big is beautiful.

don't forget...there's a new section in my Etsy store, especially for BIG pieces. Click here to take a peek!

Kenton Firehouse Sale

Once again I'll be participating in the Kenton Firehouse Sale. If you're in Portland, please stop by!

Participating artists:

Nora Brodnicki -ceramics

Clare Carpenter -paper art and prints

Nancy Cushwa -Jewelry

Robin Epstein- fidel Caps, vintage style aprons and jewelry

Al Flory -Photography

Margaret Gardner -ceramics

Amy Johnston- 50's inspired jewelry

Phebe Miller -ceramics

Sam Morgan-ceramics

Hilary Pfeifer (Bunny with a Toolbelt) -wood figures and cards

LeBrie Rich -felted fun

Suzy Root - fiber

Rebecca Scheer-hand made silver jewelry

Siri Schillios - matted prints & small wall ornaments


Historic Kenton Firehouse is located 6 blocks north of Lombard, make a left at Schofield, and travel 1 block west of Denver to Brandon. Take the Interstate Max to the show! We're only 3 blocks from the Kenton/N.Portland yellow line station.

another contest!

Hey Beautiful Person! Need a little spending cash in the Bunny with a Toolbelt store? I'm having another contest and this time the big prize is not one, not two, but three gift certificates worth $100 each!!

This time it's a photo contest--take a gander at the items in my Etsy shop, blog archives, or Facebook fan page and pick one to emulate. It's up to you how elaborate you want to get, but take a picture of yourself acting like one of my figures in whatever way you see fit.

I'll post all entries here on the blog between now and December 9th. Then we'll have a two day voting period where you can all help decide the winner. The three prizes will be awarded in the following categories:
1. most hilarious
2. most creative
3. people's choice

You can enter as many times as you want, but each person who enters can only win one of these gift certificates. The winners will be announced on December 12, 2009.

So get your thinking caps on and send photos to me at bunnywithatoolbelt@gmail.com If you're not in the mood to dress up and look like a fool in front of the whole world, you can always click here and buy a gift certificate for the Bunny with a Toolbelt afficionado in your world.

calling all cake toppers!

I get a lot of customers who see what I've already made and want it to be slightly altered to match their eye or wedding colors, etc. And then I get some customers who have a hunch I can make something they've never seen before but MUST have. This topper falls into that category.

The request came from a couple who are both police officers and really wanted a cake topper with the bride and groom's heads coming out of the car. I was sent a very detailed drawing and knew I could do it. I redrew it in my style, even though the picture was great--I think of my picture (as well as the Etsy listing) as my contract, so here's my version:


Here's the final result:

I added some tin cans on the back of the car--seemed like the right thing to do.

cute and colorful

Here's another custom order for wedding cake toppers....

gone fishin'

This was a commission from another one of my Florida Gators customers--I'm so pleased with it--I just hope it makes it across the country in one piece! It's for the Groom's Cake, actually, combining the groom's love of Florida Gator Timmy Tebow, and his fondness for fishing with his German Shorthair Pointer.

we interrupt this blog.....

....for a little video fun. enjoy!



(Hey Facebook fans, if you can't see this cool video, click the link that says "original post")

giraffe sighting!

A customer sent me this great picture of my giraffe wedding cake toppers at their appearance on the big day! Mmmmmm...that cake looks GOOD!



photo by Gary Mobbs

The Duck and the Kangaroo

I recently did a special commission for my friend, author Jane Wattenberg, to celebrate the publication of her latest book. Or, in her own words: At last, Edward Lear's fabulous love poem, THE DUCK AND THE KANGAROO, comes to life in a book of it's very own!
“My life is a bore in this nasty pond, and I long to go out in the world beyond. I wish I could hop like you,” said the Duck to the Kangaroo.

Jane Wattenberg weaves Edward Lear's very own paintings of animals (find a turtle, squirrel, parrot and owl), as well as bits of paintings from other naturalist artists 1550-1850, into the pages of her evocative photo-collage illustrations.

This is a beautiful, emotive and loving interspecies romance. Click here to order this book for your very own! And here's the commission I made for her:
Jane also asked me to make a kangaroo with a joey in her pouch. Sweet. I will have to make some more of these for my Etsy store eventually.

Sitka Art Invitational--this weekend!

I have two of my nativity sets in the Sitka Art Invitational this weekend. If you're in the Portland area and want one of these sets while supporting a fantastic organization, here are some of the highlights of this year's show:

Wednesday, November 11th, David Douglas Room, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Art & Text Workshop by Rebecca Wild Wednesday

Thursday, November 12th, David Douglas Room, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Watercolor Elements of Landscape by Molly Hashimoto

Friday, November 13th, Miller Hall, 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Opening Night Party with the Artists

Saturday, November 14th, Miller Hall, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Panel Discussion - How do art and nature connect?

Saturday & Sunday, November 14-15, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Public Exhibit and Sale

The Sitka Art Invitational is an important source of support for Sitka Center's Workshop and Residency Programs. The Workshop Program provides opportunities for artists to teach and study in workshops from late spring through early fall; the Residency Program offers opportunities for artists to pursue individual research projects from late fall through early spring. If you're moved to contribute to these programs and are not able to attend the Art Invitational, please feel free to donate online.

Vote for Me!!!

Hey Bunny with a Toolbelt fans! My Thanksgiving Set made the cut for Etsy's "Which Item Would Get you in the Kitchen" [to cook your Thanksgiving dinner] weekly vote. Click here and scroll down to the bottom of their page to see my set and cast your vote!

iPod Ghost!

I received this customer appreciation photo from one of the lucky few who bought my trick or treat ghosts--her daughter was inspired and made an iPod ghost buddy to hang out with their new acquisition.

monster wedding!

I got another lovely batch of photos of a wedding I made a custom cake topper for--the couple fell in love with my monster set, but wanted to have it attached to a base that matched the sweet polka dot fabric used for the table settings. To see more beautiful photos of this wedding taken by Dana Grant, click here.

pumpkin-loving westies, baby-loving schnauzers, and a jackadoodle.

I have done a few custom dog orders recently that I'm excited to share. First, a customer who saw a piece in my Etsy shop that involved a cat in a pumpkin patch, though it would be perfect if one of her three cute West Highland White Terriers was there instead. I happily obliged. (Boy, Westies sure are cute!)


Next: another customer saw my New Kid in Town set, and wanted to give it to her friend with a gray Schnauzer gazing longingly at the baby. A few color adjustments on the baby, and here's the finished piece:


Last, I had a request to make a jackadoodle like this cute little sweetie. Since the hair is so wispy, we decided to make it look more like the original by replicating its brown collar with pink polka dots.

get your fall on!

I don't know about you, but this is the first week I finally admitted that fall is here. What better time to embrace the season through decorative objects!! I have now added all of my new Halloween and/or Day of the Dead designs to the Bunny with a Toolbelt Etsy shop. Here's a few sneak previews, or click here to go directly to the store. Many of these pieces are one of a kind, so get 'em while they're still here!

feeling clever today?

My birthday gator was included in a fun Etsy treasury this morning--all twelve items refer to a fairy tale or fable. Click here to try your hand at this guessing game--but don't peek at the comments until you're ready to see the answers! Note: this treasury will expire in a few days

Halloween Weddings?

I designed an Edward Gorey-inspired wedding cake topper set, but before I could even get around to posting them on Etsy, I was asked for an image from brides.com for their "Are Halloween Weddings Tasteful or Tacky?" poll. I hope you'll chime in to tell them how tasteful my pieces are by clicking here!

gator brides unite!

The gal behind my very first Florida Gators wedding cake topper commission has her own blog, and she's used the figure I made her as her logo. If you're a fan of either the Florida Gators OR unique wedding blogs, click here and see what this one has to offer.

musical wedding

Here's some sweet photos from yet another wedding I made toppers for. To see more pictures of their special day, click here.

boo!

Sure, I liked Little Dot, Little Lotta, and Hot Stuff, but my very favorite childhood icon was Casper the Friendly Ghost. He's just so darned cute, and I always favored positive role models for some reason. (Probably because I was weaned on Sesame Street.) Casper was undeniably positive, always helping his friends out of jams and what not. This one is a bank, and although it seems ridiculous that Casper would need money for anything, I'm sure Richie Rich would approve.

I designed my own cute little ghost figure to add to the Bunny with a Toolbelt lineup.