A Cheerful Start To The New Year…

Grim Reaper Beastie, by CrawCrafts Beasties
Yippeeeeee! It’s new Beastie time! And since I’m sure I’m not the only one who is still trying to get used to the transition from the old year to the new (anyone else out there steadfastly continuing to write 2015 dates on things? Because I am), who better to sweep away the clinging cobwebs of last year than…

GRIM REAPER BEASTIE!

Grim Reaper Beastie with Accessories, by CrawCrafts Beasties
With his sweet smile, woolly paws and little monster ears poking out through the hood of his robe, he is possibly the least grim Grim Reaper ever!Grim Reaper Beastie, Back View - CrawCrafts Beasties
He’ll use his felt scythe to clear away the clutter of the year that was, and make space for the new, better year that will be. Oh, and his felt hourglass will help him keep an eye on the time for us all, too.
Grim Reaper Beastie's Hourglass, by CrawCrafts Beasties
He can also embrace a more casual look, if it’s called for…
Grim Reaper Beastie's Casual Look - CrawCrafts Beasties
…But it’s getting colder outside, so he might be better off leaving his hood up, at least for the moment.

Before Grim Reaper Beastie headed off to his new home in Germany, I took him out for a walk in one of my favourite Dublin parks. Iveagh Gardens is right in the city centre, but with its high walls and hidden entrances, you really need to know where to look if you want to find it! The crumbling statues and stonework give it a real “Secret Garden” feel…
Grim Reaper Beastie in Iveagh Gardens - CrawCrafts BeastiesGrim Reaper Beastie's Secret Den - CrawCrafts Beasties

Grim Reaper Beastie with the Statues - CrawCrafts Beasties
…While the evergreen-shaded pathways make for some great spooky photos!
Grim Reaper Beastie Strikes a Spooky Pose - CrawCrafts Beasties
Grim Reaper Beastie on the Path - CrawCrafts Beasties
And what’s that down there?
Grim Reaper Beastie in the Maze - CrawCrafts Beasties
Yes, it’s a miniature hedge maze! The sundial at the centre is supposed to be very accurate – unfortunately a sundial in Ireland isn’t really the best way to keep time!
Grim Reaper Beastie Starts His Journey - CrawCrafts Beasties
As the winter daylight faded, it was time to head back to Beastie Towers, and ready Grim Reaper Beastie for his onward journey. Apparently he’s settling in well in his new home!

More new Beasties next week… until then I’m going to sit down and practice writing “2016” on everything. I’m sure I’ll get the message by February…

PS Drop in again on Friday for our first “Explorer Beastie’s Dublin” post! I’m not sure where we’re going yet, but he’s assured me he has a plan!

Monster New Year!

Pint Beastie Looks Forward to 2016! Crawcrafts Beasties
Phew! I might already have mentioned how busy December was for me and the Beasties, but with Christmas now under our (considerably tighter) belts, it’s time for us to start looking forward to another year of monster mayhem!

There’s going to be plenty going on over the next couple of months… starting with a veritable deluge of new Beasties! They’ve all had to keep their identities secret up until now, for fear of spoiling Christmas day surprises, but it’s finally time for them each to have their star turn on the BeastieBlog. I’ll be introducing you to a fresh Beastie face every Tuesday, so be sure to stop by! To whet your appetites, here’s an oatmeal stout-swigging Pint Beastie who made it to his new home in the UK just in time for Christmas!
Festive Pint Beastie - CrawCrafts Beasties

2015 was a great year for Beasties abroad, and I’m so grateful to everybody who shared photos of their little woolly friends exploring the furthest reaches of the planet! When I said “hey, send me photos of your Beasties”, I never expected to see them gadding about in Canada…
Reader Beastie on the Bale Wagon - CrawCrafts Beasties/N Couture
… Enjoying ice-dripped coffee in Taiwan…
Anyone for Coffee? Beasties in Taiwan - D Chen/CrawCrafts Beasties
…Polishing off Christmas dinner in Argentina…
Beastie Christmas, Argentina - R Turpin/CrawCrafts Beasties
…Or scaling cliff faces in France!
Climber Beastie by CrawCrafts Beasties
Please please PLEASE keep them coming! I’ll be sharing photos every other Friday, in my Beastie Family posts! And that leaves two other Fridays each month for…
Explorer Beastie with the Bog Plants - CrawCrafts Beasties
…Explorer Beastie!

He’s had a bit of a quiet time in 2015, but this year I’m hoping we’ll get out and about more to show you a few of our favourite places around Dublin. And of course Paddy and Plunkett will be back with more tales from further afield… Last I heard, they were heading off somewhere in search of some winter sun. I can’t wait to see pictures – they’ll be the perfect antidote to the blustery drizzliness of an Irish January!

So, that’s what you can expect from the BeastieBlog this year… Plus we have lots of other schemes, capers and new ideas in the pipeline. I can’t wait to share them with you all!

But what do you have lined up for 2016? Be sure to share your hopes, dreams and plans for world domination in the comments! And now all that’s left for me to do is to wish you all a happy new year… may 2016 be your beast year EVER! Cheers!
A Monster Toast to 2016 - CrawCrafts Beasties

Beastie New Year!

Explorer Beastie by the Fire - CrawCrafts Beasties

Happy new year, everybody!

Well, nice as it’s been to put our feet/paws up and relax over the holidays, the Beasties and I are now ready to launch ourselves at 2015. Let’s see what delights it can offer to a lady and her ever-growing brood of woolly monsters!

But first, a quick overview of 2014 – looking back, it was a pretty eventful year! It saw Beasties venturing into uncharted waters…
Diver Beastie
… Catching up with old friends…
Explorer Beastie & Garcia Beastie
… Dabbling in the arts…
Artist Beastie
…And growing to new heights!
Beastie Group
Together, we’ve been to markets, pop up shops and high street stores, so we’ve learned a lot about the best places to introduce Beasties to new human friends. And as a result, my little monsters have headed off to homes in some far-flung places, including Germany, the USA and Norway! I’ve also had fun making some personalised Beasties to order… This is Colm Beastie, who, like his namesake, enjoys running marathons and the odd pint of Guinness. I LOVED doing his hair!
Colm Beastie - CrawCrafts BeastiesI also made a sister for Explorer Beastie. She hit the road almost as soon as she was off the knitting needles, and was last seen enjoying Christmas dinner in Argentina!
Explorer Girl Beastie - CrawCrafts Beasties
And of course, Explorer Beastie has been popping up all over the place!
AmpelmannCatching some rays, Beastie-style

Chatsworth HouseExplorer Beastie on the TubeI’m intrigued to see where his travels take him in 2015!

And that brings us neatly back to the whole point of this post – what are we going to get up to this year? I figure that if I share some of my plans with you all on the BeastieBlog, I’d be that little bit more likely to actually DO them. So, in 2015, the Beasties and I solemnly swear to…

  • Keep in touch more often, with more photos, blog posts and Facebook updates
  • Revive and revitalise our Etsy store
  • Hang out at markets more, because we always have a great time there
  • Learn some new skills – just to keep things interesting!

Stay tuned to see how we get on… and thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello during 2014. Hopefully you’ll stick around and follow us on more monster adventures! And we’d love to hear your plans for the coming year – how will you be spending 2015?