a long looooong time

It's been a long loooong time since I last wrote in this blog. Life has taken over, everything has changed sooo much that I'm not even sure what I should write about. Decided not to write about another pet casualty as sad as little Chourico (if not even more) just yet, as I know that it'll make me really emotional. Instead, I've decided to show you a little something that I worked on, hope that you'll like it :)

ode to a little dog

Some moons ago in a land not so far way, a little puppy was born on a farm to a mother named Biscuit. The farm hand who was his owner named him Freddy, tied him to a stick and would only give him a little bit of food and some water once a day. The poor puppy suffered in the mid Summer's heat, up until he caught the eye of the farmer's eldest daughter. Appalled by how the puppy was being treated, she started to visit him everyday with treats, fresh water and cuddles. She loved him so much and was so saddened by his plight that she decided to secretly rename him Chouriço and hoped that one day he would be hers.

A couple of months later, the farm hand disappeared with Biscuit and left being little Freddy. Fortunately, the farmer's daughter who didn't live on the farm, was around or else the poor old pup would have been left to fry. Immediately she freed him, gave him a hug and he joined the other farm dogs and lived happily ever after... or at least until a couple of days ago when he was found lifeless under a tree.

Chouriço was a sweet little dog. Not many people appreciated his personality, all they saw was the typical little dog, jealous and a superiority complex with a bark to match. But, he was a sweetheart and loved sitting glued to me whilst I stroked him.

He was extremely intelligent even though most people didn't see it... Only a very smart doggy would crack walnuts and distribute them amongst the big dogs, right? Or lie on the floor on his back with his paws in the air when I pointed at him and in a mock annoyed voice said "ai, ai, ai". He was also extremely courageous (or stupid), as he once decided to attack one of the boxer dogs that we used to have, and my brother and I had to take him off from the other dog's mouth; and very greedy as he loved his fair share of goodies even if he had to steal it from the cat's bowl or another (often bigger) dog's mouth.

Last time I saw him, he looked a bit fragile. Chouriço had been blind in one for awhile and was a bit shaky, but Laura the labrador kept him companied, and although it was hard for me to leave him I know that he was a happy although (sometimes misunderstood) lil' dog., I only wish that I had stayed with him a little longer.

Rest in Peace my little smoked sausage xx     

every little helps!

Hello Strangers,

Long time no nothing, hey?

Sorry about that, I promise that I'll keep on promising that I'll be better next time.

Last time I posted, all our possessions were in boxes and a life was up in the air yet again. Since then we have settled in our new home and we're enjoying the perks of living in a village within the insanity that is London. Have you ever imagined that this smelly dirty city could ever have a road like this?

 I didn't! It totally took me by surprise last month when I had to go to the local main collection post office. For a moment or so I felt like I had been transported back to my student years in Farnham! London, old girl you really do have some awesome tricks hidden up your sleeve :)

 Also I had never imagine in my whole time here that I would ever have my own little garden, but guess what? I do now!

Sure I'm not allowed to dig into it (goddam you tenant agreement), but with some planters and a little imagination, I reckon that our patio is becoming a little piece of heaven! (Provided that the neighbor's cat stops lying on our pumpkin seedlings!) 

 

By now you must be wondering.... But what's with the cheesy Tesco's (British supermarket chain for the non UK residents) one liner title. Well, if you are one of my regular readers (bless you! You're an angel), you might have noticed that every year I like to do something for one or more of my favorite charities.

This year,  Japan's earthquake and tsunami came complete shock. It's one of those countries that is on the other side of the world but, somehow it has always been close to my heart. I love its quirky culture and customs, and a little bit of my heart broke when I saw the images on the tv. 

I gave some money to the Red Cross Japan appeal, but it didn't feel like it would ever be enough so, I felt unsatisfied until I found the Crafts with Purpose page on the Craftzine blog. They were looking for crafters to participate in their Operation Bunny Drop by making simple bunny softies to be given to the children who are recovering from the effects of the natural disaster.

So, here's my contribution. I wish that I could have made more and I know that it would never been enough, but if even one little kid likes them, I'll be a mighty happy bunny :D

bit by bit

Hello lovely readers,

It has been awhile since I last posted and it will be little while until I post again. As per usual life plays little tricks on us and well… we just have to accept them and move on… Quite literally!!
Our current nest has been put on the market so, we have been forced to find a new one. It's a great place in a lovely part of the city and I'm positive that we'll be very happy there but, we will still really miss "our" little flat on the hill.

We're starting to pack, which means that, I won't making my toys until we're settled, to be honest ever since I heard that we were going to be evicted, they pretty ideas in my head decided to hide and I really don't want to force them out. After all I make toys for pleasure and not because I'm forced.

I'll leave you for now with a little present that I made for my bear. Ever since I started to make toys the has struggled with the idea of them leaving the house, I show them to him, he hugs them and sighs :)

So, this little birthday present was long overdue!

Say hello to our newest flatmates!

the bear...

(who's a sweetheart!)

... and the mini kitty

the bear loves his games!

the bear is a lucky fellow as he sports my brand new label!

I'll "see" you all in a little while!

Ele passou por mim e sorriu (He walked by me and smiled) by Deolinda

Ele passou por mim e sorriu,

He walked by me and smiled,
e a chuva parou de cair,

and the rain stopped,
o meu bairro feio tornou-se perfeito,

my ugly neighbourhood became perfect,
e o monte de entulho, um jardim.

and the rubbish pile, a garden.

O charco inquinado voltou a ser lago,

The polluted puddle became a lake again,
e o peixe ao contrário virou.

and the upside down fish turned.
Do esgoto empestado saiu perfumado

From the smelly sewer came out a perfumed
um rio de nenúfares em flor.

river of blossomed lilies.

Sou a mariposa bela e airosa,

I'm a beautiful and graceful moth,
que pinta o mundo de cor de rosa,

who paints the world pink,
eu sou um delírio do amor.

I'm love's delirium

Sei que a chuva é grossa, que entope a fossa,

I know that the rain is thick and clogs the cesspool,
que o amor é curto e deixa mossa,

that love is short and leaves you hurt,
mas quero voar, por favor!

but, please, I want to fly!

No metro, enlatados, corpos apertados

In the underground, canned, squashed bodies
suspiram ao ver-me entrar.

they sigh when they see me come in.
Sem pressas que há tempo,

Without rushing as there's time left.

dá gosto o momento,

This moment feels great,
e tudo mais pode esperar.

and everything else can wait.

O puto do cão com seu acordeão,

The dog's kid with his accordion,
põe toda a gente a dançar,

makes everyone dance,
e baila o ladrão,

and the thief dances,
com o polícia p'la mão,

with the cop by his hand,
esvoaçam confetis no ar.

confetti fly through the air 

Sou a mariposa bela e airosa,

I'm a beautiful and graceful moth,
que pinta o mundo de cor de rosa,

who paints the world pink,
eu sou um delírio do amor.

I'm love's delirium

Sei que a chuva é grossa, que entope a fossa,

I know that the rain is thick and clogs the cesspool,
que o amor é curto e deixa mossa,

that love is short and leaves you hurt,
mas quero voar, por favor!

but, please, I want to fly!

Há portas abertas e ruas cobertas

There's open door and streets covered
de enfeites de festas sem fim,

in endless party ornaments,
e por todo o lado, ouvido e dançado,

and everywhere, listened and danced,
o fado é cantado a rir.

the fado sung laughing.

E aqueles que vejo, que abraço e que beijo,

And the ones that I see, hug and kiss,
falam já meio a sonhar,

say almost half a sleep,
se o mundo deu nisto e bastou um sorriso,

if the world became like this just from a smile,
o que será se ele me falar.

what would happen if he speaks.

Sou a mariposa bela e airosa,

I'm a beautiful and graceful moth,
que pinta o mundo de cor de rosa,

who paints the world pink,
eu sou um delírio do amor.

I'm love's delirium

Sei que a chuva é grossa, que entope a fossa,

I know that the rain is thick and clogs the cesspool,
que o amor é curto e deixa mossa,

that love is short and leaves you hurt,
mas quero voar, por favor!

but, please, I want to fly! 

Sou a mariposa bela e airosa,

I'm a beautiful and graceful moth,
que pinta o mundo de cor de rosa,

who paints the world pink,
eu sou um delírio do amor.

I'm love's delirium

Sei que a chuva é grossa, que entope a fossa,

I know that the rain is thick and clogs the cesspool,
que o amor é curto e deixa mossa,

that love is short and leaves you hurt,
mas quero voar, por favor!

but, please, I want to fly!

The world needs more music like this, hopeful and beautiful!

(My translation makes it no justice)

early morning meow

Last Friday, me and couple of cool cats decided to do a little photo shoot in Trafalgar Square on our wait to work. It was bloomin' cold, but being true artists the cats bared it all with a stoic spirit (please, don't call RSPCA, I defrosted them and my fingers later on) 

These were made for a commission that nearly took the best of me, but first, let me explain a little bit about why I started making toys so that you can understand my initial reticence towards this project.

I am a really fortunate person as I have the privilege to work on something that I love, not many people can say the same. However, just like any creative job where your working for someone else, I spent most of my day creating someone else's idea of perfection and it can be a bit frustrating. Ask most artists that work with me and you'll find a lot of ways to vent off after a long day at work. Some make their own movies, others play instruments, rock climbing, play games, etc, etc... I on the other hand make toys.

At home in my little corner, I'm a little toy dictator. I make what I want when I want and no one can say otherwise (even when I ask for an opinion). It's a bit silly but, it is what keeps me sane some days! 

Usually, I am really lucky when I get commissions, most times people have seen my work and are glad to give me pretty much, free reigns.

But, this time it was different, the person that asked me to make these cats was really really specific,  down to the difference in the size of the cats' eyes, fur tone and spot shapes amongst other things.  

My ickle brain fused! It was almost like I had brought work home and for weeks I had a creative block like I hadn't had in years and just to make matters worst I got an email asking me if I couldn't lower the price by making them smaller!!

Oh the cheek!

For weeks I was completely stuck until a little light switched on in my brain and decided to go completely in the opposite direction... I retained a bare minimum of his suggestions and made something extremely stylized. I didn't care any more if he liked it or not, this was a matter of pride, how could someone ever make me feel so creatively frustrated to the point that I didn't even want to make a cat soft toy?!?

... guess what? It worked! He loved it and even payed more that I asked for :)

So, the moral of the story is... When in doubt follow you instincts because, at the end of the day you have to be able to live with yourself :)   

hello duck!

I finished this little duckling on Saturday. It was a bit of a challenge, as I was specifically asked to make a mallard duckling instead of the normal run of the mill, bog standard yellow duckling. I threw me in a bit of a loop of awhile as it is harder to put my stamp on something, when it is this specific. 

I guess that in a way I just had to relax into it and go back to basics, like looking at photos and thinking about what make a mallard duckling identifiable and came up with a (deceptively) simple two tone design. Most of it ended up being hand stitched, which I think adds to its charm ;)

 

Just to add to the cuteness, I decided to add a little tear duct and line under the eyes.

 

Awhile ago I ordered some personalized labels from the internet, but never really liked them. They felt so big and impersonal. It was like it was going against the my ethos of highly personalized and unique toys!

So, for this little duckling I decided to add something special, my own logo. This one is completely hand sewn and impractical but, I have a couple of ideas to make it more manageable, yet still homemade. For the people that know me well, there is a bit of an inside joke and for others?... 

Well, I just think that it is mighty cute! Isn't that enough? :)