My creative space today: kitchen bench -

Hot cup o’ coffee. Breaking up reviews of documentation (that I have had to take home from the office) with staring at the pages of Dolly Dolly 16.

My goodness - how have I never heard of this magazine before??? Jamfancy mentioned it when making her gorgeous doll here so I looked it up on the net and ordered a copy just to see. And wow - so much dolly goodness! It’s all in Japanese so I have no clue what the articles are about but there are lots of swoon-worthy dolls:

And this issue has a tutorial on making really cute (and very real-looking) miniature treats like cakes and macaroons. There are also patterns for dolls and dolls clothes including a pattern for making the doll on the right - sweet!

So whilst I’m reading this mag I’m getting lots of good ideas about clothing for future dolls and quickly sketching a few out for refinement later on.

Some Peg Bears for the show have been completed (left-to-right: Nagma, Nakasi, Nha Nac, Nederpop and Nisiotika):

You’ll find individual pics over on my Flickr.

I’ve almost completed some cushions using my custom fabric . . .

. . . and I’m all fired up to get started on a few more button-jointed dolls like Constance on the weekend - completely inspired by Dolly Dolly :-)

More Creative Spaces here!

I received the “One and the Same” print from Sunberst yesterday and I have to say it makes me SOOO happy!

It is truly gorgeous in person and the quality of the print on matte canvas paper is superb. She also included a beautiful postcard and some fish lollies :-) Thanks so much Beth!

Here are a few other things in blog world that are smile-inducing:

• Kids Week at Print & Pattern - an awesome showcase of kid prints, patterns & illustrations. I love the post on Shinzi Katoh and especially love those mugs!
• This toddler shirt made by Carol at Kidding Around.
• Soft Toy Show by Abby of While She Naps
• Amazing contributions from artists all over the world to the Paper Quilt Project
• Kidlet Wall Pocket by Jennifer of JC Handmade
• Small People Collage series by Marianne of Applehead

And finally, just wanted to say that the 2 puppies, Rufus & Misha, are now up in the shop, plus the brown Bib-&-Burp-Cloth set and this green set as well (which incorporates some of my bird pattern).

Well, the patterns that were printed on untreated, normal, white cotton faded even more once it was washed. So I decided to get a pack of these and despite it burning a whole in my wallet, the final product (below) was of much better quality plus the fabric is machine washable:

I picked up a pack at Spotlight during the Labour Day sale yesterday. I also had a few bolts of fabric in my arms but they were quickly discarded once I realised I had to wait at least 2 hours in a very long line before reaching the cash register. Thankfully, this package of fabric goodness arrived today from PCP. It feels good to add a little bit of Amy Butler, Denyse Schmidt, Prints Charming & Echino to the fabric collection :-)

I also took a break from making some softies to make a Bib and Burp Cloth set incorporating some of my boxed-apple pattern.

In January I think I mentioned that I wanted to get into baby accessories this year so I finally stopped procrastinating and just jumped into it. The bib closes with velcro, is backed with a thick 100% cotton towelling, and has cotton batting sandwiched in between for extra absorbency. The burp cloth also has the towel backing.

And finally, here’s another little pattern I’ve been working on:

And apologies for the dodgy photos today - having trouble with the natural lighting :-)