Santa's Halloween Costume

My four year old daughter has an amazing imagination and an inquisitive mind that never fails to fascinate.  The other day she asked her father what Santa Claus was going to dress up as for Halloween.  This just cracked me up!

As mentioned before, we've started making Halloween dolls.  And yes, they are actually dolls dressed up for Halloween - not just our usual dolls lying about in random stages of dismemberment displayed in ketchup.   Because that's just gross.  Who would even think of such a thing?  You my friend, have problems.

Anyway ... I've completed the finishing touches on one of the dolls.  He's a sort of ghoulish combination between our dolls and our Modern Monsters.  He will hereby be known as :

Monster Boyfriend of and Ill-Equipped Seamstress

The witches we've done are still being fitted in their hats, so I'll wait until they're fully completed before posting them here.

The Boyfriend monster and the witches will be listed in our shop upon completion!

Third Street Modern Monsters Online Debut Party

We've mentioned our monsters before but I realized that we haven't shown many of them. So I thought it was about time I made some introductions.  You know, so we can all mingle awkwardly amongst ourselves, having already forgotten one another's names while enjoying a caviar garnished appetizer.  Oh yeah, on Third Street, we go big on snacks.  

Understand that this is a special event.  Our monsters tend to hang out exclusively on Third Street where they enjoy the limitless wonders of the imaginary world that Sonia and I are working so hard to create.  A lively place, where the weather is always sunny and a balmy 28 degrees, and swimming trunks are only required while biking. Their only real excursions (well, prior to Ludwig's adoption into the home of Walter and Katharine/aka anonymous, where Freed secretly visits him in the early morning hours) have been to a few craft shows where Sonia and I have shown our work.  Modern Monsters are very loyal and supportive friends.

So without further ado I present :

The Third Street Modern Monsters

Freed

Freed is a smooth talking disco hero who doesn't dance.  Trust us, it's a long story and he's still a little sore on the subject. 

He pulls his look off so well we think he's actually undercover. Cops love to disguise themselves as circa 1970s pimps, you know. Narc, perhaps?

Freed will soon be taking up residence (until he sells, that is!) in our shop.  As soon as Sonia sends me that information that I requested.  Like a month ago.  Sheesh!

Ludwig

Ludwig is a monster who strives on a daily basis to overcome 'monster' stereotypes. He is polite, has good manners, and a day job. He wants a Blackberry for Christmas to complete his corporate image. Ludwig lives with his friends Walter and Katharine and acts as their administrative assistant.  He's hoping to save enough money to pay for braces to correct is monster esque overbite.

Lulu

Lulu was our first girl monster, made following an excursion to Atlantic Fabrics that resulted in our acquisition of alternate stuffing materials and a great deal of disorientation on my part (as the above link details).  This Modern Monster is all flowers and frills, an irresistible feature in the eyes of many little girls, including my princess/monster/ninja adoring 3 year old daughter.

Iziabella Annalee

How adorable is she?? 

I mean seriously?

Sonia and I veered on our fabric choices for this little girl leading to her evolution into a monster of the most darling proportions.  Izzy's stay with us was very short - she was snapped up at our Vervain Fair in September in a heartbeat by my friend Claudia who was gifting her to a friend's daughter living in Switzerland. 

I never get tired of talking about that, I feel excited about this and justifiably entitled to some bragging rights.  Claudia was hoping to offer me some pictures of the little girl playing with her monster, but that did not come to fruition, much to mine and Claudia's dismay.   

Well, that's all for today, my most beloved readers.  While we do have a few more Modern Monsters hanging around her somewhere, their debut will have to wait for another awkward party.  The cheese on the snack tray is beginning to turn and all of our quests have run out of things to say about the weather.  Plus, someone's deodorant is not responding (as advertised) to their body's malodorous response to social pressures.  It's only an online party, sheesh!

So stuff some appies into your bag and skedaddle.    

Thanks for coming!

I'm linking to:

A Few of my Favorite Things link party

Third Street Corner Store

We are very pleased to announce that our Etsy store is now up and running. 

Yay!

 

Third Street Corner Store currently have 9 dolls listed for sale, and plan to list new things regularly, so check back often. 

 We will soon be listing a few monster plushies, baby and toddler bibs, hand embroidered onsies and undershirts, soft play balls and binkies. 

Stop by and let us know what you think!

Hurray!

Winter Fair ~~~~~~~ Finally !!!

December 5th and 6th were the much anticipated Halifax Crafters Winter Fair. This was our first two day event and the first show we've done since our transition from Vervain Designs to Third Street Handcrafters. Can I tell ya? We had an absolute blast!

The show ran from 11 to 5 Saturday and Sunday and was bustling with enthusiastic shoppers the entire time. The show featured 70 vendors specializing in handmade goods ranging from pottery to clothing design; we were honoured to be featured along side many talented artisans.

We've been working since October to prepare for the show, but Saturday evening we trialed long into the night to replenish much of our depleted inventory as a result of mucho sales during the first day of the show.

The remaining dolls at the end of Saturday.

Dolls and tag binkies were on the agenda, and after much work, little sleep, a wee snowfall, and a dash of caffeine we arrived back to the show Sunday morning with our table stocked anew. The drive in was slushy but our foggy, tired eyes got us there unfazed. Luckily the weather did not deter the shoppers, and we were quickly thrust back into the midst of holiday shopping.

This is our new little friend Ruby checking out our dolls. Isn't she a doll ??

Part of our display on Sunday.

As our replenishing marathon suggests, our dolls were very well received at the show. Over the course of the two days we sold a record 17 dolls!! The response of the shoppers - and many of our fellow vendors - was invigorating. We absolutely love the processes involved in creating the dolls - from designing the patterns, selecting materials and accessories to generate varying effects, to creating back stories for the dolls. Seeing everything we've worked on come together into a final product that is met with such enthusiasm is a rush, to say the least.
Here are some of the dolls we made for the show. Many of these girls weren't actually with us for very long and I'm happy to say that we caught most of them on film before they left us to go with their new friends.

Secretary / aspiring actress. She takes her day job very seriously (sensible shoes) but is always looking her best - she can never be sure when she might be discovered or offered a deal she can't refuse....

This little girl sporting a new hair style is on her way West to a very special girl.

Grapes.?.

Dylan. In his jeans and hand-me-down shirt. And shaggy hair.

One of our favorites. We picked out the fabrics in her dress ages ago and have been eager to make a doll with it ever since. Her shawl and shoes are made from an up-cycled red wool jacket.

We failed to get a picture of the blonde on the far right before she got snatched. This is sad because she was one of my favorites.

Felted wool dress from an up-cycled jacket accented with a whimsical hand embroidered butterfly (free style).

Our second girl with a hat. Look close, it's there. Only picture of this little delight as she was claimed before the doors to the show ever opened. Dig the faux patent leather shoes !!

Our first girl with kaleidoscopy eyes.

Dylan's girl. It was love at first sight.

a la Mrs Roper.

Our crowning achievement. Don't ask...

Second kaleidoscopy girl. We made every piece of this girl with a different fabric. Very sweet.

And it was with a mix of sadness and cheer that we parted company with the marvelous monster Ludwig. Ludwig is a monster who strives every day to overcome 'monster' stereotypes. He is polite, has good manners, and a day job. He wants a Blackberry for Christmas to complete his corporate image. Ludwig lives with his friends Walter and Katharine and acts as their administrative assistant. In his last email correspondence, Ludwig let us know that he has an orthodontist appointment arranged for January to correct his monster snarl. Walter and Katharine have dubbed him

Ludwig von Gracenstein .

Our thanks to everyone who came out !!

Monsters and Hurricanes

Original Print Date: Sunday, August 23, 2009 by Sonia for Vervain Designs

Andrea and I have been wanting to create a Monster collection for quite a while now, and haven't found the time to devote to this pursuit. What better day to sew and create monsters than during a hurricane? I opened up the blind in my sewing room to watch the wind and rain of the tropical storm hitting the southern and eastern coasts of Nova Scotia brought on by hurricane Bill and began to design a monster.

This cutie pie, Lulu, is uber girly and loves to play dress up. She's mostly assembled and awaiting stuffing and embellishments. A job Andrea and I will do together....

And here she is!!!

What a gorgeous girl! 

From start to finish, Andrea's daughter Julia was fascinated by this enchanting girl monster.  Julia was delighted when Lulu took up permanent residence in her princess bedroom.

We can't wait to make all kinds of friends for Lulu and hope to have a few of them ready for viewing at Vervain Fair.

Look out world... the girls at vervain designs are making monsters!!