We Make Monsters.
Well, I might have promised a post for this Tuesday just gone… But a little bit of holidaying got in the way!
Sorry!
But hopefully this picture of Explorer Beastie enjoying some of the fine things Belgium has to offer will tide you over until normal service resumes next Tuesday.
Cheers, and see you then!
Hey there Beastie friends! It was a bit wild and wintry when I woke up this morning, so I thought that today’s post could maybe bring a splash of autumnal colour to a January Tuesday!
Continuing on from last week’s London-based post, we’ll follow Explorer Beastie as he steps off the road less travelled and turns his paws towards a much more well-known attraction. Where are you now, Explorer Beastie?
“Kew Gardens!”
And it looks like autumn is the perfect time to visit. Look at those stunning colours!
And hey, wait a sec… Who’s this?
It’s our old buddy Garcia Beastie, of course! Fancy meeting you here… How about we explore together?
And it wasn’t long before the Beasties found something interesting…
“Ooooh, check this out!”
Explorer Beastie has to go in for a closer look.
And that was is only the beginning. Look at these stunning autumnal shades!
It’s almost possible for Beasties to get lost in among all that colour. Can you spot them?
Of course, you can only see so much from ground level… Especially if you’re a mere 6 inches tall. Time to take this adventure up a level!
The treetop walkway is really spectacular… But the boys really had to hold on tight! It was a little breezy up there!
Still, they were able to spot a familiar sight from those (sometimes dizzying) heights…
“Look, it’s the Temperate House! It was closed last time we visited, wasn’t it?”
“It was! We should probably make that our next stop!”
And I guess that’s where we’ll pick up next time! Be sure to join us on Tuesday for more monster adventures… And if you’ve ever been to Kew Gardens, why not tell us all about it in the comments?
See you next week!
Hey there everybody, and happy new year to you all! I hope you had a lovely Christmas/Beastmas/holiday season, and that you’re all ready to tackle 2020… We certainly are here at Beastie Towers!
So, it’s been a while – what have we been up to since we last sat down for a chat together? Well, the headline is MARKETS!
In 2019, I took a big leap and had a go at organising my own craft fair! I rounded up a group of my favourite local craftspeople, and met some awesome new makers as well.
It was A LOT of work, but I really enjoyed the challenge. Heck, I’d even consider doing it again in 2020!
I also had a few other market dates in the calendar as usual – the Beasties and I always love to get out and meet our public. Here we are at the Dublin Cat Fair!
And of course, there were a few commissions in the mix, just to keep me on my toes! I can’t wait to introduce you to all these new additions to the Beastie family over the next couple of weeks!
But before the Christmas madness set in, let’s not forget that Explorer Beastie and I skipped town for a couple of days to visit friends in London! He’s looking forward to sharing his holiday snaps with you all.
Finally, with everything else that was going on in the last few months of 2019, creating a 2020 Beastie calendar didn’t quite make it onto my to-do list. That said, I depend on mine so much that I ended up rejigging the dates from last year’s so that I could reuse it! I was just going to keep it all to myself… But I’ve decided to add it the Beastie Store as a free download if any of you want to grab a copy. Click here to go directly to the listing!
Well, hopefully that’s whetted your appetites for a fresh year of monster mayhem! Now I’m looking forward to catching up with all of your news… Be sure to say hi in the comments so that I remember to swing by your blog!
We’ll be back next week with more from June Beastie, who made a surprise visit to Paddy and Plunkett at Beastie Towers a couple of months ago. If you missed it, you can pick up the thread of the story here and here.
Hello there Beastie friends! Please excuse us for being a little late this week… more on that later in the post. First of all, I believe we have a travelling lady Beastie to catch up with!
If you’re not entirely sure who this is, you can find out in last week’s post! We’ll wait for you here.
Ready? Good, because Paddy and Plunkett are about to reveal the secret of their globetrotting success!
“The best way to get anywhere is to hitch a lift in human luggage. Right, Paddy?”
“Right! And it’s your lucky day, because this bag here…”
“… Belongs to a guy who’s travelling to Washington DC tomorrow!”
What perfect timing! But our guest has some reservations.
“Sounds great – but how do I get in?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll help. One, two, three… UP!”
“Not quite there…”
“Plunkett! A little help, please?”
“Sorry! Is that any better?”
Let’s hope this is worth it… Oh, look! She seems to have found a safe foothold!
And after a slightly inelegant scramble…
“Eeek! My rolling pin has got stuck!”
“Why does she have a rolling pin, Paddy?”
“Well, Plunkett, you never know when you might need to make a pie on the go. I might start carrying one myself… Should we help her out?”
“No need, boys! Success! USA, here I come!”
“Bon voyage! Now, Paddy, I think you said something about dessert?”
Well, look at that! I think the lads might have found their true calling in life… As travel agents!
And now, some news – yes, it’s that time of year again when things start to get CRAZY. I’m seeing glittery Santa Clauses in shop windows, and here in Dublin we seemed to have jumped very abruptly into winter! So I’ll be putting the BeastieBlog on hold for a couple of weeks while I frantically make market stock, get some custom Beasties together and, for the first time, organise my own market!
In the meantime, I’ll still be dropping in to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, so please come on over and hang out with me and the Beasties there!
See you again soon, with tales of Beastie travels far and wide, plus some new monster friends to meet!
Well hello there everyone! This week I’m finally getting around to sharing a sort-of-commission that was requested by long-term BeastieBuddy Jan, who blogs at The Snail of Happiness. She already opened her home to a pair of Beasties last summer…
… But following a Grand Slam victory for Wales in the Six Nations rugby tournament earlier this year, she thought a special celebratory addition to their wardrobe was in order. So I found a willing Beastie model to help me get the sizing right, and TA-DAAAAAAH!
One Beastified Wales Rugby jersey!
We decided to go for a classic short-sleeved shirt, with a crisp white felt collar. Then I embroidered the Welsh Rugby Union logo on one side…
… And added an appliquéd number 8 on the back!
The significance of the number 8 is still a mystery to us here at Beastie Towers, but it’s clearly got some sort of special meaning to Jon Beastie and his human counterpart. I’m keeping an eye on their blog in case an explanation is forthcoming!
And here is the jersey, being expertly modelled by Jon Beastie himself! Looking good, sir!
JonBeastie gets a new outfit #wru #newnumber8 #beasties @crawcrafts https://t.co/TsOaQZAKLV pic.twitter.com/jTlMhyiEBX
— Jon Sayer (@JonSayerAuthor) April 19, 2019
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
(Plus I was able to heave a sigh of relief that it fitted!)
Any other sports-loving Beasties out there? Be sure to tell us all about your monster fan moments in the comments below!
And we’ll be back next week with some late spring shenanigans from Paddy and Plunkett… Hope to catch you then!
Hello everybody! I’m a little later on my blogging than usual this week… But I promised you a new Beastie, and here she is!
Meet Julia Beastie! This particular monster lady was made as a very special “Yay, you finished your MA thesis” gift… And as you can see, she’s not travelling alone. She’s being kept company by her feline felt friend, Paddy the cat!
Let’s take a closer look at him, shall we?
Now, Beasties with pet cats aren’t new – you may remember that I made a few for the Dublin Cat Fair, back in November.
However, this was the first time I had attempted to copy a particular cat’s markings. Since this Beastie’s human counterpart is the proud owner of a devilishly handsome polydactyl cat, it only seemed right that Felt Paddy paid proper tribute to Real Paddy.
Fortunately, the wonders of needle felting allowed me to add tiger stripes to his coat, and give him a white nose, bib and paws!
Now, on to the Beastie herself! I love her lustrous alpaca locks…
… And the combination of delicate green skin with rich dusky rose stripes!
Next, I believe I promised you a few accessories? I thought a book might keep her entertained as she travelled to her new home…
Aaah, you can’t beat those classics! Although I adjusted this Anne Brontë novel (a favourite of Human Julia’s, I hear) sliiiightly to make it suitable for a Beastie audience.
Then, since Human Julia has already made a name for herself as a theatre reviewer, Julia Beastie had to have a notebook and pen for her own note-taking and reviewing activities.
And how about a ticket to a show, to complete the set?
“Carousel” is one of Human Julia’s favourites, so it’s fairly safe to assume that her new Beastie companion will enjoy it too. Just one thing, though…
“My paws are a bit full at the minute – maybe you could take all that cool stuff…”
“… And pop it in my backpack for me?”
“Cheers!”
And the good news for Beastie Paddy (who looks so comfortable cuddled up in Julia Beastie’s arms) is that he can stay exactly where he is while the backpack goes on!
As you can see, the straps clip into place at the base of the bag. That means they can simply be slipped around a Beastie arm and attached!
Perfect!
And better still… Here’s the pair of them meeting Paddy for the first time!
Here’s wishing them all kinds of monster adventures together!
So, thanks for joining us for this latest Beastification… I should have a monster adventure of my own to share with you next week, so be sure to swing by! Catch you then!
Hey look! I’M BACK!
No, I haven’t been hiding out in the daffodil patch with Paddy and Plunkett for the last month… Although I bet that would be a party!
I’ve been keeping busy with knitting classes, plus a little non-Beastie-based work. It’s always a good idea to keep food on the table, and yarn in the stash! I’ve also been spending a heap of time in my new studio, where Ophelia is making sure I don’t slack off.
Since we last spoke, I’ve been gradually moving more of my crafting kit out of Beastie Towers and into the studio… One blue IKEA bag at a time! Honestly, what did craftspeople use to transport their gear around before?! I’ve also picked up a few things to make my little workspace a bit more “Beastie”, and I’ll be sure to give you the new and improved photo tour in a future post.
So, what’s coming up over the next couple of weeks? Well, I’ve some new Beasties to share…
…Plus a couple to finish up and add to my online store (AT LAST)!
And once the April showers ease off a little, I know I won’t be able to stop certain little monsters from hitting the road! Expect to see Explorer Beastie and Paddy and Plunkett setting out to seek adventure again soon.
And what about you? What have you been up to since we last saw each other? Be sure to tell us all your latest news in the comments!
We’ll be back next week with a new Beastie for you all to meet. Get ready… She has so many accessories!
See you then!
Did you know that, according to the Celtic calendar, Spring in Ireland begins at the start of February? Most of the time, it doesn’t feel particularly Spring-like until well into March (especially last year!) but 2019 has been so mild. Explorer Beastie’s miniature daffodils have been blooming for a couple of weeks already!
And with the warming temperatures and gradually lengthening days, activity levels have been picking up a little too! Today I wanted to share some of the extra-curricular activities that have been keeping me and the Beasties busy this past while.
Aaaah, the sewing machine! My old nemesis. For too long, your ways have eluded me… In fact, slow as it is to stitch seams by hand, it has often seemed quicker than the usual sew it-rip it-resew it-rip it process that usually accompanies a stint on the machine.
But this year, I decided enough was enough. Let’s master those sewing machine demons! So I signed up for a class with The City Seamstress. I’ve already picked up some valuable tips that have made my work better (and helped my confidence, too) and right now I’m working on a project which is neeeearly finished, so I should hopefully be able to share pics very soon!
And as well as learning, I’ve been teaching too! January was a really busy time for my knitting classes – it’s like half of Dublin decided to put “learn to knit” at the top of their New Year’s Resolutions list! This spurred me on to tackle something I’ve been meaning to do for a while… Make up a really easy sweater pattern.
You see, a lot of students want to take on the challenge of making a jumper quite early on… But even the simplest-looking designs often have next-level knitting skills lurking in the pattern. And while some new knitters thrive on being thrown in at the deep end, more than a few are put off by the idea of fancy shaping techniques, decorative seams and the alphabet soup of abbreviations that crop up in many “beginner” patterns.
So, what you see in the picture is sleeve #2 of an almost-finished sweater of… Just rectangles! And yes, the design is probably far from original, but this version is mine! That makes it easier to guide people through all the pre-knitting preparations, like sizing and choosing yarn, and also to suggest tweaks if anyone wants to put their own stamp on it.
Also, I get a new sweater.
But it can’t be all work and no play, of course. There has to be time for a…
That means a quick trip out to Donegal with my brother, now pretty much a February tradition. This is the third year we’ve hit the road and headed about as far north-west as it’s possible to go in Ireland without falling into the sea. You can catch up with the epic 2017 and 2018 travelogues if you missed them!
Explorer Beastie sat this one out – well, he had to look after his garden, and I really think he should agree to take a bath before he goes on any more location photoshoots – but we did have company for the trip…
… And I couldn’t resist leaving a monster behind on one of the beaches, just to prove I’d passed through!
We also had a delicious lunch at Nancy’s Barn in Ballyliffin… Well worth a visit if you find yourself in this part of the world!
A few Beasties have been helping author (and Beastie Buddy) Tammie Painter to celebrate the launch of her latest book, Domna Part Two: The Solon’s Son!
This novel is the second in a series of six about ambitious, resourceful Sofia Domna, whose plans are knocked sideways by a chance encounter in her local marketplace. If you haven’t discovered this series yet, you really should… And the best bit is that Tammie (generous to a fault) is giving away the first novel, The Sun God’s Daughter, to anyone who signs up to her mailing list. Go on, you know you want to!
Well, that’s all the news from here… What have you all been up to? Is Spring springing where you are? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments!
Hello everybody! Well, we may be in the very depths of winter here in the northern hemisphere, but since we all made it through Blue Monday yesterday, it’s onwards and upwards from here! And after introducing a few new Beasties recently (catch up here and here) I thought it might be nice to get out for some fresh air, and take my new camera for a spin.
Of course, Paddy and Plunkett were more than happy to put themselves forward as models! So, we headed out into the garden to see what’s growing… Care to join us?
I caught up with Plunkett while he was tending to his hyacinths. He’s very proud of them, as you can see.
But then Paddy popped up, and suggested that it might be nice to take a wander outside.
Turns out he’s pretty persuasive.
And look! You can still find colour in the garden if you search in the right places…
… Although some of these places are easier to get to than others.
Still, if it’s winter colour you’re after, this cheerful display of berries certainly fits the bill!
The view’s not bad either. Look how green everything is!
And when the boys spotted some long grass on the other side of the hedge, they knew exactly what to do next…
There’s always time for a quick game of hide and seek!
But wait a sec… Where are they off to now? Wait for meeeeeeee!
Uh-oh! Looks like they’ve momentarily given me the slip. Hopefully I’ll be able to track them down before next week’s post!
How about you? Are you eagerly awaiting the arrival of spring before you venture back outdoors, or have you been enjoying walking in your own winter wonderland? Be sure to let us know in the comments!
We’ll be back next week with more from Paddy and Plunkett. I’m sure I’ll catch up with them eventually…
Hey there Beastie friends! And a very happy new year to you from all of us here at Beastie Towers!
2019 has barely begun, but we’re already super-excited at the prospect of a fresh shiny new year, all crammed with possibilities! And, looking back, 2018 was a pretty awesome twelve months.
For starters, it was my first full year of not having a part-time job to prop up my monster-making habit. And while that was occasionally terrifying (because I’m a sucker for luxuries like food and shelter), I was lucky enough to have a few alternative means of making ends meet thrown my way.
Top among these was starting to teach knitting classes in my local yarn emporium, The Constant Knitter. How cool is that? I’ve met some great people along the way… And watching them progress from learning the first steps to becoming the kind of hardcore knitting addicts who sit up half the night to finish a project has to be one of the best feelings in the world!
I also gave some new Beastie-based projects a go too… The biggest leap here was the framed Beastie family I made at the beginning of the summer.
Wow, talk about a learning curve! But totally worth it… And now that I’ve done one, I’m definitely up for taking on more projects like this!
Then, later in the year, the surprise hit of the Christmas market season – Kitty tree decorations!
I made these to tempt the attendees of the Dublin Cat Fair back in November, and thanks to a shout-out from the organisers on Facebook before the event, they sold out! From then on, I could barely keep up with demand, even when I was frantically making more behind my table on market days! I’ll definitely be adding these to my festive lineup for 2019.
But I believe I promised you new Beasties in this post, so new Beasties you shall have! The pre-Christmas rush usually sees some fresh Beastie faces gracing my market stall, and they don’t always get the attention they deserve. So, without further ado…
First up is Watermelon Beastie! I had noticed that Beasties tend to embrace the less-than-healthy end of the dietary spectrum, so Watermelon Beastie is here to help balance that out a little. And their pink and green colouring so nicely complements that slab of delicious juicy melon, don’t you think? Look out for more fruit’n’veg munching monsters in the new year!
But those of you with a sweet tooth can rest assured that Beasties are still happy to share your favourite treats with you. Cookie Beasties and Doughnut Beasties were as popular as ever in 2018!
And my All-Irish Beasties were still happy to down a tipple or two… Tea, anyone? Or would you maybe prefer a pint of the Black Stuff?
Meanwhile, others decided that the most important thing was to stay toasty – cosy sweaters and tweed scarves ahoy!
I also brought along a new Unicorn Beastie… It didn’t take them long to find a home!
And finally… Some of you might recognise this woolly little monster face from Paddy’s Christmas tale last week. Yes, a Christmas market lineup wouldn’t be complete without…
… SANTA BEASTIE!
Phew! There were a few more there than I bargained for, so I suppose we’ll have to tackle the first of the Christmas commissions next week. In the meantime, thank you all SO MUCH for hanging out with us in 2018, and a very Beastie new year to you all!
Oh, and if your life isn’t Beastie-ful enough already, don’t forget that our 2019 downloadable Beastie calendar is available now!
Catch you next Tuesday!