Sweet Dylan's Cutsom Mobile

My latest mobile is of sweet Dylan's beautiful family, including her two big pooches who look like good guardians.  My favorite part of this one was making little Dylan's hat.  I was originally going to give her a baby headband, but it's a bit hard to put hair on a baby without it looking odd or like a toupee.  I just love this casual and laid back fam. 

I do think that these dogs look like good friends.  I used to think my little Albert (a miniature pinscher mix) was going to be my baby, Walter's, good friend.  But it turns out that Walter is Albert's arch nemesis.  I keep thinking that with time, Walter will seem less like a small wild beast and more like a sweet boy to Albert, but it seems to just get worse and worse.  Sometimes Walter climbs in bed with us in the middle of the night and Albert gets so grumpy and very vocal about being disturbed and having to share blankets.

Rocket and Bear Super Bunny Girl

 

I was really excited to get a custom request from Lucy of Rocket and Bear, a colorful and wonderfully quirky handmade printing and knitting company. She makes beautiful things.  This girl is her daughter, holding her favorite bunny, who is also printed on her shirt.   Doesn't this girl look cool?  Her bunny also looks cool, and well loved.  I can imagine the two of them sharing secrets and hot cocoa.  I put rice in the bunny's paws to help its arms have a nice weight to them and be floppier.

I now have a listing up, specifically for people who want to have a doll made of their child/bff/mom/dad/crazy Uncle Burt dressed as an animal.  The animal could be like Lucy's daughter, a favorite stuffed animal, or it could be your spirit animal or imaginary friend animal.

I already have a couple of fun requests that I look forward to sharing with you.  

I hope you all had a lovely week!  We have some sunshine today after a solid week of gray skies.  It makes me want to run and leap outside and sing about the hills being alive with the sound of music.

Esme and Ferdinand

 

Esme loves black tea with lemon, honey and milk.  She also loves animals that make her feel sad, like three-legged dogs and blind kittens.  Her favorite hat style is "sophisticated" and hat color is green.  Flowers?  She loves yellow.

Ferdinand loves Esme's mysterious nature, and the stars that shine in her big doe-like eyes.  He also loves her sense of style and  round feet.  He loves Esmes pink cheeks and warm heart.  He would gladly walk an entire herd of ailing animals if it would melt her heart and help her to love him.   In the mean time though, he is bringing her a bouquet of yellow flowers.

It's a Bird! No! It's a Plane! No! It's an Adorable Family!

My latest custom mobile.  I say that with a smile on my face and angels singing in the background.  I am so happy with this one, that I feel like I am floating a little bit.  Sometimes these personalized mobiles are a struggle, but this one was smooth as butter.  Things just kept working out in a really nice way and I found myself laughing out loud more than once as I was making it.  Most of the laughs came about when I was hand-stitching tiny, evil eyebrows onto tiny, evil Lex Luthor swaddled in his blankie.

The wonderful woman who ordered this mobile bought it for her husband as a 10th anniversary present (happy anniversary!).  He is an air traffic controller (which I think is supposed to be one of the top most stressful jobs to have, but you wouldn't think so from his photos because he just seems so chill and friendly).  She, is a stay at home mom, but used to be a reporter.  He loves Super Man.  They have three kids.  The two girls are robbing banks.  Although, to be honest, if I was a bank teller I would gladly lead those cuties to the safe without even thinking about pressing the panic button.  And then the baby, who the mom describes as having the biggest cleft chin in the whole world, is of course evil Lex Luthor.  

This mobile was also fun for my husband who was my super hero knowledge go-to guy.  He loved the opportunity to nerd out with me and answer questions that would pop in my head while sewing.  How come Super Man didn't break tables when he would set down his coffee mug?  

 Was x-ray vision his normal, everyday vision or did he have to strain his eyes to see in that special way?  What if he blows his nose?  Wouldn't he accidentally blow entire cities over?

I had a tremendous amount of fun making this one.  I am a lucky girl sometimes. 

Mobile in Baby Hampton's Room

It's really a treat for me to see my mobiles in the rooms they are meant for.  But, especially this room.

Here is a link to the whole post about Baby Hampton and Nella's new room.  There are many beautiful details.  I can imagine any child coloring and daydreaming in this airy, whimsical room.  I feel so fortunate that I was able to make this for such a special family.

Happy New Year and a Hampton Mobile

Happy 2013!  It's wild to say that.  I have been alive long enough to think Prince's "We're Gunna Party Like It's 1999" sounded really far off, and now being in the 2000's is old news.  Where are the hover cars?  Actually, I am over hover cars, just give me a car that runs on garbage for fuel and I'll be more than happy. 

The latter half of 2012 was great for me.  It marked my first real attempt at turning Pink Cheeks into a sustainable business and it worked, through the help of all of my supporters, including you!  Yes you there, reading this blog.  Thank you.  It's hard work, but it's my work, and I am using my hands and creativity to contribute to my family and that makes me proud and happy and very excited.  Thank you.

My last mobile I made in 2012 is very special to me.

I got an email from the most beautiful woman on the planet, asking me if I would make a mobile for her soon-to-be son's nursery.  She gave me a link to her blog to get to know her and had me start reading here, about the birth story of her second daughter, Nella, who was born with Down Syndrome.  About half way through, tears were streaming down my face and I was actually saying out loud, "Yes!  I'll make a mobile for you!"  Her writing is so honest and beautiful and raw.  Please read it for yourselves.  I get down on my knees and beg you. 

Kelle has a large family, so I used a massive hoop so as not to crowd anyone.  She wanted everyone included, even the little bean growing in her belly of course.  There he is above.  A tiny swaddled baby with a little pom-pom hat on.  Making that tiny thing gave me baby fever.  Walter is enormous now, literally he is in the very top percentile for his age group in height and weight.  In his day care he had to be put with the older group because he was towering over the other children his age.  I will love Walter at all of his ages, I know this, but my heart will always yearn for that tiny, swaddled infant.

 There is little Nella above.  I put her in the moccasins that she is wearing in nearly all of the photographs I looked at on Kelle's blog.  She is so stylish.  I keep researching moccasins for myself now.  I am a horribly frugal person (George Costanza style, though I am never stingy with tips!), but she looks so free-spirited in all her photos, and I want some of that energy.  Maybe wearing moccasins and being reminded of her will help.  I think it will.  Watch out 2013, I'll be wearing moccasins in you!  Thanks Nella for the inspiration!

Lainey, Kelle's first daughter is there in red and white (I used the picture above for inspiration).  She was fun to make because she is usually wearing big colorful rain boots which for some reason remind me of what a young super hero would wear, I am not sure the connection makes perfect sense, but that is where my brain goes.  She looks wise and contemplative and fun, and I think I captured real Lainey in plushie Lainey.  I hope so, at least. 

Here is the rest of the Hamptons, a beautiful family.  I tried to make this mobile full of details, because that's where the love is shown.  I hope they adore it, especially that lucky little bean still cookin' in the oven.  

ps Did you read the link yet to the birthing story?  Want to read more?  Good news for you!  She has a memoir out.