I am open for business!!

Hey folks. Sorry its been a bit quiet round here. I have been busy working and settling in to my new job. What was going to be casual/part-time has kinda turned into full-time Whew! So I am usually sleeping or working with little bits of sewing in between when I can.

I have finally opened my Etsy shop!! I am so excited and a little bit nervous. At the moment I have this feeling that my dolls aren't perfect, I could do better and thinking no body will want to buy them etc. But hey I'm just going to roll with the punches and just see how things go! I love making them and I want to be be able to let other people enjoy my creations as much as I love them. SOOOO first up is my pirate dolls! Gunpowder Pete and Squid Lips Sid! hehe


Last week I got my hands on a pattern created by Gingermelon Dolls. He is a tiny little bear who has stolen my heart! I cannot get over the cuteness! I will be making a whole lot more in the coming weeks. I'm calling them Pocket Friends cos they fit nicely in your pocket to join you on your adventures as friends do :)

So head on over to my Etsy shop and check it out here. Tell your friends too :) Keep on eye out for more softies and cuteness and fun arriving soon. I am on my way out to pick up more supplies soon. Today is a gloomy rainy day ( it has been for weeks now!) but it is perfect to stay inside creating magic :)

Vampire Doll

I had a request to make a vampire doll for Laura, a friend of my sisters. She is a hard core Twilight fan and it would be awesome for her to have her very own 'Edward' doll. So this here is my version of Edward complete with blood dripping fangs (so awesome!) lace and a bow tie. It was very hard to part with this little fellow but I knew he would be loved at Laura's home. And he was all ready in time for All Hallows Eve Ooo.oo.

Cute as a button

All of last week I had no computer to play on/waste time on! So I was head down sewing like a mad woman. It was great! Now that it's working again I'm back to sitting in front of the computer playing mindless Facebook games. I'm going to have to do something about that!
Anyways I made a gorgeous little doll that I am so in love with. She is cute as a button and I'm so happy with how she turned out. She's going to be all mine but I will definitely be making more.

Daisy Mouse

A new little critter has been hiding around my sewing machine of late! She has been stealing my buttons and stashing them in her hidey hole. She is a little shy but comes out of hiding when I sing to her and she does her little dance for me

I would like you to meet Daisy Mouse.

This is so True

Hello! Sorry it has been rather quiet here of late. Been busy with work and taking 2-3 day trips to wonderful places.
I have a softie in the works atm which I will show when it is completed. Still trying to iron out the kinks :) In the mean time I will leave you with this list that my sister emailed to me the other day....It is SOOO true :)

Enjoy!!

lovemandy xxx


1. I think part of any good friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realise you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive writing really necessary?

7. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died. And more about THEM than who survives them.

8. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

9. Somewhat bad decisions from your 20's make good stories in your 40's.

10. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

11. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

12. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Microsoft Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page document that I swear I did not make any changes to.

13. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this -ever.

14. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voice mail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run
away to Mars?

15. I hate leaving my house confident with great hair & a new outfit and then not seeing anyone I know or love the entire day. What a waste.

16. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

17. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

18. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring in my groceries.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a single word someone said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a DICK from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists. Especially the ones who drive 3-across at rush hour on busy roads.

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my ass everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

Cards

Have been feeling rather creative the last few days and came up with these gorgeous cards. Love the colours and looking at them just make me feel all happy.

Birthday present

My almost mother in laws birthday was on Monday and I felt a homemade present would be fun to do so I made her a little makeup bag, a 3d picture of a fairy and a card. It went down a treat! Especially the fairy picture as I know she really likes them.

I love this makeup bag I made. First time having the pleats too which just makes it. The colours really go well together too.

The fairy picture is made up of different layers to give it a 3d look about it. I love making these up, lots of fun even if it can be a bit fiddly.

Pouches

I am in love. This is my first try at making them and they are so easy and fun. I am going to make a heap more for some friends and myself. You can never have too many!

My sister choose the fabric colour for this one. It is now holding her pens for bingo I was browsing in Spotlight yesterday (as I do) and I found some bingo fabric!! I was really excited and began imagining how I would use it.

I really love this one. I made it out of felt so it feels nice and thick and cosy. It was fun to make the little bird to complete it.

This past week I have been trying to get over a sinus infection. It was bad enough to only let me have a few hours a night sleep and boy have I been tired and grumpy! Last night was the first decent nights sleep I have had in a whole week and I feel so much better for it. I must be on the mend

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Love mandy xxx

Two owls and a girl

Been trying to design some owls this week. These two have the same basic body shape but with different trimmings. The girl I was trying my hand at painting her face on. Still need more practice! They are all sweet just the same. Tomorrow I am going to try my hand at pouches! They look like fun.

Lunar Eclipse

Last night was pretty awesome. We had the telescope out to do some star-gazing and to see the full moon in all it’s glory. I noticed that a shadow had appeared on the lower part of the moon and after a while it seemed to get bigger. I said it must be an eclipse. So I jumped on the computer and googled it and sure enough we were having a partial moon eclipse where the earths shadow covers about 50% of the moon. Wow. Our friend took these photos below would you believe from his iPhone through the telescope. Took forever but they came out really good. We also found Saturn! We were trying out a new lens that was a higher powered one and although we had trouble keeping the planet in line because it was moving so quickly it was a very cool sight indeed. Saturn looked yellowish in colour and you could see its rings. The other night we were able to see one of its moons Titan as well.

The next full lunar eclipse is going to be on 11 July 2010. So jot it down in your diary as this only happens once every 18 years! The next one will happen 6 July 2028.

Sewing Machine

Good afternoon! I am a happy panda because I now have my very own sewing machine. My family pitched in and got it for me as an early birthday present. I set up my old desk which I hadn’t got round to selling yet (and I’m glad I didn’t!) It is a perfect size for my machine/work station. I have yet to book in for my free lesson from the store I bought it at to show me how to use it but so far I am doing ok with it and have already made two new softies.

This here is It. He was suppose to be a dog but I don’t think he looks like one! hehe. Here he is showing off my sewing machine

Say hello to Hoots the owl. I whipped her up yesterday morning in secret as a surprise gift for my mother to take back to New Zealand with her. Owls are so easy to make that I’m sure to make more. She is a wee darling.

Today is a cold and rainy day, perfect for staying inside listening to music while whipping up some more creations.

TTFN…. ta ta for now

Meet Molly

Wow it’s been almost two weeks since I last updated! But I have a good excuse My mum is over here visiting from New Zealand for a holiday and to spend some time with us kids. It has been nice to have her here as I haven’t seen her in over a year when she was over last. She has been hitting it up big at all the crafty stores on the Gold Coast and going to the Scrapbooking Craft show in Brisbane last weekend. She makes the most wonderful cards, I shall post some up one day to show you lovely readers how talented she is.

Anyways I have been working on a doll, trying out new things like wool for hair and having a go at making my first little dress for her. She is a wee darling and I’m quite proud of her heh

Today is quite exciting as I might be getting my very first sewing machine!!! It’s an early birthday present from my family. I am so lucky to have them as they are very supportive of my hobbies.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! LOVEMANDY XXX

Retro Monkey

Another finish. Another cute softie to add to my growing pile of toys staring at me while I sit here typing hehe. This monkey is from the book Softies, (man I love the library!) Mabel Monkey from prairiemouse.typepad.com. Although I have called mine Marco and my boyfriend reckons he is from the 70′s due to the colours I used to make him. I love him!!

He has been up to lots of mischief, swinging from my pot plants and playing peek-a-boo.

Piggy

I was browsing through the library a few weeks ago and I came across this awesome book called Sew Me, Love Me by Hsiu-Lan Kuei. It has all these wonderful softies to make. I quite liked the look of the Popo Piggy and here she is. I love her button nose, so cute!

Sunrise

This past week we have been getting up super early to drive down to the beach and watch the sun come up. It's just beautiful. There is a nice walking track too so with our walking shoes on we trundle along the path getting good views of the ocean and warming up against the cold. Although once the sun is up it warms up very quickly.

I am a morning person but it has it's downsides because I am so ready for bed round 8 o'clock at night!

Bunnykins

So I finally plunged ahead and decided to design my own little soft toy. He turned out to be a bunny with long floppy ears and movable arms and legs. He didn't turn out too badly although I reckon he looks a bit like a dog. He is cute none the less. I am going to make some clothes for him too since he is looking a bit naked and will add some personality.

Meet Emily

Finished my second doll last night. She is going to be a mother's day gift to my mum so I hope she likes her. She is all pretty in pink and she has safety eyes. My mum lives in New Zealand so Emily will be flying out there on Sunday with my sister as she is heading over there for a holiday anyways. And of course I am jealous! I might have to stow away in her suitcase.

Hello and Welcome

I wanted to start a blog on my new hobby of making softies. I have never tried it before until I came across this wonderful site The Black Apple. I decided to make one of her dolls that featured on the Martha Stewart show. She turned out pretty good for my first try. And she is all hand stitched due to not having a sewing machine and my mother lives too far away to use hers! I am currently making another doll to give to my mother on Mother's Day, which is only a week away so I had better get cracking!