Meet Neville...

This is Neville. He's a Yowie, which is basically Australia's version of Bigfoot. He's my entry in to the Schmancy Olympic Challenge. Neville is a funny character. He pulls funny faces and tries to re-enact King Kong with the Olympic Torch but he's a really great Snowball thrower which is exactly why he was representing Australia in the Opening Ceremony.

He was so much fun to make! I must have sketched about 100 different creatures(ok, so I exaggerate a bit. 20 then!) before deciding that Neville was the one. Unfortunately though, he just didn't turn out the same as the sketch because here in West Oz, we have literally 1 main fabric store (which I can't stand because the people are rude and completely unhelpful) and I couldn't get the fur I wanted to use or get the colour either so I was kind of bummed about that. But he does look a lot like the original sketch just with shorter hair.

I made his little outfit myself too, including the shoes. Those shoes nearly had me in a hissy fit. I just about didn't enter the challenge because I just couldn't get them right. I eventually had a brainwave and decided to try and use my daughter's little Ugg boots to get the basic pattern from which seems to have worked out pretty well. I'm happy with the boots now, thank goodness!

I'm happy that I entered the challenge and it really pushed me to use my brain and create something completely my own which I'm pretty proud of, especially seeing as I haven't got a whole lot of experience in making toys like that. He may not be the best in the challenge or even in the category but I'm happy with him and most importantly, my daughter loves him! She loves him so much that she's already pulled one of the Olympic rings off his vest! lol

I hope you enjoyed meeting Neville and I can't wait to see everyone else's creations!

Happy Crafting!

Little Red

I have this fascination with Little Red Riding Hood lately and I decided that I wanted to make something for my daughter's room with "Little Red" on it so I decided to try freestyle embroidery. The design is completely my own. I started off with a quick sketch of "Little Red" on a scrap bit of paper. That's what I based the whole embroidery on and then I just made the rest up as I went along. I know my stitches are a bit messy and it's not perfect because my embroidery skills are a little limited but I'm happy with it. I love this crayon tinting thing with new embroidery. I think it looks super effective.

This was great fun to make. It's such a great craft to do while I'm watching my daughter play, see she's at the age that she wants to be Miss Independant and do everything on her own!So, I'm hooked on embroidery at the moment. I've even been to the library already to pick up a how-to on stitches so I can do another project. I'm not sure what it will be yet but I'll no doubt post it here when it's done.

Happy Crafting! :)

Chocolate Bark - mmm

The packaging with my little snowman dude:

Just out of the fridge and ready to be broken up:

I know, I know, it's Feb already! Well you can consider this either a "slightly" late Christmas post or a really, really early one!

Well for extra little gifts, Hubby and I like to make something for the family so this year as usual, Hubby made the booze (homemade Advocaat - yummm!) and I made Chocolate Bark goodness!

So, so easy and really tasty too! All it is, is a layer of melted dark chocolate, a layer of melted milk chocolate and a layer of melted white chocolate. I added some crushed nuts in with the milk choc and some crushed Candy-canes sprinkled on top. When it was set, I broke it up in to big triangular bits and wrapped in clear cello. I made the little snowman from some polystyrene balls, seed beads, felt and my trusty glue gun (Oh, how I love you, Glue gun!) I attached some ribbon to his head and tied him on to seal up the cello bags. I think they turned out really cute, it's just a damn shame I'm still soooo bad at taking photo's. Is that even possible? How can I still be so bad at it!? lol. The pictures don't really do it justice but you get the idea, anyway.

I also made some choc-dipped, brandy soaked cherries which I wrapped up similarly and they were absolutely delish! I should have made some for myself too, damn! Oh well, there's always next Christmas.

Happy Crafting!

Schmancy Olympic Challenge

Hi All,

I'm super excited about the Schmancy Olympic Challenge on Plush You!

What the friggin heck am I going to do though? Time to get the pencil and paper out I think. I got the "Opening Ceremony" category which is the one I wanted the least as I have no idea about Winter or Winter Olympics but even less about the opening ceremonies at these things. Us West Aussies don't get snow or freezing temperatures over here.

I have a couple of ideas, but I like to be a bit different so I want something that's going to shout out to me but I haven't had that brainwave yet. It'll come... maybe.

Well, Good Luck to anyone who entered and I hope you have fun creating and making!

Happy Crafting! :)

Here comes the bride....

Let me introduce you to the happy couple, Mr and Mrs Octo.

These two lovebirds met at the local pub one warm summer's day and it was love at first sight! Mr Octo is a little bit quiet, reserved and shy however Mrs Octo speaks her mind and is not-so-quiet, so needless to say, it was Mrs Octo who approached Mr Octo and asked him out on a date and the rest is history. These two are a match made in heaven and they love the pants off each other! (Well, they would - if they had pants on)

Hope you like them as much as I do.

Happy Crafting!

P.S. These guys and their rellies will be available at my etsy store soon(ish) so be sure to keep an eye out for them. Cottonspool

Check this out

Just popping back to give you the link to this fantastic blog called GardensofUtopia . You should check it out for sure, she works with polymer clay and her work is nothing short of amazing.

Just quietly, hubby - if you're reading this - I would loooove a sculpture of Cass. hint, hint, nudge, nudge. My B'day's not too far away! lol

Another day, another doll.

This one is waaaay better. I'm much happier with this geeky little girl. I think she's cute and I much prefer the stitched face than the fabric marker although the latter is much easier. You reap what you sow I guess. Anyways, I think I've got it right this time, but hubby seems to think her arms should be by her sides so a slight adjustment is all. I'm thinking of all the different variations of her I could do, different faces and different hair. I'd better write it all down and sketch it out I think before my sieve-like memory loses it!

I'm really wanting to make some stuffed toys too but do you think I can get a decent fleece selection anywhere at this time of year? Oh well, I managed to find some green fleece in a really great fabric store that I'd never been to before (it's so HUGE with so many different things, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!) but seeing as it's green, I have to think of things that can be green and cute at the same time. hmmm.

Also, kinda off-topic, my hubby is totally my hero. I seem to have this knack for stuffing up my sewing machine but after a little internet research, hubby fixed it! He took it all apart, adjusted the timing and voila! Take that, Sewing-shop! I get to keep my $85 and have my machine working beautifully. $85 - seriously?! I wonder if that's a career I may pursue - it seems like easy money to me. That's nearly as bad as the $240 the dentist charged me last week to take out my last wisdom tooth which took him all of 15 minutes. Geez.

Well that's enough of my ranting for now, I hope you like the new doll.

Happy Crafting!