Woah. Can you believe it's December already? Where did the year go?
As usual, the past month I have been busy busy busy prepping for the No Coast Craft-o-Rama. This year marks my seventh year at this great event (also WOAH). I'll have a dual booth this year, presenting both Plushroom Soup and Stardust Stitches goods. I'm still working out how I'm going to do the display, but whatever happens, I'm excited as always!
Here's a sneaky peek at some of the goods that I'll have available. . . .
Every year, the Plush Team participates in a little Secret Santa-style swap. This year we decided to push the deadline out to Leap Year, since the plush community is always crazy busy during the holidays.
My swap this year came from the super talented Chelsea of Love and a Sandwich! I've been wanting one of Chelsea's critters for a while now, so I was excited when I unwrapped this guy:
He's very snuggly and also very well made. Check out his details:
I immediately hung him on my little plush wall:
The space on the right looks a little empty, but I have some ecoLEFTZ and Yummy Pancake goodies to hang there. . . .
Anyway, my adorable little monster also came with a fabulous drawing:
I love how he's salivating while he thinks about tacos, which is pretty much a daily occurrence for me too.
Thanks, Chelsea, for the wonderful monster and drawing!
What happens when you combine two monster makers, one pattern from each maker's repertoire, and no instructions? A pretty fantastic collaboration.
Daniel Allyn Lee of Happycloud Thunderhead contacted me a while back and suggested we collaborate in some way. We decided that we would each cut out two of the same pattern, make one ourselves while sending the copy to the other person with no instructions, and see what happened.
Daniel is just as awesome as the fantastic plush he creates. We had a great time chatting and playing with our monsters. It's probably fairly obvious whose is whose, but just in case, here's what I made: 
It was so much fun seeing Daniel's take on my patterns, and how different the "same" creature could look when our own style was applied to it. I'd definitely do this kind of collaboration again!
I'm thrilled to announce my first-ever exclusive plush design: zomberries! I only made 17 of these sinister fruits, and I made them exclusively for Schmancy Toys in Seattle.
If you're not familiar, each month or so, Schmancy's owner, the stupendous Kristen Rask (also the gal behind the annual Plush You! show), asks a different plush artist to make an exlusive toy sold only in her shop. I was beyond excited and extremely flattered when she contacted me to participate, putting me in the company of such plush superstars as Robyn Fabsits, Michal Wright-Ward, and Leeanna Butcher.
I made two different sizes, with varying levels of decay. You can read more about my inspiration behind the design in an interview on Kristen's blog, and you can buy your very own zomberry in her online shop. But don't delay! Once they're gone, they're gone!
Last month, the ever awesome Adrienne at Crafty Planet asked me if I'd make a critter for another window display (you may remember she designed a yeti-themed window last winter). This time, she requested a giant octopus. I'd been wanting to make a large version of one of my critters for quite some time, so I was especially excited about this request. Here's the finished result, hanging out in Crafty Planet:
I had so much fun making this guy, I already cut out another larger octopus. And I'm definitely going to make time for a large yeti before No Coast this year as well. I'm thinking about 4' tall. . . . Frankly, I don't know why I haven't gone large before. The larger the plush, the easier it is to make. It seems counterintuitive, but I often have to fight with tiny parts to turn them right side out and get the stuffing just so. Especially with tentacles. Unfortunately, plushies are a bit of niche market as it is, and I'm not sure there's much of a market for supersized plush. Partly due to the expense, but also, what does a person do with a 2-foot octopus (other than display him in a window, of course)?
Anyway, I'll post pictures as soon as the window is complete. Adrienne has some super fun stuff up her sleeve for this one, and I think it will be the best Crafty Planet window yet. I even got a few members of the Plush Team to contribute, so it will be loads of plushie fun!
The Plush Team did a Russian Christmas plush swap this year, and I was lucky enough to receive a super awesome stegosaurus from Mary of ArtTales/LeftZ!
Stinson (as I'm calling him) instantly made friends with one of my cotton candy yetis.
Each one of Mary's unique creations is eco-friendly. She repurposes thrift-store finds for their bodies, stuffs them with recycled plastic bags (you'd have no idea if she didn't tell you! They're stuffed really firmly and are super cuddly.), and their "good" eye is made from layerd vintage buttons.
"Good eye?! What does that mean?" you might exclaim. Stinson isn't shy, he'll show you:
Hee hee! I love the wounded eye. It gives Stinson so much character.
Thanks again, Mary, for my wonderful stegosaurus! He will be cherised!
I've been getting into the Halloween spirit this past week, using fun seasonal prints on my latest creations, all for sale in the shop.
How fun are these dancing skeletons? This is Pablo, and he likes to celebrate Dia de los Muertos in addition to Halloween.
These owls aren't quite as obvious for the season, but I liked the subtle dark theme of their wing prints. I've recently made a small change to all my owl creations, thanks to a savvy customer: each bottom now has thick recycled cardboard inside, to help the owls stand up all by themselves.
And last but not least, I give you giraffelets! They're 30 percent smaller than my usual giraffes, but 110 percent cuter!
And for even more seasonal awesomeness, check out all the fantastic Halloween creations from my fellow Plush Teamers in the Plush Team shop!
Autumn is here and Halloween is right around the corner, which means it's once again time for the undead hordes to descend on Plushroom Soup headquarters! This year, I'm pleased to announce two new zombie critter designs: owl and alpaca.
These two creepy critters have landed in the Plush Team shop for Halloween.
But you can still get classic Plushroom Soup zombies too. If you order a custom zombie by October 1, I can guarantee Halloween delivery.
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:
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!
