The Whimsy Patch

I So Heart the Stephanie Meyer saga!

Our Trip to the Park

My plush and I decided to take a trip to the park today with my brother and his son Jude and my little bear.  Autumn hit us today with a chilly blast of hot cocoa weather--my favorite--so we all bundled up and head to the park for playground fun and pictures.

Though I didn't exactly dress up for the event, I decided it is time to show the face behind the stitching--so here goes:

   

My plush were more than ready to pose a bit--especially Ophelia who has decided she quite enjoys posing for the camera.  Here she daydreams of her love under autumnal skies:

 

Here is her emo pose:

 

She's thinking of how much she misses her love, the Little Whimsy Prince (you'll meet him later.)

Ophelia also enjoys the challenge of climbing trees.  She keeps her flying skills aside so that she doesn't have an advantage!

 

After Ophelia finsihed posing for the camera, Diana and Chocolate Kisses took their turns posing on the stone staircase.  You can see my little bear and his cousin playing in the background:

 

The rest of our time was spent playing on the equipment.  I think my little plushies had a good time!

Jude Monster

 

My precious nephew has been spending more time at my house lately and he is always curious about what I am stitching up.  He fell in love with the Little Avi Bear that I made in honor of my son and has been asking for some time for me to make him an Avi Bear.  With the arrival of his fifth birthday, I decided I would make him his very own huggable plush, but I would make a Jude Monster instead.

This Jude Monster just arrived from the Whimsy Patch this weekend.  I discovered that Jude Monsters crave Cocoa Cereal Straws and can devour an entire box in one sitting.  They are also quite fond of peanut butter sandwiches "with just one bread" and will scarf these down with equal veracity.  Jude Monsters are monkey-like and enjoy climbing on top of furniture and playground equipment, searching fearlessly for the highest possible perch.  And they enjoy teaching younger monsters how to do things they should not be doing so you have to keep an eye on them with that one!

Regardless of their mischief antics, Jude Monsters are very sweet and incredibly loveable. They have the sweetest smiles and puppy dog eyes that will melt your heart and then they are off and running to find more mischief just around the corner;) 

Peachie and Lollie

 

Peachie and Lollie run a sweet little farmer's market back in the Whimsy Patch. They stock the bins, baskets, shelves and crates each day with fresh produce; jams, jellies and butters made from fresh orchard fruit; and pies, breads, and cakes made from freshly ground wheat flour, lovingly prepared fruit compotes, and nuts just cracked. Peachie and Lollie do much of the baking and cooking involved in making these goodies, but other Patch residents like Mag and Cherry help out behind the scenes. They also have a lovely textiles section of the store where they sell handsewn housewares like aprons, tablecloths, napkins and curtains. If you even happen up the Patch, you must stop in to see the Just Peachy Farmer's Market!

Peachie and Lollie are now available in my Etsy shop!

For those Dollies with New Homes and Their Stories Untold

First of all, I must apologize to the lovely dollies for not getting around to telling their stories sooner.  Caught up in all the sewing madness that has been the story of my life for the last four months, I really fell behind on my blogging for a while.  These days I am trying to blog the stories of new Whimsy Patch residents each week, but it was not happening there for a while.  So, here are the stories of Jewel, Sugarpop House Fairie and Felicity.

 

Meet Jewel.  Jewel, as her name suggests, absolutely loves the craft of making fine handmade jewelry.  She casts and molds all of her own beads and makes the most lovely necklaces, bracelets, hairpins, beaded purses and more.  Her Whimsy Patch shop, the Sparkling Ladybug, attracts the most affluent clientelle yet she keeps her prices low enough for even those of the lowest incomes to be able to be adorned with her work.  She declares that, "Everyone deserves to sparkle!"  Jewel found her home with a new friend when she made her trip to Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago this past September.  So, if her new friend happens to stop by and read her story, know that I am deeply sorry that it took me this long to get around to posting about this gorgeous gal!

 

Now meet Sugarpop House Fairie.  Sugarpop absolutely adores sugar and she owns her own sugar sculpting shop back in the Patch where she designed delicate sugar sculptures for various events.  She has won many a sugar sculpting challenge, including one or two on the Food Network!  In her spare time when she is not sculpting with sugar, Sugarpop House Fairie likes to bake up cupcakes by the dozen which she then delivers as surprise gifts to Whimsy Patch residents who wake up in the morning to a beatifully crafted sugar box filled with cupcakes of all kinds.  Her Lemon Strawberry Twist cupcake is my favorite!  Sugarpop House Fairie also found her new home when she visited Renegade Craft Fair.

 

And, finally, it is time to meet the darling Felicity.  Felicity comes from the Whimsy Patch Islands and just adores warm climates.  Fortunately, while she was visiting with me, we still had warmer weather here in Louisville--much warmer than it is now!  Felicity owned a beautiful paper shop back in the Patch where she specialized in handmade papers and sold other fine papercraft items, but her real love was flower arranging which she did as a side job in the evenings and on weekends.  Most of the Patch Island weddings and celebrations boasted her arrangements.  Sometimes she would even pair up with other Patch artists like Sugarpop House Fairie to make complimentary pieces.  Felicity was made as a custom piece sold through Happy Chickadee: A Fresh & Hip Girls' Boutique.  I hope she found her new home well!

So, again, apologies all around!  I really will try to keep my blog up-to-date from here on out! 

Ophelia, Kiki, Tangerine and Ebony

Today was a sunny but chilly day so we were all shivering as we ventured out into the natural light to take some pictures.  Ophelia braved the autumn breeze in her sleeveless dress to show off her new pet bird, Blueberry Twist, and smiled even though she was freezing:

 

Kiki the Dainty Ellie, not at all used to chilly temperatures, had to work hard to keep her shivering at bay so that she could give us a lovely smile for the camera.  She wanted to be really still so that you might notice her hairpin and bum tattoo detail work.

 

Best birdie pals Tangerine and Ebony did the best job braving the chilly weather noting that they both come from a rather cool area of the Patch, the Autumn Hills where the trees all have fall fauxliage in the most gorgeous shades of crimson, burnt orange and gold and a bit of chill is always in the air. 

 

All four of the Whimsy Patch residents will be making their way around the world within a few days as part of a custom wholesale order.  They will be heading out on the adventure of their lives, all the way to Australia!  Wish them the best of luck as they go to find their new homes!

The Blue Belles

 

So this is my first time making multiples of my dollies.  I'm making several sets for an absolutely lovely online boutique, Happy Chickadee: A Fresh and Hip Girls' Boutique.   I'm so used to my "making every one unique" approach that I decided I must make the most of the situation and consider them triplets.  That makes the endeavor feel more creative and I am rather pleased with how they turned out! 

Without further adieu, I would like you to me the Blue Belles, a set of Whimsy Patch triplets who are absolutely famous for their vocal stylings--and their food--back in the Patch.  They own their own jazz club back home and grace the stage and kitchen at least once each night of the week, writing a new song to perform and creating a new dish in honor of each band that plays.  Lula (to the left) has the deep, sultry vocals, Bessie (centerstage) has the fiery sound, and Nina's (to the right) vocals sound lilting and enchanting.  Their entrees have the same dynamic presentation as their musical stylings and Patch residents walk away as wooed by their full bellies as the performances they just witnessed!  Don't miss the Wednesday night special--The gals perform a different song to represent each course of the meal.  And be sure to try their dark chocolate raspberry tartlets--absolutely decadent!

Please Vote for Me!!!!

 

Voting is now open at the Plush Team's blog for the Halloween dress up contest!  This is Penny, one of my Whimsy Patch Chubby Dollies, and she is all dressed up like the Plush Team Mascot, P.T. Stitchy, for Halloween Trick or Treating.  If you think Penny is a cutie, please go there and vote for her.  We'll win some free advertising! 

Punky Violet (Emo Bear Boy's Crush)

 

Punky Violet had made her way all the way to Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago just a few weeks ago, but the rain did not cooperate with her finding a new home there. Punky Violet, who some might know as Emo Bear Boy's crush, leads a punk rock band back in the Patch (her growly vocals just make Emo Bear Boy melt) and also runs a cookie bakery there. Her little shop, famous not only for its cookies but also its eclectic decor, boasts over 100 different varieties of cookies. On the weekends, Punky Violet teaches cookie baking and decorating classes. Those who attend her shows are often lucky enough to take home a dozen cookies as an added bonus. Her dark chocolate macadamia nut cookies are my favorite.

Punky Violet is now available in my Etsy shop!  Go check her out:)

Some New Dollie Friends

Once again, I did not get around to taking pictures of my completed dollies until many days after they received their final stitches.  They have been hanging out on my shelves for a week now and really deserve some face space on my blog.  Instead of introducing them one by one, they are going to share a post.  (Don't worry.  They are fine with this!

First, let's meet the Goth Princesses, Jackie and Jacinda:

 

These lovely ladies love spending their time sewing fabulous new goth dress sets, working up new ways to apply their wickedly beautiful makeup, and designing new goth decorations for their famous loft in the Whimsy Patch.  On Halloween, Whimsy Patch residents line up for hours to tour their fantastically gothic home to see their candlelit tablescapes.  The tablescapes fill almost every corner of their old Whimsy Victorian mansion and showcase creepily lovely themes from haunted villages to cemetaries to bat caves.  After a tour of the house, people fill their back yard to sample the ghoulish goodies Jackie and Jacinda spend the week before making--Black Kitty Cupcakes, Eyeball Punch and Candied Crab Apples are among the available treats.

Second on the list of new intros are Diana and Chocolate Kisses:

      

Diana and Chocolate Kisses grew up in the Whimsy Woods but left for the big city when they were young to open their own fabric shop, Modern Whimsy.  They specialize in modern fabrics and boast clients from the hip crowd and even some celebrity clientele.  (Jackie and Jacinda often find fabrics for their new dress sets at Modern Whimsy.)  Diana and Chocolate Kisses are currently at work on a new book of sewing patterns for the home and you can already find many Patch homes boasting their drape, tablecloth and apron designs.

And, finally, let's meet Bella and her sweet deer pal, Cherry:

 

Bella and Cherry own a sweet little pie shop, Peaches and Pie, in the Whimsy Woods.  One might imagine the Whimsy Woods to be nothing but toadstool homes, treetop lofts, and cabins but the Woods actually boast a thriving village filled with shops, cafes, and dessert spots.  On chilly evenings, Patch residents fill their tables nibbling on their Chocolate Coconut Pie while sipping away at warm vanilla milk.  During the summer, their Peach Cobbler Pie is absolutely famous.  They boast over fifty different pie recipes during a given season.  Some residents make it their goal to try a new pie on each visit though this can be difficult when it's so easy to develop favorites!