To all you Ghouls out there…….mwah, haha.

I have been enjoying looking at all the Halloween bedecked homes around the neighborhood,  that is something we never did in Scotland.  Oh sure we would get dressed up and go guising around the neighborhood……..but we didn’t just get to shout trick or treat for sweeties (candy) oh no we had to ask whether the family wanted a joke  a song or a magic trick and you had better have something for each one or no pennies for you!!!!  We also would Dook for aiples which consisted of putting apples in a bucket and your hands behind your back and using your teeth to get an apple……..this was considerably tricky if you had a deep bucket but it was said to ensure good luck for the year if you got one.  I highly recommend going first in this endevour as the water and apples were a bit gross after a few goes.  So anyway I figured I would share a little guy I made just for me……

I figuered he was the perfect Halloween acessory,  how can he not be he is the sorceror’s apprentice afterall!!!  I think I just needed to take a time out from craft show crafting and I really enjoyed making him,  although there is no way I’d ever make Disney stuff for my Etsy store (Disney is waaaaaay to scary to mess with).

I also got a request for an elk critter box this week……….what do you think?

elky  enough?

So have a spooky Halloween y’all!!!!  I mostly intend to watch ghost hunters live on the sci fi channel with all the lights out and eat pizza tonight……..what are your plans?

Wow this past week when flying by……..good grief!!!!  Seriously on Monday I blinked and it was Friday already.  I did manage to get done with another critter though

It’s Bob the reindeer and I can’t wait to hang him up at my craft show booth……I’m sure he will be an attention getter.   And yes you read right I said hang up at my booth…..you see we found a brilliant shelving unit abandoned at the trash by one of my non recycling neighbours so Markie spent Sunday afternoon hacking it up…….which did make me feel a little guilty but hey it was going to be trashed anyway right?

And thanks to the etsy forums (crafters are so helpful)  I have a plan to attach the posts to the table and have a hanging back display for my mobiles and critters………yaaaaaaay so much better than keeping my fingers crossed that the venue has a low ceiling or hooks in the wall.

I told you I got a brilliant commission when I was at the Handmade Market in Chicago?   Well I ‘ve finished him and figuered I’d let you guys see him…..

I think he’s so cool……and he has made me think about more smaller guys too.  I don’t know why I haven’t made a black santa before?  It seems so obvious when someone asks you to make something,  like a lightbulb literally goes off over your head…….”why of course…….why hadn’t I thought of it before?”  Anyway I hope the lovely couple in question like him.

And in the stabby world I’m just stabby, stabby, stabby.  Trying to have enough stuff for all the various upcoming shows and stores for the holidays……..I can’t wait to show you the guy I’m currently working on,   he’s awesome ……even if I do say so myself *blush*

I have fears…….and I’m not talking about the closet beasties (love those guys) and flesh eating zombies that seem to be prevalent at this time of year,  I’m talking about the fears of the “I’ve bitten off more than I can chew” variety.  I know, I know I want to do shows……..lots and lots of shows and it’s a good job as I’ve managed to get into a fair few the first one being in just over 2 weeks………..eeeeeeeeek

501 W. Ogden, LaGrange, Illinois 60525

then onto the Bucktown Bazaar a  2 day event in Chicago

then it’s my favourite show…….the Christmas Craftacular in Madison, WI

then it’s back to Chicago for the Holiday Show

So while I am of course very excited about my oncoming slew of shows,   I am also terrified at having to make enough schtuff to have people excited about the critters…………eeeeeeeeek!!!!

So I guess I’m going to be a very, very busy crafter……………but then again what crafter isn’t at this time of year?

a short post today showing you some goodies I’ve been making this week for Anthology….(I’ve been an incredibly bad vendor this month as I’ve been focused on hoarding critters for craft shows)  but I just checked my email and discovered I got accepted for a big craft show in Chicago…………eeeeeeeek!!!!!!

So I am currently very excited with the inkling of fear starting to creep in of not having nearly enough schtuff for a 2 day show in Chicago…………waaaaaaaaaaaa I’m going to be very, very busy (times a million).

Anyway I still intend to show you the new goodies for Anthology of course.

What can be more festive at this time of year than creepy jack o’lanterns?  and needle felt ones are a lot more hygenic than the real thing (insert a disgusting personal story where I had mini pumpkins for display in my apartment a few years ago and totally forgot about them and couldn’t figure out where the smell of rotting fish was coming from nearly a month later – eeeeeeeeeewwwwwwww!!!!!)

And also these lil’ guys

Living in Rockford I guess it’s a little odd I haven’t done an homage to the humble little sock monkey before huh?   but hey that’s me I like to reinvent the wheel at all times apparently.

So that’s it for now I’m off to run around excitedly for 30 minutes then panic for 10……….then go and make schtuff from now till Nov 29th……………eeeeeeeek!!!!!!

OOOOoooooh haven’t you got a filthy mind?    please raise it from the gutter please,  then I can show you what I was referring too………

It’s a hanging Chinese lucky cat I made by special request.    I won’t lie to you…….I LOVE how he turned out,  the whole time I was making him I was mentally thinking …….ooh I am going to keep him,  I want him for me  (has anyone else noticed that I am getting much worse for this?…….hmmm).   Well anyway he will have a very happy home and I feel that he will indeed bring good luck to his new owner Katie.

Last weekend I did the handmade market in Chicago and it was brilliant…….and I think I have finally fixed my booth errors of the previous weekend,  well what do you think?

I was much happier with how it looked,  but I realise I need a new tablecloth…….(the one I have is horible, and it wrinkles if you so much as look at it never mind fold it)  Anyway it was a fantastic show,  and the other vendors were all super nice  and it made me mega certain that I want to do many, many more.   I also got an excellent commision that I can’t wait to make and show you………needless to say it’s something I should have made a very long time ago……..doh!!!!

Thank god for requests it means my brain switch can return from the off position.

Excited……..yup I am so excited and I just can’t hide it,  no not because I know, I know, I know, I know, I know I want you (sorry couldn’t help myself)  but because of these guys

I wanted to make these guys for ages but couldn’t quite work out how to make ’em then finally the penny dropped.   I painted and varnished my little terracotta pots and used pipe cleaners to support them so it also means you can kinda play with them too……..eeeek I love ’em I might have to keep one for a pincushion for myself.  In case you aren’t quite as much as a computer game geek as myself,  they are piranah plants from Mario’s world…….you know the plants that chomp poor little Mario’s head of if he gets to close.

I am also excited about tommorow at the empty bottle……….

Stop on by and say hi to me and the critters if you are in the area we’d love to meet you.

Not that this is a surprise to you (or me for that matter)  but yesterday I definately took the loony of all loony crowns.  You see yesterday I spent the whole day knitting little scarves for my snowmen ornaments……and I’m not really a knitter but still I love how the wee guys look with real scarves so I reckoned it had to be done.  I finally got finished with this endevour at around 8 o’ clock just in time for project runway yaaaaaaaay.  Oh and incidently what the hell was up with getting rid of Jerell?   How mad was that?  I think he was the best consistantly throughout the entire season and while I wasn’t keen on his wedding dress his bridesmaid’s dress was a trillion times better than Kenley’s monstrosity……..I reckon getting rid of him just makes it easier for them to award Leanne the winner…..but hey that’s just my opinion.

Ok so back to me,  after a whole day of knitting and other tedious household chores (ironing, yuck)  I figuered I was done crafting for the day………..but then I got an idea for a mobile,   well I’ve had it before but it started nigling at me to make it so at 10 o’clock I started making this…

I mean I love how it turned out (although I do want to make a needle felt version too) but we all know I can’t leave a project half done which meant I was still sewing well into the wee hours of the morning………sigh I’m sleepy today……yawn

Still I really wanted to make the mobile to bring it to the  Handmade Market at the Empty bottle in Chicago this weekend although I will also add it to the shop too.

number one – If you have a little bit of a journey to your craft show, make sure you leave with plenty of time to give yourself as much time for your set up as possible………I thought we had done this but see number two

number two -  Make sure to get really good directions to the venue where your craft show is taking place,  or else you will drive around like a crazy person randomly shouting out the names of the passing cross streets hoping that something sounds familiar,  even though you have never been in the neighborhood ever……whooops

number 3 – I LOVE doing craft shows,   I had such a great experience at Indie in the windy city.  The other vendors were wonderful and the shoppers were fantastic and  it has really left me excited for this weekend at the empty bottle.   Above is a picture of Markie (who was the perfect helper all day thanks Markie) with my booth set up,  I had it set up showing the chaos effect in action,  actually I guess I learned 4 things this weekend….. how not to set up my booth but again see number 2.

So this weekend I am extremely excited to be back in Chicago for

So if you are in the area please stop on by and say hi to me and the critters.

It’s toad

Making Bub and Bob got me thinking about all my other favourite cute computer game characters which of course inevitably meant I absolutely had to make toad from Mario fame.

Wahooooo is his catchphrase,  it’s also mine as I am full of nervous energy or maybe it’s anticipation for the craft fair tommorrow in Chicago.  I’m pretty much organised as in everything is packed up and ready to go but I keep feeling the need to recheck the boxes…….eeeeek do I have everything?  oh shoot did I remember to put the (insert essential of your choice) in?    I am so freaking out which definately means I need to get much more craft show experience……..oh well at least I am working on remedying the situation right?

So if you are in the Chicago area please stop on by and say hi

Fall Handcrafted Market!!

Saturday, October 4^th 10-4p.m.

The New Friendly Towers

920 West Wilson Ave., Chicago

eeeek I am so excited…….