peng peng's place

getting dressed!

2012-01-31T07:21:00.002-06:00

we're putting on our duds and will be ready for adoption later todaaaay!

◆ sneak peek: new mini stick bears ◆

2012-01-29T10:36:00.004-06:00

yes ☺ more teensie stick bears are coming! these guys are a wee 3 1/2" tall. any smaller would require string jointing since i'm already using the tiniest hard disc/ cotter pins there is! you are looking at a pair of black mohair on muted green backing and a pair of lovely white/ sable tie dye. i just love making these. they have their ears on and will be ready for adoption quite sooooon :)

have a fun sun-day! ☀

journeys end: dreadlocks

2012-01-28T11:26:00.009-06:00

here's my 6 month progress of natural/ neglect/ free form dreadlocks. i took them out right after these pics were taken- armed with a bottle of conditioner, jojoba oil, a fork and a lot of patience! i managed to detangle 6 months of dreads in a few hours with Rob's help too. it was a cool dreadlock journey and no regrets. it may be hard to see on my dark hair, but i had 3 really solid locks in the back (i called them the 3 musketeers).

at 6 months my hair was starting to dread like crazy, though the sides were taking forever to dread. shoulder length hair was shrinking up to chin-length. crazy swiggles, loops and matted knots forming a calligraphy of it's own. though i loved the wildness and organic changes that were occurring, there were some cons:

my dreads were picking up lint which showed up easily in dark hair, and i was going cross-eyed tweezering it out. it seems unavoidable unless you cover your hair all the time which i'd rather not do.
split ends on old hair, again which showed up easily on dark hair.
the pulling feeling at the scalp on some of my more solid dreads.
dreads getting caught on jackets, seat belts, etc.

ultimately, i felt the dreadlocks just weren't suiting me. so out they went! then i gave myself a hair cut using the ponytail layering method, which works pretty well:

another good ponytail hair cut tutorial here.
self-reliance is what i'm talking about ;)

stay tuned for bear sneak peek tomorroooow! have a great saturday ❈

wee pups couple

2012-01-24T08:32:00.004-06:00

yes, i am still breathing! a lot has happened in one month~ we just returned from our semi-impromtu trip visiting family out east and i took my 6 month dreadlocks out (more on that later). now that we are back, i'm raring to get sewing again! this sweet pair of wee pups i made a while ago (adopted together) but just wanted to show ya :)

i'll be listing some new bears before the end of the month, so stay tuned for sneak peeks too!
have a terrific tuesday ☺☺☺

❄ peace + cheer ❄

2011-12-24T08:53:00.006-06:00

❆ warmest bear + monkey hugs to you and loved ones! ❆
☃

holiday update tomorroooow!

2011-12-19T20:36:00.005-06:00

we are putting on our nosies and ears, being filled with love and sweetness...
the holiday update is tomorrooooow!
time: 6pm central
(4pm pacific/ 5pm mtn/ 7pm eastern)
international friends click here for time conversion.
it will be an intimate update of only a half dozen OOAK bears.

happy holidays! *they are all SOLD, thank you lovely people!

yummy xmas tie dyed mohair

2011-12-17T18:28:00.004-06:00

i adore tie dying because the results are always a surprise. this christmas tie dyed mohair turned out simply amazing.. just as i hoped: strawberry patches mingled in a spring to evergreen forest, with a bit of snow and a few touches of plum. i find it to be a four-seasons color combo, so the 2 sweet bears i am making with it will look fab all year round in any setting.

update announcement to happen very soon! have a relaxing saturday :)

holiday bears in progress!

2011-12-15T08:38:00.002-06:00

i'm working on new *smaller* sized stick bears for my holiday update happening in the next few days! green "holly" was a special order cousin from my pre-holiday bears update, just to show for comparison how small the newer ones are- the white bear is only 3 1/2 inches! giggles!

there will be more sneak peeks posted here as things progress :)

etsy treasury - in a nutshell

2011-12-14T09:41:00.001-06:00

cute treasury featuring Nutello squirrel ePattern!

sock monkey = cozy home

2011-12-10T12:29:00.000-06:00

december greetings! today is the 10th, which is PFATT marketplace update. this magical month i am offering a delightful old pair of real vintage sock monkeys, Frida and Franklin! they are from my personal collection and have lived with me many years... so i can give them a good reference, lol! IMHO sock monkeys add a touch of cozy + whimsy anywhere you put them. some nice examples below (let's play "spot the monkey"!)

i like the metal baskets idea

from Real Simple mag.. monkeys as wall art. a good way to free up shelf space!

Mr. Peppermints, one of my creations, gracing the ribbon wall in Jennifer Murphy's colorful studio. so flattered! :)

have fun decorating your home with beloved sock monkeys!

*stay tuned for my holiday bear update on my web site next week* have a swell weekend!

natalie wood

2011-12-05T18:27:00.000-06:00

holiday sale Nov 25-28th!

2011-11-24T13:06:00.005-06:00

Peng Peng Bears Holiday SALE happening now on my web site! prices marked, enjoy FREE 1st class shipping in USA!

spirit of peace and thanksgiving

2011-11-24T08:13:00.001-06:00

"Her eyes are those of the fawn of the forest, questioning the strange things of civilization upon which it gazes for the first time." -Edward Curtis

November is Native American Heritage Month

may your day be filled with the spirit of peace, healing, generosity, and thanks ♥

seven year granola

2011-11-17T11:22:00.007-06:00

i've been making our own granola for a while now, a very simple recipe with no oil and just sweetened with honey. though Rob enjoyed it, he requested if i could make it with clusters. well, i figured that to get clusters it's gonna have more sugar and oil to make it stick, right? my cluster curiosity was picqued however, and after a google search i stumbled upon "seven year granola" by The Traveler's Lunchbox. it's accompanied by an hilarious story about the "Lip Lady's secret granola" you must read! when i saw cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg, i hit "bookmark". it's the best granola i have made so far... and Rob agrees! recipe here

**the recipe was way to sweet for me (i want granola, not cookies-lol) so i made some adjustments:

increase oats to 3 cups
use half the amount of butter
reduce brown sugar to 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup (could even go to half cup)
add about 1/4 cup of ground flax meal
i went with chopped dates in todays batch

what could be better than the aroma of freshly baked granola on a chilly autumn morning? try not to eat handfuls of it while it cools :)

here they are!

2011-11-11T16:23:00.005-06:00

introducing my new extra mini stick bears... a brand new design! they will be available today on my web site~ a pre-holiday mini listing of sorts. hope you like 'em! have a fun weekend :) SOLD OUT, thank you!

new mini bear design

2011-11-09T19:05:00.005-06:00

my tiniest stick bears yet! i will be unveiling these sweeties in the next day or so! maybe you can see the theme here? 3 are christmas light colors, one is black like coal, and one snowy white :) so far so cute. **** don't forget tomorrow is PFATT marketplace update!

OMG: miniature tree paintings!

2011-11-08T08:33:00.008-06:00

i may be biased, cos the talented gal that did these extraordinary tiny paintings happens to be my best girl friend/ former art college classmate/ cat + dog rescuer ;) she recently opened an etsy shop, Art by Jeanne Hospod, and just stocked it up with new miniature/ micro paintings on canvas + wood. her mini paintings have a grand scale for being so tiny. i'm thinking these tiny tree silhouettes are perfect for:

autumn/ winter decor (mantel, nook, holiday table setting, office, wherever)
displaying with your peng peng bears and owl sculptures
affordable original fine art makes a unique gift
stocking stuffers
displaying as a group
nature and art lovers

i just bought a few for my home and can't wait to receive them. oh, and today happens to be Jeanne's birthday! hope you can pop by and see her art work today!
xoxo

tie dyed doilies

2011-11-06T17:25:00.007-06:00

did everyone remember to set their clocks back today? i woke up this morning at 4:45am and slept in an hour cos it was just too early. i like to get up before sunrise and get the oven going with something fragrant to warm up the house... this morning i made *cinnamon coffee cake (*recipe from my very tattered copy of Vegetarian Nights: Fresh from Hawaii).

next on my to-do list was to dye Rob's old army shirt black. it was gray from when he dyed it black years ago. i also threw in some little sock monkey hats and a doily in the pot. well, the jacket turned out looking the same before i dyed it :( some kind of impervious military material. but not all went to waste... i was delighted to unwrap my delicate 6" square doily and see it transformed from blah white to totally cool black tie dye! here's another neat tie dye i did, orange striped on vintage wide lace doily:

so before you banish those dull doilies to the thrifts, try dying them fun colors! they're usually crochet cotton so they take the dye wonderfully. i used RIT dye for these. look what this gal did... the best prom dress ever (and pretty dreadlocks) :

photo via galapril.com

NEW twilight buddha + oreo

2011-10-29T19:22:00.005-06:00

two new bears have sneaked onto my web site this lovely october evening- twilight buddha bear and oreo stick bear.

something tells me they have sniffed out the candy stash (as evidenced by a few Hershey's Krackel wrappers).

Happy treating!
xoxo

black cloth dolls

2011-10-20T14:49:00.013-06:00

this little gal has been on my shelf a few years now. she's a black sock doll i made, still needing hair and proper clothes to suit her personality.. she's temporarily wearing a white doll nightgown, which kinda goes with halloween. you may recall, i made two other black sock dolls in 2009 for the Soul Mates Sock Monkey update:

i just adore the old black cloth dolls, bottle dolls, sock/ stocking dolls, and rag dolls. they just make me smile with all their charm, quirks and individuality. most of all, the great amount of love and skill that went into them.

this amazing group is from the Hatch Collection of Black cloth dolls. i was oh my god-ing looking through their website.

whats not to love?
(a hint of new things to come ♥)

cats of rome

2011-10-16T17:56:00.011-06:00

happy national feral cat day! i've saved up these photos of the kitties from our Rome trip just for today :) cats are just everywhere i go, lol! i heard about Torre Argentina Roman Cat Sanctuary and made it a point to visit there and was so glad we did. we had a nice long talk with one of the volunteers and said hello to all the cats. the shelter is also a permanent home for a few special-needs cats that were found abandoned.

the adoptable cats are inside the shelter, and the TNR ferals are living outdoors among the ancient city ruins. it was quite a sight to see! all are provided food, care and shelter by dedicated volunteers. Torre Argentina also has a long-distance adoption program to sponsor a cat. thank goodness for cat sanctuaries like this! there are many ways to help the roman kitties, please visit the sanctuary's website www.romancats.com. and tell a friend!

puuuurrrrrrss and hugs xoxo

let's go crazy: $8 any ePattern!

2011-10-11T11:31:00.006-06:00

firstly, thank you special cat people who adopted PFATT cats for ferals yesterday. they have all found homes and are in the mail today. and thanks for the lovely comments about them too, it means a lot to me!

there is such a positive vibe in the air... last night was a glorious full moon, today is an indian summer, and tomorrow is *my birthday*! so to keep the good vibrations going i've done something a little crazy: all ePatterns in my etsy shop ~~are now just $8~~ each! it's an incredible deal considering most of my patterns are really jam packed with info. and i've dusted off PABLITA ePattern.. she is back in the shop after semi-retirement! so let's get sewing for the holidays, no excuses! :) sale has ended, thank you!

PFATT cats to help ferals

2011-10-10T11:12:00.014-06:00

(all are SOLD, thank you! i am accepting a few orders, email me)

hi all! my PFATT Marketplace offering this month is a little different you may notice! i made a quartet of primitive cloth cat dolls from a Netty Lacroix pattern (love her work). i originally made one to hang on my front door, then seeing how lovely it turned out i made a few more to share with you! i think it's a nice way to raise awareness for National Feral Cat day on October 16th. they are just $35 each- proceeds go towards TNR of feral kitties in my neighborhood, like this fella:

here he is. i finally got a picture of the elusive orange male who likes to go poo in my yard! i've tried half a dozen times to trap him. normally i can trap a cat with 2 attempts, so he's been a particularly frustrating case. the crust around his eyes concerns me, but otherwise he looks well-fed and has a nice coat (the well-fed part being why he isn't attracted to my baits, argh). my goal is to have him neutered by Halloween. and i've seen a dark tabby slinking around at night and in the dark of early morning... does it ever end? cross your paws and wish me luck!

to adopt a PFATT cat see my listing today.. on where else, the PFATT marketplace :) miiiiaaooow!

dreadlock 2 month update

2011-10-05T09:21:00.008-06:00

"dreadlock dollz" photograph by rich beer

i love her look, she's like a real-life raggedy ann ♥

many cultures throughout history wore their hair in locks

well here's my progress at 2 months and 5 days! i stopped brushing my hair august 1st. not a radical difference.. then again it's been so gradual to me. there are 2-3 baby dreads forming in the back. the rest of my hair has separated into noodles, and some shrinkage going on in length. i've decided to go the organic, natural route (aka neglect method) to grow dreads instead of making dreads by backcombing, wax (bad, very bad), twist n' rip or other means. the term "neglect" is misleading because i am caring for my hair of course, but rather it refers to just leaving the hair alone to do its thing.

the only maintenance i do is washing with all-natural dr. bronners bar soap (peppermint is my fave) about every 3 days. no products whatsoever. oh, and some separating of sections larger than an inch. clean, residue-free hair makes happy dreads! during this awkward in between stage, for going out i just put it up in a loose hair clip in 1 second or fancy it up with a flower clip hair accessory. it will be interesting to see what happens by Christmas! xoxo

o'weenie wee bear

2011-10-02T16:27:00.009-06:00

why hello little lady. this is "pepper", festively dressed in cotton skirt and bow (all removable). she and some special friends are at collins gifts for the all the creatures were stirring 6th annual artist signing + web show.

aaaand, this just in! yet another sweet etsy treasury featuring...can you guess? blu bobo!