2.27.2008

In progress: White Rabbits

My Etsy shop, Follow The White Rabbit, has been open for over a year now, without having any white rabbits for sale! With Easter coming up, I thought it was a good time to launch the white rabbit line of plush! So here is a little sneak peek of what they'll look like. The bunny in the pic below is almost finished, he just needs a face. ^_^



Here are the 6 in-progress white rabbits that should be finished in about a week. ^_^ Look at all those limbs!

2.13.2008

Etsy: 5 original paintings

I recently found 5 paintings stored away in one of my boxes in the closet (it's amazing what treasures you find when cleaning up, lol). I painted these back in 2001, and because they were tucked away in a box for so long, I think it's time to part with them. So, I've listed them in my Etsy shop. If they don't sell, I'm going to paint over them with new images instead. My favourite one is "The Seer", on the top left, so I may keep that if it remains unsold. They're all painted with acrylic paint on canvas, and the faerie wings are painted with pink glittery puffy paint. The pink plastic star (on the painting on the top right) is glued to the canvas, and glows in the dark. All the faeries have glitter on them, cause that's how faeries are. ^_~



1. The Seer - She holds a black raven in her hands, and can see our fate. She quietly exists among the stars.
2. Faerie of Love - She is full of passion and lust, and likes to blow kisses at everyone.
3. Faerie of the Air - She likes to glide along the wind currents until she find the most perfect cloud to have a nap on.
4. Purple Faerie - She is a saucy and confident creature, and likes to push your buttons. ^_^
5. Nimue - She is one of The Lady of The Lake's many names. In this painting, Nimue is on top of a windy hill, gazing into a ball of light. The zodiac sign "Gemini" floats above her head.

2.12.2008

In progress: Matryoshka fridge magnet plushie & Tea Bag plushie

This is a prototype I made of a Matryoshka, for a line of fridge magnet plushies that I'm working on. The proportions need to be worked out some more before the design is finalized. Those beady eyes make me laugh, but I kinda like them. :P I chose the Matryoshka because I love the simplified design. My Mom always had a set of wooden Russian Nesting Dolls somewhere in the house, so they are a very familliar object to me. Kokeshi & Daruma (both Japanese wooden dolls), are also on the same level of awesome as Matryoshka's are, but I decided to go with the Russian influence this time. (If this isn't the best bottle design concept, then I seriously don't know what is!)



Here is the Matryoshka infront of a page of sketches I did. As you can see, I'm still thinking about that tea bag plushie, too! (After this pic was taken, my kitty batted the Matryoskha around for a while, lol.)



I haven't posted this sketch here yet, and I think now's the time. I want to eventually make a tea bag plushie, too! I think it could be cute on its own, or as a fridge magnet plushie. I was raised on tea, and drink probably more than I should, so the tea bag is very much a part of my everyday life! ^_^ I think it's a natural inspiration.



Anyways, that's a little sneak peek at what's to come. I'll post the finalized designs when they're ready. ^_^

2.07.2008

Etsy: Follow The White Rabbit adds 7 new Deer

I've just finished sewing a batch of 7 deer for my Etsy shop! ^_^ This time I was inspired by faded vintage colours. After working on these deer for a few days, I realized where my inspiration had come from. I've been so excited about going to see Audrey Kawasaki's upcoming show at the Copro Nason Gallery in Santa Monica, that I subconsciously used Audrey's palette on my deer! Inspiration really can come from all places! ^_^

The last deer is Lily, a Gothic Deer. Lily had actually been finished for a while (she's made a sneaky appearance in a few of my studio pics), but I didn't know how I wanted to finish her off yet. I tried experimenting with red stitching, to give her a slashed look, which I hope I've achieved without making her look too grotesque.

2.06.2008

Follow The White Rabbit is 1 year old!

ACK! I've been away for nearly a month! >_> Firstly, I promise never to do that again, and secondly, I have a big blog post to make!

I'm very proud to say that: Follow The White Rabbit celebrated its one year anniversary on January 13th by reaching exactly 100 sales in one year! I am *so* appreciative and thankful to to everyone who has shown support and made this possible! I could not have kept up my motivation to keep sewing without you. When I first started up my Etsy shop a year ago, I was still trying to figure out how to use my sewing machine, the deer pattern, and not knowing if anyone would even be interested in my stuff. Not to mention my ex and I had just quit our jobs in Canada and re-located to the USA with our kitty (packing our life into four suitcases), which was so stressful, yet exciting! Now I am much more confident in my sewing, I've introduced a few new designs (including my Sweet Madness Dolls), and I am sewing up a storm! 2007 was a year of beginnings for me, and I plan on making 2008 a year to grow from those beginnings. ^_^ Expect to see lots of new stuff this year for Follow The White Rabbit.

Here is a mosaic of all 100 items sold:



The next bit of news is.... I've introduced a new type of plushie to my shop: Baby Deer! They stand just over 4" tall, and are for sale in my Etsy shop. I think the pic below looks like Baby Deer School. ^_^



I've also decided to start a monthly mosaic of my Etsy shop commissions. (That is, if the commissions keep coming in, of course! ^_~) I wanted to give people an idea of what they can custom order from me. Some of my customers are very creative and come up with ideas and colour choices that I would never of thought of, or they would like to see a sold out design re-created. If you are interested in a custom commission, tell me about your idea by sending me a message via my Etsy shop, and I'll see if I have enough material to make it for you. ^_~ Here are the commissions I received for January 2008:



1. Baby Gothic Lolita Deer, 2. Chocolate Deer, 3. Caramel Deer, 4. Delphia, 5. Red Valentine Deer, 6. Minmi