Baba Yaga and Her Chicken Shacks

(where did you think chicken shacks come from?)



(she raises them in her garden)



(they frolic around the blue roses and valerian, and eat healthy amounts of bug legs and children's fingers)



(in the morning she puts on that old dusty coat and big black boots, and stomps into the chilly yard where they greet her, chirping, and chomping the tiny sharp teeth in their keyholes.)



(the world needs more baba yaga.)


I am very happy to tell you that:
This piece was made for the STUFF THIS show at the RIVET GALLERY in COLUMBUS OHIO
DECEMBER 5th - 30th
Opening reception is Saturday, December 5 from 7-10pm

Rivet
1200 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43201

more details and a bigger photo over at my Livejournal

Also.

This entry is going to be completely rambling and babbling, but it's Thanksgiving morning and i'm not cooking today and i've got some coffee and so there.

I've been thinking a lot about these guys lately:



Because of questions that i've gotten or things i'm working on recently. I keep turning around in my seat at my desk and glancing back at these two poor bastards.

They're Number One and Number Two: the first two creatures i sewed.
One year ago, i decided that in order to continue to express things i wanted to say, i had to branch out from crochet, and learn how to sew plush. I had no idea. The white-muslin guy was made first. If you look close, you can see he is in fact held together by packing tape in some places, because i couldn't figure out how the pieces would otherwise go together.
Then i figured i'd start smaller, and made Number Two, that demented little bird. There were a lot of bird prototypes after him, but this little guy has a special spot in my heart as being the first.


He's so ugly. I adore him.
(This is, incidentally, why i don't sell patterns. I'm super interested in what happens and what creatures and art can be made when people don't use patterns and just sort of figure it out.)

So, one year later, this weekend, I'm working on this piece, for an art show in Columbus next month. It's complicated and worrisome and I'm still figuring things out. But I feel in 12 months I've come very far from these two poor misshapen bastards. I haven't slept much, I've burned through a lot of wool felt, and my fingers have awesome and deep 'needle calluses'. 2009 has been completely bad-ass.

I suppose where I am going with this is, when i think about thanksgiving, i'm cheesy, yes, and i am thankful for many things. and one of the things that i've never taken for granted, and am always thankful for is the fact that i have a thing i want to do, and i love to do, and i have the ability to just do do do do it.

dear internets.
happy thanksgiving. thank you.

weekend.

why yes,
now that you mention it
i am in fact having a

black-friday-weekend-sale

(limited, as mentioned in my last post. i can only do so much)


From Friday, November 27 - Monday, November 30, only:

-- Free Shipping on all items within the US.
-- Free Shipping internationally on any items -or- orders totaling over $50 USD
-- Select items on sale, such as all Baba Yaga Chicken Shacks, Strawberry Birds... etc.
-- Quantities are, again, limited. What's in the shop is all there is.

melissasue at etsy dot com

in the shop

i like these guys.

lots of work. good work though. i've re-assessed and re-thought a lot of things in the past couple days. i've got a few fantastic orders to finish up. i've got some Hello Critters about to be done. i've got a big stack of gifts getting ready to head all across the globe: washington, switzerland, vietnam, spain, ohio, chicago. there will be no holiday-shopping-keeping-up-with-Etsy-craze for me, i'll make some stock for my shop and when it's gone, that's it. i would much rather focus on what i am really good at and put on this earth for: creating things to make joe smile, cooking in a warm home, petting my dog, painting pictures, being with people.
most importantly at the moment though, i've got a few turkeys to cook, soup to make, and a long, long conversation to have with Baba Yaga.

cat fox.


not the greatest photos but he just needs to get gone out the door to his new home. see ya, cat-fox.

the catfoxcreature is complete... but i'm re-evaluating my photography set-up. i think my photos could be better. so this afternoon i'm off in search of a tripod (pot of coffee every morning = shaky hands = blurry photos) and some sort of light source that doesn't suck. the lighting in my studio is god-awful, but it's mostly to do with cheap lamps and a house facing the wrong direction. SO. fun day. then i'm going to re-shoot everything in my shop, update the listings, and not sleep until the end of january.


give me ibsen, and some sausage, i am ready.


in other news, my poodlebreath showed up today.

i got the big blue sinking fairy pendant, and i love it. it's keeping my little alleluja piece company.
poodlebreath (get 'em while they're still around)
alleluja

things to do on a tuesday.


hang out in the etsy virtual labs and work on the new batch of hello critters


sort neckties with ozzy


get that last cat-fox all finished up (pics tomorrow night...)


make a treehouse

new hello critters

workworkwork.

GOOD GRIEF, NOVEMBER!

I am thrilled to announce that this loving bastard is on his way to New York City, where he, and a gaggle of other creatures, will be on display at the Luv-able Hug-able show at Gallery Hanahou next month.



This show will be featuring 'medium and mini' plush art from many of the heavy-hitters in the plush-art world. I'm super happy that my little guys are off to join in the fun.

Here is a crappy photo of everything I am sending to Gallery Hanahou for display (and for sale) at the show:



And, just for good measure, here is another group shot, showing everything that I have made since Monday night. Two days of no sleep has made me absolutely *bonkers*, but I think the output was worth it:


I think a couple bottles of wine and a little Charlie Day are highly in order.




Luv-able and Hug-able
New 2009 theme: medium and mini!

December 3 - January 9
Opening party: Dec 3, 6-9 pm RSVP info@galleryhanahou.com

gallery hanahou / 611 Broadway, Suite 730, NYC / galleryhanahou.com
extended holiday hours Mon-Sat: 12 - 6 pm


The popular NY holiday plush show is returning to gallery hanahou with oodles of handmade plushes for you and yours! Spread warm holiday cheer with adorable, strange, and funny unique plush toys made by more than 50 top plush artists from around the world.

The plushes will be even cuter and more affordable at this year's 3rd annual "Luv-able and Hug-able," with the special theme of "Medium and Mini!": toys that are either just the right size for hugging or small enough to fit in your pocket, swing from a keychain, or be worn on a pin.

Many favorite artists from the past two years are returning with cuter-than-ever plushes, and gallery hanahou is thrilled to present plushes from a bunch of hug-able new artists too! As in previous years, the gallery will also exhibit plushes by Japanese artists whose original works are rarely available in the US - this year, that also includes designer toy giants Devil Robots and noriya takeyama!

Plushes will be available for immediate take-home, so come early to the December 3rd opening to nab your favorites! Items in the show will also be available online via galleryhanahou.com starting the week following the opening.

i'll be back as soon as i climb out from under this

wow do i have a lot of stuff on my desk and brain right now.











a couple more things for tomorrow
then next week is all finishing orders
and getting the gallery work out the door
(i'm in two shows next month o_O)
c'mon january
im going to paint a giant picture on january 23.

OMG I HAS TAILZ?


sorry, that was nerdy.

hey look it's the last catcow!


i have one more beast on the hooks, that is really more of a cat-fox than a cat-cow, so yea, this is the last one. for a long while anyway. unless i make little bitty ones for december. i dunno.

studio shapin' up

i still have a lot of art to hang (!) but i dont know if i'll ever get to it because i start packing in a week or so. i just want to do a little saucy post about the house before i leave. because it's my first home, you know.

also!
there will be another shop update on Sunday Morning 11/30. new stuff! woo!
EDIT:
shop update is 11/08. i gotta stop posting while drinking. o_O

gotta go, it's almost time for my night cheese.