Ashley Anna Brown / Fern Animals

When you really have no control at all...

I begin making this little animal this morning while Justin continued to pack up his things. I wanted to get a good start on a custom order, and, though the materials were not exactly what was requested, I thought that maybe it would work. As I was stuffing the body, I came to realize that it would not in fact do for the custom order, and this new animal was suddenly born. It's funny how sometimes you set out to make something, and the little creatures personality just seems to take over and decide for you how she will turn out. I haven't made little ears like this in quite some time (years maybe?) but they suited this little lady perfectly. She even has her head tilted to the side a little, like she's feeling a little tough, and a little sassy.

Okay, now that I have sewn away a good part of the day, it's time to load the car and head out! We're late! (Always!)

Catching mice

For the past few nights Justin and I have been woken up by Kitchen running around, apparently chasing something. We'd jump out of bed and find her holding onto a tiny little mouse. She caught one two nights ago, and then caught two last night! Justin and I are total softies for tiny cute animals, so after getting the mouse away from the cat, and locking Kitchen in a different room, Justin would scoop the mouse into a jar and set him free outside. I can't imagine it's the same mouse coming into our house every time because, well, why would you be so silly when you know there is a cat there, just waiting for you? Plus, Kitchen caught her second mouse last night only about twenty minutes after the first, (just as we were falling back asleep!) and we live on the top floor of our house. Can a tiny mouse climb up that fast? We tried to block up the hole we thought they were coming from, but apparently we need to call our landlords and have them patch all of the little holes in the house (encouraging them to stop at that, and not use mouse traps or poison). 

This morning I decided to make a tiny fabric mouse after watching those two we caught in a jar last night. They were so cute! I wish I wasn't so sleepy and had thought of taking a picture. The second one had the tiniest little body and long hind legs. He was a super jumper! Good thing Justin used a tall glass vase to catch that one! He could have jumped right out! I just made up my first little grey mouse, complete with pretty yellow striped ears and a tail. I love him! His body is actually a slightly longer variation of my strawberries, so it didn't take me too long to get the shape just right. I'm looking forward to making a little batch of these guys to hang out together. Maybe Kitchen would like to play with one of these and leave the real mice alone? 

A new little suit.

Wow, I feel like I have been away for weeks, though I suppose it's only been a few days. I went to New Hampshire for a long weekend last Friday to work with my sister and didn't have a chance to work in my studio when I returned home Sunday evening. Then Monday and Tuesday I was at Reprodepot all day and just felt exhausted because I didn't have a relaxing weekend. I suppose this happens quite often at the end of the month (my last chance to work and make some extra money when rent is due!). 

Today was the day I was supposed to work in my studio. I had a long list of things to accomplish, but most of the day was spent trying to clean and organize and I got lost going through boxes of junk that have been stuffed in corners since we moved in (seven months ago!). Now my studio is still a disaster and it just isn't possible to work like this! Plus I had a last minute baby sitting job that distracted me into the evening. (But that was a fun distraction!). So here I am, 7:30 at night, trying to convince myself that I can check off at least a couple things on my list for today, one of those things being updating my blog. But I have a headache (third day in a row - I think it's related to my teeth. I haven't been to a dentist in probably over ten years now - no dental insurance - and I grind my teeth in my sleep, plus have a couple wisdom teeth coming in crooked. Either way, my mouth isn't feeling too good) and I'm hungry, but can't think of anything I'd like to make for dinner because we really need to go grocery shopping (I've been eating a lot of toast and oatmeal - which I love, but it just doesn't sound right for tonight), and on top of these things that are holding my attention and keeping me from being productive in my studio, Netflix sent me The Changling today and I think I'm ready to just get in my pajamas and curl up on the couch with Kitchen and Justin. Yes, and eat something. And take some advil. That sounds perfect. 

But, first, so I can go to bed tonight feeling like I accomplished something today: I would like to stop whining a bit and tell you about a new animal I made! She's the first in a new Limited Edition and she's wearing a beautiful vintage pink herringbone wool suit (say that three times fast!) 

I love her! This edition is limited to only six so as to keep them all a little more precious, but I just couldn't stop at one. Or two. Or three. Or four or five! I'll be listing her in my Big Cartel shop right after I finish up here, and before finding myself some dinner. She is made completely of vintage materials, besides the faux fur trim around her hood. If you love her as much as I do, be sure to snatch one up before they are all gone because I will not be making any more like her once all six have sold (no matter how many custom requests I may receive - sorry!). 

Well, I hope you are all doing well, and, if you recently received more snow like we did here in western Massachusetts, I hope you have been able to find a way to appreciate its' beauty and stay warm. Sunny days can't be too far off now! Good night. 

Inconvenient Internet Troubles.

Sorry about the delay today in my shop. My computer seemed to be working fine until about 1:55, then suddenly the internet wouldn't work. I restarted my computer probably five times, along with resetting the wireless router, but nothing worked. It was really frustrating. Especially since my laptop didn't have any trouble getting online, but all my photos were on my desktop. Really frustrating! It just decided to randomly connect again at quarter to three, with no explanation. Anyway, I am very sorry if you were there at 2 o'clock, waiting and waiting. If you were trying to snatch up the little guy with the pink embroidered beard, but missed him, you may be excited to know that I have already begun working on a couple more that I will hopefully have ready to post in my shop next week. Maybe on Wednesday? I'll have to let you know about the exact day. 

I also began working on an animal that will be fully hand embroidered (full body, not just a beard) with this amazing magenta metallic thread (pictured in progress above, though the photo doesn't really capture its shimmering quality). When I first began making Fern Animals I made quite a few fully embroidered animals, I liked how the stitches were like fur, but eventually couldn't find the time it took to make all those little stitches. Now, I am giving myself the time because I really love doing it! It's really meditative and therapeutic, stitching away for hours, covering these little bodies. That's what I loved so much about making this little glowing Fern Animal last year. I have been wanting to make more ever since, but couldn't find the time to do it. I am working up to making more glowing Ferns now. Just wait!

After a brief internet hiatus...

I'm back! Sorry it's been a little while since my last update here. The past couple of weeks have been pretty crazy, between a craft fair in Boston, visiting family in New Hampshire, then scrambling to make more animals in a tiny amount of time for a craft fair in New York! Wow! Now, I'm almost done... almost. This week will be chock full of still more sewing, finishing up orders that were placed last week, along with custom holiday orders that need to get in the mail.... I am very much looking forward to all the animals being completed and sent out to their new homes, and for a chance to rest by the christmas tree with Justin and take a little break. We haven't even had a chance to get a tree yet!

But for now, I'm still chugging along. And, I wanted to let everyone know that I still have a few animals left. I will be posting them in my Etsy Shop tomorrow morning around 11:30am EST. This will be my last post before the New Year. Get yours while you still can! There will be some new favorites in the shop tomorrow - like a couple of these snowflake Fern Animals (shown above) and a little red and white reindeer, both made from beautiful vintage fabrics I found a few weeks ago in an enormous warehouse in Springfield (see some photos from my trip with Carrie here). 

Okay, well, it is very late and I need to get some sleep if I plan on pulling off this shop update in the morning, but I promise that at some point in the next couple of days I will post an official craft fair re-cap complete with photos and such. See you tomorrow! Good night!

PS. Thank you to everyone who left kind words about my Grandmother. It means a lot to me.

The Golden Lion

I just found out tonight that Justin (Heart Pump Arts) and I got into the Bust Holiday Craftacular! Yay! We still haven't decided if we can even do it... it is the Sunday right after the Boston Bazaar Bizarre, so we might not have time from now until December 7th to make enough stuff... but we have a week to make our decision. I think we'll probably do it though! I'll just have to crank out animals like there's no tomorrow (that means you too Lillie)! 

Sadly, this means that I will not be able to take on any custom holiday animal orders. I think this would be the case even if I were only attending one craft fair. I will try to keep posting animals in my shop as much as possible, though. And there are, of course, ornaments available for order. And if anyone is interested, you can order one of the ornament animals without the ribbon, which would make him just a regular Fern Animal. I've had a couple people request this already. Obviously this is no trouble because it means there's one less thing to do (add the ribbon, that is). 

On another note, tomorrow I will be listing a couple beautiful Limited Edition Golden Lions in my Etsy Shop. These are limited to only twelve, meaning that once all twelve are sold, no more will be made! The golden fur is a hand-me-down scrap I received from a friend quite some time ago, so even if I wanted to make more of these, I couldn't. Get one while they last! I will actually only be listing a few in my shop though, maybe just two or three for now, so that I can take the rest to the craft fairs with me. After the BBB and Craftacular, I will be immediately listing any remaining animals on Etsy so others will have the opportunity to snatch some up before the holidays. 

Well, I should get to organizing my work table so I can get some more sewing done. I have SO MUCH still to do!! Good night!

PS. Please visit my new Paper N Stitch Shop! And vote for me!

The sun has been hiding today.

And it is growing dark so early. I didn't have a chance to get any good photographs of new animals today except for this one. (None of the others were completed in time!) I really like this photo, though, and am considering printing it as a greeting card. What do you think? I am always looking for some good feedback about which photos to print. Which ones are your favorite from my archives? I want to make at least one new greeting card this holiday season, and maybe a couple more images for the note card sets. Please leave a comment! If you help and I pick the image you suggested, I'll send you a complimentary set!

In other news, I will be posting some new little ones in the shop tomorrow as promised, though a bit later in the evening than usual - the listings should be up between 6 and 6:30 pm EST. I have been filling in for a friend of a friend as a nanny for twin babies for the past couple of weeks, and tomorrow is my last day for a while. They are super cute and it has been really fun doing nanny work again, but I do look forward to having my days back to sew sew sew! 

I am always making lists of things to do and trying to prioritize. With holiday orders streaming in and craft fairs quickly approaching, it's always tough to keep up. I am really excited that I have been able to offer new ornaments this year though! And they seem to be quite popular already. I have been making them as they are ordered and it is working out really well for me. It's like taking on custom orders, but without the super specific details that always go along with them, because these are all the same. I just listed a new one in my Etsy Shop. She's red and cute! I am making sure to keep one of each of these for myself this year! My tree will be adorned with Fern Animals, too!

I think that at the Bazaar Bizarre this year I will have a few one of a kind animals, but also some editions of animals. Yesterday I made a new little lion - he's yellow with a golden mane. I think he's really great and want to make many more just like him. I was going to list him in the shop tomorrow, but decided instead to hold onto him for the BBB so that I can make multiples. It feels weird to make an animal and list and sell it as one of a kind and then turn around and make another just like it. Even though they always end up having very different personalities - because I am not a machine and they all always end up looking slightly different - I'd rather sell the duplicates as one of a bunch. Making near exact copies is what I'm usually asked to do for custom orders, though most customers request a slight variation, even if only a change in the color of thread I use for the face. 

Anyways, I still haven't officially decided or worked out the details, but I think if you come find my table at the BBB this year (and maybe the Bust Holiday Craftacular, too - fingers crossed!), I will have many different animals, but all in families of twins, triplets or maybe even sextuplets. This feels a little less stressful when thinking about sewing up these little ones for the fairs. It's less daunting when I can cut out lots of animals from one fabric at once, sew up all their bodies at once, stuff them, etc. Like a little assembly line. Instead of making each individual animal in its' entirety one at a time. I spend far too much of my precious sewing time standing in front of my shelf of fabric trying to decide which to use next. I will continue to make these "only child" animals and list them in my shop though. But if you want a pair of identical twins, come find me in Boston on December 7th! (Personally, I love seeing the animals in pairs. I love anything in pairs! Probably what started my vintage salt & pepper shaker collection!)

Oh! And here's another exciting bit of news: I finally hired an assistant! Yay! It's my friend Lillie Harden. We went to college together. She is an amazing sculptor and has done a lot of work with fabric. She has only come to work with me twice so far, but already it is such a relief! And having her here gets me to tidy up the studio (though it's still a mess!!), and get more work done myself. I am more focused, instead of accidentally losing two or three hours a day looking around the internet at others blogs and flickr photos when I should be using that time to sew. Kitchen loves having her here, too! Another lap to sleep on while we sew. Here are the new best friends: 

Kitchen's actually curled up in my lap right now as I type. It's not always the most comfortable thing for me while I am trying to work, but how can I resist this? So cute and cozy!

Okay, time to check off a couple more things on that To Do list! Good night!

Small Shop Post!

These three new animals will be in my Etsy Shop momentarily (about 6pm EST). I wish I could have finished more, but I will have a bigger shop post next Friday. I was racing the sun today to complete the details (ears, tails, faces, antlers) on these little ones and photograph them before I lost the light. I just barely made it! (Though the pictures would have been better if I took them an hour ago!)

I am planning on setting aside some time this evening to make a decent blog post. We'll see how that goes after I finish uploading these animals to my shop.

Thanks to everyone who has left such wonderful positive comments about the Etsy Ad - I really appreciate it!

Ornaments are here!

I made up a few little pink seer sucker ornaments to list in my Shop and send to Oak Boston. They're like little peppermint animals!

I also made some of the little "head" ornaments again! Except they're better this year! I made their faces with recycled linen instead of felt because it looks much nicer and is more durable. (You may have noticed that I have begun making all the animals faces this way) They are also fully lined with muslin and, of course, stuffed with organic cotton. Nice and strong.

This year I am going to make sure I set some aside to put on my own tree! I have listed a set of four in my shop already, but I will also be offering these in pairs and singly. 

I love when the weather begins to change and you can smell the cold, and anticipate snow. I can't wait to hang paper snowflakes and carry a big green tree up to our little apartment and watch old holiday movies. It was exciting setting up my tinsel tree to take some photos! (Thanks again Margie! I love this tree!)

big brother, little brother

These two new animals will be in my shop today, along with one hooded animal. I didn't get as much accomplished as I wanted to... I have a fawn and some ornament sets in the works, but not ready to post today. Oh well! 

I'm still trying to get back on track with my weekly posts, but am struggling a bit with prioritizing my time. I am getting a fairly good start on my Bazaar Bizarre prep though. I also have just two more over due custom orders to finish up, then I think I may start to accept a few holiday custom orders. I'll keep you posted on that. 

If you have emailed me recently and have yet to get a response - please bear with me! I am working through emails and responding in the order in which I received them. I'll try to get back to everyone by the end of the weekend. Thanks!!