Making Krampus

It's that time of year again when everyone who creates and makes things with their hands is ramping up.  The days are shorter, the air is colder and everyone is thinking that it is soon gonna be 2015 and there are still no flying cars or colonies on the moon.

For the holiday we're making Krampus again.  Yes its true.  

Here are some pictures of the process.

(Arms waiting for bodies)

(Eye see youu. Ha!  get it?)

(where are my arms?)

(In high school people said that Krampus was all tongue and teeth.  We here at WTS have no idea what that means.)

Krampus will be finished soon so keep checking the Facebook, Etsy shop or the I Heart Denver store.

  He's a limited run until next year.   maybe?

In the immortal words of Chris Rose,

"Have fun."

And then there were dog toys

Hello! (said like Miss Doubtfire)

Its the middle of summer and its hot.  Hot like Africa or the Sun or Africa if it was on the Sun.

These are the days to slather up with the tanning oil or the sunblock and get out.  Or if you're like us head inside away from the burn of the Sun.  To each their own.

So what seems like years in the making our dog toys have kinda of taken off.  We sold out a couple batches at the I Heart Denver store and we've been making more.  Here are some pictures of our latest batches.

Uno and Sugar patterns.

Finished Sugars: now quilted!

Beware the piercing eyes of the Unos!

You'll notice that these are very familiar.  All these designs were originally as dog toys.  Unfortunately every time we'd bring them out at markets people would discourage us by stating that their dogs would tear them apart.  Thus no one would buy them.  Those were dark times.  So we left the squeaker in them and told people they were "baby toys".  That seemed to do the trick.  Dogs and baby's love noisemakers.  And we love them for it.

Eventually we learned that the dog toys at I Heart Denver had sold out immediately. They asked us to make more with some suggested enhancements and we jumped on it.

The designs are basically the same but have more squeakers in them as well as the Sugar design is now "quilted" for extra durability.

So there you have it folks.  The story of the WTS dog toys.  No need to thank me.  Go forth and share our story with the world. :)

In the immortal words of Chris Rose:

"Have Fun." 

"....But the most beautiful of them all was the Unicorn."

Hello All!  Things have been busy and not so busy and up and down and left and right.  Such is the way of life on this planet we call Earth.

So if you've been following us on the Facebook you will have noticed that WTS is focusing on one-of-a-kind specialties.   That's not to say that WTS's usually cast of characters aren't unique in their own right.  But the latest plushies being developed are truly "one and done".  They aren't built from any patterns so they basically can't be repeated.  I'd like to share some of the latest and greatest designs with you right now:

This little one was made for Blackheart Creations, a vegan catering company here in Denver.  They wanted a mascot to sit at their booth for markets.  "Adorably creepy" where the parameters.

This is "Barry".  He yells a lot, which is why I had to get him out of my house.  "Barry" was based on the Reginald character below.  His new owner wanted a smaller version of Reginald so "Barry" was born.

 Brutus with the horned eyes.  This is the first time in WTS history (maybe even in plush history?) that I used this crazy technique for the eyes.  You may have seen us attach Yorg's flippers like that but now we've taken it to the next level.  Its crazy I know.

 Up until, like, 5 minutes ago this gentleman didn't have a name.  I have decided to call him "Piano Von  Man."  He has no legs but very large human-like hands.  I think Piano could probably be a bartender too.

 Reginald was the first of this recent batch of one-of-a-kinders.  He is very tall and sturdy.  Compared to "Barry" Reginald is a laugher and not a yeller.   This guys is up on our etsy for sale if you or your coworkers are interested.

 And then there is this:  the lone head.  With a nose like a beak and some beady button eyes, this one needs a body.  The mind wanders.  Possibilities are endless.  Keep a look out for the completion of this guy.  I've got some great ideas.

I hope you've enjoyed your visit to the magically inconsistent blog of WTS Creatures.

Tell your friends and coworkers that we make cool plush creatures and in the immortal words of Chris Rose,

"Have Fun."

Its beginning to look a lot like somethin' somethin'

Per usual: so much has happened since our last post.  Here are some of the most exciting things in no particular order:

 There I sat: thinking....thinking,  'What would all the kids with the pumped up kicks want for Xmas?'  And then it came to me: Krampus the Holday Devil!  Known in Europe to roam the land with Saint Nicholas.  If your bad or your kids are bad then there's a very good change Krampus will take you away and eat you.  Find comfort in the fact that he might beat you with sticks first.  This guy is up on our Etsy and at The I Heart Denver store RIGHT NOW!  He's perfect for anyone who wants something cool without having to camp at a walmart....or actually having to go into a walmart.

Also, Krampus will be available at the next few December Markets: info at the bottom.

Markets!  If we were lucky enough to see you at the Fall Horseshoe Market or the November Neat Market then you know how much of a blast it was.  

The Fall Horseshoe Market, way back in October, turned out to be quite a pleasant day.  The sun was shining and people were smiling and a lot of people there were!  It got a little wind at times but considering it wasn't raining or snowing it was no big whoop.

Then this past weekend was the November Neat Market.   An all vegan market for everybody (not just vegans)!  Most of the market was food aside from us and a couple other venders.  I highly recommend you visit this market.  It's one sunday every month and one hell of a good time.

These ghosts had a dance party:

Have I mentioned that WTS Creatures does custom work?  Cause we do.

Check out these Pigeons.  Aren't they the best.  They're totally the new Owl. 

So yeah that's what's been going on this side of the fence.  

December 6 we're going to be at the Holiday ManCraft.

Its all crafts by men.  Some say its the love child of Martha Stewart and Chuck Norris. 

This event will be at the VFW Post 2461 located at 1350 South Broadway, Denver CO 80210 on Friday December 6, 2013 from 4 - 10 pm. 

1350 South Broadway, Denver CO 80210.  

AND

On December 7th we'll be at the Holiday Horseshoe Market from 10 - 4pm at the Denver Pavilions.

AND AND

We'll be at the December Neat Market at 33rd and Arapahoe from 11 - 3.

In the immortal words of Chris Rose:  

"Have Fun."

http://horseshoemarket.com/

A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss

And we're BACK!  As per usual life sometimes gets in the way, preventing us from keeping all y'all up to date with the goings-ons of WTS.  So without further ado here's a little glimpse at what's been what:

Look at this robot!  Beep Boop Beep Bop Boop!  Am I right?  This is the second robot WTS creatures has ever done.  The name of this guy is Spurlock.  He is a robot and enjoys robot things.  Spurlock is  a custom creation for a friend who needed a robot for their lil' boys birthday.  We can make magical things for you just like this.

In late Spring, Denise and I were invited by the Watershed School in Boulder to lead a textile arts class. We instructed nine students from 6th grade to 12th grade on plush magic with the help of a machine.  Everyone had a really great time including ourselves.  There is nothing like seeing someone, no matter what age, excited about something they've created.

Don't forget that WTS Creatures are available at the I Heart Denver store, downtown Denver at the Pavilions.  Go see all the great stuff made by Colorado artisans, buy a WTS Creature and then go check out a movie or by some gold pants at H&M.  We're also available up in Breckenridge at the Fresh Soap Company.

Also, all Denver purchases from our etsy store are hand delivered by yours truly.

(unless that "yours truly" is a giant lizard...then that's not us)

Its summer time get out and enjoy sun, the markets, the laughs and the ice cream.

"Have Fun" - Chris Rose

Big Post!

Whoa!  This is going to be one of the biggest posts we've done in a long time with lotsa writing at pictures.  So let's get into it.

In our last blog post we showed off the winning Schriesher Elementary designs.  In this post you will see how the winning designs turned out and read the stories the kids wrote for them.

Let's start with BuBu.

The is what BuBu looks like half way thru.  It still needs the horns, gusset and back.  The horns will be sewn on just like the arms and legs.  Then the back and gusset will be added to form a pocket to be turned out and stuffed.

Here's finished BuBu next to the original drawing.

"My name is BuBu. Goble. Bop. Bye."

Here we have the beginnings of the creature known as "Glowb" (pronounced "globe")

The stomach in the design is cut out 'cause I needed it as a separate pattern.

An unstuffed Glowb:

 Final Glowb: 

"I was born a normal monster with horns and three eyes and was named Blob. Then I lived in a dark room for 4 years and got a six pack with a weird glow on it. But now Im a normal monster again but still got a little glow so that’s why I changed my name to Glowb."

And last but not least: Scrop:

I sewed three different colors together to match his design.

Once I cut him out I started putting his eye on:

Scrop's eye, nose and mustache finished:

An unstuffed Scrop in need of a gentlemen's hat:

 And the final Scrop:

"I used to drive a car  powered by squirrels, but then I upgraded to goats."

Our correspondent at Schriesher Elementary says that all the kids LOVED the way their creatures turned out.  We loved making them!  Hopefully we can do something like this again.

Another big thanks goes out to art school teach extraordinaire, Ms. Williams for making this entire thing possible.  And of course, a big thank you to all the kids of Schriesher Elementary and their awesome imaginations.

So not long after we posted the pictures of our visit to Schriesher Elementary,  WTS was contacted to do some custom baby shower creatures.  These creatures were used to decorate the shower and when the child was born would be their toys.

The ask was for 8 simple designs in greens and blues.  Considering our usual designs are a little more dynamic with floppy legs and such, it took a handful of tries before we figured it out.

Behold, the 8 simple baby shower creatures by WTS:

Visit our facebook page to see these creatures individually.

March is the last month for the Handmade Colorado exhibit at the Denver International Airport.  If you have time before a flight or just like visiting the airport: Go check it out!  Those creatures will soon be for sale up on our etsy site.

We have some more custom creatures in the works right now.  Be on the lookout for some more blogs and photos on our facebook real soon.

Spring time is upon us and the days are getting longer.  Get out, see the world and smile...a lot.

In the immortal words of Chris Rose "Have fun."

Schriesher Contest Winners!

Last week the Schriesher Elementary WTS contest winners were announced.  There were over 300 entries(!!!) so it made our job of picking the winners extra tough.  Unfortunately we could only pick 3:  one from 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. Below are the winning drawings:

3rd Grade: "BuBu"

 4th Grade: "Scrop"

 5th Grade: "Glowb"

These winning drawing will be "brought to life" in plushie form by yours truly.
      "But what about the runner-ups Ricardo?!"
I'm glad you asked that question.  The runner-ups all get a huge discount on their WTS purchase from our etsy site.  Plus the sun will shine much brighter upon their smiling faces and everyone they know.

Once we have created these fantastic creatures we shall post the drawing and finished plushie side by side,  along with their names and stories.

Thanks again to all the wonder kids at Schriesher Elementary and their wonderful imaginations!  And an extra special thanks to art teacher Ms. Williams for introducing us to such creative young artists.

Till the next time folks. Be good and, In the immortal words of Chris Rose,  Have fun!