View From Beastie Towers in the Snow - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

New Year? Snow Way!

It’s the first BeastieBlog of 2021… Happy new year, everybody! And although this first week of January didn’t bring a whole lot of good news on the pandemic front, in some parts of the island of Ireland it did bring something a little unusual – SNOW!

And some of it fell in the back garden of a pair of familiar Beastie friends.
Paddy Spots the Snow - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesPaddy was up nice and early, so he spotted it first. And of course, the very next thing he did was…

Paddy Wakes Plunkett - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

… To go and wake up Plunkett.

Poor Plunkett. He was having a lovely dream about igneous rock formations.
Plunkett Wakes Up - Snow - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties“What IS it, Paddy?”
“SNOW! It’s been snowing, Plunkett! Get up get up get up!”

View From Beastie Towers in the Snow - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties“Look at that!”

It really is rather lovely. And every window revealed a fresh, snow-dusted view.
Snow at Beastie Towers - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesBut just looking at the snow was never going to be enough for Paddy. I think it’s time to head outside and play in it, don’t you?

Paddy Builds a Snow Beastie - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesIt looks like he already has a project in mind, too. Look at him go!

“Ta-daaaaah!”
Paddy's Snow Beastie - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties“It’s a SnowBeastie, Plunkett! What do you think?”
“I think it’s not quite finished yet… Hang on a sec!”

And with a few finishing touches from Plunkett…
The Finished Snow Beastie - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesMuch better! It’s almost as cute as you are, boys.
“Almost!”

But even little woolly monsters start to feel the cold eventually. With their SnowBeastie finished, the lads decided it was time to head back indoors…
Warming up by the Stove - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties… And get toasty again by the stove!

So, how have you all been spending the first few days of 2021? Did you get any snow? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments!

Also…

Don’t forget that a new year means a new Beastie Calendar! This link will take you to the listing in our store… Download once, print off as many copies as you like, and be monstrously organised all year!
Beastie Calendar 2021 - Cover - CrawCrafts Beasties

Snow Day With Paddy and Plunkett!

We’ve been having some pretty crazy weather here these last few weeks… But Paddy and Plunkett never let an unexpected snowfall get in their way! Let’s see what they’ve been up to!

Snow Day Frame 1 - CrawCrafts Beasties

Snow Day Frame 2 - CrawCrafts Beasties

Snow Day Frame 3 - CrawCrafts Beasties

Snow Day Frame 4 - CrawCrafts Beasties

Snow Day Frame 5 - CrawCrafts Beasties

Snow Day Frame 6 - CrawCrafts Beasties

Snow Day Frame 7 - CrawCrafts Beasties

Snow Day Frame 8 - CrawCrafts Beasties

Snow Day Frame 9 - CrawCrafts Beasties

Snow Day Frame 10 - CrawCrafts BeastiesOh woweee! Thanks guys – you’ve tracked down my old froggy chum Anita!

Anita, the Pink Frog Puppet - Vintage CrawCrafts Beasties!I made this curious proto-Beastie for myself when I was about 11… I saw a ventriloquist on TV and decided I wanted my own talking puppet! With a little bit of help from Mum – plus a few days of very intense stitching – I finally unveiled this furry amphibian masterpiece. It’s nice to see her making some new friends!

What was your first big crafty success? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!

Mia Beastie in the Mountains!

Mia Beastie in the Cable Car - A Szymura/CrawCrafts BeastiesB
Hooray! I always love to catch up with Beasties after they’ve left Beastie Towers for their new homes. This week, I’m happy to share some photos of Mia Beastie, taken just after her move to Poland a couple of months ago! Of course, she had to get there first… Passports at the ready!
Passports at the ready! Mia Beastie at the Airport - A Szymura/CrawCrafts Beasties
And don’t forget to check the size of your cabin baggage…
Baggage Check - Mia Beastie at the Airport - A Szymura/CrawCrafts Beasties
I think Mia Beastie was really excited to see planes for the first time!
Is that our plane? Mia Beastie at the Airport - A Szymura/CrawCrafts Beasties
Once she touched down in her new home, Mia Beastie started exploring pretty much immediately! Her first big adventure was a visit to Zakopane, a town in the very south of Poland, near the Slovakian border. Zakopane lies at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, and is a popular destination for skiers and climbers. Mia Beastie decided to tackle Kasprowy Wierch first… it’s one of the most popular ski peaks in Poland, and it marks the border with Slovakia, so you can literally be in two places at once.
Mia Beastie at Kasprowy Wierch - A Szymura/CrawCrafts Beasties
You can also take a cable car to the top, which makes the climb a lot easier. Well, Mia Beastie didn’t want to ruin her pretty dress!
The View from Kasprowy Wierch - A Szymura/CrawCrafts Beasties
Look at that view! And there was more to come…
Mia Beastie at the Summit - A Szymura/CrawCrafts Beasties
It was certainly a bit nippy at the top of the mountain, but the scenery made it totally worthwhile! Mia Beastie was also tempted to try her hand at skiing, but unfortunately they didn’t have any skis in her size…
Let's go skiing! Mia Beastie at Kasprowy Wierch - A Szymura/CrawCraftsBeasties
Soon it was time to come down again… the prospect of tasty pierogi for dinner meant that Mia Beastie wasn’t going to hang around in the mountains all day! Better head back to that cable car…Coming Back Down the Mountain - A Szymura/CrawCrafts Beasties
And apart from one hair-raising moment, when someone suggested Mia Beastie might like to recreate some of the action scenes from “Where Eagles Dare”…
Mia Beastie has a hair-raising moment in the cable car - A Szymura/CrawCrafts Beasties
…She made it safely back down to earth!
Mia Beastie, back at ground level! A Szymura/CrawCrafts Beasties
Let’s hope Mia Beastie has lots more adventures with her new Polish family! Thanks to Anna for sending me the photos 🙂

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?