sara kirkpatrick softies & prints: miniview

i think serious looking animals are whimsical, and since i like to laugh, there is something about lighthearted anthropomorphic imagery that i highly enjoy. it’s probably because i am convinced that my beloved pets are talking, reading the paper and doing card and circus tricks to pass the time when i am not around. when i look at the plush and paint work of sara kirkpatrick i know i’m not alone in my ways of thinking. sara creates imaginative felt animals and very funny and expressive portraits of bunnies, bears and other animals. there is a pleasing story behind each worried, innocent or gruff-but-loveable character and it makes me want to know more! so i asked…

q: where do you live and where do you make your art?
a: i live in a little house in athens, ga with my husband and our very sneaky cat. i share a tiny studio room with my hubby’s guitars and keyboards, but i usually end up working on projects in my living room (often listening to this american life archives or an old friend of a movie that i’ve seen dozens of times.) my couch is perpetually covered in glitter and felt scraps and lost sewing needles! (be careful where you sit if you ever come over…)

q: what inspires you to create?
a: i am inspired by dreams, music, stories, film, dogs with beards, cats with one eye, the sound of the wind through the trees, other people’s amazing creations… inspiration is a bit tricky and usually visits me in random spurts. sometimes i feel very uninspired for weeks at a time, and then i’m flooded with ideas. i keep a sketchbook on my bedside table and usually reach for it when i’m very sleepy. when i look back, i find i’m most attached to the little doodles that i barely even remember drawing.

q: who is your favorite in your shop right now (we won’t tell the others)?
a: hmmm… i think my favorite in my shop right now would have to be sunny (below). i love the way the colors came together, though i am thinking of making a little birdie friend to sit on sunny’s head. i get very attached to every creature (or painting) that i make. sending them off to their new homes can be difficult. i actually cried when i sold olive (below, second photo)… i was thiiis close to keeping her for myself!

q: who exactly is the blueberry bandit?
a: i guess you could say the blueberry bandit is me, or maybe my alter-ego. i once made a little softie (it’s my etsy and blog avatar), he was very simple and kind of sad, and i instantly felt like i had made a self-portrait in the form of a softie. the blueberry bandit is shy and timid on the outside, but secretly a bit mischievous and fierce, a quiet little creature that steals blueberries when no one is looking! (i’m not sure i’ve ever actually stolen a blueberry, but you know what i mean…)

purchase these pieces at sara’s etsy shop (and make sure you take advantage of her two year etsy-versary (now through june 28th!) and be sure to cruise over to her blog to say hello too.

thank you sara!

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robot stationery by moonmum

please enjoy the talents of bendigo, australia crafter belinda, aka etsy seller moonmum. she makes these sweet and funny little robot cards with a combination of machine and hand stitching. some of them even come with bonus robot doll! i love how some of them look like their mouths are open - they’re greeting cards after all, and have something to say!

if you have a girl or guy friend who likes the geekery, science or electronics, these might be a great gift for her or him. i do believe they are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

purchase these cards and see more delightful samplings here.

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felt vase cover transforms old wine bottles

it’s a cozy cover, it’s a vase. it’s a cozy vase? repurpose your used wine bottles into something pretty with this printing vase cover from tokyo’s furnish (cannot find website!) for molla space. felt panels are sewn together and fun lattice or blossom patterns applied, to make the bottle look like a classically styled urn. simply turn it around to reveal no pattern, if you like that kind of thing.

it’s fun, it measures about 8″w x 10″h and you can purchase it for $30 right here.

via betterlivingthroughdesign

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jake phipps pendant lamps

okay, i will hang up the lighting now by signing off with these terrific ceiling fixtures from uk designer jake phipps for the hidden art collective. beautifully structured hats lined with decadent gold or silver that have people names are right up my alley! jeeves is the bowler and wooster is the top hat. i love the idea of taking a classically styled item steeped in tradition and turning it on its ear by utilizing it in a new creative, functional way. i would call these guys whimsical but i think that word gets a bad rap, so how about deliciously surprising? humorously stylish? playfully bold? i can’t decide. maybe all of the above.

i totally want to play monopoly at a table with the triple top hats hanging overhead.

purchase these lights and many more inventive things at the hidden art shop.

via bb-blog

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poppytalk handmade market

poppytalk’s handmade market has a theme called “love transforms” this month. look at some of the goodies being featured!

run away with me photograph from bueller designs

wheel thrown poppy bowl from whitney smith

gocco print art cards from scott ballard for two guitars

felt covered journal from stacy handmade

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holiday ornament swap - bonus

one bonus ornament from my dear and generous pal seems to have rounded out my 2007 swap collection nicely! we weren’t in each other’s groups but decided to exchange what we made anyway.

isn’t it so cute?!?!

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holiday ornament swap - #4, #5

look at the loveliness that arrived in the mail today - two more swap ornaments!

can you see the glitter on this super sweet painted snowman? thanks karen!

see the teeny little holly in miss birdie’s hair - so beautifully sewn? thanks danielle!

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fun advent calendars (round up)

when i was a kid (do i sound like an old lady?) i enjoyed the anticipation of christmas as much as the holiday itself. having all those little doors to open on a festively colored advent calendar tacked to the window or wall was a wonderful tradition in my house, and is something i associate with the spirit of the season, good will, and the warmth of moments spent with friends and family; in other words, the essence of the holiday. please enjoy this selection of traditional, contemporary and just plain creative interpretations of this annual holiday item.

traditional german paper with glitter from strictly christmas

embroidered cotton from german artist morningflower’s dawanda shop

vintage sewn fabric from the uk artist rowsewcreative’s etsy shop

wood and mirrored tabletop from target

felt with applique and embroidery from the land of nod

painted wood from stonewall kitchen

embroidered felt from chicago artist bedside banner’s etsy shop

vintage pants and denim from german artist ebiko’s etsy shop

contemporary paper by sarah curedale at boston’s mfa shop

handmade chocolate truffles from portland’s moonstruck chocolates

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a trip to kup kup land and beyond

look at the happy, magical pincushions, brooches and more that have flown out of the mind of talented spanish artist kima and into her kup kup land. the vignettes are a wee 19 cm x 14 cm (7.5″ x 5.5″).

i frequently daydream about being a fairy or a gnome and living under a tall flower in the forest, and this is one of those times…

wait - hold on a minute - i’m snapping out of it to show you her slightly melancholic and disturbing acrylic, pencil and ink illustrations!

well, now i don’t know where i’m at in my head. this is all really great art.

check out this etsy shop to go to kup kup land, that etsy shop to see the lil’ butcher girl illustrations, and afterwards her blog too!

via craft via plush you

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molo felt rocks

at a glance these look like river stones or marshmallows, but they’re actually pure wool felt rocks from canada’s molo design. they’re a natural byproduct of making polishing wheels for optical lenses. they form by being tumbled together in a big drum filled with steam and pressure.

looks like fun to me.

get a set of five assorted rocks for $240 at unica home.

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stunning felt vases from joshua stone

i am such a sucker for felt it isn’t even funny. i love these vases from joshua stone. guess what they’re made of? that’s right, felt, which is waterproof and designed with a beaker in the center to hold the stems.

find them at lekker.

via betterlivingthroughdesign

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laser cut rugs

i like these laser cut felt rugs. the idea of creating a two tone (or monotone!) floor covering by laying this over your hardwood floors is intriguing, isn’t it?

in assorted sizes of charcoal or java at brocade home.

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