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!!!

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?

Blessinz of teh Ceiling Cat be apwn yu!!! kthxbye!!1!!

Oh hai. In teh beginnin Ceiling Cat maded teh skiez An da Urfs, but he did not eated dem. Da Urfs no had shapez An haded dark face, An Ceiling Cat rode invisible bike over teh waterz. At start, no has lyte. An Ceiling Cat sayz, i can haz lite? An lite wuz. An Ceiling Cat sawed teh lite, to seez stuffs, An splitted teh lite from dark but taht wuz ok cuz kittehs can see in teh dark An not tripz over nethin. An Ceiling Cat sayed light Day An dark no Day. It were FURST!!! -- Exerpt from Genesis 1 of the lolcat bible.

The latest Plush Team Challenge was to create a plush based on something from world mythology...gods, mythical creatures, demi-gods, etc. The first thing that popped in my mind for this challenge was Ceiling Cat, God of the lolcats ^_^

I decided to try something a little different this time. There are elements of crochet, but I also did some handsewing to create a super fun wall hanging with an embroidery loop(it just didn't work right on the ceiling). I cut the letters out of sparkly felt and hand sewed them on using glow in the dark embroidery floss(it looks cool in the dark, but was impossible to photograph). And look at the little cheezeburger detail on the exclamation point ^_^ It's like Ceiling Cat is coming out of the wall to eat yer cheezburgers!!

Pounce on over to the Plush Team Blog to check out all the fabulous creations for this challenge and to vote for your favorites. Ceiling cat would really like your vote! If he doesn't get your vote, he told me he would send basement cat after you....just kidding!

Want Ceiling cat for your wall? He's available for purchase in the Plush Team Etsy Shop!!!

Give me back that crochet o fish! Give me that fish!

Okay, so my brother and I really get a kick of that stupid song in the McDonalds filet o fish commercial, and my mom totally hates it. Yes, I am a dork. But last night I was inspired to create a crochet version....lasts longer than the real one.

I really wish i could find something I could ecord the song on and then put inside the plush so that it plays everytime you squeeze it ^_^

Come to the dark side....we have filet o fish!

You've got some splaining to do ^_^

I recently finished my entry for the Threadknits contest. What is this contest you ask? Well, You need to create something either knitted or crocheted inspired by one of Threadless' awesome t-shirt designs. While I was looking through all the shirts, this one really stuck out to me, so I created a plush version of it. Make sure you check out the Threadknits gallery and take a look at all other wonderful entries....there is some stiff competition in this contest!!

OMG!!!! ZOMBEES!!!!!

Guess What?? On January 20th Zombee Toastees will be invading Schmancy in Seattle WA! This Limited edition(only 25 made), Exclusive plush will ONLY be available at Schmancy - both in-store and online....get one before they get you!

Zombee Toastee Features:

~ They are just over 3 inches tall and wide
~ You have your choice of Mr. or Mrs. Zombee Toastee
~ They come with super special acrylic tags with brains on them made by the fabulous RobertoSand
~ They have one pink eye
~ They have pink, shiny, glow-in-the dark guts or brains seeping out
~ They have a patch of flesh eating bacteria handsewn on their backs
~ They come with a ballchain attached so you can chain them up to keep them from eating your flesh and that of your family and pets.
~ And the coolist thing - they each have names and come with an official numbered, and signed adoption certificate(designed by the uber awesome Ross Smith) which lists their name, birthday, favorite color and organ and also a few of their likes and dislikes.

Mr. Zombee Toastee:
Mrs. Zombee Toastee:


Remember, these are only available at Schmancy, and while supplies last...once they are gone, they are extinct!!

Kristen at Schmancy recently did a little interview with me - check it out here!

Happy New Year!

I'm back from vacation and the store is now open! I hope everyone had as great of a holiday as I did! I am really proud of myself....I didn't crochet at all while I was away! I actually relaxed, took it easy, and spend lots of time with family and friends! But now I'm back, it it's time to get down to business. First off, I already have some Valentine Mini Toastees in the etsy shop. Aren't they adorable?

I also have some more exciting news! On Jan 20th there will be an awesome, exclusive, Limited Edition Mr. Toastee plush available at Schmancy, and only at Schmancy! You are going to want to scoop up one of these as there are only 25 available. Stay tunes for more details and to find out what the heck it is!!

And still more exciting news....2010 is already an awesome year! I'm going to be doing my first BIG craft show! I'll be participating in OddMall on May 6th. If you are in the Cleveland, Ohio area, be sure to come by booth 18 and say hi!!!!

Introducing....Pullip Haute Cro-ture!

New to Yummy Pancake - Pullip Haute Cro-ture. Why Cro-ture? Well, because this line of Pullip clothes is crocheted...get it? (a special thanks to Chelle for coming up with the name ^_^). Check out all the different designs...including some holiday ones...in my etsy shop!

Deck the Halls with Mr. Toastee ^_^

Woohoo! It's the weekend after Thanksgiving! Do you know what that means? I can decorate the house for the holidays! I was in such a festive mood that I listed a whole bunch of holiday Toastees in my etsy shop, including some super cute ornaments! Fa la la la la la la la la!

Yummy Pancake at Luv-able & Hug-able

Check it out! Luv-able Hug-able is another show that I am participating in this year! The theme this year was medium and mini plush. I actually struggled quite a bit on what I wanted to make, then I was inspired by my favorite food...TACOS!! Here's what I came up with:

Senior Toastee, Tico Taco, a tiny jalapeno and the cutest little margarita ever ^_^ it even has a little glitter "salt" rim around the top. If you are in the NY area, be sure to stop by Gallery Hanahou and check it out!

Gallery Hanahou
611 Broadway, Suite 730
New York, NY 10012

Yummy Pancake at Plush You

Phew! I have been crocheting like a madwoman lately! Wanna see what I have been up to? I'm planning to do a series of posts this week to make up for my complete lack of posting so you can see what I have been working on. I've been a busy little bee ^_^

First off, I wanted to talk about Plush You at Schmancy in Seattle. Before the show, Kristen was nice enough to do a little interview with me on her blog. Check it out here.

Here are the pieces I made for the show:

Mrs. Toastee McBacon and Little Baby Melba...I even put a little rattle in Baby Melba:

I Scream for Happy Happy Ice Cream Cone - I put a crier in this one su when you turn it upside-down, it really DOES scream:


And last but not least, my favorite piece - The Plush-A-Sketch. Right before I sent it along to Schmancy, I added a little embroidered "Plush-A-Sketch" Label....and of course I forgot to take a picture of it:


From the pictures I saw, there were a lot of amazing pices at Plush You this year. Even though the show is over, you can still get your hands on some of the plushie goodness that was there here.

I got me a Pullip doll!

As you can see, I finally got myself a Pullip Doll! I couldn't help it....they are just so adorable! I got her from The Valley of the Dolls....great selection and they arrive super quick!! She only came with one outfit, so I decided to design and crochet her a few more!

Here's a little watermelon dress I made her:

And here's a Nanner dress:

And my personal favorite, inspired by Joy Kampia's human sized crochet cheeseburger dress:

BEWARE!!

::cue scary music::

Halloween is coming to my etsy shop on Sept 13th.....don't say I didn't warn you......

Toastee at Plushstock 2009

Wow, have I been busy lately or what? If you put things off till the last minute, they only take a minute to do, right? Well, I finally got my pieces done for Plushstock 2009, the Etsy Plush Team's July/Aug challenge inspired by the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. The first little guy I made is a Hippie Mr. Toastee....and I think he's a bit toasted too ^_^ He is crocheted with 100% cotton yarn, stuffed with an all natural eco-fil, his clothes are made from a old retro washcloth I got fom my grandma, and the beads on is clothes and hemp headband are repurposed from old jewelry. He's so hippie you can almost smell the patchuli:

Also, because of my love of puns, I also made a PEACE of toastee....a mini Mr. Toastee made with tie dye yarn and with a handsewn peace sign on his back:

Be sure to stop by the plush team blog to see all the other awesome entries and to vote for your favorite(voting starts Aug 16th).

A new Toastee Species Discovered - Peanut Butter and Grape Jellyfish Mr. Toastee!

Check this out! I stumbled across a new species of Mr. Toastee while I was vacationing last week in the Outer Banks - a Peanut butter and Grape Jellyfish Mr. Toastee! He was just chilling out on the beach when I saw him from afar. He consists of 2 slices of Toastee bread, a layer of peanut butter and a layer of grape jellyfish. He doesn't sting like other jellyfish and he's quite soft, not goopy. I heard that there are also strawberry varieties too, but I haven't found one just yet ^_^

This little guy will be available in my etsy shop very soon.....

Limited Edition Outer Banks Mini Mr. Toastee Keychains Have Arrived!!

I just got back from a wonderful vacation with my family to the Outer Banks, and was inspired, as I sat on our deck watching the ocean, to create some Outer Banks edition mini Toastees. They are limited to 9, and each was made by me as I sat enjoying the ocean. Each tan little toastee has a fun, beach themed button attached. Get yours here while they last!!

OMG!!! I Can Has Cheeseburger!

New in my shop...Mini Cheeseburger key chains. Pure awesomeness in a portable size ^_^

So awesome that even the Emperor wanted one:

My Next Creation for Stitch Wars....Wookie Cookies

Behold! One of my creations for the Stitch Wars show this year AND my entry for the Etsy Plush Team Iron Plush challenge....my secret ingredient was faux fur...very out of my comfort zone. I came up with wookie cookies, mixing my love of wookies and cookies ^_^ I even put squeakers in these little guys so they make noise when you squish them! All 8 will be making their way to Stitch Wars in July and will be available for purchase there and online as well! I have to laugh, as I seem to be on a Chubacca kick for Stitch Wars ^_^

As I mentioned, these are my entry for the Etsy Plush Team Iron Plush Challenge. Head on over to the Plush Team Blog for more info about our challenge and to see some of the other totally awesome entries!! I need to work on my plating...I'll make another post once I have perfected how I'd like to plate these guys!

Adventures in Needle Felting

When I was at the Fairy Festival this year, I bought an awesome pack of wool roving from Feederbrook Farms, which also including a couple of needle felting needles. I have always wanted to learn how to needle felt. This week, I watched a tutorial online on how to make a needle felted bead...that inspired me to break out my kit and have a go at it! Of course, I had to make a Mr. Toastee ^_^ Not bad for my first try, huh? I had a lot of fun with it....I think I'm going to grab a book or two and try to learn some techniques ^_^

Toast Wars

If you didn't already know, I am a huge nerd and I LOVE Star Wars. So, when I heard that there was going to be a show called Stitch Wars, which would be featuring handmade goodies inspired by one of the awesomest movies ever, how could I not participate?? It is going to be at Bird and Bear Gallery, and will run from July 19th through August 29th. Check out their site for more information. I have already seen a few items made for it and they are AWESOME! The bar has already been set pretty high for this show by Heidi Kennedy and Cutesypoo! I have completed one of my items that I will be sending to this show, and thought I'd give everyone a little peek! I made a Wookie Toastee:

As you can see, I even pulled out some of out old-school Star Wars figures to pose in the pic as well ^_^