We Make Monsters.
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Change.”
Sometimes, you only notice how much something has changed when you take the time to look back at how it used to be. To me, it feels like I’m making Beasties the same way I always have… But the end result has changed a bit! Click through the gallery to witness BeastiEvolution happening before your very eyes…
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See what I mean? And who knows what will happen to them next?
It’s not just Beastiemaking that’s been keeping my hands busy these last few weeks! Regular hangers-out on the BeastieBlog may already have encountered my little plushie beans… if not, you can catch up here!
Normally, these beans are small enough to sit comfortably in your open hand. But then I got a request on Etsy for something bigger. A whole lot bigger! So I set about supersizing my regular beanie template…
The upscaling process meant I needed to stitch the features a little bolder…
And my customer asked if I could personalise the bean with the recipient’s name – great idea!
And who will be getting to cuddle up to this soft, squishy beanie friend?
Why, this happy little lady of course! Here they are celebrating her 3-month birthday together… hope you had a great day, Clara! Also, thanks to your mum for sending me this lovely photo and allowing me to share it with the world!
As for me, I think I’ll definitely be growing more giant-size beans in the Beastie Towers garden this autumn!
Poor Explorer Beastie hasn’t got out and about much recently. In fact, he’s been spending an unreasonable amount of time hanging out on my desk, watching me type up the adventures of other Beasties instead! So when I went out last Saturday to somewhere that wasn’t Other Work or the supermarket, it only seemed fair to bring him along.
First stop – the Canal Bank Market! We even met some of the local residents on the way there…
And there was plenty to see at the market itself too!
After a lot of wandering, and only a little bit of shopping, we decided to grab some tea at Wall & Keogh – one of my favourite Dublin tea emporiums! Well, it was just around the corner from the market… Even so, Explorer Beastie decided to hitch a lift in my bag for the journey!
At least I didn’t have to buy him lunch – as usual, he brought his own.
Hey, what’s that?
Oh, cool! Let’s do the jigsaw!
Um, not sure you’ve quite got the right idea here…
Nope. Definitely not.
Ah, now we’re getting somewhere!
…Or not.
Well, at least he’s having a good time!
More tea?
Yes please!
How are your weekend plans shaping up? Have a good one, wherever you are!
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Grid.”
Turns out that I didn’t need to look too far for pictures for this week’s Photo Challenge! Going through the holiday snaps from the trip Explorer Beastie and I took to London last year, I found a surprising number of grids – in Kew Gardens (above and below)…
… At Shakespeare’s Globe…
… And on the banks of the Thames!
Lucky we decided to take a city break, isn’t it? Grids are a lot harder to come by in the country!
See you next time!
Well, if any of you were wondering when high season for Beastie weddings is, I’d say it’s safe to assume that it’s happening right now! Last week I sent another happy couple on their merry monster way… and aren’t they a perfect match? Just look at that colour coordination!
And now for my favourite part – let’s take a look at their outfits! We’ll go with the bride first this time…
Isn’t she a vision of Beastie beauty? I love how she’s paired her simple, elegant wedding dress with a bouquet of scarlet roses and glossy red lips for a feisty pop of colour. They go nicely with the flowers in her hair, too!
And of course, she’s been to the same hairdresser as my last Bride Beastie for her wedding day ‘do!
But what’s this? Under that sophisticated exterior, she’s still sporting traditional stripey Beastie leggings!
Let’s hope her new hubby doesn’t object to that oh-so-slightly racy shot. Where has he got to, anyway?
Oh, there he is!
This guy is rarely seen without his trusty baseball cap… even on his wedding day!
In fairness, though, he does look very dapper in his navy suit with scarlet pocket square!
But why is he carrying a suitcase? Well, these Beasties are off to tie the knot in Italy!
Buon viaggio, Beasties! Make sure you send us a postcard!
We left them here last week… but what on earth is that in the background?
(If anyone guessed correctly, I’ll be super impressed!)
This unusal-looking bridge is part of the newly revamped and reopened Gobbins Cliff Path, which is about half an hour’s journey outside Belfast, on the County Antrim coast! The original Gobbins path opened in 1902, as the expansion of Northern Ireland’s railways helped to open up parts of the province which had been difficult to reach before. The Gobbins was a genuine old-school tourist attraction, purpose-built by the Chief Engineer of the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway Company to encourage people to visit this part of the country, and to show off the area’s spectacular coastline!
However, the Depression in the 1930s and the growing popularity of cars meant that the railway company could no longer afford to maintain the system of bridges and walkways that made up the path. And when the Second World War broke out, finding people to look after The Gobbins was hardly a priority! It started to fall into disrepair, and a partial reopening of the path in the early 1950s was scuppered by a landfall shortly afterwards. The Gobbins closed in 1954, and was fully abandoned seven years later. Since then, there have been a couple of attempts to reopen the attraction, but nothing came of them… until now! Thanks to a combined effort (and some all-important funds) from the local council, the EU and the Ulster Garden Villages charity, a full restoration started in 2014… And now it’s open for business!
Hey, it looks like the boys are ready to start the tour!
Here we go! It was a bit breezy, so they had to hitch a ride with some of the human visitors…
…But not the whole way! Here’s Plunkett posing with the restored Tubular Bridge, the most distinctive part of the path.
And again, at Sandy Cave. Apparently, this spot was popular with Victorian picnic parties… and smugglers! My Secret Seven-reading 8-year-old self would have loved this place!
The path carries on for nearly a mile and a half, and includes five bridges and a narrow cave tunnel! Check out some of the highlights…
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But even walking on little short Beastie legs, the tour was over all too soon… Time to get the train home, lads!
We’ll see Paddy and Plunkett again soon, I’m sure… And if you’re in the neighbourhood, why not take a trip to The Gobbins yourself? You can find out more about booking here.
See you next time!
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Monochromatic.”
Beasties tend to be quite colourful little creatures, so a monochrome Photo Challenge really is a tricky one! However, I thought it might be a good opportunity to fiddle around with some effects… so I sepia-tinted some photos of Victorian Explorer Beastie’s day out in the old seaside resort of Bray, which is just over half an hour south of Dublin city centre by train!
The retro effect quite suits him, doesn’t it?
If colour’s more your thing, though, you can check out the original pictures here!
…Monsters for my hoooon-eeeeeey!
Yes, I know that’s not how the original song goes… but I like mine better. It really sums up the magic that happens when a Beastie meets that one special monster they want to spend the rest of their life with. And these two are definitely ready for their big day… let’s find out a bit more about the happy couple, shall we?
Let’s meet the groom first – I believe tradition dictates that the bride should always arrive a little late!
He’s looking sharp in his wedding suit… a bit of bespoke Beastie-sized tailoring to make him extra handsome for his lovely bride!
And who could resist that smile?
But should he really bring that pint with him?
Of course he should! Groom Beastie makes his own beer, so what better way to celebrate than a toast with his delicious homebrew? Oh look, here comes the bride… WOW!
Her simple but super-elegant dress is entirely hand-stitched…
…And check out the back!
Then of course she had to have her hair done nicely…
… And now all that’s left to do is to drink to a long and happy life together! Cheers!
Finally, there was just time to get some photos in the garden before they headed off on honeymoon with their human counterparts!
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Thanks for being a part of this special monster day!
These Beasties were specially commissioned to celebrate Linda and Cormac’s wedding! If you would like to invite a pair of personalised little monsters to your own big day, or to someone else’s, drop me a line at crawcraftsbeasties@gmail.com!
… And look, they brought me back a present!
As some of you already know, I am a little bit Scottish – the “Craw” in “CrawCrafts” is taken from my family name, Crawford, a legacy from my Glaswegian grandfather. UK residents will probably also associate the name with a popular brand of Scottish shortbread… although unfortunately I haven’t been able to find a family connection there!
Anyway, it turns out that the Crawfords have their own family tartan… and the boys were able to scavenge me a piece! I’m already plotting ways to use it – and I love the fact that it’s red and green, two of my favourite colours!
However, these restless Beasties barely had time to hand over their gift before they hit the road again…
Or rather, the rails. Here they are taking the train north, to get a sneak preview of a rather special new vistor attraction in Northern Ireland. They’ve promised to share the full story next week, but in the meantime, here’s a peek at where they’re off to…
Does anyone know where they’ve gone?
It’s been a while since I made a Big Beastie… which is a shame, because knitting Beastie bodies is one of my favourite downtime activities, and Big Beasties involve a good deal more knitting than the regular-size ones! So I’m sure you can imagine how excited I was to get a request for my first Big Beastie of the year… And the fact that it needed to be personalised as well was just the icing on the cake!
Big Beastie’s new friend has just finished studying for a Masters in Trinity College, and she wanted to pick up a memento of her time here in Ireland before heading home to Singapore. What better way to commemorate a stay in Dublin than a locally-grown monster? And this Big Beastie, with his navy and white colour scheme, is a literally dyed-in-the-wool Trinity student!
I also kitted him out with a diploma and mortarboard hat, so he’s ready for the Commencement Ceremony…
…And I embroidered a patch of the Trinity College crest, to remind him of his Alma Mater!
And finally, to help him through those long nights in the library, I’ve given him a pair of stylish specs…
Then there was just time to take a few photos around campus before he set off on his travels! Here he is in front of the old Long Room Library, home to the famous Book of Kells…
…And this sculpture is outside the Berkeley Library. After all, you can’t graduate without clocking up a little bit of library time!
And finally, a shot in front of the Campanile… the first thing that catches your eye when you enter the College through Front Arch!
Have a safe journey, Big Beastie… and here’s wishing you and your new BeastieBuddy every success in post-college life!