Too much apetite for toys

I want to spend more time with my baby, I want to improve my lectures, I want to write TWO articles, I want to be prepared for the anthropological conference in December, I want to make editing job for a book, I want to have some sleep and rest, I want to make more softies - I have so many ideas that blow my head.... Too much apetite for all these things makes me frustrated almost, ehm. And, oh yes, I want to have more toys in my etsy shop and beautiful, eyecatching banner (that's the newest version, and I've changed my avatar also) and I want my shop to be popular (thank you all dear souls who add my to your "favourite shop" selection :) ). But all these things need time, and commintment and hard work. OMG, so much work! I should quit university! But I won't.

Ok, stop complaining: Ada and work are my priorities :) the rest has to wait.

So, during my last travel North (which is my only time I can spend on sewing without any remorse) I've made another plushie: Hermione, the puppeter.
And her puppet - the dragon, and her toy - panda. Panda's name is Arnold, because he's rather chubby and looks strong enough to fight anybody - just like Arnold S. :) For humans, the puppet is rather finger puppet. Don't understimate his power - he just looks shy and silly, but watch carefully his big nostrils - any moment can blow fire, and fangs... Do I have to remind you what dragon fangs are for? Of course, drawstring bag needed an improvement also (am I perfectionist?) - I changed red ribbon into decorating black string and it looks much better, and classy. Embroidery with a black cotton thread, chain stitch.
More sheeps are to come soon.
I baught safety eyes recently, because I've noticed that some toys need to have their eyes opened and blinking some intelligence. And you know what - I found only one- O N E safety eyes producer! For now I'll make softies in two versions: with eyes embroidered - for the small people, and with safety eyes - for grownups.
And, yoohooo, I can't wait for the parcel from superbuzzy ! I bought some wonderful fabrics to trim my softies ears and drawstring bags, and I pitty this cute shoppe with adorable Japanese fabrics, accessories and fun stuff is located in USA which means far from here and extremely expensive shippment :(
They should have their shop in Europe, too! :)

Puppet Show

Puppet Show
Originally uploaded by SuperOrangeDesigner.

This should be my inspiration to make finger puppets - what a wonderful idea: to make characters from "Alice in Wonderland". This book is very close to my heart for we are namesake with Alice Lidell. (The author - that's completely different thing). I love this book for the langauage and unlimited imagination od a dreamer. A little bit scary imagination.
But I like this photograph very much - the author made a fantastic job. Well, octopus has an advantage of eight "hands" but who sais I can not make 8 puppets? Funny that all "humans" have green octopus-like faces (I've notice it at second glance, I must admit).

And I found great group of finger puppeter on flickr . Great source of inspiration. As usual.

World of toys and blogging

For few days I'm in a strange mood - trying to make supply for an my etsy shop and having so little time to do it. So it's still empty! I regret I'm rather a lausy graphic designer to make a simple and beautiful banner. And when I'm sleepless at night I'm looking for something new among my favourite blogs to cheer me up (take a look at my blogroll). The more I search the more I find interesting finds and the more I think that blogs of crafting people are the world themselseves. And lots of crafters love to describe their lifes - so I like reading those blogs more than any others: they are frankly without too much effusiveness, they are sweet without too much sweetness and they are - just about life! Great! Well, maybe it's not a very profound thought, but I like blogs and bloggin' more each day.
So this funny toy I found at Rosa Pomar's site and she did find it at This Next site. I'm all for slings, (those made by Rosa herself are beautiful), but not for the bottle - breastfeeding rules :) . On the other hand, I can not imagine breastfeeding toy... This toy is fashionista, I must say - slings are so in fashion now! When Ada was smaller I carrier her in a sling myself and still remember a funny situation - an old lady in the park seeing me with a newborn in a sling, offered to buy me a prom! I'm sure she had though miserable of me, hahahah. To end advertising slings - it's a perfect for breastfeeding also.
So, that's it. Let's back to toys.
But innovative toys are perfect for children of any age, and I found this "Let's Play Mail" at I'm Still Me site, while searching exhibitors of Bubble Press (I used to like it more, currently there is no so many toy makers exhibiting there). As authors describe this toy: "Provides hours of pretend play which encourages self-expression, and reading and writing readiness. Send pretend mail, postcards or parcels to Mom, Dad, kitty, doggie, boy/girl/brother/sister. Stamps, messages, etc. stick to mail pieces with easy to use Velcro for years of fun and learning".


Toys have their independent life, I suppose looking at the photos that softies makers do. We all know they do have. Like littlecottonrabbits rabbits, for instance.
Or monstrous monsters you can see among nifty stuff handmade by vozz - which means fishcakes . Monsters seem to be favorites of her creativity and creations: in this cozies
some small decorations
or even they can be a theme of bento box for her prescholer:
On her site you can see more monsters - I like the features of this monster - grumpy face, rosy cheaks and these beautiful horns make him very special.

Jennifer Murphy Bears moved her shop to ebay now, but she still makes gorgeous jointed bears in precise outfits. They are not children toys for sure for their safety eyes, tiny pieces, mohair furs and joints, but who wouldn't want such a sweet face?
And I like some banners - actually I could not choose which one is my favourite. They are all very special. Most of them are saved in .gif propably so I could not upload them here, but some - lucky for me - were not.
I like Marisa Maia's for showing the content of her blog and her sweet toys all at once
So Marylin Patrizio - her crochet creatures are great and I like her stuff very much. I hope she won't mind me mentioning about her here.
Or Claire Robertson with her sweet toys and illustrations. I don't know what I like more - the illustrations or the toys.
I've noticed I love banners with an sketch of the author and his (or rather her) creations. Like those girls above. On one of my previous blog banners (I had few already: banners, not blogs) I put this
But I decided to put my little girl among the softies - instead of me. And even now it's changed. Of course, some day I will improve my little banner here, but - just some day! Being full-time mother is more than full-time job!

new creations

My posts are going in packs, so my creations.
After sniffing of touch for newborn baby, as I told myself, I came back to finishing forest set of finger puppets. Made especially for Kinga, Ada's elder friend.
As always, I loved making it. Deer is my favourite item right now, though I love wolf, bear and hare also. Creature in the middle is a ghost of the forest, mini version of my monsters - guardians. So is this one - taking care of all the forest and all creatures living there.

Speaking of a deer - at Trinlay Khadro flickr site one can see a poststamp from Lalootka-land (that's how she called it and I like it very much). There is a deer there to show the associations with a city Trinlay lives in.
I'll better go to sleep and postpone making a purse for finger puppets till the early noon - it's dawn, birds are starting to sing, and for me - sleep time.

Sinead, Hildegarde and friends

Sinead, Hildegarde and friends
Originally uploaded by lalootka.

My new flatmates: lamb Sinead, and monkey Hildegarde. They are both young musicians: Hildegarde is composer (nomen omen), Sinead (nomen omen) is studying opera singing - one of her favourite artists is Bianca Casady They are very young so still keep their softies :)
After introducing lamb Amelia into a flickr world I realized that lambs hate to live in solitude - they need a company - the more sheep the merrier. Sinead warned me that few her cousins more are coming soon. And they are not silent for sure. (Her legs and arms are made of pure rustic linen. Next time I'll take thinner linen for this purpose).

We are expecting a concert soon - though Midsummer Night passed but there'll be another occassion soon: the end of term, exams and beginning of the Summer holidays :) - composer and conductor Hildegarde, solo vocal - Sinead. Though I love Hildegarde von Bingen , I hope that our Hildegarde won't imitate her fully.

Another addition to our growing lalootkas' company are vaderas, female wolf pack. I treat them as a modest contribution or rather hommage to the idea of The Mom Pack (it should be such an organization here in Poland).
I love wolfs and their perfect family organization. They are more loyal than musketeers, and more devoted to their children, and their mates than humans (in general). I still remeber wonderful book "Not so terrifing wolf" about researches among Alaskan wolfes by a young Canadian biologist who even ate mice to immitate wolf's diet and proove few of his thesis. Receipe for mice with bacon and cream is still in my memory.
But speaking about wolfs - I have to make some more of them for few sets of finger puppets and two of them will be a couple for custom order: the Noah's Arc.

And good news - Trinlay received Izumi today. At last, I worried a bit about it - it took so long! Trinlay is an expert in Japanese outfits, she has few kimonos and knows perfectly the difference between yukata and kimono. I wonder how she judges my production of kitty, her outfits and packages (I wanted to make it as simple and anasumed as possible - to follow the Japanes art of packaging, of course).

Finger puppets

The best thing is to think a little without stress. So did I and solved my "problem" with signing into the blog. It was not a problem, of course. But first I had to change a subject of thinking for a while - it's easy when your child wants something to eat or to change a nappy. And Ada wanted both.

My princess likes new finger puppets a lot - to eat especially. She is 17 months now and still wants to put everything into her mouth. 8 teeth have to work. They are not for babies like her, rather toddlers or kids, or parents to make a theatre. The reason is very simple - felt is not chewing resistant.

The hare is one of Ada's favourite productions of mine - it has handle ears and that's good. And girlie-bear Sophie I want to keep for Ada. The others will go for adoptions.


Propably Miss June (or her clone) will go for an auction. I believe in giving back and I've received so much good that I want to share. With Hospice for children, for instance,
www.gajusz.org.pl - when I first saw those children I couldn't stop crying. I hope someone reach will buy her!

I'm still glad for making little makeover for June the Hare - now she's pretty and cute as I wanted her to be. Of course, she was charming and pretty even before. But I don't regret.

Finger puppets are good - maybe it doesn't sound modest but in my opinion they are cute. And I can make some more of them easily. I want to put them into my etsy shop. Soon.

Ada was soooo happy to see me yesterday that I was breastfeeding about 5 hours..... Propably she wants beastfeeding not as a food but as a warm contact and socializing with mother. Anyway it takes hours after my few days absence. We need to move to Torun - it's 1000 km then and back, it takes too much time. I do not want to be separated from her for half a week every week! I miss her the moment I close the door!

Pyza reminded me how cute and funny hamsters are. I used to have hamsters - as I remeber, once I had even 11 hamsters and it was too much of cuteness ;) But generally, though they are not easy animals, they look sweet and can be nice pets. And they don't smell like guinea pigs....

I like the idea that this year is a year of the Pig. My bother George is Chinese Pig. I am an Ox. My Ada is Rooster and her father is Dragon - oh, yes, he is. I gathered pig and hamster together in a photo, because they are both rather chubby. I like chubby :)I wanted pig's little hoofs to look as natural as possible.
I like little fangs of this wolf. I wanted him to be funny but still dangerous.
And little lamb hidden in mother's fur. Next time I'll make it better and I know what to improve. Photo especially. Lamb has to have its ears visible. And I want to make labs in a shape of softies. Maybe even this idea - mother with a lamb in 3D.
I have an idea how to make them keychains. That will be my next work.
I finally finished my kitty for swap. In few days I will sent it.
And afterwords go to Sandomierz for ethnological - anthropological conference!!!! Hurrah!

finger puppets - set.

finger puppets - set.
Originally uploaded by lalootka.

O, excellent - I wanted to do good and to add banner ot one.org and propably I stucked my blog! It would be pitty, indeed for me because I've just started having fun with blogging... Well, we'll see.
These are my newest creations - photographed not just scanned, as recently :) I like hamster and I made inspired by photographs of pyza and her hamster on leash. Other creatures are rather obvious: cats and dog are popular, black sheep is always black sheep of the family, and pigglet is a sign of current year: the Year of the Pig. So it is a auspicious mascot. Making themn was fun and I want to make some some.
And not to change my blog again!!!! What to do with it?

finger puppets.....

finger puppets
Originally uploaded by lalootka.

Travelling last night from about 500 km by train, I did this set. If I can not sleep I sew. Set is not complete yet, if I want to have 10 puppets. Well, actually I did make complete set, but I gave a frog, another cat and bird - die Elster (I forgot the English name...) - I gave as gifts to my friends. The only pitty that I didn't photographed them before! :) Those little ones are not photographed either - I scanned them. Tommorrow I will make some photos to show details. Next thing is to make nice packages.

Or I won't make any photos tommorrow - usually, when I come back home Ada wants my constant attention and care and caresses for a day or two (or three). I understand that and I pitty her for every week lack of mother. But she has her daddy with her! (Will she be spoiled because of my felling guilty I leave her?)

Such gloomy mood I have because longing for Ada and after watching "Munich" movie by Spielberg. Eric Bana is really cute but story told in the film is completely unbelievable and ... insane! I really worry about the Middle East situation and how it influences us. Janusz Kaminski is great photographer - it's obvious especially in battle scenes.

Today there is a second day of photo festival here in Lodz and I saw some interesting exhibitions: "Piatek w centrum uwagi" about village of Piatek (Friday) - geographical centre of Poland. Very much anthropological project - mother asked me to write about it. It's great idea.
And I saw photos by Yann Arthus-Berthrand "The Earth from the sky". Beautiful photos, of course, but for me descriptions were even better - contras between the text and illustration was huge. But they should be shoking if they are going to awaken us. So much beauty in the world made me touched and sad, of course. What can I do to save it for Ada and other children? Uhm, I thing that this and the movie it was too much for me for one day....

Ok, I'll better go to sleep - I have a train to Bielsko-Biala at 6:07 a.m.