Tarkyn's customised critter

I love making customised critters, where customers give me their old clothing/ socks and let me make a monster or a cute critter for them. I don't usually work from a sketch; generally speaking, the fabric will dictate what I make (unless the customer has a particular request for a certain type of critter).

But, going against all of what I've just said, I custom made this guy based on a sketch by my friend Sanchia's nephew, Tarkyn. Being a smart aunt with excellent taste, she gave him a zombie hamster for Christmas last year and he's been drawing critters ever since.

Recently, Sanch sent me a picture he'd drawn and asked me to make it into a critter for his birthday.

Tarkyn described the critter: 'He has red arms and white hands and super powers.' You can't see the 'super powers' but I got the colour scheme right! And yes, he does have super powers - his legs and all four of his arms are moveable and poseable, so he can fight off marauding zombie hamsters in Tarkyn's room!

Earn your stripes

Q: What do you give a friend for her birthday when you're not sure what she'd like?

A: A birthday hug and a stripey sock critter.

I made this cutie for my friend Marion with socks my friend Fiona gave me on the weekend.

Q: What do you give a friend who's moving interstate?

A: A farewell hug and a stripey sock critter.

Yep, this lil' lady was made for my pal Judith from those same socks of Fiona's. Sometimes a pair of socks goes a very long way - in this case, all the way from Melbourne to Sydney.

Q: What do you make for your friends' special occasions? Hmmmm? Post an answer if you like!

Time to Lol about

We interrupt this program to bring you a picture of the magnificent Lola in her classic Le Chat Noir pose.

The tree in the background ain't bad, either.

Bag these owls!

 My clever and dedicated-to-good-causes sister Leeyong is organising a Trivia for Tigers night (you can read about it on her rather spiffy blog), with all funds raised going to stop the trafficking of tiger parts.

You can read about this horrific practise here. Have tissues handy when you do.

I am terrible at trivia but I'm going anyway, because it's a cause worth supporting, and I'm donating this bag and these owls as prizes (they look much better in real life - I took these pics in a hurry!)

I reckon I'll have a hoot on the night - it'll be bags of fun.

And I hope Leeyong never has to run an event like this again.
If she does, it'll mean tiger farms still exist.