Finalist in Etsy's Handmade Kids Contest

I'm thrilled to be selected as a finalist in Etsy's Handmade Kids Contest.
My products made it in three categories:

Toys - Fat Fugu
Eco Friendly - Fat Lion
Home Decor - Monster Pillow

Please help by casting your vote for sweetestpea!

Good Morning America!

My XL fat penguin made an appearance on Good Morning America yesterday! Tory Johnson was on the show talking about how to make money working from home. The main star of the Etsy portion of the segment was Chanel (aka junkprints) who was also featured in the New York Post related print article this week. My penguin seemed pretty proud of himself sitting on the table, though. :)

Thanks to Etsy user craftsfromtheheart for hunting down the video!

Announcement: Brooklyn, NY

Some of you may have already heard the news, but I need an official announcement with pictures to prove it.

Gubicza and I moved to Brooklyn, NY to build my stuffed animal business. I'll still be working for Big Blue Dot remotely, but I have a studio space to call my own. We share a large warehouse space with many other talented artists: DesiraPesta, Junkprints, RuffeoHeartsLilSnotty, LedThread, Reiter8, Moon Tree Press, CubistLiterature, Misery&CoNYC, Mike Jacobsen, Tough Dumplin Studios and Rob Kalin (Rokali).

Here are some photos of my new space. If I lean my head out the window, I can see the Statue of Liberty. How cool is that?

Fat Crab - It's Summertime!

My newest custom order -- fat crab! Made with red faux suede and shown with embroidered eyes. This little guy is silly when he stands up on his legs. It's great that you can pose him in different ways.

Fat Panda

The Summer Olympics in Beijing starts in August, and this panda is ready! He's been eating lots and lots of bamboo. I think he over-did it a little (look how chubby he is!), but he insists it's all part of his "training."

Fat Bears - new design

Fat bears are soft, round and cuddly! Shown here in the eco-friendly version (100% cotton towel, stuffed with fiberfill that is corn-based), and the regular version (faux fur and stuffed with polyester fiberfill).

My first big plush commission!

NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) asked me to create 8 plush versions of their new characters, the Uh-Ohs, for an upcoming trade show. The Uh-Ohs are little block characters that are cute, curious and careless. They always get into trouble and kids have to make sure to keep them safe. Check out the web site for more info about the Uh-Ohs: http://theuhohs.org

This job was a big undertaking, but I had a lot of fun creating them. They're just so adorable. I kept the original for my collection (I made some slight modifications to the design before I completed the entire order of 8) and I currently have him riding in the passenger seat of my car. He's not wearing his seat belt, of course, in true Uh-Oh fashion. :)

South End Open Market - May 17 & 18

It's that time again - The South End Open Market kicks off its new season this weekend. Come on by and see me and Gubicza. We'll be selling Zooguu animals, Dr. Perfect's plush (designed by Gubicza and sewn by me), Illustration prints, and Gubicza's paper puppets! It should be a great event with a ton of super cool vendors.

More info can be found here.

Hope to see you there - stop by and say hi!

Fat Octopus

I'm finally offering a "choose your color" octopus in the shop.

It's been almost 3 years since I've made an octopus. Oddly enough, Gubicza and I were surprised how much it looks like Dr. Perfect. It's the same design, but for some reason we weren't expecting it to look so similar.

One of my favorite things about this design is the footy-pajama bottom. It really completes the octopus look and is also lots of fun to hold.

NEW! Fat Fugu (Pufferfish)

My newest item is Fat Fugu. I've wanted to make a pufferfish for a long time, and finally got my chance with a recent custom order! I like this guy so much I want to keep him for myself. He makes me smile every time I look over at him.

I'm thrilled that Etsy brought back its Alchemy feature (you can request custom items from sellers who opt-in to receive requests). It makes it so much easier to manage my shop and the ongoing requests.