$5 Stocking Stuffers

Hello Friends~
Just wanted to do a quick post about some cute little mini pin toppers I just listed in the shop! They would all make great stocking stuffers don't you think? I only have one of each made up at the moment!

Mermaid Candy Pin Toppers

 This is a very new direction for me as far as pin topper designs.  Usually I am dreaming up a fairytale mushroom design or a new cupcake piled with frosting. I think what turned the corner for me was last week when I debuted my vintage inspired buttons. Each one is made from polymer clay and some have different layers of paint that has been sanded in some parts to make them appear "patina"-ed. As I was painting these pretty gems and highlighting them I kept thinking of mermaids in the ocean swimming around an old vintage ship wreck finding treasure. Each pin is like a little piece of mermaid candy. I have 15 different styles available in the shop now : )

With all this talk of mermaids & treasure I had to set up a mini photo shoot entitled: Ship Wrecked

P.S. I know many of you are probably like me in that what you listen to during your creative time really reflects what you end up making. Here's a snippet of what I was listening to while creating Mermaid Candy:
A Christopher Mills animated short film set to "Collect Call", from the album FANTASIES by Metric. If you like paper dolls I'm sure you'll appreciate this short film : )

Mermaid Candy was featured on Paper Cake Finds Today! Check it out!

Vintage Button Pin Toppers

Hello all~
Just a quick sneak peek to show you some of what's coming to my Etsy on Friday! I have been having a good time making some vintage button pin toppers. I needed a break from packing up boxes for our move up North so yesterday I watched a Robert Pattinson movie "Remember Me" and sculpted the day away! Good movie by the way. He's just too darn cute and fun to look at : ) LOL!
Here's a short clip of an Interview with Rob talking about the movie! Enjoy : )

A New Little Pincushion Set to Share With All of You!

Remember last week when I said I Love PARIS in the Springtime?! Well is this enough proof that I do? I finally got this pincushion set complete as of yesterday : ) I really love the shade of green of the latte bowl - it's kind of a mix of olive green meets lime green! Very pretty and it pops with the pink accents. This is the very first parasol/umbrella I have sculpted so that was kind of fun. The little pink rose is to represent "April Showers Bring May Flowers" and of course I had to included a box of "EAT ME" chocolates too. When I visited Paris I think I ate chocolate every day and croissants filled with chopped up chocolate, warmed and buttery....mmmm....I can almost taste it! The little red heart has a teeny tiny PARIS banner across it, lightly glittered so it sparkles whilst you sew!

I Love Paris in the Springtime!

A little "Paris Love" is coming to the shop very soon ~ I'm hoping by the end of the week! I thought I would include one of my favorite Frank Sinatra songs just to get in the mood ~ Enjoy!

Here's a sneak peek at the cute Japanese fabric I'm making the pincushion out of! I love the little hat box and the heart shaped purse - soooo cute! Her brown and white polka dotted tights are darling don't you think?

Last Day to Order Pin Toppers!!!!

Sorry.....didn't mean to freak you out with the scary make up but I just had to post this picture of me taken over the weekend at my friends house (Matt & Kathy) for their Pre-Halloween party!!! I dressed up like a Corpse Bride/Vampire!! It was so fun coming up with the make-up and hair. I'm not wearing a wig! That's all mine!!! And tons of hair spray! Do you see my pet Raven on top of my head? Too bad there wasn't a better shot of him. He's beak up staring at the ceiling in this one.

So today is the last day to order pin toppers that you would regularly see in my shop!! It kind of feels weird not posting new designs today but I figured since I will be closed until November 16th I might as well save some new designs until then!
I'm pretty excited about Re-Opening on November 16th! The shop will be stocked with a lot of "Grab & Go" types of gifts - so what that means is no waiting 2-3 weeks before I ship out your order!!!! I wish I could spill the beans as to what you may find in the shop but it's a secret for now!!!!

There will be about 20 different pin toppers in the shop during the holidays but please note these will take the normal 2-3 weeks to complete before shipping. I'm going to try and get some stick built up but as you know these little cuties are very time consuming so we'll just have to play it by ear : )

Gingerbread House Pin Toppers

Please see the post following this one for the story on my Gingerbread Pin Toppers!

Gingerbread with a Twist!

.......the TWIST being a different way to enjoy your pin toppers!!!!I have wanted to post this idea for ages but was waiting until the holidays were upon us to share my idea of what I am calling "Candy Terrariums"! Most people use my pin toppers for their pincushions but why not expand their use! The glass jars you see here can be purchased at Wal-Mart for a very cheap price and any old decorating sugar can be used for the filler in the lower part of the jar. I just took a small piece of floral Styrofoam and taped it to the bottom of the jar, then filled it with the colorful sugar and popped the Gingerbread Pin Toppers in place! Gingerbread has always been one of my all time favorites to bake, decorate and of course eat! My dad gets very excited about good healthy food and gingerbread is no exception. Apparently molasses is very good for you because of all the trace minerals so let's just say my dad eats alot of gingerbread during the holidays!!! I'm thinking I will make one of these Candy Terrariums for him to put on his desk for Christmas.

Ladies Who Lunch

I always loved it when my mom had her bridge group over to play cards. That meant a lot of yummy food and the table decorated perfectly! My mom had a heck of a knack for "setting up"!
So in keeping with the spirit I thought of my mom whilst I sculpted and played with clay the other day. This was my first attempt at making a vase of flowers ~ why didn't I do tat sooner!!!

French Macaron Pin Toppers

I have only been to Paris once and it was a very interesting experience for me ~ both good and bad. Unfortunately I visited at the end my long backpacking trip through Europe so needless to say I was exhausted by the time I arrived : ( But I have to say I enjoyed every minute of eating at the various patisseries!!! My favorite dessert was the macaroon. I love their shiny perfect appearance and the filling was always a surprise to my taste buds!

Once again a bit far behind

Well I can never stay on top of things - especially these days. I guess I should probably say that since hubby is planning on being in S. Africa for business very soon there seems to be a lot of stuff needing our attention. I know.......bad excuse but it's True!
Well 2 Mondays was my "Ode to Mark Ryden"! I absolutely love his paintings! He's a master painter with an incredible imagination! Please check out his website when you get a chance: Mark Ryden
As for yesterdays pin toppers....Halloween is right around the corner! Can you believe it? I really love that time of year when things start winding down here and I know cooler weather lingers somewhere close : ) So in saying that my theme for pin toppers was Halloween Part 1! Witches hats, black apples, scary skulls and couple of other goodies!
Come back to my Etsy shop next Monday for a real special treat! The theme is "Gnome Sweet Gnome"...I think these are by far my favorites!

Sorry I'm so far behind......

I promise I will try and stay a bit more current on new pin toppers in my shop! Here's the latest but tomorrow I will be adding more!

Fun Custom Order

I'll admit I was very excited and surprised to get an order for my pin toppers from fabric designer Sandi Henderson! She has a second line of new fabric debuting in May called Ginger Blossom which is a very fun, vibrant line of whimsical delight! I'm already imagining all of the fun things I can sew with these fabrics. She asked me to make these pin toppers for her Cupcake Pin Cushions ~ the pattern will be available in May along with her new line. She will be posting pics of my pins with her pin toppers very soon on her blog Portabellopixie Go check her stuff out! It's very inspiring and will bring a smile to your face for sure!

Sugar Bowl Turned Pin Cushion

I found a childrens tea set that wasn't the cutest and not the best quality but I had high hopes for it! I brought it home a spray painted it hot pink. The sugar bowl didn't come with a lid so I made it into a pin cushion : )All of these pin toppers were a special order from Cristina in Portugal! She should be receiving shortly.