Taking a Breather

Wow...what a crazy couple of weeks!

I did the Schlafly Art Outside alternative art fair the weekend before last...it was amazing.  Just.  Amazing.  This is hands-down my favorite art/craft show.  Amazing customers, great artists, great community.  I love that each year I've been part of the show (three years now), I've had lovely people come back to find me and see what I'm making or request custom items.  You guys are my favorite customers!!! Smooches!

Here's my booth!  I have some fantabulous new display pieces that my dad (the REAL Riley Construction) created for me, custom-sized to fit my inventory - boom!  This is only a little slice of the awesomeness.  It looked a little like heaven threw up in there, is what it looked like.  

 

Here are some of my booth helpers (my Mom, my Boy...my Dad was probably walking around Maplewood, checking things out.  He likes to go on little expeditions).  My family is a bit like a Craft Show Swat Team - they swooped in on Saturday morning and helped me get everything up and out.  The Friday night before, we had a lot of rain so I packed everything back up to keep it dry, which meant that I had to scramble Saturday morning to get going.

 

Now HERE's the real trouper who helped me schlep heavy, terrible things across a hot parking lot, put up tent walls in the burning sun, buy cinder blocks for tent weights, and get trapped with me in the tent when it started to pour rain.  You know what you can do when you are trapped in your tent waiting out the monsoon?  Drink beer, throw goldfish crackers into the puddles, and laugh your face off.  Well, that's what we did, anyway.  You're looking at my Good Friend Kelly, lover of sloths, squeezer of plushies, smeller of nice smells.  And not only that, but she also helped me set up my tent (again) at Kirkwood Green Tree Festival the very next weekend.  Kelly, you rock.

Green Tree was a nice show too...I saw lots of old customers and new faces too :).  I got to see lots of happy little faces leaving with toys clutched in their hands. I ate food covered in fairground cheese.

So, long story short...I'm soooo tired!  I sold a ton of inventory, picked up some custom orders, and need to get right back in the saddle prepping for Strange Folk Festival, which is two weeks away.  

Or, maybe I will just take a nap.

See y'all around!

New Product - Fantasy Fairy Crowns

I still have fairies on the brain...and now fairies on the head!  Ever since I made my first batch of fairy wings I've been sketching wildflower fairy crowns.  They're actually a sturdy wire circlet covered in moss-colored or white wool felt and festooned with felt flowers, leaves, and ribbon.

I am in love, love, love with these!  They are approximately 22 inches in circumference (hey, math!) and fit more properly on a child's head - that is to say, they sit lower down, just across the forehead, whereas on adults they sit farther back on the head.  

The white crowns are more summery - lots of pink, teal, and gold and the moss green crowns have a more autumnal feel with fall leaves and daisies, and even a wee acorn!

Anyhoo, take a gander at them.  I think I'll debut them at some fall art/craft festivals first before listing on Etsy, so come by my tent at Art Outside (Schlafly's alternative art fair on Sept 7-9), Kirkwood GreenTree Festival, and Strange Folk Festival (all in September).          

New at RileyCo - Fairy Wings!

Something new I've been working on that's really different from the plushies...fairy wings!  

A couple of months ago, I added custom fairy wings to a pixie for a really sweet customer, and now I have fairies on the brain.  I wanted to make wearable larger versions of the little wings.  

The tricky part is building a structure for the wings that is lightweight but sturdy.  There are lots of DIY coat-hanger-and-pantyhose tutorials on the interwebs, but I wanted something better quality, hence my foray into the world of galvanized steel wire and wire clippers.  They turned out beautifully, with a nice sturdy center and still light and wearable.  

As usual, nothing I make is complete until it is covered in fabric flowers and leaves :) - each pair has a nice fat hand-sewn rose and wool leaves in the center.  They attach by way of ribbon straps that tie over each arm, so they work for a variety of body shapes and sizes.  

    I'm debuting these, along with the amazing custom displays created by the REAL Riley Construction (my dad), at Schlafly's Art Outside art fair on Sept. 7-9. Come see me!

Goin' on a SlothAbout

Well, hello there.  I think it's high time I share the photos from my SlothAbout with my good friend Kelly (there she is below, isn't she cute?)  We took Hector the Sloth on a trip to Whole Foods.  He likes to try all of the samples.     

Oh, Hector.  Silly sloth.

Hello Dolly

It's been so long since I last posted...grad school will do that to you!  Sucks the thoughts right out of your head.  I've been creating several collections of rags dolls in between papers and projects and it's time to show them off :)

My pride and joy - the Flower Pixie Collection.  Aren't they ridiculous?  Soooo girly.  I have a new batch coming soon, so stay tuned :)

And, my Fairy Tale Rag Dolls...I got so inspired by watching Once Upon a Time that I had to do some modern versions of classic characters...Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, and Rose Red.

 

I was so excited to finally get these guys made...I'd had them planned out for ages.  There don't seem to be too many brown-skinned handmade dolls out there, I just had to make a few!  I am totally in love with their hair...lots of elegant braids, saucy side buns, and Supremes-era bouffants.

 

Aaaaand finally, the hipsters.  You know they're hipsters because of the retro glasses, tattoos, and outerwear - hipsters love their scarves and vintage coats :)  Each one has her own hand-embroidered tattoo.

And guess what?  There are still even a few more collections to come...I think this is quite enough for one post :)