Flaky Friends: Plush with Issues

Moving forward with Production

2012-01-21T23:27:00.000-08:00

I promised myself this year I would get help with my sewing, and am pleased to announce my friend, Autumn, has jumped on board to help me keep up with demand this year. She'll be helping me sew up my silkscreened skeleton dolls, since I swear, if I have to make one more myself I'm going to give up the whole sewing business altogether! I'm also happy to announce that I'm planning a factory run of 5 of my popular food plush items: Monsieur Carrot, Sweet Pea, Black Eyed Pea, Professor Foster, and the bookworm (okay, so most people don't usually eat bookworms, but he seems to fit in pretty well). I'm working with an overseas factory and trying to fit all the logistical pieces together so I can roll out my plushies nationally. I'm looking at getting about 25,000 toys made and am hoping this year I can spend my time I would have spent sewing those guys on other things like developing new characters and making buyer contacts. Should be a fun year! I guess I could have made a resolution like exercising more, but this seemed more fun! Plushie fruit salad, anyone?

Happy New Year!

2012-01-10T11:15:00.000-08:00

After a nice Christmas break where my hands did nothing but jigsaw puzzles, I'm back and ready for action. I'm hoping to move the business along this year with a good round of manufacturing so I can keep up with demand. Hopefully my limited edition factory items will be available in April. I've got Monsieur Carrot, Sweet Pea, Black Eyed Pea and Bookworm all slated for production and may even be able so squeeze a few more in. I'm hoping this is the year that I can do something with my business other than sew from morning till night!

Look for me as always at First Friday in a white tent in the center of Casino Center Blvd. just south of Charleston. And keep your eye out for my new creations - follow me on Facebook or Twitter to get the latest scoop!

Happy New Year, Sarah

Locals Pick Up Your Christmas Loot Today!

2011-12-19T07:52:00.000-08:00

I'm done with events for 2011, but anyone in the Las Vegas area can drop by HellPop! at The Arts Factory to shop where I've dropped off my remaining inventory until the New Year. I'm the featured artist outside the comic shop there and you can find all sorts of characters including Misunderstood Pitbull, Lester the Tijuana Circus Giraffe, Monsieur Carrot and Mr. Bones. HellPop is located on the first floor of The Arts Factory at the northwest corner of the building (right next to Happy Panda Toys). Thanks for the great year and I'm gearing up for all sorts of new characters in 2012!

HellPop!
107 East Charleston Blvd Suite 105, Las Vegas, NV 89104
Wednesday through Saturday, 12pm to 8pm
jason@hellpop.net
shane@hellpop.net
maria@hellpop.net
702-353-3228

Two More December Events

2011-12-06T10:02:00.001-08:00

So I was going to end off the season with First Friday, but in the spirit of squeezing every last drop out of my capabilities (and then some) I've decided to do the Fresh52 Farmer's Market at Tivoli Shopping Center in Summerlin on the mornings of December 10th and 17th. I'm down to my very last of the 2011 stock, but if you want to come by and see my plushy spread in all its glory, come and say hi! Here's the address:

Saturday

8:00 am to 2:00 pm

fresh52 @ Tivoli Village

302 S. Rampart

Las Vegas, NV 89145

I'll have my little gingerbread army which will make great stocking stuffers and Secret Santa presents for the young at heart. Just look for the awesome tent with the prettiest gal inside surrounded by fluffy wonders. That'll be me!

Anonymous Awesome Person will Match your Contribution!

2011-12-02T12:31:00.001-08:00

I just got an email this morning and found out that anyone willing to participate in my Kickstarter.com project will have their contribution matched by a fan of Flaky Friends! Thank you so much to our anonymous "matcher" for your support of weird plush and encouragement for this project. I am going to be dreaming of sugar plums and plush toys all the month of December. Click here to visit the project page and see me making funny faces on camera. If you are looking for a great way to support small business, Kickstarter is an awesome web idea and has tons of people like me looking for a way to get their artistic ideas off the ground.

Also, Flaky Friends found themselves on the cover of the December 1st, Las Vegas Weekly magazine! I also had another full page photo inside as well as a synopsis of the biz. You can check it all out here.

Flaky Friends in HellPop!

2011-12-01T00:05:00.001-08:00

I'm really excited to announce that I'll have some of my larger toys featured outside of HellPop! comic shop during the month of December! HellPop! is a very cool little comic shop with all your deepest, darkest comic needs readily supplied tucked into the Arts Factory amidst great galleries of art. My toys will be in a foyer also connected to Happy Panda Toys with all sorts of designer vinyl and plush toys and Hiptazmic Studio with tons of very fun upcycled pieces of jewelry and art. It's an amazing location for me with hopefully my kind of people tromping through and I can't wait to see how their customers respond to my stuff. I've got some of my classic characters there like Mr. Bones and Jane the Orangutan, and also some newer items as well as one of a kind pieces that I may or may not make again.

HellPop! is located at 107 E. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV inside The Arts Factory. Thanks again to Shane and Maria for reaching out and giving me this great opportunity!

My Kickstarter Video

2011-11-29T12:00:00.001-08:00

I've just launched a Kickstarter.com project to help me get my little skeleton rattle, Mr. Bones produced in a limited edition of 1,200. I've sold hundreds of them that I've handmade myself and honestly, I just want to focus on developing other characters now.

Please take a minute to watch my video here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1945838666/mr-bones-plush-silkscreened-skeleton-rattle

I'm offering all kinds of great rewards for project participants including custom toys, and your creative input into the Flaky Friends line. Thanks so much!

The Holiday Surge

2011-11-28T16:23:00.001-08:00

If I can just make it through December, I'll be okay! Once again, I'm in the midst of a holiday whirlwind of activity and have my elf hat on 24/7 trying to fill orders and keep afloat. I've had some really great press lately and am trying to get more involved in local art events so with about 10 balls up in the air, I'm a fantastic act to gawk at.

In December, you'll be able to find me selling at First Friday (on the sidewalk just north of The Funk House in Las Vegas) as well as in the foyer outside HellPop Comics at 107 E. Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas. My work is also featured in the Jenny Valdez Inc studio in the Arts Factory, also at 107 E. Charleston Blvd.

I hope to see you in December and hope my poor sewing hands hold out until Christmas day so I can open some presents for ME.

Green T-Rex

2011-01-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

Black Sheep

2011-01-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

Skeletons

2010-10-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

I made these using my new silkscreening equipment. Now I can put my drawings directly on the fabric!

Crazy Hat Day

2010-10-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

My five year old was supposed to wear a Crazy Hat for school yesterday, so I whipped up this little brain eater for her.

Butterflies

2010-08-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

Ladybugs

2010-08-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

Killer Goldfish

2010-08-19T14:25:00.000-07:00

Diaper Divas

2010-08-18T15:29:00.000-07:00

Snail

2010-08-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

Punk Rock Teddy Bear

2010-06-08T23:57:00.000-07:00

Santino the Ostrich

2010-06-08T23:55:00.000-07:00

Lester the Giraffe

2010-06-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Available for immediate purchase here. This item is a limited edition production (only 500 handmade in the factory).

Lab Rats

2010-06-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

Westy the Whale

2010-06-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

Black Ape

2010-06-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

Yarn Horse

2010-06-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

Cow Ball

2010-06-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

Vinyl Shark

2010-06-07T09:48:00.001-07:00

Batty Bats

2010-06-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

Whoo Loves You Felt Owl

2010-06-07T09:46:00.001-07:00

Cats and Kitty Ball

2010-06-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

Monster Ball

2010-06-07T09:42:00.002-07:00

Shark

2010-06-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

Dinosaurs

2010-06-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

Lizard

2010-06-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

Peyton the Panda

2010-06-07T09:37:00.001-07:00

Bunnies

2010-06-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

Dolls

2010-06-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

Orangutans

2009-01-20T21:19:00.001-08:00

Really Bad Super Max Imitation

2008-12-24T15:33:00.000-08:00

This is why I've stopped trying to make other people's designs. It's sad. Very sad.

Blue Elephants

2008-12-24T15:32:00.001-08:00

Big Pink Worm

2008-12-24T15:31:00.001-08:00

T-Rex

2008-12-24T15:30:00.001-08:00

The Dump

2008-09-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

If you ever come to visit my home, I'll probably subject you to The Dump. You have to lie down on the floor and then I take my gigantic trash bags full of Flaky Friends and dump them all over you. If you have to ask why, I probably won't dump them on you. This is a picture of my friend Ginny getting the Royal Dump after a particularly hard day at the office. Needless to say, this fixed her right up.

Unfortunate Elephants

2008-09-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

Kitty McPhee

2008-09-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

Armadillia the Armadillo

2008-09-08T14:26:00.001-07:00

Olivia the "Sound Dog"

2008-09-08T14:24:00.001-07:00

This precious pooch was made for a hearing impaired baby and is equiped with all kinds of different sounds. She has rattles in her four feet, a squeaker in her nose, crinkly cellophane in her ears, jingle bells in her tail, and a musical button that plays, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in her tongue.

Monster Corsages

2008-09-08T14:22:00.001-07:00

Tired of wilting flowers? Well these little guys have plenty of fight left in them and will hold up all night long during prom. And hey, they may even scare off that pimply kid who was going to try and get up the nerve to ask you to dance.

My Vendor Spotlight for the Holiday Hotness Bazaar

2008-07-17T07:13:00.001-07:00

If you are in the L.A. area on November 8, come see me downtown at the Holiday Hotness Bazaar. I'll be dripping for Flaky Friends. Here's my vendor spotlight for the event.

James the Mallard

2008-07-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

Greg the Sheep

2008-07-15T11:09:00.001-07:00

SoCal Bench Project Craft Fair

2008-07-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

My next big craft fair coming up is going to be a bit more stressful. It's called the SoCal Bench Project and it will be in Culver City on I'm pretty sure everyone else at this juried event is going to be fabulous and most of them know each other. Everyone at the event (myself included) is a member of The California Crafters Club of Etsy but I'm more of a slacker member who just shows up for the food. Anywho, here's my Vendor Spotlight for the event.

Here's the detailed information for anyone who wants to come by and give me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder while I huddle in the corner surrounded by "real" artists.

August 9, 2008
9:30am - 3:00pm
Veterans’ Memorial Complex
Garden Room
4117 Overland Ave. (at Culver Blvd)
Culver City, CA 90230

"Birdicus"

2008-07-01T23:30:00.000-07:00

The Beholder from Dungeons and Dragons

2008-07-01T23:28:00.000-07:00

Flaky Friends are in a REAL STORE!!

2008-06-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

A friend directed me to the website, MomInventors.com with tons of great information for women wanting to make their dreams realities. I listed to a few of the "webinars" and got jazzed to get my Flaky Friends in stores. Two days later, one of the best-rated toy stores in L.A. is carrying my products! Nothing like a little pep talk to get the selling juices flowing.

So for anyone in the area who'd like to see my stuff in the flesh without having to come to my cluttered apartment, go to The Dinosaur Farm at 1510 Mission St., South Pasadena, CA 91030. I'm keeping them stocked with a steady supply of hippos. Yet one more step in the direction of legitimacy!

Quasi Motto Kitty

2008-06-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

Irish Monkey

2008-06-11T21:16:00.000-07:00

Bogart the Love Camel

2008-06-11T21:15:00.001-07:00

Cutie Pie Frogs

2008-06-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

"Special" Chicks but not the good kind of special...

2008-06-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

Jingle Ladybugs

2008-06-11T21:08:00.002-07:00

Wiggly Worms

2008-06-11T21:08:00.001-07:00

Tiny Mice

2008-06-11T21:07:00.001-07:00

Tamy Faye Kitty

2008-06-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

More Out of Shell Turtles

2008-06-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

Shaggy Sheep Dog

2008-06-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

Custom order pig to match a nursery color scheme

2008-06-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

Basset Hound

2008-06-11T20:54:00.001-07:00

Pink the Pink Llama who is Pink

2008-06-11T20:53:00.001-07:00

Crammed Organisms Plush Exhibit

2008-06-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

I'm in my first Plush Show!! Crammed Organisms is a four venue show going on in St. Louis this month. The first show opens tonight at Star Clipper comics. There are over 150 plush artists that have submitted pieces and all the shows should be total fun! Here's the show website with more details about the where and when of the events.

I submitted four pieces to the show: Frog Prince, Saturday Night Sasquatch, Unlucky Rabbit, Lucky Foot, and Intergalactic Single Parenting. Hopefully they all sell during the show so I don't have to pay to ship them back here to L.A.!

Tabbatha Elephant

2008-05-15T09:03:00.002-07:00

Suzie Porker

2008-05-15T09:03:00.001-07:00

Sebastian the Cat

2008-05-15T09:01:00.001-07:00

Hippos

2008-05-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

Hot Rod Octopus

2008-05-15T08:56:00.001-07:00

My First Craft Fair! Car & Truck Show

2008-05-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

Today was my very first craft fair! It was a car and tractor show in Pomona, CA with a small group of craft booths set up on the side. Obviously those old farmers who showed up to drool over vintage John Deere's weren't too interested in buying exotic plush toys, but I got some great experience in setting up my booth and seeing what works and what didn't. Here are the pictures of my set up (click to enlarge). I can't wait to do another!

The Utahraptor

2008-04-30T13:24:00.001-07:00

Raul the White Cat Softie

2008-04-30T07:28:00.001-07:00

Intergalactic Single Parenting

2008-04-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

Flake Nuggests "Evil Eye"

2008-04-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

Whimsy Pig

2008-04-30T07:19:00.000-07:00

The Saddest, Ugliest Sasquatch Alive

2008-04-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

Madge the Camel

2008-04-30T07:15:00.002-07:00

Psychic Kitty

2008-04-30T07:15:00.001-07:00

Llama Lovers

2008-04-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

Frog "Prince"

2008-04-30T07:10:00.001-07:00

Lucky Rabbit's Foot, Unlucky Rabbit

2008-04-30T06:46:00.000-07:00

Alpaca

2008-04-12T17:28:00.001-07:00

Ribbon Horse

2008-04-12T17:25:00.001-07:00

Cats

2008-04-12T17:23:00.001-07:00

Elephants

2008-04-12T17:21:00.001-07:00

"Hot" Dog

2008-04-12T17:20:00.001-07:00

I made this little beauty queen as a "favorite color swap" sponsored by the group plush blog I belong to, The Needle. I sent it to Danielleorama and she was very happy to welcome her to her home. Here's her post.

Alien

2008-04-12T17:19:00.001-07:00

Banana Bread Mouse

2008-03-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

My friend sent me some great banana bread mix. The mix came in a cloth sack so I just had to make a little creation to send her as a thank you gift. I used the sack and one of my old dishrags. This mouse is one of my favorites!

Yellow Crocodile

2008-03-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

I made some red veins around the edges of this guy's eyes - I think they turned out perfectly murderous!

Octopus

2008-03-20T21:36:00.001-07:00

Skunk

2008-03-20T21:35:00.001-07:00

Zebra

2008-03-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

Seal

2008-03-20T21:33:00.001-07:00

Killer Teddy Bear

2008-03-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

Monkey

2008-03-20T19:24:00.000-07:00