HAPPY BIRTHDAY...!!

Pictoplasma

This week I attended the Pictoplasma conference in NYC. It was a great event..very inspiring..particularly the work of Tim Biskup, Motomichi Nakamura and Friends With You. Check out their amazing work at the links below...

http://www.motomichi.com
http://www.timbiskup.com
http://www.friendswithyou.com

Remembering Daisy Peekypoo...

Kiefer Lost and Found

This story ran recently in a UK newspaper about a baby who had lost her Kiefer doll. When I was alerted to the story I immediately emailed to see if I could send a replacement. Anyhow, it seems that the Kiefer was returned to them and a subsequent story the next week showed Kiefer at the Blackpool Tower recuperating from his ordeal. So glad it ended happily..!

Piggy Project

Recently I participated in the Piggy Bank Project. Graphic artists from around the world were asked to design a pig character for an exhibition in Spain this summer and this was my submission.

He's a Fan..!

This photo appeared in this month's InStyle magazine..so I guess Josh Groban is a fan..!! Who knew.?!?

A Song for Me

My daughter who is just finishing up her Kindergarten year wrote this song today at school. Somehow I felt it really summed up where I'm at right now so I thought I would share it with you..

Sometimes We Are There

Sometimes we are there
Sometimes we are not
La La La
Ba Ba Ba
So that's how you feel
So really that's how you feel
Da Da Da
Oh really
that's how you feel
Oh really that's how you feel
Oh Oh Oh
Really Really !

Figurines

Today I worked on an art project at my daughter's school. Each child had to make a miniature figurine "portrait" of themselves for a scale school model that they are working on. We used Sculpey to make the figurines and we baked them in the school's convection oven. I think they turned out great !! They are so cute! and they really capture the personality of each child.

My new designer

My Daughter has been helping me to design new birds for Happy Sugar. She's only six but I think she has a bright future ahead of her as a designer!!

Happy Sugar Shop on Etsy (click here)

Today I opened a shop on Etsy called Happy Sugar where I will be selling my new line of plush toys..Sugar Birdies.!!! There's only three items up so far...but there's more to come so please check it out. I hope you like them.!!! Happy Sugar! Happy Sugar!

One for the road...

I quickly made this new Birdie for my daughter to take with us on our Memorial Day weekend trip...more to follow...

New Fabric

I think this is my favorite part of making toys...buying the fabric.!! and today new fabric arrived so I am eager to start sewing more birds. Way back when my toys were manufactured, I used to go and roam around the warehouses of House of Pile in Brooklyn (they were so nice to me!), choosing giant rolls of polar fleece, in all different colors, to be sent to the factory to be made into my toys. House of Pile isn't there anymore so now I buy my Polar Fleece online from Malden Mills http://www.milldirecttextiles.com/
I usually choose a bunch of different colors and buy a yard of each because you can never really tell what the color will look like from the swatch chart. Here's what arrived today. The satin is from 39th St in NYC...a great street for fashion fabrics.
Anyway, wish me luck! I hope to be putting some of the Birdies up for sale very soon.

Video Guest Speaker (click here)

Recently I created this YouTube video for a Fashion Design Class at Orange Coast College in California. Yes, it's slightly awkward and unedited..you'll see a few interruptions..but I think it gives a good sense of what it's like trying to be productive, creative and run a business with kids and cats.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AjYdC5zjZw

"Fashion instructor, Mika Yamamura, is using YouTube to help students reach out and virtually connect with the fashion industry entrepreneurs. While bringing an array of guests into the classroom is challenging, inviting them to do quick YouTube interviews has proven a big success. Mika invites people from the fashion world to answer questions about their work via a YouTube video. The guests tape and post their responses on YouTube. When the Fashion class meets, they begin the class by watching and discussing the guest interview of the week."

Happy Birthday Nina!!

more birdies.....

A thank you from a fan....

I received this very lovely thank you from a fan the other day..those happy smiling faces are thanks enough!!!

Happy Birthday James..!!

Happy Birthday James.!! I made a WONDERHAM for you..I hope you like it...
Visit James and WONDERHAM at www.wonderham.com

Birdie Num Num

Here's a preview of some new toys I'm working on...

Quilts

I was asked by my son's school to help make some Quilts for the annual school auction.
The kids each drew a self portrait with fabric crayons and the picture was then ironed on to a piece of white fabric. I sewed them all together in a grid using 4 inch strips of patterned fabric in between the rows and around the outside edge. Then I sewed the padded backing underneath and a large square of solid colour fabric on the face, leaving a 12 inch opening so that it could be turned inside out. I sewed the opening closed by hand stitching it. The last step was to sew carefully with the sewing machine through all the layers of fabric and padding, around each square, to give it that quilted look. Normally this step would be done by hand but the kids were a little young for a Quilting Bee and anyway the Quilts needed to be finished by today. The detail image shows my son's contribution..he says it's a picture of himself playing soccer. Good luck to the Montessori School tonight..I hope they sell them for lots of $$..!!

Puppet Theatre

A spontaneous art project is always a great way to procrastinate. I found a huge refrigerator box outside on the street the other day so I dragged it in and decided it would make a great Puppet Theatre for the kids. JR helped me paint it and we covered the front with fabric. I cut a large whole in the front of the box and folded down part of the opening for a stage. We covered the stage area with some blue fabric. I also cut a stage door in the back of the box so the kids can get inside. We sewed little curtains and hung them from a wooden dowel just behind the top of the opening..and VOILA..!!..start the Puppet Show..! The kids had great fun with it for about a week..but now its taking up too much space in my living room and it's got to go..! Till next time...