Friday, December 23, 2011

Chevy - the little Billy Goat


Chevy is a tiny billy goat. Like all mountain goats he's extremely nimble and sure-footed and jumps easily from rock to rock in search of tasty morsels. Despite his small size he has a huge appetite and loves eating flowers.





He stands 3cms high which is only I,5 inches tall , excluding his horns.  His coat is made from beige medium-pile Sassy velvet and he sports a white flash on his nose. 


Chevy has black onyx eyes and long black lashes.
His nose is hand embroidered. Cream Alpaca has been rooted in to give him his goatee beard.  


His horns have been sculpted from Fimo clay which was baked hard in the oven. Chevy has large ears and a floppy tail which add to his baby looks. 





He sports a rust coloured collar with a small bead. I would have loved to give him a rusty little bell, but I'm afraid there is not one small enough to be found. 


I really hope you like him. He's a happy little goat!  By the way thought you may be interested in his name.......Chevy is derived from the French word 'chèvreau' which means .......young goat!!!




This will my last blog of the year. May you all have a wonderful Christmas - full of love, laughter and family fun; and I wish each and everyone of you good health and a blessed and peaceful 2012. 

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Jack Russell terriers - Lucy and Georgie


At last I have designed a Parson Jack Russell terrier that I am pleased with. This breed of dog was put on  earth to make people smile and be happy. They are spirited and feisty, loyal beyond belief, and just so darn cute. For the last 30 years they have been part of my home and my life;  bringing constant joy to our family. Samantha was my first, my introduction to this breed and she lived up to the reputation of the naughty JR.  She roamed,  barked at the full moon, had endless boyfriends.... the whole street knew Sam, and loved her.  Next came Lucy with her warm brown eyes, and broken coat. The minute I saw her I was smitten. A complete opposite to Sam, she was calm and unruffled, a non-yapper. Lucy had many litters during her 18 years with us - and Georgie was her last puppy - the  runt. Sporting her mum's broken coat and sweet personality she became my constant companion till her end, almost 4 years ago.She crept into my heart and soul and never left.

It was with these pets in mind that i designed this soft sculpture. Here are my first two.....yes of course....they are Lucy and Georgie


Lucy stands 6.5 cms tall and 7cms from nose to tail. She is a tan and white Parson Jack Russell terrier. Fashioned from white Sassy longpile velvet with white Alpaca rooted  in for her broken coat. Her markings are tan.


Her ears are tan ultrasuede and very expressive of her moods. Here she looks just a little anxious. She has tan mohair bushy brows like all hairy Russells!



Lucy has a big, black resin, wet nose and warm, soulful eyes. She is a glutton I have to confess and adores her food.  Her plumpish body is filled with polyfibre, and steelshot for weight. Her head is cotter-pin jointed and moves from side to side. Her limbs are unjointed. She stands well. 


Lucy introduces you to Georgie - short for Georgina, aka Georgie-girl, or Jubee. 



Georgie is thinner than her mum, and stands slightly taller at 7cms. Her coat is also broken and she sports a scruffy look.  Ears pricked to show she's alert ...and hunting!


Georgie is fashioned from the same colours and fabrics as Lucy. Her head is also jointed but her nose has been sculpted  from black poymer clay which was baked and shined to a glow - giving her a healthy look.

Her ears reflect her moods. Here she is appealing to you to throw her a tennis ball, or squeeze her squeaky green hedgehog toy.  She shows off her ultrasuede collar. Georgie has internal armature so she stands firmly.


a palmful of love and joy and puppy-breath.



Like all Jack Russells they have lovely little waggly tails. Both dogs have grey paws with needle - scupted pad details. Their bodies and faces have been hand-shaded, needle and scissor sculpted to give them their unique looks and expressions. 
Jack Russells dont like to stay home alone so they have been designed to fit easily into a small pocket so they can accompany you where-ever you go!

I will be making more of these but can assure you no two will look alike. The pattern I've created has many tiny pieces that  have been 'jig-sawed' together, and I couldn't get two identical no matter how hard I tried......but they will be similar. 

Orders are welcome. Email me to discuss.  Please note that they are for collectors and not for children or pets.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Macaron Therapy

Spending too much time in my kitchen is not for me. I've 'been there, done that' and have much better things to do  with my time these days.  Making macarons, however, was great fun and incredibly relaxing; so I did another batch.


Dark chocolate  with chocolate ganache filling .  Here is a collage of my efforts and I am super happy with them.Only thing I'm unsure of, is which are nicer.....the vanilla or the chocolate. 






Have a strong feeling this book and I are going to become great friends.  

Stay tuned for Georgie the Jack Russell......out this week.



Friday, December 2, 2011

from bears to Macarons

Oh the joys of changing one's font....now i have lost my entire blog from this morning. That would be just fine if I knew what i did, or what I did wrong, but I am still clueless as to where it all went. Well, on the bright side this "papyrus" font is  indeed splendid.

I took a break from creating my new jack russell design and headed for the kitchen to bake Vanilla macarons. Armed with my new book by Jill Colonna "Mad About Macarons.   I carefully and yes, digitally Jill, measured all the ingredients.

I followed  the clear, concise instructions to the T and was thrilled with my first attempt. Can highly recommend this book to anyone who loves macarons . Why pay a fortune for these delectable treats if you can make them yourself.  Here are some pics .


checking the consistency of the macaronage

ready for oven

Pippa as keen as I am


filled with fragrant vanilla pastry cream and ready for eating








I changed my font at thecutestblogontheblock.com

Friday, November 25, 2011

so now what?

We all know where our strengths and weaknesses lie, and I am no different. Writing has never been a strong point for me.....so why am I doing this blog?  Do i have anything interesting to say about soft sculptures that hasn't been said before?  I think not. It does however provide me with a showcase for my bears and animals, and i am extremely grateful for that.  


Soooo I've decided to only write when i have something to show and to steer away from personal side of things.


Today i finished a second fox. I'm not sure i like him more than my first one, but from each new creation i will learn something new. With this one i was experimenting with widening the cheek and muzzle area, and i was happy with the results.  My husband was critical and said the legs are too fat........so it will be back to the drawing board again!  Here he is ....enjoying the sunshine in my garden.



Fox is fashioned from rich red-brown, white and black Sassy longpile velvet. He is fully jointed and poseable.

 His nose is leather and his eyes are jet-black German glass.


 Like all foxes he loves the outdoors and can be seen soaking up the beautiful sunshine.







Wednesday, November 23, 2011

starting a blog is hard work

I though i was reasonably 'au fait' with technology, but apparently not. This little blog has taken me the whole morning to set up.  Who knew downloading, or is it uploading??  the photos could be so involved. First they were too big, then too small........but perseverance finally paid off and I'm happy. Its so sweet to see all my babies sitting so pretty on my page. I hope you enjoy looking at them. 




Past creations

best friend series
Panda available at www.etsy.com/people/Eddybare




elephant with up and down trunks

kangaroo

felix the tuxedo kitty


Remy the rat

Remy's fingers and toes took me 2 days!!!


red-gold fox is available at www.etsy.com/people/Eddybare

duckling available at www.etsy.com/people/Eddybare

foxy available at www.etsy.com/people/Eddybare


2 of my oldest bears

two of my first bears made way back then


some of my earlies creations - still very dear to me


My latest bear

Mouse

mouse