Cow in overalls Critter on Abracadabra set.

Here are a couple of shots of one of the famous Abracadabra critters as he appears on set. As mentioned in a previous post, these critters are chosen by Mike, the star of the show and pal to Joey shown above in blue shirt, each year before taping. Abracadabra is a children's show that airs on PBS in West Virginia. It is a project of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine Healthy Children's Initiative.

Now that all of the Critter stars are home, they have been placed for sale in my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ElliesCritters  Whatever does not sell will be donated to the Christmas Fair in Kittery Maine and sales will benefit charity.

I love making these critters and being able to create as well as support children in some way is optimal. Children love these critters - especially young boys oddly enough. Maybe it has to do with satisfying the nurturing instinct in a different way from girls who have dolls. Maybe you would like to bring a smile to a young person (or young at heart person) this Christmas.

For more shots of previous critters or to email me about custom orders, you can go to my website:
www.elliescritters.com. 

If you're interested in seeing episodes of Abracadabra - or would like to share with children in your life, here's the link to past seasons: https://www.youtube.com/user/abratv1

Season 4 Critters are on Etsy!

Here they are! Season 4 of Abracadabra is filmed and now the critters are available for sale. We have a green frog, yoga dog with her own mat, Albert and Kitty, singin' cowboy, koala with a special toy in his back pocket, a jogger, an office bear, a flower girl and of course the popular moose with flannel shirt and suspenders.

All of these critters come with a special tag that certifies that they appeared on the show. To see previous seasons of Abracadabra go to:  https://www.youtube.com/user/abratv1. The critters appear in the kitchen scenes of the show sticking out of cabinets, shelves and even glassware.

The Etsy shop also features some jackets and coats made especially for the 18" American Girl doll. These clothes were made using Liberty Jane/Pixie Faire patterns.

This will be my second year on Etsy so let's see what happens.

Two more critters adopted!

It's always a happy day when I can create critters based on someone's request and have them received with excitement and pleasure. These two guys went to a friend from Kai who asked for an Auburn University tiger and a super hero dog. So, that's what I did. The super hero has an "N" on his chest for the little guy who will adopt him - Nathan - and he has a red cape with a secret pocket. The pocket holds two signs - one says "BAM" and the other says "POW". 

The Auburn U tiger sports the number "O4" and has a fleece scarf over his football shirt. He's wearing football shorts of course. 

I've done a few special requests lately and find that I really enjoy the challenge. I'm always a little concerned that they might not meet the expectation of the person who has an image in their own mind. I try to make it clear that these critters are not literal and to allow me some creative license. So far it's all worked out well. 

In the works - a cowboy mule,  a belly dancing cat, maybe a UF fan in the form of a dog? Any other ideas??

Random Randy

It's always a joy to me when I know that a young person enjoys my critters. My grandson Alex has 3 of them and even though he's going to be 12 in November, he asked me to make him another one when he came down for a visit this week. So I asked him to choose the fabric we would use, pick the type of critter he wanted and I'd make it for him.

Alex designed Random Randy. He chose patchwork legs, white sneakers, a blue shirt with baseball print arms and big floppy ears. I chose two different colored eyes and multi colored hair in keeping with the "random" part. Alex loved the result and has carried him on all of our adventures this week including Sarasota Architectural Salvage, Guardians of the Galaxy, Station 400, the beach, Siesta for ice cream and of course, curling up on the sofa watching videos. Random only stayed in the car mind you - after all, Alex is not a "baby"........But even boys like to have companions and having a male "friend" in the form of a stuffed toy is not so bad.

I now have several young boys who have critter friends and I just know that these critters know all of the secrets that a boy would like to share. Got any young boys in your life?

Watch for some new ideas coming from Ellie's Critters!

Well, all of the Critters are off to West Virginia for taping of Season 4 of Abracadabra. The Critters that were on Etsy are packed up and ready for their trip to Maine for the Fair. More coming this fall.

So what's next?? Well, meet my latest (and not so new) creations  - American Girl doll clothes made from Liberty Jane patterns which makes them modern, hip and not the same old "doll clothes" we used to see. Remember the ones that you would put on a doll, but never wear yourself? These are all modeled after what the young girls are wearing themselves - and even designs that young women wear! Skinny jeans maybe??

My thought is to add these to the Etsy/Ellie's Critters brand along with patterns to make your own critters. So, lots of ideas percolating - Please pass on the news to anyone who might be interested - friends with kids and AG dolls? Grandkids?

Critters leaving Etsy and heading for Maine

Say good bye to the Etsy critters. Their time has expired and although they had an interesting visit, it's time for them to move on to Maine where they will be donated to charity. Some of these critters have found new homes locally. The others make their journey to Maine at the end of the summer.

The Season 4 selection has been made by the Mike, the star of the Abracadabra show and those critters will be heading off to West Virginia in July for taping. They will return at the end of the summer and either appear on Etsy or head up to Maine with the Season 3 critters.

I am currently working on American Girl doll clothes - designing and sewing outfits which will also head up north to be donated.

As we close out this "season" in Florida and begin thinking about summer plans I will spend time creating and sewing - looking for fabric to repurpose, ideas for critter personalities, and clean out my work space to allow new energy to move through. With new energy and new fabric come new ideas. I wish everyone a happy spring and summer season!

Off to work bear..

I used to work in the insurance world - actually employee benefits. My job was to sell health insurance plans to large companies - manufacturing, hospitals, school districts, etc. I would present to the executive at the company and then once sold I would meet with the employees and explain their new plan. We dressed up then. Suits were the norm. Even women wore "lady ties" (bows actually). Anyone remember that?

That was the inspiration for this bear. He's a sales rep for some company. He's on his way to work and since he's not wearing a jacket, he probably works in the south where it's more acceptable to wear a tie and dress shirt. His pants are pin striped - a conservative dresser, but he likes a bit of whimsy in his ties.

Would you buy from him??

Mardi Gras Time!

Mardi Gras time is coming soon and of course the Critters want to celebrate. I've been planning a Mardi Gras themed Ministry Fair for St. Thomas More Catholic Church, my parish, and Mardi Gras has been on my mind. Who knows where this guy will end up, but he's sure ready to party.

While planning this Fair, I've met so many wonderful people and one that I especially connected with is also a doll lover. She's way beyond me in talent, but we shared a common love of creating and playing with dolls and doll houses. Hopefully we'll get to play together soon.

Mardi Gras is a time of celebration before the seriousness of Lent and sacrifice. What a great time to reflect on our lives, what we take for granted, what we appreciate. It's a time to rethink our priorities and to give to those less fortunate. I think of New Orleans and I can hear the music and taste the food.
Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

Critters are for adults!

In my last entry I mentioned that Ellie the Elephant was heading to Orlando to Ellie the newborn. Well, as I've mentioned in previous stories, the critters seem to be better received by adults and children older than 8. I think it's the "tongue in cheek" character of each of the critters. They all have a little humor and imperfection about them which adds to their personalities. Babies and small children just want a cuddle toy or they want to throw stuffed animals around.

The critters were originally designed as humorous, adult cartoon characters. As I've created, I've noticed that young boys have appreciated them also. My grandsons liked the "dudes" I made with camo pants and sports attire. I think they could enjoy them without feeling like they were "dolls" - They enjoyed the personalities and considered them friends.

So when I heard that my friend who adopted Ellie the Elephant and her friends Mouse and Frog, I was not surprised to hear that Ellie's mom and grandma loved them, but the little kids were underwhelmed. "No worries", I said. "Just put them on a shelf until they're old enough, or let the adults enjoy them."

Three more adopted critters!

These guys went to a family in Orlando. Three children under the age of 3. Ellie the elephant went to the newborn named Ellie (of course), the frog is for the middle child and the mouse goes to the oldest. As I've mentioned before, I didn't start out making critters for young children. They do have buttons and are not for babies who put everything in their mouth. That being said, critters have ended up with small children who love them. I do sew the buttons on really well and mom's and dad's should keep checking on the well loved critters to make sure that nothing is coming loose.

Other critters in the works for 4th season of Abracadabra - business bear, teenage girl in a mini jean skirt, and maybe a jester. Still working on that idea. Stay tuned.

Brucie goes to Arizona!

Phew! What a busy week with critters. Last Saturday I got a whole bunch of fabric from Sharon Carr of Carr's Corner Cafe. Fabric always inspires me and this was no exception. First I found the cream colored quilted fabric and the cotton with the tiny print and they screamed elephant for some reason. While I was making her, a friend from Tampa called and announced that he had a new baby granddaughter named Ellie - Well, Ellie and elephant just go together so I sent a photo of the finished elephant and he claimed her! 

Now Brucie - I've talked about my friend from California who was always told that the tooth fairy was named Brucie. When I envisioned Brucie, I immediately thought hippo - so I gave him sparkly pants, white wings, nice white teeth and a bag to carry all those teeth he collects from under the pillows. When I sent the picture to Karen, she immediately wanted him for her granddaughter Tatum. So Brucie is on his way, as we speak, to Arizona. 

So, in addition to this, I heard that Abracadabra is signed for another season and they need a dozen critters for July 1. Yikes!! Better get sewing.......

Mr. Moose is off to the Bitterman's

Marji Bitterman of Beads and Dangles asked me one day if I had ever created a moose. "Hmm", I said. "I have not, but coming from Maine, it seems like I should consider one."  So I thought about it and came up with a pattern and then wondered what he would be wearing. Well, wouldn't he be a lumberjack? Seemed logical to me. Flannel shirt, jeans, suspenders and black boots. So that's what I came up with.

The antlers were a challenge. They had to be firm enough to stand up, but flexible enough to be sewn inside the head and then turned right side out which is how I have to sew it. Felt seemed to be the best solution. I tried a thin foam core, but that tore when I turned it. My husband reminded me that bull moose have a beard as well as a tuft of fur on their head, so this guy does as well. He's a "real man" in the moose world.

When I was making this moose, I decided to make a second one - similar but, as always, never exact. When I sent a picture up to the Abracadabra folks, they made claim on him. So, Moose number 2 will be in Season 4 of the show.

I love seeing the faces of the people who adopt my critters. The smile is what makes it all worth while. So, if anyone has any ideas for critters, please pass them on. You never know who will be created.