December Calendar - Snow Globe

The final 2011 Zooguu Desktop Wallpaper Calendar is finally here! These two penguins are counting down the days in front of a giant snow globe:

Download the wallpaper from Zooguu's Free Stuff Page

November Calendar - Autumn Owl

Add a bit of autumn to your computer's desktop with Zooguu's latest free calendar!

Download the Free Wallpaper here.

November Holiday Craft Fairs

Holiday shopping can be lots of fun when you're buying handmade gifts, shopping close to home, and supporting local artists and small business owners. You can find unique and meaningful gifts this holiday season for everyone on your list! Zooguu Handmade Plush Toys (along with many other talented artists) will be vending at the following events this November:

Twist 7
Northampton, MA
November 11 - 6-9pm
November 12 - 10am - 6pm

Visit Twist's web site for more information

Handmade Arcade
Pittsburgh, PA
November 12 - 11am - 7pm

Visit Handmade Arcade's Web Site for more information.

Wellesley Marketplace
Wellesley, MA
November 19 - 9am - 4pm

Visit Wellesley Marketplace's Web Site for more information.

No ve
 

Craftopia
Pawtucket, RI
November 20 - 10am - 4pm

Visit Craftopia's Web Site for more information.
 

Hingham Shipyard Holiday Market
Hingham, MA
Saturday, November 26th - 10AM to 6PM
Sunday, November 27th - 10AM to 6PM

Admission and parking are free to the public.

Please visit http://www.hinghamholidaymarket.com/ for additional information, including artist profiles and directions to the Shipyard.

Zombie Narwhal Plush Toy

My Halloween Costume this year will be a zombie narwhal. Before I dive in and create the 7' tall foam narwhal costume, I wanted to make a smaller version as a plush toy. I think this zombie narwhal stuffed animal is hilarious! It comes complete with an exposed brain!

I also really love the blood drool that this guy has. He's obviously been snacking on something! Want your own? Zombie Narwhals will be available at the SoWa Open Market on the 23rd & 30th of October, or by custom request. Happy Halloween!

Recent Custom Work - Launchpad Toys

I met Launchpad Toys during the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco, and we had a great time talking about games, apps, plush toys & huge, jointed dolls. Fast forward a couple of months, and I've finally finished some of the largest and most complex plush I've attempted. The arms, legs & heads on these 18"-24" characters are fully jointed, so they can be posed like action figures. They are based on characters created by Launchpad, and go along with the app that they created. Toontastic is great, because it provides kids with jointed characters that they can animate and tell stories with. It's like a digital puppet show that can be shared with family and friends. How cool is that? Now, it's time to check out the final plush toys below.

This is their logo.

I love his little rocket booster feet!

And here's a character called Mr. Jinx:

I added elastic bands to the back of his hands so that he can hold things like plush bananas:

Happy September - Sneaky Foxes!

This month's free desktop wallpaper calendar features a pair of sneaky Zooguu foxes chasing each other through the woods. Here in Northeastern MA, we've started to see the first leaves fall! I crunched a few as I walked up the front steps the other day and thought that it was finally time to create a woodland themed calendar. Enjoy these fun foxes during the month of September!

Download the FREE desktop wallpaper on Zooguu.com

Order a handmade Zooguu plush fox toy in your favorite size & colors on Zooguu.com

August 2011 Calendar

August's desktop wallpaper calendar features the fugu blowing bubbles!

Download it for free on Zooguu.com!

HP Lovecraft Tiny World

I took a Tiny World Pincushion class in late April with artist Mimi Kirchner, and I've finally put the finishing touches on my Tiny World. I was invited to participate in an HP Lovecraft themed group art show at The Fools Mansion in Salem, MA and I decided to use that opportunity to pick a theme for my Tiny World.

My Tiny World contains a monolith atop an island of slime amidst a troubled sea. Tentacles creep out from the depths perhaps to drag someone under. The Tiny World is a pincushion made entirely of wool felt and installed in a teacup. I chose a teacup that reminded me of a shell to reinforce the nautical feeling. Each tentacle is actually a pin (see below) that can be rearranged, making it an interactive and functional piece of art.

See this in person in Salem, MA. Details:

FROM BEYOND: ARTWORKS INSPIRED BY H.P. LOVECRAFT is a group art show running from July 30TH to August 27TH here at Fool's Mansion in our Red Room Gallery.

Join us for the opening night reception with the artists on July 30th from 8-10 PM.

Serpent Mounds

We're on our way across the country to vend at the Renegade Craft Shows in San Francisco & Los Angeles, and we want to make sure to stop at interesting places along the way. That's most of the fun, right?

Today, we drove a little out of the way to visit the Serpent Mounds in Ohio. It was an incredible sight, and the photos do not do it justice. The visitor center staff were knowledgable, helpful, kind and genuinely seemed to love their job. That always makes an experience better. We walked around the entire serpent and even did some walking on a great trail that wound around below along a river. It was a very surreal experience. Even though it was out of our way, it was definitely worth the stop.

After that, we stopped in Indianapolis at Homespun: Modern Handmade to visit one of the shops that carries our toys. We met Amanda and Aubrey, and marveled at the amazing artists that we get to share space with. The store is very well designed, and I could see myself shopping there repeatedly. No wonder the locals love it!

Zooguu featured in Boston Globe Magazine

The SoWA Open Market was featured in the June 26 issue of Boston Globe Magazine. We were lucky enough to be chosen by Marni Katz, the writer of the article, to have our products photographed. You can imagine the smile on my face when I got the paper yesterday morning and saw how large our photo was! You can see the article online, in a photo slideshow format on boston.com.

Renegade Preview 2 of 2 - Dinosaurs!

They're finally here! I've been dreaming about making jointed dinosaurs for a while now, and of course I have to choose one of the busiest times to try out a new design. I think it might be all of the creative energy flowing here in the studio and the excitement building around another Renegade Craft Fair. If you're in Brooklyn this weekend, come by Booth #22 to be the first to check out these new T-Rex toys! There will be a couple of other color combinations as well.

They Stand!

And they sit, too!

Renegade Preview 1 of 2 - Disco Narwhal

At the Twist Fair in Northampton, MA there is a shiny disco ball suspended in the center of the room. Nate Duval, Jen Skelley and I were enjoying the delights of that disco ball and how its rotation signifies the start of the event. Perhaps it was something in the air, because we started to laugh about bringing a disco ball to outdoor events as well. And then the idea came: A giant disco ball narwhal to hang in our tent! What could be better for a craft fair? I promised I'd have one ready for Renegade Brooklyn, and here it is! Come visit booth #22 (near the baseball field) to check out the newest tent decoration and be captivated by its shiny, over the top, fabulous glow.

Happy June Narwhal Calendar

Now that it's June, I'd like to share this month's free desktop wallpaper calendar. We're celebrating Narwhals this month. It's my newest design, and one of the things I love to make the most right now. You can download the .jpg for free on the Zooguu Free Stuff Page. Pretty soon, you will be able to purchase a narwhal in your favorite colors online. If you're crafty, you can already purchase a PDF pattern in the Zooguu Etsy shop to make one for yourself.

I'd also like to express our thanks to the readers of the Chicago Tribune! The response to the recent press about Zooguu has been wonderful, and we can't thank you enough.

Press - Chicago Tribune

Zooguu appears in the Chicago Tribune this week! I was also informed that the article was distributed nationally to all Tribune papers. The article originated in the Bellingham Herald (WA) earlier this month and seems to be getting around to other newspapers. Great news for us!

May 2011 Calendar

It has been so nice to see flowers pop up all of a sudden this spring. To celebrate May, this calendar download features two little hedgehogs meeting each other at the prettiest flower in the garden. Enjoy!

http://zooguu.com/freestuff.html

April 2011 Calendar

It's a little bit late, but the April 2011 Calendar has been posted to the Free Stuff section on Zooguu.com!

My First Pattern For Sale - Plush Narwhal!

I'm excited to announce that my first pattern for sale has been listed in the Zooguu Etsy shop! Thanks to those who helped read things over and test out this step by step tutorial. It has been a lot of work to put together, but I can't wait to see the narwhals that people make using this guide.

This 14 page PDF pattern includes instructions, pattern pieces, diagrams and photos to make a narwhal in three different sizes. It also includes instructions on how to turn it into an ornament!

This pattern is for intermediate sewers & toymakers. Experience in making a flat or pillow type toy is recommended.

Happy Birthday Banner

The latest free download on Zooguu.com lets you celebrate birthdays in style! If you have scissors, tape & some string or ribbon, this simple project is a great way to add cheer to someone's special day. It is a small banner, perfect to hang over a door, over a window or on a wall. We hope this adds to your next celebration! Look for more party planning activities throughout March.

For The Prettiest Princess

I can't stop making these. They're too much fun. This one is probably the girliest thing I've ever made, but I love it!

Available in the Zooguu Etsy Shop

March Calendar Download

In like a lion, out like a lamb...

Proud Unicorn Plush

My latest plush creation is a big departure from what I normally create. I was invited to participate in an upcoming show called "March of the Unicorns" at the Lichen Gallery. The Lichen is part of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. The show will run for the month of March. While I have made unicorns in my classic dome shape before, I've been waiting for a chance to break the mold and create something outside my comfort zone.

Not only does this unicorn stand up on its own, but its legs are jointed (using the hidden button joint technique expertly explained by my friend Mimi Kirchner), so it can be positioned in a variety of ways.

Closer look at the face & the top-stitching detail of the mane, beard & horn.

Front & Back view. This unicorn is very proud, indeed!

My inspiration for this design is the images of unicorns in tapestries and in architecture, primarily the bronze sculptures found on top of the Council House in Bristol, UK.

The first unicorn is going to be on display in Lincoln, Nebraska for the month of March, but I will be making the design available in my Etsy shop as well.

New Game - Memory Match

This week's free download and game is good old fashioned Memory, Zooguu style. In the PDF download, you can print out and make your own cards with different colored fish on them. In the online Flash game, you can flip over cards to find matching pairs. Play again and again to beat your own best time. Have fun!

Find this free game and more on Zooguu.com's Free Stuff page!

Cabin Fever & Toy Fair

On Sunday in the South End in Boston, I was at the Cabin Fever Show selling my handmade toys. After doing a lot of holiday shows back to back, it was nice to have some time to replenish stock. It felt great to have a large variety of animals in different sizes and colors. I loved seeing some of my SOWA regulars, and also meeting new people who just saw our work for the first time. It makes me look forward to the start of the outdoor show season in May. I'll be at the SOWA Market almost every Sunday from May-October.

After Cabin Fever on Sunday, I went to New York on Monday to participate in Toy Fair. Every year, thousands of people in the toy industry come to New York to see the latest and greatest toys. This year, Etsy partnered with a booth called the Creative Factor and invited some Etsy toy makers to give live demonstrations of their craft during the show. It was an interesting contrast to see people actually making toys in the same setting where most of the toys are manufactured in large factories overseas. We had a lot of interesting conversations with convention-goers, and met some great people along the way.

 Two of my Etsy seller neighbors were Ana & Aileen, who did crochet & needlefelting. I really enjoyed showing my step-by-step process of how the toys are made. I was also pleasantly surprised by the number of people who had already seen my toys (and were fans) either online or in person at a craft show.
Now it's time to get back to work and fill the orders I got this weekend!

Papercraft - Rabbit Lantern Box

Just in time to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit & Valentine's Day! Make a special little box for a loved one. It is small enough to be precious, but large enough to hold some small candies for a surprise treat! You can download this free papercraft project at Zooguu.com.

Year of the Rabbit!

To celebrate the year of the rabbit, February's desktop wallpaper calendar features a circle of adorable bunnies.

You can find this and other free downloads at zooguu.com in the Free Stuff section!

Weekly Download & Game: Silly Story!

When I was a kid, I loved playing Mad Libs. I know you loved playing it too, so you'll really enjoy the latest download & yes, finally, a Flash game: Zooguu Silly Stories! In the PDF print & play version, you can come up with your own words to fill in. The Flash game has some provided words to choose from for each of the categories - but there are a lot of possibilities! Visit the Zooguu Free Stuff page to start having fun!