Doll Show Aftermath

The doll show was a success! Well, at least my most successful show. No matter how much of a success it was there are of course BeBes that didn't find homes so I have just listed them on etsy in my shop.

My Mom and I headed out yesterday morning at 5:30 am and coasted in and out of Portland smoothly. It turns out our table was text to an AWEsome artist I had never met before. My Mom and I were both smitten by her work. Her business name is Marca, check her out! She even gave me some free passes to Faerieworlds Harvest Celebration where she will be exhibiting. I have never been to Faerieworlds (and really have had no desire to go) but I would love to see her work again. I definitely won't let the passes go to waste.

The kits and teaching stuff I was so stressed out about finishing turned out ok but was kind of a flop at the show. I did hand out a couple of my sheets and sold a kit. I ended up doing a kit for making a very, very basic plush pumpkin. The kit was intended to be more of an explanation of my plush design process using the pumpkin as a simple example of how to make a pattern. I think people were confused on how the demo worked at my table and maybe weren't interested in sewing skills. I'm not sure if I am going to list these kits in my shop but I might.

After the show we high tailed it home so I could attempt to be at part of a friend's wedding. The ceremony was at 6:30 and I cruised in at around 7:00 which was just about perfect considering I left Portland at 4:15. I was glad I made it but also exhausted by the end of the night after getting up at 4 am. Overall a great day!

Doll Show Preparations Final

Well I am about hit the hay because I will be rising at 4:00 am tomorrow to head to the doll show. At the last minute I finally got my kits done as well as one more big baby. I would like to say more but I am so sleeepy. I hope you will enjoy the photos.

Doll Show Preparations Part 2

Well everybody is tagged and packed. I always do a trial run at my Mom's house to get an idea of how my table is going to look and what I need to bring. I was so worried about not having enough dolls that it was a pleasant surprise that I think I will have more than enough. I snapped a few quick pictures so you can see who will be there and a couple new faces too.

I have one more big OOAK doll to finish as well as the kits for the teaching part I will be participating in. Sure I can do all that tomorrow! Nothing like the last minute! Stay tuned...

Doll Show Preparations Part 1

Hi everyone! I am running around like a crazy person getting ready for the doll show on Saturday. I have been fortunate that a lot of my dolls have been finding homes lately and it has been hard to build up a stock. I say fortunate because sales are always a good thing but it leaves me feeling anxious that I won't have enough BeBes. I think I have enough, I have to have enough, there is no more time! Aaaaahhhh!

Ok. breathe.

I thought I might need a little break from the crazy thoughts to write a blog post about BeBe goodies. When a BeBe is adopted I always try to send along a little gift with my packages. I have given all kinds of treats like note pads, pins, postcards, stickers, etc. I have been needing something new for a while and I had been contemplating what to get or make. Then I saw this blog post about making InstaMagnets. I thought they were really cute but decided not to use InstaMagnets (mostly because I couldn't figure it out but also because I ended up buying a new printer, which by the way is a long, frustrating story in itself where by the end I had forgot about InstaMagnets anyway).

So! I used an app called Lomo Studios and it allows you to make your pictures look all old timey. It is super easy to use and you can do sepia, black & white and more! Then I printed them out on my snazzy new printer and stuck them to the magnet sheets. It was super easy and I think they look amazing. I think they look so good I might list some in my shop for sale. What do you think?

More Summer!

Yesterday James and I went on an awesome bike ride along the Row River trail which was suggested by my Dad. We started at Mosby Creek and rode to Harms Park were we had a pleasant diet-approved snack and waded in the lake. The ride was awesome and we want to do the entire trek once we are a little more fit and able. I think we probably could do the whole thing but we probably would have been dead because even the small leg we did do made us both sore.

The entire path is paved which was awesome! It was also awesome that there were lot's of places to stop along the way where you could rest or use the bathroom. The trail weaves between farm pastures, forests and lake shores. It is truly beautiful! I had to stop and take a photo of these cows because they were so cute and shy.

When we go again we know we will want to pack swimming suits, towels and wading shoes because when we finally reached the lake we had the whole beach to ourselves. There were a few picnic tables and fire pits but no people! When we were leaving a couple people showed up but not before we had our fill of wild blackberries and wading in the water.

DIET UPDATE: In one week James has lost 12 lbs and I have lost 3.5!!!

Oh and check out the Etsy shop I am adding these two shortly!

New Design...Upcoming Show...Diet...SUMMER!

Hello everyone! It has been a long time since I posted...sorry about that! A lot has been going on around here so let me catch you up.

SUMMER

It is finally summer break for me as I don't return to school until the end of September. Summer for me means work work work on BeBes! I love having the whole day, without interruption, to work on new projects to stock the BeBe shop with. Also now is a great time for any special orders so send me a note if you have been thinking of adopting a BeBe. I can't say how much time I am going to have this year because I will be starting at the university which means a much harder and larger work load.

Luckily the Weather was Nice for Summer Camping on the Lake

New Design

Here in Oregon we have not had a very nice summer this year. We have had much more rain than usual which has left the warm sunny days few and far between. Even though I am longing for many more summer days the thought of fall is on my mind. Fall is my favorite season and designing dolls for Halloween is my favorite also. Luckily a lovely customer came along and asked for a black BeBe cat which I had never done before. I say luckily because I think she is one of the cutest BeBes I have made in a long time. I love her so much I am heading back to the fabric store to get more of this black fur so I can make several more. If you want your own black cat drop me a line! You can see more pictures of her here on Flickr.

She is wearing an adorable tutu I made her in Halloween colors.

Upcoming Show

On September 3rd BeBe Babies will be in Portland Oregon at the Dolls 4 All show. If you have never been to one of these doll shows I will tell you they are awesome! I have exhibited several times over the years and have always had a great time. At this show I will be bringing along some skill sheets and will be providing demonstrations on plush doll making skills. If you have been interested in learning the ladder stitch or where to get started making dolls please stop by and see me. For more information on the show see this page.

I should have lots of new BeBes at the show so if you can make it please stop and say hello!

Diet

Remember how I said one of the only things I could think of as a goal before I turn 30 was to lose 20 lbs? Well thanks to my psychology class earlier in the summer I decided that I need a little more structure to reach this goal. So I have embarked on the 17 day diet plan and am currently hungry on day 2. Why this diet? Well because the book is here because my boyfriend is doing it. Basically the diet is a three phase thing with high protein/low carb/low sugar meals.

On Sunday night we spent diet-eve eating copious amounts of McDonalds which was a big mistake. First of all we don't eat that unhealthy and rarely eat fast food as it is. However the positive was that I wasn't even really hungry in the morning so my two egg whites and half a grapefruit seemed like a satisfactory breakfast.

Yesterday went pretty well. The food wasn't much different than what we normally eat. For instance a normal dinner for us is a chicken breast, asparagus and rice. That's basically what we had for dinner last night just without the rice.

This morning was a different story. I woke up crabby because I literally woke up twice last night because I was hungry. Breakfast was a cup of berries on top of 6 oz of yogurt. By lunch I was ravenous and devoured my salad (which by the way is all lunch was). To be fair it was a huge salad with eggs on it but still I am learning that I was very dependent on carbs. And while I like vegetables I like them best dipped in something creamy like ranch dressing. On this diet the salad dressing is olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I don't want to write too much more about the diet but will keep you updated on results. The diet boasts 10-12 lbs in 17 days which seems highly do-able if I went off my stomach's opinion at the moment. It would be great to get halfway to my goal in 17 days. Oh and after the first 17 days the next 17 day phase consists of more food during a day. Yay! This is basically the motivation that is keeping me from scouring the cabinets for a bread crumb or cracker.

That's all for now! Until next time...

Sneak Peek...

Remember how I just said I was inspired to make a mermaid? Well today was a lazy Sunday and I spent all day working on the first of what I hope will be a series of mermaids. She came out so cute that I am thinking I might send them in to Stuffed. I'm not ready to share her completely yet because I want to get the others done first and also set up a scene for photos, however, here are a couple sneak peeks.

Her tail is made of this gorgeous blue brocade fabric. It took me a couple of times to get the pattern right because I have never used brocade fabric and it frays a lot and quick.

I had a bunch of shells which I put in her hair and used for her bikini top. She measures about 15 inches tall.

When I was at the fabric store I didn't see any other brocade that I liked but I am going to go back and look again because I think it is perfect for the tail. I wish they would have had this one. Green is so pretty!

Manatee!

It is really fun to receive custom orders or suggestions for a BeBe that I have never made before. Sometimes, of course, it can be a little daunting if I am not sure where to begin. Then how do I begin you might ask. Well usually I begin by looking up images on Google. In this case I looked up pictures of manatees and printed out a couple from each angle of the animal. Like this one and this one.

Then I draw a pattern which can include enlarging, changing and tweaking until I think it is right. The first attempt does not always turn out but it is easier to tell after sewing the first one what might need to be changed on the pattern to receive my desired result. In the case of this manatee I only had to resew one time and it wasn't because the pattern was flawed it was because I wasn't paying attention to the direction of the stretch in the fabric. I wasn't so sure if she turned out good but the customer loved her. What do you think?

I added buttons for eyes which I think was a nice touch.

The pattern actually looked a bit like a mermaid which gave me an inspiration to make one. It's funny how that can happen while working on something new or different, and I love when it does. Look for a mermaid coming soon!

You've been Published! (sort of)

I'm not sure if you all are familiar with a wonderful magazine called Stuffed: The Crafting of Softies but it is a high quality, beautiful magazine put out by Stampington and Company. The magazine does their own photo shoots of each artists' work which leads to amazing visual concepts. The magazine is like plush eye candy! Just look at this issue's cover.

Even though the quality of the magazine is very high their submission guidelines are a little daunting. First they highly recommend that you actually mail your plush to them, even before you know if you will be selected to be in the magazine. You must provide a check or money order inside your package for the shipping of the plush back to you, again whether or not you are included in the magazine. When the magazine first began a couple years ago Plush Team members, including myself, eagerly sent off our finest work for a chance to be included. Unfortunately for several people, again including myself, we were rejected. Those of us in the art/crafting business know to not let the sting of rejection get under our skin and instead be positive and try again the next time.

In fact I did try again the next time, and was again rejected. I have to admit at that point I was a little sour on the whole thing, not only because of the rejection, but mostly because it was costing between $20-$40 to mail my work back and forth with no benefit. At that point I stopped submitting because I reasoned it was too expensive for me. Besides, sometimes things like this are more about it being cool to see myself in print and less about it translating into sales, which I suppose truly is the bottom line.

Well then the fabulous Plush Team did a challenge that was selected to grace the pages of the magazine. It was a challenge called Frankenplush Scrapenstein and fortunately I had participated. I contributed the arms and legs to this guy. I thought he came out awesome if I do say so myself. The article itself did not focus on my group's piece but did take a group photo where you can kind of see him (far left hand side).

This week I received my complimentary copy for my meager contribution which I think is pretty darn generous of the magazine (the magazine itself is a bit spendy at $14.99 retail). My name is even printed it it! Woot!

Instead of being satisfied that I am finally printed somewhere in this particular publication I now once again want to try for my own spread. The next submission deadline is Aug 15. But what the heck should I send!? The first time I submitted, I sent a one of a kind set of BeBe Pets that were modeled after the Fox and the Hound. I still even have them...here they are!

I still think the fox is pretty good but the hound is a mess. He's all floppy and just so rudimentary compared to my work now. It's funny because I can totally see why they did not select these two to be printed. The second time I just sent a selection of regular BeBe pets but when I see my work from that time period I can again see why they did not pick me.

So the question now is... 1. Should I try again? and 2. If I do what the heck should I send? These are the things I am contemplating today. If you have a suggestion please leave a comment!

A P.T. Stitchy Afternoon

Recently I received a couple Plush Team kits in the mail and today I decided to sew and put one together. The kit is for creating a plush toy of the Plush Team's mascot, P.T. Stitchy. The team put these kits together for the Maker Faire a while back when they taught some plush making classes. I have a doll show coming up in September where I will be teaching basic sewing skills as well as how to get starting making plush and dolls. I will be offering instruction, skill sheets and simple plush kits. I thought I might bring along these Plush Team kits in case any one would like to make their own P.T. mascot. If you are interested in your own kit you can find them for sale in the Plush Team Etsy shop here.

I would definitely recommend this kit for beginners as it was super simple and quick. I believe these guys were printed by Spoonflower which is a place I have wanted to try for a long time. I like how the design is printed on the fabric and ready to sew. I'm thinking it might be fun to print up the BeBe Babies bunny mascot and turn her into a plush!

I think it took me about an hour to complete him and isn't he cute??! He quickly found his way into bed with Maisy. She isn't so sure about him yet.

Another thing I did this weekend to get ready for teaching at the doll show was I put together my first skill sheet and video. The skill that I find the most useful when creating plush is the ladder stitch. I know from recently trying to teach it to my Mom that it isn't easy to get or remember if you don't use it often. Because of that I made a sheet but also a video for my Mom, and anyone from the doll show, that needs help at home. You can view the video on my website here or watch on YouTube below.

I hope you find it helpful!

Sloths are my Favorite

If you read my previous post you know that my friend Sarah and I exchanged birthday gifts yesterday. She received the good day, bad day polar bear pillow from me and guess what I got!!?? A crochet sloth finger puppet!!! OMG! I have been a huge fan of her finger puppets like FORever and I also love sloths a whole lot. I fell deeply in love with sloths after watching videos like this one. As far as the puppets go I mean LOOK at these cuties. I want a whole collection now...hint hint.

Anyway here is my sloth! Isn't he/she the cutest ever???? I keep calling him a he but maybe it's a she. What do you think?

My favorite thing about him is his adorable little claws. They remind me so much of a real sloth and I love the way his arms curl up. Sooo sweet!

I think Sarah should make millions of finger puppet animals and let me adopt them all. hahaha

Summer Happenings!

Well I finished spring term yesterday and even though summer is still slow in coming around here it is officially summer break. I spent the day today relaxing and working on finishing up a couple of projects. It was a wonderful first day of freedom. It started with checking out all of the pretty things happening out in the yard.

Then I was able to finally get pictures of my entry into the Plush Team May/June challenge. The theme of this challenge is circus. I decided to finally make a BeBe bear clown, which is something I have always wanted to do. It seems when I doodle, I doodle circus bear clowns. I thought I might make another one but after how difficult this one was I'm not sure.

He has shiny red shoes and a wool felt hat. The balls he is juggling were made by me out of clay and they are on a white wire. The ball he is standing on is weighted and he is attached to it. He doesn't stand perfectly on his ball but takes a little coaxing (or lightly leaning against something).

And lastly I made a birthday gift for my friend Sarah. She really likes polar bears and I decided to make her a polar bear pillow that is happy on one side and mad on the other. I call him the good day, bad day polar bear. I actually traced the pattern from a picture of a real polar bear which I am not sure translated well into plush. I think next time I would make his head more symmetrical. What do you think? My Mom kind of likes his kooky ears. I don't know what Sarah thinks yet.

More Realistic Eyes

Now I will admit I don't have much in the way of painting skills and I have never felt that I am very good at it. My dolls have very basic eyes and painting which is truly the way I like it. However, I decided a couple days ago to try painting eyes on my newest doll that were a little more lifelike. I searched online for tutorials on painting eyes and ended up roughly following this one. The tutorial is for painting on a canvas but I figured it wouldn't be much different on a doll. I didn't do every step or technique on the tutorial but changed it to suit my taste.

I think they came out really pretty but I'm not sure if it fits with my BeBe Baby style. First I think they make her look much older and less babyish and second I think they are too big. I suppose I could continue combining some of the techniques and not using others. What do you think? Here is a close up of Maribel's eyes.

And her is a farther away picture of her.

If you are interested in adopting her you can find her in my Etsy shop here.