Lauren Alane

Announcing!

2011-11-18T10:18:00.003-05:00

In the coming days, I'll be launching a brand new company and website. It has been in the works for most of 2011 and I'm unbelievably excited that it's really going to happen so soon. I can't wait to show everyone! Here's a little peek at the new stuffed animals in the works. I'll send an email to the mailing list when the new site launches, where you'll be able to sign up for updates on the new company. In the meantime, I'm trying to get some needle felted bird ornaments done for Christmas, so keep an eye out for a holiday shop update as well. Have a great weekend!

A very happy Halloween

2011-11-02T08:38:00.009-04:00

After picking out a pumpkin and making the final preparations to Henry's dinosaur poncho, we headed out for his first trick-or-treating experience. It was a total success. I had no idea that my little 1-and-a-half year-old would figure out what was going on. But thanks to our friend Parker, who was Strawberry Shortcake for Halloween, Henry got the hang of trick-or-treating. He'd walk up to the door with Parker (who is a brave 4 year-old) take a piece of candy, and walk back to his car and put the candy in his bucket. We stayed out for three hours! It was awesome. He also happens to love Reese's miniatures because he can open them himself. He ate one for breakfast, which I hope he does not expect every morning from now on. :)

Heading out.

Walking to Parker's house.

Knocking on Parker's door, which was practice for the evening. Henry says "na na" for "knock knock."

Strawberry Shortcake and Henry the Dinosaur. He does a very convincing roar.

As for his costume, I got the idea from these amazing coats I found on Etsy, through Pinterest (which I happen to love. Here's a link to mine for fun.). Little Goodall is the name of the shop. They look super well-made and really cozy!

I hope you had a wonderful Halloween. And that you are not as full as I am from eating way too much of my kid's candy.

In the schoolyard

2011-10-03T11:26:00.003-04:00

The headmaster of the school

Teacher conference

School portrait

Bully in the schoolyard!

Here are the latest photos of this fall gang of owls, which will be in the shop tomorrow at 3pm EST. This photo shoot was particularly great since the weather cooled down that morning and Henry ran around the basketball court in excitement. Glad his first experience with middle school was a good one!

Fall! (Sort of)

2011-09-28T14:07:00.004-04:00

It's finally Fall, although the 90-degree temperatures here in Florida do not make it easy to say that it really is Fall. But! Halloween is coming, which means it surely is Fall, and time for the holidays right around the corner. I've started working on Henry's Halloween costume although it is hard for me to top the fox from last year.

These little birds are almost ready for a shop update in the next few days (maybe early next week). I got so enamored with all the color-blocking during the New York Fashion Week runway shows that I have joked that these are my runway birds. They are so ready-to-wear, no?

(Images above: Style.com from the Steven Alan and J Crew Spring 2012 shows)

Weekend working

2011-08-29T11:07:00.004-04:00

We spent the weekend with friends at a lovely birthday party, full of delicious cabernets and cakes. I made a big ol' cake, courtesy of the Magnolia Bakery cookbook, and I made a little bird named Pearla as a gift.

I had some assistance taking photos of Pearla from my little helper Henry, who was also ripping at my shirt to get my attention. Oh, the hazards of my at-home working conditions. :)

I'm working on some fun new sewn projects hopefully to debut before the end of the year. I've always loved sewing since I was a little girl, so this new project has me really excited. I'm also working on some birds for a mid-September shop update so stay tuned. Hope you had a great weekend!

Shop update today at 4pm EST

2011-08-23T11:16:00.003-04:00

The summer swimmers will be in the shop today at 4pm EST, along with a few new cake toppers. I didn't quite finish the other birds I planned, so I'll have another shop update the first week in September I think. Perhaps a little flock of back-to-school birds. See you at 4pm!

Inner tubes

2011-08-16T11:18:00.002-04:00

I am pretty in love with these inner tube birdies. My friend Ashley said a while back that she thought a little inner tube would be so cute on the birds, and she was right! These little summer birds will be for sale very soon--I think I'll have a shop update early next week. I'll send an email to the mailing list as soon as I know for sure. More photos on Flickr and Facebook.

BRIDES Magazine

2011-08-09T10:32:00.004-04:00

The August issue of BRIDES magazine is out, and one of my toppers is featured. This is quite a huge deal to me because I think it is the largest publication I've ever been in. The staff at BRIDES was so kind to me and sent me a copy in the mail before it came out. Then I got a text from my dad with a picture of his copy of BRIDES--he said it was his first issue! So cute. My mom took her copy to work with her to show off. It is like I won the spelling bee.

I've been super busy making birds for a summer shop update, and there are currently two toppers in my Etsy shop right now. I'll post some photos next week of the birds that are in the works!

100 Layer Cake

2011-07-20T10:57:00.005-04:00

100 Layer Cake is an amazing website with a great selection of wedding items, and a really popular blog. I was so excited when one of the brides I worked with, Audree, emailed letting me know her wedding was featured. Gabriel Ryan Photographers took some really beautiful photos, and sent me such a nice email when I requested permission to post their photos here on my blog. I love this view of the whole dessert table.

In other wedding blog news, my husband Joey's band The Silver Fleece was actually featured on Style Me Pretty a few months ago. He is lookin' so cute in his suit and hat playing the guitar. (Image by Sarah Bray.)

We have truly achieved success, now that both of us have been featured on wedding blogs. :)

PS: There are two toppers on Etsy right now!

American Greetings

2011-07-14T10:07:00.003-04:00

American Greetings created this e-card using my birdies! It's so fun to see them come to life. You can watch it for free here!

I made and arranged most of the little objects in the animation. Joey took all the photos, which was fun because we even used a green screen, and rotated the bird around on a makeshift dolly to get him from all angles. I love that the guys from American Greetings named him Wendell. I think my favorite part is Wendell's bendy legs.

Father's Day Birdies

2011-06-14T11:21:00.003-04:00

I made these four little dads in honor of the big day on Sunday. They are wearing ties made from a Liberty of London handkerchief I got at the actual store in London a few years ago. It was tough to cut into it, but it made some adorable little accessories.

I also have two cake toppers that were created for a magazine (hopefully coming out in August!) and those will be in the shop today at 3pm EST. I haven't made iPod birds in a long time, so it was fun to recreate them. Here are some photos!

One Year

2011-05-25T13:51:00.007-04:00

My little baby turned one yesterday. What a year! We celebrated with some Chick-fil-a in the morning, some splash park at lunch, and some cake at dinner. He got a few things that go, and a few things with buttons.

I've been finishing some custom orders and getting ready for a shop update, hopefully before Father's Day. Here are a few little birdies from this past month.

Henry also has a new friend named Finn who just arrived last week. Here are some little shoes I made for him. He is teeny so I hope they fit him before he actually walks; I could see the fabric being ripped to shreds since he'll be tearing it up on the playground with Henry before we know it.

Those are the updates around this household!

ReadyMade Feature!

2011-04-05T10:25:00.005-04:00

The new issue of ReadyMade is out, and my "nerdy birdies" are in it! It is so exciting to see them in print, as part of a feature on bird feeders. They even included a little bio on me in the front of the magazine.

It just so happened that this weekend, ReadyMade had teamed up with Ikea to build a modular dwelling at the craft fair downtown, complete with blueprints. They had some copies of the new issue and gave me a few to take, and then took my photo for fun with the room because I was so excited about it.

So fun!

Cheery chore

2011-03-30T09:12:00.003-04:00

The laundry is not such a chore because I get to use detergent that has the birdies on it! A while back, Seventh Generation contacted us about using a photo of the birds on their baby detergent. It took a year before it finally showed up here in Florida, but it's so fun to be able to purchase it all around town, especially now that we have Henry!

Spring Wedding

2011-03-23T20:26:00.004-04:00

These little lovebirds will be for sale in the shop update as well. I made her veil and the fabric base out of a vintage handkerchief. I should be adding items to the shop on Thursday (tomorrow) around 2pm EST.

Easter Chicks

2011-03-22T09:36:00.003-04:00

The Easter chicks are decked out in their favorite costume. These guys will be coming in a shop update very soon! It will probably be later this week as soon as I can get everything listed. I've also created a Facebook page if that's easier for you to follow updates, and I'll be posting more about the shop update there as well. Find the link over to the right. Or here. Happy Spring!

Post-Valentine's Day Romance

2011-02-17T10:21:00.002-05:00

Some sweet little birds that are shipping out to a lovely bride. It's a new soft pink color that I just ordered. Hope everyone had a great week!

Valentine's birds and custom orders

2011-02-08T15:17:00.005-05:00

I'm about to add these four little birds to the shop. These are a new type of bird for me (except the owl of course) and they are a bit teenier than the other birds I make! I'm still going to make larger birds in the future but wanted to have fun experimenting. They stand about two inches tall.

I'm also adding four listings for custom bird sets, mostly for caketoppers. I figured the easiest way to do custom orders was to put them in the shop at the same time, to give everyone a chance. The listings are for the deposits on the birds, which I hope is not super duper confusing. I figure that since all the prices vary, it'll be easiest to send invoices for the balance of the toppers when they are completed. If this is the dumbest idea of all time then please let me know, because I can always do it differently in the future.

I hope you like the new mini birds!

Never enough marshmallows

2011-02-03T10:39:00.005-05:00

In my opinion, one can never have enough marshmallows. They are so light and fluffy and such a joy to mush around in your mouth. Plus they are great melted, toasted, dipped, and on and on. So I bought these adorable homemade marshmallows today from friends who are selling them on Etsy just in time for Valentine's day (which also happens to be my birthday, and great cause for celebration). Yum!

(Photo by Maketheday on Etsy)

A little fox for Henry

2011-02-01T10:28:00.004-05:00

I spent this weekend home sick with the boys, and felted a little fox for Henry whenever he'd nap. At first I thought about putting it in the shop but I agreed with Joey when he said it should go to Henry, being my first fox and all. It's also the first time I've felted anything other than a bird! The legs were tough but I only poked myself a few times.

My favorite is definitely the tail.

Oh and I should say, I got the courage to make this little guy after seeing the adorable needle felted toys from Gretel Parker. It makes me want to felt things that are way bigger!

New job for the new year: Mom.

2011-01-19T14:21:00.004-05:00

Friday was officially my last day of work...work at a real business, that is. I was at my job for six years, so deciding to stay home with Henry did not come easily. But, I love my new coworker and feel like we are going to be a great team. I'm spending Henry's naps making birds, which has been great in the three days so far. I look forward to many more shop updates to come! And hopefully some new products in the coming months. I'll also be taking cake topper orders very soon too. More details on that to come.

Now that I'm a full-time mama, I have a little more time to concentrate on making things, including this little bunny for Henry's good friend Janie. The pattern is from the amazing Wee Wonderfuls, purchased years ago and finally put to use! I was so excited to use my Liberty of London fabric that I've had a while, but never found anything special enough to use it on. Janie's face was sure special enough when she opened it and immediately hugged it, and hung onto it the rest of the afternoon.

Shop update today at noon

2010-12-10T10:01:00.004-05:00

Some new holiday birds and ornaments for the shop! I have to admit, I am really in love with this beard.

The above owls are large (relatively speaking, of course), and the ornaments below are a little smaller.

I finished these little guys last night, and also added some postcards to the shop this morning. See you at noon!

Christmas birds, hooray!

2010-12-07T21:09:00.005-05:00

I'm so excited about the two little holiday scenes that I finished today. They're live on eBay right now, and the auctions end Friday at 8pm EST. I was in Birmingham visiting my sister a few weeks ago and saw the cutest little winter scenes in an antique shop (I bought this globe ornament but for way cheaper), which inspired me to make a few snowy owl scenes for Christmas decorations. I used birch branches with hints of snow, and made the banners that say Merry Christmas behind the owls. And the very best part? Of course the teeny birds that accompany each of the regular-sized owls! They are perched atop the branches in each little scene.

I'm going to have an Etsy shop update Friday at noon EST. A few owls and a few ornaments will be for sale. Notepads are also back in the shop, and postcards will soon follow.

Here are some detail photos of the new birds. I hope they make your Christmas even merrier!

(Edit: I forgot to mention a thanks to my friend Jaime for helping with my banner. The banner was dragging the ground so she suggested raising it up, like on sticks. She had seen the most amazing cake bunting banners on Kiki La Ru. They are gorgeous and you can find them here!)

Fabulous Living

2010-11-17T20:48:00.002-05:00

Another fun mention of our house: our bathroom was featured on Fabulous Living.
(We were inspired by this amazing bathroom, belonging to Anna of Door Sixteen.)

The Foxiest Fox on Halloween

2010-11-02T15:06:00.008-04:00

Here are some photos of our first Halloween with Henry. I started crocheting his fox costume about a month ago, inspired by the adorable hats at Sweet Pea Toad Tots. I started with the hat, and then moved onto the pants, starting with the feet. The final touch was the tail with the white tip! Maybe one day I'll make a pattern for this outfit to share, but I mostly experimented until I got it right.

We didn't quite go for the candy this year, but we gave some trick-or-treaters a friendly greeting!

Introducing

2010-09-22T09:46:00.006-04:00

Henry Bradshaw! I just realized I never updated the blog with much about Henry's birth. Things have been so busy but we are finally settling into a routine.

He arrived May 24th and will be four months old this week. Babies are the greatest things on earth, I'm convinced. Every day he does something new, or with more coordination than the day before, and it really is crazy how fast they learn and grow. After he was born, I wanted to have twenty more kids right that minute. I've been told that's probably not the wisest idea so it's a good thing having twenty kids in succession is not physically possible.

Here is his weekly picture from Monday. He is wearing my dad's baby clothes which is so special. My grandmother had such good taste!

Trying to sit up:

And being coached by his dad on the first of many portraits in my grandmother's rocking chair:

I'm working full time now so it's been difficult to keep up with everything baby-related, let alone start making birds again. I really hope to figure it out as soon as Henry starts sleeping completely through the night so that I don't want to fall asleep right when he does at 8pm! I appreciate the emails I've gotten in the last few months and I hope to be back in business sometime in the future.

The Bradshaw home on Design*Sponge

2010-06-21T13:41:00.002-04:00

Our house is featured in a Sneak Peek today. So exciting!

eBay Auction Links

2010-05-04T11:27:00.002-04:00

You can find the caketoppers and Herman here.
Etsy shop update will be Thursday night!

More photos of the birds here.

New birds!

2010-05-03T13:32:00.010-04:00

Just in time before my due date in 10 days, there will be a few new birds for sale--finally! I finished my 2010 caketopper orders so I was excited that I could create some new birds to sell this week in the shop. I was on the fence as to how to sell these birds; typically after an Etsy shop update, I get a lot of emails from people who are pretty bummed they missed out on the birds, usually by just a few seconds. So then I thought to do an eBay auction for each bird, as some crafters I love have done recently (Jenn Docherty and Jennifer Murphy). I thought this would allow everyone an opportunity to participate since the auction will be 3 days. I was concerned though about the price being inaccessible for some people, so a friend suggested that I do an Etsy update as well. Great idea! So I will be doing a very small shop update Thursday night at 7pm EST. The shop update will include the two little pink owls. The eBay auctions will be for the two owl caketoppers, and the yellow owl with the umbrella. I'll send an email to the mailing list with the links to the auctions and I'll post them here as well. I'll start the auctions tonight and they'll end Thursday night at 8pm EST.

Of course, all of this is pending that I don't go into labor! I'm going to package all the birds in advance so that I can ship them out in the event that Henry comes :) If I'm MIA, you'll know why!

Edit: I have changed the auction and Etsy update times throughout today so I'm sorry for the confusion! It should be correct now, both in the text of this posting, and in the upper right corner of the blog.

Liberty of London for Target

2010-02-05T15:13:00.003-05:00

Liberty was my favorite store when we went to London a few years ago, and I'm so excited they are collaborating with Target coming on March 14th. Oprah.com has a first look (am I allowed to post these photos? If not, someone just tell me!) and the goods look amazing. It will contain mens, womens, kids, and housewares--including a bike! Wee Birdy also has a look at some of the housewares.

Little Henry Bradshaw

2010-01-19T15:32:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone!

I've gotten a lot of emails in the past few days and as always, I'm sorry for not responding in a timely manner. I figured it was time to update the blog with the big news that we're having a little boy in May! It explains the severe lack of birds since September. I'll post the obligatory sonogram photo so you can see little Henry kicking away.

I've decided at this point that I just can't take any custom orders at all, including wedding cake toppers, so I'm very sorry. I do plan to make some birds and have small shop updates here and there, including bride and groom sets. As always, the best way to stay updated is by the mailing list. I only send emails when birds will post, so I hope it keeps you adequately informed! Thanks for all the warm wishes and sweet emails about the birds.

Birds for the shop update

2009-09-15T10:58:00.002-04:00

Here are the Renegade 2009 birds that are going to be in my shop on Thursday. They've all got their little nametags on their legs from the craft fair. See you on Thursday!

Back from Italy

2009-09-09T11:34:00.003-04:00

This was one of my favorite pictures that Joey took of the Spanish Steps in Rome. We just got back from a wonderful trip, but I'm super sick so I'm waiting until next week for the shop update so I can ship the birdies out quickly for everyone who purchases one. Most likely, the shop update will be Thursday, September 17th at 3pm EST. I'll send an email to the mailing list with the exact date and time.

I don't think I realized how hard it would be to keep updated with the birds with buying a new house and traveling a bunch this summer, so I'm sorry to disappoint those of you who have emailed and have been waiting for so long to buy a bird! The house feels like it's finally coming to a close, and our big travel for the summer is over, but I've still got a lot of toppers to make before I can get back to regular shop updates. For now, I've decided to wait on taking any 2010 orders for toppers because I have to figure out a way to not over-extend myself! I know I'll be back in action by the holidays since those are my favorite birdies to make. It's so nice to know that even though I am gone for long periods of time from the blog and from shop updates that the birds are still wanted! So I appreciate all the emails.

Keep an eye out for an update next week!

Italy (via Newark)

2009-08-25T14:53:00.002-04:00

We're off to Italy for two weeks! I've got a lot of emails in my inbox and I'm sorry I haven't responded; instead I'm updating the blog with
the date of my next shop update. I will add some new owls on Thursday
September 10th!

See you when we return!
(Above is the view of NYC from the plane into Newark)

Wedding owls

2009-07-16T14:36:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos Liz sent me of her wedding and her little owl caketopper. Her husband is a Yankees fan so I embroidered a little logo (only took three tries), and luckily they liked the results. Some photos are from a friend, and the other is from her photographer, Anna Kuperberg.

Crappy photos of the kitchen

2009-07-09T15:57:00.004-04:00

We don't have internet at the house yet so we can't upload actual quality photos, but the kitchen counters are in and they look amazing! I'm excited we get to use my grandmother's stools that she had in her house when we were growing up. She used to cut up apples into small little pieces and we'd sit on the stools and eat them. My grandmother saved everything, so when she worked at a department store, she bought so much stuff and never opened it. I have an amazing collection of vintage dish towels and bath towels that still have the tags on them from two decades ago. They are flowery bright prints and I can't wait to use them one day. It's funny how similar our tastes are! She'd probably be super proud that I am using all her stuff to this day.

Bathroom progress

2009-06-29T12:01:00.004-04:00

Before! (above)
As of right now: (below)

This weekend my parents came to town and spent every waking hour painting the entire interior of our new house with us. Joey rebuilt shelves for all of our closets and we painted every surface possible! Our tile guy Israel did a great job in our hall bathroom. I was so happy at the progress that I ate my dinner on the floor in front of the bathroom so I could stare at it.

I promise I'll have a shop update as soon as we're done moving! I've got to take some photos of the leftover Renegade birds!

More demo

2009-06-16T15:34:00.003-04:00

Here is the house demo set on Flickr in case anyone is interested!

I need to take some photos of the remaining birdies from Renegade but I'll post them soon and send an email for a shop update probably by Friday.

Newsday

2009-06-10T21:46:00.004-04:00

I'm back from the Renegade Craft Fair and it went great! I don't have any photos yet to share but Joey is getting the film developed as we speak so I should have them when we return from an out-of-town wedding this weekend. I just happened to get an email from Robin at Newsday on Sunday telling me I was in the paper for a cake topper in the bridal guide. She sent me a PDF today so I wanted to share it.

Thank you to everyone who has emailed requesting a topper. Unfortunately I am all booked for the rest of 2009! I am really behind on my emails so I'm very sorry if I haven't responded. I'm not yet taking any orders for 2010 toppers but I'll send an email out when the time comes.

I do have some owls left from the fair this weekend that I'll be posting next week. I'll send an email out to everyone letting you know the date and time of the shop update. I probably will have two updates at different dates and times to make sure everyone has a chance in their respective time zone!

Where I have been

2009-06-02T17:13:00.004-04:00

For the last few months, Joey and I have been in the process of buying our first house. We finally closed on Friday, after making our initial offer on the house in February! We worked all weekend to demolish the kitchen and the bathrooms, and get started painting.

The Renegade Craft Fair is this weekend and I'm feverishly trying to finish all my little birdies to sell. I hope to meet some of you who are in town that weekend! I'll have some new postcards, and my notepads as well. I'm so excited to be sharing the booth with two super talented ladies as well, and I'll post pictures when we get back. I'll have a shop update with any of the remaining birds so keep an eye out for an email!

I'm hoping that since we've finally closed on the house, I'll have a few extra moments here and there to make birds later this summer and continue to have regular shop updates. I'll also post some renovation pictures for anyone who's interested! (I'm such a fan of Door Sixteen that I figure demo before and after photos are fun for most of us to look at!)

Spring birdies!

2009-04-02T14:41:00.002-04:00

Here are four little birds that have been made for a while but I just haven't gotten around to updating the shop. I'll send out an email with the date and time that these guys will post. I'm thinking tomorrow or early next week.

There are these yellow trees here that only bloom once a year, and they're so pretty. I don't have a clue what they are called but they always create such a cheery scene around this time of year!

Spring wedding

2009-03-09T14:13:00.002-04:00

Little lovebirds for a wedding this weekend!

We are taking a mini vacation to New York this weekend, but I think I'll have a shop update sometime soon after we get back. I have four little spring owls waiting for new homes!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-13T18:06:00.003-05:00

My favorite holiday

2009-02-05T11:07:00.003-05:00

Valentine's Day just happens to be my favorite holiday besides Christmas, mostly because it's my birthday :) I love to make these birds with the little hearts on their chests. They'll be in the shop tonight at 8pm EST.

The posts and shop updates have been more infrequent lately, mostly because my real job gets pretty busy at this time of year. I do plan on having regular updates this spring, and I'm so excited to apply for Renegade Craft Fair again this year with two very talented friends: Hayley Carmo and Anna Melcon Bond. The fair is June 6th and 7th so everyone should come! I think I'll have special small birds just for the fair, along with postcards and notepads.

Happy (late) New Year!

2009-01-15T12:02:00.003-05:00

I'm finally back in action after a long vacation and some sick days. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Over the break I was lucky enough to create birds for two very special magazines, and here are a few. I'll post more updates when I get them! I've been working hard to get all of the birds finished and now that I'm done, I can start thinking about a shop update. I'll probably have birds finished sometime in February but I'm not sure when at this point. My real job gets very busy around this time so I'll be felting when possible!

Final holiday shop update

2008-12-16T09:12:00.001-05:00

In the shop this afternoon around 5pm! If everyone doesn't mind, please limit just one bird per person. Thanks!

Friday Ornaments

2008-12-11T22:03:00.002-05:00

Ornaments are in the shop!

More ornaments tomorrow hopefully

2008-12-11T11:40:00.003-05:00

I worked on a few little owls last night and may have them finished for a small shop update tomorrow. I'm not going to email the mailing list this time, so check the blog for details tomorrow!

In the meantime, enjoy the Bradshaw's 2008 Christmas tree. :)

Ornaments...finally!

2008-12-08T14:27:00.004-05:00

I feel like I've been wanting to do nothing but make ornaments for the shop and have just recently found the time to get the first batch finished. I did successfully complete a few gifts for my family so I can check that off my to-do list. So now I'll get to updating more frequently, I hope!

These five ornaments will be in the shop tomorrow at 12noon EST. They are all light grey with a little crocheted loop to hang on the tree.

Christmas postcards

2008-12-04T12:41:00.007-05:00

I had a small batch of Christmas postcards printed to sell in my Etsy shop. I wasn't too sure if I should invest in having actual cards made, so this time around I just had postcards. Maybe we'll take some fun Christmas pictures this year with the birds and have a holiday notecards set ready for the 2009 holiday season. For now, a set of two postcards is located here.

The "Things to Do" notepad is now buy-one-get-one-free until January 1st! I figure since every other store is having sales, why shouldn't I?! No need to do anything special to your cart--I'll just send you double the amount of notepads that you purchase. Oh and they will each come individually wrapped. They are $5 in the shop.

Hooray for the holidays!

Fall Wedding

2008-12-02T17:35:00.004-05:00

Here's the little birdies on top of their wedding cake a few weeks ago. Thanks to Heather Ahrens Photography!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-25T10:30:00.002-05:00

Here is a lovely little set of bride and groom birds for a wedding this past weekend. My friend ended up securing them in a little nest on top of the cake, to tie in with the nests on each table. I'll post some pictures from the talented photographer when the photos are ready. In the meantime, hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving! I'll be starting on ornaments very soon, and I have a run of some Christmas postcards that will be for sale next week!

Another turkey before Turkey Day

2008-11-19T11:54:00.003-05:00

Fred will be in the shop in a few minutes!

Wild turkeys

2008-11-13T15:15:00.001-05:00

This pilgrim is tending to his turkeys. They'll all be in the shop tomorrow for the update!

Day after Halloween = get ready for Christmas

2008-11-03T12:45:00.002-05:00

My husband Joey laughs at me because I get so excited for the holidays immediately after Halloween ends. In honor of this excitement, I made Noelle for the shop. She's for sale now!

I got the new Crate and Barrel catalog this weekend and their Christmas stuff is really cool--especially the wool felt garland. I can't wait to make a few purchases even though I'm technically supposed to wait until after Thanksgiving to start the decorations. Perhaps I can get a waiver this year :)

Yesterday I baked the first pie of the season--the same pear pie that I baked last year around this time. It was delish. Now it's time to start making gifts too!

I'll be updating the shop with Thanksgiving-themed birds coming up on November 14th. I won't have any more birds here randomly before then, so that I can make that update really awesome.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween--and let the holidays begin!

Freddie the Ghost

2008-10-22T17:04:00.002-04:00

Freddie will be in the shop in a few minutes! He's a little teeny owl, and his little fabric costume is removable.

San Francisco

2008-10-21T13:18:00.004-04:00

Joey and I just got back from a long vacation in San Francisco. Here's a photo of the ladybugs in Muir Woods taking over a section of the forest. It was so fun to go visit some of the shops that I frequent online, like the Candy Store, and the Curiosity Shoppe.

I'll be back to updating the shop now that I'm back from vacation!

One more Halloween owl

2008-10-13T09:59:00.004-04:00

This weekend I finished another little owl for the shop, so I just put little Arlo on Etsy!

We also went to the pumpkin patch and picked out a gigantic pumpkin for our back porch. It is short and squatty and looks pretty awesome. We took the birds along to the patch, where Batman flew amongst all the pumpkins, amazing his little bird family.

A note about shop updates

2008-10-10T16:48:00.002-04:00

Today was a small little update, and the birds went quickly as usual (sidenote: every time this happens, I am really shocked and really honored). To those of you who are frustrated at the "Refresh" process, I'm so sorry! I wish I could make a million birds and send one to everyone who wants one.

In order to give you guys a less stressful and better chance to buy a bird, I'll be making a few here and there, and posting a picture on the blog and putting it immediately in the shop. I'm hoping even if it's just one or two a week that it will allow new people to buy birds who have never gotten one but really want one.

I'll still have a bigger shop update towards the end of November, in time to send out by Thanksgiving hopefully. Last year I made some turkeys and I was partial to them, so I hope to make some again this year. I'll send an email to the mailing list for this shop update, but not for the smaller updates over the next few weeks; instead, I'll just post the photos on the blog. (I think you can subscribe to blogs and get emails when there are new posts, so maybe that would help too?)

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Any feedback on this newer process would be welcome.

Dad and the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-10T11:13:00.002-04:00

The dad owl will come with his very own pumpkin patch. Shop update at 12 noon EST today!

Instruction

2008-10-09T09:39:00.001-04:00

Dad instructs the kids on how to carve a pumpkin. This is a tribute to my dad, always a faithful teacher of safe pumpkin-carving skills.

The dad owl will come with the little needle-felted pumpkin.

Batman for Halloween

2008-10-07T09:59:00.002-04:00

This owl has decided to be Batman for the big day coming up in a few weeks! His little bat wings are removable so he goes right back to normal after Halloween. He'll be in the shop on Friday.

Orla does it again

2008-10-03T09:39:00.004-04:00

My two favorite things to post about on this blog are of course 1) the birds, and 2) Orla Kiely. Elizabeth from Twig ordered this bag for me a while back and it finally came in! I wanted to show everyone because it is so super cute--the wool yarn detail on it is really unique and looks like cross-stitch. It ended up being a little small for me, so Elizabeth is reselling it in her shop in case anyone wants it! (I'm going to list it on eBay too, so in case you see the same photos of mine on eBay, that's why--not a shameless plug, I promise!)

Next update: October 10th

2008-09-24T14:09:00.003-04:00

Last night Otto got a new pair of glasses and a little gingham backpack before the Etsy shop update. He is off to a happy new home tomorrow! The birds all sold out quickly last night but I'll have another shop update on October 10th at noon. I'm hoping this time works out better for the faithful fans in Europe and Australia who woke up in the middle of the night! It's so hard to pick times--does anyone have any opinions? Feel free to leave comments and I'll surely read them to get some suggestions.

Birds in the shop at 8pm!

2008-09-23T09:22:00.002-04:00

The twins are ready for their first day of school, and they get some help with directions from the bigger kids.

These owls will all be in the shop tonight at 8pm, along with the caketopper birds below. I may even have some time tonight to make more backpacks for the older owls before they get ready for the shop update.

Topper for the shop update

2008-09-19T14:17:00.002-04:00

This little bride and groom set needs a home! They'll be a part of the shop update on the 23rd in case you need a cake topper or are just really excited to be married already :) We're going on a last-minute trip to Atlanta today so I'll be making birds in the car for the update next week. I hope to have a few little back-to-school owls with backpacks.

Have a great weekend!

Fabric flowers

2008-09-18T11:40:00.003-04:00

This topper was created to match the bride's fabric flower bouquets, which you can take a look at here. I was able to use the same fabric to create some little fabric flowers of my own. Perfect for a fall wedding!

Wedding bells

2008-09-16T11:20:00.003-04:00

The wedding festivities continue with a few more birds, prepared to perch on top of some lovely wedding cakes in the coming weeks.

Feeling the connection

2008-09-12T10:34:00.003-04:00

This is one of the October cake toppers I've finally finished. The birds are sharing an iPod and love is in the air (and ears).

Brides Magazine!

2008-09-08T12:54:00.004-04:00

I just found out I'll be in this season's edition of Brides Magazine - Florida Edition! I made the topper a while back and did the interview but just got word that the article made it! I'm so excited about it. I think if you click the picture it is large enough to read. I can't believe they said "superstar crafter"--that is the coolest title ever. Plus, this weekend I finally finished the five toppers I've been working on, so more photos to come later this week!

Back-to-school shop update postponed

2008-09-03T10:02:00.002-04:00

I was planning to make a few little back-to-school owls with backpacks (like last year's Alfie) for the shop update that was planned on September 5th, but I've realized there's just no time left! It will be soon; just not in two days. I want the backpacks to be extra cute so be sure to check back for photos in the next few weeks! Plus I'll be finishing about five caketoppers in the next week for all the October weddings I've been working on.

New website

2008-08-27T13:57:00.002-04:00

I am so busy trying to finish up all my October cake toppers but really needed to upgrade my website. I may have a fun "press" item to add soon, so I wanted to make sure the site was all finished before that item (hopefully) comes out. With a little coding help along the way, I managed to make it myself! There are a lot more photos now and some information about cake toppers, etc. One day maybe I will have one of those million dollar amazing websites but for now I think this one works :) Check it out here.

Amy Butler dress

2008-08-19T14:13:00.007-04:00

In February I got the pattern for Amy Butler's Anna Tunic and I've finally made it! Two to be exact. One in a plain green fabric and another in a heavier-weight Ikea fabric. They are so fun to make and the second one only took a few hours! As everyone always says, her patterns are well-written so that there's not a lot of confusion.

Below are photos - one of me "hunkering down" (as the newscasters like to say) for Tropical Storm Fay with the neighborhood cat Beverly; and another of me in Savannah. We had an anniversary trip a few weekends ago and it was so great. Thanks to Katie Runnels for her excellent Savannah tips!
(Here with Beverly)(Here in front of the Hamilton-Turner Inn)

Nellie's cake topper

2008-08-13T11:48:00.003-04:00

Here's a lovely photo from a lovely girl's wedding. Thanks Nellie!

(photo by angelicaglass.com)

Fall Orla

2008-08-06T08:38:00.003-04:00

I saw on Oh Joy that the new Orla Kiely Fall bags are here and I am obsessed with this one. Isn't it amazing?? I can't find it online yet but I'm sure it will be here soon (and will probably cost nearly a grand)!

Hard at work

2008-08-04T12:06:00.002-04:00

The bakers decided to gather the ingredients for baking a variety of goods this weekend.

It reminded me of my favorite scene from Sleeping Beauty when the fairies help her bake a cake. It's fun that even as a young girl I had this affection for making and baking!

Shop update today!

2008-08-01T10:58:00.004-04:00

Here are the five little birdies for the shop update today at 2pm EST. Each one stands proudly with their baked good.

(I should note that the baked goods are not going along with the birdies but you can buy some here! They are the coolest erasers ever.)

Little aprons

2008-07-30T10:46:00.003-04:00

Some little aprons for some little birds, which will be in the shop on Friday. I'm working frantically to finish them up!

Window office

2008-07-25T11:59:00.002-04:00

This week I got upgraded to a window office at work. In honor of the change, I created a little succulent arrangement that will hopefully survive in my new window. It is not quite as amazing as the ones I've seen on Oh Joy, but hopefully it will grow into something pretty. I love the little baby sprouts and I'm hoping they take root and produce a few offshoots. I also may try to order some succulents online but I can't seem to find a good place for it!

Next week I'll be posting some photos of finished owls. I might have a shop update Thursday but it depends how far I get this weekend!

Hanging

2008-07-21T10:38:00.003-04:00

The combination just looks perfect together :)

This weekend we went go-karting for Joey's birthday and saw the Dark Knight. And I finally watched the premiere of Project Runway, and it seems like it will be a great season. I'm sad it's moving to Lifetime but I'll just cherish this last season on Bravo. In the midst of all the fun, I made a bunch of owl bodies for the shop update which I think will now be the first week in August so I can make all the little aprons. I got a bunch of new Amy Butler gray and yellow fabric so I'm making a bunch of gray owls, which will be oh-so-cute with the complimentary aprons.

Happy birthday

2008-07-16T09:42:00.002-04:00

Today is Joey's birthday, and I also finished some birds, so I posed them in front of Joey's birthday gift. He is very happy with his new Eames Hang-It-All and it will be perfect to hang his hat. We don't need many coats in Florida so it will have other uses!

The birds shown are a new bride and groom, and a bird for a good friend. I've got three birds in the works for a late-July shop update, and I think I'm going to put aprons on all of them to have a little army of bakers.

Moose for the weekend

2008-07-11T15:06:00.002-04:00

Moose, originally uploaded by Greg Abbott.

Here is a fun design from my friend Greg to leave with you for the weekend.

I am hoping that I get accepted to Spoonflower so that I can convince Greg to make fabric out of this amazing moose print! And perhaps a birdie fabric as well.

A quick note about yesterday's shop update: I forgot to send an email to the email list, so next time I will surely do it. Thanks to everyone who bought a bird without an email to remind them! I'm thinking the next shop update will be at the end of July. I have to get started on the rest of 2008's cake toppers!

Shop update in a few minutes!

2008-07-10T11:33:00.005-04:00

Gordon, Harvey, Cecil, and Darla will be in the shop in about a half an hour. Darla is a new color gray that I got and I just love it! I wanted to make her a little hat but ran out of time this morning before work so perhaps on the next shop update I'll have another gray and yellow owl with a gray and yellow hat.

A simple little topper

2008-07-09T10:44:00.005-04:00

A topper for an August wedding. I'm excited for this one because the baker is going to add the extra details to make the cake and topper go together perfectly. I love seeing the final products! The one below is from Ashley and Jeff's wedding, and the photo was taken by AHS Photography. Ashley's wedding was amazing and she had a few different desserts along with a small cake--perfect for the topper.

I'll post pictures tomorrow of the 3, maybe 4, owls that will be available for the shop update. I'm going to try my very hardest to have them right on time at 12noon EST tomorrow, but it's a little tricky doing it during the work day. I've had some sweet emails from people overseas hoping for an earlier time than 9pm EST so let's shoot for noon tomorrow!

Pie for the 4th of July

2008-07-07T12:33:00.003-04:00

My very favorite pie is from Pearl Oyster Bar in NYC. They have the most amazing lobster rolls and shoestring fries, and then the pie with ice cream is absolutely perfect. Joey and I try to go every time we are in New York. Pearl sells a book with recipes so we bought it and make the pie whenever enough people will be in one place to eat it! We spent the 4th of July with family during the day, then with friends at night and watched fireworks with their kids. My friend Nathan took this photo for me and his wife Jenn made the delicious corn and cookies in the background. Watching fireworks with a cool 4 year old is really exciting. I even got to cover his ears for him when it got really loud.

I'm having a small shop update on Thursday with a few owls, and more photos will come. I'm hoping to finish a few more but we will see!

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!

Flowers for my MacBook Pro

2008-07-02T08:59:00.004-04:00

I got a new MacBook Pro a few weeks ago and spent a long time sorting through all the cases out there. I had a PowerBook before, and I was so careless with it that I dented the aluminum--so I didn't want that to happen again! I accidentally stepped on the top of it one night and it left a few toe marks when I opened it up and looked at the screen. I really left my mark.

This time it is my work computer so I had to make sure I didn't go stepping on it at night. I found a bunch of amazing cases but didn't really want to spend $200 for the awesome ones. So I thought about it for a week or so and decided to make one! I spent all day Sunday going to the craft store for some heavyweight interfacing, cutting everything out, and sewing it all together. I was so excited to use the flowery print I bought at the 2007 Renegade Craft Fair when Repro Depot had a table of tons of remnants. This combined with Amy Butler's awesome gray and yellow polka dot fabric, and I had myself a pretty cute combo. I copied the way that my Orla Kiely handles are made, minus the leather, and sewed them onto my bag.

Here is the final product! Nice and sturdy and it fits perfectly!

Newly wed

2008-06-30T11:31:00.003-04:00

These owls are going to a very special place--which I'll share in a few months! This is the first full cake topper I've made that has owls on it and I think it came out nicely. I am a sucker for the little top hat, and the groom has tiny buttons on his chest too. The bride has a rhinestone button near her veil.

Thursday's gang of owls

2008-06-26T10:06:00.001-04:00

Celia, Willard, Sally, Shirley, and Rosie will all be in the shop tonight at 9pm EST.

The fruits of our non-intensive labor

2008-06-25T11:11:00.003-04:00

Hooray for tomatoes! We came back from New York to find our first little batch of small red cherry tomatoes. Thanks to Jen who commented on my last tomato post, we re-planted our tomatoes in larger pots, and bought stakes to help hold them up. After doing some research, it seems this is an obvious must-do, but I am new to growing anything so I need all the help I can get! Encouraged by our success, Joey and I bought a Roma tomato plant too and will hopefully have our fruit sometime soon.

I just love the way the five little leaves look after the tomatoes are picked.

See you tomorrow for the shop update!

Thursdays' shop update

2008-06-23T10:19:00.002-04:00

These five birdies will be in the shop on Thursday at 9pm EST!

Favorite Renegade purchases

2008-06-20T10:15:00.003-04:00

I wish I could have bought one of everything at the fair but this is what I purchased. A beautiful Fernanimal from Ashley Anna Brown (I've wanted one with a collar for so long!), a faux bois vase from KG+AB, a tea towel from Alison Tauber, a carrot from Sian Keegan, a set of Get Organized bags from Something's Hiding in Here, and some cards from Sycamore Street Press. I really want their alphabet poster and almost bought it, but Joey and I couldn't think of much empty wall space in our little apartment.

Yesterday I ordered Astulabee's last woodland creature because I was sad I didn't get one at the fair! I loved the little capelets. (Photo below is from her Etsy listing.)

I didn't have much time to walk around and I'm sure I missed some great stuff! It's been so fun looking through everyone's pictures of the fair.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Birds in the city

2008-06-19T14:57:00.003-04:00

The birds like to hang out in the East Village when they get the chance. The restaurants are really good.

I do have a few birds left that will be in the shop on the 26th! I'll send a reminder email to everyone on the mailing list with a specific time--most likely 9pm EST. The birds have been selling rather quickly (thank you everyone!) so be sure to arrive to Etsy early and hit the Refresh button while I upload the birds!

I posted a few personal pictures of Renegade on a different Flickr account (mostly for personal use later on) so check them out if you feel like it!

Also as a quick note, I am all full for cake topper orders for 2008. For those of you that have emailed, I will respond shortly. Thanks for your patience!

Renegade Craft Fair 2008

2008-06-17T10:42:00.006-04:00

The Renegade Craft Fair was quite an adventure. We survived extreme heat and a lightning storm, where we had to hang onto our tent so it didn't blow away in the wind. I was so happy to be there though, so it didn't really matter--so many birds got new homes and it was fun to see everyone get excited about them. I didn't realize I'd run out of business cards in an hour, so my poor husband Joey had to go to Staples and get some new ones made! I also ran out of postcards which was great--I'm so glad people loved them. I also got to meet Ashley from Fernanimals which was the highlight of my trip. Ashley let me borrow the little stands for the birds and they worked out perfectly.

Saturday
Sunday
Sunday at 7pm--not much left!
And a picture of Ashley's adorable booth:I've made a list of things to do for next year so that it runs a little more smoothly, but overall it was wonderful :)

Birds!

2008-06-09T13:42:00.003-04:00

Here is the result of frantic felting for the last month! I have finally finished about 30 birds for Renegade this upcoming weekend and I'm super excited. I just have to finish up the accessories and then we will be on our way to Brooklyn. Just in time for Renegade are a set of postcards, which are in the shop as of today!

I've decided to have a shop update on June 26th to allow me enough time to recover from the fair. I may have leftover birds too, so we'll see.

Martha Sue brings some cheer

2008-06-03T11:04:00.002-04:00

Hopefully Martha Sue will be a cheery gift for a little girl whose home is the hospital for a few weeks.

Topper in action

2008-05-29T09:56:00.002-04:00

The topper looked so perfect on the cake at the wedding last weekend. It was so fun to see the little birds, and to see people get really excited about them. It was really special. This was the first time to meet the "customers" in person and see their reaction (it helps that it was my good friend, so she of course had to be excited), and I definitely am looking forward to the craft fair so I can meet others who might also enjoy the birds too.

Memorial Day

2008-05-27T09:58:00.002-04:00

The neighbors rented a slide yesterday and all the kids in the apartment complex were playing on it. Roland looks on in enjoyment.

My weekend in Kentucky was great and it was so fun to see the cake topper on a real wedding cake! We are waiting on the film to be developed but I'll post a picture once we have them.

Yesterday I was able to finish up most of the tummies on the owls and was also able to make some little wooden magnets for the shop. They will be finished today most likely and then I just need to take pictures to post on Etsy. The postcards also arrived and they are really cute and will be in the shop soon!

Looks like I didn't get around to a shop update in May, but I will almost certainly have one when I get back from Renegade in June. I'm sure I'll have a few birds left to post in the shop!

Hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend.

Cherry tomatoes

2008-05-20T12:51:00.002-04:00

My first attempt at growing food in a second story apartment has gone surprisingly well! I am so excited that the first cherry tomatoes have sprouted. I had no idea that the fruits came from the same stem as the flower, and after the flower falls away, the tomato comes. It's really exciting--not sure "exciting" is the very best word, since it's sort of like exciting in slow motion. Either way it's fun.

And here come more tomatoes!

I'm leaving tomorrow for the wedding in Kentucky (see below) and I am so excited for a little vacation, complete with horseback riding! It will also be fun to take my own pictures of a cake topper on an actual cake--a first for me. I'll be sure to post them here!

I have almost 30 owl bodies complete for Renegade which is kind of shocking, although they are just bodies--no eyes or tummies yet. I'm hoping I am on some sort of track to have a bunch completed by June 14th! In other business news, I have ordered post cards and they should arrive this week, hopefully to be for sale on Etsy when I get back from my trip. I'll post pictures when they are available!

How do I love thee

2008-05-19T10:19:00.003-04:00

For a darling friend's wedding this Saturday! Her beautiful invitation is in the background, inspired by Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "How do I love thee?" poem.

The newest cake topper

2008-05-13T10:04:00.002-04:00

For Ashley! I think the little top hat came out pretty cute.