Renegade in the Rain and Cuau

Well Hello Hello!!

So! Yesterday was my first ever visit to the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago! I saw a whole bunch of real cool things, met a few real nice people but didn't take enough pictures and forgot everybody's name... sorry folks!

But! I did take a few pictures and I'm happy to share them! They're mostly of my very good friend Cuau.

You can see how wet it was out there! But me and Cuau made the trek to the Fair! Unfortunately Cuau showed without a umbrella or poncho....

He got so wet!

A quick glimpse of the rainy day fair extravaganza!

We headed toward Kmart, no umbrellas in sight, so Cuau bought this children's poncho for ages 8+. Then it stopped raining!

And here's a few wonderful ladies and gents that I got to meet and chat with for a bit! I was hoping to talk to everyone but I was pretty rained out and my legendary gift of gab floundered! Also my double apologies to folks below... I don't remember your names! But hey, I've made sure to include websites!

My Favorite Mirror

A booth filled with some amazing art... on coasters, magnets, mirrors and mousepads?! Absolutely faaantastic! Truth be told, this was the only booth I bought anything from yesterday. There was a sweet mirror I got for my little sister, and then I picked up a set of six Coasters featuring the art of AshleyG.... even though I don't have any cups...

Caseybots!

AHH! Mouthes! Mouthes, pouches and pockets! I love them. I'm quite envious since my toys are quite lacking in the mouth/pouch area. ARRH! So wonderful! And of course that is Casey Mcclurg on the left! I know because it's on her card.

And let's not forget, ETSY STREET PLUSH TEAM!

Some 35 different toymakers from the Etsy Street Plush Team were displaying some absolutely wonderful creations! Hahaha, I was in awe stepping into the booth! It's pretty cool to see lots of these artists online, but it doesn't compare to seeing their toys in person!

Oh special mention to Dust Furniture! I completely forgot to snap a quick picture of them and their absolutely amazing furniture. I want them to build and furnish a house for me! Pictured is "Stacked Cabinet No. 4" Look!! I want all my furniture to twist and bend...

So hey! If any of you see yourself in a picture and just want to remind me of your names... I'd be super happy!

And of course, I'm not above shameless self promotion. Haha. I made a little furry pouch and Junior the night before, then I very quickly painted my website onto a little poster for Junior to hold up. However! because of the rain I had to cover Junior up with some see through vinyl, it worked pretty well... Here's a closer look!


No one really got to see him out of the pouch... I was carrying him all day and I got more than a few looks. A few comments by some to others as I walked past. But maybe next time instead of being a walking advertisement I'll get to sit myself down in a nice little booth surrounded by my fun fun creations.

Then finally!! Me and Cuau headed on over to Sultan's Market... no lamb shawarmas... but the Falafel was a welcome meal after a lengthy day of walking and being soaked. Aalllthough... if that Lou Malnati's was finished and opened we could've had some delicious spinach deep dish....

So hey! The fair is still happening today, starting again at Noon! That's in less than an hour! Head on down (or up) to Division St between Damen and Hermitage. Take the train or bus, don't drive! Where would you park? Make sure to check out everybody I've mentioned here, but there's a lot more to see too! I just like toys and coasters the most I guess.

I didn't do anything today! BALRH!

"recumbent"

I did paint this. It's watercolor and fairly small. My first time using watercolors since like fourth grade. I want to paint more faces. Also I didn't know what recumbent meant until after I titled it.

Meanwhile, things are moving real slow on the plushie front cause I'm fat and lazy! But something great is in the works... or maybe I'm just a big fat liar.

Juan (cause I'm lazy), Love your Sandwiches and a few reminders

Juan!

Man, Juan is such a jerk!

I'm so lazy. Instead of coming up with something wondrously new and deliciously interesting... I bring you another one of these guys. At least he's awesome, if not a bit lopsided! Well I think so.

"Love and a Sandwich" on Ebay!

A young lady who happens to live far away from here is auctioning off a One of a Kind Plush Monster on Ebay! It's her first Ebay auction, though she's been making and selling plush for a good long time now.

She is Chelsea Bloxsom aka Love and a Sandwich. You can check out her blog on Livejournal and Etsy site. And of course the 13 inch tall, 18 inch wide monster below is right HERE.

This is a Teeku! A quick snippet from his Ebay description: "Teeku's are one of the most expressive creatures in the monster kingdom. Their vocals can range from cooing and purring like a kitten, to screeching like car tires, or exploding like fireworks..."

Check out those balloons! Then go bid on it! Auction ends on Septbember 14th!

The Renegade Craft Fair

It's coming it's coming! 4 days to go! You can actually browse through the front page of TheNeedle.org to see a number of different toymakers from the Plush Team and the plushie wares they'll be peddling.

CAW! CAW!

Don't forget about CAW! CAW!'s EP release show on September 23rd! Abbey Pub in Chicago! Check out their MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/cawcawmusic) for info as well as another song, "Wrapped Up Neat in the Bible."

Oh also here's my cat:

I call him Mao.

Real Quick- Sylvia

I like playing matchmaker... or God...

So I made Frank a new friend, her name is Sylvia.

don't they look happy together?!

It's... beautiful... in a way...

That's all for now.

Voodoo crab magic, Frank and some stuff...

Last night I felt sort of sad because I might be blinding an innocent crab somewhere with my plushie voodoo magic....

I suppose I didn't have to go for the eyes....

anyhoo.

Well here's Frank. I made him last night so I'd have a reason to update my blog real quick. I just wanted to make something simple and fairly straight forward.

Frank's mostly sewn by hand, his teeth were done on the machine, made of corduroy, fleece and this red cotton print. He's basically just a box but I like him. I might make one or two more (no promises), slightly redesigned, and done much quicker on the sewing machine.

Heh, real lazy pictures....

But here's some stuff to add to your calendar! For you Chicago folks at least.

Back in high school I was one of the real cool kids, and like all the cool kids I was part of the Engineering Club. The club hosted a cardboard Regatta. A whole bunch of different teams entered boats made of cardboard and duct tape to see which ones could go furthest in the school swimming pool. Note: Real simple cardboard rafts work real well.

I bring this up because of the upcoming Redbull Flugtag in Chicago! Basically a whole bunch of different teams enter flying machines and try to see how far they'll go before they hit the water.

http://www.redbullflugtagusa.com/Chicago2008

I was hoping to get out to The Redbull Flugtag this years since I've always wanted to go. But I won't be able to because of a weekend filled with family events. It's being held at North Avenue Beach on Saturday, September 6 2008! That's in two days! It's free to watch. Seats are first come first serve so it's best to get there early cause I think it gets craaazy crowded. The gates open at 11am with the first flight happening at 1pm. Check it out, tell me how it was.



Then of course there's the Renegade Craft Fair coming up!

(click the banner...)

September 13-14 on Division St between Damen Ave and Hermitage St. It's going to be huuuge! From Noon to 10pm on both days. Over 200 artists and crafters selling some amazing items. I actually was hoping to take part in the Renegade Craft Fair this year buuut.... excluding the fact that I sew like a snail a booth also costs $300+ for both days. I'm a poor, poor man! SOoo... Buy my toys to fund my 2009 Renegade Craft Fair Debut!

Of course I'll be attempting to visit Renegade on both days and take a ridiculous amount of pictures to share here. It's gonna be an awesome chance to meet all sorts of toymaking folks, I'll make some new friends and introduce you to them. I'm also thinking I should wear a costume.... Antler hat and cape perhaps?? A plushie monster bursting from my stomach? We'll see....




And let's not forget about Caw! Caw!'s upcoming show! Their newest EP "Wait Outside" will be available at the show on September 23, 2008. It's happening at the Abbey Pub on 3420 W. Grace St!!

I might just keep reminding all of you until it actually gets here!

What's this? A New Post?!

Har har har, why yes! A new post on the King Kongery Blog. I've said it before, and I'll surely say it again but I do plan to update this blog much more frequently in the future. We'll see how that works out.

Onto matters of the plushie sort.

Here's the few toys that I've finished recently (well... a little longer than recently).

The Chupbwana

You can see he's sitting right on the side of this blog in my mini-Etsy. So you can just click on over to the posting if you'd like to purchase him and give him a wonderful home so that he can get out of the plastic bag I've tied him in.

If you don't want to click, fine! But for your convenience here's his Etsy description. It took me like half an hour to write so make sure you read it, just like how you read everything else on this page. No just skimming over the words and glancing at the pictures for you! No sir!

"Meet the Chupbwana!

A strange and wild creature that once lurked in the shadows of many forests all over the world! Long ago their population was tremendous! They were little more than stomaches with limbs and antlers! The Chupbwana were bountiful as their voracious appetites would consume any animal in their path!

As they evolved the colors on their backs became a camouflage pattern to help them hide during the hunt. However being as vicious as they were, the Chupbwana certainly enjoyed the look of fear and surprise as they lunged for their prey!

Six eyes may seem a bit much for most creatures, but these masterful predators would use their larger eyes to help find prey in the darkness. Meanwhile their four smaller eyes, almost centered on their faces would assure their clawed finger strikes to be very precise!

Because of their amazing instinctual hunting abilities a single Chupbwana could take down an animal four times it's size! Mass groups of Chupbwanas, referred to as Chupgroups, have been observed on the African plain capturing and devouring entire herds of elephants!

It's true that once their numbers were many but because of deforestation their natural habitats have shrunk throughout the years, and their populations dwindle. Though vicious, in urban areas, where many Chupbwanas have found themselves, they are unable to consume the massive amounts of food that they require.

However we at the Chupbwana Conservation Society (CCS) work tirelessly day and night to restore the Chupbwanas to a moderately sized population (if the Chupbwana were to exist today in their previous numbers they would be able to devour every animal on the planet), you can do your part!

This particularly vicious Chupbwana was discovered lost and alone, but full having eaten a dozen stray cats, in a dark back alley of a major metropolitan city. You can adopt this creature and lovingly watch over it in your home!

However, make sure to keep a very close eye on it... Seriously. We at the CCS only have a couple to watch over in our facilities... and they're quite bitey.... JEEZ! I've lost fingers!! I mean these guys will eat anything! I can't even imagine a whole group of these things in the wild! Have you seen that video online where a Chupgroup jumped into the ocean and ate a killer whale?!! What the heck?! Why are we saving these things?!

...

But all life is precious. I'm sure you and your new Chupbwana will be good friends!


Chupbwana measures about 11 inches from bottom to top of antlers and around 13 inches from arm to arm. Completely handsewn."

The Squorcharp

Now I absolutely love this guy. Not only is he evidence that I'm getting better at coming up with interesting patterns and more organic shapes, but look at him! He was suppose to be ferocious... but ferocious is sometimes hard to pull off with fleece and polyester filling. None the less!

His teeth are made of vinyl fabric, the kind you'd use to upholster a couch. Which I thought was absolutely inspired! Cause though fleece has it's merits, unfortunately it doesn't fare so well with pointy thin shapes. Also, look at his wee little arms!

Even though I love his colors, cause I'm a big orange fan, I've noticed the need for me to be a bit more creative with my color choices.

Here's his Etsy description, that's right he's for sale too!

"-Day 21.

We've attempted another jump to the present, unfortunately the Chrono Progression Agitator Valve has once again malfunctioned and we are left stranded... this time in the past!

However it's been very exciting! We've arrived in the Cretaceous period, evident of the different species of dinosaurs we've already encountered. We've also been fortunate enough to observe a number of species of creatures which we've never known to have existed!

As my partner continues to work to fix the Chrono valve I have been spending my time recording these wonderful animals! My favorite thus far is definitely something I've decided to call "The Squorcharp."

It's a strange little animal that's very reminiscent of the much larger creatures in the area. However it's his split-tail and squid-like, six eyed head that I find remarkable!

At first I was a bit worried that this fearless, little creature would be inclined to bite me because of it's obviously visible teeth. Fortunately my worries were entirely unfounded! The Squorcharp is a sweet and docile creature, undoubtedly using it's slightly ferocious appearance to scare off predators.

What I've found most wonderful about the strange-headed Squorcharp is how intelligent and curious they are! Though hard to believe this particular Squorcharp managed to untie my right boot with it's tail! More wonderful is how the Squorcharp managed to tie it back together!!

Oh my! Well, though I certainly shouldn't even consider it... but... there is that large empty compartment in the back of the time machine... In fact, it's probably large enough for several Squorcharps...

HMM...


This Squorcharp is about 14 inches tall and about 8 inches long from belly to tail. It's entirely hand sewn."

Squishipon!

"Squish-Squish-Squishipon!

Squish-Squish-Squish!

Squiiiiiiish!

Squish-Squish-Squish!

Squiiiiiiish!

Squish-Squish-Squishipon!

I have hat!

Squish-Squishipon!

One-Two-Three!

Squish-Squish-Squishipon!

Squiiiiiiish!

Squishipon! Squishipon!

Squishipon is just about 5 inches tall without his nearly 10 inch Squishipon cap. He's partly hand sewn and partly sewn on machine. His arms don't have any stuffing.

Squiiiiiiish-ipon."

Haha, Squiish. You'll note I took a very different approach to this Etsy description. I definitely set out to create a real simple toy, something that I could sew on a machine quickly. I sewed his arms and hat on the machine, but realized it was gonna be tough to sew those arms to the body.... I have my reasons! I ended up sewing those on by hand.

Like the description says there's no stuffing in those arms... I wasn't too sure how that'd work out but I like it. It wasn't cause I was lazy, but I was worried about losing that tentacleyness once stuffed.

Also, here's an interesting tidbit about the design.... he was suppose to have a real long funny legs underneath! I decided against those because I was lazy. See? This is the interesting info you're looking for! The real hard hitting newsworthy bits! He was suppose to have legs?! CRAZY.

.....


Big empty space cause I'm going to divert from the toy exhibition and move onto some other interesting things.

CRAMMED ORGANISMS! World's largest plushie show?? I mentioned it a while back, and though true I wasn't able to participate or visit I definitely still think it's awesome. A wonderful showcase of many talented people. Now the show is over, but for those of us who weren't able to visit.... David Wolk and the folks at Cranky Yellow, who put together the show, have also somehow managed to put out a book as well.

Here's my copy! And yeah, that brow of mine just adds to the craziness that is my face.

That's right, the Crammed Organisms book. 235 pages of full color awesomeness. Haha. I certainly love books that are basically just full of crazy pictures. But it's got all the toys that were on display in the show, artist websites, sketches, art, plus pages of info including their wonky advertisement campaign that led up to the announcement of the show. It's available here on Etsy. Get yours sooner than later! Only 5000 in print, when they're gone they're gone!

Now I really do like this book, but the folks at Crammed Organisms liked my review of the book so much that they added it to their blog (see me repeat what I've basically said here!). I like being mentioned by people. Hey I'm too lazy to market myself so it's nice to get a bit of publicity.

On a side note to books full of crazy odd greatness...

The fellows who watch over my living room have decided they love Aranzi Machine Gun Vol. 2.
So the picture's a bit yellow... but none the less! If you'll remember, that's 43 inch tall Warsington upfront holding the book, Francis the robot is behind him with his hulking arms. So I found Aranzi Machine Gun Vol. 2 while browsing the crafts section at Borders. It is a strange odd ridiculous little publication, full of short comics and pictures of the plushie toys created by Aranzi Aronzo. I think there are three volumes out so far but at 10 bucks a piece for these little books, I'll be waiting for a bit more cash in my pocket.

This is their site, but it hasn't been updated in a long time. But you can check out the Amazon.com for their craft books (which have patterns and things) as well as less helpful, though certainly plenty creative, literature like Aranzi Machine Gun (on Amazon).


Back to the toys yet?? Sure.

Here's the last toy I've finished, but these are no effort pictures. No backdrop, just went upstairs to the well lit kitchen.




He's a Space Octopus! An Eight legged Spaceman! From the seas to the stars! This guy is just a test for the pattern. Just a trial toy I get to keep all for myself. I plan to make more, hopefully much quicker. I sew fairly slow and this guy took reaaaal long. I'm not even going to tell you how long it was soo long.

I'm hoping to make him out of other materials besides fleece, and also give him a space helmet. By the way, there's 8 little yellow sucker circles on each leg, do you know how long that took me?!

And then just for you guys, well hopefully someone reads this thing... a quick peek at what I'm working on now. It's my first time using faux fur and it's for my last custom order... Hopefully when it's done it won't just look like a big pile of fur... we'll see. I usually prefer to keep things private till I'm done... but I'm really having a ball just snapping pictures today.

Oh jeez, so furry and fuzzy. Faux fur is great to work with... except all the fuzz starts floating down into my lungs.



Oh?? Now what?

Well, just to make this post even longer than anything ever, maybe to make up for all the lack of previous posts? I want to mention Caw! Caw! A Chicago band comprised of three fellows, one of whom... (who?) being my oldest friend Steve Kozak! (he's on the right side)

Here they are on Myspace (it's where I stole that picture) where you can hear their newest song "Organisms." Caw! Caw! is going on tour soon, heading out East through Indiana, Ohio and on toward New York.

But if you're in Chicago, definitely check out their EP Release Show at Abbey Pub on September 23rd. I'll be going of course to enjoy the show, pick up a copy of the album, say hello to the guys. If nothing else you can just show up to mingle with this chubby Asian toymaking blogger.

Their Myspace has the info under Upcoming Shows, and I'll be sure to bring it up again once the day gets closer. You can also be a fan on their Facebook page here. And of course their official site: http://www.cawcawmusic.com/

That seems like everything for today. Bye bye!