Cyber Monday Sale - 50% Off!

Hello!

I am back from a L-O-N-G holiday vacation and now I'm ready to make stuff! It was a wonderful (and much needed) break, but the to-do list is long and it is good to be back in the swing of things again.

And now, my favorite time of the year is officially upon us! To celebrate the festivities, I am having a huge...I mean GIGANTIC...sale on Cyber Monday. From 12am to 11:59pm CST on Monday, November 29, all items in both of the Bluestar shops are on sale for 50% off. Just enter the coupon code CYBERMONDAY50 at the checkout to receive the automatic discount. Fuzzies can be found in my BluestarFuzzies Etsy Shop and screenprinted illustrations and totebags can be found in my BluestarInk Etsy Shop.

So take a look around and spread the Bluestar love!

Happy Shopping! 

Cycling Fuzzies

Hello! Remember me?

Wow, it feels like it has been a really long time since I've been here. Don't worry - I'm not slacking - it's just the opposite. Lately, computer time = work time. That means no blogging, no drawing, no blog-reading. Boo. 

Even though I've only been running on about 6 hours of sleep, the excitement of these projects keeps me motivated. Schwinn is in full gear, and I've been rolling on setting up the decal artwork. I finished screen printing, cutting and scoring our holiday cards, and now Stephen takes over with writing and addressing them. (Isn't he an amazing husband?!?) I'm currently in the middle of the biggest custom Fuzzy order ever (7!!!), and it is easily the most meaningful order I have done. I just sent off my first Plush Team project. And I have a new illustrated animation in the hopper.

I wanted to post some of my latest Fuzzies. October ended up being a big charity month for me, with 6 Fuzzies going out to various local events. I was very honored to contribute to these wonderful organizations. The above 4 Fuzzies were custom-made for the Saris Gala, and event to raise money for the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin. To make them even more appealing, I cut up several of my bike jerseys to outfit these four. It was my first experience with this mesh jersey material, and I have to say, the slinkiness of the fabric wasn't the easiest to work with - but in the end, I think they turned out pretty cool.

And these two were a special order traveling all the way to sunny San Diego.

Once all of these big projects are complete, hopefully by the end of the month, I'm going to start working on some fun holiday ideas I have jingling around in my head. Usually I am so busy during December that I don't really get a chance to truly enjoy the season. I'm hoping this year will be different.


Yeah, right.  :-)

Trick or Tweet!

Howdy! I hope ya'll had a wonderful Halloween. Ours was great - it was full of zombies, butternut squash soup, apple cider, pumpkin carving, Rocky Horror Picture Show, pumpkin pancakes, a little Michael Myers, trick or treating and of course, candy!

This is my Halloween post, but there is a bit of Home Ec mixed in. Because I utilized one of the last projects on our list, Drafting a Pattern, to construct Stella's Halloween costume! Woot!

I know I skipped ahead in the Project List, but I didn't really have a choice! I have to say, this was a fun, but challenging one. This year, we weren't sure if Stella really understood the concept of "What do you want to be for Halloween", so when we found this cute photo on the internet we decided to run with it:

Super cute, right? Now I had to figure out how to translate that photo to a tangible costume pattern. Utilizing the Drafting a Pattern tutorial from Home Ec, I ended up buying a hoodie sweatshirt and sweatpants from the thrift store to cut up and reconstruct.

I have to say, I was a little nervous ripping out the seams. I noted the order of how I deconstructed, so I could [hopefully] put it back together with some lovely pink fur. I modified the original patterns slightly, because I didn't need the costume to have pockets or some of the unnecessary panels that were added for visual appeal. I just pared it down to the basic pieces.


I got to incorporate my knowledge of installing elastic (from the Ironing Board project) to the waistband, ankles and wrists. And I put in a zipper! After I bought a regular zipper for this project, I realized it had to open (because it's a jacket), so I had to go back and buy a Separating Zipper (duh!). Oh, the things I learned along the way. Needless to say, the separating zipper was much easier to install - just go up one side and down the other!


After I had the basic pink furry outfit constructed, I started adding the details. I sewed a pink boa on the sleeves for wings, around the waistband, and around the ankles. I added some hot pink ostrich feathers to the back for the tail. I made big pom pom eyes and sewed an orange foam visor into the hood to represent the beak. The "Big Bird" feet were the hardest. I really liked how the inspiration photo incorporated the child's feet as the center "toe", so I thought I could essentially make an orange sock and sew a stuffed toe on either side of it. But I was trying to sew it all as one piece, and I really messed them up. After I got the first one to [sort of] work, I had no idea how I did it and made the second one completely different. From afar, they look pretty good, but up close, you'll see my marker lines, seams from the wrong side and small gaps. Oh well.


After about 12 hours of work on this project, Stella's birdie debut came on Thursday, when she wore it to the sitter. She was NOT a happy camper.  For a little girl who LOVES to dress up, she had absolutely no interest in wearing this. She tried desperately to rip the feathers off and remove the beak. Maybe it was because it wasn't on her terms. Whatever the reason, it made me very sad. Needless to say, I was nervous that she wouldn't wear it for Trick or Treating. But guess what? She wore it! And I think she actually kinda liked it.


Here's the kiddo in all her glory:

I gotta say, after all that, I'm a pretty proud Mama. Yes, it sheds pink feathers everywhere, but I MADE THAT! Can you believe it?


Next up, Christmas projects. Oy.