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Mollie Makes U.S. Edition Magazine, Part 2

As if I wasn't over the moon enough to be featured in the Mollie Makes Maker Faire article in the August issue, they decided to do a little profile on me in their October issue#5!

Really grateful and honored. Thanks Mollie Makes! Here it is:

Mollie Makes U.S. Edition Magazine!

Mollie Makes magazine has been one of my absolute favorites since I discovered it a few years ago. Since it's a UK magazine, I only purchased a few as they were quite costly here in the States. But, oh, how I wanted a subscription (over $100 a year if you live in the U.S.)!

Then this last May, I was at my San Francisco Bazaar (formerly called the Bazaar Bizarre) booth at the Maker Faire Bay Area, when a lovely lady named Jann Jones introduced herself. She's the craft editor for the new Mollie Makes U.S. Edition!!! I was so excited that finally we were to have our own version of the magazine. I subscribed immediately ($25 a year for 12 issues, yay)!

And then I got even more excited. I found out that I would be featured in their article about the Maker Faire in August, Issue #3. Thanks Mollie Makes US!

Here's a few pictures from the article:

Those are my flower lariats, deer necklace and plush dolls in the bottom right pictures.

There's me in my gnome hat!

Giraffes in the House

Probably everyone who knows me would say that hedgehogs are my favorite animal. And they would be right. But it's slightly less known that giraffes are my second favorite animal.

Elph's Circus Giraffe Plush

I've been collecting giraffes for a while, as well as lots of other zoo and circus things. When it came time to decorate my son's room, it was easy to decide on zoo and circus as the theme. Sometime I'll post about his room, but here are the giraffes he now has for himself (ok, one or two are on extended loan from me, ha ha).

Gyffy the Giraffe. He's an inflatable Rody riding toy.

Sophie the Giraffe, a natural rubber squeak toy.

Red Giraffe Metal Wall Hook

German Giraffe in a French Hot Air Balloon. He's a little vintage flocked Wagner Kunstlerschutz. 

Pom Pom Animals

When I was little, I remember seeing the cutest little Steiff ladybug in a toy shop. It was made out of pom poms, and I often wondered how it was made. These little guys were called "woolies", and Steiff began producing them in Germany in the 1930s and continued making them until the early 1980s. If you want to read more about them, read this neat article from Steiffgal's blog here.

These are a much older version of the one I saw as a kid. I can't find a picture of the 80s ladybug!

I had been searching around for vintage Steiff toy pictures to pin to my Vintage Toy Pinterest board (yes, I should have been doing something else but looking at pictures is more fun!) when I came across the most amazing Steiff woolie collection that had been auctioned off at Christie's London a few years ago. I am truly amazed by what they could make with pom poms! Here's some pics:

A bird wedding!

So I became super inspired and set out to learn how to make multicolor pom poms. I wanted to be able to make some little "woolies" of my own! I found a tutorial here which really helped. And the result is the little purplish blue birdie at the top of the page. I can't wait to try making more. You know a hedgehog is on my list!

Introducing...JACK LARKIN

Jack Larkin Bowen Finnerty was born in April!

I've made a lot of things, but he was the hardest AND most worth it :)
We love him soooo much!

Snow White and the Seven Photos

I pretty much love all fairytales, not a big surprise there. I like the spooky sad old original versions, like Brothers Grimm, AND the sweet, nice, sugar-coated ones, too. Actually, if I'm going to be super honest, I kinda like the nicey ones most. Yep, even the Disney cartoons. Confession: I love the old Disney cartoons!

I went to the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco recently, and it sparked a whole re-watching of the classics. We started off with Snow White, and, aside from the unbelievably high-pitched sound she makes when she sings, it is a beautiful film. Confession: I love her high-pitched mouse voice, too. It kinda sounds like the mice that sing between scenes in Babe, which I also....love.

I guess I love Snow White so much that I've collected Snow White stuff. Shocking, right?! I know, I know. So here's five pictures of Snow White things I own, and two pictures of Snow White things I want to own.

My original Snow White book from 1938.

Inside cover of my Snow White book. I love the old-style illustration.

My vintage German Snow White bank. It still works and has its original key to open the bottom.

My apple ring I got at H&M!

Vintage Japanese Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

Snow White fabric by Heather Ross. 

My Paper Crane's Snow White cross-stitch pattern. Adorable!!! Buy it here.