The Strawberry Bunch and the Long Lost Minis

First off, I want to say a big thank you to everyone for their kind words and congratulations on the upcoming baby. I appreciate your good wishes so much! As the due date draws nearer and nearer, things have been getting ever more hectic. From running around and buying baby supplies and furniture to staying goodbye to our truck and searching for a "family car -- there never seems to be enough minutes in the day.

Somehow in between all the busy-ness, I'm still managing to get in some crafting time, though sparingly. Here's what I've been up to:

I really enjoyed making those aviator hats, ski caps, and scarves for the boy amigurumi last time, and so this time around I wanted to make a feminine version. Originally, I intended to make a variety of "fruity" outfits for these gals, but I just enjoyed making the strawberry caps so much that I decided to stick with it all the way.

Here's some close-ups:





I just love the long, leafy stems and the yellow seeds on real strawberries. They translate nicely on these sweet caps, I think. I also made matching dual colored scarves in a diamond pattern to match.


Now here was an exciting find in my craft room. I found these four mini bunnies and bears in a box, all dressed up with nowhere to go. They were completely done, but for their origami gift bags. I must have gotten distracted and forgot about them. Poor things! Well, I'm glad they have been rediscovered.




I worked on their packages this weekend and now they are all ready to go to their new homes. Yayy! :)


Thank you again for dropping by! I hope to have all of these amigurumi in my etsy shop shortly. :)

Sparkly Ballerina Amigurumi Bunnies and Bears

Hello all! It's been quite awhile, I know. I've just been extremely preoccupied since we last spoke. I don't want to give away the details just yet, but let's just say that I've been working on a massive project . . . my magnum opus, if you will. It's been exhausting, but exciting work and I cannot wait until the big reveal, which will be sooner rather than later. I'm sorry for being so cryptic, but I'm not ready to let the cat out of the bag just yet :)

Despite being so busy, I haven't stopped making softies at all. It's just that with less crafting time on my hands, it takes me a lot longer to finish a project. To make up for my snail's pace I've made a concerted effort to try new things and change up my old designs. I've been finding it difficult to work on the same sort of thing over and over. It gets quite monotonous.

Time for something fresh . . .

Enter these three little ladies:




I've never been a fan of novelty yarn for making my amigurumi, but then I came across several skeins of super soft, fuzzy chenille buried at the bottom of my stash. I was intrigued by that yarn's subtle sparkle. It has a soft twinkle, without being overly brilliant or glittery. And it worked up even better than I imagined -- the stitches are well hidden by the chenille's loft and overall I thought the amigurumi turned out reminiscent of puffy cotton candy or whipped marshmallow fluff. Scrumptious!

Lately, I've been feeling an aversion to my sewing machine so I decided to completely crochet the outfits this time. For the dress design I wanted to move away from the smocks and come up with something more frilly and playful. In the end I decided on ballerina tutu styled dresses. And because I didn't want to overdo it with the flower motifs, I nixed the usual floral ear decor and adorned their heads with large satin bows instead.

Here's a close-up shot of all the little details. I also tried to capture that lovely iridescent sparkle I spoke about earlier:


I enjoyed making this set of amigurumi and it has inspired me to think outside the box -- with my materials as well as with new design ideas. This project makes me want to dig deeper into my yarn stash to see what other possibilities may exist.

Anyway, thank you again for visiting and if you are interested in any of these sweet girls, I will be listing them in my shop shortly.

A Crafting Life In Pictures

A few custom orders:




And some stuff to go in my shop:




I've been so busy with custom orders and other holiday busy-ness that I scarcely have time to write a complete paragraph.

More than anything I just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Kawaii Kittens!

I've still been in a stitching mood since the Kawaii Koalas so I've been diligently working on some Kawaii Kittens. These kittens were derived from the previous koala pattern. I made a few changes here and there and voilà -- a whole new animal! I've been thinking about adapting the original pattern to make a bunny, a sheep, a monkey . . . the softie possibilities are endless! Sorry, I digress. Back to the Kawaii Kittens . . .

I wanted the kittens to have a sort of country, calico-y feel . . . but still remain stylistically kawaii, if you know what I mean. I thought the best way to achieve this was to use some folksy fabrics for the main part of the fur such as plaid or corduroy, and then use some fun Japanese print linen for the patches. The blanket stitching on the patches definitely adds to their homespun feel, too. I also passed on making them decorative flowers for their ears, which is what I tend to do with most of my softies. Instead, I gave these kittens a simple collar with a golden bell.

Well, here they are:


Here's a how the backside looks like. They have a wavy, little tail:


On a Blythe-ier note, I will be adding these Ice Cream Sundae berets to my shop shortly. I made these awhile back, and they slipped my mind, and I never got around to listing them.

<This "flavor" I call Berry Swirl. I used a pink and white variegated yarn and it makes a nice motley, swirly pattern throughout.

This "flavor" is Blueberry, obviously. :) The yarn is a deep purple-y blue.

For this month's Reader Appreciation Giveaway I wanted to give something really special (to make up for being so willy-nilly about the giveaway the past few months) -- A Kawaii Kitten just for you! This Kawaii Kitty is made from soft blue corduroy and has spots cut from a floral print Japanese dobby. Will someone please give her a good home? Well, you know how this works -- I'll pick a winner at random from this post's comment pool.

Last, but not least . . . the winners of the Hawaiian macadamia nut chocolate boxes from the last giveaway! Thank you for your support Evie and Sandy Michelle! I will contact you both soon!

Thank you for all for dropping by again! Happy crafting! :)

Kawaii Koalas!

Aloha everyone!

I know, I know . . . I've been M.I.A lately, but I have a really good excuse this time! I had an influx of custom orders to do so it was hard to get any fresh crafting done. The custom orders were all amigurumi so by the time I was finished, I felt a need to put my crochet needle down and do something completely different.

I delved into my box of old project ideas and patterns and rediscovered my tried and true koala softie. The koala pattern was the very first softie pattern I ever drafted. I still remember the delight of having an idea in my head slowly come to life in my hands. It felt magical. And it was the spark that ignited my cute and crafty obsession.

I was a wee bit apprehensive when I started the koalas because it has literally been years since I've made one. I was afraid I wouldn't embroider the faces right, that I couldn't re-capture their "spirit". These softies are so different from my amigurumi, whose faces are quiet and humble. With my koalas, the personalities are more lively, their expressions more developed and detailed . . . and I have to render it all with a needle and thread.

Well, here they are:


Here's a close up look of one of their faces along with the crochet twin cherries by her ear:

It wasn't the easiest thing, but I managed alright, I think. :)

Since we spoke last I also managed to whip up some new cards for my blog/ shop. I was getting low on MOO cards, and I was going to order more, but then I thought, "I have this nifty, new laser printer . . . " So I gave it a go with some basic printable blank business cards.

Well, they're nowhere as nice as my former MOO cards, but I think they came out alright just the same, and they were fun to design and a lot less pricey. Here's a tip if you are going to try these at home: The cards I purchased came in perforated sheets. I recommend not tearing them apart. Instead, hold a ruler along the perforated edge and use an exacto knife to cut them apart. The edges just look neater and sharper that way.

Lastly, I've been woefully horrid at keeping up with my monthly giveaway, haven't I? I really am trying. It's just been so difficult to keep up with my blogging lately. I'll definitely try to pick up the pace from now on. Anyway, I have two Reader Appreciation Giveaways this month (an extra to make up for missing last month). My pal P pointed out these super kawaii Hello Kitty mini candy boxes at a local store. Hawaiian Host chocolate covered macadamia nuts are a yummy-licious staple here in the islands and I was surprised to see the character endorsements they have now -- Hello Kitty and Lilo & Stitch just to name a few. P said they'd make the perfect giveaway for my blog and I think he's absolutely right! So you know how it goes -- I will pick two people at random from the comment pool at this post.

Thanks again for dropping by! :)

Back in the Zone

Since the vog (a.k.a The Vile Cloud of Crafting Doom) lifted, I've finally got myself into a nice crafting schedule again. This week it's been nothing but Itty Bitty Amigurumis. Between the crocheting and the origami, I find it a nice all around soothing craft.

As you can see, I've added some bears to my Itty Bitty repertoire. I experimented a bit with the muzzle -- I did an embroidered nose much like my bigger bears, but then I also tried out a black bead nose. I'm not sure which one I like better. What do you all think? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Here's a better look of them all decked out in their crochet dresses.

I've been on a desperate hunt to find more colors of this fingering weight mohair yarn. As you can see all I have at the moment are white and yellow. The manufacturer doesn't make any other suitable colors. The problem with Hawaii is that yarn shops are so scarce so I almost always have to mail order in. It's a bit of a guessing game since you can't see and feel the yarn for yourself. So far I've purchased some mohair yarn from Canada hoping that it would be a good weight/ gauge match with the yarn I'm presently using. No such luck. It was way too thin. I've just ordered some yarn from New York and I'm crossing my eyes and fingers that they're a good match.


I haven't done an "In Other Cuteness" feature in awhile, but I've discovered something so absolutely, irresistibly cute that I simply must share it --

Please meet Pecan! How adorable is he sitting on a stump with his little elephant push toy?

"Pecan is the oldest and wisest of the Pecanpals. He is a master storyteller, often spending entire afternoons sitting under a tall palm tree, reading. He insists that all the knowledge you ever need to know is found in stories. Pecan likes to be aware of things that are happening on the island, making sure to visit each and every person on his daily rounds." -- Noferin

The PecanPals are a group of whimsical characters created by the Australian artists of Noferin. They do paintings based on their characters and recently they branched out into making wooden figures of them. I just had to snatch one up right away! If you would like to purchase one, too, I wouldn't wait very long. These little guys have been going fast!

Before I leave I have to annouce the winner of June's Reader Appreciation Giveway! Thank you to Andrea Rooks of Rooks Paper Scissors for all your support! I will contact you soon!

Happy crafting everyone! :)

It's the Vog's Fault, and the Return of Owls and the Reader Appreciation Giveway!

Ugh.

I hate it when I don't keep up with my regular scheduled posts. I've had a case of the blahs lately, which I blame on the recent weather. I know most people think that Hawaii weather is a dream -- and for the most part it is -- but sometimes we have this atmospheric phenomenon called vog, and it kicks me in the butt every time. Vog (volcanic smog) occurs when gases emitted from the Kilauea volcano in the Big Island mix with air, sun, and moisture and creates a smog like haze that makes the air feel thick, heavy, and sticky hot. Normally, it doesn't affect us much in Oahu, but occasionally wind will blow it down our way. Well, we recently experienced vog a couple of days running and it really choked the life out of me. Physically and mentally. Not only is the heat and humidity so miserable, but it's also rather depressing to look out at your once beautiful, crystal clear view of Diamond Head and see an ugly, brown film.

Anyway, I blame my vog addled brain for my lazy, blah, non-blogging state. Yep, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. :)

When the air (and my head) finally cleared, I decided to make some owls. I hadn't whipped up any of those little critters in awhile. I decided to make a Thoughtful Little Owl and a pair of Scholarly Little Owls. It was fun taking a break from crocheting and getting reacquainted with my sewing machine again. I think I'm going to do even more sewing projects now.

So I'm painfully aware that I missed last month's Reader Appreciation Giveway . . . *sigh*. I feel horrible about it because I hate being willy-nilly about things, even though this blog is aptly named for such behavior. To make up for it I wanted to make June's Reader Appreciation Giveaway super special. So here it is:

My new favorite craft is origami. I find it so calming and fun, and I would love to pass on my joy of origami to someone else. For those of you unfamiliar with the art of Japanese paper folding or for those who could use some more origami supplies, I put together this mini origami crafting kit. In it there's an origami instruction book with 33 sheets of paper included, and I've tossed in two more packages of super sweet Japanese import origami paper. What fun! :) You all know the drill -- I'll be picking the winner at random from the comment pool of this post.

Thank you again for visiting my hopelessly willy-nilly, but obsessively crafty little corner of the universe! Aloha!

Big Things Come in Small Packages

These little gals look like my usual ami bunnies, don't they? But what you don't know is that they're packing a little surprise . . . and I do mean LITTLE. :)

I never imagined I would -- or even could -- make amigurumi this small, but after a yarn mail order mishap (the new yarn I purchased was soooooo thin), I decided to make do with what I had. When life gives you lemons, you know? :)

All in all it wasn't so bad working with lace weight mohair yarn. It involved a ton of squinting. And lots of creative thinking to try to scale things down, yet still maintain my meticulous, borderline obsessive attention to detail. Oh, and there was a bit of cursing, too. :)

Sewing their fabric ear insets were a bit of chore. And I decided to crochet their smocks because just thinking about sewing something so tiny would likely cause my head to explode. I did, however, crochet the tiniest heart applique and stitched that onto the smock. I'll admit I'm a bit of a masochist when it comes to my crafting.

Here's a shot of their backside. I had to nix the pom-pom tails since I could not make them that small. I crocheted them instead.

Finally, in my unending quest to use what I have, I grabbed some origami paper and made these little origami packages to tuck the bunnies in. I crocheted the handles with some cotton thread and I cut some tags from cardstock. They're now ready for gift giving!

I'll likely have these mini ami bunnies in my shop next weekend if anyone is interested.

Thank you again for visiting! Happy crafting!

A "Something Special" Ami Bear, some Mother's Day Goodies, and Happy Mail

Aloha friends! What have you all been up to? As for me, I've just been crafting my behind off as usual.

In my ever expanding series of "Something Special" ami softies, I've created this sweet, little bear. I've named her "Posy" for obvious reasons -- the garland of flowers she wears around her head and the freshly plucked blossom in her hand. I crocheted her out of a new brand of lavender mohair yarn, which is wonderfully soft and full. Her smock dress is cut from embroidered pink cotton gauze and trimmed with white lace.

Here is the entire "Posy" set complete with mini portrait and drawstring bag.


And here are the Mother's Day goodies I've been working on. I thought My Happy Swirly Cupcakes and Bashful Blooming Cacti would make lovely gifts for mom so I decided to put a few more in my shop.

Please visit my shop if you are interested in any of these. I will be listing one or two of them daily starting tomorrow.

Oh, I wanted to show you some happy mail that just came in. These are a set of Clover crochet hooks all tucked into its own velcro closure cozy. I've been thinking that serious crocheting requires some serious tools and I've heard that the thick handles on these Clover hooks are more ergonomic and give you better control. I can't wait to try my new fancy-pants crochet hooks. I feel like I'm graduating from a student violin to a Stradivarius! :)

Before I go I must thank you for all your kind birthday wishes! I appreciate it so much! I'm also happy to announce that the winner of April's Reader Appreciation Giveaway is Little Brown Rabbit! I will get in touch with you soon!

Well, that's it for now! Best wishes to all! :)

Getting My Craft On

Since we spoke last I've been a very busy crafting bee! My mind as well as my crafting desk have been a-clutter and aflutter with so many projects.

The major one being an army of Bashful Blooming Cacti. Some are custom orders and some will be going to my Etsy shop soon.

Yayy! They have official tags now! :)

During one of my lazier crafting days I decided to make these little "thank you" tags. I've never been much of a stamper/ paper crafter as sewing and crocheting are my cup of tea, so I was surprised that I got such a kick out of making these. There's something very nostalgic about sitting at your desk and cutting paper and gluing pieces of it here and there. It reminded me of being in grade school and making Valentine's Day cards or construction paper chains for the class Christmas tree. Ahhhhh, childhood . . . . :)

This week I visited my favorite fabric store on the island, Kaimuki Dry Goods, where I scored some sweet Japanese import fabrics. Just look at the yummy colors! I could not wait to start cutting into them!

I'll end this post with a parting shot of my craft desk. Can you tell what I'm working on? If you guessed Blythe Wooly Lamb Hoods then pat yourself on the back! :) I'm not sure how successful it will turn out because the faux lamb's wool is rather thick and it's giving my poor Singer sewing machine a ghastly time of it. We'll see, I guess. If all goes well I should have a bunch in my Etsy shop soon.

Oh, wait! Before I forget -- The winner of February's Reader Appreciation Giveaway is Ismoyo! I will get in touch with you soon, Ismoyo! :)

Take care until next time!

Bashful Blooming Cacti and Two Scholarly Little Owls

In the Sept/Oct issue of Crochet Today! I saw this:

Well, I gave it a go all the while adding the Willy-Nilly Waterlily touch to it. Here's what I came up with:

I freehanded these little gals and spruced them up with lots of flowers. With their downcast eyes, rosy cheeks, and head full of blossoms, I christened them the Bashful Blooming Cacti. They stand about 6 inches tall including the mini terra cotta pot. I think one of these girls would pretty up a desk quite nicely.

Here's a top view.

I also made two Scholarly Little Owls. These little guys are a little more elaborate than my usual owls. They are made with a tweedy fabric for their tummy, wings and tail; and then a faux tooled leather fabric for their head and back. Their gold monocle adds to their distinguished and intellectual look.

If you're interested in any of these Bashful Blooming Cacti or Scholarly Little Owls they will be in my shop starting this Friday.

So lately I've been thinking about tags. My softies need nice little tags. I've been searching high and low for places that print glossy custom tags. And then it occurred to me -- I should make them myself! And I don't mean print them out from my computer, but actually making them individually by hand. I guess I got so caught up with my spiffy, new MOO MiniCards and how professional they look that for a moment I forgot the fun and simplicity of making things yourself . . . all the way down to the tiniest detail.

Well, here are my handmade tags. They're just simple watercolor doodles and my handwriting. It's not the most professional looking, but it's definitely a lot more personal feeling. Not to mention less expensive! :)

Well, that's all the news for now. I must run along as there is so much more crafting to be done and so little time.

Talk to you all soon!