My Trip to Tennessee

Just this last weekend, I went up to Chattanooga for the first time.  We were hosting two panels at Anime Blast Chattanooga.  Like all well intentioned plans, there are always little hiccups along the way.  This time we were a bit late in arriving, but regardless, we managed to have a lot of fun at the con and looking around Chattanooga.

Sunday afternoon we went to Lookout Mountain.  Here's a few of the pictures that I took while we were there. 

The dorky one on the right is me with my rock candy.  XD

New Products in our Etsy Store

Within the next few weeks we hope to have several new products available in our etsy store.  These products will be available for immediate shipping so no waiting for custom products to be made.  Here is a sample of one of the products that we currently have up in our store. 

For fans of Kuroshitsuji, you'll recognize these replica glasses made for cosplaying Grell Sutcliff.  The chain is handmade with black beads and resin skull beads.  The glasses have the lenses removed, but you can also request the chain without the glasses. 


Grell Sutcliff Cosplay Glasses and Beaded Chain - on Etsy.com

If you like these or would be interested in something custom designed, feel free to contact me and I'll be happy to answer your questions. 

My Favorite Doll From the Last Set of Commissions

It's really easy to guess which one is my favorite after you see this little guy.  I was asked to make a Sebastian Vael from Dragon Age.  Needless to say at first I was a bit overwhelmed.  All of the armor was not something that I could handle.  My partner (Miss Moony ^_~) knew exactly what to do.  So I supplied her with the doll and his base clothing, and she took care of the rest.

He is still wearing removable clothing, so if another outfit should ever be requested it would be possible to switch him out.  He was really very detailed and our customer loved him.  It was absolutely wonderful to know that everything we did was so well appreciated.

I'm filling up fast for holiday commissions, so now's a great time to claim your spot.  If you have questions or would like more information, please feel free to contact me via email or Facebook.

I'll take cash for that Zydrate!

Over a year ago, I had the luck of working with a shadowcast of Repo! The Genetic Opera. I had a lot of fun doing this show. I had done more theater work when I was still in school and it was great going back to it. One of the shows we did, we were able to invite the creators of the show Terrance Zdunich and Darren Smith. These guys were really awesome people and it was really cool getting to talk with them about the show and just life in general.

It should be no surprise that when I was asked to make a Graverobber plushie, I jumped at the chance. We had made a 26" one while working with the cast as a raffle prize to help raise money for the show, but there weren't any pictures of it. We made up for it this time with our latest commission.

Commissions are still open for November and December.  Place your holiday orders early to guarantee delivery.  Contact me via etsy or facebook for more information.

Music Break

I've got a few artists that I rotate through while I'm sewing and getting work done.  I just thought I'd share this one with you because it's such a fun song.  It makes you want to get up and dance (or in my case sew XD).

GERONIMO!

I'm always excited to get a new commission request.  Sometimes it starts off simply.  "Can you make me...?"  I haven't been asked to make anything that I can't really make so far (knock on wood ^_~).  This time it was a request for a cuddly Matt Smith.  How in the world could I say no? 

He's all set and ready for a new adventure.  He's just missing River to trail behind him and call him "Sweetie".  ^_~ 

I'm still open for commissions through November and December.  Christmas orders should be placed early to guarantee delivery by the holiday.  Feel free to contact me through etsy or my facebook page for more information.

New Products and Finished Commissions Round-Up!

Good morning! 

I've got a lot of great stuff ready to show to everyone.  So my blog will be busy, busy, busy once more.  ^_^  In the last two months, I've finished my wholesale order of 30 Rocky Horror Plushies, completed eight new dolls, and worked on a lot of new products for us to sell at conventions now and in the future. 

So without further ado, I'll share some of my new dolls.  I'll start off with several classic and beloved dolls that are really popular. 

We had two 10th Doctor requests, each in a different colored suit.  It was a lot of fun getting to make them, especially since the Blue-Suited Doctor had requested his glasses.  They were so cute!!!!

  

Commissions are open for November and December.  If you are interested in ordering a doll or any of my other products for Christmas, I highly recommend that you place your orders early.  Contact me through my etsy store or on my facebook page for more information.

Been a long time coming...

Okay, after my big wholesale order I sort of fell off the edge of the world for a bit there.  I've been going through some changes and we had a lot of work to do in preparation for a convention we had an artist table at.  Needless to say, I'm painfully behind on all of my communications, so I hope to begin to correct that immediately. 

First of all, I'm still sewing up a storm.  I've got several new dolls to show off over the course of the next week or so.  I had a lot of orders last month and everything has just been sent out.  I've also got some interesting new ideas and products that I'm organizing as we speak into our online store.  We're going to be offering a lot of cosplay accessories, jewelry, hair accessories, and soon a new series of fleece hats for the cold months ahead. 

So while I get cracking on organizing myself and getting as much work completed as possible for everyone, here's a sneak peak at some of the things you'll get to enjoy within the next few days. 

My Other Crafting Projects

I'm putting together a wide selection of different products to sell at AWA, and my partner and I are also putting together some unique accessories and jewelry.  I enjoy making simple beaded earrings, so I've got a collection that will be coming with us.  I'm starting to branch out from there, but haven't finished anything at the moment.  So here's a sample of some of what I have at the moment. 

Back and Ready For Action!

Dragon*Con was great!  I had a lot of fun with friends and was able to make it to one of the TNG panels that weekend so that I could hear Gates McFadden talk.  I was sooooooo happy since the first question asked was about the work she did with Jim Hensen.  *_*  If you didn't know, she did a lot of choreography for the Muppets, including the ballroom scene in the Labyrinth.  I was a happy little fan girl after leaving the panel.  ^_^

The Rocky Horror Plushies went over great.  Lips Down on Dixie were thrilled and most of them have been sold before Dragon*Con was over.  I'm looking forward to taking their next order within the next few weeks.

The finished collection of Rocky Plushies. These can only be ordered through Lips Down on Dixie.

Now that my little vacation is over, it's time for me to get back to work.  I'm in the process of putting together several new styles of dolls.  This is the first time I'm going to be working on several completely original designs.  Wish me luck everyone.

I've also got several commissions lined up that are taking high priority on my to do list.  I'll have new pictures of a 10th Doctor, Graverobber and a Dragon Age plushie to name just a few.  It's going to be a good month for me.  If you're interested in a commission then please feel free to contact me ASAP to ensure that I don't fill up before you can place your order. 

Short break...

Dragon*Con is the biggest convention in my area and it starts at the end of the week. As a result, I've been working quite a bit to make my deadlines for the con. I've got personal costumes and a lot of dolls to make. My wholesale order is due on Thursday before the con, so you can imagine how much work this is all entailing.

Needless to say, having time to actually write for the next few days is going to be nearly nonexistent. Once the convention is over, I'll be back in the game and have a lot of new projects that I'll be taking on. Over the next month, I'll be putting together a lot of new ideas and projects in preparation for Anime Weekend Atlanta, where I'll be running Moony Couture Design's table in the Artist Alley.

Hope everyone has a great week and wish me luck!  ^_^

That's me in my Tegan costume (Classic Who). I'll have that on at some point during the con. Maybe you can spot me there. ^_^

Inspiration

I'm a big fan of EGL (Elegant Gothic Lolita) fashion.  I'm not particularly one who'd jump to wear it, but I find it extremely inspirational.  I look at pictures of the fashion and immediately I want to draw or make something.  I found this beautiful photo on livejournal. Their entire photoshoot was absolutely beautiful. I'm ready to get sewing now. ^_^

What inspires you to create? I'd love to see the photos, videos, music, etc that helps you create beautiful art.

Busy Little Worker Bee...

I've been really busy trying to finish my wholesale order by the deadline.  It's not the easiest task in the world with hundreds of distractions all around me.  However I do manage to get a good chunk of work done on a daily basis so I'm proud of myself.

With Dragon*Con right around the corner, I'm starting to pick up my books again.  I've decided to start my bi-annual re-read of the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey.  If you haven't heard of it, the story is beautiful and extremely well written.  There's a little bit of everything in it from political intrigue, to fantasy settings, to well...the dirty stuff.

I get teased quite a bit for reading these books because they have more than a little sex in them.  Specifically of an S&M variety.  Obviously if you can't handle that, then don't try to read it.  I'm not exactly the sort one would expect to read this sort of thing.  However, I find that it's not really a story about sex.  It's a deep story with roots in faith and spirituality.  Despite what you'd believe, each act is described with grace and depth that you might not expect from a regular trashy romance novel.  The act itself is most times glazed over while the main character describes the emotional and ritualistic nature of being with that person.

I highly recommend this series to anyone that has an interest in epic stories that stretch over large landscapes, danger and intrigue, and a touch of spice to tie it all together.

I'm almost finished with the first book in the trilogy, but I'm already planning ahead to what I'll read next.  What are your favorite books?  I'd love to hear a good recommendation on what would be good to read next.

A Little About Me

Here's a quick getting to know you list of interesting things about me. (I promise it's short and to the point. XD)

Where am I from? I was born in Rhode Island, that itty bitty state in New England that most people don't know exist.

How old am I?  I was born on the day that John Belushi died.  If you want to find that out then you'll know.  ^_~

When did you become a geek?  I don't know exactly what started it, but I've got a pretty good idea that I can point the finger at my mother.  She got me reading a lot at a young age, and we used to watch a lot of Star Trek:TNG.  It just spiraled from there.  I would wake up at 5 AM just to watch the next episode of Sailormoon on TV, even if I had already seen it hundreds of times.  I watched Star Wars and at age 13 did the silly thing of writing Mary Sue fanfiction.  The crafty part would come much later.

What was your first crafting passion? Cosplay.  I don't know why but I went to Otakon in 2000 and was amazed by all of the people in costume.  I vowed that I would do that too and it's been downhill ever since.  XD  I started out with closet cosplay and have been making my own costumes for the last 8 or so years.

Me as Gilderoy Lockhart several years ago. I had so much fun grinning like an idiot and signing autographs for everyone. :)

Why I Think You Should Buy Your Christmas Gifts From Crafty People

It's not even September, but ever where I look, people are preparing for Christmas and Christmas sales.  So I've starting thinking about what I'll be doing for my friends and family this holiday.  I've already started plotting a list of things to sew and/or knit for them.  ^_^

If you haven't started thinking about your holiday shopping, let me make a suggestion for you.  Buy your gifts from crafty people!

These are examples of the great plushies that we have to offer on my online store. We also offer custom costumes and fashion.

There are many reasons that ordering holiday gifts from crafty people is a great idea.  However, the most important one that I can think of is that you'll be supporting small business.  I won't pretend to be a financial guru or anything, but I know that with the way things have been in the States over the last few years, we could all use a little help.  Supporting a small business owner is a great way to help us build up what we've lost.  Many people have lost their jobs and some of those people have started new businesses in the wake of those loses.  Buying one item from a small business means that they have more sales, which means they can spend more.  Spending more helps you in your job (maybe the person will buy from your company or from someone else that will then spend the money with your company) and helps other businesses grow as well.  It's a REALLY amazingly simple way to help others and yourself. 

It may cost a little bit more, but being able to make a purchase from a small business will also provide you with something unique that you can't get anywhere else.  You'll certainly make your friends and family happy when you get them something thoughtful and unique. 

I hope that when it comes time to shop, you'll give me and all of the other amazing artists out there a chance.  I'd love it if you looked through my store and then head over to all of the other amazing artists on both Etsy and Zibbet.

How to Get Started - Part 3

Pattern Help

Now that I have supplies and I've got artwork to base my design on, it's time to move on to cutting out the doll.  This will be my last stage of prep work.

The pattern that I use regularly is no longer available so I can't share that with you, but this great post from Plushie-Database on DeviantArt will help point you in the right direction. 

Keep details in mind as you cut out your pieces.  Some items such as gloves or boots/stockings can be added to your body directly.  For example: Frank has thigh high fishnets.  These were sewn into the legs rather than adding them as a separate piece.  My Chibimoon plushie (seen above) had her boots sewn in and I added a ribbon trim afterwards to complete the effect.  Collars and other accessories may work better if they are added to the body directly.

Now it's time to get sewing.  Good luck!  If you have any projects that you complete, I'd love to see them.  Feel free to send them my way!

Commissions Are OPEN!

Many of the dolls that I make are commissions.  Often times its great to get something unique made from your favorite series.  I can create a doll that is completely unique to match your favorite outfit or even a full wardrobe.  Every doll I make is slightly different as they are made by hand and often times made with just the supplies I have on hand.

The dolls I currently offer can be either 15" tall or 26" tall.  They come with fully removable outfits and accessories.  Their faces are hand painted with acrylic paint.  The hair is felt.

15" dolls start at $45 based on difficulty and materials.
16" dolls start at $60 based on difficulty and materials.

You can order a commission directly from my Zibbet store or contact me via email for a quote.  It will take approximately two to three weeks to complete once payment is received.

Preparations for Dragon*Con

I'm busy sewing as much as possible in preparation for Dragon*Con (held in Atlanta over Labor Day weekend). This is more of a holiday for me than a convention. We've been going for years now and I'm really looking forward to it. We always have interesting costumes and generally just have a lot of fun. I'll be taking a lot of pictures while I'm there of my partner and our friends. I do a lot of the product photos for Moony Couture and we've got a lot of new costumes to showcase.

I do make some of my own costumes, so I thought I'd share the one I'll be working on next.  ^_^ 

I'm really not usually one to do girly costumes, in fact I mostly cosplay as male characters.  However, She-ra has been a childhood favorite of mine and I've been wanting to make this costume for years.  Well I'm finally going to do it.  My spouse even made a Shadow Weaver costume to go with me so I'll have someone to fight.  :)

I'll try to share some pictures as I get it put together.  I'm hoping that I won't look too ridiculous in the outfit.  If I can at least do her justice, I'll be happy. 

My New Zibbet Store

I promise I won't be all boring really.  ^_^  I've just been trying out Zibbet and I'm really excited to use it more for my sales.

All of my products are currently available on etsy or Zibbet. However, I believe I may post more frequently on Zibbet in the future. I'll keep you updated when I have new products available.

My First Wholesale Order

I'm pretty proud of myself and my wonderful partner at Moony Couture Designs. We had our first wholesale order. It's going to be for Lips Down on Dixie, Atlanta's Rocky Horror Shadowcast. They'll be selling them at Dragon*Con this year.

They requested Frank, Magenta, and Columbia in the outfits shown.  There will be a total of 30 dolls available by Dragon*Con.  If they're successful, it's likely that we'll be making more of them in the future. 

How to Start a Plushie - Part 2

Materials...

I decided to devote at least one part to discussing the materials I work with and why.  I use a lot of scraps for clothing and accessories, so I won't go into much detail about that.  It depends mostly on what fabrics are available in our fabric closet (it's a pretty full one too ^_^) and what the character needs.

The two basic materials for every plushie I make are felt and muslin.  Felt is very common for plush dolls.  Most UFO catchers (those cute super deformed versions of anime characters) are made with felt.  They're also commonly very small, which makes them a bit hard to cuddle with.  Where's the fun in that?  I do like using felt for hair (and previously faces) because it is inexpensive and it looks much nicer than using yarn (which is another common hair option and the one I use only on my ragdolls). 

The bodies are always made with muslin.  Muslin is commonly used to make patterns and make dummy clothing.  It's a rough and undyed material.  That might not sound very appealing, but it is a comfortable material.  Once sewed up and stuffed, muslin will make a soft and cuddly doll perfect for sharing with your little ones and friends.  Just no pulling or serious rough housing.  As much as I love working with the muslin, it's easy to fray.  So far I haven't had any complaints about it, so hopefully it will continue to work well in the future.

I think I've got only one more post in this series.  My last post on How to Start will be about patterns and cutting out your project.  I hope everyone's liking these so far.  Please let me know if you have any questions and if I don't know the answer, I'm certain I can find someone with the answer.  ^_^

New Finished Dollies

I'm still working on my How to Start posts, but I thought until I finished it I would at least share with everyone the newest doll that is in my store.

This is the last of my Kuroshitsuji Ragdoll set, and he was definitely the most challenging.  Grell's got a lot of hair, so getting all of that onto his head was a fun job.  He's already up on my etsy store and is ready to ship out immediately.  Unlike most of the products on my store, he's ready made.  Most of the other products I offer are actually custom made when they are ordered.  I have a good amount of started plushies, so I'm trying to go through them now and add them to the store as I finish them.  

Last but certainly not least is the ragdoll I made for the winner of my raffle.  The request was for a William T. Spears doll, and I think he came out great!  I'm hoping that he'll be loved in his new home as well.  ^_^

How to Start Making a Plushie - Part 1

Part 1 - Getting Ideas

Having unique ideas of what to write about is getting harder all the time. I mean everyone writes about what they do and how they do it. Well, I thought I would try something at least a little different. I'm going to give you some thoughts about how I START working on a new project.

Every project is a little bit different, but since I create almost exclusively fandom plushies the first most logical step is to find a picture of what I'm making. I'm a heavy user of Google Images and Deviantart for reference pictures. Why would I use Deviantart? Well, I generally do this because there are some charcters/art etc that's rather well loved, but maybe for some reason I cannot find a full legnth image to start with. Fanart can be your friend. ^_~ Other times its simply because I didn't think to create a doll for a certain character and seeing what's popular there gives me a good idea.

This was the only image I could find that was "official" for this version of Vocaloid Miku. The rest of the design is me and ideas from others' fanart.

I'll admit, that coming up with something new is a bit more challenging for me. I prefer to work with other people's artwork and make it three dimensional. So I'd probably make a decent seamstress but never make it big in the fashion world. ^_~ I am eager to branch out and change my sewing styles. I've made no less than 75 of my fandom dolls so that's a LOT and despite it being over the course of several years, it still can get rather dull.

So I've been reading a lot of Stuffed Magazine (highly recommend but I wish they were more consistent in publishing and more frequent than two to four times a year) and just trying to experiment. I've made two new body styles but I've had to put them on hold due to the volume of commission requests that I've had at the moment. I have finished a project using one of the new body types that I made. You can see the box-y body style I drafted here. I was really proud of how he turned out. ^_^

This was my first attempt at revising a pattern that I had already. I'm still trying to decide how I want to do the clothing for this particular doll.

This is just the first part of how I start making my plushies. I intended to go into more detail regarding actually going through the steps of pre-construction such as collecting supplies and cutting everything out. I'll save that for my next big post. Is there anything that you think you would be interested in hearing about? I won't pretend to be an experiment by any means, but if I know the answer I'll be happy to answer or find the answer for you.

Updates All Around

Well, I've been busy as of late.  I wish I could say it was all on plushies, but this is not my full time job.  ;_;

But I do have new pictures to show off.  ^_^  My partner and I just finished a pair of Doctor Plushies that came out really well.  We've got another 10th Doctor (this time in his blue suit, which will be new for us ^_^) and a REALLY big wholesale order for Lips Down on Dixie for 30 Rocky Horror Plushies. Those will be available at Dragon*Con this year at their table.  I need to look into getting some tags for our dolls and would love some suggestions if anyone has some.  ^_^

Also just added two ready-made Torchwood dolls to the store.  Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones are both available and ready to go to a good home. 

Last Chance to Sign up for my Free Ragdoll Raffle

Welcome to my new blog.  I'm trying things out here.  If there's anything that you'd like to hear me talk about, feel free to let me know.  I'll be showing off my dolls mostly, but I'll probably have a lot of other crafting projects that I take on pictured here as well.

I've previously posted this on my deviantart journal, but I am still collecting entries for my free ragdoll raffle.  On June 30th, I'll stop taking entries for my contest, so now is a GREAT time to sign up.  There haven't been a lot of entries so your odds are still pretty good.  ^_~

Here's the basic information regarding the raffle:

I am raffling off one of my ragdoll plushies. The doll is currently blank and will be made in the style of my other ragdolls but with the face of your choice. You are not limited to Kuroshitsuji characters and can have a character from any fandom.

What do you need to do to sign up?

It's very simple. Post a comment to this post and you're automatically entered into the raffle. If you'd like more chances to win, you can post a comment to the post on our facebook group, and/or follow me on twitter. If you decide to follow me, please let me know what your twitter account is in a comment here or on our facebook.

It's as easy as that. I will close sign-ups on June 30th at Midnight EST. So good luck to everyone and feel free to share this with all of your friends. ^_^

(Note: Please leave a method of contact, either email or some other way of reaching you.  If I do not have a way to contact you, then your entry will be invalid.)