Whistle Pop Goblin

This is my newest creation. Of course another Rainbow Goblin which was custom ordered. This Goblin has caused me a lot of sweat and tears. Not only was the customer’s request 7 pages long, but I also just found out it will cost over a hundred bucks to ship to Monaco. I pretty much dyed a little inside when I found this out tonight. I got to send the pictures to the customer tonight for approval which I know she has been sitting on the edge of her seat waiting for…and along with those highly anticipated pictures I got to unleash the amount of shipping. Holy Crap!!! I have sent things to Europe and frankly all over the world, the most I have ever paid is about $40.00. With that being said though, I never shipped one this large. You can see from the pictures and the cute one of my babe Bailey and Goblin, that she (the goblin) is pretty big. Uhhg! Well, I guess we will see if Goblin does make her trip home to Monaco or not.

Water Goblin

Nice ending to a bright and Sunny week here in Victoria. I finished a custom order for customer Elemental Dragon today. I have been looking forward to finishing him all week. He is by far my most favourite goblin to date. The order came back in November. I don’t think I procrastinated on this one, but I do get a little nervous when working for another very talented artist. I always spend way too much time over-thinking and freting. Angela of Elemental Dragon came up with her own color combo which in the end I just love. Last week she threw in the peach accents which are awesome. Oh, and she wanted Dragon Fins instead of Goblin ears. This really threw me for a loop and I was a little anxious about the outcome. I made goblin’s face really wide and squishy and the fins look so adorable on him. As I got going I really wanted him to have a super soft tummy so I laced white silk with Lime Green Sparkle and felted it on. He is just so loviable! I joked on my Tanglewood Thicket Facebook Fan page how I wanted to say my house burnt down and he was lost in the fire so I could keep him, but I knew Karma would looking over my shoulder. He will have an amazing home with many other creatures to keep him company I am sure. Goblin is another biggie! He sits 26″ tall from bum to horn tip. 27″ long from toe to tail and 18″ wide at the face from fin to fin. I don’t know if I will do what I call another Water Goblin. Guess we will see. As I am loading pictures for this blog I am also now starting a lime green baby nub in which was won as a custom on Ebay. My first test with my goblins on Ebay was very exciting! Oh and I am also doing a hot pink goblin oh and two goblins for a mother and daughter order. I just came home last weekend with 10 pounds of wool! I made some really awesome colors this week. Hot Pink, Bubblegum, and cotton candy. Popcicle blue and cucumber green! I am trying to work at the speed of lighting so that our month in less then a month won’t interfer with my custom order schedule.

Felting has been awesome this past week since I have had the olympics to keep me company. Go Canada!

Grinn and Friends

I am so excited to be finished this Dragon Duo. I had originally taken the order back in November I think…and thought it would be a breeze. But then I forgot that it was Dragons. Needless to say I am happy and pleased with the final outcome. The customer is away for the next week and now I sit on Pins and Needles until she either approves them or tells me I’m a nutter. So, these two, if it’s not obvious is a Mama and Baby. I tend to think they are both girls, but that’s just me. The baby is bigger then a Big Red Apple and Mama is twice her size. The outline I was given was Green, Yellow and Rainbow. So this is what my crazy mind made. The only thing I would do different with the next batch of custom Dragons..(Oh yes, Four to be exact! Uhhgg) is smaller Head fins. I made Mama Dragon’s so big that you can’t see her awesome three tone iridescent wings. Oh, and I am actually having my own personal Photographer (and very good friend Dion) over this weekend to snap a few shots to see if I can get into a book that is excepting submissions. I think with Dion’s talent alone I could have a shot. Dion did all the Pictures for my Interior Design Business and they were amazing! I am pretty excited about the book submission. But I am more doing it as like a coloring contest. If I get in..YIPPIE! And if not, well it was fun to try. Anyway…Hubby rented me a horror movie and I am off to complete “Grinn Goblin” all 24″ of him. My biggest creature yet. Wish me luck!

Project Overload!

Oh it’s been a long while since I posted on my blog. I have been on “project overload” for many many weeks now. I may have mentioned that I took on way too many Christmas orders this year which resulted in me working even on Christmas day! I managed to get all but one Christmas order to my customers on time. The last little goblin I shipped I finished on December 18th. I had thought I could send him express but he did not make it. I was thrilled though that the customer was surprised by his size and that he was way more colorful then the crappy picture I sent her had displayed. Ya! So, I’ll post pictures of all the creatures I have finished too date. Above are pictures of: Pop Rock Goblin, Fire-spark Goblin, Mini Starry Night Goblin who ended up so so mini, and Black Cherry Dragon. I’m still working on a pair of Dragons that I took as a order back in November. I thought it would be easy, but then when I started I said to myself, oh right Dragons!!!! Dragons are more detailed and harder then goblins because of all their toes and claws..and now I am making two for one order!!! Silly, Silly me. We actually went away this year at Christmas for almost a month. I thought having my in-laws around would help me to get more work done, but Bailey my little one wanted me more then ever which didn’t allow for much felting. I even felted in the car after taken a heavy dose of motion-sickness remedy. It actually worked and it was pretty comfortable and the lighting was perfect! I actually did something silly and took 4 more orders on one day over the holidays. WHAT WAS I THINKING? I have never been good at saying no. George almost killed me. He really wants me to work on the 4′ dragon we started and with custom orders I can’t work on anything else. Ooopps! I am currently working on Three Valentines Orders and f more after that to be completed in March and April.

Gumdrop Goblin Part 1.

This is Gumdrop Goblin. Another creature custom ordered for Christmas. This one was ordered by a lady in Oregon for her 13 year old daughter for Christmas. The customer wanted a fat baby goblin…FAT! I started this goblin 3 weeks ago and I was about to attach his last arm and leg when my husband said he is too big for this order. You need to size him down and start again. Wow. What a major pain since I am so limited with my time and still have now 8 of 12 orders to finish. So, I started from scratch. The first Gumdrop Goblin when standing with jointed legs was 21″ tall. Since this was a medium priced Goblin my husband put his foot down. Someone has to keep me in check. So a fatter slightly shorter (by accident again) new gumdrop goblin was born. I must admit the first goblin was way too lean and trim. I beefed this goblin up and he truly has a gumdrop shaped body. I used blue Kool-aid to dye my wool Three packs which resulted in a cool ice blue tone. Very pretty. I then accented with greens and peaches. The hair is my own drum carded mix of Merino, silk, bamboo and Angelina is hologram sparkle. Did I mention this little guy has huge feet? So big in fact that he can almost stand on his own. But since I did not brace or support his legs he is pretty wobbly. I jointed this goblin since it’s for a child and it turned out very nice. I like the result. I think for my next couple of goblins I will in fact joint them and support their legs for standing. Shipping will be another story though!

So this Goblin is not completed. I still have more face detailing, I need to fine tune his magic warts seen in yellow and he was requested with a friend or pet. So, I am just about finished a little orange goblin friend. When that part of the project is finished I’ll post both together!

Posting Gothic Girl next. Another Christmas Custom order.

Apparently Size Matters…

Oh! I forgot to add an important Picture or two. It was recently brought to my attention by my two very good friends Aubrey and Andy that they had no idea how big my creations were by looking at the pictures. When they saw them in person they were surprised that the Goblins were as big as there were. They suggested that I put something like a golf ball in the picture to show scale. So, I used a scale and an apple to help show the size. Hope it helps. I tried using my hand, but since I have been dying wool and since I am sloppy and don’t use gloves my fingers are a little deathly looking in tones of blue and purples.

Oh and I took a shot of Starry Night and Morning Star Goblin together before they part ways!

Morning Star Goblin

Morning Star Goblin is finished…well almost. Uhhg. I thought he was finished, but while taking pictures I noticed I did not add the orange and yellow stripes to one of his curly horns. That in it’s self will take a few hours. Morning star is a custom order that I received weeks ago. He was of course inspired by Pin Wheel as per the customer’s request. The difference was that he needed to be in the purple, blue, green spectrum of the rainbow. I again did not use wire for his cork screw horns, and I kinda regret it this time around. I made the length so long that they kept falling out of shape after a few days which made them look like two long striped dread-locks. But I have worked them over and over and over again and so far so good. I have three more orders for Pin-Wheel type goblins…Dear god! And I think i’ll use wire just to speed up the process. The count down is on as of November 1st. Canada Post says I need all orders going anywhere other then Canada shipped before or on December 1st in order to make it for Christmas. Do I even dare to say out load how many creatures I have to finish before then? It’s not a pretty number.

Well Off to work on Gum Drop Goblin. Alteast she has arms, legs, horns and a head and body.

Starry Night Goblin

Well here is my fourth completed Custom Order for Christmas. I actually had this order from a previous Etsy Customer. I guess she loved Twilight Goblin so much she had to have another. Addicting creatures they are! The criteria for this Goblin was that he has to be BLUE!!!! blue blue and then some more blue. With of course a rainbow face and accents. He was modeled off of Twinkle Toe Goblin and is very similar to him but a different face, horns etc. I never know what people expect when they see one Goblin they love and then ask me to do something similar. Do they want the exact same Goblin? Do they no I could not duplicate another Goblin if my life depended on it? I never know and I always hold my breath after I send the customer pictures. I recieved great reviews from the Customer who adopted Snow Cone Goblin, so that in itself has made my week. I love positive feedback!!!!

So, keeping my fingers crossed that I have made another Custom Customer Smile!

Wish me luck!

A little FAQ

(The Picture above is me. I created this Masquerade Costume for the 2007 Victoria Masquerade Ball. I set out to Win and I did! The Mask, Head Piece and Mermaid Wand was designed and sculpted by me using Leather, Glass, Glitter, Tulle, Feather, Shells and Pearl Ex. My Mermaid Scales were created by an amazing MAC makeup artist named Alexandra Otto.)

So, I have put myself and my Goblins and Fantasy Creatures out there…Way out there. I am networking pretty much everywhere I can. To get my store out there, and to network with other artists, also sad but true I don’t have a lot of people in my personal life right now to share these with, so I share my art with other creative outlets. I ‘m also an art junkie and I love to buy all forms of art and I love to discover new Artists. I have two blogs, Etsy Store, Flickr Account, Deviant Art, Ravelry, Twitter, Facebook, Craft Corner Etc…This means that I am getting a lot of feedback which is just soooo awesome. I am also getting asked the same few questions over and over again, so I thought I would post an FAQ on the top questions I get asked. So, here they are.

Who are you?: I’m Kasey, 31 living in Victoria BC Canada with my husband, 1 year old and little Pug Rylie. Cancer. I love candy, theme parks, board games, Halloween, Horror movies, Fantasy, Muppets, Costume Parties, Theme Parties, Mini Golf, Waterslides, Karaokee, reading good books. My favourite day for me would be a rainy one, drinking a pumpkin latte hanging out in a Children’s book store.
What are these Creatures?: These creations are invented and designed in my own crazy mind. I love all Fantasy and Fairytale creatures. I make Goblins, Dragons, Pixies, Mermaids, Winged Lions, and so on…I work with Paper Clay, Polymer, Leather, Wool, Fiber, Paper etc..
What are these made of?: Solid Wool.
How do you make them? I Needle Felt these creatures with a single 36 gauge needle. I use my hands to mold and sculpt the wool where wire is not used.
Where do you get the wool?: I buy BC grown wool on Vancouver Island and I dye it myself using Kool-Aid and Wilton’s Icing Dye.
Why?: I use Kool-Aid and Wilton’s Icing Dye because A). It’s cheap and easy B). It’s easy to get almost anywhere. C). My Daughter and Pug often get into my mounds of Wool and projects and tend to put it in their mouths.
What other kind of wool do you use?: I love Merino, Corredale, Soya Silk, Bamboo, Silk, Angelina and Firestar. I buy all of this from my Favourite store here in Victoria. Knotty By Nature. I am usually there once a week.
Do you use Foam or Stuffing?: No, I don’t. I use solid wool. Do you felt over wire?: Yes. Sometimes I do. I do this when I want my creature to hold, hug, grasp, clasp, hold, etc. I even wire the toes for fun!
Where did you learn this?: I taught myself. I have been sculpting with my hands and different mediums for about 20 years now. I started when I was 10 with Fimo. I found Fiber while browsing Etsy and seeing all those Rainbow Wool Balls…They had me hooked!
You have an eye for color:Thank You! I should hope so! I am educated as an Interior Designer and I co-own an Interior Design firm here in Victoria. I am currently off raising my daughter right now so I have “some” spare time to do this.
When do you sleep?: Ha, yes..Indeed, when do I sleep? I do, but not a lot. But it’s not because I am up felting all night long. My darling little monkey has only slept through the night three times in the last 15 months. I spend my evenings felting. It’s a great way to relieve stress.
Do you offer patterns?: No, I don’t.
Will You?: I don’t think of these creatures as being made into patterns. My husband jokes about mass producing or getting someone else to make them. That would steal all the magic from them. They are truly one of a kind. If you were to adopt one, you would hav something no one else will ever have as well. Maybe someday I can help people make something similar, but considering I can’t follow writen instructions if my life depended on it, I don’t think I could create a pattern.
Where do you sell these?: My Etsy Store. www.tanglewoodthicket.etsy.com But I will take orders by e-mail as well.
Do you do custom orders?: Yes. I really like custom orders. I love hearing your ideas and the colors you want. If I don’t have the colors, I have a lot of fun making the them or going shopping.
How long does it take?: Depends on what you want, and how many other projects I have.
How long does one creature take?: Well, some can take only a week. When I say that I mean a full week of 4-5 hours a day. My larger projects like my Fiery and Pinwheel Goblin took me months to finish. My last Project, Snow Cone Goblin took me 83 hours.
What do you charge?: It really depends on the creature. Jointed and wired creatures take me way longer obviously. My range is between $35.00 to 175.00 at the moment. The bigger the creatures and the more detail, the more time it will take.
Where do you get your inspiration and ideas?: Again, I love art and artist. I love Fantasy and I am a total kid at heart. I love Jim Henson, The Frouds, Tim Burton, Dave Mckean and countless others. There are too many to list.

Snow Cone Goblin

Snow Cone Goblin…Why? Because I was thinking of snow cones when I created this creature. Well, I lie. I did not spend 83 hours thinking of snow cones. It was more like 83 seconds, but who’s counting? I had a custom order placed through my Etsy Store in the begining of September and I am finally finished. The Customer wanted something a lot like Twinkle Toe Goblin. Although she had her own ideas too. She really loved the colors but added that she loves hot pink and Orange. I ended up being out of the Awesome stash of Berry Bamboo I had so I went shopping on Etsy. The 8oz I bought special for this custom order were not like the pictures the Etsy seller posted. Oh No! And I had already waited almost two weeks. So this Goblin took on a whole new look. I had to brighten his face and added more highlights to make up for the pastel bamboo I used for his mane. I think he turned out great. But I still like Twinkle Toes more.

This Goblin is every color of the rainbow. I’m getting more skilled with Color Bleeding with each new goblin. I still hate felting over wire though.

Well Just sent the pictures to the customer. I am keeping my fingers crossed that she likes him. If not well, he was fun to make anyway!