Woosh.. it's Monday AGAIN!

So much has happened this week.. First of all the Mortal Plush exhibit opened this past Saturday and here's Ginger!
Ahh! I still can't believe she's there looking all fabulous.. ::sigh:: I hope she sells.

In other fabulous news, I got my eyeballs from EnamiEyes in the mail and finished the poor, eviscerated Kracken - which I named Honeydew..

I told you the eyes are perfect! It was definitely worth the wait - and I never say that, being the most impatient person on the planet.

I also posted a new pattern in the shop today..

"Strawberry and French Vanilla Ice Cream Cone" - another zero-calorie crocheted summer dessert! You can purchase (or oogle) it here.

In the best, and most fabulous news, Michele from By Your Side wanted me to do an interview for her blog. She is such a sweetheart and it was absolutely flattering to be asked, how could I say no? You can read (and check out her fabulous blog) right here.

Hopefully, this week will be just as successful (maybe I'll actually sell something!) and jam-packed. Keep your fingers crossed..

xoxo

It is Monday, right?

I swear, days have been running together lately.. I hardly know whether I'm coming or going!

Ginger was delivered last Thursday to the Art Whino gallery along with her consignment form. I believe I made the right decision as far as the price is concerned so we'll see if she has any takers!

I also finished a new crochet pattern over the weekend that will be posted in the shop tomorrow!

"Peanut Butter" Get it? I know it's corny, but in a "Wow, that's totally adorable and I need it!" kind of way. I also have a couple of other patterns in the works.. and that's always fun!

We'll see where the rest of the week leads.

xoxo

Grr.. a Snafoo!

I don't think I've ever used that word before in my life, but I think this instance officially qualifies. Remember that picture a few posts back of all those legs and the mouth part (you know, the crocheted kracken that was supposed to be my follow-up Mortal Plush submission that I never finished and we're not talking about?) We'll I picked it back up again yesterday and managed to make a pretty damn good dent in it.

The head is going to be built back (you can see it starting to form on the top of the photo) and I was seriously on a roll when I realized the safety eyes I had lying around that I figured would be big and menacing enough... weren't. Ugh. I know. Trust me, I know.

So, in a fit of panic/rage I ordered these which are absolutely perfect from EnamiEyes. (I'm totally plugging her shop because her selection is fabulous! Go check it out, you know, if you happen to be making any oversized sea beasties that need eyeballs in the near future...)

In a way I'm happy the ones I had didn't fit because the new eyes are too uber-fab for words, but I really want to finish the damn thing.. I feel bad having left it practically eviscerated for so long.

For now, I suppose, I'll just have to keep bouncing along onto another project.. I'm definitely going to do a free pattern in July in honor of Bastille Day and I have a pretty good idea of what it's going to be.. I'll leave you with that.. ;)

Carry On My Wayward Son..

Before you all say anything, I won't accept any flack for the Kansas-inspired title of this entry so get over it.. and if you're really having issues with it, just think about it this way, I could have used "Dust in the Wind"..... Yeah. Now don't you love my title? ;)

This last week has been a busy and totally exciting one. Of course there were moments when all I could think about was the loss of my friend, but that's the way it goes. His memorial service was the weekend before last and seeing all the people that were such a huge part of his life and reminiscing with them made him seem so alive, as if he was going to just walk through the door any minute and call us all "dumb fucks" for actually buying into his ridiculous prank. It's the moments when I remind myself that he's never going to walk through that door again that are the hardest to get through, but that's when you put your nose to the grindstone and crochet through it. And, remember, I did say it was an exciting week, so bear with me here.

Tuesday I found out Ginger (my tri-headed hydra plush toy) had been accepted into the Mortal Plush show! I'll be sending her out tomorrow as soon as I decide on a price.. I have two consignment forms sitting here with two different prices, we'll see which one I end up sending.

And, in more super exciting news, there are three new crochet patterns for sale in the shop:

Siamese Cherries, double the trouble

Mr. & Mrs. Mushroom Secret Keepers

Cinnamon Bun with Extra Frosting

You can find them here in my Etsy shop! Aren't they adorable? I absolutely love selling patterns.. if only because I get to keep whatever I make. (I know it's awful, but I'm terribly greedy when it comes to adorable crocheted food)

I got my shipment of 200 9mm safety eyes in today so that means a chance for 100 new crocheted babies!... Hmm.. Now that I acctually see that number on paper, I think I'm going to need some more shelves... Oh dear. I'm going to go have some oatmeal, that always makes me feel better.

Woosh.. Star Trek

What a long and totally uninspiring week.

I started and stopped and restarted my follow-up Mortal Plush submission three times, I sketched and resketched my next Craftster challenge entry twice, AND I managed to come up with no (yes, I just said "no") new ideas. I hate weeks like that - they feel like such a waste! Lump on top of that the fact I haven't sold anything in nearly a month and I was just about ready to drown my sorrows in bags and bags of Reese's Pieces.

However! Thanks to copious amounts of Stargate:Atlantis, the release of Star Trek (which I went to see twice in a period of three days and wore my Captain Kirk shirt both times because I am, indeed, a total nerd), and way too many chocolate covered strawberries - I got my groove back. The plush is 1/3 finished, the challenge entry is designed and begun, AND, be prepared, because I will be doing a give-away this week.

More details to follow.. I may even amend this post later to include photos of the first stages of my new plush..

Look! Tentacles! and Mouth-Parts!

Of Mondays and Birthdays

So today was my Father's birthday... [Author's Note: For me that's sort of a loaded statement full of possible directions; I could talk about how his brothers and mother don't support him and how every holiday is a stark reminder of that, or how much fun we had walking around Kohls with a bunch of wierdos waiting for the restaurant we wanted to eat at to open, or how no matter how hard I try to make his birthday as special as possible, I never quite feel like I make it because his mind seems to always be on his aforementioned relatives. See? loaded.] I think that's all I'll say.

In other news, which is simultaneously annoying and exciting, the Mortal Plush deadline has been extended.. which means I can not only submit another entry but I can also have heart palpitations until June 22 when the official decision will be made.. So.. yes, it's exciting.. and, yes, totally terrifying as well. ::sigh:: At least I have some ideas.

In Lucy news, the voting begins on the 6th! As for the next challenge, I have some ideas for that as well... so we shall see. Glad it's only the beginning of the week - there's so much to be done!

Finished... sort of.

SO! The Mortal Plush submission went in yesterday and today I posted my Eggcellent Upcycling challenge entry... Here she is, Lucy, my sugar skull made from a plastic Easter egg..

Logically, I knew I didn't have a chance in hell of winning but there's always that little subversive voice in the back of your head going "You know, maybe you have a shot..."

That little voice shut up rather quickly once I saw that someone had made a 3 foot tall Dalek using the Easter eggs as the bumps. ::sigh:: Oh well, at least she's still fabulous. Can you believe she used to be an egg?!? Hell, I still can't.

And now we play the waiting game.. waiting to see if anyone is going to vote for Lucy and if I'm going to get into the Mortal Plush exhibit. The waiting is the worst part because there's absolutely nothing I can do but sit here and blog about it. And embroider.. at least that's taking my mind off of things. It's all too raunchy and scandelous for words. I should be posting the first of them tomorrow... I think I'm calling it "Excitable Embroidery." I'm also thinking of doing a give-away next week.. We'll see how neurotic I get over the aforementioned waiting and how much of a distraction I need. Again - ::sigh::

Contests.

I must be a glutton for punishment. The only thing I've ever won in my life was an afghan in a Chinese Auction when I was eight - nothing before that, nothing since - and this month, I've decided to dive head-first not only into the "Eggcellent Upcycling" challenge on Craftster but to throw my work, my Ginger, out there to be considered for the Mortal Plush exhibit (read more about that here: http://www.mortalplush.blogspot.com/). It's all so completely nerve-wracking.

I took another set of pictures of her today (making that the third). Here she is scouting for her next meal..

I hope she gets accepted. I think I may be crushed if she doesn't even though I know there are far more talented artists vying for the same slot I am. The only consolation I have is there isn't a set number of entries they're accepting.. I think it gives me a better shot. Or maybe I'm just telling myself that so I'll sleep tonight.

On top of that, I have my Eggcellent Upcycling challenge entry to finish tomorrow. The idea of the challenge is to take one of those dinky plastic Easter eggs and turn them into something fab. I think my entry's quite imaginative and cute - but, again, I haven't won anything since the afghan and I'm not holding out much hope that those Craftster people will like it. I've posted both Ginger and an homage to Tom Baker on there and I can count all the comments I've gotten on them on my two hands.. clearly they weren't very popular. And then, I look at some of the things that are popular with pages and pages of people saying things like "I'm hitting 'This Rocks' all over this project" and "You're super!" and I go "Really? Because I can't quite see it.." Maybe I'm just too far off. Either way, my entry is almost finished and I can't back out now even though I'm not sure which is more devastating - being too much of a coward to enter or going through with it and not getting a single vote.

I suppose what it comes down to is that I've never been a coward.. and I don't intend to start now.