Showing posts with label Soft Toys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soft Toys. Show all posts

Mission: Molly the Mouse
Once upon a time, there lived a Mouse named Molly.

Molly was a vibrant Mouse, full of energy and smiles. She liked to chew on rubber cords, sniff inside her pet cat's ear, and nibble on her own tail. Her very favourite thing to do, however, was to play with shiny Christmas baubles.
Molly knew she was a special Mouse. She knew most mice had to live in small cages and run on strangely repetitive wheels. She also knew they had to eat very odd foods and that they weren't allowed to nibble on their own tails. Molly didn't think she would like a life like that, and Molly knew what she liked.

There was one thing that Molly didn't know, however. One very important thing.

Molly didn't actually exist.

Molly was merely a figment of her owner's imagination, but she was a figment that was slowly coming to life. But why slowly? Well, her owner, the Giant Pepperberry Mouse, was lovingly bringing her to life, but because Giant Pepperberry Mouse's Sewing Machine was currently on holiday, she was creating her by hand. And creating a vibrant Mouse like Molly by hand sure took time!

So far, Molly had two ears...

A nose...

And some arms...

All made out of this glorious Organic Cotton, Vegetable-Dyed, Hand-Woven, Fair-Trade fabric.

But Molly felt confident she would grow up to be a Big, Strong Mouse who would be able to play with Christmas Baubles and nibble on a tail that existed. She felt this confidence because she knew that Giant Pepperberry Mouse was on a mission: Mission Molly the Mouse!

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P.S. Would you like to bring your very own little Mouse to life? Visit the endlessly talented Jodie over at Ric Rac to download the free pattern!

P.P.S. Thank you for all of your entries in the Finki/Tuesday Tales Giveaway! Molly the Mouse has deemed that the lovely Kelly O. from John's Daughter is the winner due to the fact that the Finki Notepads remind her of her father, who has passed and whom she celebrated daily in her blog. See you next Tuesday for another inspiring Tale!
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3:50 PM | Category: , , , , , , , | 12 Pepperberrians Said...

A Happy Hedgehog Giveaway!
THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR ENTRIES!
THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW CLOSED.
THE WINNER WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY!

Hello gorgeous Pepperberrians!

To celebrate the launch of Pepperberry & Co.'s new artist interview series, Tuesday Tales, the wonderful Apple & Eve and I are hosting a giveaway! You could have the chance to take home your very own Tiny Happy Hedgehog from Eva's amazing range:
All followers of Pepperberry & Co. are eligible to enter (not a Follower yet? Become one here!). For your chance to win, simply visit the beautiful Apple & Eve store, find your favourite Tiny Happy Hedgehog, and leave a comment here telling Eva & I which Hedgehog makes you happy and why.

Are you so in love with the thought of owning your own Tiny Happy Hedgehog that you want extra chances to win? Ok! Do any (or all!) of the following and then leave a comment with the corresponding link:

* Post about the Tiny Happy Hedgehog Giveaway on Facebook
* Tweet about the Tiny Happy Hedgehog Giveaway on Twitter
* Blog about the Tiny Happy Hedgehog Giveaway on your blog

The winner will be chosen in a Top Secret (read: I'll make it up when I get there!), creatively inspired manner on the evening of this Friday, the 28th of August (Bangkok time).

Have fun, and good luck!

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5:56 PM | Category: , , , , | 95 Pepperberrians Said...

Tuesday Tales: An Interview With Apple & Eve
Welcome to Pepperberry & Co.’s Tuesday Tales!

As a crafter and small business owner, I am constantly inspired by my fellow crafters. Their stories, creations, challenges and successes all work to keep me motivated and to inspire me to dream a big crafty dream.

I have chosen to share this inspiration with you, my fabulous readers, through a new blog segment called ‘Tuesday Tales’. Every Tuesday, an inspiring crafter who runs her own business will be featured on the Pepperberry & Co. blog. This means that each week, you’ll get to discover new and exciting artists from across the globe, and will hopefully pick up some hints and tips on how to start or run your own crafty venture!


Today, we meet with Eva, the vibrant creator of the Apple & Eve brand, who is an Estonian girl currently living in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. In 2005, Eva was pregnant with her second son, and was looking to make him a special toy. She sketched a bunny, and her crafting business adventure began.

“After I sketched the bunny for my son, I went fabric shopping,” she explains, “but unfortunately, I came back with empty hands, because I didn’t like any of the fabric. So I decided to make a little white cotton bunny and embroider something simple and cute onto it.”

After the first bunny, Eva felt like she should make more of them. “It was just so calming and at the same time exciting to make little sweet toys,” she explains. Little by little, she made more and more bunnies, and after discovering Etsy and blogging, requests for other animals started flowing in. “After the bunny, there was a request for birds, then kitties, then hedgehogs...” she laughs.

Having a hobby and running a business are completely different realms, however. So what inspired Eva to take things to the next level? “Receiving positive feedback from customers, enjoying every second of crafting, and being in the awesome community of creative people,” she answers simply. The transition suits her perfectly. “My favourite element of being an independent crafter and business owner is the ability to make my own decisions about every little detail.” She ponders whether that means she is a control freak. “Maybe, but I just love to see things my way. The Apple & Eve way!” she giggles.
 Eva’s journey with craft began long before the concept of Apple & Eve was born. “I learned all my skills at school, where handiwork was taught as an obligatory course,” she explains. “From 4th till 11th grade we learned to sew, to knit, to crochet and to embroider.” Of these mediums, sewing and embroidery stimulated her the most. “Sewing is a very constructive medium,” she says. “You can create a whole three dimensional item from a piece of fabric. Embroidery is more like drawing or painting for me. Drawing with a needle, yes that’s it!” she laughs. “It’s also an unbelievably precise art. Every little stitch has to be perfect, so the result will look clean and perfect.”

To create her gorgeous critters, Eva goes through an intense process of research, sketching, and sewing. “First there is an idea of an animal,” she says, “then I go through many, many pictures of it- if I don’t have a certain image of it in my mind already.” Eva tries to capture each creature’s strongest characteristics, and then she sketches it “like a kid would do it- simple outlines, round forms, a few exaggerated details.” She also has to make sure her idea will be physically possible to sew.

The unique and beautiful embroidery that is a feature of Eva’s work is also inspired by hours of research. “I look at endless pictures and photos of flowers I want to make- Flickr is the best place!” she exclaims. After sketching her pattern ideas, she comes to her favourite part- embroidery. “Embroidering summarises the pleasure of the whole process,” she smiles.

The idea of making simple things for babies (and grown-ups!) is still the main inspiration behind Apple & Eve. It applies to the design of the toy itself and to the embroidery. Most of the flowers and plants you can see in the Apple & Eve store are from Eva’s own childhood memories, and reflect the things that she is most passionate about in life: “my family, good health, nature, good relationships, and sunshine,” she grins.

To further immerse yourself in Eva's lovely creations, track her down on her Blog, at her Etsy shop, on Flickr, on Twitter, or on Facebook.

I hope you've enjoyed your first Tuesday Tale! Stay tuned for more incredible artists over the coming weeks.

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9:33 AM | Category: , , , , , | 19 Pepperberrians Said...

Cute Softie Attack- Including Tutorials!
The best thing about having bloggy Followers is that of being introduced to a whole new world of creative goodness through every reader. When people leave comments, I usually check out their blogs, often end up Following them, then get introduced to other blogs through them... and the world becomes my crafty oyster!

Throughout my exploring of Crafty Blogland, I have found some incredible creations that I am just dying to share with you all. These are a group of softies that have struck a cord with me due to their uniqueness, quirkiness, and the pure joy they bring to my heart when I look at them.

First up is the super-talented Dotty from The Dotty One, who pops out spectacular new softies so many times per week that I think she's secretly a softie machine! In the past few months, she's created these adorable disco fish, multi-legged monsters, sweet little owls and Clive the Carrot. Check out her blog and shop for further inspiration!

Next up is the amazing Nikki from My Black Cardigan, who also bought you Tango the Magnet. Now, Nikki is always impressing me with her crafty talents, but there was one project in particular that blew me away: these softie replicas she made for friends who were celebrating their anniversary. If the miniature beach towels, pyjamas, bedtime toys and laptop don't make you squeal, then you're a hard-hearted wonder!

The talent must run in the family, because Nikki's sister Truj has also spoilt us with some softie sensations. Apparently, it all started with a mama pig and her bub, but then came a donkey, some chicks, a pair of womats, and a whole other array of gorgeous felted animals to make you never need a pet again. Too precious!

And finally, no list of Softie Inspiration would be complete without the Queen of Softies herself- the marvellous Jodie from RicRac.The imagination that this crafty wonder possesses has to be seen to be believed! A few weeks ago, she introduced her lucky blog readers to Parsley and Beet, the most handsome elephants to have ever gumbooted the Earth. Don't forget to check out her blog and shop for further cute attacks!

Surely after all that inspiration you're hankering for some tutorials? Yes? Good! For I have six delights to share with you today, and I can't wait to see the versions that you create!

First up, we have a delightful Dachshund and a lovely Lamb:

Then a cute Cat and Hoot the handsome owl:

And finally, a delicious Donkey and some mini Mice:

If you've ever wanted to create a soft toy and didn't know where to start, you've now run out of excuses. So, go! Create! Each of these tutorials is super-simple, well written and includes all pattern pieces and instructions. Enjoy!

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3:19 AM | Category: , , , , , | 20 Pepperberrians Said...