|
|
 
Oh how much fun life would be with a teeny tiny animal friend to keep me company on my daily travels. He’d fit right in my pocket and we’d share inside jokes at the expense of the grumpy lady who works at our local post office… you know who you are! It’d be hard to choose just one though, so I think I’ll start a miniature animal reserve and invite them all!
I must say, I find the skill involved in creating these mini masterpieces quite astonishing. How these designers manage to construct these little guys with such intricate detail and character is quite amazing. The little panda on the bottom right is actually sold as a pattern, so if you’re keen to try your hand at making your own tiny animal kingdom, he would be a fun {and adorable} place to start!
That’s all for today folks, have a lovely relaxing Sunday afternoon and I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning for the next installment in our Oddball Alphabet!
1. Tiny Needle Felted Deer by Violet Pie … 2. Needle Felted Hedgehog by Chocolate Beans … 3. Pocket Pachyderm by Maisey Handmade … 4. Miniature Piggy by Chi Shan’s Workshop … 5. Miniature Amigurumi Bunny by Knitting Dreams … 6. Needle Felted Dog by Simply Smitten … 7. Miniature Sleeping Kitten by Loveable Treasures … 8. Just-a-minute Bear by Zsoleszlavszka … 9. Micro Panda Bear Pattern by The Kingdom on a palm
Today I fell in love with a bear. His name is… well, simply, bear… and he’s the handmade creation of New Zealand designer Minu. He looks like he’d be super fun to take on an adventure or snuggle up with at nap time. I’m digging his simple features and contemplative facial expression. As you can see from the picture below, he’s also very good at hide & seek!
Minu is an illustrator, toymaker and artist with a background in commercial design and architecture. She works with various textiles and has a fondness for storytelling. She describes her illustrations as “snapshots of strange and magical stories, triggering shared memories and handing the story back to the viewer for him or her to complete the tale”. I love this idea, as it speaks to the true essence of independent design.
As well as her sublime bears, Minu also creates a range of artwork and accessories. Here are a couple that caught my eye. These prints form part of the Lilu Series and are a limited edition of 26 prints. Each one is hand printed, and signed by Minu. You can also find the Lilu Series in mini stuffed cotton canvas prints, as pictured below.
Minu is based in Wellington, New Zealand but happily ships around the globe.
Hello friends, happy Monday! I hope your morning is off to a super start! Today it’s my pleasure to introduce you to The Kokeshi Clan, creative project of Ohio based underground artist Craig Galentine a.k.a. Muluc. I think you’ll agree that this is some mighty fine artistic work!
So it all started for me when I stumbled across the Ninja Kokeshi and thought to myself, that is one stylish and serene looking little dude. Upon further investigation I discovered Kokeshi Panda with his big beautiful eyes and round belly and was officially hooked.
Each design in the The Kokeshi Clan series is handmade from two separate pieces of wood (allowing for head movement) and is hand-painted with acrylic paints. In the collection you’ll find both iconic pop culture references, as well as icons from Japanese culture.
Craig describes his vision as “East meets west, complete with an ever growing cast of ninjas, monks, geishas and deities that traverse the globe on their appointed missions”. Keep your eyes peeled for more sculpted figures and artwork to come. We dig it!
You can visit The Kokeshi Clan online at Etsy.
Earlier this week I stumbled across a handmade toy label from Brisbane {Aus} called Esbert’s Collection. Being a die-hard lover of offbeat characters of the plush variety, I couldn’t wait a minute longer to share the handmade goodness with you. I do hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Each toy in Esbert’s Collection is handmade by the designer, a full time student and part-time maker of mighty fine crafty creations. I’m digging the quirky expressions, over-sized ears and little details like the hand crocheted scarves. The fabrics used are a mix of new and recycled bits and pieces. My favourite is the the linen plush bear above {to the right}, which is made from recycled linen from kitchen chair covers found at a lifeline store.
Esbert’s Collection is brand new to Etsy, so you can expect to see lots of new friends popping up shortly {and looking for loving homes!}
Top of the mornin’ to ya! Since we did black and white on Friday, followed up by a palette of beige on Saturday I thought I’d inject a splash of colour into your weekend. What better way than a motley bunch of pirate and zombie dollies from Camamiel? Side note: they’re making zombies sooooo much cuter these days…
These adventurous handmade dolls are the creation of Spanish artist Ana Camamiel who describes herself as a ‘music-dolls-stuff-comic-illustration-maker’. Her handmade dolls are fashioned from high quality felt and fabrics with embroidered smiles and detailing. Each one comes with a story, and is ready for adventure.
Above we have Storm the Pirate… a very shy dolly who loves to sail the high seas all alone. She has the ability to absorb lightening bolts, but they make her crazy and she won’t stop talking and jumping around until her energy wears out.
Meet Canela the Pirate… she loves to experiment with food and would make a fabulous Masterchef contestant. The only problem, her experiments often explode, make your tongue black or have you sneezing for days.
Meet Zita the Zombie… She tried to attack the pirate ship once, but as it turns out she’s not very frightening and they thought she was so cute that instead they adopted her as a pet! These days she chases the pirates around for fun and enjoys sausages for lunch.
Meet Ava the Pirate… the most ruthless of the whole bunch, but secretly a sweetie at heart. She never forgets your birthday and will send you a Christmas card every year!
You can find handmade dolls by Camamiel online at Etsy along with a selection of postcards, pocket mirrors, brooches and badges. You can also visit her website to check out some of her awesome illustrations and comics.
Bonjour! I hope your Saturday morning is off to a lovely start, croissants for breakfast? As you may have noticed, I’m somewhat addicted to writing posts about toys {a result of my unwillingness to grow up no doubt}. So today I thought I’d share a delectable collection of animals and other cuties from Fee Tartine.
Fee Tartine is a handmade label based in Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, in South-Western Quebec, Canada. The collection is made by hand from recycled fabrics with 100% wool stuffing. I adore the friendly expressions on each doll and the selection of fabrics is just beautiful.
Each toy in the Fee Tartine collection is a “4-in-1 doll”… simply flip the flap to reveal the other faces {i.e. smiling, surprised, laughing, sleepy} or animals {cow, sheep, horse and pig}. The animal flap dolls also feature related French rhymes.
You can visit Fee Tartine online to view the full collection of handmade dolls. Shipping is available internationally.
|
|
