Zombies, Bats, and Ghosts, Oh My!

Mwahahahahaha! Velcome to zee Plush Team's House of Halloween! Follow me if you dare on a tour of the haunted halls of the Plush Team's etsy shop to see what some of the members of the Plush Team have created in the spirit of this spooky season.

Got Zombies? We do! This Zombie Owl and Zombie Alpaca by Plushroom Soup are on the lookout for nice, fresh brains...



Hanging out in the drafty rafters of the team shop is an assortment of bats of all kinds. We have vintage Blood Red velvet, as well as black and orange fleece bats by Tyler Poncho Toys,




A Bat flavored Wibbly Woo by abbydid,


And a playful Peek-a-Boo Bat by aplushplush.



Flying around the halls is this Ghost Flavored Wibbly Woo by abbydid,


while Frankenmonkey by Dingogirls Den monkeys around in the basement.


Out in the garden pond, this Candy Corn Fish by arttales/LEFTZ swims in circles


and a Jack O' Lantern flavored Wibbly Woo by abbydid hangs out on the porch with his buddy, Skull and Crossbones by aplushplush, while waiting for trick or treaters...




If you are interested in spiriting away any of these spooky plush to your own haunted house, head on over to the Plush Team's etsy shop where they are all eagerly waiting for new homes to haunt.

PT Stitchy World Tour Stop #3: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

The PlushTeam's mascot, PT Stitchy, is continuing his world tour! PT is visiting 36 plush artists in 6 different countries, travelling from coast to coast, and sharing his snapshots and adventures along the way. He will of course keep meticulous records of his sight seeing antics in his handy dandy Field Notebook.

After a month delay since his last stop in Ohio, thanks to a customs holdup, PT Stitchy finally makes it to stop #3 on his exciting world tour, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada!
Myself, Heather of Needlings, took PT on a glorious tour of my little piece of "The Great White [Green] North." He's a fairly quiet houseguest but I'm fairly certain he loved it. I mean really, it's CANADA!

Sightseeing...



Time to check out the city...

How about joining me for a craft fair?

Hanging out in some knits! It is getting a little chilly out after all. (No snow yet though, don't go getting ideas.)

Checking out SuperCrawl a great local street festival featuring amazing local Canadian art and music. So hip.


Thanks for coming PT! We plushy and human Canadians both enjoyed your silent plushy company.

Onward ho!

Happy Birthday Chelsea!

Happy Birthday Chelsea AKA Love and a Sandwich. Have Pancakes for breakfast!

Meet the Maker Monday: Patti Haskins

Meet Patti Haskins of pattihaskins.etsy.com. This Texan critter-maker specializes in squishy-sweet cats ‘n dogs that stare dreamily into your eyes and beg to be taken home.

How do you make your critters, Patti Haskins?

I zig and zag between drawing and sewing my plush critters, or grabbing yarn and a hook and crocheting a critter.

Where did you learn your skills?

For as long as I can remember, my mom was a creator—sewing everything and anything. Her mother was never without an embroidery hoop, thread or yarn and crochet hook in her hands. They both taught me the skills I’ve been using since childhood.

Describe your workspace.

I am lucky to have attached to our house an enormous tiled sunroom to call my studio, with skylights and lots of windows. It's great in the winter. In the summer, I have to crank the a/c and keep the fans blowing. I do live in Texas. It gets hot here.

What inspires you?

My grandmother. She used to crochet us stuffed cats when we were kids. I, being the destructive child of course, do not have mine anymore. Crocheting cats is my way of trying to recreate my grandmother's cats of my childhood. I put my own spin on critter-creating and have expanded to dogs since my two terrier mutts demanded that I make dogs too. My six cats were quite happy with my cat creations, although they'd never admit it.

How do you promote your work?

I have accounts on Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, and post to them frequently. Also, I try to participate in the local farmer's market and other shows here in Dallas to get my name out there.

How do you fit plush-making into the rest of your life?

I have a day job as a graphic artist at a dental college. My nights and weekends are spent either creating critters, selling critters or watching one of my husband's bands perform. No kids, so we are pretty much free to be self indulgent.

Any dreams for new designs or projects?

I'm thinking of attempting a large crocheted critter. Very large. Still working that out in my head before I grab the yarn.

What advice can you give new plush designers?

Keep making mistakes. That's how you learn.

Fall is in the air!

With Labor Day behind us, the kids back in school, and the leaves on the trees starting to turn colors, it is really starting to feel like Fall. It's time to think about getting out the sweaters and jackets, not to mention all the fun autumn colored and patterned fabrics and get creating! The Plush Team has got Fall fever, and we have some fun Fall-inspired plush for sale in the Team's etsy shop right now.

For a lot of people, Fall means one thing and one thing only.
"Are you ready for some Football?!" And what better way to celebrate the opening weekend of the NFL season than to tailgate with the awesome Stitchface the American Football, by Jefita.


For others, Fall is a chance to see nature in all its glory as the leaves change colors. These Autumn Treeweeliusses with their hanging leaves by Tyler Poncho Toys are totally cute examples of nature's colorful display. (Don't you just love their little tongues sticking out? :D)


For Nature lovers, Fall brings the chance to watch the animal kingdom prepare itself for winter, and these adorable felt Owls come with their very own trees to roost in. Playsets by Hibou Cards.


Or you can watch the squirrels frantically scamper around finding nuts and acorns to hide away for their winter food stash. Although these Fat Fall Squirrels by Plush Goodness look like they already have a head start...


If you're feeling in need of some Fall cheer, or know someone who does, head on over to the Plush Team's etsy shop and take your favorite Fall inspired plush home today!

Tiny Plush Tuesday!

What could be better than Tiny Plush Tuesday? A Tiny Plush Tuesday that takes TWO WHOLE DAYS to announce!

Sure enough, this blog mistress was wandering around the Plush Team shop and found a whole second set of plush had been added in celebration of Tiny Plush Tuesday! Here are the highlights:

I have to start with Squirrel Momma's Alien Squidlets because I already swooped in and scooped up two of these little guys (Squirrel Momma is also selling them in her Etsy shop!). I can tell you right now, these are going to make some AWESOME Christmas presents for some of the hard-to-shop-for men in my life (if I can bear to part with them).

Just a little too creepy to be cute and wayyyy to cute to be creepy -- you'll have to hurry to get your hands on ThEm DoLLZ's last pumpkin monster (the first two sold faster than... well, faster than cute pumpkin monsters). If you do miss out on Tiny Tim, you can still find some amazing personalities at ThEm DoLLZ's Etsy Shop (I personally have a crush on "Dave").

If you love fall colors, you cannot go wrong with one (or two, or five) of Love And A Sandwich's Autumn Leaves. These peaceful little leaves are such an adorable way to welcome the fall season! My favorite is the Tangerine one... what about you?

Tiny Plush Tuesday!

The Plush Team has just the thing to brighten your back to work after the long holiday weekend -- it's Tiny Plush Tuesday! And this week's plush are all deliciously cute!

Everyone loves cake and cake for breakfast is even better still. Get around mom's advice (no sweets for breakfast) with one of Yummy Pancake's bacon and egg cupcakes and take your protein to go!

Now that you've had a healthy breakfast, it's time for a little treat. With the days getting cooler and shorter -- how can you possibly resist a favorite fall treat? That's right -- it's time for one of Daniellorama's candy corns!

Om, nom, nom! That was yummy! But now what should we have for dinner? That's easy! Enjoy a big plate of LeftZ's Large Mouth Bass and finish your day with a smile!

As always, the tiny plush are going fast -- so, if you want to get your three square meals in today -- you'd better hustle on over to the Plush Team Shop!

Happy tiny Plush Tuesday!

Happy Birthday Sian!

Happy Birthday Sian, of Siansburys! Have a super day!

Happy Birthday Karla!

Happy Birthday Karla, AKA The Itsy Bitsy Spider, have a great day! xxxx

Virtual Book Tour Giveaway Winner!

The quizzes have been graded and most of you did rather well... But, only those students who got an A+ were allowed into the drawing -- so you know that the virtual book tour winner is truly "at the head of the class."

Congratulations to Erin W!

You'll take home an awesome Plush Team prize pack, including a PT Stitchy Sewing Kit (we sooo want to see your finished Stitchy!), one of Scrumptious Delight's adorable Cotton Candies, a Vampire Pencil by Boom Plush, a Gumdrop Mouse by The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Plush Team Stickers, and Plush Team Pins!

For everyone who submitted quizzes and are just dieing to know how they did, the answers were:

1. One of the plush makers we visited told us that she combined her three favorite things to come up with a design. What were those things?

Bacon, Eggs, and Jellyfish

2. Which plush maker were we referring to in the previous question?

Yummy Pancake

3. This plush maker added a special item to her mermaid diorama to keep the mermaid company. What was it?

Fish

4. Which plush maker were we referring to in the previous question?

Fluffy Flowers

5. This plush maker told us that she joined the team too late to be featured in the annual. Who was it?

DogDaemona

6. This plush maker shared her design philosophy, saying:

Simple is best

7. Which plush maker were we referring to in the previous question?

Moon's Creations

8. This plush maker told us that she is inspired by science. Who was it?

Fur Will Fly

9. This plush maker shared a picture of her dining table/studio. What was on it?

A Giant Squid

** For the record, the quiz-author was a little mistaken on this one. The animal on the table is actually a cuttlefish!

10. Which plush maker were we referring to in the previous question?

The Raggy Rat

11. This plush maker describes herself as an "un-apologetic fabricaholic." Who was it?

Plush Goodenss

12. Where can you get a copy of the Plush Team annual, Get Stuffed?

The Plush Team Etsy Shop

Plush Team September Giveaway!

This month's giveaway is sponsored by the famous (or in plush circles, infamous) Raggy Rat! And what a giveaway it is! As an owner of one of The Raggy Rat's button wheel mice, I will be the first to shout out that they are ADORABLE!

But, here's what The Raggy Rat Lady has to say herself about this month's prize...

My tiny button wheel mice are inspired by an old Canadian wooden toy mouse that my friend Kim gave me. The wooden toy had such a lovely shape I had to try and capture it in plush! The design was launched at Maker Fayre this past year.

This particular button wheel mouse has a cheeky cat face on his bottom (check out The Raggy Rat Lady's blog for a picture!)

So what do you need to do bring this adorable mouse to a hole in your house? Just visit the Raggy Rat shop and then fill out this form.

But Wait! You can earn even more chances to win!

• Become a PlushTeam blog follower. If you're a new follower, let us know that you joined when you complete the form. If you're already following us, you can let us know that too and score one extra entry!
• Follow the PlushTeam on Facebook and/or Twitter. Again, let us know when you fill out the form if you're a new follower or an old friend and you'll receive one extra entry for each follow.
• Tweet this giveaway. Make sure to give us a link to your tweet when you fill out the form to get one extra entry.  
• Repost the giveaway on Facebook. Make sure to give us a link to your Facebook post when you fill out the form to get one extra entry.
• Blog this giveaway. For an extra TWO entries, tell folks about this giveaway in your blog. Please make sure to use the wheel button mouse's photo in your post and leave us a link when you fill out the entry form to get your entries.
• Buy something from Raggy Rat or the Plush Team shop during the month of September. Get another FIVE chances to win by making a purchase from The Raggy Rat or the Plush Team shop. Don't forget to let us know which new piece of plushie love you're calling your own!

Last day to enter is September 29, 2010 and we'll announce a winner on the 30th. GOOD LUCK! 

Tiny Plush Tuesday

Yesterday was awfully busy around here, what with announcing winners for the Plush Vegas Challenge and our August Giveaway. We decided to save the best for another day -- so, once again... we bring you Tiny Plush Tuesday -- on Wednesday!

This week's tiny plush represent some of the newest talent to join the Plush Team -- APlushPlush and 5OrangePotatoes.

5OrangePotatoes's work is all eco-friendly and all adorable. Who wouldn't love to receive this tiny Hootenanny made from recycled clothing, wool blend felt, and vintage buttons?

If you're looking for plush with personality, then look no further than APlushPlush's Letter Face dolls. Right now, you can pick up Z, G, or C -- or order a custom letter!

As always, the Tiny Plush Tuesday specials are $10 US or less. But, when they're gone -- they're gone!