Ghosts in the Graveyard

I've been stitching like crazy to get ready for the upcoming holiday season ...

I've had inquiries about "bulk packs" of puppets for handouts in classrooms, so I created a "simplified" zombie puppet to include in the new "bulk pack" that I'm putting together for Halloween.

The pack will include 20 puppets (10 zombies and 10 ghosts) for $45 - which is the lowest price I have ever offered. I will having the listing up this afternoon in my Etsy shop.

a Bevy of Bears

This is what has been keeping me busy this week.   A large order of nothin' but little brown bears.   I should have them finished tomorrow, and then off they go on an adventure to Australia.

I find myself surprised, that after stitching 5,000+ puppets, I have not tired of stitching.   I never dreamed that I would have stitched & sold so many!

Crazy Busy!

Usually this time of year is slow for me ... but not this year!

On the stitching front ... I stitched my 5,000th puppet!   Wow!   I can hardly believe it.   I've had a string of large orders (hooray!)   I just sent off a batch of mummy puppets to be photographed for a Halloween spread in a nationally sold magazine (double hooray!)   and I have a small giveaway being hosted over at Bees Go Buzz.


On the art front ... I just finished making "Dotee type" art dolls for a swap at ATCsForAll.com.

I have several other swaps coming up as well (fun, fun, fun!)

And this weekend is the big Art-a-thon weekend at ATCsForAll.com, where I am hosting a crazy art making Scavenger Hunt!

Poe

I had so much fun making this little guy!   (He is now in my Etsy shop.)   I have had so many ideas about things to make lately ... I have a very long to-do list in front of me.

I thought Poe would make a fun character puppet.   I am just finishing the one-eyed black cat to go with him. (I already have a raven.)   I don't want to scare the kiddies, so I am still pondering the idea of posting the one-eyed cat.   He is cute & has a red X in place of his right eye.   Hmmm.   I guess I will think about it for awhile.

More to come!

My Mojo

Finally I am starting to feel like my old self.   My hands are almost completely healed and I am getting my mojo back!   I have a lot of catching up to do and am working double time to do so.   I had an inspired day yesterday and created this fun Octopus Pirate set for my Etsy shop.

I am enjoying a new button maker (fun, fun, fun!) and the notebook was a bit of a whim.   I even made little lined pages with a tiny Octopus Pirate in each corner to fill it.

I love this little set & hope that others will love it, too.

a Happy Thanksgiving!

Things have been busy over here in puppetland, lately. I will be working a few hours today ... but will take some time to relax a bit and enjoy the holiday. I hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving, as well.

a surprise!

Imagine my surprise when I received an email inquiring about the bride and groom finger puppets featured in the August '09 edition of "Wedding Ideas" magazine (United Kingdom).

What?   When did this happen?   How could I be featured in a magazine & not even know about it?   Wow!  

The person was kind enough to send me a scan of the pages where I was mentioned.   The article profiled a wedding for which I had stitched puppets as favors.   There was a nice little photo of one of my puppets and mention of my website and a plug for Etsy.

Here is my photo of the bride and groom puppets that I made for the wedding couple.

What a nice surprise!

Hedgehog Makeover

I really do listen to my customers ... I had a request for a "spikier" hedgehog & so my hedgehog makeover began.

The top photo shows my original style hedgehog, and the bottom photo shows my new and improved design.

Which hedgehog design do you prefer? Please comment and let me know. Should I discontinue the old version -or- maybe keep both?


*On another note, I have just been featured in "Uptown Baby Couture" blog.   Dedicated to what's Chic, Trendy, Luxe, and all the must-haves for Baby and Mom. Check it out!

some fine feathered friends

Bird puppets have always been popular in my Etsy shop, so I finally found time to pull some designs off my doodle pad and create two new birdies.

The BlueJay has been in my head for awhile, gently pecking at my brain. He was getting quite restless, so I had to finally let him out.

The Green Parrot was a whim. I looked through several photos of parrots - there are so many different kinds and colors! I opted for a green parrot as I was sorely lacking in green birds. I'm sure I will be creating more styles of parrot puppets in the future.

My current line up of bird puppets now totals 11: blackbird, bluebird, bluejay, cardinal, chick, chicken, duck, green parrot, owl, penguin, and robin.

a promotion and a giveaway!

Things have been a bit slow around the old Etsy shop ... so how about a little promotion and a GIVEAWAY?

Here's the promotion: Mention my Etsy shop (or something from my shop) on your website or blog - with a link to the shop/item and receive 10% OFF your total order (excluding shipping)! Tell me where you posted the link in the comment box when you order & I will refund the 10% back to you! Offer good NOW through June 10th!

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Here's the giveaway: Win your choice of any individual finger puppet from my Etsy shop. There are tons to choose from (take a look).

To enter, simply leave a comment for this post by June 30, 2009.
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Bonus: Mention my Etsy shop (or something from my shop) on your website or blog - with a link to my shop/item and receive 1 extra entry into the drawing.

Be sure that I can contact you. If you don't have a blog, please include your e-mail address. Entries from individuals with a blog who don't provide an e-mail and who don't have an e-mail link on their blog will be notified if they win by a comment on their blog. I will wait 48 hours for a response and then select another winner.

I will be selecting a winner on July 1,09 by placing a slip for each entry in a bowl and drawing a winner. Good Luck!

another completed project

It may not be as elaborate as the "Alice in Wonderland" set, but this "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" set is just as sweet. This was part of a custom order I finished today.

I feel so lucky to be able to stitch for my income. I truly enjoy my work and am appreciative for each and every sale - especially in these economic times.

Wonderland

I started stitching this set of puppets over a year ago and had tucked them away with plans to expand the set to include more characters. With CPSIA looming, I figured I had better photograph and list them for sale before they became illegal to sell!

They are listed in my Etsy shop here:
Alice in Wonderland Set of 5 Finger Puppets

I added a few extra details like a gold chain & trim on the White Rabbit's pocket watch, a pink embroidered flower in Alice's hair, crazy eyes on the Mad Hatter, and of course, a big ear-to-ear grin on the Cheshire Cat!

I am crossing my fingers for textile and thread exemptions in the CPSIA law, so I can continue to earn a living doing something that I love.

Help Save Handmade Toys in the USA from the CPSIA

How truly sad that my little hand stitched finger puppets will be ILLEGAL to sell come February 10th. It is not because they are unsafe, but because I am not able to afford the costs of the expensive 3rd party testing required by the new CPSIA law.

This affects not only children's toys, but ALL items made for children under age 12! If you crochet baby booties to sell on Etsy - you are affected! If you make hand bound journals for pre-teens, you are affected!

Read more about it here: http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/


=====Voting Has Closed! === Thanks for your help!=====
Please vote here to make a change: http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia

Amy's Stocking Stuffers

Looking for some great ideas for stocking stuffers? Pop by Amy's Stocking Stuffers, where you will find tons of great ideas. Scroll down to the labels in the left column, and you can search by price, giftee, and interests.

While there, take a peek at the fabulous feature Amy did on my little finger puppets: Creative Play / Finger Puppets by Cheryl.

Little Peanut

The fabulous blog, Little Peanut, has posted a featured article about my little finger puppets.

Check it out, here: http://littlepeanutshop.blogspot.com/

Over 3,000 Puppets Stitched!

Passing the 3,000 puppet mark is quite a milestone for me. My stitching has come a long way since I started making puppets in 2005.

I never thought that I would still be stitching away my days 3 years later. I feel so fortunate that I can do something that I enjoy every day ... and almost earn a living from it.

Good vs Evil

I have been selling little devil finger puppets in my Etsy shop for awhile now ... but I had a special request for an angel puppet, so now a little angel is joining the rest of the gang.

So far, the interest in devil puppets is far greater than angel puppets (about 7 to 1).
Hmmm... very interesting.

Maybe folks are looking for a little devil to blame for their little evils.   (I know for a fact that the little devil sitting on my shoulder convinced me to partake in a rootbeer float last weekend.)

some luck with photography

My stitching and photography skills have come a long way since I started my Etsy shop in 2005, so I have been working this year to update my product photos. Today I had some good luck taking this photo, which is now my most favorite product photo in my shop.

PS. Here is the photo I am replacing:



Quite a world of difference. I just love before and after makeover photos!

PPS. By the way, I don't have any special equipment - just an old digital camera and a spot next to a sunny window. The lake is actually just a piece of aluminum foil, the clouds are polyester fiberfill & everything else in the shot is felt and stitching.

Yeti Loves Seamonster

I love monsters and colors and fun! So being a participating artist at
Yeti Loves Seamonster was a no-brainer.

Featuring the most unique handmade goods for kids, Yeti Loves Seamonster is a brand new site with super cool stuff. Print some free coloring pages for the kids & take some time to read through the YLS blog for a laugh or a recipe. However this site evolves as it grows, it's sure to be fun!

400 finger puppets stitched

This week I stitched past my 400th finger puppet, which just happened to be an elephant. When I started making finger puppets last year, I certainly didn't expect to stitch that many of them!

Crazy, but I'm not tired of stitching yet ... Would anyone care to make a guess as to when I will hit number 500? Post your guess (one guess per person, please) in the comments below & whoever comes closest to the correct date and time (EST), I will send the 500th puppet to. If there are duplicate guesses, I will accept the one that is posted first. It may be awhile before I hit 500 (no hints), but I will post here when I have hit the mark.

Void where prohibited, no purchase neccesary, and so forth and so on.

PS. Can't wait that long for a finger puppet? Visit my Etsy shop & pick one up!

PPS. Spam comments will be deleted & no spammers are eligible to win!
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current guesses:
26 OCT 06 - sjmercure
31 OCT 06 - alexandria
04 NOV 06 - Violet
13 NOV 06 - jupitercrash (getcrafty)
23 NOV 06 - crispypigsaw (getcrafty)
27 NOV 06 - Heather
30 NOV 06 - jonas
01 DEC 06 - Funky Finds
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Contest Now Closed!
I stitched my 500th puppet (a little bat) this morning, September 21.
Congratulations to sjmercure, whose guess of Oct 26th was the closest!
sjmercure, please contact me so I know where to send your puppet.

Thanks everyone for taking a guess. I had fun and maybe I will have another giveaway, soon!