Pink Cheeks Studios

Forest Orphans Deer and Bear

2012-01-27T08:44:00.000-08:00

Here are my last two forest orphans for the show. I imagine them spending all day picking berries and herbs for tea. Then they drink the tea while looking at the stars. I have one more little person to show you, but I have to make him a furry friend first.

Bank Robber and Super Hero

2012-01-26T13:47:00.000-08:00

These are the only two that made it out of my "super heroes and villains" theme. The bandit prefers prison garb to all black, and it makes it convenient when he gets thrown into the clinker because then he won't have to change his clothes. His money bag can be attached and detached via a button. Inevitably he will get thrown into the clinker because.... He shares the city with this super hero! I don't know what his super power is. He has a stormy looking cloud as his emblem, and his cape is silver. Maybe he has the power to depress villains by making the weather gray and dreary, and then while they're distracted with yearning thoughts of sunnier weather, he swoops in and saves the day! Yay! If you have any thoughts on a better super power, please share with me, I'm at a bit of a loss.

Three Charming Fellows

2012-01-25T07:15:00.000-08:00

These three are my charming fellows for the All Dolled Up show. The one in the middle is a ventriloquist. The top one is a flower salesman and the one on the bottom is about to profess his love to someone special.

All Dolled Up Artist Talk... Part 4

2012-01-24T19:49:00.000-08:00

This is a continuation of prep for my upcoming artist talk.
Part one is here
Part two here, and
Part three here!

Back at Memphis College of Art, I let myself explore some non-painting classes that I always wondered about. It turned out to be a really useful meander (is that word right to use? I am sure my ruthless editor (husband Joseph) will not think so [I kid, I am super grateful for him, especially since at this rate, my 1 hour talk will be turning into an all night lock-in ((wait, that sounds awesome))]). I took a fiber arts class, which was amazing. We learned how to dye fabric, silk screen, embroider and batik. It was my first time ever being exposed to the world of fiber, and I loved every minute of it. It was nice to be out of the painting studio and forced to think about what I wanted to communicate artistically with another medium.

More helpful still was my Book Arts class. I had always assumed that the class was meant for illustration majors who wanted to illustrate books. But Book Arts is really about art making realized in the form of a book, which can be interpreted very broadly. Now that I am trying to define it, I feel the words getting all congested in my brain. In the class, we learned different ways of binding books, which was refreshingly exact and methodical, and we also had assignments of creating more personal artist books. I think all art majors should be required to take the class, it was so useful in clarifying what I wanted to communicate. It is unlike painting because things needed to be planned out; there is no getting lost in the material and waiting for happy mistakes.

My work during this time was still about my father, but it was changing. I was trying to convey what it is like to have memories of someone that you cherish, but can't trust. Whenever I think of my father, a collection of stories come to mind, and before my mom got sick, I never questioned their authenticity. But, after she got sick, we of course talked about my father a lot, and family came around to visit, so I could ask questions. I realized that these stories I had were more like legends. They were an amalgam of things I remembered, things others told me, things I replaced with photographs, and things I just made up. Here is the first book I made during the class, it is called the Day The Door Flew Open, and it is based on a memory of my father driving my family in the car, and then my mom's door flying open, her inching out, and him pulling her in and shutting the door. To hear it stated plainly, it maybe doesn't sound like much, but in my memory it is very dramatic:

The writing was done with a letter press, which MCA has, and is very fun to use.

I used a photo transfer process to show how my memories of my father are aided strongly by family photo albums.

Each page reveals more and more of the memory, like it is something that needs to be "chipped away" at.

The last page reveals my complete memory which is made using a linolium printing process and then watercoloring over it and photo-transferring on top of that. Those are my three brothers in the back seat.

Here is another book I made, which is more like a diorama. It is about a memory I have of grocery shopping with my parents. I would always beg and plead for quarters for the vending machines to get gumballs, or tiny toys. My mom would never want to give them to me because she didn't want me to be spoiled, but my father was more of a softie, and he would let coins fall through the holes in his pockets so that I could find them and reap my reward!

It is hard to tell from the image but we are in the "cereal aisle" of the grocery store. That is probably every child's favorite aisle. It is basically like watching cartoons. The cereal boxes I used for the diorama were color photos of japanese cereal boxes. I thought it would help make things seem more surreal and uncertain, like my memories.

For this last book, I was researching toy theaters, to learn how to construct the box. That research led to my final thesis work.

To be continued. Thanks again for reading! I am tired and have been fueling myself with Twizzlers, which is odd combined with red wine, but at least they pair up color-wise.

All Dolled Up Artist Talk Part 3

2012-01-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

This is a continuation of my upcoming artist talk..... The first part can be read here. The second part is here.

It's worth it for me to do some sort of time frame for this..... I already feel my prep spiraling out of control. I certainly don't want to go on and on about myself, like I am reading from my personal journal, when the students really just want to know how I sew up some dollies. I just feel like all these events are related to art and how I began sewing dolls, but surely I should be further along by now in my biography which is meant to take up only 10 minutes of talking time. So just to have it printed out and professional, here is my time frame:

10 minutes--- Undergraduate experience
5 minutes--- Time in Prague taking Puppetry Class
5 minutes--- Mom's passing/ Moving/ Frustration/ Elsita (all closely related)
5 minutes--- My blog challenge
10 minutes--- Dolls, dolls, dolls
10 minutes--- Other Artists in show
10 minutes--- Q and A
Done---- Face un-reddens

So I guess the point of all that is that I need to put some pep in my step. If you know me, you know I don't tend to jabber on, so I am surprising myself a bit in having so much to say. I imagined the opposite problem occurring. I am going to carry on now.

I took the commuter train from my home town to all my classes at the Art Institute. Joliet is really the farthest official suburb from Chicago and the first stop on a very long train ride. I am telling you all this because I think this is part of the reason why I hated my time at the Art Institute. The commute was awful. I took up two seats with all my art supplies, and an hour and a half into the journey, the train would be full of baggy-eyed business people who I always assumed despised me for being artsy and having too much stuff. The school itself was big, cold and impersonal. The teachers were all established artists, which is part of a good theory about good art education, but you really have to shout and make a scene to get their attention, which isn't fair, or my style.

In my painting elective class, I began painting large scale black and white versions of photographs of my father and my family before I was born. My brothers are all much older than me, so my family had this substantial separate familial experience before I was around. The photos from that time seem like a secret, magical window into a world without me, but at the same time still a part of me. I loved looking at those photos and thinking of my father. It was really comforting for me to spend so much time analyzing them and letting them transfer through me and onto the canvas. I xeroxed the photos, and gridded both them and the canvas, so that I could get things right. It's a cold process, but it felt comforting to me to paint them in that way, because it added some distance to emotions that were still a bit raw. I enjoyed it immensely. It was, however, not well received at the Art Institute. It is not a cool thing to be painting your family photographs at The Art Institute. I didn't care though, and my professor at the time didn't make me do something else, which I am grateful for. My fellow students gave me a horrible time during critiques, but I needed to do those paintings, and all of their paintings were ugly. Just kidding! Wouldn't it be funny if I said that though?

One good thing that did come from the Art Institute was the art I was being exposed to. There is so much to look at in Chicago. So much! The museum is right next door to the school, and students got in for free, so I spent all of my "waiting for my train" time there. To get to the paintings and sculptures I wanted to look at, I always had to walk through the medieval armor hall---past pretend knights. It felt like I was on some sort of royal, urgent artistic observation mission! Some of my favorite artists I discovered while I was there were:

Joseph Cornell


H.C. Westerman, a Chicago Imagist sculptor


Roger Brown, who donated his house and extensive and quirky art collection to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (we toured it during my painting class and it was incredible)


Karl Wirsum, my all time favorite

Outsider Artist, Henry Darger

After a year and a half at home, it really started to seem like my mom was cured. I let myself believe it. All her doctors were dumbfounded. She was doing well. I only had a semester's worth of credits left before I could get my degree, and I wanted to get it from Memphis College of Art, not the Art Institute. I needed some time, space, and southern hospitality in a nurturing environment with professors that took your work into consideration and talked to you about it. I missed it so much. So, I spent one more year in Memphis.

All Dolled Up artist talk: Part Two

2012-01-18T18:47:00.000-08:00

This is a continuation of my upcoming artist talk..... The first part can be read here.
If anyone has any idea how to judge how long a talk will be by word count, please give me some idea. I am sure there must be some kind of ball park figure, but Googling left me with nothing.

When I think about those days, my life seems like some sort of carefree dream. But, after my first year at MCA, everything changed. The week before finals, I got an email (I had no phone at the time) from my brother explaining that my mom was in the hospital and they found a stage 4 glioblastoma tumor in her brain. For those of you that don't know---all of those words are terrifying. I knew already, because that is the same type of cancer that my father died from 11 years earlier. So, it was just this horribly awful coincidence, probably combined with some environmental factors.

This is not the picture I want to include in my talk, but it is the only one of my mom I have on my computer at the moment. I just finished going through some albums, and found a much better one, but this will have to do for now. She is the bride.

They operated on my mom's brain, and because this type of tumor is highly aggressive, she was given a prognosis of three months to live. I quit art school and moved back home to be with her. I have three brothers. Two lived near home and one moved back home from California. Her surgery happened right at the end of spring, and so we expected to have only the summer with her. Because she was given a terminal diagnosis, she was able to cash in on her life insurance money, so we took her to France. I come from a very Catholic family and one of my brothers and I took her on a sort of pilgrimage to a town called Lourdes, where Saint Bernadette had visions of Mary in a grotto, and supposedly if you drank the holy water there, it could heal your infirmities. I don't know what we expected, really. Those first few months were very surreal. Time felt borrowed, and passed strangely. There was pressure to make every moment special, which made things awkward in a way, until we all found a new normal. During that time, I actually found myself thinking of my dad a lot. When he passed, it wasn't so difficult for me. I was a child, and I missed him horribly. He was a very buoyant guy who filled up the room with his charisma; and he was a great, fun, engaging father. I just believed what everyone said about heaven. One day he was suffering, and then the next he was in heaven, and I would see him again some day. I understood that easily, as a child does. Our relationship was never confusing, like how parent-child relationships get when you go past the "my mom/dad is my hero" stage. So, in a way I never properly grieved after he died, and watching my mom go through the same thing he went through, hit me double-fold, as I am sure it also hit her. I began looking through family photo albums. My mom kept really great ones. I especially loved looking at the ones from when my parents were my age.

Meanwhile, as a result of either the holy water, or aggressive, experimental treatment, or a combination of both, my mom's tumor wasn't growing back, and she was healing pretty well. She had a horrible short term memory and couldn't go back to work, but she was volunteering at a hospital and living a pretty normal life. I decided to stay with her and commute to school at the Art Institute of Chicago. I was determined to be a serious artist, and that was the school for serious artists.

Forest Orphan Numero Uno

2012-01-18T12:29:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share my first Forest Orphan with you. She is supposed to be an owl, but she looks like she is dressed as some bird species that can only be found in the Amazon rain forest. I took great care with her and even made her wings detachable. I wanted the Forest Orphans to be less "hipster in the city" and more "lost boys from Peter Pan". Joseph told me that when I try to sew more sophisticated things that I lose the charm and fun. I like my forest orphans, but I see his point (said in a begrudging voice). It will be a nice challenge to add sophistication and keep the charm and fun.

Two Friends in the Shop

2012-01-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

These two guys are going to be in the We Make Dolls book coming out in May of this year. They are famous, so they may have big egos, but they love you just the same. I put them up for sale in my shop!

Enjoy your weekend!

Forest Orphan Sneak Peek

2012-01-10T09:55:00.000-08:00

In addition to the Super Heroes and Villains I a making for All Dolled Up, I also decided to put a few Forest Orphans in there. I am going to make three: an owl girl, a deer dear, and a bear boy. I have been having a lot of fun sewing them up, it is nice to slow down and add special details. I have also been enjoying this winter which hasn't even reached coat status yet. Walter and Albert and I have been going out every day. It's really a joy for me to take these two fellows out----Albert on his leash and Walter with his monkey "backpack" (leash). Albert enjoys peeing on every blade of grass with a foreign scent and Walter prefers rock gathering and waving bye to all the inanimate objects in peoples yards.

All Dolled Up Artist Talk... Part 1

2012-01-06T19:12:00.000-08:00

The kid's asleep, I have my big bowl of popcorn, a little vino and I am ready to begin my speech preparations.

Just a general introduction for blog readers----I am curating (and participating in [I cheated and curated myself in]) a doll show called All Dolled Up taking place at Vincennes University at the end of February. I have to do an artist talk after the opening, and I am writing out what I am going to say here on the blog. I feel comfortable sharing myself on this blog----it is a comfort zone format, so hopefully the words will flow forth. Come on words! Flow! Forth. Go!

I will start off by thanking Vincennes University for hosting the show. It is not a conventional show to have in an art gallery, but I think the humble medium of doll-making deserves a clean white space with some lime-light every now and then. A lot of softie makers that I follow have studied art and somehow landed on doll-making and now they are stretching the boundaries of what a doll is and making beautiful little soft objects that can range from dark and mysterious to joyful and whimsical. It is a thing now. Thank you Vincennes University for being so open-minded!

The words are coming out, but a bit in a clunky way. I will edit later, though.

I am going to get personal in this talk:

A. Because art is personal, and
B. It really all does lead to doll-making

Like many of (the students at Vincennes University) I also began college at a 2 year school. This was after I took a semester off to pursue dreams of moving to Vermont and leading a hippie sort-of-life while working at Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory, which I know doesn't make any sense. Lucky for me I never raised enough money back then to even visit Vermont for a weekend. I was just exhausted with school and wanted to do something romantic, but I quickly became jealous of all my friends who went away to school and had tales of all the interesting things they were learning and people they were meeting. So, I began taking drawing classes at my community college. I loved it. Some students started complaining mid-semester that they were tired of drawing still-lifes of junk from professor so and so's garage, but I couldn't get enough of it. My high school art program wasn't very good, so I had never really been exposed to drawing with charcoal or even drawing from direct observation. I began drawing all the time, and eventually I transferred to Memphis College of Art in Memphis, TN. MCA is a tiny school, only 300 students, which was very good for me because even though I tend to be a loner, I like to feel like I am part of a community. I chose MCA for a variety of reasons: I wanted to go some place other than the midwest, it is the most affordable private art school, and it's Elvis' hometown--and I love Elvis---I love his music, I love his jumpsuits, and I love how he is simultaneously soulful and kitschy; not many people can pull that off.

I fell in love with the city right away, and I still miss it so much that my stomach hurts sometimes. Memphis is equal parts gritty and shiny. It is the south, so maybe because of southern hospitality it feels like a small-town in that everyone talks to everyone else, and people sit on their porch swings and don't ignore you when you walk past. But it is also a big city, with lots of music and noise and it always smells like barbeque. The school shares a big park with Brooke's art museum and the Memphis zoo, and if the windows to the painting studios are open you can hear the howler monkeys (an actual thing). Students can access the studios 24 hours a day. I loved being completely immersed in art. I initially started MCA as an illustration major because I thought it would be practical, and because I wasn't confident that I could make art without some sort of direction from someone else. I thought I would always work best in the confines of assignments. But I was swept away by my first painting class. I was much more at home getting messy in the painting studio than in the computer lab. After I changed my major to painting, I didn't really think in terms of "practical" any longer. I just told myself that if I worked very hard in school and did my very best that "practical" things would work out. That is a mistake by the way.

That's it for today. Thanks for reading!

Super Hero and Villain Progress

2012-01-03T10:18:00.001-08:00

I have been working on my super heroes and villains for the All Dolled Up exhibit that I am both curating and participating in. The show is less than 2 months away. I am very much looking forward to seeing my co-softie makers work up close, and touching it with my hands after admiring it on the internet for years. I agreed to do an hour long lecture after the opening. I am very surprised by that last sentence. It would be more reasonable for me to have written, "I agreed to do an hour long lecture after the opening, after drinking 2 bottles of wine." But, I was completely sober and now I need to make it happen. I am very nervous that I will be boring, and I also have a lesser, more irrational fear that students are going to tweet to one another about my butt being big. Then, everyone will laugh simultaneously and walk out. I'm not really concerned about that, I just needed to insert some comic relief to make myself feel better. So, to prepare for the lecture, I decided to write out what I was going to say on this blog, that way I can get all of my images together for the Power Point (sophisticated!) presentation and also (hopefully), you can help me by telling me what parts are terribly boring, what parts need elaborating on and what parts would benefit from the addition of pyrotechnics. I am just going to keep it very down to earth and talk about my journey through art school (this is a lecture for art students (mainly) at Vincennes University), post-school shenanigans, how I began sewing dolls, and also the bios and backgrounds of the other artists in the show. My face is red now after writing this, not the best of signs!

STUFFED (!)

2011-12-28T06:38:00.000-08:00

Peek-a-boo

Thank you so much to the lovely people at STUFFED magazine for publishing three of my stuffed friends. They are famous now. What if the fame goes to their head and they start demanding little stuffed lattes from me?

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T08:27:00.001-08:00

I hope you all have twinkles in your eyes all day today. Merry Christmas and thank you so much for reading.

Sketches and a Masking Tape Railroad

2011-12-15T14:15:00.000-08:00

It's going to be a handmade holiday gift giving year for us. It's fun for me, and really our only option after a baby's broken arm and bad, private insurance. I hope the recipient's like their gifts. They involve felted sweaters turned into body-part warmers (sounds kinky, but no, I am just trying to be vague in case the recipients peek at the ole blog), photo contraptions, stenciled t-shirts (FUN), and special fluffy bed adornments (again, trying to be vague).

In between those projects and during Walter's napping sessions, I have been planning some new dolls for an exhibit I am curating and also taking part in. More on that and the lovely participants later. I wanted to do something thematic for the show, so I settled on Villains and Super Heroes. Here are a few sketches. I want to keep things simple, but also I want some extra detail to make these dudes (and dudettes) special. Also, I am not married to the idea, so it may change. However, I was really inspired by these photos of old super hero costumes---click here to see them.
I like the idea of my villains already in their jail garb, but fancified (bow-tie). I really am into the sketch below of the guy in the half bear mask and furry unitard. You know that when he is done fighting crime that he drinks a bottle of merlot in front of a fire place in his super hero cabin.

Lastly, it is a jittery time for my family. We are waiting for some news that could either bring some immediate change or not. Waiting is not one of my strong suites. Although, it does make me very productive in non-productive types of things. Today, my play time with Walter became very involved. We made masking tape choo-choo tracks going through multiple rooms. At one point the giraffe shown below functioned as a type of tunnel. Wild fun.

Ziggy

2011-12-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

Ziggy can roar like a dinosaur. He is certain that his roars are louder and more fierce, but it can't be proven because there are no recordings of dinosaur roars. But, he is still certain based on a gut feeling, which his mother tells him always to trust. Ziggy loves his mom more than a T-Rex is super-huge. He loves her to the moon and back. When she asks him to roar like a dinosaur for her, he inhales really big, so his belly stretches out and then he opens his mouth and lets a ginormous "Roar!" rumble out. She gets the loudest roars because she is awesome.

Ziggy is headed to a friend (thanks Ellen) who is giving him to her nephew. He is made of soft, huggable fleece which is a fabric I haven't used in awhile. It sews like butter! Like buttah!

Herman

2011-12-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

Herman believes in peace at all cost. When people speak with voices raised, he solemnly holds up his two fingers in a peace sign in the hopes that the arguing parties will notice and then lower their voices and hug. They usually don’t notice though. So, Herman now wears a ridiculous furry bear mask on his head in an effort to call attention to his peaceful ways. Now, not only do people take notice of him more, aggression has gone down drastically. He thinks it’s because people are too busy laughing at his outfit. That’s okay.

Herman is for a great customer of mine that lives in Canada. I have two super awesome Canadian customers. They are so great they make me want to tattoo a red maple leaf on my back and eat some Canadian bacon! And, I am vegetarian, so that is saying something. Truthfully, I am not sure what Canadian bacon is... Is it simply bacon made from Canadian pigs? That can't be right.

I have been thinking a lot about Pink Cheeks Studios. Market season was fun, but I do much better online, I think because people usually go to these markets to buy smaller gifts and my prices are usually higher than people want to spend on their nephews, no matter how special their nephews are. I can relate. I like to support the handmade movement, but I am at the economic level where I am supporting the soap makers, but only offering my compliments to the painters and jewelry makers. I put a lot of care and love into my dolls, and I don't want to change that---care-less, and then lower my prices to sell more. That seems like it would upset the stuffie muses. I still really enjoy Markets, even though this season was just so-so. It's great to be in the three-dimensional world and away from the screen and mouse clicking. I like seeing peoples eyes when they are excited about what I make. My favorite is when people run through an assortment of emotions in a matter of seconds:

Seconds 1-3 = bafflement
Seconds 4-5 = wonderment
Seconds 6-10 = amusement

It's a little disheartening when people simply get to the bafflement stage and then march on to find a hand knit scarf for their Auntie Bess, but that's okay too. Life has been strange, but I am glad I have the luxury to sell Pink Cheeks as a job. I am more comfortable walking around with a giant trunk full of stuffed stumpy mustached gentlemen and little deer ladies while wearing my holey sneakers than I would be carrying a briefcase while wearing pumps. It's so fun. This is quite a tangent that I have been on, and I did have a point when it started, but now it doesn't seem to relate to everything I just wrote. Is this what happens when you spend all day with a toddler? My point was going to be that I wanted to make more mobiles and have an entire mobile line. One that would involve more than 2 mobiles (like my pillow line [which involves only 2 pillows, both drastically reduced in price and in my Etsy shop ((I need to make room for my new mobile line!))]).

Also, I just finished book one of Game of Thrones! So. Much. Fun.

Holly Jolly

2011-12-07T06:06:00.000-08:00

Market season is officially over! Woo Hoo! It was over for Walter about a month ago as you can see. He maybe had patience for about 5 minutes into the Bloomington Handmade Market which was my first of three. You can see the evidence above.

This past weekend was Christmas in New Harmony which is this adorable town about an hour south of where I live. I just discovered it a few months ago. It is a magical, special place. It's like some sort of oasis in the mid-west. I participated in the Artisan market which was held in their Granary. I changed up my display after fierce display envy at previous markets. I wanted to have a subtle, soft forest environment for my Pink Cheeks. I like it a lot, but I am planning on re-doing it and making the trees taller because they get hidden behind my cuddly pink-cheeked friends. The market was wonderful. All the other vendors were delightful and I spent the entire time laughing and eating cake balls which were being sold one level down from me.

The ceiling of the Granary was beautiful:

Also one level down was Santa and Mrs. Claus. In between groups of kids I caught Santa taking a snooze. I don't blame him, it's a busy time of year.

I have several orphaned Pink Cheeks up in my Etsy shop. From now until Christmas you can get 10% off by entering the coupon code: hollyjolly. Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza and Happy
Hanukka!

Bloomington Handmade Market

2011-11-10T06:25:00.000-08:00

I made this friendly fellow last week. I like him very much. I finally was able to make a newsie hat, which I always though suited my very serious mustache men.

I liked it so much, I made another.

And also 2 pirates. They are both named Smithee. I can't seem to write individual biographies for my Pink Cheeks lately. I blame my rowdy toddler. But, I also love my rowdy toddler, so I am okay with it. I am going to start being kinder to myself instead of demanding crazy things. I am my own boss after all, and I'd rather be a kind and nurturing boss than one with unreasonable expectations. Anyway, here is Smithee's story:

Smithee is fond of the sea and parrots, so it is the pirates' life for him. He is not into theft and forced plank-walking, so his chosen pirate responsibility is mopping the deck. He doesn't like conflict, it makes him break out in hives. He doesn't want his co-pirates to think him wimpy,however. So, when there is a ship that need plundering, or a dispute requiring rumbling,Smithee pretends he doesn't notice on account of a rough stain on the deck that needs vigorous scrubbing. His fellow pirates are on to his act, they appreciate how the deck of their ship shines like gold.

Yay yay hurray for the Bloomington Handmade Market. YAy yay hurray for Bloomington and its strong lattes and freshly boiled bagels! Yay for its cute babies in homemade knit onesies! I love the Bloomington Handmade Market. This Saturday will be my third pre-Christmas event. I did their very first one when Walter was just a cute and squirmy fetus swimming around my womb. The Bloomington Handmade Market is lovely and warm and fuzzy. I enjoy it very much. I feel so at home in Bloomington, so it always feels nice to visit and especially nice to take part in a community event and pretend like I still live there underneath the shelter of their friendly trees. I'll see you soon Bloomington! Have your lattes all frothed and ready for me!

Owl Girls

2011-10-27T04:15:00.001-07:00

Five owl girls are finished. I tried to make them extra special. It helps to keep my momentum going when I am in factory-worker-mode. Two of them are wearing felt roses. I forget what they are called exactly in the sewing world, but they are fun to make. My friend Erin taught me how. Hi Erin! I was going to make elephant girls next, but I found some pretty sweet white faux fur so I am going to make polar bear girls instead.

I wish these owl girls were real and hunted mice. I found a mouse in the house yesterday evening. I am embarrassed to say that I shrieked and ran to the couch like all the dainty girls do in the movies. I thought I was tougher than that. I used to play with snakes as a kid, and I had pet lizards. There is something about the frantic way a mouse skitters though that makes me believe that it is going to run straight up my leg. I would have no problems with the circle of life running its course, but unfortunately my dog is a horrible hunter. I have seen him obliviously walk past cats that are 2 feet away from him, and then later try to attack a lawn ornament. Plus, the cartoons tell me that cats are the ones that are interested in mice, not dogs. I am less comfortable with poison and glue traps. The glue traps especially. I read online that soaking cotton balls in peppermint oil and leaving them around the kitchen keeps them away. Apparently mice hate the smell of Christmas, so that will be my plan number 1.

Good Boys

2011-10-21T08:29:00.001-07:00

Here are my four good boys. One of those good boys is the best boy and his name is Albert and he is my dog who thrives on being a good boy. He has very bad nerves on account of his high standards of good boy-ness he sets for himself. He is always looking at me, nervously, out of the corner of his eye and it really seems like he's judging my face and trying to figure out whether or not I approve of his behavior at any given moment. We got him from the pound and maybe he thinks we'll throw him back in if he doesn't act properly. We won't. He's practically my first born.

My second born, however, broke my wee little heart when he broke his wee little arm bone this past week. It was very sad. He was jumping on the bed while I was making it, something he has done many times before. Then, he just toppled off and landed in a very unfortunate way. I wasn't able to catch him. His poor, sad arm was swollen and so was his face from a pretty fierce crying session. Seeing the x-ray made my heart stop beating. A tiny bone, not fully formed, cracked. Something I made with love and then broke with neglect. It sounds heavy handed, but that is how it feels.

Now Walter walks around with an arm in a splint (the cast comes next week when the swelling goes down). The splint is wrapped heavily with gauze. He evokes a lot of sympathy in people he passes by. There is just something so sweet about an injured, tiny person. It's like seeing a chihuahua on a wheeled, therapeutic thingy, still soldiering on and running with the other dogs. Maybe it's because you know they endured pain which seems too adult for them, but they are still joyful little things, which makes them wise beyond their years. Regardless, I hear a lot of "Awwwwwws" as we walk by people, and then I feel cold, judging eyes on my back. My brother says that part is in my head, but even so, it hurts :(. Moving on. Walter is doing well. It's amazing how he has completely adapted to not being able to use his right arm. He just has this giant, annoying thing on there now, and he doesn't even question it. I'm sorry little man!

I'm still sewing. More owl girls are on their way. The Bloomington Handmade Market is less than a month away! Then, the following week I will be at the Indiana State Museum for their Handmade Indiana show. Go Hoosiers!

Super Girls and Tree People

2011-10-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

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I have been working diligently over here. I have some serious goals I set for myself that look ridiculous on my chalkboard:

4 good boys
4 tree people
3 elephant girls
5 lion boys
8 simple bears with glow hearts
5 strong men
3 mammer jammers

The Super Girls make me laugh. I don't know yet what super powers they have, but I want their big hair to be involved. The red haired one maybe could have secret ray guns stored in her vertical pig tails. The afro girl? I am not sure, but ideas are welcome.

I also want to create a story for my tree people. I want them to be like dream catchers of a sort so that they can fend off nightmares and make an inviting environment for sweet dreams.

I let these ideas simmer. Sometimes they never get fully cooked.

Oh Dear!

2011-10-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

Here are my deer dears. They are extremely shy. Their eyes get large when you approach them to say hello, then they dart out of the room to grab a spot of tea to drink in the company of rabbits.

Serious Little Men

2011-10-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

Or maybe not so serious. But, they take themselves seriously, particularly the last one in the striped one-sie pajamas. I'd imagine him to be quite the curmudgeon (I can't believe I spelled that right on the first try), and no fun at slumber parties. He'd be the one to bring ear plugs and demand you turn off the lights and stop playing light as a feather and stiff as a board. Do they still do that, also, I don't think I have too many male readers, but did they play that game at sleepover parties too? Why can I only imagine boys playing poker and eating candy cigars at sleepovers? If you are a man reading this, thank you (and do please let me know), or I guess I could ask Joseph when he is home from work.

I know these guys are photographed horribly, but after I realized my lighting was not ideal, I was too worried Walter would awaken from his nap, so I kept the men where they were and rushed it. Now I have these grainy shots. Sorry to you, friends!

I am enjoying being my very own pink cheeks factory. Next up are deer dears. You'll see what I mean soon.

The weather here is just on the brink of Autumn. Some trees have started to catch on. I like for these days to go very slowly so that I can savor them. Yesterday, Walter and I went to the park and he began squishing mushrooms with sticks, really big mushrooms; the kind that would be in Willy Wonka's magical chocolate forest, only they would be marshmallow-y instead of mushroom-y. I initially froze in horror because I used to obey (and later, enforce) a strict "don't hurt the trees" rule at summer camp (i.e. don't mindlessly bash trees with sticks or pull their leaves as you walk by), as a way to encourage a respect of nature. But, how else are you going to learn what is inside of a mushroom? So, I decided to let it go. Then, I decided to partake in the squishing and it was sort of awesome. I think the time slows it's pace when you do things out of the norm, so I'm working on that one. An apple orchard will be soon, which I have never in my life been to. Then, on to applesauce and apple bowls, like these.

For Molly and Mike's Baby Girl

2011-09-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

I made a mobile for the coolest girl in the world. She is still in utero, but just wait world. When she comes... birds will sing beautiful music while playing teeny-tiny ukeleles, sprinkled sugar cookies will rain from the sky, and hippos will put on tutus and dance. Maybe those things won't really happen, but it will still be just as good regardless. I am so excited to meet her someday!

I made her a mobile of sleepy sheep children. They have hearts on their back stitched with glow-in-the-dark thread. I used high contrast fabrics because that is good for little baby brains. I hope she looks at this mobile and feels comfort, calm, and warm fuzzy-ness as she drifts off to slumber land.

Congratulations again Molly and Mike! I am so happy for you!

Plush You and a Secret Project

2011-09-23T08:35:00.001-07:00

These guys are going to head over to Seattle to show off their biceps to a bunch of fabulous plushies and plushie admirers. Plush You Seattle takes place in Mid October at the Schmancy store. This is my first time participating in the show. I wish I could squeeze in the box and go with them and then drink about 50 cups of good coffee while whale watching (preferably with my friends, Kerry and Christa). If you are going to the show, please do these handsome men a favor and give them a hug.

I am also working on a secret special project for a super special tiny person growing in a super fantabulous fully grown woman whom I love very much. I am calling the project Operation Baa. I should be finished with it this week, and I hope to share it with you soon. What I hope the most though is that one day I will be able to have a conversation with the super tiny person because I can only imagine how amazing she will be. Her mom is one of my all time favorite childhood friends and talking with her was a lot like riding a roller coaster ride. The topics would take sharp turns and lots of loops and they would make your grin so large that your cheek muscles would start to sting.

Strong Men

2011-09-19T09:25:00.001-07:00

I have a few strong men done and ready for Market season. It is nice to sew them because they are fairly simple, so I get to spend more time on the face and facial hair. I photographed them on some fur I picked up (for making spotted owls) because I for some reason imagine strong men relaxing on bear skin rugs after a long day of pumping iron. I'm not sure any strong man out there would favor my choice of unitard fabric, but these guys don't have a say, and I am partial to colors and prints.

Which reminds me of the last episode of Project Runway. I just love that Oliver. He was getting so overwhelmed at those New York personalities trying to tell him what they would like designed. He is such a delicate and serious artist. I think he is a really subtle designer with an artist's soul, but I don't think he was meant to compete on camera with ridiculous deadlines and amusing challenges. I love that when Project Runway made all the designers do a quick jog around a track he almost had to go to the hospital. It made me want to intervene, kidnap him, and then give him a nice big, silent space with soft white walls so that he can create quietly in peace.

Owl Girls

2011-09-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

We are renting a house that had an orange table downstairs. The other day I lugged it upstairs, it was very heavy, but I am professional at moving furniture around. I can even move things with minimal grunting so as not to wake napping Walter. The table is now our dining table and my sewing table. It makes me very nostalgic for my childhood because we lived in a house built in the 70's that had a very Brady orange counter in the kitchen. Our kitchen floor was vinyl faux brick and I used to roller blade on it. Last weekend I was visiting my hometown and I drove past it and my heart almost stopped from a very powerful flood of memories.

Above you will see three finished owl girls. They have tails and nice, flappy wings. I imagine they have formed a nocturnal club that meets at midnight in a tree house to eat things dipped in powdered sugar.

Uninhibited Aging

2011-09-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

Let's forgo the anti-aging cream and take a hint from this lady by, instead, defying age by living joyfully.

Elephant Boys

2011-09-12T07:03:00.000-07:00

Here are the Elephant boys, ready for some romping around and running away from mice. They are made from lovely, soft blue corduroy. I want to make some more out of different corduroy colors, but I only buy one color at a time with my 40% off coupon (from JoAnn Fabrics). I am frugal. Elephants are a favorite spot at the zoo for me, but I think the rhinos may have them beat. We were able to see one very close up at our latest visit. Their skin so strange---it really looks like armor.
My next batch I will be working on will be owl girls. I am making them out of wool suiting fabric.

Bear Boys

2011-09-06T10:07:00.000-07:00

I made a few of these bear boys for the upcoming market season. They are furry, fuzzy and friendly fellows. It feels nice to make soft, furry things when the weather is chilly, which it has been for the last couple of days. I'm ready for you fall! Bring it! And while you're bringing "it" also bring some hot apple cider with you, please.

Owl Girl and Prop Shots

2011-08-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

I sewed an owl girl. She is nameless...and armless. I have an appendage procrastination problem. I wanted to hurry up and photograph her with my new tree props that I made. (I made some 2 dimensional ones since the previous post). I like them, they remind me of toy theater props, only softer.

For the next few months I am going to be building up my stock for fall and winter markets. It is funny to be planning so far ahead, it has me fantasizing about Christmas already and wanting to eat those Russian tea cookies.

As I sew my little fellows (and ladies) I will post a few to the shop, but not as many as I usually do, so it will be slim pickins for awhile.

Flow in the Funk

2011-08-24T12:01:00.001-07:00

I drifted away from my Pink Cheeks last week. This usually happens about every 3 months, I am just starting to recognize this pattern in myself. My 3 month funk usually involves moving all the furniture around in my house or spray painting something that I look at every day. This cycle was furniture moving. I also sewed some friendly trees. I have been wanting to make plush scenes to photograph ever since I saw The Look Book by Chris Sickles who, amazingly enough, lives in Indianapolis (go Hoosiers!).

At first, I wanted to do elaborate scenes with handmade things and found objects, but that idea never developed any legs because it was too open ended. So, now I am limiting myself to all plush scenes and I started with friendly trees (below).

I look forward to sewing plenty of props as they come to me, and then arranging them with my Pink Cheeks. Next up are homes and apartment buildings and clothing lines.

Aloha

2011-08-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

These guys will be heading to Hawaii soon. I want to seal myself in the box and go with them. Then, when we are all there, we will do the hula and split a coconut with each other.

Lydia the Tattooed Lady

2011-08-13T05:37:00.000-07:00

I didn't watch a lot of tv when I was a little kid. Joseph did, so I am clueless when he and his friends or family discuss Thundercats and Snorks. I let little Walter watch a couple of Sesame Streets a day, but we have gotten to the point where we've seen the same ones countless times already (we watch them on Netflix), Elmo's cuteness is starting to grate on my nerves, and that red monster is pretty endearing so that is saying something. Yesterday we got our first disc of the Muppet Show in the mail, which I have never seen. It is a thing of pure beauty. My belly aches from laughing so much. Usually puppets on TV = Sewing time for me, but it's hard to walk away from such charm! This clip is one I think Mimi Kirchner (the woman behind these tattoo ladies) needs to see:

Gary

2011-08-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

Gary has a motorcycle. He loves riding it and feeling the wind on his face and the sun on his back. Sometimes after a long ride in the summer he has to pick the bugs out of his beard. Gary enjoys singing show-tunes, but it doesn't match his persona, so he only sings them while going very, very fast down a remote highway. He can really belt it out, but is still embarrassed at the thought of being heard, so during the extra showy parts of the show-tunes, he revs up his engine. At gas stations, he snacks on beef jerky and follows it with Orange Crush.

It was a cloudy day today, so I had to use the flash on Gary, which is a big time no-no in the softie photography world. Maybe it's a no-no in all worlds.

Nothing very exciting going on here. I am really itching to see the prequel to Planet of the Apes. It has been so hot, and I have been craving a summer block buster full of action almost as much as I have been craving tropical popsicles. Joseph and I have been considering driving to the drive in (over an hour away) to see it. It is my theory that Walter will fall asleep on the ride up and we will enjoy the show under the stars peacefully as our toddler snoozes in the backseat. But, if he wakes up and glimpses mean, violent, genius-monkeys we could scar him forever. Then trips to the zoo would be terrifying instead of a hoot. A parent's dilemma.

Adventurer

2011-08-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

Awhile ago, I received a fun request from a lovely lady who bought one of my La Luchadors and wanted me to make a Mary Poppins for her daughter who loved that English nanny. I had a lot of fun making her. And, even though I am off requests for awhile, I had to take her up on another one for her yet to be born baby, Seamus. This lady takes the cake on best baby name selector (though I hope my family will take a close second [once we make a few more little monkeys]). Seamus will have an Adventurer/Carnival nursery theme, and so he gets his own adventurer. Here he is! His name is Jack.

Jack is an adventurer. He travels the world on a hot air balloon looking for adventures. He is very courageous. If there is an adventure that involves searching through the depths of a murky, deep and dangerous sea, Jack dives right in, without a nose plug. When visiting distant lands, Jack takes to the culture straight away and does not turn up his nose at the local cuisine. He once drank beetle tea, and when he was done he made a satisfying "Mmmmm" noise. If there is a puddle, Jack jumps in it. If there is a cave, Jack explores it for bears and bats. If there is an enormous mountain, Jack climbs up it and then does somersaults all the way down it. On every adventure that Jack embarks on, he is sure to pick up a trinket or doodad, to bring back home to his best friend Seamus.

Wallace

2011-08-02T05:17:00.000-07:00

Wallace means business. He leads a very serious life doing very serious things and he never has time to giggle or eat cake. His Doctor told him that he leading such a serious life will surely end his life prematurely, so he recommended that Wallace do something unserious every now and again. Wallace decided that he should take his Doctor's advice so from now on he skips every where he needs to go. It is still efficient because it gets him from point A to point B in a speedy manner, but something about the hopping makes him a bit jollier.

Wallace is spoken for by one of the coolest gals north of my border.

Freddy Fred

2011-08-01T07:38:00.001-07:00

Freddy Fred loves a good road trip. He has boycotts super highways that bypass small towns because he thinks small towns are diamonds in the rough and should not be passed at high speeds. While on his many journeys, which usually involve destinations to enormous things (totem poles, candles, pencils, barbed wires), Freddy Fred frequently stops at Ma and Pa restaurants for pie and coffee. He is broke as a joke, so instead of tipping his waitresses, he carefully sketches their portraits on paper place-mats and gives them to them for free. He also calls them "doll-face".

Freddy Fred will be in my Etsy shop today! I will post the others this week.

Run Over By a Truck...

2011-07-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

That's how they look to me pre-stuffed. Four sad, flat, fat, mustached men. I'm working on them bit by bit. They are all stuffed and waiting for hats. Joseph (my husband) has demanded that I accessorize them. He is obsessed with accessories. Not really, well, in a way, yes he is always saying, "Sure, he's good, but what he really needs is a stuffed briefcase." Actually, he does have really funny ideas for accessories, I can just never bring myself to sew them. Sewing a clipboard does not sound like my idea of fun, but seeing a very serious stuffed mustache man with a very serious stuffed clipboard under his stubby arm is a pretty charming vision. I promised him this time around I would sew at least one accessory. Stay tuned! In other news, I have a serious tropical popsicle addiction this summer.

Pat

2011-07-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

Pat is a master of small talk. He loves it very much. He studies the weather diligently and can talk for hours about the pleasantries of a warm spring day and what a pain humidity is for keeping symmetry in his mustache curls. His favorite past-time is sitting on park benches and talking with retired, friendly folks while sharing muffin crumbles with mooching pigeons.

~~Pat will be available in my shop today!~~ Pat has been reserved. I'll make more soon!

Stewie

2011-07-18T06:04:00.000-07:00

Stewie is a data analyst for his day job, but after 5:00, Stewie throws on a top hat and studies magic. If you are thinking of a number between 1 and 5, Stewie gets it right almost 25% of the time!

Stewie is also reserved.

Artie

2011-07-18T05:59:00.001-07:00

Artie is a sharp dresser. For his free time, he studies the GQ magazine archive at his local library. He photocopies the best, sharpest attires and then he saves them in a three-ringed binder. Then, he goes to thrift stores and rummage sales to try to find items that closely match the looks in his collection. His motto for life is "Frugal does not equal frumpy, my dear." He embroiders this on all of his knickers to remind himself to live a life of style.

Artie is reserved already, but I will be making more mammers soon.

Bernie

2011-07-18T05:52:00.000-07:00

Bernie enjoys his morning cup of joe. He is very particular, though. If it's too bitter or not the exact kind of hot that he prefers, his whole morning will be wonky. The most important step in dressing up his coffee is taking his mug over to his super smiley neighbor, Dolly's, house who sticks her finger in it to sweeten it up

Bernie has been reserved and is unavailable, but I will be making a few more larger mammer jammers if you are interested.

The Big Mammer Jammers!

2011-07-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

I have been spending my time making these big guys! Double my normal mustache man. They are the Big Mac of my Pink Cheeks. I am sure there is a better burger equivalent, but I am a vegetarian, so it's hard to keep up (though I do recall some chicken sandwich featuring chicken patties instead of a bun making the news circuit a few months ago). I had a lot of fun sewing these guys, probably the most fun I have ever had. I think they would make a sharp looking barber shop quartet. I will start posting them in my shop on Monday.

In other news, Walter and I took a mom-son trip to the zoo and we were so close to a giraffe that I could touch its nose! It was really incredible. Walter liked the otters the best. The hippos were nowhere to be found. We saw their shelter. Where could they have been hiding?

Henry

2011-07-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

Henry wears his bear head when he craves attention. He's a good listener and an honest, loyal friend. But, when his energy feels zapped and he wants people to pay him mind, he's too humble to ask. So, he drives to the next town over and walks the streets with a bear head on. Then, all eyes are on him and somehow that makes things right again.

This probably seems like a strange story. Maybe it is. I did have a good friend however who didn't have a car and when he was craving attention would ride his bike with one arm raised high, like he had a question in school. I think that's a fine thing to do. It's not acting out immaturely or doing something rash and damaging, it's just doing something peculiar that will give passersby something to talk about with their family when they get home.

I have been working on giant mustache men! I just finished stuffing one today and he weighs as much as a horse. Well, perhaps not a horse, but maybe he weighs as much as one of those adorable shetland ponies (which I desperately want to see Walter ride).

In other news of stuffed things, I am really lucky and able to curate a doll artist show for Vincennes University. I have been having so much fun choosing artists to be in it, and imagining how different artist's work would look together. It will be a small show---only 8 artists. I was sad to leave out some of my plushie friends and people whose work I admire, but I am also really excited about the group I have so far. I can't wait to share more with you! The show will be in January of 2012.

Sally

2011-07-06T04:18:00.001-07:00

Sally is an artist. She is very serious. She diligently goes to cafes every morning, orders a mug of their darkest roast and then sits in a corner and sketches. Her favorite subjects are the lonely old men that come in every day, talk about politics, and get very grumpy when it rains. She is grateful for their wrinkly faces that are full of character and stories. Sally has no ambitions to be famous or in museums. Instead, she sends all of her work to her Grandma Gladys. Gladys, however, is convinced that Sally is trying to play cupid and sending her portraits of possible soul mates.

I hope you had a nice Fourth of July if you are American. I was thinking while I was watching some fireworks go off that it really is a nice, unfussy holiday. Maybe it's not as warm spirited as Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it's still about family. Only, for the Fourth you don't have to spend a month prior nervously spending money and worrying about who likes what. You just get together, eat some potato chips, laugh and then explode things. Pretty cool.

Esmeralda

2011-06-27T15:01:00.001-07:00

Esmeralda has a love for cats. She was born with a terrible cat allergy, so she fills her home with cat figurines, kitty clocks, cat dolls, and collectible cat pez dispensers. She also goes to elaborate lengths to make the stray cats on her block feel welcome on her porch. She has several fine china dishes that she fills with a special culinary dish of hers involving gourmet tuna and sardines. It is a dish she also makes for her human guests on special occasions. While the cats sunbathe on her porch and eat her delicacies, Esmeralda takes very sharp pencils and does detailed drawings of her feline friends. She sells the drawings on the internet. She is saving up to be able to afford to construct an elaborate tree house in the weeping willow in her backyard. She will make it a retreat house for her cat friends. She will call it Purrradice.

Esmeralda is available here!

Cecilia

2011-06-23T03:57:00.000-07:00

Cecilia is an extreme optimist. Not only is her glass half full, but it's half full of the most delightfully tasty strawberry-lemonade with a cherry on top. If someone around her is frowning she will sprint over to them as fast as her stubby legs will allow and she'll sing, "Buck up, Buttercup!" and then she'll hug them so tight that the frown will pop off of their face. Her two modes of transportation are skipping and riding around on the town trolley. While on the town trolley she likes to hang her head out the window to feel the wind blow through her hair, and she likes to make eye contact with strangers on the street and then wave frantically at them with an enormous smile on her face so that they feel so special they could just burst!

Thanks for reading, I hope you have a Cecilia in you life who gives you ferocious, encouraging hugs.

Lucia

2011-06-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

Lucia plays poker 5 nights a week. She has an addiction to gambling, so to curb the addiction she still allows herself to play cards, though not for money, for chips, and not the plastic kind of chip, the edible kind. The crunchier the chip, the higher its worth. Lucia's strategy is to play the player, not the cards. She could have a hand worth nothing more than a few baked potato chips, but due to her superior poker face and indifferent curvature of her unibrow, she keeps her opponents guessing. On her best night, she walked home with a 10 pound bag of the highest quality of Kettle chips. She shared them with her dog, Joker, who also plays poker and smokes cigars.

Lucia will be available in my Etsy shop.

I made three more ladies with giant flowers on their hats that I will be posting this week. I am really enjoying making new patterns. This week I am also going to make these S'more Brownies to send to a friend who has a S'mores (in all forms from traditional to ice cream) addiction and a bun in the oven which I think would enhance the S'mores addiction.

Albert

2011-06-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

Albert is a fan of reading. He likes books better than most things including gym class, Saturday morning cartoons, olives, and birthday cake. He made a special reading nook in his closet that he calls his book cave. On days when school is out, he can hole up reading in his book cave for hours, sometimes longer if he remembers to bring a bag of marshmallows and a thermos of milk with him. His mother tells him that she is concerned with his social development, but he assures her not to fret about and that if it weren't for his books he wouldn't even know what "social development" means, which must be worth something.

Albert is also the name of my dog. His favorite thing is going on walks. His whole day is spent avoiding Walter and nervously looking at me and waiting for the slightest clue that a walk in the near future. Any time I need a plastic bag, he does a few 360s thinking it's for his "deposits" and that we will be heading outside. We had to stop using the word "walk" and start using "stroll" so that he wouldn't have an excitement heart attack, but now he's learned "stroll" as well. Now we have to spell the words out.

Won't you like me?

2011-06-14T05:10:00.000-07:00

Pink Cheeks Studios now has a Facebook page.

Nicholas

2011-06-14T04:45:00.000-07:00

When Nicholas speaks you have to listen very closely and try to read his lips. His voice is soft and gentle. Nicholas is as gentle as his voice. When he enters a room, a calm fills the air and everyone says a sweet "Awwww" in admiration of his gentle demeanor. But, when Nicholas gets angry a rumbling starts in his stomach, travels up his throat and comes out as a ginormous bear growl. It's so powerful that it makes the ground vibrate for several miles from where he is standing. Luckily for his neighbors there isn't much that angers Nicholas. Try to sneak peas into his macaroni and cheese, however, you will hear about it.

Nicholas is Walter's middle name (after my father, and me), but Walter has a strong love for peas.

Neil

2011-06-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

Neil likes rock and roll. He has a great idea for a restaurant. He wants to feature all his favorite musicians favorite foods. He will call it Rock and Rolls (because of dinner rolls). So far he will serve peanut butter, banana, and honey grilled sandwiches, Elvis' favorite. He doesn't know any other musicians favorite food, but seeing as how peanut butter, banana, and honey grilled sandwiches are sublime, he's convinced his idea is awesome.

Neil will be in my Etsy shop shortly.

I have a few other bear boys I'll be adding this week, but in the mean time I need to catch up on some Zs.

p.s. Peanut butter and honey grilled sandwiches are awesome. I'm with the King.

Foot In My Mouth

2011-06-09T19:27:00.001-07:00

my baby, a photo by amberye on Flickr.

I want to take back everything I said in my previous post about clowns. Bleh. It's so embarrassing when you think you have a funny conversation and then you recreate it on your blog and you come off as cynical and snarky. I have a friend, Mary (Bozette), who has a hilarious and heartfelt blog, and was a clown! I have great respect for anyone who takes those interesting and wiggly roads in life and I am most certain that clowns do that, so I take it back! I should go to that pie fight. And, I should wear a big target on my shirt to redeem myself in the name of all clowns! Sorry Mary!

Larry

2011-06-08T19:36:00.001-07:00

Larry is part of a team of masked bandits. He robs banks. His biggest occupational annoyance is that his he has incredibly stubby legs, which makes getaways quite the nuisance. When you add the weight of bagfuls of money to his already awkward frame, it makes matters even worse. He would request that the bank tellers leave the change and just put in the bills, but he's trying to collect all the state's quarters so he wouldn't want to risk missing out on the ones necessary to complete his collection.

Larry is now in my Etsy shop!

I am working on a few bear boys next. They are in the works.

My family and I are waiting for some news which has me on edge, not that it's bad news. Things will either change, or things will stay the same, but nothing will be bad, except for the waiting part. I am especially awful at waiting. I recently heard on npr that keeping secrets is bad for your health, so I will give you a secret example of how bad I am at waiting (this next part is in italics because it is a secret and you should read it like you hear a whisper):

One year, for Christmas, I found where my mom hid my presents and I opened them all. Other people have told me similar stories, so I know that part is somewhat normal on the rebellious-kid-o-meter, but I took it a step further and secretly wore my new Doc Marten boots out and about (for a whole month) and then re-wrapped them and acted surprised Christmas morning.

Please don't hate me, it's just a problem I have. It's genetic! No, sorry mom! First I spit on the spirit of Christmas and then I blame the genes you gave me! Argh. So, there you see how bad I am at waiting, and what torture it is. It makes me very chatty as you can see from this post. Chatting dissipates some of the tension that waiting creates. A good distraction from the waiting will happen this weekend in my town. There will be a clown parade of 1000 clowns. I live in the town where Red Skelton was born, and they love him here. I didn't know who he was either, but Don Draper mentioned him in a Mad Men episode so he is basically awesome. Joseph and I were talking about how it is very strange that clowns keep existing. I know several people that are creeped out by them, and the people that aren't creeped out by them tend to be indifferent. I don't know a single soul that loves them or admits to liking them, but they still keep on being around and cramming into vehicles. I wonder if they will ever fizzle out, and who the last sad clown will be. There is also going to be a huge pie fight that I am really curious about, but I work very hard with my son on encouraging him to eat his food rather than throw it, so the pie fight might take us a few steps backwards.

Ashton and Fern

2011-06-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

Ashton and Fern are neighbors. They are passionate about nature and stillness. Every morning after breakfast (Fern eats oatmeal with blueberries and brown sugar and Ashton eats dark toast with smooshed bananas on top), they meet up dressed as trees and head to the woods to be very still. On their walk to the woods they pick up colorful bits of string that they find on the ground, like balloon string, discarded ribbons and bits of yarn that fell out of woven scarves. Then, when they are in the woods practicing stillness, they hold the string in their hands for the birds to pick up and add to their nests.

I sort of love these tree people.

Are you enjoying summer? I am. The days seem extra long and lazy. Walter and Albert and I have been going on ridiculously long walks in the mornings. Walter talks jibberish the entire time. There is a family who lives on my block that keeps chickens. Three hens and one rooster. Yesterday I spotted the children playing with them on their trampoline. I imagine the chickens think it's torture, but if they are smart they will use it to their advantage as they plot a getaway plan.

I am going to put these tree people in my shop right now! Also, they have string loops on the back of them if you want to hang them on a wall.

Malvoy

2011-06-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

Malvoy is a part of a team of menacing masked bandits. Malvoy's burglarizing pursuits are really just a way to kick start his fashion design business. Even as a child, Malvoy showed promise in choosing surprising and refreshing color combinations. Teachers suspected he may have a problem when they discovered missing arts and crafts supplies in a secret compartment in his desk, but the art teacher was secretly pleased that at least he was being aesthetically selective and only choosing sequins, crayons and fake feathers that were turquoise and neon green. He still is a fan of that color scheme and chose to fashion a special mask featuring it. One of his favorite parts of holding up banks is offering fashion advice to the bank tellers that are filling up his loot bags. He feels like it's his way of giving back.

Malvoy is now available in my Etsy shop!

Chester

2011-05-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

Chester is part of a team of masked bandits. He often gets scolded by his partners in crime for not taking their burglary pursuits very seriously. Chester can't help it. He just gets the giggles at the drop of a dime, and they frequently dropping dimes is a hazard of their occupation. When they march into a bank and demand that the tellers "stick 'em up!" Chester has to try very hard to contain himself. He gets the giggles just thinking about all those exposed arm pits just asking to be tickled! He will never be kicked off of his team of masked bandits, however. He asks very little from their loot. All he wants are nickles because those are his all time favorite slot machines to play.

I wanted to let you know that a lovely lady, Ryan, interviewed me on her lovely blog, the Blooming Thread. You can read it here!

Chester is in my Etsy shop!

Menacing Masked Bandits

2011-05-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

I have been working on this masked bandit series. It was nice to make sweet dolls for sweet, sweet people, but it has been extremely fun to make some villainous weirdos. I imagine them as a team of bank robbers. It cracks me up to picture them trying to outrun the law with no legs and stubby, awkwardly-placed feet.

I'll be posting them in my Etsy shop as I write their stories out. Burt's is done. Here you go:

Burt is a part of a team of masked, menacing bandits. He considers himself the master mind and he never has a shortage of heist plans, most of which involve duct tape. He sticks out amongst his crew because his mask is fuzzy with bunny ears and a menacing unibrow. He made up a rouse about it having to do with his love of "carrots" (diamond carats), which is half-true because he deeply loves shiny diamonds and has fantasies of wearing large diamond rings on each of his fingers and toes. But, the real reason for the bunny mask is that it covers his delicate ears which get horribly uncomfortable in the chilly air-conditioned banks. He's sure the bank presidents keep the air set so low as a way to deter him from his robbing shenanigans.

He is available here.

Sumo Available

2011-05-23T09:00:00.002-07:00

Just a quick note to let you know that the dowel rod painting (that I was doing for my Sumos to make them into a mobile) went horribly wrong. So, I decided to sell the Sumos as just solo-hanging-sumos-in-the-air. They are in my Etsy shop! I'll be back soon with some masked bandits.

Sumos in Motion

2011-05-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

I finished my two sumo wrestlers! I have had them in my head for about a month. I am improving on my sumo design from the mobile I made for my friend's niece. I added a gusset to make them more roly-poly, which makes me sound like such a sophisticated sewer (until you get to the roly-poly part). I am going to hang them from a striped dowel rod so that they can duel eternally in the air, but I couldn't resist doing a little wrestling photo shoot with them. I love the art of sumo. How did it begin? I am not going to Wikipedia that, I would rather just wonder. How do they prepare? Do they strategically eat fattening foods? Do you study the art when you are a child and then fall in love with it and then gain a lot of weight when you want to go pro? I probably should just Wikipedia it with all my questions, but sometimes I get annoyed at having the answers so close, so I guess I'll let them simmer for awhile.

Ellery and a Special Request Vacation

2011-05-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

When Ellery was born, her home town felt a shake. The local officials thought maybe there was a slight quake of the Earth, but the truth is that the hearts of all of Ellery's admirers beat so fast upon her arrival that it sent out vibrations for miles. Ellery is so well-loved that she almost glows. Birds sing special songs and butterflies flutter with extra vigor when she is nearby because they know they are in the presence of something beautiful and lovely. There is a special pack of women in her life that guard her, protect her, snuggle with her and fawn over her porcelain cheeks. She feels the comfort of their love which makes her almost as warm and cozy as her fuzzy, bunny suit.

Ellery is for a sweet, sweet, sweetums friend's, friend's daughter. Thank you Ean!

Ellery represents my final special request. I take requests from my ever supportive friends and family, but I am taking a break to pursue some new ideas, explore gussets and learn some still life photography skills.

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a beautiful Mother's Day full of hugs and snugs. Mine was nice, though I have been knee-deep in soggy tissues, and breathing isn't as easy as it used to be. I have bronchitis, and it seems to have unpacked its bags and made itself comfortable. Bronchitis didn't get in the way of my enjoyment of homemade blueberry crepes courtesy of my beau. And, my bright yellow roses from Walter make my heart go aflutter. Although, this past week Walter could have easily given the flowers to Cookie Monster since Sesame Street is doing the majority of my mothering while I am under the weather.

Clarence

2011-05-03T14:11:00.000-07:00

Clarence has a loud voice. His mother says they can hear him all the way in China when he speaks in his excited voice, which is most of the time. Clarence is excited about most everything, but he is especially excited about cereal with marshmallows in it, super hero comic books, carnivorous flowers, dinosaurs and his number one super best friend, Ti. Together, Clarence and Ti roar at things together and scare away mischievous rodents that try to eat the vegetables growing in their backyard gardens.

Clarence was a special request for Stacie who, if I had a fan club, would be the president. But, I think she would be the president of lots of people's fan clubs. That is just the kind of girl she is.

Three's a Crowd

2011-04-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

Since I mentioned my dog, Albert, yesterday, I thought I should report on the status of his and Walter's relationship after the introduction of the stuffed bunny I brought into our lives.

Relationship Status = Rapidly Deteriorating

The bunny was for Walter, of course, but Albert has been eying it enviously since Sunday. Catching a bunny is Albert's Everest. And here I am, stuffing one and handing it over to my dear son, who torments Albert with his "petting" (hitting). Yesterday, Albert, who hasn't touched one of Walter's toys ever, claimed the bunny as his own. Here is a documentation of yesterday's events:

Midge and Molly

2011-04-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

Midge and Molly are twins. Mostly, they have similar interests. They differ in opinion when it comes to milk (Midge is a fan of chocolate, whereas chocolate milk makes Molly's stomach go wobbly), flowers (Molly thinks dandelions are no-good weeds while Midge puts them in elegant vases on her nightstand) and bugs (Midge likes lightning bugs and Molly prefers the comical antics of the stick bug). They are the kind of girls that are very good at many things, but for some things, when they do them together---they are exceptional. Apart, they can carry a tune just fine, but together they can magically harmonize so well that birds stop singing just to listen. They also are extraordinary at throwing and catching cheese balls in their mouths. They are pretty sure they have some sort of magic twin gene that gives them an advantage in the sport of cheese ball catching. They are currently in the process of petitioning Guiness to be included in the book of records for most cheese balls caught in a row. This is all much to their pet dog, Shmoopie's, dismay as he wishes some of those cheese balls would land in his mouth.

Midge and Molly are a special request from my good friend Downtown Kelly Brown (Schmidtke) who I worked with in a cafe long, long ago. I have many memories of working with her and doing a lot of giggling. She is now Aunt Downtown Kelly Brown to two twin girls. When I was pregnant I desperately wanted twins, or triplets. I want a big family, so that seemed like a pretty economical (time-wise) way of getting to that goal. Now I am grateful to just have Walter because he is so rowdy I can't imagine having another just like him. Also, if I had twins, my poor miniature pinscher, Albert's, hair would most certainly all fall out due to anxiety. It breaks my heart that he (I know it's a strong word, but fitting) hates Walter so much. He's a good boy, so he would never bite, and sometimes if Walter has graham crumbs on his hands, Albert will even give him a lick, but he definitely despises his existence. I cross my fingers that when Walter is older they can be good pals.

Bunny and Bird

2011-04-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

I made Walter a bunny for Easter and his little pal at church a bird. In addition to getting a bunny, Walter participated in his very first Easter egg hunt on Sunday! He was very selective in that he passed on all the eggs and instead, chose a rock.

A Growing Family

2011-04-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

These next three dolls are for my dear globe-trotting, world-saving friend, Genevieve! They are for her ever growing collection of nieces (it's always strange to spell that word), one in the world and two still cooking in the oven. I sort of took some liberty with these and I think I subjected my own feelings into the trio of the dolls. I made the one for the toddler much bigger and more detailed than the ones for the newbies that have yet to be born. Even though I am not pregnant, I think often about how Walter will react to a new sibling. It must be so hard to be the center of your parents world and then all of a sudden a new little person wiggles its way in on the love. That's the crazy thing about love though. It can multiply just like us.

Jacqueline Marie is ready to be a big sis. She has taken all the necessary precautions. She knows about diapers, because she's been there, done that. She has some cotton balls for her ears on her nightstand table if her little sis gets fussy when she is supposed to be asleep. She has learned all she can about babies. She knows they dislike loud noises and chilly rooms and that they do not eat honey or fruit loops yet. They do like warm, fuzzy, and cozy things as well as good snuggles. So, Jacqueline Marie is in her bear suit: the most snuggly thing in her closet and she is practicing lullaby singing and soft-voice speaking. When she imagines holding her baby sis in her arms she can feel her heart growing!

Sasha has a big job. She is in charge of warming up a special crib for Baby Girl Sullivan and making sure it has plenty of warm-fuzzies. When Baby Girl Sullivan arrives, her first night will be sweet, restful and full of good dreams.

Josie is responsible for being a good friend for a new tiny person that is still just a bun in the oven. She can't wait to meet the gentle, little one that will go by the name Caroline Jean Ratliff. Josie's a fan of sleep and looks forward to cozy snuggles with little Caroline. If Caroline doesn't sleep, however, Josie has prepared for this by dressing in her wide-awake-owl suit.

Sisters and cousins.

It's always strange writing stories for dolls that I know are going to specific people. I never know whether to make the dolls just like the people they are going to or whether they should have their own personalities. What a complicated life I lead!

Willow Rose White

2011-04-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

Willow was a request for a friend of mine from summer camp who has a beautiful sing-songy voice and can sail like a pirate! Thanks JJ!

Willow wears a white rose on her shirt in honor of her owners who thought she was so special that they drove from California to the mountains of Wyoming just to have her in their life. She couldn't imagine a better pair to snuggle up with during thunderstorms. She loves the warm California sun and the smell of the ocean in the air. She was born with skittish nerves, but she is learning skills of bravery from her owners who play elaborate games of Everquest. She has high ambitions of being the bravest beast for her ever loyal Beastlords!

I am excited to share a new sumo design with you soon!

Bloomington Handmade Market Recap and a Super Girl

2011-04-10T03:20:00.000-07:00

I'm up early and my house is still asleep. I am drinking coffee, but my body has that weird feeling you get when you start your morning caffeine routine without a proper night's sleep. When I couldn't sleep I mindlessly kept "Stumbling" on StumbleUpon like a zombie. Next time I need to just warm up some milk and read. So, I am finally getting around to my Bloomington Handmade Market Recap! As with the three times prior, I neglected to take pictures of other people's booths which is a shame because this year's vendors were the greatest. I didn't do too hot sales-wise, but the people watching alone was worth the cost of the booth. I sold 3 dolls to a professor at IU which made me feel scholarly for some reason. I saw many whimsical things from a lot of vendors that are also on Etsy. I will conclude with four of my favorites:

these earrings
this card
this camel
this book safe

And here is a super girl for one of the superest girls I know. I can't include her story because she is a surprise, but I did want to share this picture because she looks so eager to be super in it!

Etsy Shop Update

2011-04-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

I'll have a Bloomington Handmade Market Recap soon, I just wanted to pop in quickly to say that I have updated my Etsy Shop with all sorts of new guys that didn't find homes at the market.

Bloomington Handmade Market

2011-04-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

My bags are packed and I am ready to go. My Etsy shop will be closed until Monday. I hope to see some of you at the market!

XOXO

Bear Brothers

2011-03-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Bunny Sisters from my previous posts now have dates to the prom. These Bear Brothers are the last thing I am sewing for the Bloomington Handmade Market. I used different, furrier fur for them.

The last thing I have to do is write their background stories and draw their profile pictures for their tags. It's nice, creative work. It's especially good for me now since Walter is really into those "naming" books. Most of my day is spent saying the same variety of nouns over and over, so it feels good to form sentences and use verbs and adjectives. I even make notes in a notebook, so it feels like very important work.

I had to take a break from the news this week. When you are a stay at home parent, it is really easy to fill the background with all sorts of newsy podcasts---it has become too much though. I can still care without having all the details aired in my home while I stack blocks with my son. Silence and the Talking Heads have been in the background now and things have been much better. I am grateful for my simple life of Walter-rearing and toy making. It didn't always used to be so simple. Sometimes, I think anxiety from tougher times can creep into your life even when there's no need for it to be there, so it's good to look around every now and then and let it melt away.

Anywho, there still are various degrees of simple and I am really looking forward to April when I don't have to make patterns or work towards a handmade market and I can just finish up requests and try new things. I bought this book the other day about making softies that can fit in the palm of your hand. I am excited to learn from it. What I really want to learn is how to make a super-roly-round softie. I want to make a very tubby fellow. I'll keep you posted.

Bunny Sisters

2011-03-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

My inner-girl has exploded into tiny bits! Bits in the form of cute, little, bunny girls all ready to plant some seedlings in the veggie garden while adorning their bunny attire. It's been awhile since I have made something very girly, but it was time. Maybe because spring is in the air and the daffodils are blooming. It makes me quite giddy. Skirt weather. Time to do some twirling! Time to listen to bluegrass outside. Though I think this warm weather is coming to a slippery, sleety halt tomorrow. Oh well, the bunny girls made it out in time. Actually, I made them specifically for the crowd at the Bloomington Handmade Market which happens on April 2nd (yikes!). I am excited about the participants this year. Well, I am every year, but this year, in addition to my standby favorite: Elms and Cedars (she makes the most adorable upcycled baby hats), Abby Christine will also be there. She makes finger puppets in the form of all of my favorite pop-culture icons. I mean, if you are feeling insecure about yourself, wouldn't it be great to grab your Liz Lemon finger puppet and share a bowl of cheetohs together? You can check out all the vendors here. Or if you live nearby, please come! Especially if you have never visited Bloomington. It is a special, happy place with tall trees and very good coffee. Walter will even be there, though he and Joseph will probably be spending most of their time nearby at the Wonder Lab (just a block away from the market) playing in the bubble room (no, it is not as cool as Willy Wonka's bubble room, but it is still very fun). The days of plopping the kid in a high chair with some toys at a craft fair are over. He is a rowdy boy. R.O.W.D.Y.

Also, below you will see the three dolls whose patterns are going to be released in a group doll artist book. The book comes out next May!

Lastly, I leave you with a sneak peek into the chaos that is my living room:

Frank, Bilbo and Harry

2011-03-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

Bilbo loves being outside in his backyard. He likes the feel of a cool breeze on his cheeks and soft grass on his butt after falling from a head stand. He doesn't discriminate when it comes to the weather either. Gray, rainy days are just fine. In fact, they're rather awesome because they make mud the best and mud is useful in many ways. Let Bilbo count the many useful ways of mud:

1. Making mud pies.
2. Using it to do cave man drawings on the side of the house.
3. Putting it in hair as an ozone friendly type of hair spray.
4. Making mud figurines.
5. Using as a type of face paint to scare sister.

Bilbo plans on documenting the many uses of mud and then getting his documentations published into some type of coffee table book.

Harry likes to wear his monster bear suit when he goes to the movies. It's soft and snuggly and his mother says it is slightly more appropriate than going out in public in your jammies.

Frank is highly opinionated when it comes to Legos. HE can't stand kits. They make him so mad that he could just spit, though he doesn't because that makes his mom do a scary looking frown. He just doesn't appreciate "The Man" telling him what to make with his Legos. If he wants to make a battle-ship he will do so because he wants to, not because some box has a picture of it on the front and a fancy-schmancy instruction manual inside. When Frank explains his concerns with Legos to his mother, she gives him some chocolate. Then she tells him to do some Lego art to express his anger.

Here is one of my favorite shots from my photo shoot with Tall and Small. Doesn't it make you feel like you are jumping right into the middle of all of them at a very high speed?

The bear boys are all headed into my Etsy shop today.

Paul

2011-03-14T03:49:00.000-07:00

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Paul dresses to the nine even though he doesn't have anywhere important to be. He can't work because he has had the hiccups for his entire adult life. All his former employers had to let him go because his fellow employees complained that they couldn't concentrate due to the noise. Now he gets paid by doctors and scientists looking to invent a cure for hiccups. He also tries his neighbor's daughter, Sally's (a budding scientist) concoctions at no additional charge. Her cures mainly involve various combinations of the condiments in her mother's refrigerator. Though it didn't cure his hiccups, Paul was pleasantly surprised at the taste of soy sauce and honey mustard. He uses it as a dip for his french fries now.

Paul measures roughly 15" tall and 12" across. He was made by hand by me and is one of a kind. He has a faux fur mustache and hair and hand embroidered features on his face. His pants are corduroy. He is meant for gentle play (no under-three year olds due to his buttons). He also would be a conversation piece on your couch or shelf. He comes with a hand drawn portrait of himself and a printout of his ridiculous story.

He is available at my Etsy shop.

This fellow is one that I am writing a pattern for. The pattern will be available in the book I will be apart of that is coming out next May. Writing patterns is not something of my element, but I think overall it is good for my brain to do so. Like Sodoku, which I never do. Hopefully I will learn a lot from the process and be able to offer patterns in my shop in the future.

Also, I just need to say that my heart goes out to Japan at this time. It is so strange that life is normal and unchanged here while such tragedy is happening across the planet.

Stanley is in the Shop

2011-03-08T08:46:00.001-08:00

Stanley is a chef at a small neighborhood restaurant in his friendly neighborhood. He gets inspired for his culinary dishes by the patrons that enter his shop. He doesn't speak to them because he is horribly shy, but he smiles at them under his mustache and he observes them through the chef's window from the safety of his kitchen. For Dotty, the sweet older woman with white hair that has a pinkish hue, he invented pomegranate pancakes with a strawberry sauce. For Larry, a boisterous fellow whose large belly jiggles when he giggles, Stanley invented a jellied horse radish sauce to be served with meatloaf. The patrons find Stanley to be quite a curiosity. They desperately want to start conversations with him, but don't want to disrupt his culinary process.

Stanley is super cute! His mustache is made of partial wool felt and he has a wool bottom. His shoes are part denim part felt. He has hand embroidered and machine embroidered features. He would love to sit on a windowsill in your kitchen and motivate you to be more adventurous with your dinners! He measures roughly 12" tall by 8" wide.

He is meant for gentle play, but because of his buttons is not intended for children under 3.

He is now available in the ole shop.

Sumo Mobile

2011-03-06T10:38:00.001-08:00

My very good, lovely, oooooooober-talented friends are going to be an Auntie and Uncie to a lucky little person soon. That little person is in for a treat and will likely have an interesting wardrobe due to their Auntie's special talent of finding treasures on goodwill racks (see this dress). They wanted a mobile for their nephew/niece. A sumo one! Well, initially, they wanted a Samurai mobile, but that seemed impossible, however the very round sumo wrestler is a martial artist that is easily translated into plush. They already sort of look like plush dolls as is. I had so much fun making them. They look a bit skinnier than I'd like, but I'll blame it on Michelle Obama's anti-obesity campaign? During my research I found this photograph: very cute.

Tommy

2011-03-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

Tommy is a good boy. He never pretends like a stick is a gun and he prefers brussel sprouts to Twizzlers. If he goes to the movies, he doesn't make a peep, not even during previews, which he thinks last way too long (though you won't catch him complaining). If there is a funny part happening in the film, he has to excuse himself to the restroom to have a little giggle so as not to disturb the film for others. Sometimes when he is back in the theater he will remember the funny part and have to excuse himself again! Tommy has a dog named Fred who is also a good boy. They are good friends and enjoy long walks in the spring time together.

Tommy's story sort of fizzled out at the end there, sorry about that! I am a little out of practice. Also, my brain has been fried since Walter figured out how to climb on the furniture. I was so proud of him at first, and then I realized that he still doesn't fully comprehend gravity yet. Though his story is a bit of a doozey, I really like Tommy. I wanted to make a baby-safe boy doll, so I designed something new and I just love his shape and over-sized shoes. I am listing him in my Etsy shop today! I will be slowly adding my new collection through out the month of March. I hope wherever you are that it is as sunny there as it is here! I love the sun for all the regular reasons, but it's also nice because the cats that live in the abandoned house across from mine come out. So, I get to catch up on all their gossip and shenanigans!

Humpty and Dumpy and Marshmallow Birthday Cake

2011-02-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

I made a couple new guys from a new pattern that I have been sketching for awhile now. Their legs---or, more accurately, their feet are jointed. They are hilarious to me. I love the looks of polite little fellows in ridiculous attire.

My man is one. Unbelievable. I wanted to share his birthday cake recipe with you because it is super special. It's the richest cake I have ever eaten and definitely the richest thing that Walter has ever-in-his-whole-year-of-life tasted. The recipe comes from a Babe the Pig cookbook (my favorite pig). It's a vegetarian cookbook, though definitely not a vegan cookbook, as you will be able to tell by the copious amounts of butter required. The book was gifted to me ages ago by my beautiful friend Gretchen. It's a very good cake. Go make it and eat it to celebrate Walter being 1!

Great Grandma's Chocolate-Marshmallow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients:

Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated white sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut (I omitted this)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package (10 ounces) large marshmallows

Frosting:
1 box (16 ounces) confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1 stick unsalted butted (softened)
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan---butter is good.

Making the cake:
sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt.
In an ample bowl with an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until smooth and creamy (5 minutes or so). On low speed beat in the eggs, one at a time.

On low speed, beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture until well blended. With a wooden spoon, stir in the pecans, coconut and vanilla. Spread batter into the buttered pan.

Bake in the 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the top of the cake is set and dry looking.

Remove the pan from the oven, place on a wire rack, and immediately cover the top of the cake with the marshmallows. Place the cake back into the oven until the mallows melt about half way, 6 minutes or so. They should be puffes and soft. Then remove the pan from the oven again. Use your mitts! Place on a wire rack to cool.

Making the frosting:
In a bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually beat in the milk until the frosting reaches a good spreading consistency. Beat in the vanilla. Spread the frosting over the marshmallow layer.

Yum.

Worker Bee

2011-02-15T05:53:00.001-08:00

I have been very busy sewing and building up my stock for a photo session with Tall and Small at the end of the month. I have been surprising myself with how much I have been able to make. It's nice because through work, ideas seem to come. It's like magic. I made these simple mustache pillows to make my studio seem full of friends. I like them, I plan on making more and selling them in the shop.

My little man turns one soon. I wanted to make him a mini strong man as a present. He has already seen him, chewed on his arms and threw him at our dog. Why does he do that? Poor Albert.

Shelf is filling up! My back and arms start to ache after too much sewing. Walter and I are taking a day off and high-tailing it out of here to a bigger town with a book store and an indoor playground (and a hot chocolate with whipped cream).

Celly

2011-02-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

Celly Cow is for a friend's daughter. I used to work with this friend ages ago in a cafe that was in a bookstore (a decade ago? Sheesh! When did I become able to measure my life by decades!?). She was so much fun, she slowly climbed up the ranks and became manager, but before that we used to play entire games of Scrabble in the back kitchen in between customers. It was my first job, and my favorite. I miss my clothes smelling like espresso and cocoa powder. There were huge windows there and I loved working in the mornings before the sun rose----baking cookies at an unseemly hour while the doors were still locked and then opening up and serving coffee to the same senior citizens day after day. It was great. So Rebecca (Celly's mom) has an amazing blog full of amazing recipes and useful information if you have ever been inclined to grow a vegetable garden. Plus, she is really witty so it' a good read (she wrote me the funniest letter after I gave birth and it made me laugh so hard that my weak bladder had me running to the bathroom every other paragraph).

Celly once went to a farm with her mother. Though the goats were cute and the pigs were pink, the cows were who stole her heart. She liked the black splotches scattered all over their ginormous bodies. She looked at the cows for a very long time and even imagined their splotches to be different objects from real life. She saw a splotch that looked exactly like an Easy Bake Oven. Celly wanted to lie down on the hay and stay over-night at the farm to see those tubbies jump over the moon. She wasn't able to, but when her mother gardens she gives Celly some alfalfa to munch on (a cow's favorite food) and Celly paints splotches on her clothes with mud. Then she lets out very loud moos and her neighbors peek out their windows to make sure their street hasn't been invaded by cows!

Monster Fiona

2011-02-03T11:56:00.000-08:00

This little gal was a special special request. I had so much fun. It is going out to the daughter of a woman who brought my Etsy shop out of hibernation and then sprinkled it with sweet powdered sugar in the form of utterly cute feedback. She could turn writing feedback into an art-form. She calls her daughter "monster" and her daughter calls her "queen". They sounds perfect for one another. I can imagine the fun they have. Queen mom wanted a little Fiona doll in an Monster outfit for little monster for Valentine's Day. Here she is:

When Fiona heard the grumbling under her bed she didn't respond like an ordinary child. She didn't scream for mom or pull the blankets over her head in fear. Instead, she listened extra close. She grabbed her night cup from her night-stand and put one end to her mattress and then listened out the other side, like in the movies. The grumbling was rumbly and hollow and she immediately knew what the problem was. There was a monster under her bed. And, it was terribly hungry. Fiona, being the soft-hearted, resourceful gal that she is, scurried off to the kitchen to remedy the problem. She got two slices of bread and all the condiments within reach. Then she layered them artfully on top of one another until she had a very colorful sandwich. Then, with her best penmanship, she wrote the "Fiona Special" on a doily and put them both on a nice china plate (the monster technically was a guest). When she delivered the sandwich and lay back on her bed, she heard many satisfying gulps and then a belch, which though rude in some cultures, meant gratitude in "monster". The monster was floored by the kindness and culinary abilities of such a child. In return, the monster, being a gifted seamstress, stitched up a warm monster coat for Fiona. The monster made sure to prominently stitch on a bright pink heart for the kind little girl. Back in the land of Monsters, they have adopted the "Fiona Special" as their national meal.

In other news, I am very excited! I was offered a chance to be part of a book about doll artists. It will be featuring my studio, me, my dolls and it will include 3 patterns, and 9 other doll makers (I don't know who). It comes out in May of next year, but the photos and work for it need to be done by the middle of next month, so I am going to put my Etsy shop back into voluntary hibernation while I build up my stock for pictures. This means that I also can't take on any special requests for awhile (but I will be finishing up ones I've already taken, of course). My friends form Tall and Small are going to take the photos for me! Until then, Walter and I need to make my studio more interesting, I think.

Pink Cheeks Pillow Line!

2011-01-27T07:07:00.001-08:00

I finally finished two pillows for my Pink Cheeks pillow line. I am having so much fun. I work on them between special requests. I draw little sketches for them in the kind of moleskine that's meant for comic book planning, so there are a bunch of quiet little pillow squares waiting to be designed. It is a perfect medium for the time being. It's suited to motherhood and my latest need for immediacy with creative projects.

A little bit about the line:

Each pillow is appliqued on 100% cotton denim, so they are strong, sturdy, soft and natural (how I like my men couldn't resist). They are stuffed with non-allergenic premium polyfill. I use machine stitching, hand stitching and embroidery to put things in place as well as this material called Wonder Under (sounds like a Captain Underpants sidekick) to keep edges from fraying. I make up what I do as I do it, so each pillow is a unique work of art waiting to fancy up your couch or send your child into dream land. On the back of each pillow is my logo, hand drawn with fabric markers.

I hope you enjoy them!

Katamari Ella!

2011-01-27T06:45:00.000-08:00

This strange creature was definitely out of my comfort zone. Can you tell? But, I appreciate a good challenge. Especially if it's for a good friend. So, I had to transport myself back to geometry class and think about shapes and gussets to get this thing right. It is a Katamri Damacy character. And, I had no idea what that was, but from a quick Google image search I can see that she (?) is adored by her fans and has developed quite the cult following. She's from a video game. I'm sensitive to those. Do you remember when either a video game or a tv show was giving all these children seizures several years ago? Well, I think all video games give me seizures, I have a low tolerance. Or, maybe it's just that everyone is better than me at them. I never saved the mushroom princess, not once, even with the utmost concentration, the kind that lends children to stick their tongues out of their mouths. My brothers could rescue her in about 10 minutes, while eating sandwiches and carrying on unrelated conversations. Hmph. I do like games in the three-dimensional world, however.

Katamari Ella was born into this world with a need for speed. Her legs are still strange objects to her, beyond her control, but she knows one day they will be powerful things that will take her to magical places full of sugary snacks! Standing still makes her nervous. There's too much to do and too many shiny, beautiful things to look at. She can not bear to sleep to miss a single moment! Her parents have caught on to this. They lovingly rock her to sleep, the faster the better. The movement is soothing to her and eases her into dream land, where her legs make sense and do what they're told.

Huckleberry and Ella

2011-01-20T10:10:00.000-08:00

I love special requests, but sometimes when they go wonky I like to retreat to my comfort zone of people in cozy bear suits. So, what would have been a blondie boy in a penguin suit, is now a blondie boy in a bear suit. But, he's sweet. And, the penguin boy was giving me trouble, so I put him in the corner with my scrap pile (let that be a warning to you, Walter not really). Hopefully the recipient won't mind. There weren't any parameters for this particular request, but the giftee's mom and dad like the Pittsburg Penguins, so I wanted to make a Penguin kid, oh well. I used a special kind of fur for this bear boy---it's called Sherpa fabric and it has a suede underside. It also feels softer than warm butter. It's so nice to touch. A comfy, soft friend is so the right kind of medicine in the winter time. My comfy, soft friend goes by the name Albert (my miniature pinscher). When he is on my lap, I get so lazy.

Huckleberry can ice skate like a professional. He is not sure how it happened, but ice skates to him feel natural and much more comfortable than any pair of shoes, even his moon boots. His favorite place to ice skate is on outdoor rings with real chilly winter air blowing around. He likes to go so fast that his cheeks turn as red as his heart and his face starts to go a little numb. It is even better when it is snowing because the flakes get stuck to his eye lashes and tickle his face. The very best part of skating outdoors though, is the coming home part. His parents usually make him hot chocolate so he can thaw his face out in the steam from his mug. Then he snuggles between them and they open their heavy, hardbound books, and read to him about various adventures.

Usually when I am planning new Pink Cheeks, I draw silly things and then I go through my fabric and pick things that work. However, my latest trip to the fabric store was really spend-y. I saw very loud, colorful prints and I grabbed them like hot-cakes. Not that there was a line of people waiting to buy them, I just didn't want my frugal Franny side to put them back. I am going to make a few masked vigilante ladies with them. Here is one. I am putting her in the shop today!

Ella is tired of bullies. She thinks they are ridiculous, silly little things. She doesn't believe in violence, but the next time she sees a bully bullying, she is going to throw on her mask and fuzzy boots and give them the stare-down. She's not sure how her plan will work, but hopefully she will weird one bully out enough so that he rethinks his ways.

Mini Yam

2011-01-13T12:18:00.001-08:00

Awhile ago, a friend requested I make a Yam doll for her cousin's baby whose initials are, you've guessed it, YAM. Now the cousin, who is also a friend from long ago, requested a mini Yam for her daughter to hold onto (she's a baby [**correction, she is the cutest baby (sorry Walter, it's true)]). When she asked me to do it, she mentioned that she loved big Yam and wanted her daughter to love mini Yam so much that she through a fit whenever the mini was accidentally left at home. I am not one to condone tantrums, but the idea of a child throwing one over a Pink Cheeks makes my heart do somersaults!

Here is mini Yam! I tried to make her jingle by putting tiny bells inside of her, but the jingle got squished out by the fluff. That is unless it is like the Polar Express bell and only children that believe in the magic of Yams will be able to hear the jingle. Maybe?

I showed this to Walter to see if she passes baby approval and he promptly tried to put her in his mouth, so I think that is his version of a thumbs up.

Ramona

2011-01-11T10:25:00.001-08:00

I always feel more productive creatively after a good snow fall. I think this is left over from snow days and the feeling of being given an extra special day to avoid the 9-5 and do enjoyable things. This is a picture of the abandoned house across from mine. There is a small family of cats living inside. I like to imagine them watching TV and making tea for one another.

Ramona has a mission. She wants to be the first person ever to capture the Corey Lake Monster. The Corey Lake Monster lives in Corey Lake and has been seen by very few people, but she counts herself among the few. She saw it when she was under water, winning a breath-holding contest. It came right up to her and gave her a wink. She hasn't seen it since, but she writes the Corey Lake Monster elaborate letters that include drawings and glued-on glitter and sequins. She makes the letters water-proof by carefully wrapping them in packing-tape and then tying them to a rock. Then, she canoes (using proper form) to the middle of the lake and drops it in for her friend. She hasn't received any return correspondence in the traditional sense, but she's convinced the Corey Lake Monster appreciates her efforts. It hasn't gone unnoticed that Ramona's lake experience has improved since befriending the Monster. The minnows don't seem to nibble on her, and she spots a lot more frogs (her favorite). She's sure her friend must have some control over this. When she does capture him, she's going to name him Fred and teach him how to play Scattegories.

Ramona was a special request from one of my favorite people ever. It's for her sister who is the fiercest board game player that I have ever met. She is having a baby. The baby is super lucky. This woman is awesome, warm, fun, funny and smart.

Pillow Line

2011-01-07T08:22:00.001-08:00

Ever since I made Walter's curtains, applique has been my new best friend. She's the kind of friend that keeps you company while your baby is playing with his truck. She's also the friend who innocently distracts you from special orders that need to be done with her charm and sparkling wit. I love it. Everything is so quick and satisfying. I've been using my ginormous pile of fabric scraps which makes me feel green and good about myself. Sadly, I've been known to let perfectly good scraps pile up into a big heaping mountain of colors and textures. Then, guiltily, in an effort to bring my studio back to a sense of calm, I purge them all into the bin.
Applique is very fun. And very addicting. Applique is my "Angry Birds". You can make scenes... and speech bubbles exclaiming things! My little people can be holding hot cups of felt soup---and you can tell it's hot because of the embroidered steam rising from the cup! I am excited to say the least. I've decided to take out my excitement in the form of a line of pillows. I am still figuring out the nitty-gritty. This pillow pictured above has an envelope for an insert (I learned how to do this by watching this video), which I thought would look professional, but I think I am just going to stuff the pillows myself rather than using an insert. I like a firm stuffing. I like my pillows like I like my burritos: Stuffed to the max. I look forward to sharing more with you!

Walter's Curtains

2011-01-03T07:38:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a nice ringing in of the New Year! My family was in bed by 10, but our partying was on New Year's Day in the form of banana nutella crepes for breakfast. I ate them slowly, with my eyes closed. If I can judge the rest of my 2011 based off of this breakfast, it will be something special.

I have been spending my time making our home more home-like. We rent, as I know is our destiny for several more years, but after receiving this book by Lotta Jansdotter for Christmas (thanks Joseph!), I wanted to go ahead and make our rented home feel like our handmade home.
I designed this curtain for little Walter Bean's room:

you can get a better view here. I used a regular Ikea curtain for the base and then used weird green fabric I bought from a remnant bin for the dinosaurs body, one of Walter's outgrown onesies for his attire, and some felt for his eyes and horns (? what are those things called? [I need to freshen up on my dino anatomy]). It was a hassle to applique on a giant curtain, but fun to lay it out and design it. It's like drawing a little bit. I am sure it will be much more fun on pillows. However, I love him hanging out in Walter's room. A friendly dinosaur burping a love heart. Generally dinosaurs freak me out. Jurassic Park blew my mind, and the dino skeletons at the Field museum in Chicago gave me tiny goose-bumps and had me quietly wondering for weeks. What were those giant monsters doing here? Regardless, they make nice characters on curtains for rowdy boys (or girls).

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T04:56:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! For your present, I got you a better designed blog (thanks Mike for your help!). My little family is hitting the road for celebrations. Thank you for all your support this year. It fills my heart up more than Russian tea cookies have been filling my belly this year (very much). I hope everyone has a very beautiful next few days full of family and friends.

The image above was a present from Joseph. We opened them yesterday for a mini-family Christmas (it was popping-corn). We also watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles which is about getting home for Thanksgiving, but we pretended it was Christmas. That movie is hilarious and then so sad. Maybe that is a directing trick to open you up with the funny bits and then sneak in something incredibly sad right when you are feeling vulnerable. Whatever it is, it's good.

Merry Christmas!

And the Winner is....

2010-12-20T05:53:00.001-08:00

Confetti
Originally uploaded by ADoseofShipBoy

My super sweet friend GENEVIEVE SULLIVAN (it was completely random, I pinkie-promise)! Congratulations Genevieve, Merle will be snuggling with you soon!

Giveaways are super fun, I'll do more.

Two Lovelies

2010-12-19T08:36:00.000-08:00

These two lovelies are off to a woman I met at the Bloomington Handmade Market. She and her husband make these beautiful leather wristlets and pouches. They practically sold-out at the market because their work is so beautiful. I am really flattered that they wanted to buy a few of my Pink Cheeks. It's nice when anyone loves your work, but there is something extra special about other crafts people liking it. I want to buy one of their wristlets, wear it on my wrist and prance around to show it off!

Herman loves shadows. In his room, his mom helped him hang a sheet from the ceiling, and then she got a very bright light to shine on it so that Herman would be able to put on shows for the rest of the neighborhood children. The shows are quite elaborate. He does the musical numbers with a kazoo he hangs around his neck. Sometimes his shows require big monsters, so he gets to be the shadow. Other times they require little tiny creatures, so he borrows his sister's dolls. He has a pet hermit crab named Peter. Sometimes he tapes a GI Joe to Peter's shell and puts him in the show. That creates an interesting effect.

Betts is attracted to the nocturnal lifestyle. She prefers soft, dark light to the fluorescent ones in her school, which make her head feel wonky. Sometimes, during the day-time she sits in closets and works on her night vision. She is pretty good. She makes drawings in her room at night, by the light of the moon, which she thinks is a pretty artsy thing to do. She does this while eating moon-pies. She calls her drawings "moon-scapes". Sometimes bits of her moon-pie melts on her fingers and gets smudged on her drawing, but her mother thinks this adds to the overall effect. She signs them "anonymous" and tapes them up on the walls at her school.

My little Walter took his first couple of steps today. It's just incredible how they teach themselves.

A Mini-Merle Giveaway

2010-12-17T13:09:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Mini-Merle.

To win Mr. Merle please leave me a comment (if you are reading this on my Facebook feed, please click on my blog to leave a comment). You can simply say "hi!", or tell me your favorite kind of cookie, or your favorite thing to do in the snow, or your favorite Christmas movie. Any of those will do! Comments will be closed 12 pm on Sunday the 19th and the winner will be chosen out of a hat on Monday---then Merle will be on his way to your doorstep before Christmas.

Good luck to you! Here is Merle's bio again. He's a bit Scroogey (sort of a stretch), so I thought it was fitting.

Merle is through with the fast-paced life in the business world. He made this decision after getting very worked up over smudged up ink on a very important document. He started growling like a savage bear and pouncing around the office inspecting everyone's pen cup to find the guilty ink-smudger-upper. When he discovered that he, himself, was the ink-smudger-upper he felt like a ninny. He quit his job, and immediately went out and enjoyed a piece of honey cake and hot cocoa. He now leads a very soft and gentle existence. He sells cotton candy on a busy street corner to make money to buy honey cakes and support his cats, and in his free time he sews all his old business ties into quilts for people who don't have warm blankets. He does all of these things in his bear suit to remind him of his previous, ridiculous ways.

Worker Elf

2010-12-16T11:38:00.000-08:00

I have been sewing my little fingers off, finishing orders and making secret presents for loved ones. I'm not going to photograph my top secret projects for obvious reasons, but I do plan on making Walter some jingle-mittens and I will post them. As attracted as he is to the keyboard I don't think Walter can surf the web yet, so I won't be spoiling his surprise.

In the meantime, I wanted to draw your attention to Mummysam's give away! She makes lovely, little things. L.o.v.e.l.y. So go over to her blog and try to win many lovely things!

She inspired me to host my own give away. Details tomorrow.

Margaret for a Give Away at Indy's Child

2010-12-09T07:31:00.001-08:00

Margaret is dressed for winter time. She spends her Autumns going to rummage sales and buying various hats that she thinks have some magic stored up in them. Then when winter comes, she puts on her polar bear hoodie and sneaks up behind snowmen in the neighborhood. She puts various hats on their heads and then she runs very fast and dives behind a snowy bush, and camouflaged in her snow-white polar bear hoodie she waits to see if the snowmen come to life. So far, no snowmen have come to life, but she hasn't lost hope, and in the meantime she's quite certain they appreciate her keen eye for hat styles. When one does finally come to life, she is going to ask him to the school social. He will wear his fancy hat, and she her most special bow.

Walter thought her placement for the photo needed adjusting.

Margaret is going to be heading off to the kind people at Indy's Child for a give away! I will let you know when that happens so that you can win her for that special wearer-of-bows in your life.

Merle

2010-12-06T06:04:00.000-08:00

Merle is off to Chicago for Oh No! Doom's Soft Served Plush show opening December 11th. Go to it and give Merle a snuggle.

You know Dasher and Dancer....

2010-12-04T06:43:00.000-08:00

We started decorating in the Holsapple/Brinkman abode. We haven't reached our full twinkle-potential, but it's starting to feel warm and festive. I like a lot of twinkle. When my mom passed away a few years ago, I had to clean out her home. In the beginning of the process, every object caused tons of emotional turmoil when I had to decide whether to keep it or donate it or throw it away. After awhile I made a firm conviction that my mom was not her old furniture, wooden bowling ball trophies, or her gargoyle collection---this conviction was easier to make since I was moving with my husband to a tiny one bedroom apartment with no storage space. I kept all her old photo albums and a few choice things, but the rest went. These Christmas ornaments stayed. She painted little Christmas scenes on them, glued some velvet ribbon down the middle, and on the back wrote "Merry Christmas 1978". They are friendly and charming, like she was. She painted them before I was born, when my brothers were toddlers. It's different for me to look at them now because I know what it is like to balance creative time with taking care of your young ones, so I can picture what it must have been like for her to be painting those while simultaneously preventing her mischievous boys from pulling down bookshelves. I love having them hanging in the house, they make it feel like she's right here in the room with us, drinking coffee.

One thing I didn't keep is this giant, stuffed rudolph head. It was one of those whimsical objects that made Christmas seem full of magical possibility. I am a bit busy this month, but I really want to make a papier mache version for our house. The more I think about it though, the more insane I feel. When I sew or draw and watch Walter I can just set down what I am doing and tend to the monkey, but with papier mache there is a hand-washing step in there that I think won't add up to good parenting. We'll see.

Here is a sneak peak of what I have been working on for a show in Chicago at Oh No! Doom which is happening December 11th! I am almost done with him so I should be able to show you the rest soon.

Betsy

2010-12-01T11:35:00.000-08:00

At summer camp, Betsy created her own baseball team, the Yams. She named her team the Yams for 2 reasons:

1. Yam is an under-rated vegetable that can be candied.
2. Yam rhymes with all sorts of things (wam, bam, slam, cram) which makes rooting for the Yams a lot more convenient when inventing cheer lyrics.

Betsy's team will go far, she is certain of this. She works her team very hard. In the cafeteria, none of her team mates are allowed to eat cheesy puffs the old fashioned way. They are to promote team work by throwing them up really high into the sky and then the Yam that wants the cheesy puff the most is to call it loudly and then catch it with their mouth. If Betsy catches you eating a cheesy puff the old-fashioned way, she will for surely bench you.

Thanks to Stacie for this other special request! I hope the special Yam in your life enjoys her.

Freddie

2010-11-23T08:15:00.000-08:00

Freddie can't wait to go to summer camp. His mom tells him all about it, and he thinks it sounds like the bee's knees. He has started preparing now even though he has a few years to go until he is old enough. He calls his koolaid bug-juice and has started practicing tying knots to prepare to sail a boat. Anything resembling a string gets tied into a knot: cords, knitting yarn, Skippy's tail. He's not sure if he is using proper knot-tying form, but he carefully recites some jibberish about bunnies and trees and holes in the ground as he ties like all good sailors do. He can't untangle the knots when he is through, so he is fairly certain he is well on his way to earning some type of award.

Freddie was a special request from one friend to another who has a bun in the oven. Both friends went to my summer camp. The shirt he is wearing is one that my son wore, and it was handed down to him through another little future camper boy, so I think it is pretty special. Normally I don't re-purpose clothing into Pink Cheeks unless it is stiffer fabric like jeans. It's not very green of me, but I have tried and the results are usually disappointing. The shirt on Freddie works though. It's a knit and it stretches in a way that makes for a charming little muffin-top.

Joseph thinks Freddie looks a little crazy, but I think I captured the camp Eberhart spirit in him. Which is colorful, charming, and a little random. I miss that place. I get so nostalgic for it that my belly hurts sometimes. It was so nice to be in the woods with a bunch of friends. The days would stretch on and on for an eternity and we'd fill them with songs, rockets and choco-tacos.