Giveaway & Guest Posting!

Hi friends! I'm guest posting over at my friend Brooke's blog today. Come on over to Silly Mama Quilts and get inspired to add texture and spice to your projects.  Oh - did I mention that I am giving away any item from my shop just for leaving a comment on that post?    
:) Caren

Photo Shoot at the Park

Went to the park last week.

It was a beautiful day!

And I could not help but to take photos of my children.  I'm so blessed!

These little monkeys are so adorable (at times)!

Not to bore you with photos of my family.... I'll share some of my creations with you, too!  (I'm opening up my online shop next month, so keep your eyes peeled for a spectacular giveaway soon!)

Kitty Peanut (14" soft doll) with hand-embroidered face.  I love the butterfly print!

Pirate Peanut (with the same butterfly print fabric).

 And here's another Pirate Peanut, being modeled by my chubby 17 month old Sprout!

 Nana Peanut out for a stroll in the woods.

 Another Nana Peanut - with green hair! (Yes, my Sunshine is saying "Cheese!")

 This one has minky hair - and a tiny stowaway! 

Do you see the three blind mice?  How about baa baa black sheep?  

This one was finished AT the park!

Here's one of my favorites - me, sewing, Sunshine talking my ear off (trying to climb on me), Spunky being noisy and very active in the background, and off to the side (off-camera) being his typical quiet autonomous self, is my Sprout.  This is how I spend my days (though not always at the park).

Pocket Peanuts (3" pocket dolls / finger puppets)

 All of my kiddos LOVE the "peanut people"!!! 

 Pocket Peanuts come in a Kitty Edition, too!

Easy on, easy off - even for toddlers!  

Meow!

Did I mention I've got pirates, too?!!

I'm wondering how many of you got to this far in my post. 

Sometimes I have a difficult time knowing what to leave out.  

So if you've gotten this far, thank you.  

I appreciate you very much.  

Peek-a-boo!

May the peace of God, which passes understanding, be with you this week!

:) Caren

Fear and Peanuts

I pushed myself to go outside of my comfort zone today.  Some people fear public speaking.  Some people fear heights.  I, on the other hand, get a bit (ok, a LOT) anxious meeting new people, especially in places where there are NO familiar faces.  So today I decided to meet that fear head-on and go to a quilt shop open house "sew-in".  It was an informal "meet, greet, sit and sew" event here in town.  I have to admit I had a semi-serious argument with myself on the way over as to whether or not I was going to actually go or not.  In the end I decided that it was important to bust through the fear, and so I did.  I took my most favorite project, my Pocket Peanuts, to sew while I was there.  And lest you think I had forgotten that this is a blog where I share my creative things, here they are!

These are my original Pocket Peanuts.  They are a smash hit with my kids.  They're all shaped like peanuts (similar to Russian stacking dolls), and though they are called peanuts, they are completely peanut free (no allergens here!).  They are approximately 3" tall (1.5" wide) and are stuffed with non-allergenic polyfil stuffing, so they are fun little pocket-sized dolls.  [And in my best announcer voice: "but wait...there's more!"]

These little Pocket Peanuts are finger puppets, too!  They are made with a strip of elastic securely sewn into the seams, so little fingers (and big fingers, too) can wear them.

I have oodles of other things to share with you, but I have to close out this post for now.  I'll be back later with details on my shop opening (!!!!!) and more fun stuff!

Have an amazingly blessed Monday!

:) Caren

New Blog Layout

Testing, 1, 2, 3...

Hey all - I just tried to customize my blog for the very first time.  If you could send me some feedback I'd appreciate it.  I'm no graphic designer, just trying a new look.  Did I do it right?  Can you see all of the header?  HUGE THANKS, friends!!!

:) Caren

Pirate Peanut

Ahoy, mateys!  Anyone out there a pirate lover?  I've been working on my Peanut People, and here is the third in the series, Pirate Peanut!

I was debating on this particular Pirate whether to give him green or blue eyes, but my resident creative consultant/product tester (5 year old Spunky) decided for me, so blue it is!

Pirate Peanuts are approximately 13" tall (8" wide).  They are made from quilting cotton, fleece hair, and a jersey pocket.  Each face is hand-embroidered, so they are all unique (and well done, because I believe in working with excellence!).  As I mentioned before, the pocket is perfectly stretchy, just right for stuffing with tiny friends.  And friends we have. Lots of friends.

...but more on those friends later....

Have a great day!
:) Caren

Brick & Mortar Here I Come!

Hi again!  Hope your day is going well.  I just got word that HomeTown Toys is having their Grand Opening this Friday and Saturday!  I totally appreciate this shop - they have unique and made-in-the-USA toys.  You know - the kind of toys you can't find in Walmart.

Why am I telling you about this?  Well, I'm glad you asked!  I'm getting ready to send them samples of my creations.  Seriously, in a few weeks some of my creations may be lining the shelves of a special "Made in America" section.  Maybe somewhere by these fabulous hand-made rocking horses!

It is exciting for me, because it will be my first foray into selling in an actual shop, and not just on-line or word of mouth.  Squeal-able, super-duper exciting!  

Anyway, here's the details on the Grand Opening, in case you are going to be in northern Ohio this weekend:

HomeTown Toys 202 W. Third St., Dover OH 44622 (330) 343-8699

Grand Opening Friday 11am - 5pm and Saturday 10am - 2pm

Have a great week!

:) Caren

Kitty Peanut

In my last post I introduced you to Nana Peanut.  Well, here's her friend Kitty.

My philosophy in making toys is simple - I make what makes me happy, and pray that God uses it to make someone else happy, too.  That way I am, in effect, "creating smiles".

I do have design priorities, though.  Here is my short list:
#1. It's look must drive me to immediately say "oh, that is SO cute - I want one!"
#2. It must be so soft that I immediately say "oh, that is SO smooshable - I want one!"

How's that for priorities?

She is shaped somewhat like a Russian stacking doll (matryoshka), just like Nana.  And her pocket is just right for tiny friends, too!  (More about her tiny friends in a later post.)

I added my label inside her pocket.  Did I share my label with you yet?  I designed it from one of my sketches - it's ironed and sewed on - no rough edges!  (Some day I'll figure out how to customize my blog, and I'll incorporate this into my header.  But thinking about HTML gives me a headache.  I'd rather be sewing :)

And what kitty would be complete without a tail?  I have a couple more kitties in the works, and I'm thinking of adding an embroidered mouse to her pocket.  What do you think?

Sunshine & Nana Peanut 

I'll leave you with a funny (true) story to lighten your day:

My 2-yr-old Sunshine, upon seeing Kitty Peanut for the first time, exuberantly announced:

              "I love my Kitty!"

             "I love her panties!"

From my home to yours - have a very blessed week!

:) Caren