Alice and Chess

Silly me, I got behind on putting pictures on this blog!

Just as well though because these last two custom dolls are so perfect together. 

First, meet Alice.

I was asked to make an Alice in Wonderland, but not to use the traditional colors. 

Alice is another one of my mini pixies, and is just 5 inches tall. 
She's also wired to allow her to hold some poses.

 Her hair was my first time adding mohair to one of my dolls. I love the look! 
I'll definitely be doing that again in the near future.

Like my other mini pixies, Alice's outfit is removable.

She has a couple of extra pieces on. In addition to her dress, panties, and tutu, she also has on an apron and socks. (I loooove that I finally found a black and white striped material to make socks with. I am trying to keep myself from making every single doll from now on have them!)

Next up is another custom named Chess!

 She wanted a hot pink cheshire (kind of based off the colors of Disney's cheshire cat).

She also got the more traditional cheshire grin!

Of course, I just had to take a picture of them together.

It was too perfect not to!

I have some other exciting news to share, but I think it warrants a blog post all of its own (although if you follow me on Facebook, you already know it!). I'll be back soon with my thoughts on that!

I'm also finishing up another cute little custom pixie and am dreaming of the one I want to make after this one, so expect more updates soon. ;)

Patience, the mini Secret Keeper and a note about custom orders

If you follow me on Facebook, you might have noticed that things have been a bit quieter than normal over the last few weeks. I'm so sorry about that!

This little one had to be named Patience after she had to put up with how slow I was working on her. ;)

Patience is a mini Secret Keeper!

 I adore this size.
She's only 6 inches tall! (Or 3.5 inches sitting, which is how she prefers to be.)
The regular Secret Keepers are 12 inches tall (6 inches sitting), so she's so tiny compared to them!

Patience is patiently waiting in the shop for her new home!

Now, for a little confession.
The past few weeks I was busy working on a commission that I'm sad to say did not have a positive ending.
I've enjoyed working with several people on custom works, but this was the first one that went badly.
It crushed me.
For a little bit there, it sucked my entire creative drive out of me.
Artistic ability and creativity are funny things, and the smallest things can send them into hiding.
I'm still a bit sad about it and the rejected plush is serving as an unfortunate reminder.
I'm taking this as a learning experience, though.

I am changing my policies on custom orders.
From now on, I will only be taking semi-custom orders.
What's the difference, you ask?

A semi-custom is a variation of something I already create.
If you want a Secret Keeper with pink hair and blue eyes, that's great!
If you want a yellow Pocket Fluff with a purple face, I'll be thrilled to help you!
But if you want a plush based off a specific drawing, I'm terribly sorry, but I'll have to pass. It kills me to tell anyone "no" because I love working with and helping people, but I simply can not take the risk of losing both time and money again.

On a positive note, Patience helped me get my creative drive back again, and I already have plans for a new style of monster. I can't wait to get started on him!

A Little Faerie

Custom orders can be so much fun.
They push me to do things I probably would've never thought of on my own.

I had a lovely customer request a plush doll inspired by her very special ball jointed doll.
I was pretty excited about creating this doll because these particular ball jointed dolls are very special to me also.

I used the new pattern I created back in the fall that I refer to as my "Pixie" pattern. 

I altered the head a little bit to match the larger heads of the original ball jointed dolls.

(Expect to see Pixies in the near future, by the way! They'll be very similar to this faerie except with a slightly different head and face style.)

This is the doll she's based off of:

This is the lovely Tiggy.
She's a Fidelia Firefly Faerie created by Charles' Creature Cabinet.
You can follow Tiggy's adventures on her blog and on flickr.

She can't remain sitting up or standing without assistance, but she is quite fun to manipulate with a prop.

She's about 11.5" tall.

My favorite thing about her is she's floppy and cuddly like a rag doll.
At least for me, it makes it fun to carry her around and play with her!
(Yes, I play with the dolls I create. I consider it part of the job description. ;) )

She was a bit disappointed we couldn't go outside for pictures, but it is WAY too cold out there!
(And I know it isn't nearly as cold here as it is in other places, but I despise cold weather anyway.) I'm considering spending the rest of the winter in hibernation...if only my kids would allow it.

This doll was supposed to be the last doll of 2013, but ended up having the honor of being the very first doll of 2014. Considering the special history and connection I have with the firefly faeries, I can't think of a better way to start off the new year!

I haven't decided what I'm going to work on next.
I cleaned off my desk today (finally)! It's amazing how out of control it can get in just a short period of time.
With all this extra desk space, I am so ready to kick it in gear and start creating again!
Right now I'm torn between mini Secret Keepers or Pixies. Hmm, we'll see.


Want to learn more about Charles' Creature Cabinet dolls?
(Pictured below is my Fidelia)

You can follow Fidelia Firefly Faerie on facebook.
You can see what dolls are available to purchase (typically by preorder) on Jpop.
Or you can visit the Firefly Fairy Thread on The Resin Cafe to ask any questions!

Fluffs and a Staycation!

My husband is on vacation this week.
We didn't have any money to travel, so I thought we'd have a nice relaxing break here at home.
Boy, was I wrong! It's been fun, but we have been on the go constantly! I think I would have been less exhausted if we had actually left town!

Anyway, I haven't done any plush making this week because of our "staycation."
Heck, this post was supposed to happen at the beginning of the week, and I'm only just now sitting down to type it!

I wanted to share the latest fluffs with you guys.
All of these fluff balls have already headed off to their homes!

Who's your favorite from this cuddle of Fluffs?
I think mine is that last one. I love that smile!

As fun as this week has been, I hope things go back to normal next week!

P.S. This is my 100th post! Woohoo!

Apple Jack - another My Little Pony inspired plush!

Just finished up another My Little Pony plushie!
This time I was asked to make Apple Jack.

 

I've given up on any dreams of becoming a hatter, so she got a store bought cowboy hat, lol.

She'll be making her way to her new home tomorrow. Apparently, she has a very important birthday party to attend!

And speaking of birthdays, my next project is for a very special little boy's birthday! :)
(This little customer was VERY specific on what I needed to create so this should be quite fun!)

Woohoo!

Woohoo! All the Pocket Fluffs on my list are now completed!
It feels good to mark off so many things from my never ending "To Do List."

All these little guys have already found a home, but I'm hoping to start working on some for the shop soon.

 

First up is this cute little pair!

They've been named Fidget and Gidget and they're off to live with their brother, Widget.

I can't wait to see what fun the three will have!

 

 

I always have so much fun with the little runt sized Pocket Fluffs...so I was pretty excited about working on three at once! As you can see, they were having a lot of fun together.

Glad they're all off to live in the same home!

 

 

 

And finally, Scramble. She went off to her new home today, and I've heard she's already had a big adventure at the mall. (Doodle is quite jealous.)

I hope everyone had a good Mother's Day this past Sunday!

I certainly did. My son even decided to help me with monster photos...

 

 

 

Next up on the work table is a custom order for a My Little Pony. Fun!