Life with Toys

Tickled my funny bone

2009-11-04T16:18:00.004-06:00

A friend of Chris's sent him a video called the annoying orange. It is a very funny animation that looks sort of like the thumb movies. Anyway I thought the video was hilarious so I thought I would share it as well as another video by the same people. Why is food humour so hilarious?

Enjoy!

-grumbletoy

Winnipeg Comic Con

2009-11-04T15:51:00.004-06:00

This past weekend was the comic convention here in Winnipeg. Thanks to everyone that came over to the Grumble Toy table. It is always nice to meet new people and to see old friends that we haven't seen in awhile. I wasn't able to be there this year because of school but I will be there next year in full force. All in all, this years comic con was a huge success and both Chris and I are looking forward to next year!

I always enjoy comic con because it is fun to meet our customers in person and it is also an amazing time for people watching! People dress up in some pretty crazy and elaborate costumes, especially when comic con is held near Halloween.
Here are some pictures of our booth. I think that Chris did a really great job on the booth this year. It is always hard to display the Japanese toys because they all come in little plastic bags. So we have to be a bit creative to make our table look organized.

-grumble toy

Canada Day Craft show

2009-07-02T17:31:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Chris and I celebrated Canada Day in Osborne village, selling our wares at an outdoor craft-show. We couldn't have asked for a better day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Osborne village was a total gong show though. It was a constant rush of people all day. Here is a picture of me posing at our table before the madness began.

We also celebrated the occasion by painting up a special Canada Day Wormrah! Bright, glossy red back and a pearly white chest.

-grumbletoy

Manmorah!

2009-06-12T13:02:00.004-05:00

The newest toy designed by Grumble Toy has arrived from Japan!
Manmorah is the product of asking "what if our pet lizard Baxter was crossed with a woolly mammoth?" He was sculpted by our friend Amapro from a drawing that I made. Chris and I are both very happy with the job that he did. All of the details are amazing. I especially like how Amapro sculpted the hair.

Manmorah is the second toy designed by Grumble Toy and I hope that there are many more in the future. You can find more info and pictures of Manmorah on the Grumble Toy blog and flickr.

.....weird!

2009-05-08T17:58:00.006-05:00

So Chris and I were in Toronto last week and we had a really fun time despite the cooler weather. We did a few touristy things like going to the art gallery and to the zoo. One of the highlights at the Ontario art gallery is a piece donated by Evan Penny. The piece was a super realistic stretched out face that was larger than life size. It looked so creepy! The pictures on his website don't do it justice but I recommend checking it out anyway.
In one of the stores in Toronto we came across this picture in a free newspaper full of drawings. I don't know who drew it so I can't give them credit but it really tickled my funny bone because it looks like caricatures of Chris and I. Weird!

In other news, I made a new toy this week, the forest sprite. I just recently purchased the pink fabric and I was very excited to make something out of it.

Have a good weekend! ^_^
-Grumble Toy

Blythe

2009-04-13T13:58:00.009-05:00

I have wanted a Blythe for quite some time and recently bought one off the internet with the intent of customizing it. There is nowhere in Winnipeg that sells Blythe so I haven't seen many in person. I was quite surprised by the size of the doll. Much bigger than I had remembered from seeing one in Toronto a long time ago.
The doll that I bought is from the American line Ashton Drake Galleries. It is the Pleasant Peasant edition. The ADG Blythe dollsare reproductions of some of the originals that were released in 1972. I bought the Pleasant Peasant because I liked that she had side-parted blonde hair.
I customized the doll a little bit though I didn't go crazy. I was afraid of taking apart the head because I wasn't sure if I would be able to get it back together. So everything I did to the doll I did without taking it apart.
I gave it new eye-chips, new eyelashes, sand-matted the face and put on new make-up. I also added a few freckles. Changing the eye-chips and sand-matting the face was a snap. However, I had a heck of a time with the eyelashes! They were very stubborn about coming out!
I still have to make my Blythe some new clothes. I borrowed some clothes from my Takiyaje doll to take the photos. I am thinking I will probably make some jeans and a shirt for her.

Here are the pictures of the finished product......

And one more close up shot to show off her freckles :)

-Grumble Toy

Grumble Toy Toys

2009-04-13T09:51:00.007-05:00

A new version of Grumble Toy's Wormrah was released last week. Chris and I are really happy with the way it turned out. We named it the Candy edition because it is a bright candy coloured pink and green. It is painted on milky white vinyl which has a nice semi-translucent quality to it.
And that' not all! There is more exciting news in the world of Grumble Toy. Chris and I have a new toy coming out in the next couple of months. I won't give away too much yet but here is a little sneak peak.
{ There are a few hints on flickr ;) }

It is going to be substantially larger than Wormrah.....

New favorite

2009-02-25T17:20:00.008-06:00

Hello everyone!
It is still cold and dreary in Winnipeg but I have found something to brighten my day. The other day I came across a website that has become a fast favorite of mine. The website is called Zooborns and it is dedicated entirely to talking about baby animals born in zoos around the world.
If you are an animal lover I recommend you check it out as there are many cute pictures to browse through.
I will leave you with a few of my favorites.....

-grumbletoy

The Wolfman

2009-01-25T10:44:00.007-06:00

Meet my newest creation ...... the Wolfman!
I made him for a friends birthday but I quite like how it turned out so I am sure there will be more of him in the future. I named him the wolfman because he stands on two feet like a person. He is made of wool felt and he has felt eyes. His nose is stitched with light pink embroidery thread.
We took a few photos of him outside but it was -40 with the windchill so the photo shoot was brief!
I would like to start making dolls and animals that wear clothes soon. I have a few ideas brewing in my head but I just need to actually sit down and work out the patterns.

- grumbletoy

Carousel Horse

2009-01-16T17:14:00.003-06:00

This week the Bay in downtown Winnipeg was selling off some of their old display merchandise. There was a lot of junk and some real treasures to pick through. The Bay downtown has been around for a very long time and it is definitely treasure trove of old junk. Chris and I picked up an old carousel horse at the sale. Unfortunately, the Bay painted over the original paint with gaudy gold paint but it will make for a fun project to restore it to its former glory. I am looking forward to painting it!
My Dad bought the other horse that I am standing with. We are planning on painting them together.
The horses are really big so it should keep us busy for awhile. :)

What is the point of Droyden?

2008-12-21T15:43:00.003-06:00

So I was surfing the internet today and I came across a new blog site called Droyden. Many of my blog posts are on this site and they all say written by Droyden.

What the heck?
What is Droyden and why are they stealing other peoples blog posts?

Super Lucky Cat

2008-12-20T11:45:00.004-06:00

I have a small collection of lucky cats in my home. I love them!
I am always on the lookout for unique ones that I don't have.
There is one lucky cat in particular that I have wanted for quite some time now. The Asahi Super lucky cat.
There is one on display at one of the Japanese food stores in the city. I tried to buy it from them but it was not for sale. 'sigh'

Someday you will be mine super lucky cat........someday.....

Hi all

2008-12-20T10:41:00.003-06:00

Winter is here and it has been very cold the past week or so. Chris and I have mostly been staying inside where it is warm and cozy.
Though last Sunday, we decided to walk to the grocery store just a couple blocks away to get some groceries. Big mistake!! It was -50 with the windchill and 3 blocks felt like 3 miles. My bananas turned black because of the cold!
So now we just stay inside and play nintendo...

Despite all of my nintendo playing, I have also managed to sew a few new toys in the past couple of weeks. Here is one that I sewed for a couple of friends. I made it with felt eyes so that it is safe for babies.
His name is little shadow and he is a shy and suspicious little fellow. He is also a friendly chap though, and with a bit of patience (and some chocolate), he can become a sweet, adoring little companion.

Little squirrel buddy

2008-10-26T21:01:00.008-05:00

Chris and I met this cute little guy when we were out on a walk near our home. He was digging around the grass picking up sunflower seeds that had dropped from a nearby bird feeder. Chris and I excitedly rushed home and came back equipped with both a camera and some timothy hay cubes.

The gray squirrel wasn't very impressed with our offering and soon went back to digging around for seeds. This little red squirrel on the other hand quite happily ran off with a big hay cube.

So cute.

Cordially Yours Craft show

2008-10-25T15:46:00.004-05:00

Hi Everyone,
Chris and I have been quite busy lately. I am still trying to keep up with making crafts and handmade toys, though I haven't been as productive lately as I would like. I have still been making some toys though....just haven't been taking any pictures and blogging about them. :P
But I promise soon there will be more photos of the all of the projects that Chris and I have been up to.
In September we were at the Cordially Yours Craft show at the Lo Pub here in Winnipeg. We had a lot of fun and met a lot of really nice people.
In December we will be at the Ain't Your Gramma's Craft Sale at the Park Theatre on Osborne st. in Winnipeg. I am really excited about the show and I am already dreaming up new toy designs that I could make.

I will leave you now with a few pictures from the Cordially Yours show:

Hi

2008-09-18T21:45:00.005-05:00

Sorry the posts have been a tad sparse lately.
The craft show at the Lo pub that Chris and I participated in was a blast....though there was a pretty poor turn out. It was cold and rainy that day and I think that deterred a lot of people from coming out. However, despite the poor turnout we did meet quite a few nice people and fellow craftsters.
I made a new plush character that made its debut at the craft show. His name is Tom and he is of course a little tomcat. He has a tough demeanor but a heart of gold. ^-^
Chris and I are really looking forward to the Winnipeg Comic- Con. I am hoping to have a few more plush characters made by then...but we'll see. I just started a new job and therefore have had less time to dedicate to sewing.

I'm still here :)

2008-08-18T15:07:00.003-05:00

I just realized today that it has been quite awhile since I have posted on the blog. Chris and I have a craft show coming up very soon and we have been busy getting some handmade goodies ready. I have been working on a few new gocco prints but I have not taken any photos of them. We also plan on having some prints of some of our favorite toy photos that we have taken.

I am really excited about the show and have completed some new plush characters and hope to finish some more! We have done conventions before but this will be the first time that we are doing a craft show and selling stuff that we made. I think it should be a lot of fun.
I'll keep you updated and make sure that we take pictures of our craft show setup.

This Game Rules!

2008-07-30T14:11:00.006-05:00

I really love this little game.
Give it a try....though I must warn you it is very addictive!

Newest mini Bonhommes

2008-07-22T19:16:00.003-05:00

Meet the newest mini Bonohommes

Amazing!

2008-07-17T14:20:00.013-05:00

I just came across this today and I am really excited about it. I am a collector of good luck cats and love finding new and unique ones to add to my collection. What makes these good luck cats unique is that they are made entirely out of paper!!!!
I can hardly believe it!
They are available for free download here. There are also free instructions available for download to help you put them together. There are a number of animals and other models to choose from as well, such as this beagle and dragon.

I think I am going to have to try this out.
I'll let you know if it works!

Wolfie

2008-07-11T13:38:00.006-05:00

Just wanted to share my latest creation with you all.
His name is Wolfie and he is a very funny, fuzzy little guy. He is made of wool felt and he has glass eyes, glass nose and handmade polymer clay teeth.
He was a lot of fun to make and I think he might be one of my submissions to this years PlushYou show in Seattle.

I am still not completely decided what I will make for my other 2 submissions to PlushYou. I do have a few ideas though and I will definitely post pictures of the finished products.
Hope that you all have a good weekend!

Minneapolis

2008-07-02T18:30:00.006-05:00

Chris and I just got back from a quick trip to Minneapolis. We were only there for a few days but still managed to see and do a lot of cool things. One of the first things that we did was check out the Walker art gallery. I have been dying to go back to the Walker for quite some time now. We don't really have any galleries like it in Winnipeg so I always look forward to going there.
I must say though that I was a little disappointed in the Walker gallery this time. There wasn't as much art that I was interested in compared to other times that I have visited the gallery. It was still fun to go though.

Here are a couple of pictures of Chris and I posing outside in the Walker art galleries sculpture garden.
One of the highlights of the trip was the aquarium in the basement of the Mall of America. There is a tunnel through the aquarium, so it felt like the fish were swimming all around us. It was really neat. I think it was the best thing that we saw at the mall.
We also checked out uptown. There are a lot of really cool shops in that end of Minneapolis. Two of our favorites were the Soo gallery and the toy store Robot Love.

My Takiyaje doll

2008-06-25T12:08:00.009-05:00

Well, my Takiyaje doll arrived in Canada and it is just as beautiful in person as in the photos! I am so amazed at Lubov's attention to detail. She is truly a gifted doll maker.

The doll was made by Lubov Nalogina of Russia. You can see more of her creations here on her live journal photo blog.

New Mini Bonhommes

2008-06-19T10:49:00.008-05:00

These are the latest mini Bonhommes that I have made so far. The little heart beside them was needle felted out of wool.
I am quite pleased with the way that these little guys turned out. Both of them are headed up to Yellowknife so I gave them boots and a scarf to keep warm on chilly days. I am hoping to make some more mini Bonhommes soon. I am also going to try to make some mini versions of my other toys and characters. :)

I wish that I had been able to take better photos of these guys before sending them off. It was very cloudy and dark yesterday. Oh well... :p

Needle Felting

2008-06-17T12:46:00.008-05:00

Well I finally needle felted for the first time. I have been wanting to try it for quite some time now. I must say that it is a blast and I recommend it to anyone that loves to make little things.
Although it is pretty time consuming, it is fun and rewarding at the same time. The transformation of a blob of wool into a little creature seems quite amazing.

This is a picture of the first needle felted creatures that I made.