Yay for free stuff! Kiss everlasting French Manicure!!

So, I signed up for Influenster.com, and was lucky enough to receive their Spring VoxBox for free, filled with fun products for me to try!  One of the items in the box was the Kiss everlasting French Manicure.  Now, I really don't use fake nails, but these looked nice, so I gave them a go:



I have to say, I was pretty impressed at how easy they went on with the enclosed adhesive(Just be sure not to load on too much!).  I didn't have any issues at all.  The length is perfect too....I can still crochet with them - which is very important to me!!  So far, so good!  They have stayed on perfect, and have not chipped!  Let's hope they are easy to get off....from the instructions on the box, it sounds like they will be :)

Under Construction - Major Blog Overhaul in Progress ^_^

I have decided that is is time to give my blog a complete overhaul, and make it a more useful and awesome place on the interwebs.  You can see that I have already started adding tabs of new items I would like to include - FAQs, Tutorials, etc.  Yay!  Please watch your step, and be sure to check back for more fun and exciting stuff!  I'm even planning on posting a monthly free crochet patern!  WOOT!!!

What kinds of things/infomation would you like to see?  I'm all ears!

And the winner is.........

Congratulations, The Needle Nerd! You are now the pround owner of Kristen Rask's new book/kit, Yummy Crochet! Get ready to get your crochet on!

Thanks everyone who entered! Remember, you can still get the book later this month at your local Barnes and Noble!!!

Stitch Wars Strikes Back!

I was uber happy to be asked to participate in Stitch Wars Strikes Back this year....which opens this friday at Bear and Bird Gallery!! I LOVE Star Wars and had a lot of fun making stuff for Stitch Wars 2 years ago! This year I made a Lightsabre rattle....which I completely forgot to take a picture of....derp...and I made some Granny Square Tie Fighters. Each of the 3 Tie Fighters is a different Granny Square pattern.

Yes, I know, I'm a nerd. whatever ^_^

Oh, and these are now available to purchase from Bear and Bird's website....snap them up before they are gone!

Yummy Crochet Interview and Giveaway!!

Last year, the fabulous Kristen Rask, owner of Schmancy Toys, contacted me and asked if I would like to be one of the artists to contrubute crochet patterns for her upcoming book with Barnes and Noble. The book is called Yummy Crochet and features 12 different food themed crochet patterns. Well, of course I said YES! I mean, crochet food is my bread and butter ^_^ I contributed patterns for Tea and cookies, tiny oranges, and donuts.....and you can see pictures of them all over the box the book comes in! Oh, and did I mention the book comes with yarn to make two of the projects in the book....one of them being my donuts! SWEET!

In anticipation of the book's release in September, I had a little interview with Kristen to see how the heck she does it all:

*****

YP: Congratulations on another awesome book! Was this one easier or harder than your previous ones?

KR: Thank you! I would say easier. I knew more what to expect so when I was contacting contributors I could give them more information about how the process would work, etc. I also knew that it would take some time for B&N to approve everything as I was working with a third party so it seemed like one extra hoop to jump. Everyone I worked with on this project was really great to work with and I am really excited to see it's end result. It's pretty yummy don't ya' think?

YP: Was it difficult to find artists to design the patterns for Yummy Crochet?

KR: No, it wasn't. Luckily I have an awesome pull of people to contact :) I think it helps to have the first kit, Creature Crochet, to refer to as well so that people know it's legit and can imagine the end product.

YP: Yummy Crochet is filled with super cute food inspired patterns - what's your favorite food?

KR: Honestly, I love them all. I love the different personalities, the cover, the different spins on stuff and I just think the overall book is delicious! But I think I may be a bit biased :)

YP: With Schmancy, Plush You, writing books, etc etc, do you have any free time? What do you like to do to relax?

KR: Hahaha. Yes, I get this question a lot these days and yes, I do have free time. I am very protective of my Monday's. That's my one day to do grocery shopping, make food for the week, etc. I also am closed two days a week. I used to try to do Schmancy 6 days a week and I progressively got grumpier and less productive so I chalked that idea. Paying someone to work for you is expensive and not always worth it so I just decided to do 5 days a week as no one will die if my shop isn't open 7 days a week. Seriously, you will not die with a store being closed. I guess that's the luxury of being a shop owner, making those decisions. So yeah, Sunday's are for fun times and Mondays are for chores I suppose.

For fun? I sew, sometimes I get to go on mini vacations and those are a great treat. There are tons of amazing restaurants in Seattle so going out to eat is always fun. Drinks with friends is fun. crafting and watching tv or movies on netflix is always pretty enjoyable to me. I got into Crafty Bastards so I think there will be a lot of that in the next few months and crafting with friends...and cocktails.

YP: Do you have any plans for future books?

KR: Not at the moment. I would never say never but they are a lot of work. I am now the President of Seattle's largest indie craft show, Urban Craft Uprising and it's really great but a lot of work and time and so my new goal is to say no more. Although I haven't been very good at that yet.

YP: If you could be any animal, what would you be and why ^_^

KR: Either a seahorse, because the males carry the babies and that sounds pretty awesome. Not that I have kids or will but that sounds nice. Or a whale. I just find whales one of the most amazing creatures in the world. The dinosaur's of the sea. They are smart, gentle and mysterious and they will rip you to shreds if you mess with 'em

***

So, do you want to win a copy of the book? Yes? Well, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post with your e-mail(so I can contact you when you win) and also what you would like to see me crochet next ^_^ The winner will be chosen on August 21st!!

Exciting news!

Guess What! Soon, Yummy Pancake goodness will be available at the uber fabulous Schmancy in Seattle WA. That means, you can pick Yummy Pancake up on the east coast(from me) and west coast! Word to your mother!

Oh, and did I mention you can ONLY get my Margarita and Cosmo keychains at Schmancy?

Hoppy Easter!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Mr. Toastee and I wish you a super fun Valentine's day filled with all sorts of yummy stuff....like crocheted chocolates ^_^

Plush Team in Candyland Opens TOMORROW at Hot Pop Gallery!!!!

What happens when a guild of internationally recognized plush artists descend upon Milwaukee in Winter for January Gallery Night? Candyland! See works created especially for Hot Pop Gallery by members of the Plush Team.

Please join us for the opening of Candyland at HotPop. Enjoy musical treats and an amazing candy buffet with samples of Plush Team favorites sent to MKE from all over the globe.

Plush Team artists have been featured in galleries all over the world! Including: Schmancy- Seattle, Chromeo- Vancouver, Gallery Hanahou-NYC, StitchWars, Bear & Bird Gallery-Miami, and many more. Numerous Plush Team members are featured in STUFFED Magazine every issue.

RSVP at our Facebook event!

http://www.hotpopshop.com/

I'm so bummed I'm not going to be able to make it out for this to see it in person, but I did contribute some plush for the show....check out my collection of crocheted candy:

You are NOT going to want to miss this show!!!

OMG! It's 2011 already??!?!?!?

Yes, I know...once again it has been an eternity since I last posted. Oh well, what can you do, right? The holidays and the new home certainly kept me busy, but now I am ready to get my crochet on. I made the difficult decision to not do any craft shows this year....I will still participate in art shows at galleries and such, but not craft shows. Last year, I felt I spent waaaaay too much time trying to make a bunch of stuff for craft shows, and didn't really come up with many new designs. This year, I want to focus on coming up with fun new stuff, and finally making some of the ideas that I have had cooking in my idea journal. I already have a few cooking that you'll be seeing in the next few weeks!

Since I have been so busy, I decided to hire 2 new employees to help me out. Can you beleive it? Meet the 2 newest members of the Yummy Pancake family - Guinness and Jericho:



They love yarn almost as much as I do! Let's hope they are as productive as they are cute ^_^

My greatest project EVER!

You may have noticed that I have been a very, very, very bad blogger the past few months. Well, I have been working on the greatest and most difficult project EVER...and it has nothing to do with plush or crochet. I have been on the long, hard journey of becoming a homeowner, and am happy to say we have been successful! It took months of looking at houses and losing out on a couple before we finally found the perfect house for us! And the best part it, I now actually have a room just for my studio!!!

We are just about moved in(but far from being unpacked), and the studio is still a mess of boxes, but check out the progress I made thus far in forming the new creative space of Yummy Pancake:

This is the before shot....

Mr Toastee couldn't wait to help me paint over those stripes!

We first had to put 2 coats of high coverage primer on the walls to cover up those yucky stripes:


After the stripes were gone, we painted the walls the most awesome shade of pink! What a difference.....and more Yummy Pancake style than blue and orange stripes!

I still need to unpack and organize, but at least the walls look fabulous ^_^

My etsy shop will be re-stocked very soon! And be sure to come see me in Cleveland at Oddmall on November 6th!!!

Plush Team Virtual Book Tour - a Detour to the Land of Yummy Pancake

Next stop on the Plush Team Virtual book tour is the wild imagination of Yummy Pancake!

Earlier, I posted about the awesome-tastic Plush Team annual that the fabulous Plush team, which I am a member of, put together and published earlier this year (get yourself a copy here!). Not only does it contain the history of the Plush Team, it also contains pages upon pages with pictures of each member's work. Everyone is so talented and unique. It makes you wonder how the heck they come up with the ideas for all the plush they create....so, on my stop of the virtual book tour, I'm going to give you a little glimpse on how I come up with the ideas for my plush!

I get my inspiration for my designs from many different places. Sometimes, it's just from something that I like and enjoy. For example, my husband loves Guinness - it's his favorite beer. I thought the harp on the can looked really cool and decided to whip one up:

We also enjoy a shot of Jager every now and then. I love the bottle - it is such a pretty green color and such a cool label:




Another place I get inspiration from is other people - family, friends, co-workers, etc. My brain can only think up so many things, and I'm not the only one who can come up with cool ideas. Below is a custom order I designed for someone. They wanted a lighthouse with a 'stache similar to a lighthouse in NJ and a crab. I put on my thinking cap, and this is what I came up with:



A giant source of my inspiration is food. I like food. Food is good. It's even better with faces in my opinion. After Thanksgiving dinner one year, I looked at all the leftovers on the table and thought that they would make a really cool monster if I put them all together....and the Thanksgiving Leftover monster was born:



And one of my favorite characters, Mr. Toastee, was born from a BLT plush I had made. I was looking at the bread I designed for the sammich and thought it would look cute with a face and butter ^_^

And I combined 3 of my favorite things - bacon, eggs and jellyfish to make the Bacon and Egg Jellyfish ^_^

Locations can spark inspiration as well. When I was vacationing at the beach last year, I saw a jellyfish in the sand. Then for some reason I kept thinking about peanut butter and jellyfish sammiches....so i made one. My thought processes can tend to be a bit strange, but I just embrace it ^_^

Sometimes it's a button or type of yarn that will give me an awesome idea. I bought some red glittery lip buttons earlier this year. When I saw them, they made me think of a Las Vegas Showgirl for some reason. So, I used them and created a Las Vegas Showgirl Toastee:

And sometimes an idea can come from just seeing a cool type of yarn. I found a really cool, chunky, colorful yarn at a knitting store in NC. It just screamed at me to make a jellyfish out of it.....so i did ^_^

You just never know when inspiration is going to strike. Do what I do - I carry a little notebook with me at all times to jot down plush ideas when they come to me. That way, I don't forget them. The stranger the concept, the better! I never run out of ideas, just time.

So make sure you stop by the Plush Team's etsy shop and pick up your copy of our awesome annual. You will be amazed at the talent on out team. I know I am!!!

The Plush Team Annual is Available NOW!!!

The Plush Team is ecstatic to present to you our first ever Team Annual, containing 120 pages of plushy goodness!

What is in store for you upon opening this marvelous book:

• An opening by our team founder, Megan Green, describing how our team came to be.




• An insightful, informative, and all-around fascinating account of the history of plush craft by our team co-founder Christina Ward.




• 42 two-page, full color features of our Plush Team members. Each includes photos of the artist's work, and text written by the artist explaining motivation, process, and inspiration.




• A time line of Plush Team activities through over the years.Profile pages providing a comprehensive list of Plush Team artists, including artist head shots and Etsy shop addresses.




• Photos of PT Stitchy, the team mascot, scattered throughout the book in his various incarnations as interpreted by our team members.

The book is full color, professionally printed, and soft cover. It measures 6.75"x6.75" (or 17 centimeters square). This is volume 1 of our Team Annual, featuring the artists from 2009. Our intent is to make this a yearly publication, updating it each year with our newest members and their incredible work.

Visit the Team Shop today for your copy!

Plush You LA - let the crocheting begin!

As you may know, I was accepted to participate in Plush You LA and Seattle this year. Woot! I did a lot of brainstoriming and finally came up with what I am making for these shows....it's going to be EPIC!

Check it out - I went and picked up all the supplies I'm going to need(minus the yarn - already had that):

This weekend I scheduled myself to focus on completing my Plush You LA pieces. I decided that I'll post teaser pics just for fun....like this one:

any ideas on what it could be?

Yay! I have been featured in STUFFED magazine again ^_^

Guess what! I've been featured in the current issue of STUFFED magazine along with tons of other talented plushmakers. Be sure to pick up your copy today!!

I have been turned into a plush!!!

My husband and I recently celebrated another wonderful year of marriage together, and the celebrate, I decided to commission a set of plushcatures from the wonderfully talented and fabulous Leeanna of PlushGoodness. Words cannot even describe how awesome they turned out! It's us, but plush! And the detail is amazing...from my graphic tee to my hubby's famous 32 polo!

Oh No! My brother has my husband in a choke!

My west coast adventure to Maker Faire ^_^

I can't believe that just over one week ago today, I was flying back to the east coast from Maker Faire! We all had a blast! I don't think that words could adequately describe our experience at Maker Faire, so here are a few pictures we all took of our experience:

Abby snapped this awesome pic of me and our gelatos ^_^

We all sported awesome PT Stitchy Name Tags by Abbydid ^_^


dkoss took an awesome picture of some of the Young Makers and their creations from our Felt Creature lab on Friday


Plush Goodness took a great picture of us getting the sweing machines and yarn ready for the classes we taught


Here is Zazu and Christina leading one of our many classes thoughout the weekend(taken by dkoss)

The Plush Team got a ribbon for Editor's Choice From Craft Magazine!! Woot!

Zazu took a picture of Abby and I making friends with R2D2 ^_^

You can also see a really cool gigapan pic taken of our booth at Maker Faire here.

I'd like to thank everyone who came out to see us at our booth and took part in our classes, all the new friends we made, all the awesome staff at Maker Faire, the members of the plush team for sending along a spectacular variety of plush, the plush teamers who made the trip to San Mateo - abbydid, Christina Ward Creatures, Absolutely Small, Cutesy But Not Cutesy, Plush Goodness, Moons Creations, Zazu Faure of Los Angeles, and Brian, an honorary Plush Teamer - who all busted their butts with no complaints to make this experience a giant success, to Craft Magazine for awarding our booth with a ribbon for editor's choice( and for letting me do a little improptu demo at their booth), our fabulous sponsors: Mendel's, Monterey Mills, Shannon Fabrics, Kunin Group/Foss Manufacturing, and Singer. We couldn't have pulled this off without any of you!

In closing, I just want to say that the Plush Team rocks. I am really lucky to be a part of such a hard working, talented, dedicated, and awesome team.

OMG! I'm going to Maker Faire!

Wow. I can't believe it...it's finally here! Tomorrow, I'll be hopping on a plane and flying out to the west coast to participate in the Maker Faire with 7 other fabulous members of the Plush Team! I can't wait! If you are in the San Francisco area, you really should come and say hi!!

Check out the Plush team blog for more information about who will be there from the Plush Team and what we will be doing. I'd detail it here, but I really need to back and get to bed!!! Don't worry, I'll be posting pics and video when I get back ^_^

Yay for Oddmall!!!

Oddmall ROCKED yesterday! I had such a great time, hung out with fellow Plush Teamers Abbydid and the Itsy Bitsy Spider, met a lot of cool new people, and a lot of my plush found wonderful new homes! Thanks to everyone who came out to the show! Oddmall was so fun and well organized - I will totally be back there for the November show ^_^

This was my first big show and I learned a lot of things.

I learned that collapsible wagons are the way to go when transporting your goods:

Those wire storage cubes that come apart are great for displays:

I changed the display around a couple times before I was happy with it:

Proper table signage is a must ^_^

Coffee is a MUST:

Make sure you eat:

And most importantly, the Plush Team reeks of awesomeness!