A Friendly Monster Doll For a Special Little Girl

I had been interested in making a cute monster doll for a while but there was no small child in our family or among our circle of friends to give it to. I certainly could have made one just for the fun of it but there had been other projects with higher priorities on my list.

Then, three weeks ago, unexpectedly a little girl came into our lives when hubby took a bag of trash to the communal garbage container. He couldn't believe his eyes when he looked into the garbage can. Someone had dumped a dog puppy. The little girl was hardly moving and didn't make a sound. Hubby brought her home, we fed her and gave her a bath. I thought she could need a little companion and sewed a friendly monster doll for her. I upcycled a cozy old sweater for the body and head, two socks for arms and legs and some fabric scraps for ears and details.

 
The puppy was 4 or 5 weeks old at the time hubby found her and had probably spent the whole night in the garbage container. She recovered fast from the shock of being left alone and is doing very well now. We named her Molly. Isn't she a cutie? The kitties don't think so though, lol.

Last Saturday we took Molly to the beach and it didn't take long until she found a washed up branch and a ball to play with.

She also played with her monster doll. It was a bit exhausting for the doll but she survived

 

I picked up some small pieces of driftwood, a few snail shells and a walnut to create jewelry or to use for assemblages.

Molly had a fun morning and we enjoyed the beach walk as well. The weather was just ideal.


Molly and her doll will visit these parties:

A Morning Cup of Joe at The Cottage Market
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Sweet Inspiration at A Crafty Mix
DIY Salvaged Junk Projects at Funky Junk Interiors
A New Life at Rostrose
Sonnagsblatt at Raumseele
Talk of The Town at Knick of Time

A Shopping Basket Repurposed Into a Wall Cat Lounger

Our three cats have many places where they like to doze or nap. Favorite spots beside our laps are sofas and chairs but my ironing board, my working table and some baskets filled with fabrics are very popular as well. I wanted to add a more elevated place to the mix and repurposed a basket as a cat wall lounger. The basket had been a flea market find many years ago and for a while I used it when I went shopping at farmers' markets. It had been a bit bulky for this purpose though and at some point I removed the handle and utilized it to store fabric scraps. Because of it's size I thought it could make a nice resting place for a kitty.

Hubby mounted the basket to the wall with three long screws and I sewed a comfy cushion. If you have feline company at home, you've probably experienced how particular cats can be when it comes to food but also regarding their resting spaces. So far, Cosmo is the only one who is interested in the basket.

During the first few days he took some naps in it but in the meanwhile it became predominantly a play area for him. When I throw a toy inside, he jumps in and often brings it back to me to toss it again. He's a bit like a dog. He follows me wherever I go and he growls at unidentified noises.

To cover the screws, I sawed the lid of a cigar box to the right size and painted and stamped the piece. The cute cat face on top was a gift from my blogging friend Tatjana over at Resis Weisse Welt. Tatjana is a cat lover as well and has six furry boys and one girl at home.

Tatjana spoiled us even more. She had sent a sweet treat, cute cat napkins, and a crocheted snow flake for me and some crocheted mice and deer for the furry babies. They are filled with valerian roots which is the best smell ever, at least for the kitties. Cosmo is quite excited about the delectable rodent.

As you can see, Cecily also loves an oh so delicious mouse.

Barney likes to play with a mouse first and then

use it as a pillow. Sweet dreams! Thank you, Tatjana for all the wonderful gifts!

If you made it up to here, you probably love or at least like cats. Then you might enjoy Love Meow as much as I do. For some weeks now it is my morning happy place. There are usually two posts a day with beautiful, heart warming cat rescue stories from around the world. These posts always make me smile.

On a totally different note, welcome, first signs of spring! These flowers showed up on our yard. It's a gorgeous day here today with clear blue skies and 64°F/18°C at 11 am. I know that a lot of you still have freezing temperatures and I hope that spring is around the corner for you as well. Have a happy weekend!

The kitties will join these parties:

A Morning Cup of Joe at The Cottage Market
A New Life at Rostrose
Sweet Inspiration at A Crafty Mix
DIY Salvaged Junk Projects at Funky Junk Interiors
Sonnagsblatt at Raumseele
Waste Not Wednesday at Raggedy Bits

A Sewing Machine Cover and A Mouse

When my dear SIL asked me last fall if I could sew her a sewing machine cover for Christmas, I was a little bit hesitant. The reason was not that I didn't want to make one for her but since we live over 1.000 miles away from each other, I wouldn't be able to make any adjustments during the sewing process. It just would have to fit. Eventually, I agreed and hoped for the best.

My SIL sent me all the measurements and asked for beige and brown tones if possible. She didn't have any special design wishes and I considered a variety of options. Finally, I stuck with the first idea.

I drew a sewing machine and turned it into an appliqué pattern. I machine appliquéd the pieces with a narrow satin stitch. The sewing machine cover has pockets on both sides for scissors, a tape measure and other sewing notions. On top I added a fabric handle for easy uncovering. For the pictures I had to stuff the sewing machine cover with textiles. This is obviously not the perfect fit but I was very happy to hear that the cover fits on my SIL's machine perfectly.

Since my SIL's sewing machine lives in the basement, I thought a little mouse pincushion would be a suitable companion. You can find the pattern HERE. It's not mentioned but you should clip the curves after sewing the pieces together, but be careful not to cut into the stitching.

My own sewing machine got a little jealous. She finds her plastic cover so boring now but I'm guilty of not covering her up most of the time anyway. Do you always cover up your machine after you are finished with a sewing project?

The sewing machine cover and the mouse pincushion will join these parties:
Sweet Inspiration at A Crafty Mix
Saturday Sparks at Pieced Pastimes
Sonnagsblatt at Raumseele

The Colorful New Member of My Junk Gang

Just a few days after Roy Al Flush was "born", another found object sculpture joined the junk gang. Please meet artist Loxy Colorsplash. She's always been a color loving girl. When she was little girl, Loxy covered the walls of her nursery with finger paints. Her parents were always amazed by her talent and imagination when they saw the people, animals, plants, and buildings Loxy had painted.

Her interest in collages developed later though. It was actually a very unpleasant incident that got her collage art started. Her first boyfriend had cheated on her with her best friend. Awful, I know! She was furious and cut both of them out of every photo she had. Then she replaced them with her favorite celebrities. This lifted her spirits and she added other collage elements and she also painted on the pictures.

Some months later, the heartache was over but Loxy still loved making collages. Fast-forward a few years and she's a well-known artist. She regularly exhibits her art at galleries, teaches collage workshops and has written a few books on the topic.

I got the idea to make Loxy when I found some small tubes with rather dry watercolor paint. I knew they would be the perfect arms for an artist. I checked my driftwood stash for an appropriate body and my collection of uncleaned brushes (yep, guilty as charged) to find a matching head. Check and check. Two long rusty screws worked well for her legs.

I had fun making these tiny colorful collages. They measure 2" x 2" and 2,5" x 2". You would think that using such bright colors was out of my comfort zone but it actually didn't feel that way.

Loxy will show her artwork at these parties:

Sweet Inspiration at A Crafty Mix
Saturday Sparks at Pieced Pastimes
DIY Salvaged Junk Projects at Funky Junk Interiors
Waste Not Wednesday at Raggedy Bits