Working on something different today. These are quite simple...kind of like soft babushka dolls...but owls. The white one is the first prototype and is wonky and has my notes drawn all over it...but my 3 year old has fallen in love and put dibs on it.

I set out to make each fox the same but somehow they all end up with really different personalities. Some look young and playful and others look old and wise (and a bit serious). These are going into my online shop tonight.

Maybe it's because of all this rain...but I've been completely fascinated by snails this week. I've spent days trying to perfect their beautiful little shape. Here's what I came up with...

I've been having a few rabbit encounters lately...there they are sitting on the dirt road I walk along, in my dreams, in songs I've heard... and then I spotted a beautiful big grey one looking at me through a pet shop window...so I felt I should probably make one. This one has some foliage growing up his body...and can be purchased here.

This strange-looking blue whale prototype is also my little boy's birthday present (no time to make another). When I appologised for it being too long and skinny and not having even flippers, he said "mummy, he's perfect...I'll call him Tiny".

Finishing a couple of these large grey foxes today. He's being very brave don't you think?

Thought I'd give you an insight into where I work as I absolutely love seeing where people do their creative work. This is the sunny front room of my old house where I sew, paint, sit, think and have tea and chocolate away from all the noisy males in my house.

This is the fairly neat and tidy side of the room which looks out onto the garden...

This room is actually tiny and normally quite chaotic. Everything in here I found second-hand, including the cupboards and baskets which is where I store EVERYTHING I need for sewing and painting. Actually that's not true...there's lots of stuff crammed in under my tables and behind the arm chair too.

Here is the view from the front window...

I finished repairing the seat of this old green velvet armchair by watching youtube tutorials...I am absolutely, madly in love with it and it's now my sewing chair. Here it is in its new home...

I'm working on some more foxes...so I guess my holiday is officially over. I've been itching to get back into my work room, with a head full of ideas...I've been thinking a lot about the wallabies and echidnas I've been seeing on my walks lately, and of course some owls, wolves etc...these foxes are for a photo shoot later in the month but I'll be putting some new creatures in my Etsy shop in Feb. Happy New Year!

I've been trying out some new fox designs as I've been getting quite a few fox custom orders this Christmas. This is a pic of my 'Mr and Mrs Fox'.

Feeling all Christmassy today... We cut a pine tree branch and stuck it in a bucket of wet sand in the lounge and decorated it this morning. The kids used their Christmas rubber stamps to make cards and gift tags, and I went out into the garden and collected some bits and pieces to make this wreath for the front door...

It was surprisingly simple and quick to make. I had a wreath made of sticks that I found in a charity shop last year...all I've done is poke the ends of little sprigs of foliage into it. You need to make sure your sprigs are pointing in the same direction (clock-wise or anti-clockwise) and use a variety of leaves and flowers. I used camellia leaves, rosemary, lavender, fern and the flower of a weed that grows by the side of the road...not sure what it's called. Anyway...I think it looks lovely...

One finished killer whale...

So far so good...

Working on a killer whale soft sculpture at the moment and I'm really loving the process...looking at pictures of killer whales in books I've borrowed from the library...trying to get the shape and pose of the body right... I'm using wool from my friend's alpacas to stuff him so that he'll be nice and heavy.

He's for a lady who lives on Vancouver Island in Canada. Her little boy loves watching the killer whales in the bay there.

Will show you a photo of him once he's finished...

I've been making little creatures out of bits of fabric found in thrift shops for a while now. Mostly moths, bears and foxes. It started off as procrastination while I was 'supposed' to be making bags and purses for my business - Red tree designs. But I found I was making more and more little animals and giving them to my children and friends' children and really loving the processes and thinking up designs and feeling so creatively inspired...then people started wanting to buy them.

So I've called them 'Willowynn' and set up a shop...and a website...and now a blog...so I can make my little fabric sculptures (as well as my bags) without feeling like I should be doing something else.

Here I will try to document some of my creative processes, things that inspire me and little snippets into the world of Willowynn...a record for myself as much as anyone else I guess...