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*

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.

has it really been so long since I added a critter to the menagerie?  I guess so,  thank god I finally got to it and made this little guy

Meet Vince,  he’s a vampire bat although he will try and persuade you he’s a fruit bat.  Don’t let him fool you though!!!  the only fruit I’ve seen him show any remote interest in is blood oranges and I’ve never seen such a look of disappointment on any face when given one.   He loves to go for strolls in the moonlight,  midnight movies and all night pharmacies.  As cute as he is he always seems to be alone,   care to go for a stroll?

Of course he will be added to the shop just in time for Halloween.

Holy cow batman……..to the Batmobile!!!!

Ok, ok I know it’s a mobile and it was a terrible joke but I just couldn’t help myself.   I felt the urge to make the little vampire bats…..too much Christmas crafting I think,  although I am happy to think I’ve got a good selection of new Christmas goodies and I can take a little break from Christmas……..yaaaaaaay she shouts rather smugly.  Anyway I can’t wait to add these guys to the shop it feels a little neglected right now.

Remember I told you something wonderful might be happening with my acorns?   Well it is indeed,  they are going to be in Mary Engelbreit’s home companion magazine for fall…….although it’s fall ’09 so we will all have a bit of a wait to see ’em………I’m still really excited about it now though,  imagine how hyperactive I’m going to be this time next year………YIKES!!!!

And anyone who knows me well, knows that is a very rare occurrence……but I ask you how can I not be when I received a beautiful surprise package from my Etsy buddy MissBea.  And just what was inside the package I hear you ask well it was this beautiful papier mache bunny

He’s such a beautifuly made lil guy (as all of MissBea’s pieces are)  and Missbea’s generosity just blows me away and I can’t possibly thank her enough……..or maybe I can hmmmmmmm?  anyway my new bunny is lovin’ hanging out with my Kinser toys……..I think the closet beast has taken a real shine to him

And just to show you I haven’t just been sitting waiting for surprise pressies to be popped in the mail I thought I’d share some new Christmas goodies I’m making

The penguins are little guys perfect for hanging on the tree and the snowman and santa are larger…..better suited to tabletop or mantlepiece decoration.   See I’m always busy in stabbyland.

You gotta love when Gordon Ramsey calls people donuts,  it’s almost as good as when he calls them donkeys.  I think these would make the perfect gift for him to give to his chosen verbal victims….

I told you I’d be sewing donuts last weekend……I’m loving them so much,  although I don’t really want to give them up.  But of course  I’ll add them to the shop and convince myself to make some just for me.   I love that I’m able to use my crazy ribbon stash for these guys (I’m a ribbon addict,  I’m not sure why but I have so much of the stuff it’s crazy)  Although I guess that means I should really go and buy some more…..you know……just in case I need it……..sniff, sniff…….I don’t have a problem dammit!!!!!  I just like ribbon!!!!!  crap, maybe I am a pussycat.

I also have decided to show you my new Christmas cards…….I was hesitating in doing so as these cards I will be personally sending to my friends and family this year…..but oh well how else will I be able to add them to the shop if I don’t share them at some point?  I’m counting on the fact that if I show them early people will forget I said I was sending them……at least that’s how my ADD mind works…….ooooh look something shiny,  what was  I talking about again?  errrrrrr!!!

I got the idea for making them from making a Christmas mobile,  which I still have to share with you…ooooooh exciting stuff.

This weekend is the Renegade Craft fair in Chicago.  I LOVE this show so much,  mainly because it’s a huge outdoor event with around 200 vendors and it’s on Division street which is such a trendy part of town you can’t help but have a good time at it and 2 of my favourite crafters Ekra and Orangyporangy will be selling there  so it will be nice to annoy them in a different venue.  Anyway we are staying for the weekend which is a double bonus……….eeeeeeek I can’t wait!!   roll on Saturday