And Now For Something Completely Different…

Cosy Cuppa Beastie and Bobble Hat Beastie

In my last post, I introduced Dog Lover Beastie… my biggest, scariest and most challenging Beastie project to date! And although most of my special Beastie requests involve a certain amount of clichéd activities such as thinking outside the box, diversifying my skill set and exploring the potential of my raw materials, sometimes they’re as simple as, “Hey, I like that Beastie… but can I have them in these colours?”
So, Cosy Cuppa Beastie (on the left) was made for a friend at work who fell in love with Winter Warmer Beastie… but unfortunately after he’d moved to Canada.
Winter Warmer Beastie, by CrawCrafts Beasties
Still, that meant that I was able to make her a Beastie of her very own, with sunny yellow stripes and a big ol’ cup of tea!
Cosy Cuppa Beastie, by CrawCrafts Beasties
Meanwhile, my second monster request might look more than a little familiar to anyone who’s been following this blog for a while…
Bobble Hat Beastie, by CrawCrafts Beasties
Explorer Beastie caught someone’s eye on Facebook, and although no two Beasties are exactly alike, sometimes there might be slight family resemblances! Bobble Hat Beastie was happy to leave Beastie Towers in search of adventure… Looks like these two monsters might share more than just the same colour scheme!
Explorer Beastie and Bobble Hat Beastie, by CrawCrafts Beasties

Stay tuned for more new Beasties over the next couple of weeks!

My Biggest Monster Challenge Yet!

Dog Lover Beastie - CrawCrafts Beasties

Regular visitors to the BeastieBlog will have noticed that I’ve been a little quiet of late. And for good reason! I’ve been inundated with commissions over the last month (what a nice problem to have!) and for fear of spoiling surprises, I haven’t really wanted to post any pictures. Now I’m finally in a position to start sharing the products of all my hard work, and I thought I’d start with Dog Lover Beastie.

Dog Lover Beastie was the brainchild of the very lovely Daphne, who I met at a market last month. She generously bought a pair of Beasties that day to give away as gifts, but she got in touch with me a few days later to see about getting one for herself too! As the proud owner of a gorgeous Old English Sheepdog called Crumble, she requested a Beastie kitted out with all the accessories she needs when she and her pooch head out for walkies. So I started out by making a pair of wellies, a grooming brush, a motivational bag of treats and a fetching scarlet polka-dot raincoat!
Dog Lover Beastie Accessories, by CrawCrafts Beasties
So far, a pretty standard day’s work here at Beastie Towers. But I figured that I could hardly have a Dog Lover Beastie without a dog… that would just be mean. So…
Old English Beastdog, by CrawCrafts Beasties Dog Lover Beastie with her Dog by CrawCrafts BeastiesOld English Beastdog with collar, lead and bag dispenser, by CrawCrafts Beasties

The dog is, of course, an Old English Beastdog – a very popular breed with Beastie owners! His lead can be unclipped from his collar, and that pink bone-shaped pouch attached to it is a bag dispenser – for, um, taking care of business. Dog Lover Beastie is one responsible dog owner!

Oh, and I also made a Beastdog-sized replica of Daphne’s dog’s favorite football, to keep him entertained.
Beastdog with his Football, by CrawCrafts Beasties
But wait, folks! There’s more! Daphne’s also training to be a neurosurgeon, and she hoped that her Beastie could have some extra accessories that reflected this. Hey, no problem! All she needs is a sneaky costume change…
Neurosurgeon Beastie, by CrawCrafts Beasties
… And Neurosurgeon Beastie is ready for work! As you can see, she’s now sporting some hand-stitched felt scrubs…
Neurosurgeon Beastie in Scrubs, by CrawCrafts BeastiesNeurosurgeon Beastie with Head Torch, by CrawCrafts Beasties… A pretty cotton scrub cap, and a felt head torch!

She may have a busy day ahead of her at the hospital… but she always has time to hang out with her pup after work.
Neurosurgeon Beastie Relaxes with her Beastdog, by CrawCrafts Beasties
And Daphne was kind enough to share photos of Dog Lover/Neurosurgeon Beastie in her new home! Here’s what happened when Crumble met his Mini-Me…
Crumble meets the Beastdog - CrawCrafts Beasties/D. Chen
… And here are the two of them helping her out on the computer!
Dog Lover/Neurosurgeon Beastie in her new home - CrawCrafts Beasties/D Chen
I’m looking forward to seeing the crazy canine capers they get up to!

Nice Day For A Monster Wedding…

Bride Beastie with Crocuses - CrawCrafts Beasties
Well, it’s been a long old winter… but over the last few weeks, it really has started to feel like spring is on the way! The flowerbeds in the park on my way to work are a riot of colour, there are fresh green leaves on the trees outside my window, and the sun is even daring to peek out from behind the clouds every once in a while!

The arrival of spring also heralds the start of the wedding season… and it looks like this event isn’t limited to Dublin’s human population! A recent burst of sunshine saw me taking a day trip to the National Botanical Gardens just north of the city centre, where I encountered a blushing Beastie bride posing for photos among the flowers!
Bride Beastie in Heather - CrawCrafts Beasties
I first found her standing in a patch of heather. The tiny purple and white flowers really work well with her delicate pale blue skin tone, don’t you think?
Bride Beastie at the Miniature Waterfall - CrawCrafts Beasties
We also took a picture at the picturesque Beastie-sized waterfall that flows through the rockery and Japanese-style garden!
And of course, it’s not a proper springtime photoshoot without a host of golden daffodils in there somewhere, so…
Bride Beastie with Daffodils - CrawCrafts Beasties
After that, we took a stroll through the crocuses in search of more photo opportunities inside the glasshouses… the one you can see in the background of this picture is the Palm House, which is the largest in the gardens. It’s full of awesome tropical plants, such as coffee, banana trees and enormous bamboo canes!
Bride Beastie heads for the Palm House - CrawCrafts Beasties
But Bride Beastie preferred something a little less exotic as a backdrop, so we set her up against these richly-coloured cyclamens instead.
Bride Beaste with Cyclamens - CrawCrafts Beasties
It also turned out to be a prime location for some closeups of her elegant wedding hairdo, veil and bouquet!
Bride Beastie's Hair and Veil - CrawCrafts BeastiesBride Beastie's Bouquet - CrawCrafts BeastiesAfter all that, I figured it was time to let her get back to her wedding party! Hopefully she’ll keep in touch and send on some photos from her honeymoon…

On Yer Bike!

 

Cyclist Beastie by CrawCrafts BeastiesI have to admit that I’m more of a walker than a cyclist… I rarely fall off my feet, but I have a patchwork of scars on my knees that testify to my apparent inability to get from A to B on two wheels. That said, I do know a good few bike enthusiasts – everyone else in my immediate family, for starters – so when I was called upon to kit out a Cyclist Beastie recently, I had plenty of source material to work with!

The first thing I had to tackle (and probably the most daunting) was making a Beastie-sized cycling helmet. Anyone who looked in through my window while I was trying to figure out the template must have wondered what on earth I was up to – squeezing invisible fruit? Seated tai chi? Complete mental breakdown? Still, it must have worked…
Cyclist Beastie's Helmet by CrawCrafts Beasties

The helmet has four air vents in the top to keep Beastie’s head cool, and is constructed from two layers of felt with stuffing in between to protect his head from knocks… just in case he takes after me! Here he is modelling it…
Cyclist Beastie modelling his cycling helmet - CrawCrafts BeastiesCyclist Beastie's Cycling Helmet by CrawCrafts BeastiesHe also looks equally good without it, of course.
Cyclist Beastie without his helmet - CrawCrafts Beasties
And, as a final touch, I thought I’d give him a Beastie-sized energy bar – just to keep him going on those tiring uphill slogs!
Cyclist Beastie's high-fibre energy bar - CrawCrafts Beasties
Now all he has to do is try to remember where he left his bike!Cyclist Beastie with bikes - CrawCrafts Beasties

Cyclist Beastie was commissioned as a surprise Valentine’s Day gift, but I was the one who ended up being surprised by him! After he left home, the next time I saw him was when he popped up here.
Cyclist Beastie on the Alimay Sports Blog!
Thanks to Cian at Alimay Sports for introducing Cyclist Beastie to the wider biking community… I honestly wasn’t expecting him to make his mark on the cycling world so early in his career. Hopefully he’s settling in well in his new home… and not eating all the PowerBars!

 

Beasties Head West…

Reader Beastie in Canada - CrawCrafts Beasties/N Couture
Really far west! A couple of weeks ago, I received an update about how Reader Beastie is settling into his new ranch home in Canada… with photos! I really enjoyed looking through them, especially since we hardly got any snow here in Ireland this winter, so I thought I’d share them on the BeastieBlog!

It certainly looks like Reader Beastie is earning his keep with his new family, anyway… no staying in with a good book for him! Here he is setting out on the bale wagon to help deliver hay to some hungry livestock, for starters.
Reader Beastie on the Bale Wagon - CrawCrafts Beasties/N Couture
Of course, he takes his job seriously. So he supervised the feeding very closely…
Reader Beastie Feeding the Cattle - CrawCrafts Beasties/N CoutureCattle Feeding - CrawCrafts Beasties/N Couture… And watched his buddy Jiggs round up any stragglers!
Reader Beastie with Jiggs the Ranch Dog - CrawCrafts Beasties/N CoutureReader Beastie helps to round up the rest of the herd - CrawCrafts Beasties/N CoutureThen there was just enough time to have a chat with the horses…
Reader Beastie with one of the ranch horses - CrawCrafts Beasties/N Couture
… Before shaking off all that snow and heading into the barn to share the day’s news with another new friend!
Reader Beastie hangs out in the barn with his new feline friend - CrawCrafts Beasties/N Couture
Thanks to Nicole for sending these super pictures! And if any other Beasties want to check in and share their adventures, I’d love to hear from them… you can email photos to me at crawcraftsbeasties@gmail.com, or post directly to the Beasties’ Facebook page!

Cheers for reading… more monster adventures coming soon! Who knows where they’ll end up next?

Meet Paddy & Plunkett!

Paddy & Plunkett by CrawCrafts Beasties/Heather Crawford
Regular visitors to the Beasties’ Facebook page will recognise these handsome characters from my St Patrick’s Day post! For everyone else, allow me to introduce Paddy…
Paddy Beastie - CrawCrafts Beasties/Heather Crawford
…and Plunkett!
Plunkett Beastie - CrawCrafts Beasties/Heather Crawford
Normally I let a Beastie’s adoptive parents choose their names, but my mum was quite taken with this pair when I brought them with me on a recent visit home. I left them sitting on the kitchen table while I went upstairs to fetch something, and by the time I came back down again, they had already been christened Paddy and Plunkett. And the names stuck, because they suit them perfectly. They’re also about as Irish as you can get, which is a good thing… because Paddy and Plunkett are about as Irish as Beasties get! They’re “Barróg Beasties” – a local subspecies of Beastie, grown from 100% Irish wool. They’re just as fond of humans as my other Beasties… in fact, “barróg” is the Irish word for “hug”, so you can be sure of a warm welcome if you come across one in their natural habitat!

Speaking of natural habitats, who better than these two to show you around some of the little-known corners of County Fermanagh?

Our tour begins in Tully Castle, an old fortified house whose Irish name means “castle on the hill”. Plunkett at Tully Castle - CrawCrafts Beasties/Heather Crawford

It was abandoned after an unpleasant incident during the Irish Rebellion of 1641 – you can read the full story here – and is now a State Care Historic Monument with a rather impressive knot garden.
Paddy & Plunkett in the Knot Garden at Tully Castle - CrawCrafts Beasties/Heather Crawford
Next stop is Correl Nature Reserve, the perfect place for a pair of Beasties to relax in some nice soft moss!
Plunkett takes a weight off! CrawCrafts Beasties/Heather CrawfordPaddy checks out some moss - CrawCrafts Beasties/Heather CrawfordOne of the biggest draws in Co. Fermanagh is the lakes. Upper and Lower Lough Erne link into the Shannon-Erne Waterway, which is part of a canal system that starts in the estuary of the River Shannon in south-west Ireland, runs through Co. Leitrim and Co. Cavan, before crossing the border into Northern Ireland. This makes the area incredibly popular for boating holidays… and Paddy and Plunkett couldn’t wait to join in the fun!
Paddy and Plunkett set sail - CrawCrafts Beasties/Heather Crawford

Back on dry land, there was just enough time for one last stop before they headed for home – Fardross Forest, a short hop away in Co. Tyrone! Paddy went on ahead to open the gate…
Paddy at the gate - CrawCrafts Beasties/Heather Crawford
… Before tackling the stepping stones across the river!
Paddy at the River - CrawCrafts Beasties/Heather Crawford
Meanwhile, Plunkett took a stroll around the forest. He’s a more laid-back, long-walks-in-the-countryside kind of guy. Here he is posing with some pine cones he collected during his wanderings.
Plunkett's Pine Cones - CrawCrafts Beasties/Heather Crawford
Ah, Paddy’s back!
Paddy and Plunkett in Fardross Forest - CrawCrafts Beasties/Heather Crawford
Looks like he managed to cross the river without falling in! And now it’s time for these two to start the journey home – hopefully there will be a nice mug of tea and a big dinner waiting for them when they get back!
Paddy and Plunkett head for home - CrawCrafts Beasties/Heather Crawford

Climbing Les Calanques – A Monster Guide

Climber Beastie at Les Calanques

Well, this is where we left Climber Beastie last time… talk about a cliffhanger ending! (HA!)

Still, despite his diminutive size, our hero was undaunted by the prospect of scaling these gigantic looming rock faces. He even took time out to make friends with some of the local wildlife before he got started…
DSCN2260

For any readers viewing this on a teeny mobile screen, that’s a big conga line of caterpillars! Climber Beastie was momentarily tempted to join them, but then he caught a glimpse of the view…
Les Calanques - J Donaldson/CrawCrafts BeastiesClimber Beastie at Les Calanques - J Donaldson/CrawCrafts Beasties…And he was off like a shot!
Climber Beastie Gets Going - J Donaldson/CrawCrafts Beasties
It wasn’t all hard graft – there were plenty of opportunities along the way to take a break and enjoy the scenery…
Climber Beastie Admires the View - J Donaldson/CrawCrafts Beasties
…And it was easy for him to hitch a lift here and there too!Climber Beastie lets someone else do the work!
But I’m mostly impressed by his incredible head for heights!
Wooooah, that's high up! Climber Beastie, J Donaldson/CrawCrafts BeastiesNearly there, Climber Beastie! J Donaldson/CrawCrafts BeastiesSo, the all-important question… did he make it to the top?
Climber Beastie Conquers Les Calanques! J Donaldson/CrawCrafts Beasties
Of course he did! And he even managed to get back down again before it got fully dark… Just about! Don’t try this one at home, kids…
Climber Beastie heads for home - J Donaldson/CrawCrafts Beasties
And after that action-packed day, I’m sure you can all understand why Climber Beastie chose to spend the following morning relaxing on the beach!
Climber Beastie on the Shore - J Donaldson/CrawCrafts Beasties
Hopefully we’ll have more tales of adventure from Climber Beastie soon! I don’t know about you, but I could definitely stand to see some more photos of sunnier climes…

 

Beasties Go Up In The World!

Climber Beastie by CrawCrafts Beasties

A few weeks ago, I got a message from a fellow Beastie enthusiast asking if Explorer Beastie would like to join him for a few days of rock-climbing fun in Les Calanques in the south of France. I thought Explorer Beastie would jump at the chance, but it seems he has somewhat lost his head for heights since his trip to Lanzarote last year…
Tumble in the Lava - Oooops.

The opportunity was too good to pass up, so it was lucky that Climber Beastie showed up! In fairness, he is much better prepared for the challenges of scaling vertical rock faces. He arrived wearing a cosy fleece top…
Climber Beastie Outfit by CrawCrafts Beasties
…and kitted out with a Beastie-sized climbing harness, complete with carabiner…
Climber Beastie Harness and Carabiner by CrawCrafts Beasties
…And a climbing axe!
Climber Beastie's Climbing Axe - CrawCrafts Beasties
He’s also got a nice roomy backpack to keep all his gear in!
Climber Beastie's Backpack - CrawCrafts Beasties
Once he’d checked all his equipment, it was time for him to set off on the first leg of his journey…
Climber Beastie sets off! (CrawCrafts Beasties)
…Although he did soon find a more comfortable way to travel.
Climber Beastie travelling in style! (CrawCrafts Beasties)
And having successfully made it to his destination, he’s ready to start scrambling up some cliffs! It looks like he’s got his work cut out for him…
Climber Beastie at Les Calanques
Will he make it to the top? You’ll have to wait until the next post to find out!

We’re in a Treasury!

Etsy Treasury - The Essence of Kawaii by Terra K Chi

In some ways, Etsy is great. It’s so massive, and I’ve spent many a happy hour looking through pages and pages of handmade goodies that are breathtakingly beautiful, unbelievably cute or laugh-out-loud funny. I love the idea that I can buy just about anything from just about anywhere without ever having to stir from the comfy couch in Beastie Towers… and that I have the power to run a market stall that remains open whether I’m at work, asleep or busily knitting away with some choice murder mysteries playing in the background.

That said, it sometimes seems VERY big. Like “playground on the first day of primary school” big. And that’s why it’s extra rewarding when a complete stranger not only finds your little shop in amongst all the thousands of others, but likes something enough to tell other people about it. So thank you, Terra K Chi, for including Gardener Beastie in your treasury “The Essence of Kawaii” – this is the first time a Beastie has made it into an Etsy treasury, and we’re all thrilled!

What’s Cooking at Beastie Towers?

Baker Girl Beastie by CrawCrafts Beasties

Yes, you’ve guessed it… CUPCAKES! And not just any cupcakes… Baker Girl Beastie has mastered the art of making lovely little buns that are light, fluffy, fat-free and full of fibre! Of course, that’s because they’re made entirely from felt and polyester stuffing, but at least they look the part. Here, help yourself to an extreme close-up… YUM!
Baker Girl Beastie's Felt Cupcake - Crawcrafts Beasties

Baker Girl Beastie was created specially for Briege, whose company Bee’s Cakes makes divine cupcakes that would melt the resolve of even the most hardened dieter. If you need a Sunday morning cake fix, take a look at her Facebook page – after much deliberation, I decided that the chocolate ones with coffee buttercream were probably my favourite, but it was a close call!

Baker Girl Beastie has lovely copper coloured hair to match her new mum’s, and she’s made in Briege’s favourite colour combination of pink and purple. I came across this gorgeous rich aubergine shade in my local yarn shop – what a find!
Baker Girl Beastie's Beautiful Face, by CrawCrafts Beasties

She’s also wearing a sweet little floral-print dress (any excuse to pick up some new fabric!) with box pleats in the skirt to give it a bit of oomph…
Baker Girl Beastie (Side View) by CrawCrafts Beasties

…And eagle-eyed readers will also spot the little hand-embroidered bee motif on her apron!
Baker Girl Beastie's Apron - CrawCrafts Beasties
Baker Girl Beastie arrived safely in her new home last week, and is apparently settling in well! I can’t wait to see what tasty treats she cooks up next…

Are any of you planning some Sunday baking? Let me know in the comments!

Have a cake-tastic weekend!