“I first started making little plush toys for friends when I was studying at university,” Rabbit recalled in an interview with AG Gallery. “My interest in textiles grew from there and I began experimenting with embroidery and 3D felt techniques.”

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Her handmade figures draw on the tradition of embroidery, doll-making, patchwork, and textile design. “I like to devise new characters all the time!” admits Rabbit. “I get an idea in my head or sketch something out and am not satisfied until I work it up into a 3D character.” The finished result appeals to both adults and children.

“I like my work to engage a wide audience, so there are elements that appeal to young children and also an older generation,” she notes. “My main objective when creating new work for exhibition is to incite feelings of comfort, joy, and nostalgia – when I make a piece that encapsulates all of these elements, I am satisfied with the work!”

Aside from her soft sculptures, Rabbit also makes books for children and other fantastical artworks with her collaborator and good pal Isobel Knowles under the name Soft Stories. Follow her Instagram page for more:

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A post shared by cat_rabbit (@cat_rabbit)

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A post shared by cat_rabbit (@cat_rabbit)

The post Cat Rabbit’s Plush Toys Aren’t Meant to Be Played With appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“My work is a bit retro, twisted, fun, colorful, nerdy, and cute (but in questionable taste),” she relayed in an interview with Frankie. “Luckily I usually make what I want. And I hope my work can make people smile!”

Amongst her more notable creations are her soft sculptures (but don’t call them toys!) featuring realistic and imagined creatures. Those have been exhibited in galleries in the US, Australia, and Japan, and are featured in books and magazines, as well as commissioned for Adobe Creative Cloud event in NYC, and a New York Times web campaign.

“It takes a long time to make a needle-felted piece,” Mizushima admits, “especially for me (I’m a slow crafter). It has also crippled me! (Seriously, I have been having a problem in my shoulder and arm for months!)” Some of her felt creations and prints can be found on her Etsy shop.

Other than her sculptures, Mizushima has also been commissioned for many music videos for the band They Might Be Giants, and has made miniature collages for several book covers in Japan. “When I started to work on my second stop-motion music video for They Might Be Giants in 2007, I needed to make needle-felted characters and props for the first time,” she recalled. “That’s when I found out that I really love to make 3D stuff with wool fibre, so I started making more, and then I opened my Etsy shop. If I hadn’t got the video job, I probably wouldn’t have started needle-felting.”

Take a look at some of her work in the gallery below:

The post The Soft Sculptures of Hiné Mizushima appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“My shop started when my daughter was born,” recalled Bream in an interview with the Etsy blog. “I had a desire to rid her room of anything that wasn’t natural (any polyester, plastic, etc.).  I was looking for something beautiful in its simplicity and innocence, and I wanted to accentuate that with colorful accessories. With that in mind, and with a nostalgic nod to my own childhood (perhaps in an attempt to bring old, faded memories back to life), Colette Bream was born.”

Nowadays Bream divides her energy between her business and her daughter. “Although she loves being around while I work, being a mom is my priority,” she notes. “Time goes by so fast and I consider myself lucky to be able to be home every day and watch her grow. I cherish taking our daily walks together and seeing the world through her eyes.”

Her daughter also provides an endless source of inspiration, when it comes to her artistic creations. “Imaginative play is such an important part of one’s childhood — that’s why I strive to create things that are inspiring to others,” she says. “For example: a cloud. A whole story can be created around a simple cloud. You can hang it up on your wall and start pretending, making up stories and imagining.”

Nature is also a huge source of inspiration for Bream, as well as her own childhood. “I was always a dreamer as a child and even now children’s aesthetics are very enticing to me as an adult,” she admits.

The post Colette Bream Makes Wonderful Wooly Friends appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“I couldn’t afford to buy her anything, but I hoped to make up for it with my time,” she writes on her website. “I decided to learn how to embroider so I could make her a set of three owl dolls to play with.” She soon found out that it was difficult to find contemporary embroidery patterns that weren’t overly simplistic, let alone embroidered doll patterns. And so, she ended up designing her own. “As I was making Madeleine’s owls, I became fascinated with embroidery: the vibrant colors, the countless variety of stitches, the calming effect it had on me,” she writes.

After several years of improving her embroidery skills – and a ton of design work – Kiriki Press was born. “It was developed in the hopes of giving others the chance to make something precious with their own hands,” writes Galletta. As such the company produces D.I.Y. embroidery kits, screenprints, and other goods, meant to pass onwards her nifty designs.

Aside from making a small splash on social media (Kiriki Press’s Instagram page alone has thousands of followers), the company has been featured in publications like Canadian Living, Chatelaine, Bust Magazine, Homespun, as well as many other print publications and craft blogs.

Here are some of our favorite designs:

The post Michelle Galletta Will Teach You How to Embroider the Cutest Designs appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Donnachaidha Ó Chionnaigh is a graphic designer and video editor who found himself in front of an unusual challenge right before Christmas. Since his nephews and nieces didn’t want gifts for Christmas, only cash, he thought about finding a way to pack it in an unusual and memorable way. He designed the “packaging” inspired by old-school toys and the way they were packed. He put the cash inside little plastic boxes and glued them to the rest of the package.

We think this is awesome and that it’s definitely the thought that counts, plus the kids got exactly what they wanted for Christmas!

The post Uncle Makes Creative Packaging for Cash Inspired by Old School Toys appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Yastrezhembovskaya has two kids and one day she came across some toys that were made from wool. At that moment she got inspired to try and make something herself.

“My first toy wasn’t nearly as pretty, it was rather funny,” the artist said. “But I enjoyed the process so much that I kept trying. I was felting during my free time, even at night, and I got better with each toy I made.”

What started out as a hobby grew into a business and the artist is now selling her adorable felted animals on Etsy. One of the most popular toys she’s created is an adorable bat, that the artist first created for her daughter. Yastrezhembovskaya puts so much love and effort into every single toy and she needs 12 to 14 days to finish only one bat toy.

“Wool is a very gentle and cozy material for me. When I sort the fibers between my fingers, when I shape them with a needle—I put my soul into each toy”, she said.

Take a look at her adorable creatures in the photos below.

The post Russian Artist Creates Realistic Animals From Wool appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“I always wanted to be an artist of some sort,” admitted the Bristol-based artist in an interview with Lecture in Progress. “I contemplated being a musician for a while; I always loved Jazz and I played trumpet in a lot of bands, but I was never that great and didn’t love it the way I did with visual art. My mum was always very creative; she does a lot of textiles work now but she used to draw beautifully, which of course had a big impact.”

“Wanting to be an illustrator came from drawing comics and creating dense stick-figure battles with my best friend at school,” he added. “We would do these pretty much every day from the age of nine until about seventeen.”

He went on to study illustration in Brighton, saying that he “loved it to bits.” Check out some of his unique creations in the gallery below.

The post Ed Cheverton’s Art Is Silly, Playful, and Altogether Endearing appeared first on PlayJunkie.

We’re amazed by all the details and the effort she puts into her work. Our favorite thing is that they can stand on their own, so it’s no wonder people are crazy about them and they sell out so quickly.

You absolutely should follow her on Instagram to see her future work. For now, scroll down and enjoy our favorite toys.

The post These Plush Toys Dressed as Humans Are Simply Adorable appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“I’ve always had a serious love of all things quirky, dog-eared and a little bit ‘wrong’ looking,” Kim says.

Edinburgh-based artist sells her creations on Etsy, where nearly 12,000 people have put her shop into their list of favorites. When you see how cute her characters are, you won’t be surprised.

Scroll down and have fun browsing!

The post We’re in Love with Poosac Handmade Toys! appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“I first started making little plush toys for friends when I was studying at university,” Rabbit recalled in an interview with AG Gallery. “My interest in textiles grew from there and I began experimenting with embroidery and 3D felt techniques.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by cat_rabbit (@cat_rabbit)

Her handmade figures draw on the tradition of embroidery, doll-making, patchwork, and textile design. “I like to devise new characters all the time!” admits Rabbit. “I get an idea in my head or sketch something out and am not satisfied until I work it up into a 3D character.” The finished result appeals to both adults and children.

“I like my work to engage a wide audience, so there are elements that appeal to young children and also an older generation,” she notes. “My main objective when creating new work for exhibition is to incite feelings of comfort, joy, and nostalgia – when I make a piece that encapsulates all of these elements, I am satisfied with the work!”

Aside from her soft sculptures, Rabbit also makes books for children and other fantastical artworks with her collaborator and good pal Isobel Knowles under the name Soft Stories. Follow her Instagram page for more:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by cat_rabbit (@cat_rabbit)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by cat_rabbit (@cat_rabbit)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by cat_rabbit (@cat_rabbit)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by cat_rabbit (@cat_rabbit)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by cat_rabbit (@cat_rabbit)

The post Cat Rabbit’s Plush Toys Aren’t Meant to Be Played With appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“My work is a bit retro, twisted, fun, colorful, nerdy, and cute (but in questionable taste),” she relayed in an interview with Frankie. “Luckily I usually make what I want. And I hope my work can make people smile!”

Amongst her more notable creations are her soft sculptures (but don’t call them toys!) featuring realistic and imagined creatures. Those have been exhibited in galleries in the US, Australia, and Japan, and are featured in books and magazines, as well as commissioned for Adobe Creative Cloud event in NYC, and a New York Times web campaign.

“It takes a long time to make a needle-felted piece,” Mizushima admits, “especially for me (I’m a slow crafter). It has also crippled me! (Seriously, I have been having a problem in my shoulder and arm for months!)” Some of her felt creations and prints can be found on her Etsy shop.

Other than her sculptures, Mizushima has also been commissioned for many music videos for the band They Might Be Giants, and has made miniature collages for several book covers in Japan. “When I started to work on my second stop-motion music video for They Might Be Giants in 2007, I needed to make needle-felted characters and props for the first time,” she recalled. “That’s when I found out that I really love to make 3D stuff with wool fibre, so I started making more, and then I opened my Etsy shop. If I hadn’t got the video job, I probably wouldn’t have started needle-felting.”

Take a look at some of her work in the gallery below:

The post The Soft Sculptures of Hiné Mizushima appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“My shop started when my daughter was born,” recalled Bream in an interview with the Etsy blog. “I had a desire to rid her room of anything that wasn’t natural (any polyester, plastic, etc.).  I was looking for something beautiful in its simplicity and innocence, and I wanted to accentuate that with colorful accessories. With that in mind, and with a nostalgic nod to my own childhood (perhaps in an attempt to bring old, faded memories back to life), Colette Bream was born.”

Nowadays Bream divides her energy between her business and her daughter. “Although she loves being around while I work, being a mom is my priority,” she notes. “Time goes by so fast and I consider myself lucky to be able to be home every day and watch her grow. I cherish taking our daily walks together and seeing the world through her eyes.”

Her daughter also provides an endless source of inspiration, when it comes to her artistic creations. “Imaginative play is such an important part of one’s childhood — that’s why I strive to create things that are inspiring to others,” she says. “For example: a cloud. A whole story can be created around a simple cloud. You can hang it up on your wall and start pretending, making up stories and imagining.”

Nature is also a huge source of inspiration for Bream, as well as her own childhood. “I was always a dreamer as a child and even now children’s aesthetics are very enticing to me as an adult,” she admits.

The post Colette Bream Makes Wonderful Wooly Friends appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“I couldn’t afford to buy her anything, but I hoped to make up for it with my time,” she writes on her website. “I decided to learn how to embroider so I could make her a set of three owl dolls to play with.” She soon found out that it was difficult to find contemporary embroidery patterns that weren’t overly simplistic, let alone embroidered doll patterns. And so, she ended up designing her own. “As I was making Madeleine’s owls, I became fascinated with embroidery: the vibrant colors, the countless variety of stitches, the calming effect it had on me,” she writes.

After several years of improving her embroidery skills – and a ton of design work – Kiriki Press was born. “It was developed in the hopes of giving others the chance to make something precious with their own hands,” writes Galletta. As such the company produces D.I.Y. embroidery kits, screenprints, and other goods, meant to pass onwards her nifty designs.

Aside from making a small splash on social media (Kiriki Press’s Instagram page alone has thousands of followers), the company has been featured in publications like Canadian Living, Chatelaine, Bust Magazine, Homespun, as well as many other print publications and craft blogs.

Here are some of our favorite designs:

The post Michelle Galletta Will Teach You How to Embroider the Cutest Designs appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Donnachaidha Ó Chionnaigh is a graphic designer and video editor who found himself in front of an unusual challenge right before Christmas. Since his nephews and nieces didn’t want gifts for Christmas, only cash, he thought about finding a way to pack it in an unusual and memorable way. He designed the “packaging” inspired by old-school toys and the way they were packed. He put the cash inside little plastic boxes and glued them to the rest of the package.

We think this is awesome and that it’s definitely the thought that counts, plus the kids got exactly what they wanted for Christmas!

The post Uncle Makes Creative Packaging for Cash Inspired by Old School Toys appeared first on PlayJunkie.

Yastrezhembovskaya has two kids and one day she came across some toys that were made from wool. At that moment she got inspired to try and make something herself.

“My first toy wasn’t nearly as pretty, it was rather funny,” the artist said. “But I enjoyed the process so much that I kept trying. I was felting during my free time, even at night, and I got better with each toy I made.”

What started out as a hobby grew into a business and the artist is now selling her adorable felted animals on Etsy. One of the most popular toys she’s created is an adorable bat, that the artist first created for her daughter. Yastrezhembovskaya puts so much love and effort into every single toy and she needs 12 to 14 days to finish only one bat toy.

“Wool is a very gentle and cozy material for me. When I sort the fibers between my fingers, when I shape them with a needle—I put my soul into each toy”, she said.

Take a look at her adorable creatures in the photos below.

The post Russian Artist Creates Realistic Animals From Wool appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“I always wanted to be an artist of some sort,” admitted the Bristol-based artist in an interview with Lecture in Progress. “I contemplated being a musician for a while; I always loved Jazz and I played trumpet in a lot of bands, but I was never that great and didn’t love it the way I did with visual art. My mum was always very creative; she does a lot of textiles work now but she used to draw beautifully, which of course had a big impact.”

“Wanting to be an illustrator came from drawing comics and creating dense stick-figure battles with my best friend at school,” he added. “We would do these pretty much every day from the age of nine until about seventeen.”

He went on to study illustration in Brighton, saying that he “loved it to bits.” Check out some of his unique creations in the gallery below.

The post Ed Cheverton’s Art Is Silly, Playful, and Altogether Endearing appeared first on PlayJunkie.

We’re amazed by all the details and the effort she puts into her work. Our favorite thing is that they can stand on their own, so it’s no wonder people are crazy about them and they sell out so quickly.

You absolutely should follow her on Instagram to see her future work. For now, scroll down and enjoy our favorite toys.

The post These Plush Toys Dressed as Humans Are Simply Adorable appeared first on PlayJunkie.

“I’ve always had a serious love of all things quirky, dog-eared and a little bit ‘wrong’ looking,” Kim says.

Edinburgh-based artist sells her creations on Etsy, where nearly 12,000 people have put her shop into their list of favorites. When you see how cute her characters are, you won’t be surprised.

Scroll down and have fun browsing!

The post We’re in Love with Poosac Handmade Toys! appeared first on PlayJunkie.