New item in the shop!

(No pictures of the maternity tops I made yet, sorry! Soon!)

Lately, I have been rather obsessed with all things miniature. Maybe it's all the tiny newborn size clothes I've been washing, folding, and putting away... especially the socks!! Everything is cute when it's teeny tiny, don't you agree?

A few years ago, I made my sister a miniature owl with a tiny clear pocket on the back for a photo. It has a ribbon from the top and hangs from her rear view mirror in her car. I've been wanting to make more for a while, but I didn't want them to be more versatile, so I finally decided to add strong magnets in the back instead! Now they can stick onto anything metal!

All the pieces cut out and ready to be sewn:

14 mini owls! I like how they're all looking in different directions. Kade thinks it looks like they're wearing glasses. Spectacled Owls, how adorable!

This is how big they are. A mere 2 inches wide by about 2.5 inches high! And the magnets are inside them, so they can't fall off and become a hazard for little kiddos. They are super strong, too!

All packaged and ready to go spread some owl love around the world! :)
Check them out *here*!

Sometimes it's good to keep secrets

The giveaway ends TOMORROW!!! You still have time to enter, just click here!!

I love hiding places... little corners and nooks, closets under the stairs, crawl spaces under bunk beds, secret diaries with combination locks, old boxes with hidden compartments... I don't know why, since I'm not the kind of person who has anything much to hide. I guess it's just the knowledge of being the only person to know about something. That if I DID have a secret that needed a safe haven, I would know where to put it!

That is what sparked the idea for this guy.


On the outside, he looks like an innocent plush buddy, a little pillow to decorate your bed or sit on your shelf. Or even to cuddle with!


But, he is hiding something. He's got a secret, and as you can see by the look on his face, he'll watch after it faithfully, day and night.


Are you dying to know his secret? Fine, I'll show you. Just don't tell anybody!


He's got a concealed pocket! It's perfect for all your special little treasures that need a safe spot. Maybe some extra spending money, notes from your best friend, pictures, who knows what else! This owl is a faithful keeper, and I hope his new human loves his secret as much as I do!

Parliament of Owls

Last night I only got about 2 hours of sleep, so me brain no worky today! There is hard evidence too...

*Invisible exhibit one (my exhibits have no pictures, so just use your imagination):
I was doing laundry today. Thought I was doing great. I heard the machine end it's cycle, so I went to change the clothes to the dryer. I opened the lid, reached in, and then groped around confusedly for second before realizing.. THERE WERE NO CLOTHES IN THE WASHING MACHINE. I ran the cycle without clothes.

*Invisible exhibit two:
Kade was going to lay down for a nap, so I took off his glasses for him. When he woke up, I couldn't find the glasses anywhere. After giving up the search, I opened the fridge to get out the milk. You can see where this is going. At least his glasses were nice and cool...

*Invisible exhibit three:
Late last night when I was not sleeping, I decided to list an Owl Messenger, and later this morning I logged into Etsy and found that I had titled it, "Purple and Gay," instead of, "Purple and Gray." Oooooops.

On an exciting note, I made it to the front page of Etsy today!!



Also, I am addicted to making these little guys. Now I have a whole parliament!

Newbies

I just wanted to take a moment and introduce some new little creatures, available (or will be soon) in my shop! First, there are three Owl Messengers. They are a bit more complex than the other ones (which will still be available by custom order).


Also, remember I showed you the prototype of a mini sock monkey messenger bag? Well, here is the finished product!!

(modeled here by Sofie, who still needs a home!)

I have made four of these bags so far, and have enough for about 10 more- then I will be out!

On a side note. It's almost July! Does anyone else feel cheated out of their time, somehow? It can't have been over half a year since last Christmas... what happened to all my wonderful plans? Somehow time passed by without me, and I'm trying to catch up. Is that possible?

Under Review!

A while ago, the owner of the review blog, Seven Dogs and a Baby, emailed me and asked if she could review my plush dinosaurs. I sent over a dino and a messenger owl, and waited. When I saw the finished review, I was more than thrilled! It is entitled:

Messanger Owls, Monkeys, Dinosaurs Oh mY!

She is really a talented writer, I was totally grinning my face off while I read her kind words.
I wasn't sure what kind of traffic this would bring to my etsy store, or if any sales would come of it, since this was the first time I have really been featured anywhere. I have sold 4 things since then, and had some custom order requests, and a possible wholesale order. For me, that's pretty good!!

I since have decided to make my messenger owls customizable, so people can choose their own colors!

That is the only option for messenger owls up in my shop right now, but I am working on more fun color combos. And possible, some additional designs. I was doodling owls the other day, and thought it might be fun to have some different looks! What do you think?

Now that I think about it, I think one of the owls is something I have already seen somewhere. My brain might have pulled it up from the depths of my memory. It just seems familiar. So far, top row #2 and bottom row #2, #3, and #4 are my favorites. Maybe I'll make an owl community. Some larger ones might be fun for holding books, journals, cards, and stuff like that. Or, tiny ones with a metal keychain on the ribbon. I'm making a giant one for a friend's son that is big enough to hug and cuddle or use as a pillow, and can keep his little lovey blanket in the pocket. Supposedly owls are not the "in" thing anymore, but they have always been one of my favorite creatures, and I will always be making them.

Tomorrow (or later this week) I will share a couple pictures from our recent vacation. Ever been "yurting"? *So* much fun!

First week of SPRING!

Well, it's been almost 10 days since I last posted. That is entirely too long! Here are some little tidbits on my life:

• My husband is now the proud owner of a Wii! I wasn't too excited about getting it, but I have to admit... the first night we had it, I stayed up 'til 3am playing Lego Star Wars. Making all the Miis was a lot of fun, and even K was excited to play. He is really good at the boxing (which is almost like working out!), and he giggles the whole time. I can tell I'm going to have to set a daily time limit on this or he'll want to play it all the time! I am really, REALLY good at bowling... which is odd, since my average score at *real life* bowling is about 60. Oh well, I'll take it! :) I haven't played Nintendo for a billion years. I used to LOVE it... all the good old games like Zelda, Turbo Challenge, Mario Kart, and Donkey Kong. I think some of these games are downloadable on the Wii. Just what we need, something else to keep us indoors! Don't worry, I set limits that many children and husbands would claim were unfair. And, the Wii is on my side. It suggests quite often to take a 15 minute break and head outdoors. They do care!

• It is Spring already, even tho the weather might not be cooperating. The days are getting longer, the chance of snow is still there but I can see a glimmer of hope that one day it will be warm enough to go outside in shorts and a t-shirt again! Fall is my favorite season, but Spring comes in a close second. It is just so nice to get out of the dreariness of Winter. Here are some pictures of some beautiful flowers from my sister: Coincidentally, today is National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day!!! Those are one of my very favorite indulgences, so I think I will have to celebrate.
  

• I have been working on some wallets (both girly and guy types), business card organizers and holders, needles and pins keepers, and some other fun things. Once I get my designs down, I will start listing some on Etsy! I also just finished a new design for my BusyFingers BabyBuddies. He is the green dino, and he is so cute: It is so incredibly exciting for me to see my little business start to grow! My things are being featured in more treasuries, and one of my sock monkeys is even on the first page of the Children's Gift Guide!! I also got my first potential wholesale order! All of this makes me so happy, because being with my son and crafting are two things that are very important to me! It is great to see that it might be possible to stay at home and earn a little bit of money at the same time.
  

I'm off to do more fun "at home" stuff, like laundry, dishes, vacuuming, and such! TTFN! :)

Messenger Owls

I figured it was about time for my very first post!
First of all, welcome to my blog! I plan to update with new posts every week or so. I will be putting information about my new crafty projects, showing you my creative process, sharing cool things I have found, such as free tutorials, awesome blogs, and more.


I made a messenger owl over a year ago and have been wanting to make some for my etsy shop ever since! I finally started working on a few. Now that I only work 2 days a week, I have much more time to work on my projects. These owls are pretty small - about 6 inches tall - and have a pocket on the back that is the perfect size for gift cards, matchbox cars, tootsie rolls, etc!
My son has already snagged the smarties and the Zune. I love the blue owl with the picture in the pocket - so much more fun than getting a picture in an envelope! :)
I put 4 owls up in my shop this morning, and more will be added tonight, before J and I head out to see Juno. I love the soundtrack to this movie, especially this song:



Such a sweet song!!



I'll leave with a picture of me and K, taken by our awesome new MAC. We were having fun with some of the effects... I'm going to have to bargain with K to let me use the computer from now on, I think! Between Photo Booth and Text Edit, he has hours of fun at his fingertips :)

Next week, I'll be adding some brand new items to my shop. I am really excited about them and can't wait until they are ready!