Hello Beastie friends! Is it really Friday again already? And what’s with all this talk about the seaside?
Well, this week for Flashback Friday I wanted to revisit a little lady monster from back in 2016 – hey there, Mermaid Beastie!
But her fishy tail…
… And aquatic-themed accessories…
… Made me realise that it’s a veeeery long time since I was last at the seaside. So, as well as a timely reminder that Beasties are found under the sea as well as on land, I thought I’d take a trip to the coast through some of my old photos.
Look, here’s Explorer Beastie enjoying the sun and sand in Lanzarote, from this adventure back in 2014!
And while he was living it up overseas, I took Victorian Explorer Beastie to the seaside town of Bray, just south of Dublin!
Paddy and Plunkett enjoy the odd day at the beach too. Here they are at my favourite childhood haunt… Crawfordsburn Beach in County Down, Northern Ireland. I spent a lot of time clambering over these very rocks looking for rock pools!
That said, not all of their seaside visits have gone so smoothly. In this post from 2016, the two of them ended up in a bit of a pickle after someone let Paddy take the wheel…
And finally – one thing I’m really looking forward to when the travel restrictions are completely lifted here is getting back to Donegal. Spectacular scenery, great eating spots and, if you visit off-season like we do, miles of deserted beaches to enjoy! See for yourself!
How about you lot? Are any of you still able to get to the beach, or are you longing to feel sand between your toes again? Let us know in the comments!
And we’ll be back on Tuesday with the last part of June Beastie’s travel diary… See you then!
On her way to her new home last Autumn, 
Then again, the reason this geyser is called Old Faithful is because it erupts frequently and regularly – every 90 minutes or so, to be precise.
Well, this looks much more peaceful. Where are we now?
Aha! Abyss Pool, on the shores of Yellowstone Lake. The still waters of this hot spring really do run deep, too… The bottom lies 16m (53 feet) below the surface. So don’t fall in, June Beastie!
“Really?”
“Hmmmm, maybe that’s what these are?”
Unfortunately, our knowledge of US flora and fauna has let us down here – can anyone identify the mystery guest?
… And to take in a few more hot springs before the sun set.
Those colours are quite something, aren’t they?
My very first Beastie dogs were knitted. You know me, I love to knit! But although the technique and yarn worked well enough here, I soon found it quite limiting. It’s hard to capture the huge range of dog body shapes, colours and fur textures with yarn!
… And he makes a special guest appearance in Tierney’s latest blog post, 
…And a Pekingese from a little later that same year.
And of course, because I err more on the side of “cat lady”, I also started making Beastie kitties along the way. My first ones were special editions for my first time selling at the Dublin Cat Fair…
… But I soon started making them to order as well! This Beastie with a black cat was made as a partner for the one in the photo above…
… And then there’s this handsome fellow, created as a gift for a lady who owns a beautiful polydactyl cat called Paddy.
I still love those glasses.
Aha! Looks like they’ve hopped on the gardening bandwagon and are getting into growing their own veggies.
“Check it out, Plunkett! Sustainable jewellery!”
“… Like this. Now, courgettes grow quickly – you might want to stand back a bit!”
“I think we’re going to need a bigger pot, Plunkett!”
The plant looks much happier in its new home, doesn’t it? Plenty of space there to spread out its roots and keep on growing!
“Ah, it’s a bit early for that yet, Paddy. But if you look veeeery closely…”
“… You can see the first flowers starting to appear under the leaves. We won’t have long to wait!”
I was reminded of this when I looked back at “Definitely Maybeast” in 
Another bit of teeny sewing that somehow fell into the BMML (Before Magic Magnifying Lamp) era. I look at these now and wonder how I’m not blind! This appliquéd felt and embroidery board game was an important part of the accessory lineup for a 
The Beastie TARDIS was made of felt, and reinforced with foam and interfacing so it didn’t collapse in like a woolly tent! I lined the inside with shiny silver material for a space-age feel, and embroidered on the window panes and lettering. The doors also close with velcro so the Doctor can travel in safety.
… I made a second one! And I took more photos that time. You can see the original posts about these commissions 
… And only went a bit overboard by making the lens and strap removable.
Oh well, sometimes you just have to! Laura’s little monster left Beastie Towers with a whole heap of other accessories too – check them out 
… I did end up with the ferocious-looking gold and silver dragon that my customer asked for! You can relive the entire, um, interesting experience 
… Got a Covid-19-era update!
The face mask is made from cotton, pleated and lined with felt for some good woolly air filtration. Then, a pretty ribbon strap with a little elastic helps to hold it in place.
Two needle-felted wool sponge cakes, sandwiched between layers of felt jam and icing? That would put a smile on any Beastie’s face!
She’s also dressed to impress, in a sweet floral print sundress with ribbon ties on the shoulders.
And finally, check out those lustrous alpaca tresses! I really should get the Beasties to share their hairdressing secrets.
Now all we need to figure out is how she’s going to blow out the candle without removing her face mask!
Big thanks to Annemarie for suggesting this fun and timely project! And speaking of fun…
As such, I have been avidly following the daily patrollings of Big Ginger Cat and Little Tortoiseshell Cat, who swing by several times a day to sunbathe, hunt bluebottles and wage war on the magpies in the big tree. It’s nice to see them continuing about their usual business!
While Dad was harking back to the “Madchester” era in a football shirt and parka. Check out the furry hood!
I also can’t believe I managed to do all that teeny embroidery on the album cover before I got my wondrous magnifying lamp!
… And her miniature miniature schnauzer, Mikelet!
She also left Beastie Towers with two outfits…
… And a whole heap of accessories!
Her “survival kit” pays tribute to a few of Human Tierney’s favourite things – quilting, blogging and visiting her local library.
Hey there, FrankenBeastie!
Woooooooo! SCARY!
Finally, I dressed him in a ragged-edged shirt and faded charcoal trousers.
Let me know if you bump into him when you’re out for your daily half hour of exercise!
Well, the happy monster couple was only part of the deal. I was also asked to Beastify Marge, a charming and elegant pug who came into the guys’ life disguised as a humble birthday card, and then became a member (if not the ruling matriarch) of the family. Here she is getting ready to enjoy the marriage ceremony back in January.
Unfortunately, Beastie Marge wasn’t ready in time for the wedding. She takes her appearance very seriously, and that held things up a little! But while the boys and their Beasties were honeymooning, I had time aplenty to get busy with my felting needles.
Ta-daaaah! You know, it’s actually quite strange to see her with feet!
… And her glasses really have lenses!
Finally complete, she was ready to hop in a box and travel to her new home. By all accounts, she’s settling in nicely!
… Although, Beastie antics aside, it has been nice to be at home for the last week getting on with some commissions! They’ve been stacking up a bit this past while, but with my teaching schedule completely on hold for the time being, I’ve really been enjoying getting on with some teeny sewing!