

I only made a gift for one person...and that was only because she'd been casually mentioning wanting this for six months or so.

My brother's girlfriend was just dying for me to make her a sock monkey...

but not just any sock monkey, she wanted the original.

I searched for those stinking socks and only came up with a pair at Hobby Lobby for $12. Yikes!

(I had a problem with spending that much on a pair of socks when I could go to Target and buy a completed monkey for the same price!)

Luckily, I did come up with a pair that I deemed to be close enough for much less at Marshall's.

Somehow, eventhough I only made one gift this year,

I still didn't finish it until the day before Christmas Eve!

All you get is a sad cell phone picture and a messy background...

he got boxed up as soon as I completed him!

I sewed his button eyes on and sat back to look at him...and I hated him!

I pulled out my paints, added a few lines here and there and was so much happier.

I think it's funny how much a few tiny details can change something so drastically.

By the way, if you ever want to make a sock monkey, I love this tutorial.

Gree the Luck Monster

Sweet little Gree is a luck monster...

Unfortunately, he spends so much time giving luck to others,

he has none left over for himself.

It's rather embarrassing being a luck monster with no luck at all.

Thankfully, Gree is such a sweet soul, he tolerates it all with good spirits and manages to keep a smile on his face. :)

Cheshire Cat

Back in September, I was dying to make a plushie for my cousin for her birthday...

so Cheshire was created!

(She just loves the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.)

I was so pleased with how he turned out!

Snow Day!

I just had to take a break from what I've been posting lately to share this past Monday with you...

You see, we're lucky if we get snow once a year around here...and when it does snow (no matter how little it is), it's a pretty big deal.

Everyone flies to the grocery store and buys all the bread and milk because apparently, that is all that is required to live when it snows.

Sunday night, we were so excited when it started snowing.

I took Alex to the window to show him. All he could say was "Wow..."

I was even more excited Monday morning when I found out I could stay home from work.

You'd think I'd take an unexpected day and do something useful with it.

I could've spent the day cleaning house or crafting. But you see, we typically only get one day a week to all stay home together. Saturdays are usually spent running errands and going to church (we go to church saturday nights because my husband works sunday).

My husband has Mondays off, so this unexpected snow day was a real treat for us.

 Alex was SO thrilled to play in the snow...I think he would've stayed outside all day if we had let him.

The dogs had a blast catching snowballs...

Even Scribble had to see what all the excitement was about!

It was such a nice day to just relax and be a family...

If only every day could be a snow day. :)

Penelope Pony

Poor Penelope...

She hopes to one day be in a big derby, but everyone tells her she's just too small.
She keeps the dream alive daily as she tries to keep up with the dogs while chasing the mailman down the street.

As soon as she learned my friend lives in Kentucky and might have derby connections, she immediately packed up her belongings and rushed off to her new home.

Penelope and I had quite a love/hate relationship when I was making her...I almost completely scrapped her!

I'm glad I stuck with her though because I was pretty pleased with her outcome.

It was sad saying goodbye to her when I sent her off to my friend this past August, but she's very loved in her new home!

Miss Kitty and Notes the Puppy

After completing my first plushie, I was so excited to try more.

I made a sock monkey (or three) for Christmas that year...

(Forgive me for the bad picture, this was before I had a decent camera.)

I knew that I wouldn't be satisfied until I made plushies from my own drawings though.

With a few special birthdays approaching, I had the perfect excuse to start creating!

Miss Kitty was a simple little critter I came up with for my husband's niece.

She was given to her for her birthday this past May.

I knew it wouldn't be right to not make my son a plushie for his first birthday, so Notes the Puppy was born!

Alex, showed his appreciation in the only way he knew how...

I'm pretty sure that means he approves. :)

My Very First Sewing Project

So I'm a little embarrassed to show this since it was my first attempt...but I thought it would be a great opportunity to share where my plush making began.

Ever since I was little, I dreamed of making a stuffed animal (specifically, a rag doll). I used to sketch out my "pattern" and write out lists of supplies I thought I would need. It all seemed so simple to me. I'd even sit and study my many stuffed animals and run my fingers along the seams, thinking about how they were put together. I guess you could call me a weird kid. I had one major problem though...I didn't know how to sew! I really didn't even have anyone to teach me. For a very long time, I was positive my plushie dreams would never be.

Through high school and college I pursued drawing and painting, but my desire to make a plushie was always in the back of my head.

Last year, I came across a wonderful place called Craftster. I was amazed by this community and all the wonderful creations people were making. This eventually led me to the world of artist plush and art dolls.  I saw all the wonderful creations others were making and I got so mad at myself! I was determined I was going to learn how to sew so I could finally make a plushie...(and I have to admit, after looking through a gallery of one of my favorite plush artists, I discovered her first sewing attempts...and it gave me the final push I needed to try for myself).

After watching several "how to sew" videos, and finding a link to a simple doll pattern, my very first plushie was created:

I know, I know...she's a bit sad, but I was SO proud of myself for finally creating a plushie. She still sits on my desk today to remind me of where I began. (And I must confess she still brings a smile to my face!)

She was made a little over a year ago (October of 2009) and it really thrills me to see how far I've come in just a short period of time. I still have a long way to go, but some progress is better than none!

First Post!

Hi there!

This will be my first ever blog post! Things will be under construction around here for a little while...I'm still trying to locate my copy of photoshop. *sigh*

I'm hoping for this to be a place to share my projects I'm working on

(and maybe keep me from procrastinating so much).

I'm really excited about the new year starting. I'm wanting to slow down a little and really find my art style and start developing what I really want to create.

Now to share with you my little secret...I happen to have two little inspiration imps in my life that I'd like to introduce you to...

First, my "real" imp (and my most important one!):

This is Alex! He's my awesome little boy and a constant source of inspiration. Pretty much everything I do is for this little guy. I can't even begin to say how much he means to me. :)

And second, my "only kinda real" imp:

This is Scribble! She's a ball jointed doll made by a company called Fairyland.

I had to introduce her to you guys because she's probably going to be showing up around here frequently as my "helper." She's actually my inspiration for finally starting a blog...because she needed a place to be able to come alive!

Now, before you start thinking I'm crazy...I promise I'm not, I just think we all need a bit of silliness in our lives and she just so happens to be mine!

My next few posts will probably be of some of my old stuff I've finished over the past year or so. I always love to see where others started out and thought you guys might like to see the same about me...