New look for a new year?

With all the stuff going on regarding handmade kids products (Help Save Handmade!) and the very real possibility that selling my tutus (and other items I had in the works) will be illegal as of February (purchase a tutu now, folks!), I've been thinking of how to proceed with Zeelightful.

There are so many questions to answer. What do I do with the tutus I have hanging in my closet? What's the best way to recover my cost before February? Do I just hang on to the tutus I have made (which thankfully are not that many) that haven't sold and use them as gifts later? What new products can I make that are not for children under the age of 12? Is it worth it to try and make and sell those products?

See my dilemma? I have decided to make some new products to put up on my Etsy page. That was the plan after all. I have also decided that I need a new, less tutu-centric look. This was also part of the original plan. So now I want some thoughts on the new look. The first photo is just the regular look, the others are variations and banners. I make use of the same colors (pink, yellow, green and orange) just a little more muted. The font is different and I'm personally digging the black and white. Now let me know what you think.

Zizi Blankie for Bug

I will post pictures soon, but today I made a Zizi Blankie for my youngest nephew.

I made a quilt for Monkey when he was born and of course my sister says I have to make one for all her kids.

Monkey's was a bit more detailed because there was a lot more embroidery done (I just couldn't get in the mood to sit and embroider this time around - although losing my job helped me do the stuff I did finish for Bug). Monkey's had...well, monkeys on it and was orange, yellow, blue and green. The back side was all fuzzy green.

Bug's quilt has rockets and a space ship on it and is blue, green and brown with fuzzy blue/green/brown striped fabric on the back. I tried to pick fabrics that were appropriate (jungle looking ones for Monkey's and space-y looking ones for Bug's) and the colors i chose match the blankets my mom crocheted for them.

Monkey named it the Zizi Blankie but he pretty much names everything I make him along those same lines but I have since made him a more grown up blanket (the cars blanket with the Mater pillow) and I'm sure I'll probably do the same for Bug when he gets older.

Gogo and Blinky

I was going to make handmade dolls for my nephews (ages 3 and 10 months) and my sister asked me to try and model them after the Ugly dolls that are in stores right now. This was probably my favorite project. I drew a couple free style patterns to figure out what shapes I wanted and just got to work. The hardest part was figuring out the best way to make the eyes. The easiest part was the fact that because they are Ugly dolls, I could look over any imperfections. In fact, the imperfections make them cuter I think. My nephews loved them, especially the oldest. He immediately gave his doll a big hug and took him on a trip in the car where he named it Gogo then went on to say, "Oh Gogo, I love you." Blinky was named by my BIL, I think it goes well with Gogo. Monkey made sure to tell everyone that Gogo only has one eye. I love that kid. (Sorry, the pictures are backwards, but they are all there.)

Gogo

Blinky was the first, and therefore a little lopsided, but he's supposed to be "ugly," right?

Pre-stuffed Blinky.

Hand painted dolls

I found these cute wooden dolls on Etsy a while back and have been putting them to use. The first set I painted was for a friend's little boy who liked trains. He got Sir Top'em Hat and a train conductor. These were for my niece for Christmas. They are supposed to be me (in the purple) and her (in the pink). She loved them and I was pretty pleased with how they turned out.