Wips and Finks

Daily Photo 11.28.07
Originally uploaded by absolutely small

I have so many half finished projects on my desk right now. Which is actually how I like it. I like being able to dive in and start working without having to think something up first. I always think up more to work on once I get started working, so you see how this works.
The Wips above are a couple of Aranzai Aronzo softies for my nieces. They saw them on the cover of CRAFT last time they visited and seemed to like them very much. I highly doubt they'll remember them, but hopefully they'll like them. Underneath is a pile of Poppets, yet to be popped full of polyfill.
Those are the Wips, now on to the Finks:

Finks is the sort of creature who inhabits a woodland glade populated by talking squirrels and unicorns. You'd catch just a glimpse of her, peeking around the trunk of a cotton candy tree, and then she'd steal your backpack.


But it's ok, because you would find your backpack later. Except all the candy bars would be eaten. And she would laugh at you. And you'd be peeved, and throw a stick, but you'd miss. Then you might feel a little bad about throwing a stick at a creature. She'd still be laughing at you, though.


Catch her if you can!

Finally...something that's not chicken related!

Not even a little bit.

As seen on teh Cute Overload.
Everyone knows kids love to jump on beds. See?

Disconnect the dots
Originally uploaded by absolutely small

Even when they're not *technically* kids.

Bringing small things to life

Notable events of the past weekend:
1. Wake up at 5 am to stand in line to *possibly* get a Wii.
2. Get Wii. Hurt shoulder "bowling".
3. Receive 2nd hand amazing espresso machine from Mom. Find out that three shots and two Americanos can produce eye twitching in Husband.
4. Go to cousin's wedding. Dance like a toddler with an ear infection. Also, laugh at dancing people.
5. Let friend's mom sneak up behind you and give you a "shoulder massage". Experience amazing pain from tiny woman. Make new rule: no more letting people sneak up behind you.
6. Oh, yeah, and create small things:

7. How small? 2.5" tall!

8. Realize that the guy is not singing "Comes connect the dots with me, poppet", but "Disconnect the dots with me, poppet". Feel a little let down.

Chickenpants Adventures!

Seydare!
Originally uploaded by objetsmart

This is amazing. The fabulous Objetsmart on Flickr has posted a string of very cool narrated photos starring her very own pair of Chickenpants, Seymore and Lola.
If you'd like to see what kind of mischeif Chickenpants can get into, I can't reccomend clicking this link enough.

Oh, autumn! Er, winter! And a Shop Newlset!

It is coooold. Really cold, by California standards, anyway. Frost on roofs cold! Little brothers unable to finish painting porches cold!

I think all the general wintryness is rubbing off onto my work. See? This one wears a hoodie, for the warmth! Not the cuteness.

I've used a bit more of the precious vintage plaid to make this new pup. I'm really pleased with how this one turned out. There was something about her that just demanded a necklace.

Oh! Right! And in other news, any orders placed in my shop by 3 pm Pacific, Friday the 23rd will be shipped out the very same day. Hooray for fast shipping! I know that's the thing that is semi-awful for me when I order things online- THE WAIT. So I'm doing my part to reduce that.

Hard to Get...

I had no idea that Nintendo Wiis were still so impossible to find! In the past few days we've gone to approximately one billion different stores and websites, looking, asking, being disappointed. It looks like everyone will be holding on to their stock until Friday, when all hell will break loose. Ughhh...I really don't want to go and deal with any of that stuff. I detest crowds, and standing in lines to buy luxury goods- it gives you that nasty 20 minutes to think, wait, what am I doing here?
In other news, I've finally turned my attention back to this little softie. He was entered into the first Softie awards, and he's one of the first plushies I ever uploaded to my site. I had been clinging onto him, letting him waste away on a back shelf, waiting for a plush show in particular. I finally realized that it doesn't have to be that way and hanging out on dark shelves all by yourself is just so wrong! So now he's mingling with the other softies, no longer segregated. I'm thinking of listing him in the shop this week. Somehow I'm really, really attached to this little guy. I kind of don't want to let him go. That's what I get for anthropomorphizing everything.

A little bit of blog love

109
Originally uploaded by Fluffy Flowers

I woke up this morning to a very lovely email from Felicia of Felicia's Fluffy Flowers letting me know that she had included me in her gift guide!
Please check her blog- she writes up the cutest stuff for her plush creatures. Plus, she makes a lot of them out of recycled materials- hello eco friendly-ness!
p.s.: she also has a nifty shop!

The New Brood

I've been keeping very busy these days, chickening up a storm. The last few creating days were entirely filled up with Chickenpants.

There are so many of them! They're all over the house. It should be illegal to have this much chickenage all to oneself.

Seriously- they're everywhere.

How many chickens does it take to drink a cup of coffee? Now you know.

Weekend

This weekend, I...

tortured my dog with a Chickenhat.

then I appliqued an octopus onto a sweater.

How was your weekend?

Eli the Bulldog & The Absolutely Small List

How great are dogs?

Topanga demonstrates the awesomeness of dogs

---

So great! I've taken the slightest of breaks (a brakelet) from Chickenpants to create some more.

Introducing Eli the Bulldog.He's a sturdy chap with a noggin full of knowledge. Well, ok, a noggin full of fluff. He may look a little fierce, but that's just his under bite talking. I think you'll find him a most agreeable companion.
He's out in the yard until someone decides to adopt him.

And on to the Absolutely Small list! It's a new thing I'm going to try out. Basically, it's a once monthly (or so...maybe longer)short little email note mentioning the upcoming shows where you can see the art in person, new plushies & the like, and oh yeah...coupons! Something short & sweet. If you'd like to sign up for it, just enter your email in the little box in the upper right hand corner of the page and hit "Yes, please!". Or shoot an email to chickenwidget{at}gmail.com.

More Chickenpants are planned to be created next week. But, you know how it goes. It might just be another dog day.

Can you hear the distant rumbling?

Something big this way waddles...like a chicken...in PANTS. Big ones.

Something PLUSH and GIANT enough for a FULL GROWN BOY to hide BEHIND!
Stay tuned for details...

Chickenpants in Space- Chickenpants 2001

The discovery of some awesome robot-skin looking material has spawned the Chickenpants in Space! In space, no one can hear your pants.

Today's Chickenpants is Chickenpants 2001.



Long ago (1977) in a galaxy far, far away, there was this chicken. He dreamed of getting off the family farm and touring the stars, living the laid back life of a space cowboy. Being a real farmhand was hard work! Maybe if he could ditch all these cows, life would be easier.


He's made from robot skin (er, pleather), vintage plaid stretchy fabric, a few beads for eyes, a bit of felt here, a bit of ribbon there, and one silvery shell button belt buckle. It's the low slung belt that gives him that 70's air, don't you think?


Until the day that he can escape this rock, he's roosting in the shop. Would you mind letting a little chicken tag along with you?

Big Tex Chickenpants

Big Tex works on a ranch. He'd like for you to belive that he's a cowboy, but really, he's mostly just a consultant. He's working on a new pattern for chickenwire. He's really smart- and rugged, don't forget rugged!

He's made from soft fleece, vintage plaid stretchy fabric, a few beads for eyes, a bit of felt here, a bit of ribbon there, and one button belt buckle that reads "Western".

p.s: If he looks a little familiar, that's probably becuase he's Big Jim's cousin!
p.p.s:Anyway, here he roosts.

Minicomic love

I just received this wonderful mini-comic by Laura Park in the mail. I'm not sure how to write this post without it just coming across as a sales pitch. And special apologies for the crummy photographs. I am not feeling well, and this is as together as it is going to get for the time being. Seriously though, you should buy a copy. It's really fantastic. You can't really tell, but the hand lettered envelope is amazing.

Best penmanship ever! Plus, she put in a handwritten thank you note. I'm quite a sucker for little details like this.

The comic itself is packed solidly with all kinds of beautiful little vignettes. The drawings are adorable, and the short short stories are lovely. I'm not sure if my favorite part is the illustrated onigiri recipe or the tiny illustration of a little girl making eucalyptus bark masks.
Hop on over to her flickr site and you should be able to still snag one! It's one of the most charming things I've seen in a long time.