Inspire, Inspire, Inspire!

It's winter, of course...and I've been inspired by snow and ice.

The many different colors associated with winter... the icicle blue, frosty white, the way yellow looks when it reflects off the snow...

And the way snow looks like little diamonds are sprinkled all over the top!

What's also inspiring about winter and snow is the fun you can have in it! Like my family and I did!

Here's my husband snow diving! :)

My daughter and I making snow angels...I look large because I put on twice the amount of layers they did lol...I don't like the cold.

Isn't this last photo the best? Look at the smiles on my hubby and daughter's faces! Here's proof that you can throw your children. But please note, you should have at least a foot to foot-and-a-half of snow beneath them and side effects are major giggling and possible snow showers from impact. 

Be inspired! Go play in the snow if you have it!

Crafty Bucket List

My hope is to dabble in every craft medium I can! Most, if not all, interest me...

Hello, my name is Jessica. And I am a crafting addict.

Here's my Crafty Bucket List of crafts I hope to try before I die:

1. Wood Carving
2. Needle Felting
3. Knitting
4. Glass Etching
5. Quilting
6. Paper Quilling
7. Candle-making
8. Upholstery Painting
9. Working with Resin
10. Welding (I've always wanted to make metal sculptures)
11. Stamping
12. Wire Jewelry
13. Working with Faux Fur
14. Refurbishing
15. Antiquing
16. Fabric Painting

I'm always adding to this list! Any suggestions?? :)

Have a grand day, my loverlies!

Mood Music

This Friday I have chosen Thao's "Cool Yourself"...

There is just something about Thao and her songs that makes my heart beat faster and my legs bouncing.

I hope this weekend it does the same for you. Go out and do something crazy. Go out and dance on the sidewalk to entertain innocent bystanders. Go out and throw confetti wherever you see fit.

Be free-spirited for one day, if you aren't normally! If you are normally, KICK IT UP A NOTCH! :)

Happy weekend, my loverlies!

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

Betsey the dinosaur was a big hit! I had so much wonderful feedback from her. If you haven't seen her yet, she's a purple brontosaurus....

And, of course, there's a huge request for boy dinos! I know, I know, I will, I promise! I think because I only have one child and she's a girl that I tend to make girly things. I have some in the process!

It's weird. I don't know how I made Betsey out of a 9x12 piece of felt, because I went to make a couple more and could not make it fit! lol So alas, I have to wait til I get another shipment of felt. BUT I took the time to figure out a smaller dino: STEGOSAURUS! It came along rather easy and I love where it's going!

Side View

Front View

I have become wiser and practice my patterns with the cheap acrylic felt. It costs $1.10 for one piece of the wool blend felt I LOVE and just 20 cents for the acrylic. It's so easily seen how I respect my felt. I am SOOOO meticulous about making the "pretty felt" lasting as long as I can. I waste almost none of it! I'll save 1 inch pieces just because it may be enough for a paw or foot! lol

I'm excited to make some stegos! I have a girl one that's silver grey with purple and pink spikes in the works. And also a heathered green tinted grey (hard to describe!) with blue and green spikes in progress! I'm very excited to be able to get those finished and posted!

Step Into My Sketchbook...

Here's a few images from my sketchbook... :)

I've just received wire in the mail and have read a few books about adding wire legs to plush, so we'll see!
I'm hoping to make a trio of standing bats for purchase :)

On Cloud Nine...

Did you know the cliche' "on cloud nine" was said to be first used in the 1960s? That is where this post will take us today...

I have been inspired by this era. Take the time to really delve into the images from this time.

Ahhh the colors... the patterns... the fashion...

the hair... the decor... the tv shows...

the vehicles... the advertisements... the art...

See if you can create something inspired by this era!!

Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis:  a profound change in form from one stage to the next in the life history of an organism... I feel like this is what's happening to HinckleDoodle.

I started June 26th, 2011 with the art of plushie making. And yesterday, I looked through my photo albums and it amazes me how my work has progressed in about 6 months time.

Here, I'll show you:

My owls. My first popular product. 

1.   

2.

3.

As far as construction, huge differences in all 3! And design is relatively similar, but there's so much more personality in the newer items.

Then there's Mushcakes to Cupkins...

1. 

2. 

3.

Ahhh, my beloved Mushcakes. They were actually rather difficult to make. I'm so glad that I upgraded to Cupkins. Still just as cute, but much better made. I'm growing as an artist and I'm hoping it shows.

I was so proud of my creations in the beginning. Looking back I'm almost embarassed...what I feel now for my latest creations is what I felt back then.
It's odd...you know that's what's going to happen the longer you stick with something, but you forget it as you go. I took the time today to stop and smell the roses and take in the progress, success, and growth I have experienced thus far. I love this journey!

And I'm glad for all those who have stuck with me. I've tripped a few times and I know I'll trip a few more and then some because it's inevitable (and I'm just plain clumsy!).

Mood Music

Since I've created somewhat of a schedule for my blog to hopefully keep me more active in it. I've decided that Fridays will be for Mood Music. Some little taste of what I've newly discovered, obsessed with, or songs that are attached to a memory, so on and so forth to maybe set the mood for your weekend.

Speaking of schedule, I've decided my blogs "closed", so to speak, on the weekends. Unless some wild adventure occurs or I take a plushie on some sort of escapade around town. :)

So here's a little something that I hope will put a smile on your face...

Said The Whale "The Light Is You"

I chose this as my first Mood Music Fridays' song because it's mine and my daughter's song.
When my husband was away in Korea for a year, my daughter and I bonded immensely! All of your out-of-the-house affairs, especially during the summer, were spent with the windows down and the speakers blaring this song and she learned all the words. It was wonderful to hear a preschooler (at the time) sing along to one of my favorite bands, Said The Whale.

RAWWWWWRRRRR!

I like to multi-task projects. It keeps me from getting bored and frustrated. So in the midst of other orders, I've been working on a brontosaurus AKA long neck dinosaur! It's turning out to be one of my fave projects this week!

I can't get over how wonderful felt is. It's so easy to work with and the colors from my suppliers are spectacular!

Here's the dino's head:

Here's a head piece

And here's the stuffed head! SOOO CUTE, right?

Here's another view! :)

She's coming along so well! I can't wait to see the finished product! I may be just as excited as you all because even I don't know what it will look like. I have a general idea, but that's what I like about this work is that I surprise myself! It's so gratifying!

****New Day****
I wrote this post a few days ago, and as of this morning...I've gotten this far on the dino! I may have a finished product by the weekend!

I think as of now she looks like the Loch Ness Monster's girlfriend :) lol

I have the legs partially sewn, just need to be stuffed and then I'll be adding a bow, and I'm thinking some spots on her rump. Or the always favorite: heart on the rump.

Also, if you're interested in winning a HinckleDoodle owl...Miss Farrah is in a giveaway featured here at this link: amberpless.blogspot.com/2012/01/giveaway-hinckledoodle.html!

This is Miss Farrah if you didn't know :)

Step Into My Sketchbook...

Every Wednesday, I'll be posting sneak peeks into my sketchbook.
I'm always sketching what could be the next best thing to hit HinckleDoodle!

Most people watch a little tv or read an enthralling book before bed, but me? I sketch.
It's therapeutic and calming for me because my mind is constantly racing!
My mind has always been like that. I used to journal write every night, but these days I have my good ole sketchbook.

My dad recently got Facebook and he left me a comment on one of my HinckleDoodle Creative Process Photo Album photos saying he likes seeing what I'm creating because it lets him know my mood.

It's true...my creations...ANYTHING I do creatively is how I have always expressed myself. It used to be with my fashion sketches, my wardrobe, my scrapbooking, etc. etc. and now it's my plush goodies!

Here's a few sketches now :)

Inspire, Inspire, Inspire!

Let's see... what's inspiring me right now...

COLORS!

I have been scouring wedding planning websites to see if there are color schemes I haven't used yet.

Here's a few that I'd like to dabble with in the near future...

And MOHAIR!

Mohair is so super soft and would definitely add some texture to my plushies. I've been asked to attempt a llama and I was thinking of buying mohair to make the body!
And I've also been considering getting a little bit to test it out for the manes of my ponies! :)

ATTENTION!!!!: I also want to let you all know that there's a Love & a Sandwich giveaway for a custom newborn monstroctopus! Here's the link to enter: Click here to get your grubby hands on some plush goodness!

Chelsea at Love & a Sandwich is one of my idols and one of the few plush artists that inspired me to even start making my own plush! I want to win this so badddddddd!

Bloggetha Revival!

With a few rounds of CPR and extra doses of TLC, my beloved Bloggetha has been reborn and has a clear cut path. I've been building HinckleDoodle for some time now and I still feel like a newb. I'm still trying to find the most efficient way to manage everything between my business and personal life.

I definitely have a grand appreciation for mothers who work from home. There's always something to do. I said last night before I went to bed to my husband at 10:30 pm..."I feel like I've been working for 24 hours." Any more so I'm exhausted by 7:30, but just push myself to stay up later to get more things accomplished. Then I push myself to stay up til midnight and I'll stay up until 2 in the morning...and wake up at 6:50 am to do it all over again. (Yes, I realize that's why I'm exhausted lol)

I'm always trying to implement some sort of organizing skill or schedule or checklist into my life to try and make it a little easier. And I think slowly, VERY slowly the benefits are starting to show.

So speaking of schedules, I have finally created one for my blog and for the past week have been trying to get 2 weeks worth done to give myself a head start :) And here you have it! I have designated subjects for the weekdays and given myself the weekend off from my blog unless something exciting happens that I just HAVE to share :)

Now I've given you the gist, let me put some pictures in...because everyone likes a photo!

Some of you may have seen the pony I've been working on...She was bald in the Creative Process photo album but she has grown some between that time and now :)

Ooooh and check out her button hooves! I did orange and green to bring out the colors in her accent fabric!

And now on to my million (not really a million, more like 13ish) other orders I need to fill!!! My fingers hurt!!! ;)

I've got these sort of animals ahead of me:

Llama, Frog Prince, Catfish, Dinosaur, Kung Fu Panda & Monkey... and not to mention I have got to make some headway towards holiday items!
I hope to be more prepared for Halloween and Christmas this year :)