Adventure Time!

I am not what you would call an outdoorsy person. You won't find me jumping up and down at the thought of camping for a weekend in a tent on the ground. To me that would sound like you want me to sweat in a tent with no shower and bugs buzzing around my ear and biting me for three days and two nights...NOT HAPPENING.

BUT I am a lover of outdoors nonetheless. I love when the forest is deep green and I love looking at anything the woods has to offer. I like the many different trees, the fallen logs, the moss, the rocks, the stumps, the EVERYTHING!

If you invited me to go spend the weekend at a cabin by the lake near the mountains...I'd be all for it!! I love the beauty of the outdoors. I don't know why but I get so giddy at even the idea of going on a nature walk! It's even more exciting when I get to take my plush creations with me for a photo shoot! And that's what we did yesterday.

Before we even got to the start of the trail, I was so excited to find these trees! Look at how tall they are! They were so naturally whimsy. I'm almost 5'7" and my daughter is 4'4" so think about that when you think of how tall these trees were!

My daughter has become more and more obsessed with Adventure Time! and so have I. I think it's so adorabibble that she likes to go everywhere now with her backpack packed full of goodies she may need on adventures. We later found out that the backpack was actually pretty heavy for a 6 year old to carry as long as we walked. She's tough! lol

They had, I think, 3 bridges on the trail we took! And I think there's at least 6 trails on Fort Drum!

I don't know if you can tell, but this hill was SOOOOOO STEEP!  Going up my knees were pretty much hitting my chest and going down was so scary! I have bad knees as it is, so I almost made the decision to slide down. 

I love my sweet little Owie Pie! :) 

And last but not least a Merple sighting!

You can check out more photos of my creations on my Facebook page, by clicking this link: HinckleDoodle

I've been creating with the help of my daughter's doodles and imagination these new creatures that have totally captivated me, called Merples (like the one above) and a new creature called Gooblings.
We're trying to create this magical land together.
The land of HinckleDoodle is being reborn :) 

Life Mantra

Before I started HinckleDoodle, I think there was like a 3 year gap where I just stopped being creative. Not that I wasn't creative at all, but I just didn't dabble in my art as much. 

My scrapbooks sat around getting dusty. 

My sketchbook got lost under other books on the bookshelf. 

My easel was lonely in the back of the closet.

I'll admit during those 3 years I felt like I had some sort of quarter-life crisis going on. And again, not that I was so depressed and sad for 3 years straight. HECK NO! I couldn't with the likes of Drew and Owen always being in my company and our beloved pups. Just that period in life where you feel like Life itself lifts you up in a tornado and you don't know when it's going to put you down. And it won't unless you tell it to stop.

And I did...My husband was in South Korea at the time (he's in the Army). We were supposed to be able to live with him, but they were way over capacity. So Owen and I had to stay back in the states. 

He was gone for an ENTIRE YEAR!!! 

(And I feel like I should add...before my husband joined the Army. We had never been apart for more than 4 days straight and that only happened once because he had to and we weren't allowed to go. And we've been together for 6, almost 7 years!)

Finally, last June while he was away, I decided I'm going to get back in touch with my artistic/crafty self. And I've never looked back. It was part of me that was missing and begging to come back.

The point of this post is that I'm just thankful. 

I am thankful that I've realized that I wake up each morning so excited for the day. 

I am thankful that I have the ability to create and it's gotten me nearly 3600 fans on my Facebook page. 

I am thankful that my husband and daughter are so encouraging and supportive of me and HinckleDoodle.

I am thankful that today is another day that I get to do what I love. 

I send my husband to work with a kiss goodbye. I spend my morning with my daughter and send her off to school and sometimes she'll read me a book on the way to the bus stop. Then I come back and have coffee and get to relish in the knowing that I have a life full of love and art. 

We waste too much precious time worrying about what others think and say. I just don't anymore. 

Every one has an opinion and it's taken me 25 years to realize that no one can hurt me or bring me down unless I let them. Such a simple thought which I guess is why it's easily forgotten. 

It's one of my life mantras I established after leaving Missouri and I've never been happier!

Do you have a life mantra that you live by? 
I have several. 
I'd love to hear yours! Maybe I could add it to my repertoire. :)

Happy Monday, readers!
xoxo
Jess

Mood Music

Hollerado "Fake Drugs"

This is the kind of song that makes me dance really stupid like. Like it takes over my limbs and turns them to elastic. It's quite a sight, I'm sure!

I hope it jump-starts your energy for the weekend!

<3 Jess xoxo

Click Refresh...

Moving from my hole in the wall craft area in the laundry room to the spacious dining room area has been a phenomenal change!

I just purchased a simple wire shelving unit from Walmart for just under $20 that I was scared would be a pain in the butt to assemble, but was quite easy! And I love it. It sits right behind me with all my used-constantly items. :)

Check out my lovely custom embellished boxes!

OOH! And I found this cute vintage set of spice jars in a cute stand that I am now using to store my elastic thread for ornaments, novelty buttons, HinckleDoodle tags and such! Sitting on the other window sill behind me :)

I'm still trying to figure out how I want to organize things. But I'm getting there.

I am also thinking that I need to make a paper flower bouquet to sit next to my laptop to brighten up the area.

And I am hoping to make a garland of some sort to add some festive touches to the windows behind me. Here's some garland I think I can make on my own...don't know which one is my fave yet...

There are, of course, so many ways I could go about it. I don't know what I'll come up with! :)

<3 Jess

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!

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 :)

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!