Hard Covers YEY!

Hello peeps! It has been a while again. Trying to get out of the heap of Christmas orders here and not much time is left for anything else I'm afraid.
I have big news for 2014 though! I told you a little while ago that I had an ongoing project, and I have now made my first big investment for Tomodachi Island! We've got a mobile phone case printer and from January 2014 there will be a wave of cute and quirky hard phone cases appearing in the Tomodachi shop. They will be available for iPhone 4/4S. iPhone 5/5S, Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy S4 to begin with, but we hope to be able to widen the range as we go along. Later on in 2014 there will be leather wallets available for these as well. I can't wait to get this started. Until then, here are some tasters!

Also, many things will be changing in the shop in 2014. The fur sleeves will not be made to order anymore but will be re-stocked at a regular basis. However the availability may become smaller. There are many things changing in my life at the moment that will mean less time on my hands to do the fur sleeves. But they will still be there! I will tell you more about why my life is changing in January. Also, I want to focus more on my art, like my sculptures and custom toys. This new printer will let me print my artwork on to these cases and share my art with you guys that way. I am looking forward to 2014 and think it will be a productive year and yet another stepping stone for Tomodachi Island!

***I will be closing the Etsy shop on the 18th of December as I am going home to Sweden to celebrate Christmas this year. I will take the last orders on the 17th and they will be sent on the 19th***

CandyFloss

Here's another timelapse for you lot. I did this quite a while back now but I forgot to share it with you.
I started this picture from scratch in Photoshop. As I rarely sketch in Photoshop, and you don't get to see how I really start a picture, I thought it was time for me to sort that out.
So here it is, my little candy floss haired lady.
Hope you like it!

Moln Tuss...

Been wanting to share this little thing with you for a while now. The reason to why I haven't been able to is because it was for my mothers birthday on the 1st of November. I came up with it as I was sketching whilst Skyping with my mum. And knew straight away that it was the right thing for her birthday. I call it Moln Tuss which is Swedish for something like cloud fluff or something similar. I dono, but they live in our skies anyway and they are what clouds are made from, packs of Moln Tussar. Huge packs!

Restore and be Unique!

 Remember that old table I bought from the second hand shop?! Well it is finished! I did finish it a while back but wanted to give it another coat of paint before I showed it to you. After it's been sitting in the lounge half done I've started to like it's shabby chic look and decided NOT to give it a second coat of paint. So here it is! I hope you like it!

Buying and restoring second hand furniture is such a great way to make your home unique and to stand out from the crowed. I cant wait to finish of our lounge, and maybe if I get the permission from my other half I will show it to you once it is done ;)

Let there be light!

Right! After telling you guys how I was feeling on Friday I realized a few things. First of all that there is no reason to be ashamed of the fact that you sometimes struggle. Everyone struggles from time to time. Even the people we look up to the most. The only problem is that we never share that we struggle with anyone else. We sit there in our dark rooms and think that we're the only ones in the whole wide world that have this problem.

So I've decided to share with you, what happens when I struggle. I am pretty sure that I'm not the only one in the world that does this. Also, this is hard for me to share with the world as it IS something I am ashamed of, but I think it needs to be done. It is even giving me a bit of anxiety to show you this. But it is also giving me an insight in to my own destructive side. So here goes....

This would be the first thing you would see walking in to my office.... Not a great sight for anyone that is already feeling miserable is it?

Fur scraps and fur everywhere, all over the floor... This is not what I would leave it like on a normal day. And this is what slowly wears me down even worse...

Piles of rubbish and an over flowing bin :(

The refusal of letting anyone in... Not even the sun....

Random fur scraps at random places???

Time to sort things out. Not by my own realization but through my other half telling me that at least letting the daylight in might help me feeling less disheartened and that a clean work space might lift my spirit too. I look around and all of a sudden I realize what I have done to myself. Why it is so hard to get work done and why every day for the past week has felt like a drag. Isn't it amazing how we let our feelings rule over everything we do, and that instead of sorting ourselves out we just dig a deeper hole and disappear in to it. Am I the only one doing this to myself or is there others out there that do this too? I would love to know. And what do you do to snap out of it?
Here's what I did!

First things first. Without great music I just cant work magic.... So some of my favorite music on really loud (my neighbors are on holiday so no harm done) and off we go!

I brought the horrible hoover, that I hate so much, out and I let it demolish the floor in my office and devour all the fur...

You can always rely on the Flash! He will sort any muck out!

Open up and let there be light! Daylight in any form, whether it is raining or sunshine, is so important for your own well being. Especially now that the days grow shorter and the nights longer. Let the light and the rest of the world in to show that you're proud of what you're doing and don't need to hide in your dark misery den.

Look at that floor! It is like someone fitted a new carpet!

Clean desks. There is nothing I love more than a clean desk. So much space to be creative in. So many opportunities open up all of a sudden and all the lost inspiration slowly comes back to you.

No random fur scraps covering ongoing work and hiding what needs to be finished. You can bread again, you have taken your creative space back from corruption and you're ready to be the free spirit you've always been.

And look at that! It only took an hour to sort out a week of destruction. Not bad, not bad at all.

I also tend to forget to eat right when I feel down and miserable. So after cleaning my sins away I try to lift my spirit even more, with a good meal to get my strength back.

And don't forget to treat yourself after a job well done... Nom nom nom... mmmm apple cake...mmmmm

...and whilst treating yourself, relax, watch an episode of your favorite series or listen to some good music. I like to watch the Dog Whisperer for example :)

And NOW I am ready to get back to work, and feel good about it. All the mess is gone and I am ready to dig in to some of the most booooooring bits of my job....

 ....packaging.... Soooo boring, but still something that needs to be done. And with the spirit I am in now, nothing can stop me or wear me down. I am up, out of that deep hole. I have filled it in and I am building a palace on top of it. The hole is gone and I am on top of the world again!

Now what do you do to fight your demons?! I would love to know! xxx

Running Low...

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to let you know that I'm still here. Things have been difficult lately and my energy levels are very low. I seem to work around the clock to get things ready for Christmas and alongside that get orders done as well. This have resulted in nothing new at all for months. I find it hard to find the inspiration to create something new as time is very short on my hands. This is not how I want things to be as by being creative and innovative is what I live for, and is what keeps me happy inside. I also want you guys to stay with me as your opinions and comments help me to push myself and Tomodachi to new heights. I have noticed how the viewings have gone down lately both here and at my shop and I know it is all down to me not giving you anything new.
I am working to get things done for Christmas and I will take you with as I work and you will see how much there is to do. Christmas is a crazy time for anyone with a fairly popular shop and as I am working as well as doing Tomodachi this Christmas will be very stressful for me.
This is why I have started early so that I wont have a nervous breakdown at the end of it.
I hope all of you will understand and that you will continue to follow us as we stride towards the future, me and Tomodachi.
Things will change in here for 2014, I promise you that! Just give me a little time and stay with us!
Thank you for being there! <3

Table art...

The drawing to go inside the table I am restoring is done. I don't know if you remember, but I bought this second hand table that I wanted to restore. Anyway, I need to give it one more coat of white but the weather is not allowing me. I think I just have to do it inside. Don't want to though as the paint is really smelly, however the summer seem to have given up finally and now I'm looking at several months of rain. Seems I don't have any other choice. I will show you some photos of it when it is done anyway. It will definitely be a one of a kind item anyway. Can't wait to finish it off.

New Package...

Morning Everyone! Over the past few days I've been working on the new packaging for Tomodachi Island. I've been wanting to do this for a while but haven't had the time. I ran out of packaging a while ago and didn't want to order more as the old packaging quite simply is old and Tomodachi Island has changed so much since then. So I have sent orders out in clear bags which I hate. I have felt really bad about this and I just had to take the time to make new packaging. So next week at some point it will be here. This is what it looks like and I would love to know what you think.
Full view if you want to read the text.

Also I am so sorry that I have been more or less absent for a good while now. I am working allot and when I'm not in work I work here to get orders done. I don't have much free time to make new things in, which sucks. I do hope that this will change in not too long though as I have some plans. More about that when I know whats happening hehe.

Oh, and Christmas. Yeah, it's close now and that will mean even more work for me. I love Christmas as it opens up so many doors for me and Tomodachi Island. This year will be my second Christmas with Tomodachi Island and I am better prepared this year. However this means that new creatures will be short on the ground. But if I hit my target this year, then next year will be filled of new creatures, items and surprises. So fingers crossed that Christmas will help me to hit my target.

I also want to ask everyone to make sure that you order in time as Christmas is crazy for everyone. Especially customs and post offices so there will be major delays. <3

The Bus Girl - Time Lapse

Spent last night drawing as it's been such a long time again. I drew this girl on the bus on my way to London a few weeks back. I think I decided then already that she was to be colored in. I am very happy with her and I loved using some odd colors in her skin tone.
Here is a time lapse if you feel like taking 5 min out of your day to see how she was drawn.

Back to the grind...

My two week Holiday has come to an end. Today I go back to work and it actually feels quite good. I've had two great weeks of which one I spent in Sweden. It was great to go back to see my friends and my Family and I miss them so much. It feels good to get back home as well though. Home is home after all, it's where you got all your things, your routines and well, where you can be yourself fully. I am not great with being away from my home for too long. I think the main thing is that I can't be creative when I'm not at home and that makes me feel uneasy.

Anyway, it's back to the grind and I am swamped with orders! Not that I'm complaining or anything but when you take a week off you have to pay for it when you get back lol! The last of the orders are going out today anyway but I am very tired yet satisfied to have worked hard. It is my life to sew now and when I don't get to do it for a week I get a bit twitchy.

During my holiday I've also become a Second Hand shop addict! I never thought I'd become one, but I guess I was wrong. Me and my better half found this beautiful table for only £20 when we walked past a second hand shop the other day and I just had to have it. I have great plans for it and will let you guys come with as I give this beauty a complete makeover! I can't wait to get started! Getting some paint tomorrow and then you will witness magic (if all goes as I've planned).

Bye Bye Little Friend...

Yesterday My little Tunip Thief left me. I am over the moon that someone out there actually bought a real art piece of me and something that I haven't under priced for once. I started to doubt that it would ever sell, but when I got an email that morning I just jumped out of bed. This means so much to me as an artist and this is what makes my self-confidence a little better every day. So thank you whoever you are. I will miss my Turnip Thief but thanks to you I now have more inspiration than ever! Thank you!

More BUGGLES!

 So the Buggles are finally here! It has taken me much to long to finish them off but now they're done and ready to go to their new homes! Like always there is only a limited amount of them, three Blue, Three Pink, One Yellow and one Turquoise. When they're gone, they are gone so hurry up and grab one! You know you want it! >.<

Available from the Plush and Charms section of the Etsy store!