Plush You online

I am slowly yet surely getting all work up online that is still for sale. Please visit here often for new pieces.

Go Jennifer!

Jennifer Strunge of Cotton Monster fame was written about in the Washington Post. She gives a very nice shout out to Plush You! Not only am I so appreciative of that but I am so proud of you all for making it into press, getting recognized for your work and continuing to do what you love. Much much deserved.
xo

Handmade Nation

If you haven't gotten tickets for the screening of Handmade Nation yet, you better. I have just heard they are selling like hotcakes. If you delay, you might miss it! Get them today!

Penguin and fish Interview

Basically when I opened the package from Penguin and Fish I let out a large gasp. Her work is amazing. Beautiful in fact. It's silly but classy and tailored like no one's business. I can't wait to meet you!!!!! If you aren't in love with her yet, you will be after this.



S- How long have you been making plush? What was the draw?

P&F- I suppose you could say that I've been making plush since I was around 8 years old. But in reality, I had some really great experiences making plush when I was little, and then I went on a hiatus until about four years ago. I've been making things my whole life but have just changed mediums throughout the years. Recently, I'd been doing a lot of illustration work and was feeling the need to get away from flat work and make something 3D and tangible again. So I started translating the little characters I was drawing into plush. I made a few different things at first, but when I landed on my Kitty design I felt that I finally had a good representation of my drawings. So I went with it.



S- It looks like you just completed your first children's book, congrats! Can you tell us anything about it?

P&F- Eeeee! I'm super excited about this! The book is called No Monster Here and is about two brothers who's game of hide and seek becomes a larger search for the monster that lives on their house. I illustrated it and my mother-in-law, Colleen Thomas, who has been a teacher and storyteller all of her life, wrote it. We were just at the printer last week to review the book and it's looking awesome, we're really happy with how it turned out! They're getting bound right now and I'll have actual books by next week. Yay! We are selling them online at http://nomonsterhere.com. On the website you can also see pics from when we were at the printer and you can read the entire book there as well.



S- You also sell embroidery patterns on etsy. How often do you embroider compared to plush making?

P&F- I think I spend a little more time making plush then I do with the embroidery patterns, but not by much. I spend a lot of my time on the computer doing admin type tasks like emails, inventory and marketing. When I'm not on the computer then I'm doing whatever project needs to get done. Over the summer it was working on finishing up No Monster Here illustrations. Now it's embroidery because I want to get through designing the entire alphabet of my alphabet animal patterns before November. I think I have about six letters to go. But really soon I'm going to have to get going on the plush again full steam.



S- Where are your favorite places to find materials?

P&F- The materials for my plush Kitties, Unicorns and Horses are pretty specific. They are made out of woven wool fabric that I felt so the fabric becomes soft and poofy. I basically google "100% wool fabric" and then experiment with the fabric from several stores. I used to use found and reclaimed materials for fabric, but found that I needed the consistency of purchasing yardage. I do still make a lot of plush out of recycled materials. I make pigeons and teddy bears out of reclaimed sweaters, and I love unravelling sweaters to make yarn. It feels like you're making yarn with magic. So much fun!



S- What is the most exciting thing you did this summer?

P&F- That would definitely be finishing No Monster Here. Illustrating a children's book is so much work and takes a while to do so it's been really rewarding just to have finished such a big project. I'm really excited now to get it out into the world. Woo hoo!

Fancy!

I am really excited about the new addition to Plush You! this year. Instead of toys, this year Fancy decided to do plush jewelry instead. It's going to be so awesome and just to entice you here are a few favorites thus far.

Dixie Darling -Seattle
"Felt Ring"
White enamel on silver, felt and vintage beads
2009



Rachel Rader -Seattle
"Mermaid Food"
Gold coral truffle encrusted with creamy sea-flowers and golden snail shells, (brooch, wearable for mermaids)
2009



I am SO EXCITED!

Old School Acres

Kate just shared a few of the work sent to her for Plush You! I really like the work by Old School Acres. I have been making mobiles for the holiday craft shows and find hers very inspiring. The circus one is awesome!

Handmade Nation- Seattle

If you are coming out for Plush You! this year you don't want to miss the screening of Handmade Nation this same weekend! You can now purchase tickets for the screening here. Don't delay people! There will be panel discussions after the 1:00 screenings...just to keep in mind.

Reasons why you don't want to miss Plush You

This year we are pulling out all the stops for this year's show. I am in utter shock about how many of you are saying you are coming out to Seattle this year. It's going to be awesome! If you are on the fence, here are reasons why you shouldn't be. Just come, it's going to be amazing.

1) You can meet so many of your virtual friends in real life. Tons of crafty people, plush makers, all in the same place at the same time. Get inspired, hug, trade business cards, take pictures, see Seattle (it's a beauty) and see so many plush all at the same time.

2) This year we have a lot of new additions to the show. Fancy will be showcasing plush jewels this year. Nancy will be showcasing plush toys again along with Schmancy Friday night, October 9th. Then Saturday, October 10th, Bluebottle Art Gallery and The Anne Bonny will also be showcasing work. PLUSH MADNESS! Both of these fine establishments are located in Capital Hill which not only offers plush but has tons of great bars and restaurants so you can make a full night of this event.

3) Faythe Levine will be here the same weekend of the show to screen her film, Handmade Nation at the Northwest Film Forum, both Saturday and Sunday. I am really excited to finally see this film! Sponsored by Urban Craft Uprising

4) Grassroots Business Association will be sponsoring a lunch with Faythe Levine Sunday at Vermillion a few blocks from the Northwest Film Forum. Come for a potluck lunch with a variety of goodies and special drinks for order by the lovely owners of Vermillion. time tba.

5) Some folks from Gallery Hanahou will be coming out to Seattle again for the opening to meet all of you. They are all super sweet and might even bring some special friends....

6) Little events to also participate in: I have a tradition of going to Le Pichet for breakfast the morning of the opening. Come join me, eat some delicious food and sit in a really adorable restaurant, only a hop and skip away from Schmancy.

7) Because so many of you stay at The Moore Hotel we always go over to the bar, The Nite Lite, after Friday's show. It's one of the oldest bars in Seattle. It's not fancy but the drinks are good and cheap and it's an elevator ride away to your bed.

Soooo why would you not come? VACATION!! PLUSH!!!! CRAFTERS!!!! HELLLOOOOO????

I Heart Guts- Interview

I am starting interviews with some of our Plush You participants this year. First up is the hilariously cute, I Heart Guts. I spent a good amount of time in my childhood in hospitals and doctor's offices. So much so that I really HATE going to the doctor now. I avoid it at all costs. I always thought I should give something back in my adult year's and well the site of a hospital just isn't something I can muster. BUT I can totally roll with this!

S- Heart Guts has become really popular. Did you have a marketing strategy when you released your toys?

IHG- The guts project has been a pretty seat-of-the-pants operation from the very
beginning -- my husband and I started small and we grew and learned as we went along and didn't really have any set plans for marketing or growth. We started with five stickers and one heart tee shirt and grew from requests we got from customers: if someone wanted a liver shirt, we'd make one. Then a lung shirt, then a kidney shirt and so on. We developed the characters and the brand through the shirts, then people started asking about plush. By the time the toys came around, we had secured a distributor, so his emails to stores helped us grow our little operation a bit more. We sold out of our first run of 1500 hearts in the four months between Christmas and
Valentine's Day.



S- How did the idea of I Heart Guts come about? Whose brainchild was it?

IHG- I am a compulsive doodler, and I love filling sketchbooks with absurd stuff like happy donuts and happy tennis rackets and stuff. I first drew the guts characters as a series of sad hearts around 1999 when I was heartbroken over various hookups and lousy non-boyfriends. Lots of drinking and smoking accompanied my heartbreak, so sad lungs and livers seemed like a good idea,too. I actually pitched it to a t-shirt company I freelanced for; they loved it, but thought it was too weird to produce. I kept drawing the guts,though, and one day my fantastic husband pointed to them in my sketchbook
and said, "You should do something with those guts." So I started making stuff on my own.



S- I think your non profit program is awesome. Can you tell us more about how that started and how it's going?

IHG- We're inspired daily by the customers of ours who manage to laugh in the face of risky operations, chronic disease, and other serious personal health issues -- we're talking 21-year-olds who've had four liver transplants, that kind of thing. We wanted to connect with medical non-profits to help increase the kind of positive attitude we see every day from our awesome gutsy customers. If we were a bigger company, and could afford to just give stuff away for fundraisers, we would do more of that. But since we're small, all we can really do is design fun stuff to help raise money, or create
educational materials to help people -- especially kids -- understand what's going on with their bodies. Since we can't operate on anyone or make chronic disease go away, the least we can do is help people smile. We've worked with the American Liver Foundation, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, and Northwest Kidney Centers among others in the past and hope to attend the National Kidney Foundation's U.S. Transplant Games in 2010.



S- What are you most excited for for Plush You?

IHG- Of course Plush You is the original gangsta in terms of handmade plush art shows, so we are honored to be included -- thank you for having us! I always love making handmade stuff, it's a great way to try out new ideas and play and have fun. I am already so humbled and inspired by the other incredible plush artists and what they have made so far -- it's hard to compete with a plush roller skate!

Maybe you can help?

I have been keeping a "journal" of sorts. It's full of my goals for Schmancy, me, life, etc. Some are big and some are attainable. Some are attainable with help. So here I am to ask who might be up for this. I have always wanted a Plush You plush sign for the show. I made a P last year and then well I got too busy. I want each letter to have character. It could have an eyeball, be made with fur, felt, whatever. I would gladly give you some props here and give you one month of free advertising on this blog. What you can do if you are interested is send me an email to kristen(at)schmancytoys(dot)com and say in the subject line Plush You sign. I will then assign you a letter that you make which I need to get here by October 1st. Each letter needs to be 25" tall and about 10" wide depending on your letter. Who's in? Have I told you how much I love you?? Well a lot of you are in. I got so many emails. I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!! GOAL CAN BE CROSSED OFF! I LOVE crossing things off the list. Thank you! I don't need anymore helpers. xoxoox

Robyn Fabsits

How cute is this? One of Robyn Fabsits finished pieces for Plush You! There are a few FeeJee Mermaids left if you can't wait until October...or even if you can.

Plush You 2009- Info

It appears that I am not the only one to start getting Plush You stuff. I do want these things in time to take pictures and all that but July is just WAY too soon. Please do not send your work until August. I don't have enough storage and none of the other stores do either. If you are showing work at the other locations please contact them directly to see when it is too early and too late.

Also, for most stores, you are only allowed to send up to 3 items at max unless told otherwise.

Thank you. more to come as the time approaches.
xoxo

Plush You 2009

Today my goal is to choose the folks that will be showing at Schmancy for this year's Plush You show. We will be having some folks show at Nancy so she will need to decide soon who they are having and then will be contacting you. We are also happy to announce that The Anne Bonny will also be hosting some Plush You participants to provide a little more room and hopefully we can rope in their neighbors to-be. So please be patient while all these details get hashed out.

xo

Plush You 2009

I swear I am jurying this year's show but MAN is this hard. With almost 300 applicants the process is not easy at all. So far the "yes" folder is WAY too big for Schmancy to host. Please bear with me. I just have a hard time doing this. BUT I am working on it. If you didn't already have a good enough excuse to come out to this year's show I now have another HUGE reason why you should.

I am so happy to announce that Faythe Levine will be screening her film Handmade Nation the same weekend of the Plush You! opening.

Calendar is looking good huh? Fly out for the opening of Plush You which is Friday, Oct. 9th. Then stay for the weekend (at least) and come out for the screening of Handmade Nation at the Northwest Film Forum. Possibly more crafty fun that weekend comin' down the pipeline so stay tuned!

Plush You 2009

I have been thinking A LOT about this year's Plush You show. After a lot of back and forth thought and discussion I have decided to NOT have two shows. The economy is poor and I have felt that at my store. To pay for flying myself, the promotions, etc. it is simply too much for me to do this year. I hope that as things hopefully get better I can plan for more than one show in 2010. (holy crap...i can't believe that's not far off). Anyways, I hope that you all understand and will still be happy with the show this year. I will give it my all once again to make this show knock everyone's socks off. I promise. So Seattle it is. The show will be on October 9th. I will be taking applications until March 15th and then no more. I already have hundreds of applicants so I will be very strict this year with that deadline. If you are accepted you are required to participate so if things have come up since you applied please let me know if you are no longer interested. Space is obviously limited and I would hate for someone to miss out that really wants to participate. This is my favorite show and one of my favorite parts of my job. Please be patient with me, I am a one woman show, I will try really hard to get back to you all by April 1st.

The new part of the show will be at Fancy. Instead of carrying the plush toys she is looking for plush jewelry. This will make it easier for her to display and will make the show new and fresh. So if you are applying to this portion of the show PLEASE put "Plush Jewels" in your subject.

To revisit the guidelines for applying here goes:

1) Send three photos to plushyou2009(at)gmail(dot)com. ONLY THREE. These three photos should represent your work but does not have to be what you will submit to the show. Obviously a lot of you make one-of-a-kind pieces so please choose the best three photos that represent your work.

2) Include your name, your email, where you live and website link

3) Wait patiently for our response.

4) If you are applying to Fancy, please put so in subject. You can apply to both but it doesn't guarantee you both spaces. If you want to apply to both, please send two emails.

Thank you.
xoxo

Plush You 2009

Man, I am shocked how many folks have already applied for next year's Plush You! show. I guess if it's on your radar you might as well go ahead and apply while you are thinking about it. I am so impressed to see how many people have and how many people are applying from all over the world! It's an honor, I really really feel that way. SO if you want to apply just do it now! I hate how many people forget and are asking the week before the opening how to get in...it makes me sad. You can send an email to plushyou2009@gmail.com. It is not o.k. to add me to your mailing lists without first getting permission. I really only use this email to communicate about the show. Please also send three images of your choosing. These photos should represent your work but do not have to be what you actually submit. Please do not send more than three. There are a lot of you and going through all these emails is a job in itself. It makes it a lot easier with only three. Then also include your name, where you live and a website if you got one. It's pretty simple. I can't say yet when I will jury it as I still don't know yet what I will be doing next year. I want to look into various ideas before I make any official announcements.

xo,
Schmancy