Liquid Paper

trick-or-treat

I think I'll blame the Halloween Mailorder Club (thank you Amy) for inspiring me to make this Teensy set of trick-or-treaters! Imagine these guys showing up on your doorstep -- spooky!

What do you think of them? I think they may be the perfect product for my shop's grand re-opening. I'm working on ideas for this special limited edition set + pin cushion so check back soon for an update.

p.s. It's really bugging me that I put Frankenstein's scar on his cheek instead of his forehead. Man, I don't want to make these guys angry!

Today I put up my Mailorder Club Happy Halloween banner.

nesting

I made a new Teensy last night while watching TV with Mark. The room was very dim so I wasn't sure how he would turn out. In fact, I was a little surprised by the colors once I looked at him this morning in the light. I'd thought I was working with tan clay for the body and black eyes. However, as you can see he is a nice golden color with blue eyes and I think he is better for my lack of lighting. (Another photo here.)

on the home front
Here in the swamp (my husband says Houston was built on one) I'm still swamped with home improvement projects. Today I finally checked painting our bathroom off of the list. It took me three days to do because I was painting over wallpaper and I had to do a lot of priming and sealing and drying first. So today when I was finally at the place where I could put the color onto walls today I was a happy girl. I love painting. I'm so focused while I'm doing it and always get a huge sense of accomplishment when I'm done. And on Friday my contractor is coming to finish the job so we may have a working toilet and shower by the end of the week. Just what you were hoping to hear when you stopped by huh?

bunny :: a child's word for a rabbit

Sometimes I make something and I feel... well... nothing. Blah. No reaction. This is not one of those times people. This is one of the times when I make something and the end result makes me so happy I feel like I'll burst. As soon as I took the photos of this little guy I could hardly wait to post them. I particularly wanted to post them so I could share him with you - because that's really what makes the happiness complete. ♥

Bunny bum.

He comes with a very tiny carrot pin and an wee lily of the valley pin (my favorite spring flower).

Here's one with a penny for scale and a little sneek peek at some of the materials that will be used to make the set.

There were too many photos for me to post all of them here so if you like him too you'll have to go on over to my flickr site to see them all!

What is a Teensy Pin?
A teensy pin is an extraordinarily small polymer clay sculpture placed on the head of a very normal stick pin. Each one is completely designed and handmade by me. If you aren't familiar with them you can check out the gallery here.

A Spring Shop Update
I have big plans for this little guy! I'm going to make a very, very limited quantity special edition teensy set - probably just four or six available. If any of you know a bunny lover or think maybe you'd like one for yourself, I'll keep you posted! There will also be new puppies in the shop and a new "twist" on teensies in general so stay tuned.

birthdays

So many people I know have birthdays during January and February it's a wonder I haven't made one of these before. Tonight I'm off to a girls only birthday celebration and I'm bringing this little guy along with me for the birthday girl.

The fabric in the background is one of my favorites. It's from a swap I did with Three Green Apples. Who by the way, makes the most adorable cards!

focused on the task at hand

If you haven't already, you can buy your valentine (or yourself) a little ninja here.

♥ Thanks for all of the nice comments over the past few days everyone and sorry I haven't responded to each one. As you can see, things are busy here!

All In Jest

I've been itching to make something new. Yesterday I tried to make an ornament that I've had in my head for a few days. I sketched it out, made the pattern, sewed it together (right sides facing), and turned it inside out. Well, I tried to turn it inside out. (Notice there is no picture of an ornament here. One Good Bumblebee is a braver woman than I.) No! I did not turn it inside out because only then did I realize I had designed something I could never possibly turn inside out. You see, the ornament has a hole in the center - which I sewed up first, making it impossible to complete.

To soothe my bruised ego I made myself a Teensy Jester. (There that’s better!) I like the combination of the felt and clay for his jolly little hat.

I also like how the colors of my jester match this lovely scarf set I found in the Sundance catalog. (Click on the "additional views" to see the hat and gloves too.) Beautiful embroidery. Nice gift idea too. ;)

Teensy Folk

These are the Teensy Folk:

This picture is a little bit closer and gives you a slightly better view of their kerchiefs.

I made their tiny little heads a long time ago with aspirations of doing a whole teensy doll, but logistically I have yet to figure out how to do it. (I still haven't given up on the idea, just postponed it.)

Yesterday I took them down off of the shelf where they've sat for about a month and a half and decided to try something really simple - just put a tiny little kerchief on each of their heads. (About a month ago I had tried tying the little kerchiefs on their heads - a very trying exercise in futility.) This time I finally realized that I could probably just overlap the tips of their scarves instead of trying to knot them – and it worked!

I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. I was inspired by little birds' adorable Mama Duck (who isn't) and by the Polish Dolls that she is collecting with her daughter Mia. I've also been inspired by all of the great folk-inspired fabrics that Wee Wonderfuls has found. In fact, the two polka dotted kerchiefs are from one of the fabric swatches that Hillary sent to me. To see all of the other amazing things she included in my swap package you can click here. (That link will take you to my flickr photos.)

1 Fish, 2 Fish...

1 fish, 2 fish... brown fish, blue fish:

(click on an image for a larger view)

I decided it was time to make something new. Mark thinks the blue one looks like something from Finding Nemo, but that was unintentional. I've also finished making a batch of birds that will soon be up in the shop. Ahh... it's good to be home and making things again.

Donations

"Victims of Hurricane Katrina Need Your Help Now."
- The American Red Cross

If you live in Houston, our church (Christ the King, PCA) has compiled a list of opportunities for you to volunteer/give.

Follow the Quilts for Katrina progress at - Two Trees... with roots like these.

♥

Teensy Boston Terrier

My wonderful stepmom Kim ordered this custom* Teensy Pin in a set of three to give to Amanda for her birthday. It is modeled on Romeo, Amanda's Boston Terrier. I made it a while back but waited to post it so that I wouldn't spoil the surprise. This was also my very first custom order. ♥ Thank you Kim!

*If you're interested in placing a custom order there is more information at The Mod Dots Shop (look for it in the sidebar).