• Hello and Welcome! I’m Ella and I’m something of an artistic, creative, curious and fanciful spirit. I love vintage doodads, cuddly animals, pink squirrels, embroidery, soft sculpture, stuffies, books, words, history, tacky tourist sites and a ton of other random, quirky things that make up my world.

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All posts tagged stuffies

Stitched-Up Memories : A Tale of Two Bunnies

I have made many things over the past few years but I haven’t always shared them (mostly because I didn’t have a blog to share them on). I’ve been trying to get photos of everything as of late both to share here and for prosperity’s (and my design portfolio’s) sake. It’s also been nice to see how I’ve grown in my design abilities, my stitching skills and just in confidence and creativity. The two I’m going to share today are both bunnies (I have made more bunnies than almost anything else. Why, I dunno – they are just so cute!).

First up is this piece of embroidery. It’s taken off of two sketches of mine that I combined and then stitched  up with a combination of split stitch, chain stitch, satin stitch, stem stitch and french knots.  I haven’t yet decided what to do with the piece and so it’s currently sitting  in an embroidery hoop I have propped up on the radiator next to my craft room desk. It makes me happy to see it.

Next up is this sweet little bunny. This guy was an early practice in french knots. I decided that I wanted to master that particular stitch and so I did just that by outlining my bunny pattern with only french knots.  I then gave him a button eye and just this past Spring stitched him to a soft backing and added a handmade pompom tail. He’s been hanging on my inspiration board, though sometimes he’ll visit with his buddies (I made two fellow matching bunnies as gifts, only they are both stitched with a chain stitch and have no pompom tails – I hadn’t quite mastered the pompom yet and those suckers can be tricky…at least for me, lol).

So there’s a tiny peek into some past work. I think I need to do more of my own sketches and designs – not because others aren’t awesome – but because I really do enjoy the entire process.

Here’s to a creative day!

Namaste ~ Ella

1 Comment
by lawhimsy on October 24, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Creating Whimsy, embroidery, Stuffies
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Posted by lawhimsy on October 24, 2012

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/stitched-up-memories-a-tale-of-two-bunnies/

It’s Spooktacular

Sebastian is getting into it

The house is alive with the joys of holiday decorating once again – and it’s not just any holiday decorating, it’s Halloween spooktacular decorating!

Between the various ghouls and ghosties downstairs and the spiderwebs and bats upstairs, the house feels eerily perfect.

Of course, a certain sense of humor is needed to fully “get” the kookily delightful decor choices…

Though that is something that can be learned, I suppose, tee-hee!

Fluffy is thrilled to be back out and lurking about with her fellow creepy pals…

and the Sockingtons, Jack and Willyfred are back along with their Sock-o-Lantern pal…

Crispin is hanging about, though he gave his wings to Sebastian (as seen in my attempt at an easy-peasy gif above)

And my darling Jojo is in the midst of it all, demanding attention and adoration (check out her wee kitty tongue barely poking out – she’s such a sweet diva!).

Is anyone else having a blast decorating and enjoying the fun of the season?

Happy Halloween!

Namaste ~ Ella

3 Comments
by lawhimsy on October 9, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Images, Musings and Mutterings
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Posted by lawhimsy on October 9, 2012

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/its-spooktacular/

LaWhimsy Lamb and Cutie Owl

What a Busy Kitty!

Here it is, already the middle of September and Autumn’s official start is but a few days away and I’ve been so busy that I can hardly believe it! September, for me, is not only the beginning of my Autumn schedule – It’s also the celebration of two major birthdays (one of which is the always wonderful Glory’s). That means I have surprises and gifts galore to think up, create, wrap and spring upon the birthday ‘victims’. There are also Festivals to attend, Flea Markets to dig through, the house to decorate for the season and, oh so much more. In light of this, today I’m going to share a few past projects that wanted to introduce themselves…

This sweet lamb is embroidered on both sides in a matching style and along the top of her tiny head. I think that the bright colors I choose add such a charming pop against her white felt body. She is about 4inches long and 2inches high and she was tucked into a stocking last Christmas (yeah, time flies, no?).

In this view of the top of the little lamb’s head you can see a bit of the matching embroidery detail on her sides as well as her sweet head details. I ever so carefully embroidered that teeny-tiny piece before blanket stitching it on. I also did each side before sewing the whole thing together so as to match the sides up as best as I could. They are really spot on and I would show better proof of this had the pics turned out better (shadows can be so cruel).

This little cutie owl is all of 3 inches tall and He has some charming seed stitch and french knot details.  He was also tucked into a stocking as a surprise. The white felt is actually sewn on behind the brown to add some charming dimension and I once again added the embroidery details before blanket stitching him together.

Here they are chilling out together with the phone girl on my craft studio desk. I actually had to borrow them back for these pics, but their owners didn’t mind and Glory even got in on the action…

Great Shoes on the Lamb, no?

Yeah, we have our fun, lol! I hope you enjoyed these two cuties ’cause I have more to share and since one of the birthdays has passed, a few of the gifts I made can be shared without ruining the surprise (Glory, you, however, will have to wait until next week to see your surprises, bwahaha). I even think one of the gifts I made will become a freebie embroidery pattern, so keep an eye out!

Hope you’re all enjoying your day ~ anyone else been getting super creative this month?

Namaste ~ Ella

2 Comments
by lawhimsy on September 19, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Creating Whimsy, embroidery, Stuffies
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Posted by lawhimsy on September 19, 2012

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/lawhimsy-lamb-and-cutie-owl/

Teddy Time

Yuletide spirits may have long since faded into precious memories and the luster of the New Year has been burnished by daily activity but that doesn’t mean that the gifts made and given have become any less dear or sweet to share…or so I hope at any rate, hehe. This past holiday season saw me a bit less ambitious than usual when it came to gift making because my old, hand-me-down sewing machine bit the dust (I still have hopes of refurbishing it at some point and I now have a new one, but more on that in a later post) so it was hand-sewing all the way. I actually adore hand-sewing, however when one is on a rather tight time-line it can cramp one’s style and in more ways than one. With that in mind I decided that mini, hand-sized stuffies would fit the bill quite nicely and what could be cuter than a wee teddy bear (I mean besides a wee-anything. Tiny = Cute in my book any day!)? I grabbed some felt and went to work. I free-hand cute out my pattern so each bear is highly unique and then I used a blanket stitch to pull it together and then gave them string-jointed arms and legs. A set of small, black safety eyes gave a bit of soulful personality and *bam* a gift was born.

These are two of the bears - the blue one was my first

All-together I made 4 bears, although one had such a wonky set eye that I didn’t feel right giving him and so he was adopted by my sis and now has a wee pair of pipe-cleaner glasses.

This one got a tutu and ballet slippers

I also made a wee Zazzel (which is my Mom’s dear Maltese doggie) and did it ever turn out adorably (not to toot my own horn, but, hey, there it is).

See ~ How Cute is the Zaz?!?

All-in-all I am quite delighted at how nicely they turned out (though, of course, I can see about a million ways they could be better – isn’t that the way it goes, doh!) and the recipients seemed delighted as well and that’s what truly matters in the end!

The wonky-eye is on the other side and the glasses were off for this pic.

There are a few other, small things I made as gifts but they shall wait for another time. Until next I write I hope everyone has a lovely time!

Namaste ~ Ella

4 Comments
by lawhimsy on February 19, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Creating Whimsy, Stuffies
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Posted by lawhimsy on February 19, 2012

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/teddy-time/

Sock-o-lantern

Craft had a link to the absolutely sweetest Halloween idea that goes oh, so perfectly with my sockingtons – a sock-o-lantern! Heidi Kenney of My Paper Crane had the tutorial up and I simply had to make my own.

I think He’s a real darling and He’s already getting into trouble with the sockingtons (pics of that to come later!).

1 Comment
by lawhimsy on October 27, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Creating Whimsy, Stuffies
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Posted by lawhimsy on October 27, 2011

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/sock-o-lantern/

This is Lexie

Lexie is a little dear who loves all kinds of bright, happy things like balloons, puppies and ghosts (To Her they are very bright happy sorts of things, tee-hee!).

Her face is hand-stitched using a back-stitch, her cheeks are appliqued using saved bits of an old shirt, her tongue and nose have been touched with a light blush and her body and bow are made up of the softest of fleece. She’s 18″ tall from toe to tip of the ear and about 15″ wide from Cheek to Cheek. She’s one cuddly gal!

*all photos taken curtsy of  Photo-Glory~ check her out She’s awesome!

1 Comment
by lawhimsy on October 11, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Stuffies
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Posted by lawhimsy on October 11, 2010

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/this-is-lexie/

My First Attempts at Embroidery

These little guys were my first try at embroidery and I must say that I love embroidery! I made these as Valentine’s Day gifts and they are each around 3 inches by 2 inches (give or take :) ). They are named (from left to right) Foxy P. (tweaked from a stamp I like), Love Bear and Purple Bird (both from embroidery patterns by Andrea Zulli – BadBird’s) and Wee Whale/Bubby (tweaked from a pic). The backs are various fabric scraps I had about and the ribbon fob was added so that they could be used for any number of fun things. Everything was hand embroidered and stitched by your’s truly and all-in-all they each took about an hour to do. :)

Namaste ~ Ella

1 Comment
by lawhimsy on February 22, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in embroidery
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Posted by lawhimsy on February 22, 2010

http://lawhimsy.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/my-first-attempts-at-embroidery/


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