Do you recall the amigurumi bunnies from last week?
Hooray for me for getting off my bum and finally finishing them! I had the most difficult time deciding on a proper color/fabric combination. I kept changing my mind over and over. My art teacher once told me that what's worse than having no vision is having an unfocused one. Note to self: Next time sketch out all of your ideas first!
Here's a view of their fluffy pom pom tails.
In minor Project Loovee news, I purchased these plain pair of glasses from the TIB shop. I wanted to give them a more Loovee-esque flair so I modded them by adding the butterflies to the frames. Voilà! Some silly glasses for an equally silly girl.
Finally, I've been working on this crochet ripple blanket for Loovee. Aren't the colors the yummiest? So vibrant and juicy like a bowl of fresh fruit salad. The colorway is called Freesia from Claudia Hand Painted Yarns. It's 100% merino wool and it's soooooo buttery smooth and billowy soft. It will definitely keep Loovee warm and cozy at night. This blanket is actually a sneak peak into a much larger project that I'm very excited about. I'm dying to get started on the rest of it. Please stay tuned for the big reveal, which hopefully won't be that far off.Thank you all for dropping by!
I thought up this idea while browsing through my local hobby shop. I came across this nifty thing called memory wire. Memory wire is a coiled jewelry wire that snaps back into its original shape when flexed. I noticed that the necklace sized memory wire was about the diameter of Blythe's noggin, and then this simple idea popped into my head.
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1. Trim one of the precut wires to a length of 8 1/2 inches. My wire came with one end already bent in a little loop. If your wire doesn't have a loop, take your pliers and make one. Make sure that when you bend the loop, the wire's end faces outwards. It will be less likely to catch on your Blythe's hair that way.
Hooray! You're all done! Now you have a pretty headband for your Blythe! These are so easy and fun to make. I whipped up these three headbands in less than 15 minutes. I do hope I explained things well enough, but if you still have questions please don't hesitate to ask.
So in this first installment of Project Loovee, I was inspired by these kawaii appliqués. I didn't want anything too frou-frou because I really wanted to feature the appliqué. Thus, I sketched this simple A-line dress.
As you can see, I nixed the ruffle at the hem because I discovered that linen unravels like crazy. Instead, I wrapped all the edges with a cotton bias binding. Machine sewing such tiny binding is a nightmare for me, so I opted to sew it on by hand. Actually, the whole dress is hand sewn. Although, it wasn't exactly as I planned, I think it came out alright. It looks like a crafty apron style dress.
Here's Loovee modeling her latest dress and enjoying her new 
After taking a long holiday break from 
I had such fun making Loovee's sundae beret that just for kicks I whipped up several more in a variety of "flavors" with yarn I had on hand -- mocha, crème de menthe, strawberry and French vanilla. However, this time I embroidered nuts on the hot fudge instead of sprinkles, which I thought gave it a more proper sundae feel to them. I really do not know what I shall do with the rest of these, so I think they'll find their way to my Esty shop.
This week I managed to make Loovee this new summery (as it's always summer in Hawaii) outfit. I crocheted her tank top out of some cotton thread. The denim wrap skirt was so very quick and easy to make. The cherry detail is a tiny iron on patch I purchased on my trip to Japan. I was so excited to finally have reason to use it!
Anyway, in this first episode of
And here's the after shot with Loovee doing her best Vanna White impression. I used that leftover ball of fluffy yarn to crochet a simple shag carpet. I re-purposed the round jewelry box into a Blythe sized storage hat box, which holds some of Loovee's crafting supplies. The Re-ment chest adds the final touch to this little vignette.
Here's a close up of all the bits and bobs inside Loovee's little craft box -- yarn skeins made of wound embroidery thread, folded fabric scraps, button cards, and a pair of mini scissors. Now she can be a proper craft spaz lik me!
Quite awhile ago, I sketched this silly strawberry sundae hat for her.
And last night I finally finished crocheting it. I'm so happy with how it came out. I embroidered some pink, yellow, and white sprinkles on the hot fudge sauce, which gave it an even more yummy touch.
Thankfully, Loovee does not have to depend entirely on me or the 
In random craftiness news, every year after Christmas I am left with a bunch of very sturdy and functional, yet hideous gift boxes. I love to use them to store my bits and bobs, but I cannot bear to look at them. This year I decided to do something about it.
No more motley collection of boxes that assault your eyes! I actually went a bit crazy with this and discovered some ugly boxes from Christmas past to wrap. A crafter is always in need of more storage, right?
Here's a more elaborate take on my usual owl. I was going for a Victorian era look. I love how distinguished and proper he looks. I had such fun making him that I'm thinking of doing more owls in costume like say . . . a Zorro owl, a pirate owl, or a roman owl in toga garb. Such possibilities!
Here's a new softie design of mine, which I'm calling a Wee Beastie. I was inspired by Max's wolf suit in the book, 
A close-up of his face.
Look -- another
Don't be sad anymore, Frozen Raccoon. You're in Hawaii now, where it's nice and warm. We'll have to put that scarf away and get you a straw hat! Do you remember your fellow Canadian, Little Blue Bear? He'll give you the grand tour of your new home.
Look at this tiny sculpey charm modeled after one of my owls. It's only a centimeter tall. One must have such steady hands to paint something so lilliputian. I love it!
No, these are not bowling pins. They are wooden nesting dolls ready to be painted! What a unique canvas, don't you think? I have so many ideas for these . . . all which include bunnies of some sort. I cannot wait until I have the time to start working on them.
I spied a little box in my mailman's hand as he walked up my driveway yesterday. I was so thrilled. Finally, my Mumka! However, that quickly turned to dread upon seeing a large gash on the side of the box and an ominous green sticker that screamed: EXAMINED BY U.S. CUSTOMS! My Mumka softie came all the way from Poland and I'm not well versed in the ways of international shipping, so seeing this gave me a bit of a fright. I immediately had visions of over enthusiastic bomb and drug sniffing dogs shredding open my box and drooling on my poor plushie.
And thankfully, Mino the Elephant was none the worse for wear considering his extensive and harrowing trip to Hawaii. Isn't he cute? I just adore his fresh, mint green color. He was also very well outfitted for his travels -- he came with a little blankie, a pillow, and a wee elephant softie of his very own. A card that accompanied him states:
Shhhhhhhh . . .
What could possibly be inside that pretty box?
A bottomless pit of goodness that's what! Loovee was speechless by all the adorable items -- cupcake ornaments, cute kitchen magnets, sweet smelling erasers, a cat rubber stamp, Hello Kitty stationary . . . but what was really screaming out at her was that beautiful dress.
And returned to find Gachapin, the resident exchange monster from Japan, rifling through her package! It seems he could not resist all those delicious looking goodies.
Luckily, Loovee got there before he could do any real damage. She coaxed him out of the box with a cupcake magnet and sat him down. Patiently, she explained that the world is a tricky place, and just because it looks like food doesn't necessarily mean that it is.
I purchased this lovely bear from 
I got these kokeshi fabrics from 
This print came all the way from England from 
I miss you, Boo.
And this bit of mail is something being given, not received. I was lucky enough to meet 
Found this little guy in The Drawer of Almost Finished Projects. All he needed was a face. Now off to Etsy he goes, ready to see the world with his brand spanking new eyes.
And so ends my amigurumi bunny phase with this last girl. I had so much fun making them, but now it's time to get a move on. She's going to Etsy, too.
It's been awhile since I've made owls. I forgot how much fun they were to put together. This bit of magic happens when I finally sew the eyes in place. They suddenly come alive and it's all I can do to not start talking to them. Out loud, at least.
I've been in an amigurumi bunny zone lately. After making the snow bunny for Softies Central I cannot seem to stop. Now that I've finally got the hang of it, I just find crocheting so soothing. Much different from sewing, which for me requires a lot of concentration. As for the bunny obsession . . . well, I have four pet rabbits running about my house so they serve as my muses.
For these three little girls I used a loosely woven alpaca blend yarn. It's hard to see in the photo, but they have this fuzzy halo, which sort of reminds me of sparse mohair fur teddies.
For the ear insets and reversible smocks I got to bust out all the fabrics I purchased on my summer trip to Japan. I didn't intend to make the smocks reversible, but I had such a difficult time choosing just one fabric so this was a nice compromise. Also, the fact that you can switcheroo their clothes makes them a bit more playable and not just displayable.
