How bout them dawgs?

Ok, so really just one "dawg". This toy was a great lesson in humility for me. I've certainly completed more complex designs but for some reason this little bulldog just put me right in my place. I have to be honest, he is not my favorite toy. I think I could have done better. Sometimes the first editions just don't turn out the way I want them, the way I picture them in my head. It's a good reminder that I'm not always in control of these socks and the creatures they become. At times they just have a mind of their own. lol


I've warmed to this little guy the more I look at him, I'm seeing more sweetness and less of my own mistakes. He was ordered by a friend for her daughters friend so he hasn't made it to his final home but I think he will be well loved.

How many clicks does it take

to see the cutest girl owl ever? Just this one!  I just loved the first OWL I made so when one of my dear friends ordered a girly owl I was so excited to make it. And, honestly, I think the end result was so much cuter than I pictured at the start. She is probably my favorite toy at this point, of course as an artist I often love my newest creations the most until the next one. lol


She is so super sweet with her pink body with cream hearts. I love the way the eyelashes worked and I think they give her that extra girly pop!

New New New

I've been so amazingly lucky lately, I've had fabulous clients and opportunities to create a ton of new designs. 

This toy was designed for a special boy with bone cancer. The body of the butterfly is decorated with metallic and plain bones. The blue and white of the wings are colors associated with sarcoma awareness. 

These three toys were created for a baby nursery. They were inspired by the super cute decorations the Mom already has in the room. The fabulous feedback I've received has been wonderful. 

I've added What A Hoot and Hedge Fun to the website.

Animal Party

For this order I was able to dust off a toy design I haven't used in a while, a Dinosaur. While sewing him I worked up a few tweaks to the future design and a whole new style of dino... I can't wait to try it out and see how it turns out!


A blue, spotted Jurassic Party

A fun, bright colored Kitty Kitty

A super sweet fuzzy Cuddly Puppy

The whole adorable crew! :D

Double the cuteness!

I've just finished an order for the two cutest baby girls I have ever seen. They are just perfection and deserved super cute toys. Super squee dragonfly babies.

Aren't they precious? I hope they are much loved just like sweet E & P.

Are you a gleek?

If you don't know what that means then you probably aren't. gleeks are die-hard fans of the popular tv show glee! And this post is for them.


Look what I found last night.....

Supply is definitely limited, right now I have two rainbow and one pink/black. I could go back and grab the remaining ones but there weren't many. So if you want a super rare Sole Mate Glee Toy you need to act soon. :D

"Now I will believe that there are unicorns..."

That line is from The Tempest by William Shakespeare. There may not be unicorns in Arabia but there are unicorns at Sole Mate Toys!  


A very dear friend needed a special toy for a gift but it had to be a unicorn... and purple! I started with my standard horse design but realized it needed some tweaking to be fabulous. So I added a new leg style, a magical horn with glittery thread and long wonderful yarn hair. The sock used is a glittery purple and black design and it came out wonderfully.


The photo really doesn't do it justice. I can't wait to hear how much his new owner loves him. Apparently the recipient has stated she doesn't like sock toys so my friend bought this to prove to her wrong. I hope it works!

Do Androids Dream of Electric (Green) Sheep?

I'm not sure about that but I know I do. And if I can dream it, I can create it... well I can try at least And so, without further ado, let me introduce you to Shirley the Sheep

There would be some changes if I made her again for a client but overall I'm super happy with how she turned out. I think sheep are just adorable and I'm partial to the black faced ones. 

Poodle-rific!

In 2008, a friend requested a sock dog but not my usual dog. She wanted a toy poodle for a family member. It was quite the task and I just knew I would never do it again. 10 hours of looping yarn into fur has that effect on ya. lol


Well another friend recently requested a poodle and I couldn't turn her down. So for the last few weeks I have been in poodleville.


I love the sock and colors she chose. I just adore him/her and I hope his new home loves him just as much as we do here at Sole Mate Toys.

Dipping a sock in the wizarding world

Unless you have been under a rock for the last decade I'm sure you are familiar with the fantastical world of Harry Potter.  This next toy was designed for a very special wizard on the occasion of her 11th birthday.


Her mother, a dear friend of mine, threw the most amazing HP birthday party so I knew I had to draw inspiration from this fabulous series for a gift. No ordinary toy would do. Accio, inspiration!  There are so many amazing and fun characters to choose from that I initially had quite a time deciding on a direction. 


But eventually I decided to take a design I already had an add a bit of magic to it...

And we have Fluffy! Fluffy, as you well know, was set to guard a trap door. Though he has three snarling, vicious heads he can be put to sleep with music. 


I am happy to say that Fluffy was a huge hit. So huge that I have a request for a second Fluffy from another party-goer.

Catching Up

In April I had the pleasure of working for a repeat customer. She once again ordered toys for her four super precious children. I just love the socks and toy styles she chose. Aren't they too cute!

Fuzzy Bunny, Floofy Stripped Kitty , Darling Pink Penguin, and Oh So Squeezable Mini Monkey




Remember, just because you don't see it doesn't mean I can't do it. I love talking to new clients about custom orders!

2011 Back in business

It has been nearly a year since I last blogged and closed our doors to prepare for a move. We have now fully recovered from our move and have re-opened for business.

First on our agenda was to set up the craft/office space for Sole Mate Toys.

Now that we have fabulous storage we have been busy making new friends! In January we ran a 20% off coupon for our facebook fans.  Here are the toys made so far this year.  Penguin, Bat and Ninja Monkey.

 

Temporarily Closed

We are currently closed for new orders. 

We will reopen with exciting new updates soon.

Last holiday monkey

This is the final Christmas monkey for 2009 but I'm sure there will be quite a few more in 2010 :)

Monkeying Around

Tis the season... for monkeys. My last 3 toys have been monkeys and I have one more to make for a holiday order.

A full sized monkey and a smaller one for an american girl doll



Cute lil guy



The organic supplies are in and the contest to pick a name is over and the winning name is.... *drumroll* Earth Mates. Isn't that perfect!?

Here are the organic socks and the organic fluff which is SO soft.

New line coming soon

We are pleased to announce that soon we will be rolling out a new line. Before the end of the year you will have the option of buying a toy from the new organic toy line.

The toys will be made using organic cotton socks and stuffing so they will be as environmentally sweet as they are adorable.

Right now there is a contest on our facebook page to name the new toys, you should go enter for the chance to win a toy. :)

More details coming soon so stay tuned.

A chilly little guy

After hearing "Penguin" suggested more than a few times I decided to try out a proto-type. I don't always get to do a proto-type but I like doing it when I can because it really shows me where I need to make changes and teaks before a customer orders that design. You learn so much making that first toy and I find that I get better with each version of any given design.

There are a few changes I would need to make before I'd send a penguin off to a new family but I still think he is pretty darling.





feel free to let me know what you think and make sure you fan me on facebook.

Latest toys

Here is a quick little picture post to bring you up to date on the most recent toys.

A lizard for a local friend.


Playful kitten


Baby Octo for my friend's little girl


Cool Froggie


Precious Panda

Orders #3 and #4

A kitty for an online friend


And #4 is a very precious Octo that one of our new facebook fans ordered. :)

My first time advertising

I bought ad space on facebook. The ad will run for 2 weeks and made its debut today. So far I have 14 new fans and a new order! Wish me continued success.

Order #2 is done and on its way

Here is a group shot of all four toys in the order.

First website order

I finished the toys for my first official order today. Sadly the pictures are not so great. I need to recharge my batteries and get a better photo set up.

First Orders

It is all so exciting!

First up, a custom horse and turtle.

Followed by a big order of a custom bunny, custom fuzzy pup (socks on order), custom cat and custom monkey.

Well, that'll keep me hoping for a bit. :D

Now THIS is more like it.

It is official. I have a website... a REAL site, with a cart and tons of cool options.

I had the pleasure of hiring and working with a close friend Cara. I cannot recommend her enough. I LOVE my site. Her prices and customer service are unbeatable. You can find her at Cara Creates

So please look around her site and mine, I'd love your feedback.

Look what I've been busy with

Cute turtle face


Puppy


Tooth Pillows


Turtles


Monkeys


Baby Bear


Tooth Monster


Pink Monster


Green Monster


and finally

Some new biz stuff from vista print