Hello everyone! Welcome back to Beastieland… We’ve missed you! And just to show that I haven’t spent the last couple of weeks sitting on the sofa eating crisps (well, not all of them), I’ve got a brand new Explorer Beastie adventure to share over the next two posts. Where did we go? Well, when the sun breaks through the rainclouds here in Dublin, one of the nicest places to be is the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland.
So, if you go down to the woods today…
… You’ll see BEASTIES!
Explorer Beastie wasn’t the only monster in the gardens that day, either. Check out this spooky tree we found, with what looks like eyes all over its trunk!
Our Botanic Gardens aren’t especially big – they’re nowhere near as massive as Kew Gardens, for instance. But there are lots of quiet hideaways and secret corners where a little monster can relax and enjoy being outdoors among the plants.
We both really liked the Chaintent, with its human-sized benches and twisty wisteria branches for a Beastie to climb!
Even as summer here draws to a close, there are plenty of bright blooms to enjoy too. The hydrangeas are very much in flower!
Next, we made our way down to the lily pond.
There are still enough lily pads on the surface that Explorer Beastie figured he could cross to the other side by walking over them, but I encouraged him to use the picturesque bridge instead.
And further on… HERE BE MONSTERS!
Monster trees, that is.
I’m not exactly sure what species it is – I couldn’t see a sign or tag near it. Anyone want to help us out here?
As I tried to figure out the identity of the mysterious giant tree, Explorer Beastie decided to have a go at climbing it.
I think we’re going to be here a while.
So, I headed off to take a look at the herbaceous border. It’s a riot of colour at this time of year, and is humming with insects making the most of the last days of summer.
Wait, what’s that?
It’s a bit hard to see among all those yellow flowers but…
Yes, it’s a BumbleBeastie!
I followed her until she landed on a nice purple thistle, where I could get a clearer photo.
Then Explorer Beastie found us.
“Hello! Want to join us for lunch?”
“Love to, but I’m soooooo busy! You’re welcome to stick around while I work though… If you can keep up!”
She wasn’t kidding. She must have visited every flower in that border!
We even met some of her six-legged insect counterparts along the way.
We left her tucking into some lamb’s ear – a favourite bee treat!
I wonder who else might be in the Botanic Gardens today? You’ll have to join us next time to find out!
PS If you can keep up with their hectic pace, you can adopt a BumbleBeastie of your very own. Have a look in the Beastie Store!
… This time it’s up to Paddy to choose what they get up to.
… They hop aboard the next departing car and make for the coast.
“Aaaaaah! I can smell the sea air already!”
I think this is exactly what Paddy had in mind! This is Mullaghmore Beach, a crescent of perfect sandy shoreline that stretches for 2 miles along the Sligo coastline. Paddy can’t wait to feel the sand under his paws!
But on the beach… Look out, Paddy! HERE BE MONSTERS!
Eeeek, look at the size of these jellyfish! Paddy doesn’t seem to be afraid of them, but maybe we’ll skip the dip in the Atlantic Ocean for today, and seek further adventures inland.
Better go and have a closer look.
“Whose legs are these, Plunkett?”
That’s more like it!
Then there’s juuuuuust time for a little refreshment before they head for home!
Have you had any adventures on your own doorstep recently? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments!
“What’s going on here, Paddy?”
“… But hop in here and we’ll soon find out!”
“We’re here! Um, where is here?”
“We’re in the west. Sligo, I think!”
“Aaaaaaah!”
So many waterfalls! You probably won’t be surprised to learn that this town, Ballysadare, takes its name from these beautiful rushing rivers. It’s called “Baile Easa Dara” in Irish, which means “town of the waterfall of the oak”. Clearly Paddy has gone in search of the oak!
And Plunkett LOVES these.
“Fine. But we’re definitely going to the beach tomorrow!”
He’s certainly dressed to impress, in a crisp white t-shirt and hand-embroidered baseball cap. Let’s get a closer look at that, shall we?
Just like human Tierney’s beau, this guy is showing some love for the Denver-based Colorado Avalanche ice hockey team… And how could any monster maker resist a team logo that incorporates a Bigfoot foot? I used 100% wool felt for the hat body, then appliquéd the large blocks of colour before embroidering in the finer details.
Yum! I’d almost eat this myself… If it wasn’t entirely made out of wool. The portion is probably better suited to a Beastie-sized appetite anyway. Are you hungry, Mr Beastie?
“Well sure… But in this shirt?”
Much better!
And how about a small digestif to round off the meal? It seems our Beastie friend is something of a bourbon connoisseur, and only the finest whisky will do – Monster’s Mark!
Here we go! He’s sitting at the card table, we’ve dealt the cards… And wow, he’s a high roller! Those are $100 chips he’s betting with!
It doesn’t get much better than that – a royal flush! And it looks like romance may indeed be on the cards… He’s got a pawful of hearts, featuring teeny-tiny embroidered portraits of himself, tierneycreates Beastie and Mikelet the (miniature) miniature Schnauzer.
Ooooh, is that an engagement band on your magic magnetic paw? And rumour has it that there was one in the box for a certain lady monster too… Congratulations, Beasties! May you enjoy many happy years of warm woolly happiness together.
Hey there, 
With libraries closed, getting her paws on some reading material was also high on tierneycreates Beastie’s to-do list. Human Tierney loves books about craft, personal development and home decor, so these titles should go down a treat.
Next, she realised that this hat…
… Needed a matching scarf.
“But hey, it’s not winter just yet! I should probably update my summer wardrobe as well. Oooh, polka dots!”
Into the cart it goes.
Look how teeny it is! I have enough trouble trying to type on the human-sized ones. This super-slim model is made from felt with a shiny reflective ribbon screen so it looks the part.
… She picked up a doggy backpack, just like the one Human Tierney uses to bring Mike the Miniature Schnauzer out and about!
The top of the backpack is open with a drawstring so Mikelet can peek out and stay involved in the action. It also goes rather nicely with the sundress!
… A sewing machine!
I just hope she still has time to help Tierney with her blog posts every now and again!
… And I was delighted to get a picture of Miss Beastie looking very summery in her new outfit!
Thanks so much to Tierney for this awesome project, and for enabling her Beastie’s online shopping addiction! For any of you who have also been (over)indulging in a little mail-order lately, you can confess all in the comments below. We won’t judge!
I created this Beastie as a very special birthday gift for an active lady who loves to spend time in the great outdoors. And since she lives in Scotland, I needed to make sure the weather never had a chance to rain on her parade (or hiking trail). That’s why she’s wearing a very fetching handknitted bobble hat…
… A rain jacket with handy hood…
(Did you notice the teeny embroidered zips?)
I stitched some felt treads to the soles of these boots to make them extra-grippy, and finished them with some embroidery thread laces. Now she’s fully equipped from head to toe!
This one is handstitched from 100% wool felt, and should hold everything she needs.
Why, you ask? Well, this Beastie lady also enjoys a game of 
Shinty sticks have a distinctive wedge-shaped head that sets them apart from the sticks used in hockey, hurling and other related sports like cammag (from the Isle of Man), bando (Wales) and Knattleikr (played by the Vikings in Iceland). In my quest to get the shape right, I was lucky enough to find 
Thanks to Anne for requesting this very special Beastification for her sister-in-law’s birthday!
Hello there!
WOW! I had so much fun with this! I used two slightly different shades of pink to give the colour extra depth, and unwinding the strands to separate the individual plies produced this tumble of luxuriant curls. Then a combination of carefully-placed stitches and a little precision styling with my needle-felting needle helped me to copy my human subject’s favourite swept-over-the-shoulder hairstyle.
… And as you can see, the long-sleeved version in a cute turquoise, green and cerise floral print with felt collar and buttons won out. Good choice!
It really complements her hair and healthy blue complexion, don’t you think?
… And a paintbrush, so she can let her creative side shine through too.
Finally, I copied her human counterpart’s cool glasses!
As usual, they have real clear plastic lenses and are removable. However, with this pair, I developed a new technique for making glasses that allows me to slim down the frames a little.
But hang on a second, Miss Beastie – don’t you have a birthday party to get to? Best get moving, you’re only sixteen once!
I’d say her future is as bright as her hair – what do you reckon?
And thanks to the themed gardens in Düsseldorf’s Nordpark, you might have even thought we were briefly in Japan! Explorer Beastie does enjoy a bit of zen serenity now and again.
While I was looking for this photo, I found some other travel souvenirs – pictures from
And yes, that is a real live BEAR in the background!
And speaking of dangerous exploits… One of my favourite Beastie holiday snaps of all time comes courtesy of Tammie Painter, who encouraged her Beastie Finn McSpool to try his paw at 
Then again, holidays don’t have to be all non-stop action and dramatic scenery. They can also give you the opportunity to take a moment to pursue a favourite hobby…
… Or just kick back and relax!
Are you dreaming of getting away on holiday when things return to normal? Or are you planning a staycation in your favourite local hideaway? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments!
“I’m going in for a closer look – give me a leg up, will you?”
Poor Plunkett! He didn’t think “leg up” meant “I’m going to stand on your head”.
“Lovely! Hey, Plunkett – we could fry these up in batter like they do in fancy restaurants!”
“Hmmm, better leave that for a bit. But I’m STARVING now!”
“Oh, that’s a beauty! Stand back, Plunkett – I’ll take it from here.”
“HEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAVE!”
“Nice one – a successful first harvest, Plunkett! Now, let’s get it to the kitchen.”
“Y’okay back there, Plunkett?”
Pretty rustic, eh? Back then I was using “graduate” sketchbooks – books with a thick paper cover that are stapled together in the middle like a magazine – and sending my customers photos of the pages. That’s why you can see shadows down some of the sides!
That said, I did keep on drawing by hand for a good while afterwards! Here are a couple from back in 2017 – do any of you recognise these Beasties?
Then when I figured out that I could scan in my fabric stash and show people the actual prints I’d be using for their Beastie’s outfits, I couldn’t have been happier!
And although I can now type most of the text, I still like to throw the odd bit of my own hand-drawn lettering into the sketches too.
How about you? Will you be cracking out your pencils this weekend, or creating artwork on your computer? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments!