Commissioned Art

Pencil outline and finished drawing for the character Zatanna~

On the workbench...

Ok, so this may be my favorite paper toy I've designed so far. A working paper marionette of Pinocchio! I've been cooped up all weekend because of the snow storm and was able to make a lot of progress. I have the character down and the technical aspect of making him move correctly is finished. He's fully jointed and will move and dance just like any other marionette. I just need to design the controller and string him up! He should be available shortly.

Nutcracker and Mouse King Holiday Paper Printables

The classic story of the Nutcracker and Mouse brought to life as printable paper toys. Now you can reenact the epic battle between the Nutcracker and Mouse King. I'm not sure what they were fighting over, the Sugar Plum Fairy or just peanuts?

The Nutcracker even has a movable jaw! Although I wouldn't try cracking any nuts with it. The Mouse King has this cool feature which allows you to roll it on the floor. Not only will the kids love the rolling mouse but your cat just might too.

Printable Paper Crafts - Tools for Making Paper Toys

Printable paper toys are a fun and inexpensive way to craft. Printables are often available as PDFs and can be downloaded for instant gratification in minutes. To those of you who are new to printable paper crafts I thought I would have a couple of tutorials available to help educate the basics of paper crafting. If you're into scrapbooking and paper crafting I'm sure you have these items on hand. Most of these tools can be purchased at your local office supply or craft store.

Tools for making printable paper toys. Starting from the lower right going counter clockwise.

1. TOOTHPICKS I use toothpicks to put a thin layer of glue on the tabs for gluing. I will put a dollop of glue on some scratch paper and load the toothpick up with some glue. I then layer the glue on the tab as if I was buttering a piece of toast. If you use large amounts of glue especially on large shapes and tabs the glue will tend to warp the cardstock. This is why I prefer this method.

2. SCORING TOOLS Scoring tools are necessary for precisely folding a paper toy. Scoring is making a slight indentation in the cardstock so it easily folds. My favorite tool of all time is a 5" tapestry needle I found on clearance at the craft store. I have used this tool for sculpting small details on dolls and now I use it for scoring all my paper toys. I have also included a bone folder in the photo which is commonly used to score cardstock. Some other tools that can be used to score cardstock are a blunt knitting needle, dried up pen or edge of a paper clip.

3. CRAFT KNIFE A craft knife/X-acto knife is used for cutting small details that a scissors could not do. Most of my paper toys do not require one but I will occasionally use one for cutting small bits out. A craft knife should always be used with adult supervision. They are very sharp and not recommended for children.

4. SCISSORS I have two pairs of scissors for paper crafting. I use the large pair for cutting out large shapes and the small pair for small detailed cutting. The small pair of scissors is invaluable for getting around tiny shapes and corners.

5. RULER A stainless steel ruler is used to assist with scoring a printable toy. I will run my scoring tool along side a ruler to make a straight crisp fold. A plastic ruler will work in a pinch but a stainless steel ruler is best because a plastic ruler will often chip or be cut into by a craft knife.

6. SELF HEALING MAT A self healing mat is used when cutting the cardstock with a craft knife. It will protect the surface you are working on. It is not necessary, as a piece of cardboard will work as well.

7. CRAFT GLUE My favorite glue is Aleene's Tacky Glue. I use this glue for felt appliques and paper toys. Its tacky enough to hold two pieces together and dries quickly with cardstock. Two paper pieces will bond together within 30-45 seconds. I have never used anything else but have heard most white glue will work.

Not pictured here:
8. CARDSTOCK 8 1/2" x 11" heavy weight 60lb. -110lb. cardstock is what I recommend to print paper toys on. The cardstock I buy at my office supply store is labeled white index.
9. COLOR PRINTER Any color printer will work fine when printing a printable. I use a home ink jet printer for designing my paper toys. When I'm finished with the design I will put the document on a flash drive and bring them to my local printer for printing. A professional printer will bring out the vivid colors a home printer will often not. I am often asked if you need color cardstock for the paper toys. A color printer will print out the solid colors and additional color cardstock is not needed. I design all my paper toys as color documents to be printed on white cardstock.

How sweet is this!

Julie from mademama.com sent me a link to photos of her daughter Raleigh's first birthday party. She made enlarged copies of my characters to decorate the woodland themed party. Julie explained to me that her daughter loves the squirrel and deer so much that she put them on Raleigh's bedroom wall. She regularly points to them and does the sign for them. I was so touched I got a little teary eyed. This is the happy little bird in her home made owl costume. Check out her Mama blog to see more photos of the happy event and a recipe for chocolate owl cake balls.

North Pole Printable Gingerbread Collection

Three new paper toys for the holiday season available in my Etsy shop. I've been wanting to add more PDF playsets to my original gingerbread cottage and now its starting to look like a Christmas village. I like the choo choo train best... you can add small treats to the carts behind. The new cottage features elves having fun in the Winter snow.

Yesterday the giveaway for the white reindeer ended. I always feel so bad having to pick one winner from all the comments made. I thought it would be great if I had another quick giveaway for fun. I will give all 3 playsets from the gingerbread collection to 3 winners. To participate tell me your favorite Christmas song along with a way to email the PDF's to you. I grew up in the 80's so my favorite tunes are "Do they know its Christmas?" and "Peace on Earth" by David Bowie. Giveaway ends December 6, 2010.

No Coast is less than two weeks away!

 No Coast Craft-o-Rama 
Midtown Global Exchange building
December 3, 3pm - 8 pm
December 4, 9 am - 5pm

Don't miss in my opinion one of the best craft shows of the year. I look forward to this event every year. So many creative, talented artists participate. It would be hard not to find that unique holiday gift. Sara from Too Many Suitors, one of my favorite artists, designed this awesome poster for the event.  

Below are some of the kawaii ornaments I'll have available. Five new designs including ice skate, mitten, gift, gingerbread cottage and sad fruitcake will be for sale along with softie ornament designs from past years.

X-23

The first 3 issues are out~!  (issue 3 in stores on wed Nov 17th)
get your copies of them today~  I will be doing signings in a few comic book stores this December, bring them to the signings~ <3   (Meltdown Comics signing starts at 7pm.)   =D

2010 Christmas Giveaway!

Giveaway is now closed.
Randomly selected by Random Number Generator.

Congrats to TwigandToadstool and her winning comment!

TwigandToadstool said...

buttercup fawn!!!! that being said, I LOVE almost everything in your shop...your style is so SO sweet! (I have a soft spot for that grumpy fruitcake as well)!
xo maureen
(valleyvixen at mail dot com)

Now through Sunday, November 28 , 2010 you can enter to win a free white reindeer! To enter this contest simply visit my Etsy shop and pick out your favorite item. Then leave a comment with your favorite item to enter. This contest is open to residents of USA and Canada only. Please remember to leave a way for me to contact you if you win. Your contact information will only be used for acquiring your address information should you win this contest.

You may complete each of the following tasks for one additional entry for each task completed. Please comment in a separate post for each task.

1. Follow this blog.
2. Become a fan of Fantastic Toys on Facebook. Leave a comment.

3. Blog about this contest. Comment with a link to the blog post.
4. Add a Fantastic Toys badge to your blog or website.
5. Tweet about the giveaway!

~ Featured Buyer ~

I love receiving photos from buyers who have taken the time to put together my paper toys. It really makes my day. Candice said that she ended up playing with the Mushroom Hill set more than her kids. She glued the pieces on some additional cardstock to make them extra sturdy for childs play. After cutting out the pieces, she said she had, "gnome-village-cutter-outers-cramp". I think it was well worth it, the finished collection looks great!

Don't forget to send me photos of your finished paper toys or items made from my tutorials. I love to see them!

Christmas Collection 2010

The holidays are fast approaching and I have finally finished my Christmas inventory. I now know what an elf must feel like getting ready for Christmas. As I mentioned in my last post my home has been scattered with red, green, pink, and white felt since August. My Etsy shop is now filled with Christmas goodies! These adorable snow people available in 4 styles and are the newest addition to my Christmas Collection. 

Its also time for the Christmas giveaway. The last two years I have given away a white reindeer and fawn. This year I thought I would leave it up to you guys. What should I giveaway this year? Which of the following would you choose?

Snowman

Snow Seal

Polar Bear

Ornament Set

Fawn

Covers for X-23 (Marvel Comics)

X-23 Issue #1 cover

                                                   X-23 Issue 2 cover

X-23 Issue 3 cover

That time of year again...

I know its a little early for Christmas but when the holidays are the best time for your business, I begin the holiday inventory in the summer. Its no wonder why I stopped decorating the house for the holidays. I've been making decorations since August! The picture above is a mountain of of softie ornaments I'm currently making. I've added 5 new designs to my existing ornament collection. I didn't realize I was making so many but after stuffing them all, I have well over a 100. I'll be glad to finish these up and pack them away for my upcoming shows.

Last year sales were kinda of slow. As a result of that I've tripled the amount of shows I'm doing this year. I'm looking forward to the new craft shows this holiday season. My work will be on display at the Textile Center for there annual holiday sale. I was also asked to be involved with Peggy's Holiday Boutique. This will be Peggy's 33rd year featuring the work of over 150 artists. I've never been there so it should be interesting. Lastly I'll be at HandmadeMN 1st annual holiday market. Don't you love the graphics for the event! Check show info for specific detail on all events.

Mushroom Pin Cushion Tutorial

Mushroom harvesting season is here and I thought this would be a good time to share my Mushroom Pin Cushion Tutorial. This cute pin cushion reminds me of something granny would have kept in her sewing box. Its a fairly simple project that requires a bit of sewing and a hot glue gun. I purchased all the supplies at my local craft store. Happy crafting!

Materials Required

Polka Dot Fabric

2 1/4" Diameter Wood Disc

1 1/2 " Wood Candle Cup Holder

Mini Ric Rac

Hot Glue or Craft Glue

Wool Roving for Stuffing

Instructions

1. Cut out a 7 1/4" diameter circle in your favorite polka dot print.

2. Sew a gathering stitch around the edge of your circle.

3. Pull your gathering stitch to create the mushroom cap. Pack cap with wool roving. Pull gathering stitch tight, close and knot. (A polyfill will work but wool filling is much better. Wool will make a stiff cap that will hold your pins in place. A poly fill will make a squishy cap but will still work.)

4. Glue candle cup holder to wood disc to make mushroom stem.

5. Put a layer of hot glue on top of the wood disc and quickly push mushroom cap onto disc and hold into place until the glue dries. Hot glue typically dries in under a minute.

6. Glue a piece of ric rac around the edge of the wood disc for decoration.

7. Finish the mushroom with a cut felt flower and a pretty pin.

For personal use only. Commercial use prohibited.

Outdoor craft shows are sucky!

Go ahead, laugh. I did, until I realized that the collapsed tent was mine when I arrived this morning. Its not a good feeling finding your tent knocked over to the side with all your display stuff sitting outside of your tent, soaking wet. :( This is what was left of my EZ Up tent after the high winds hit and twisted the frame into a pretzel. I thought I did everything I was suppose to, as far as weighing down the tent yet this happens.

Needless to say I'm done with the outdoor craft show thing. It certainly takes a strong person to deal with the fickle weather and hawking art goods outside. Next time you see me at a craft show it will be INDOORS away from the wind, rain and heat. Buh BYE outdoor craft shows!

Please learn from my mistakes.
1. If you leave your tent over night in strong wings lower your tent roof by bringing the legs down. Not only will your tent have a lower profile but the legs will double in strength because they fit together into one solid leg reducing the chance of bending.
2. If you can't stake your legs because you are on pavement you must get the heavy weights that are placed on the feet of the tent to prevent it from sliding because of the strong winds.
3. The hanging cement PVC weights will keep your tent from lifting off like a hot air balloon but they will also pull down your tent if the legs are swept from underneath. Please follow 1. and 2. to prevent this from happening.

Free Printable Pink Paper Fawn

This pink fawn has been with me since the beginning of Fantastic Toys. One of the first plush toys I made was this darling. After posting pictures on Flickr I received so much positive feedback I knew I was on to something. Since then Fantastic Toys has grown to include many soft toys, paper toys, fabric and kits. My ideas for new toys are endless and I hope the next 5 years will be just as productive and successful.

For those of you who have always wanted a fawn from Fantastic Toys I am offering this special paper version just for you. This 3 page PDF includes fawn, two mushrooms and instructions for assembly. I recommend printing on 60 lb. or more cardstock. Thanks to all of you that have supported Fantastic Toys over the years with your kind comments and feedback. Enjoy!

Download Pink Paper Fawn

Good Morning Lovlies!

A little something I'm working on. :) Happy Blossoms Jewelry will make their debut at the upcoming Centennial Lakes Arts Festival next weekend. Will post more pics of entire collection later.

Yay! I Cracked the Top Ten!

According to Craft Count statistics I finally placed in the TOP TEN TOY SELLERS on Etsy. Lets face it I may never be at the top for handmade but its pretty exciting being at the top in my category. Thanks to all the wonderful buyers who have placed Fantastic Toys in the top ten! 

Heres a snapshot of the top 15. Check your stats for your category here.

Kawaii Fabric Design Available at Spoonflower

FYI, Spoonflower now has a feature which allows you to purchase fabric that other indie crafters have designed. For each fat quarter or yardage sold the artist receives 10% of the sale price. Its optional of course. If you design some fabric you don't have to have it available for sale to the public. I now have two kawaii designs available at Spoonflower which can be purchased at my profile. I have some more ideas which I hope to have available as well.

If you've been on the fence about giving Spoonflower a try, now is the time. For one day only they're have a Free Swatch Day. In the past I have used this offer to purchase a color chart swatch which has been invaluable when creating new fabric designs. You can also use this offer to get a swatch of not only your design but designs offered by others too.

Gallery 2010

I have a brand new piece in the LowBrow Tarot Card show @ La Luz de Jesus Gallery this October.  

My piece is "The Star" card of the Major Arcana.  Sold.  Limited Edition Prints available.

"Super Oishii Power Love", watercolor/gouache/ink, available @ Sexy Art Gallery, Amsterdam, Nov 2011

 

"The Beast", watercolor and mixed media, sold (limited edition prints available)

 

"Bliss", watercolor and ink, inquire La Luz de Jesus Gallery for availability

 

 "The Ghost", watercolor and mixed media, Sold.

 

"The Weakling", watercolor and mixed media, sold

 

"Youth and Her Glory", watercolor and mixed media, inquire La Luz de Jesus Gallery for availability (limited edition prints available)

"Duality", watercolor and mixed media, sold (limited edition prints available)

New show SPIRITUAL DEFICIENCY @ La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Feb 2010

(4633 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90027, 323-666-7667)