5 Pinterest boards to follow: Making toys

It's April!!! :)

April is my month! 

I'll turn 38 at the end of this month. 

I'm very happy to be an april girl, because I love this period of the year and particularly these 30 days of spring, warm air, bees, flowers and butterflies!

April is often the month when we celebrate Easter, like it's happening this year. And Easter is very good to make some bunnies for home decor or to give as a gift. If you have some free time for sewing, you can try to make a simple soft bunny using my template and following my photographic "how to".

But if you're looking for other inspirations about toys making, I'm collecting in this post 5 Pinterest boards about this subject.

Not only sewing projects, but also toys made of paper, wood, wool and other materials. 
I love the idea to make toys by myself, both sewn and crocheted.

Since I'm mad for Pinterest, I have my board about DIY toys: you can find it here.

5 amazing Pinterest boards about making toys

1) Plush and doll, by Valentina Debbi

A very cute collection of stuffed and soft carachters to be inspired by.

2) Necessary cuteness (love this title!), by Sharon Rohloff

Super cute animals to love and take care of (Sharon's creatures included).

3) Recycled DIY toys, by Mammabook

An amazing parade of recycled projects to make with (or for) your kids. Cheap and funny!

4) Paper dolls, by Barb Braddy Henderson
Do you like paper dolls? This board is for you (and me, too!)

5) Craft Ideas softies, by Ihanna
Cats, bunnies, owls and... so much more!

Little snowman: cross stitch part II

It's probably toooo early for snowmen and Christmas ornaments, I know.

It's still summer here in Italy.

But I followed a cross stitch pattern to make a little snowman recently (part of it in the corner of this photo) and making a Christmas tree ornament looked a great idea!

So... this is the new item in the shop: a little soft ornament made of fabric and thread with an embroidered snowman on one side.

I added a red bead for the nose. Isn't it similar to reindeer Rudolf?

Two silver metallic buttons and a black cord to hang it:

Cotton fabric on the back in sand and white and polyfill fibers inside:

Do you like it?

I do.

But the most important thing is that making this kind of little objects makes me happy. Crafting brings me an important amount of happiness day after day.

My heart sings while working to my things.

Can you understand me?

Meet Sofia the whale!

 

When things go wrong, hard work helps a lot!

I worked on a lot of projects this summer to keep my mind busy and make less space to sadness and fear. And I'm going on, because it works well.

 

For this reason yesterday I decided to tidy up my fabric's trunk here at mom's home... so messy!

I also found some unfinished projects in it, left there where I moved to Sicily two years ago.

There was a little whale among them, dark blue like the sea.

I finished it and decided to give it as a gift to my little cousin Sofia (3 years old and a big love for soft animals)!

It's perfect for her, because she recently visited Genoa's Aquarium and felt in love with fishes :)

 

 

I designed the pattern by myself, but the final result has some problems.

So, if you want to make a whale for you, my suggestion is to look for a pattern (this one?).

 

 



The name of this whale is Sofia, like my little cousin. But for some reasons she likes best to call her "Uovo" (Egg). Kids! :D

 

 

New craft-obessions: pincushions!

After snowflakes and bows, a new obsession came to me: I started to make little pincushions and now I can't stop.

Help me, please!

:)

 

All started with a tiny linen leftover (from this wallet): a square abandoned in my box of embroidery tools waiting for its destiny.

As I saw it last saturday, a new idea jumped in my mind: pincushion! Why not?

I embroidered it with my usual themes (fields of flowers, nature, etc.), found a piece of fabric for the back, put all together and stuffed with polyfill.

Ta-daaaan:

 

 

I liked the process (and the finished object, too) so much that I had to make another one the same day, eh eh.

 

This kind of pincushions are very easy and quick to make. I love working on small things, expecially on squared surfaces; my imagination works well in finding different way to decorate them. 

Always welcome little embroidery projects to finish in half an hour!

 

I'm so happy for finding a new project for my fabric scraps!!!

I couldn't resist in including my new bird scissors in the photos! I bought them in my latest vacation, I was with mum, a sunday morning.

 

Well, I want to show you the other three pincushions I made.

 

One speaks about my love for hexagons:

 

 

My favourite is made of the same felt of my bunnies and has a motiv of shading waves. I made it for this challenge (you can vote for me, if you like it).

 

 

The last one has a hedgehog watching The Great Bear (Ursa Major):

 

 

They all have a brown back, except the hedgehog pincushion.

I've uploaded them in my shop (price: 10 €).

Why don't you make one for you?
Don't forget to show it to me when finished :)

Summer sales!

You already know (by my previous posts) that I'm on holiday!

I'm enjoying 10 lovely days at my parents' home, reading (Ken Follett's Fall of giants, because I love big books), crocheting, working on other Xmas ornaments in cornstarch clay, studying plants and sleeping :)

 

I'm trying to stay productive around my neglected shop, too.

AuntFran is making new crocheted pouches for it (I will be ready to upload them in the shops in 2-3 days, maybe!) and I'm refreshing photos, tags and so on.

 

I decided it's the right period for summer sales, too!

I'm offering some items with 20% discount; you can find them in 'Clearance sale' section (the price has been already changed, so buyers haven't to apply any coupon code... easier!).

 

They are:

 

1) Salmon and brown crossobody bag:

 

 

Discounted price: 21,60 €.

(here a blog post about it)

 

2) Elizabeth the giraffe:

 

 

Discounted price: only 8 €.

(she will celebrate her 2nd birthday next july!)

 

3) This moleskine cover (+notebook):

 

 



Discounted price: 12,80 €.

 

4) Camel and brown pouch:

 

 

Discounted price: 12,80 €.

 

5) Metallic pouch with chain strap, crocheted by AuntFran:

 

 

 

Discounted price: 20,80 €.

 

6) Shoulder bag with recycled lining:

 

 

Discounted price: 20 €.

 

The reasons why I'm offering them with a reduced price is that I want to make space for new bags/accessories I'm working on this summer.

I need clear space, I hope someone will help me buying something, eh eh :)

 

And now... it's time for another chapter of "Fall of giants"!

 

I'll love you the same, little ugly bird!

 

Following my wish to work around springy themes, I decided to make a bird with felt leftovers this week.
I drew the pattern and started to work with enthusiasm.

 

My intentions were also to use for the first time in my life some plastic eyes I bought here.

Embroidered details and a floral fabric for the tail looked like great ideas.

 

 

But this is what I got:

 

 

A strange bird with an ugly face!

Something went wrong!

 

But, hey, not only beautiful creatures deserve to be loved. Also imperfect men and animals need something who gives them love.

So, little ugly bird, I'll love you the same :)

 

 

It is now in his new place, near my craft (+study) table, with his new friends: paper angels I made two Xmas ago.

 

 

I'll offer him a smile everyday.

No matters it has eyes like fishes, a beak like a hook and an out-of-proportions bottom!

Making bunnies - behind the scenes

I like to take photos of me and/or my tools when I'm making things.

I have a lot of these snapshots in my folders and they want to be published, eh eh. Showing the creative process is a good thing, because it can inspire other people and make clear how you work.

To me it's important also because these photos leave a sweet memory of happy moments.

 

So here some photos of the making of my Easter bunnies.

Sweet memories of a quiet and creative sunday morning.

 

All started with a felted sweater: I cut off a sleeve and drew the pattern.

 

 

It's now time to choose coloured fabrics for mouth and ears: rummaging time into my tiny scraps bags, the messy part of the project.

 

 

Then I fixed crocheted heart by hands and the mouth with zigzag stitche at the sewing machine: the bunny is ready to receive its embroidered face.

 

 

After sewing the ears I "packed up" the bunny with pins and put it under the sewing machine.

 

 

Turned inside out... it's time to pay attention to the backside, adding a pom pom [*]

 



A happy finished bunny, proudly smiling close to the sewing machine... isn't it lovely?

 

 

[*] I made that tiny pom pom with a fork, following this tutorial.

Recycled felt for Easter bunnies

I accindentally felted a pure wool sweater in the washing machine last november >____<

I'm not a perfect housewife!

My cozy and warm sweater became small, but it kept (and even increased) its softness. I've immediatly understood that this little accident gave me a new and beautiful material to work with. 

Recycling opportunity, yay! :)

 

So I saved the sweater for futire projects and last sunday I cut it to make...

 

... Easter bunnies!

 

 

Aren't their back-sides super sweet?

Ok, I'm showing their faces, too! :)

 

 

They are simple and stylized bunnies, with long ears, a crocheted heart (made by AuntFran) and embroidered face.

 

 

I love how pink and turquoise give life to beige felt and also how these colors make a nice mix with brown!

 

I think they are a funny couple! :)

 

While making them, I changed a bit the original design: I added a tail and replaced the belly with the crocheted hearts.

 

 

Turquoise rabbit's tail is a tiny pom pom!

 

I made them using the pattern I designed some years ago and you can make them, too, because they are a super simple project.

Save the pattern here!

 

If you like them, but have no time or sewing skills to make them... you can buy the bunnies in my shop.

I listed them in two different pages: pink rabbit and turquoise!

Oriental style for mum's nativity

Mum often sends me photos of what she makes in her (little) free time.

You probably know she recently became en expert of corn starch clay and that she has a strong passion for all sort of nativities.

In the last photo I received I saw that she has been able to couple these two passions: she made a nativity scene with corn starch clay and other (recycled) materials.

 

 

It's a tiny scene (look at the measuring tape near it!), inspired by East (not strange, because she likes to set her nativities in all countries of the world, although this is a bit "historically wrong"!).

 

Love it! Oriental style rocks! :)

She made really a good job, so better than her first attempt.

What I like in all mum's works is the attention for details.

 

 

But now it's time to set aside nativities and other wintery/Xmassy things, because it's almost spring and Easter is approaching!

I hope to have time today to start some soft and stuffed bunnies I have in my mind for this season. I'm going to work again on the pattern I designed some autumns ago (you can save it from here or here, if you are interested).

Making softies... I really miss it! :)

 

So I'm working on bunnies for spring.

And you?

Did you find a theme to work on in this season? Flowers? Eggs? Chickens? Nests?

Let me know in the comment! :)

Starry night!

It's time for a new Etsy Italia Team challenge! :)

The theme chosen by Laura (Kosmika), "Starry night", really fascinated me and inspired me to make something "stellar".

I started this new little project while I was finishing my soft snowflake ornaments, so my stellar project has been slightly influenced by them.

Yes, I made other embroidered and stuffed ornaments, but they are star-shaped this time!

A set of three blue stars, dark like winter nights, enlightened by white embroidered light:

Do you like them?

I think they can be lovely for some home decor during Xmas time!

 

You can vote my creation (or the creation you like best) here.

Or buy my ornaments (and read some other informations about theme) here (SOLD OUT!).

 

Bye!

Have a good day!

Snowflake ornaments - the final post

The final post about my embroidered snowflakes has come, at last!

I wrote about them in three different places (1, 2, 3) and now I can show you how they came out.

 

 

After some reflections I finally decided to sew them as hexagons and stuff them with polyfill fibers. I made soft hexagonal snowflakes :)

 

 

The back of each ornament is made of a fabric whose colors are the same of the embroidery on the front. In this collage you can see all the hexagons, front and back:

 

I added some embroidery thread to hang them to the Xmas tree, of course.

 

The first snowflake was too big, so I haven't worked on it (saved it for future projects). But I realized a little ornament with the smaller snowflake (I like little things, you know it); it's so tiny, it looks like a younger brother:

 

 

I like all of them. It is probably my favourite 2012 craft project!

 

 

Now I decided to abandon my snowflake obession of a while.

But this project filled me with enthusiasm so much that I've started a new similar embroidery project, but it involves stars.

I'm making other ornaments, star-shaped and in only two colors (dark blue and white). Stay tuned! :)