Mimi the Mouse

There's a mouse in the house!!

Mimi is the latest in my Wee Ones collection. Thank goodness Esmeralda is on her way to New York City. I think there might be a bit of scurry if she was around.

Hello New York!!!!

You just never know what The Universe is going to send your way, so more than ever I am keeping my eyes open and practicing saying "yes." There's a lot to be gained and very little to lose by nodding your head and taking a chance.

The timing of my latest nod couldn't have been more perfect. In the last month I (as "freckles") have decided to develop a line of my own original "friends." The Wee Ones are now original concepts and designs ~ and let me tell ya' ~ the ideas never stop. (Especially when my friends start chiming in! ha!) The six developed so far you see here ~ Esmeralda the Cat, Randy Dawg, Honey Bear, Georgette the Monkey, Simon Owl and Pipin the Bunny.

At about the same time these guys were being created, I came to know wonderful Stephanie of Stoopher & Boots. Stephanie is opening a gift shop in New York City on May 1 and has invited a few of my Wee Ones (as well as some photographs but that is a story for another blog *wink*) to join her shop! I'm so excited and extremely grateful for the opportunity!

This week will be a busy one, running final designs and thoughts past Stephanie and getting them all ready to ship off to the Big Apple!

Thinking back a few months to the beginning of the year, I had an undeniable feeling - a very strong feeling - that 2010 was going to be a very, very good year. I'm here to say ~ trust your intuition!!!

Coming Soon...

to an exciting, awesome, crazy cool new shop - a real live brick 'n mortar store...

Simon Owl, E (Esmeralda) and Randy Dawg! Along with a couple of their friends.

That's all I'm sayin'. :) Stay tuned because this is pretty exciting!

The Cool Chicks...

are off for an adventure of a lifetime!

Thank you Preethu ~ I know they will love India!

Preethu has been making my sew in labels from Day #1 and I so appreciate the class she adds to my little guys!

Listen to the Universe. Be an Original.

The Universe has been tapping me on the shoulder a lot lately. Whispering in my ear. Now it has begun to throw bricks at my head (not real ones, the soft foam ones). I do believe it is trying to get my attention.

Because by some miracle - whether it be luck or hard word - my friends and I are beginning to gain more exposure out there in the real world (you know, beyond the four walls of my studio and the pages of Etsy). A couple of my bunnies auditioned for a television commercial in Hollywood a few weeks ago. Now I'm working on a consignment contract for a shop opening on the Upper West side of Manhattan in a few weeks.

The message I am getting is to be original. When my friends venture out into that big wide world, I want them to be truly of my creation ~ not a tweaked version of someone else's. So I have begun to design my own patterns and make my own very original Wee Ones.

I am specializing in Wee Ones for a couple of reasons:

• Smaller seems more manageable and easier to work with for now. I'll work up to larger guys later. Maybe. Or not.


• I can make good use of the endless supply of remnant fabric I have ~ thus saving the environment (by not tossing out these small pieces of fabric to end up forever in a landfill); and saving myself some cash (by using every bit of the fabric I buy); and saving my customers money (because if I save money, I can keep my prices reasonable). Win-win!


• Wee Ones can find a home anywhere ~ from babies who can hold them in their tiny hands to an office worker who can keep one on their desk and make them smile thru a boring day in cubicle-land. (I've been there and I know whereof I speak.)


• I just think they're cuter! :)

Now that I'm paying atention, I find inspiration at every turn - movies, cartoons, books, magazines, online, catalogs (for some reason I really dig catalogs...). It is so rewarding to sit down with a piece of paper and a pencil and start sketching. I look around my studio for things to help me trace perfect circles and ovals and squares. It is a challenge, but oh when I see it start coming together ~ it's just too much fun.

Simon Owl came to life yesterday. He started as a pencil drawing and 2.5 hours later became what you see pictured here. Be looking for his compadres in all sorts of variations ~ I see dogs and cats and mice and bunnies and all sorts of Wee round ones appearing soon. Keep an eye on the shop and see who's new in town! :)

One Year Ago Today...

Henry is the second little bear I created and my first sale on Etsy. That was one year ago today - April 10, 2009. I was particularly pleased because he was adopted by a dear and talented friend who has her own shop. He has a lovely home with her. :)

It was the beginning of a journey I never expected to find myself on. As I said in my previous post, I started my shop with an eclectic collection and quickly narrowed it down to what I really loved to do ~ create these little critters.

Thank you to all my customers for their ongoing support and the wonderful reception my whimsical world enjoys daily. My little guys have opened up doors I never even knew existed.

And it just keeps getting better... :)

Looking Back on a Year.

I just happened upon this while opening my photo archives tonight - one year ago today I made my first stuffed plushie/stuffie. Dotty was sent to a dear friend in San Francisco for her daughter (then about 9-10 months old) to "baby test." Fortunately Dotty passed the test and the little one adopted her with hugs (as well as Dotty standing up to a washing and drying!).

When I originally opened my Etsy shop a year ago I tried offering an eclectic mix of things I love to do - photography, knitting, stuffies. Eclectic - yes; but more so, I had begun to feel, confusing. During a trip to Berkeley/San Francisco in June of last year I spent one very early cool morning walking along the East Bay thinking about what direction I should take. I made a decision. I returned home, reorganized my shop and dedicated it to stuffies exclusively.

Over the past year I have been so grateful to see my customer base grow ~ and wow, what a banner month in March! I think I made the right decision. I woke up Easter morning and - with no little ones in my house any longer - told my husband, "Oh! There are children across the country waking up to my bunnies this morning!" The only thing that would make me happier would be seeing their faces. :)

I know I'm having fun and I've been fortunate to receive encouraging feedback; I've made good sales and am more excited than ever about what I am doing. I am now migrating into my own original designs ~ finding that challenging, but oh so fun.

So thank you Joo and Lena for being there at the beginning ~ and to all of my wonderful, beautiful, generous friends and customers on Etsy who have followed. You make me smile every day.