happy halloween!

axolotyl

I made this axolotyl the other day, because I'm dying without crafting! He came out pretty cute (except he doesn't have a tail yet.... I always have trouble with tails). Although popular as pets, axolotyl/ajolote are declining in their natural habitat. According to wikipedia, axolotyls are the "best known of the Mexican neotenic mole salamanders" and they posess the amazing ability to completely heal or regenerate themselves.

New blog design!

Check it out!!! This is what I've been working on all weekend; I've redesigned by blog! I think it looks a lot more professional now, although I'm still working out all the kinks. I've been on a red and white mushroom kick lately, which is why the design is so mushroom-e; I really like it though! I've got a busy week ahead of me, but knowing how good my blog looks will make me happy when I'm frantically working :D

old design for new fabric

These little guys are from one of my old designs for fabric I did using inkscape, though I've never gotten around to printing any with spoonflower (or their rival fabricondemand...) Lately I'm really into the idea of little squares as backgrounds for designs; they're so much like little windows it makes me happy! My favorite of the bunch is the deep-sea angler fish and the sea urchin (he looks like a soot creature from a Hayao Miyazaki film)!

Shop Anniversary Opening!

Huzzahs all around! My etsy shop will be opening for one week only, to celebrate my etsyanniversary... which is a legitimate reason to get out of vacation mode I think; thesis be damned! So mark your calendars for Nov. 1st through Nov 8th (for those of you who are planning for Christmas, never fear; I will most likely open one week in the beginning of December as well). During this time, ANY purchase from my shop (big or small) will recieve a free chicken pom pom, in celebration of my 3rd year on etsy. Although custom orders will still be closed, I do have some existing stock of cute things on hand; my anniversary week would be a good time for people to get their fill of pouches, rabbits, bears, pears, strawberries, a lion, a monkey, and more! I'll be listing early in the week and shipping late in the week, so make sure to get your orders in while you can! It's been a wildly fun three years, full of chickens and happiness :D

PS. I'll be doing a giveaway on my blog for my anniversary too, so don't forget to check back around Nov. 1st!

New ipod touch!

Look at what I got as a belated birthday present from my family! I got it at a good time, working in the office was getting me down (and so is writing my thesis actually!) So yay! Nothing like material goodness to make you feel more cheerful :D. On that note, can anyone recommend any of their favorite/some good apps for me to download (to buy or for free, it doesn't matter!)?

Fabric help!

BIG EDIT (literally): Thanks so much for offering to help guys; It seems they have restocked that fabric, huzzahs all around! I love how fast they restocked it....

I am in LOVE with this bumblebee fabric; I can imagine so many goodies to be made along a bee theme... the stripes are lovely! Alas we do not have a hancockfabrics here in Hawaii (mang!), and they are sold out on the website! If anyone of you out there lives near a hancockfabrics and sees a yard of this fabric, I'd love to buy it from you (more than the $2.50 sale price... that might explain why they are out!) and pay for shipping, etc! It is a 100% cotton material, and the stripes seem to be a little bigger than 1", so if you see something similar (with a similar nice mellow yellow) at another store, just let me know!

Vacation from things you love

This little guy will have to wait for a bit for a new mommy or daddy; berrysprite is temporarily closed while I try and write my thesis. It's so sad to visit my etsy shop and see that its empty! Many thanks to the people who have written to me with encouragement; you guys are the best cheerleaders :D. I was trying not to have to close my shop, especially since I won't be able to participate in that many holidays (like Halloween, boo!). I really want to finish my thesis by December though, and if I do, closing my shop will be totally worth it :) I will probably open it for a week here and there, and I'll be sure to let you know before I do!

takochu

Aren't they sooooo kawaii? These are takochu, which are little 1" vinyl toys that stack on one another; I read about them just the other day at supercutekawaii and I knew that I had to have them! A quick online search found them at giantrobot for $2 each, which is why I got 7 of them! (PS... they are currently sold out there, but maybe if you petition them they'll bring in more!) I gave four of them to my sisters and kept 3 for myself, but I still feel like 3 is not enough... that's how cute they are! Takochu are made by a company called Pine and if you go there you can download free takochu desktop backgrounds (if you are already bored of frankenkitty!)

New October Calendar!

Yay, October's calendar is ready for downloading. Unfortunately I didn't have time to make a feature Halloween amigurumi; but if I did, this is what it would have looked like! I rather like the pumpkins and Frankenkitty... I think his big eye is really funny :D The calendar itself is a little dark, but it really didn't feel right without an ominously colored background, ya know? Here is the little story I made up:

Dr. Frankencat has made a monster kitty... the villagers tried to warn him that what he was doing was a crime against nature, and now ghosts have risen out of the misty pumpkin patch outside the doctor's castle... Dr. Frankencat couldn't care less though, he relishes a good scare; bwahahahaha!

Feel free to download from my photobucket or flickr!