Etsy's Plush Team: Stuffed Magazine - Volume 2

The latest issue of Stuffed magazine is out... and I have a photo in it! Stuffed: A Gathering of Softies is a new magazine all about handmade plushies. It's published by Stampington & Company and only $14.99! (You can order Volume 1 here and Volume 2 here. Apparently they're also available at Barnes & Noble bookstores.) Stampington & Company publishes LOTS of other creative magazines that look so awesome! I might pick up their magazine Where Women Create next, because I love looking at other artists' workspaces. :)

So here's the 2nd issue of Stuffed below. As you can see, there are two cute plushies and Etsy's Plush Team is mentioned on the front cover!



Inside is a 4-page article all about the wonderful team I'm a part of! I'm so proud of all the Plush Team members! This issue featured lots of awesome plush makers, so it's definitely worth picking up if you're into handmade plush. It's such an inspiring magazine to flip through.



On the last page of Plush Team's article, they published a pic of my art studio (when I was in Canada, August 2008)! I really miss that workspace a lot! :( You can also see my Etsy shop's name followthewhiterabbit.etsy.com on that page. (LOL, I'm such a dork!)



Below is my original photo. Lots of deer waiting to be made as the Fafi postcards oversee production in the background! :)



And because I'm feeling sulky about missing my old workspace, here's another photo of the whole room. My newest Audrey Kawasaki print was supposed to hang in that blank space. ::sniffles::

In Progress: Pics of Craft area, etc

I was inspired by Samaria Project (who makes the cutest plush owls) when she posted about her craft area on her blog, so I wanted to show off my crafting area too! :) Well, it's not so much of a "show off" post -- it's more of a pic post. Mostly everything I own is in storage, so I don't have a lot of nice inspirational elements to personalize my workspace like I would want to. :\ Below is a pic of my current craft area. It's very tiny and shoved in the corner, but it's the best I can do in this super small studio apartment. It's workable, and that's really all that matters. And it's an upgrade from the floor/sofa, so bonus! ;)

I made notes on this pic on Flickr if you want to know exactly what's on my desk. ;)



Below is a stack of beautiful felt fabric in all the colours of the rainbow. This is my arsenal. And then there's my buddy on the right -- the Janome DC3050. I love my sewing machine, which was a present from my Mom. :)



Below is how my craft table looked a few days ago. I love it when it looks like this because it means I'm deeply involved in a project. I completely clean and tidy everything up before starting a new project. I like to stay as organized as I can in the crafting chaos. :)



Below are some "teaser" pics of projects I've been working on this week.





What crafting area isn't complete without a mini DVD player? Right now I'm watching one of my all-time favourite movies "Memoirs of a Geisha". I like the book better, but the movie is just so pretty.

In progress: New studio + new Deer

A few entries back I mentioned that my ex and I had moved from Los Angeles, USA to Toronto, Canada. We've spent the past couple of months getting settled into our new home, and I've been setting up my new workspace so that it's clean, tidy and workable. It's almost perfect -- I still need to frame a few more prints and hang them in the blank space on the wall. Other than that, I feel that I'm back into the sewing groove again, and I'm really excited about diving into my plush work again. Here are a few pics I took of my art studio.

This pic shows my current studio (it's actually quite similar to my previous studio set-up). I found a pink sari in one of my moving boxes, so I decided to drape it over the closet to give the space more of a personal touch. I like having two lamps on my desk for light, and having plastic drawers with my supplies within reach is so handy! All of the furniture is from IKEA (one of my favourite shops).



Below is a closer look at my desk. Other than having a functioning workspace, I think that being surrounded by inspiration is *so* vitally important to any artist. The silver magnet board holds all my important notes (for a closer look at my magnet board, go here), as well as inspirational postcards and images. Directly infront of me, I have a collection of paintings and prints that inspire me, and brighten the space (for a closer look at these paintings, go here). My desk is crammed with in progress deer waiting to be finished up and put on Etsy.



To the right of my workspace, I have an IKEA shelving unit filled with some of my favourite toys (dolls, plush, prints and urban vinyl), as well as my collection of fabric (that seems to be overflowing!). My plan is to get a second shelving unit to put side-by-side, so it can hold more fun things that I just can't live without. :)



Finally, here is a glimpse of the new deer that are currently in progress. I need to add a few finishing touches on the first batch of deer, so they should be ready to list in my Etsy shop in the next couple of days. I was able to pick up some new colours on my last trip to the fabric store, so there are lots of new types of deer that have never been made before! Plus my deer pattern is completely redesigned, so everything will have a new look to it. I can't wait! :)