Living World Dome Modification Into An Orange Toadstool

I have been wanting to test some new designs for Poggle's Living World dome cover.  I previously made him a short, fat tree dome cover and I was able to duplicate that for a customer, but I wanted to try something new.  It seemed like mushrooms would be a suitable next woodland item  :)

 Here is the finished toadstool dome cover!

 I used orange fleece for the top, white fleece for the stem and dots, and green fleece for the grassy base.

 The underside of the mushroom top is pale yellow flannel.  I have sewn the underside out of triangle wedges so that there are joint lines that mimic the lines under a mushroom top.

 If I had more white fleece, I might have made the whole base white, but I didn't have enough so I just made it green on the base to look like grass.  The underside is green too.

Sometimes limitations are good.  I rather like the green base.  I tried to sew grass strands, but it didn't work out.  I'll have to think about how I might manage that.

What do you think of my new dome cover design?   I wonder if Poggles will like it?

Want one of your own?  Have one custom-made just for you here.

Have a happy day!

Poggle's New Tube

We bought Poggles a 4.5 inch curved PVC tube.  At first, it was hard to convince him it was a good idea.

 He went into the tube, but he didn't get it.

He just sat there and looked around.

He even gave me his miserable face!

But then he discovered that it was fun to turn around in it.

He could go out one side.

 And then come back on the other side.

 He even ventured out of the tube and slid down the side of the quilt.  That was fun too, so he made a couple trips up and down his "slide".

 Then he would go back to the tube and turn around in it, round and round.  Funny boy.

Finally, he found some clothes to burrow under, made himself a nest, and settled down for a good, long nap. What a fun day!

Zombie Bunnies

Just when you thought zombies were out of my system, I present to you my ZOMBIE ORIGAMI BUNNIES!

Yes, yes, origami - that delicate Asian art -  has just been zombified.  

And I love it!  They look great in random herds wandering around my desk.

Get yours today.  They're the special item of the day in the Blue Pandemonium Summer Sale.

Summer Sale on Now!

Come get some origami elephants, bunnies, and other goodies for ridiculously good prices at Blue Pandemonium.  If you're planning a party and need some decorations, now's the time to get them.  Origami elephants are only $1-$1.50 each!  They're usually about $2.75 - $3.25 each!  


I'll be posting some PIF steals over the next while too, so keep an eye out for them.  

Today's deal is a set of 21 random origami elephants for only $10.  That works out to less than 50 cents per rabbit!  Give these little bunnies a new home today!


Enjoy your summer!

Sewing Adventures

I've been sewing like a mad woman... so mad, in fact, that I sewed over my finger - OUCH!  One second I was pushing fabric through and then BAM!  My finger is under the machine and the needle is through my nail.  Ugh...

I will spare you any gory details, but I got it checked out and it is healing fine.  I just have to be more careful now.  My sweetie bought me some metal finger tip protectors and I started wearing those when I sew.  Now I'll only break needles, not skin.  Psh, and I used to think breaking a needle was bad...

I have been having a good time sewing though.  It's nice to be on summer break.  Here are some of the things I have been making.

First up, lots of fleece pouches!  This is a custom order I made for someone.  He wanted five in solid colours.

These are two lovely fleece pouches made from a delightful fleece called "lambskin fleece".  The customer wanted purple and she mentioned liking lambskin so it seemed like a perfect fit.  Unfortunately, then she got allergic to her hedgehog and gave her away.  So I put them into my Etsy shop.

If they weren't purple, I would have kept them for Poggles.  However, his theme colours are manly green and brown  :D

A sweet gal asked me to make her a carrying pouch for a boy hedgehog so this blue fleece pouch came about. 

Except then I went to the fabric store and I found a super cute hedgehog print flannel.  It was so cute I had to buy it.  Precious Moments fleece was on sale so I got that too.  When I showed her pictures of this pouch, she had to have it and got this one instead.  

I made two and I sold that one quickly too.

I ran out of the Precious Moments fleece so I used some brown polar fleece that I had.  It went so well with the red and white dots fabric handles!  I sold two of these too.

Then I had a most delightful surprise.  Someone contacted me about making a duplicate of Poggle's tree dome cover.  I've been wanting to clone it for a while now, so this was perfect.

I couldn't find the brown corduroy that I had used for Poggle's dome, but this dark brown polar fleece seemed like a perfect substitute.  It came out really nice.  I was so pleased.

Then I made a carrying pouch using some of my Robert Kaufman designer flannel.  That stuff is expensive!  It's so soft and wonderful though.  I love it.

I'm honestly thinking of keeping this one for Poggles.  If no one buys it, I might make it his new carrying pouch.  

Some cars, boats, and planes flannel came in the mail so I used it to make this sleeping pouch,

and I sewed some dinosaur flannel pieces together to make this carrying pouch.  Who doesn't love dinosaurs, right?

So that about sums up most of what I have been doing lately in the sewing department.  I'm glad that I have the time to sew right now.

If you would like to buy any of the above items, you'll find some of them in my Etsy shop.  Hurry if you have a favourite because they seem to be selling quickly.

Have a great day!

Poor Cool Bug

My sister decided to stain the front porch today (at night).  With porch lights on as well as two indoor stand lights, she's a bright beacon for mosquitos and other insects to navigate towards.  Suddenly,  a large bug hit her back.  Aaggh!

It turned out to be a ten-lined June beetle.  She immediately called me over to take a look (since I like interesting bugs).  I took some pictures to show you.

It's a greenish brown colour on the shell with cream stripes with dark outlines. 

 The antennae are a lovely reddish brown colour and very large.

It is also called a Watermelon Beetle, probaby due to its watermelon-like appearance.

 I think it was stunned from crashing into my sister, or maybe my flash blinded him.  Either way, he stayed put for the photos.

 I took a few more pics and went away.  Suddenly, my sister called me again.  "Oh no!" she cried.  "Something terrible happened!  I was painting and I stepped back when I heard a CRUNCH!"

Oh no... The beetle had moved to the middle of the porch.  It was still alive, but it was leaking.  Ugh... I folded a little paper box and put him inside of it.  

Now the paper box is sitting on my succulent plants.  I wanted to give him the chance to fly away in case he survives.  I am not so sure he will though.  He was leaking a lot from the back.  

Poor, poor beetle!

Hedgehog and Small Animals Tutorials - Sewing and more!

To keep things organized, here are some of the tutorials available for making cool things for your hedgehog (or other small animal).  Please note that these tutorials are for you to make things for your own personal use, not to sell.

Summer Flannel Pita Pouch - perfect for hot weather and more airflow, also fits perfectly into your dome.

Fleece Pouch (8 x 10 rectangle) - perfect for sleeping in, snuggling, hiding, burrowing... you get the gist  :)

Quilted Fleece Top for Fleece Pouches - use up those fleece squares and make your pouches awesome!

Poggy's Special Inside-Out Pouch - a modification of the rectangular fleece pouches into a reversible holiday & non-holiday pouch

Fleece Pouch (10.5 x10.5 inches square) - perfect for converting into a carrying pouch!

Flat Bottomed Carrying Pouch (10.5 x 8 x 3 inches) - perfect for making into a flat bottom carrying pouch!

Carrying Pouch Straps - ties a cute bow stylishly around the side of your neck.  Why not cuddle with your hedgehog and look good too?

Tree Dome Cover - very general instructions for how to make a cosy for your Living World dome that looks like a short, fat tree.

Fleece Cage Liners - washable, reusable bedding for your little friend!

Start a Mealworm Colony - keep your store-bought mealworms fresh and tasty (aka FAT) by keeping them in dry oatmeal and giving them a carrot each week.  If you're lucky, your colony will become self-sustaining!

Hedgehog Dolls - just purchase the PDF from my shop and you're well on your way to two adorable new little friends.  The instructions are 14 pages and include 39 photos with step-by-step instructions.

Hedgie Hat - available as an instant PDF download from my shop.  The instruction are 11 pages and include photos and the template for the reversible hedgie hat.  The mushroom decoration templates are not included, but the instructions for how to make them are.

Don't forget to post finished pictures of your projects on the Flickr page here or email them to me bluepandemonium (at) hotmail (dot) com.

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