j is for jellyfish

Hehe. I have a feeling that this little guys tentacles and arms will be partially pulled off a year from now.

23 onesies

Ooooh got some project ideas flowing. I received 21 used onesies from a coworker who had twins a little over a year ago. They run from newborn to 12 months. And two more newborn onesies from grandma. :) So this will be the start of the onesies project.

finished baby shower invite

I'm overall pretty happy with the way my invites turned out. It wasn't quite as pictured in my head but it was still fun to work on and each was slightly different which made then really unique. The colors are the same as the baby room, a blue-green teal and gray with orange accents.

Now to hopefully get the projects for the baby shower done. Those include spray painting of little wood and metal cars, trucks, planes, and boats for decor. Tough part is trying to find cheap enough toys.

where the wild things are

Who didn't love this book growing up. This book was a favorite of mine when I was little and is a must on my list to get the baby. And now with the movie out, which I cannot wait to see, it just looks so beautifully done. I found this wonderful blog of illustrators and artist works inspired by Maurice Sendak's illustrations from the book. Below are some of my favorites from the blog Terrible Yellow Eyes.

i is for iguana

invite first color

I wasn't too happy about the ink I used. A water-based speedball brand ink I got at the art store. The print came out a bit messy then originally planned. But not too shabby for haven't done a lino-cut in about five years and with a homemade press. It was a wonderful feeling to be back into a print studio again.


inking the first block.

finnshed printed invites

The home made press. Made from the directions of a Readymade Magazine published a few years ago. We don't have a place for it just yet so it's sitting on my husbands computer desk.

h is for hippo

He could almost pass for a rhino too. hehe.

Baby Shower invites

This will be a two color invite cut from two separate pieces of linoleum. First the design was sketched out. Then design digitally, transferred to the blocks with carbon paper and I finished cutting the blocks this weekend. Although I wont have the exact same look as a letter press invitation, this still has a unique and personal touch to it. And now I can try out my new press my husband built for me.

g

There's a mini giraffe in a house plant.

f

This little guy was tricky. I cut him out without quite a complete plan for the back legs. But, he turned out great. He just rocks a little on his belly a bit.

e

This is the third elephant I've made. The first, of course, is in the title image. Made from scraps of fabric leftover from stuffed monkeys I made for my twin niece and nephew. And the second was made for my niece for her second birthday.

d is for duck

oops, forgot this one

I was so excited to share the first of the animals that were finished that I forgot to share all of the animals cut out. These are all 26 animals in alphabetical order, just not put together. With a few substitutes from the original sketch. M is now Moose and S is now Salmon. Had to throw in a few animals from my home state of Alaska.

c is for crab

Crab took a little longer to put together because of the way I made the legs. The felt was doubled, cut into triangles and then pinched while stitching to the bottom of the body. Just a little tricky to hold them just right. But now he can stand on he's cute little legs instead of his belly.

b is for bear, brown bear

I wanted to keep these very simple in design and construction. They just look so sweet. And like a type of meditation creating each of these.

a is for alligator

The first animal in the alphabet. All of these little guys are hand stitched from fabric squares and felt pieces I've collected in past years. The scraps from cutting the animals out will become a small cushioned play pad for baby.

a b c d ...

First thing that I wanted to find or make was an alphabet. And I couldn't decide on a print or maybe a set of painted letters to display on the wall. Then I thought, why not a set of stuffed animals. One animal for each letter. Learn and play.

hello!

I've been wanting to start this blog for months. And now finally, yea, getting it going. When my husband and I found out we were expecting this little one, and after the shock, the first thing I thought of was all the neat things I can make for him. Thus, the reason for my little blog here. To show all the wonderful toys, cloths and decor I'll be making and where my inspiration came from. So, please enjoy. I'm looking forward to sharing my work with you. Love, Jt.