New from the Studio

My studio has really been seeing a lot of action these past few months. I've done four gallery shows this year, besides developing, making and selling Mystic Forest Dwellers. Phew! You should see the floor of the place...
The latest work - for Oh No! Doom Gallery's group show Soft Serve, this weekend (12/11/2010) in Chicago:

Robin

and Trina 

More photos here. What's really exciting for me about these two, is that they are my first pieces that stand on their own! I'm really really happy about how they came out. They will be available for sale through the gallery's art store after the opening, I believe.

Have a super weekend!

New Plush! Well, Plush-Y Stuff Anyway

I think I mentioned this before, but this has certainly been the year of Plush for me. One of the coolest things that happened this year, is getting invited to participate in the annual Luv-able & Hug-able show in Gallery Hanahou. Super flattered! This show always amazes me.

This year, the show's theme is Luv-able & Hug-able & Wear-able. Yep, clothes and accessories related plush. What's a girl to do? Make monster-y garb! Introducing:

Mila Hat, Scarf and Pin

and Milo Hat, Scarf and Pin

More photos here.

The show opens December 9th, in NY, NY.  More details here.
Go get yourself a furry monster scarf. It's going to be a cold winter.
Ciao!
Michal

3... 2... 1... Launch!

It seems like only yesterday I stated conceptualizing it, and today - the Mystic Forest Dwellers web shop is officially open! Wow... Where did the time go?

I positively have plush butterflies in my stomach. Eeeep! After months of thinking and trying things out, and ordering, and thinking some more..., it feels so so good to be finally out there - on the web, and finally fully in business.
It feels a lot like a culmination of lots of previous experiences and try-out for me. Like when I was making papier mache creatures for a local shop a decade or so ago, my etsy shop, some experimentation with packaging and branding I did with some portfolios in the past, all of my plush making career so far... It feels to some degree like I was meant to get here. And while I'm super nervous about being a "business owner" (gulp), there's something very exciting about it. Or like a fellow just-starting-a-new-venture lady told me a few weeks ago: if it's not bold and risky and out of your comfort zone - it's not really worth doing. So true.

So pop by to the shop, and catch up on the adventure on the Mystic Forest Dwellers blog, or the Facebook fan page. Let's make this bold, risky, out of my comfort zone and fun - sucess.

They Too Came from Planet Plush

If you're in Seattle this weekend, you should definitely check out the annual Plush You show over at Schmancy. There's going to be some seriously gorgeous plush and lots of fun activities. Go-go-go!

My contribution this time is part #2 of my series They Came from Outer Space that I started at Plush You LA a month or so ago. Why quit when you're having fun?

Watch out - some aliens are coming your way!


 The Brain

Sergeant Moffat

I'm not in love with the photos... It's finally fall here in LA and it's been raining for three days straight (remember the temperatures here last week? So weird...), so I used my new portable light box that Ant got me (yes, I know he's the best). If you have any tips and tricks for using those to take awesome photos, especially with a white background - I'm all ears.
Stay warm!

They Came from Planet Plush

Wow, the Plush You LA opening was incredible! If you saw me there and we never got to talk - sorry, I was running around like a plush headless chicken a bit, he he. The show is up until 9/19, and you can also purchase available plush online through Munky King right here.

These are my contribution for the show - my new mini-series They Came from Outer Space:

The Little Pilot

The Kuzbanian Marsh Dog

Admiral Ka-Blast

More photos here.
Part two will be in Plush You! Seattle, in october. Extra credit for figuring out the geek reference in these dudes.
Exciting updates coming this week, stay tuned!

Look What Mama Got!

Now, on to mastering the beast. Any tips are welcome!

New Stuff (or - Heck Yeah, I'm Showing Off!)

I got some cool new stuff recently. It's funny, I tend to go in purchasing spurts. It's either I get nothing for months, get stingy and pre-occupied and forget what the inside of a shop looks like (except for coffee shops. I practically live in some), or I go buying and buying and buying. I have to say, though - these new acquisitions are long overdue.

The first thing I got is new business cards. I've ran out of of my plush moo cards, and it was time to get some "grown up" business cards. Especially at the stage I'm in with portfolio submissions and job search. So I ran some ideas, did me some research and this is what I came up with.


These are not the real cards (yet). I made some mock-up cards, printing my top two designs into heavy, nice paper, then cut and glued front to back. Yep, they both feature Freddie.

This is the end result. Wadda ya think?

After ordering samples from a number of printers, I went with GreenerPrinter. They're not the cheapest of the printers I checked out, but their product's quality was far superior to the others, including some printers that cost more. The eco friendliness is a nice bonus, too. The cards came out perfect, the customer service was extremely friendly and helpful (I run a waaaaaay old version of Photoshop, I needed help with the file saving settings) and the cards came in right on time. So yeah, me super happy and proud (and looking for any excuse to hand them out). Love!

I also got a new phone. If you can even call it a phone. It's a Droid Eris, and it's more like a computer that occasionally makes calls. Sheesh! I am not a technophobe, I swear, but my mind is kinda blown. I run my electronics down to the ground, so generations and generations pass before I get to replace a (really) dead machine. I should stop being surprised at what a new technology can do, once I (finally) get it.
It's funny though, as an 80s (ok, 1980 if you must know) kid, personal electronics technology has advance so much it's hard not to feel like a dinosaur sometimes. Ant and I were at Best Buy, researching the phones we were going to get (he has the Motorola Droid), and we were using a demo iPad. I won't say we were struggling with the thing, but it took some adjustment. Across the display from us, a kid that couldn't have been more than ten years old was using one like he was born to do it. Ant was musing that it's good we were getting these fancy phones, before we fall too far behind and embarrass anyone who knows us.
I swear, by the time our future kids are going to be ten years old, we'd be communicating with computers with our minds. Better start training.

What I've Been Doing

Hi y'all. Here's another "oh, it's been a while" kinda post. I've been very busy, some good, some bad. You'll forgive me if I don't feel like talking about it, right?
Let's make an effort to talk more often, ey? Promise I will. I have some interesting stuff to tell you, but in the meantime, enjoy this new plush I just finished yesterday. His name is Freddie, and he's the first plush ever that I've actually made for myself. Seriously, I'm stoked.


more photos here.

Stay awesome, and stay tuned!

They're here!

Hooray!
My Plush exclusive is available for sale here. Get them while they're still available!

Plush, Plush and More Plush!

My latest plush endeavor:



Welcome to the world my new-sewns - the twenty five girls of my Schmancy Exclusive series "Not Like Everybody Else". There are eight red, yellow and pink girls (all names starting with 'M') - and one little blue Elizabeth.





They'll be available from Schmancy in store and here online on Wednesday, Dec. 2^nd. Hooray!

New(-ish)

So... What have I been up to lately, except for making plush until my fingers fall off?
1. I have a new Facebook page: Yep, I joined the raving masses. I too am on Facebook now. If you want to make friends, look up Michal Wright-Ward (yeah, that's me. In case you never knew that).

2. I have new ink: A new tattoo (or technically, two)! I love it/them.

It's actually about a month and a half old, and I just got it touched up this week. Cool, eh?

3. We have a new car: Unintentionally, actually. We loved the Civic, and were planning on keeping it for many years until it died. Well... We did. Kinda. It got totalled in an accident almost a month ago. We're perfectly fine, thanks for asking. Still shook up a bit. It helps that we just got the official police report and we've been found 0% guilty. Phew! And now we're driving a CR-V around town. Oy...

4. The garden has been re-vamped: I took out the squash plant who's flowers and fruit kept rotting. No natural pesticide/fungicide could beat it, Grr... Now I'm starting some leafy greens, flowers and strawberries. The tulle you see is a new method I'm trying to deter caterpillars and leaf-miners. Yeeck!



5. Not do new, but exciting - look how my little pocket-size-bunny-baby has grown! She's a real bunny now, and a bossy one too. She chases the cats around the house, demands her food at specific times and she won't let me stop scratching her forehead. Really, that's my hand.


There's some more new and exciting stuff cooking up here, I'll keep you posted. Promise.
Ciao!

Plush You!

Tonight at Schmancy, Plush You show opening! We couldn't make it this year, but if it's going to be anything like last year, it'll be awesome.
I realize I never got to show you what I sent in this year (it's been nuts around here, I'll tell you some other time), so here they are:

Rose

Violet

and Lilly


More pretty pictures here. Progress pictures here.

It's That Time of Year Again

Yep, it's that time of year again - plush show time. And first one for this year - Plush You.


This year, I'm making these little girls. I'm experimenting with making as much a variety with as little difference in patterns. Wish me luck!

Finch's Holiday Boutique

I've been invited to participate in this great holiday boutique this year, Finch's Holiday Time Boutique in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It's all happening this weekend (Dec. 13-14), and it's hosted by the lovely Elisa Brynteson who's a designer at Target.
Looking at what she has this year - there's something for everyone so go check it out! I'll have a lot of my little accessories and little ornaments there, and a couple of plush toys. The added bonus, every artist donates to the American Cancer Society as a participation fee. Neat, eh?
If you live in the area, you should totally check it out. Like, totally.

Hi kids, I have some cute for you

Man, has it really been almost a month since my last post? Is it really almost December? Sheesh, time flies when you're having fun (and we are. Fun and way too much work, as usual...). I owe you many a story, but for now, I'd like to interrupt this blog slumber with an announcement - you ready?

I have plush to sell!
If you ever wanted to buy any of my plush creations, check out what's available below. To avoid confusion, mishaps and disappointment, please read all the details below first:

This is how I'm going to do this:
1. You look at the plushies available below, fall in love with one and want to buy it.
2. You email me at michal AT michalwright DOT com and tell me you're interested. If said plushie has not yet been sold, I'll give you my paypal address so you can make a payment. Please note that this is done on a first come, first serve basis.
3. We'll determine shipping costs before any money changes hands, based on your shipping address (yep, I'll ship internationally. Why not?)
4. Until payment is made, I will not consider the plush sold nor ship it to you. I will hold a plushie for you for 48 hours, unless we agree otherwise in advance.
5. If no payment is made in 48 hours, the plushie will be taken off hold, and if another person (the "next person in line", sort of) is interested in it - it will be sold to said person.
6. I'll get back to you either way within 12 hours. Yeah, I'll check my email more often. Promise. : )
7. If you're interested in gift wrapping, Christmas delivery or any some such, please let me know.

Please email me with any questions.
Happy shopping!
Michal


Yorick"Monstrously Nice" for "Crammed Organisms", 2008
Original design, synthetic fur and wool felt, cotton, polyfill, Hand Sewn.
Remember when your mom told you not to take candy from strangers? I hope you listened well. Because if you don't watch out for Yorick kids, you might end up in a Kid Stew. Yummm...
SOLD

IgorF"Monstrously Nice" for "Crammed Organisms", 2008
Original design, synthetic fur and wool felt, cotton, polyfill, Hand Sewn.
Igor has a present for you, and it's exactly what you want. You'd better wait for Christmas though, because what Igor wants, is to make you into meatloaf. Yup
SOLD

Stella"Monstrously Nice" for "Crammed Organisms", 2008
Original design, synthetic fur and wool felt, cotton, polyfill, Hand Sewn.
Stella loves to bake. She makes the best cupcakes you've ever eaten. But watch out, or you might end up in one of them. With cream frosting and a cherry on top.
Available from Wizard Sleeve Toyz here.

Olaf"Monstrously Nice" for "Crammed Organisms", 2008
Original design, synthetic fur and wool felt, cotton, polyfill, Hand Sewn.
Olaf knows kids like bunnies. They're so cute and soft and cuddly. And so are kids, as it turns out. Especially ones that have been made into stuffed toys. Monster children need toys too, you know.
SOLD


AlexOriginal design, wool felt, cotton, polyfill, Hand Sewn
Price: $50

Hi girl!

At last, the last plush for the show season 2009 is done! Well, she's been done for two weeks now, but I'm still recovering. She's hanging out at Ruban Rat waiting for Plush It! to begin.
Ladies and gents... please welcome - Fifi-Lou!

I love how her little hair ribbons turned out. So cute.

more pictures here.

and work in progress pictures are here.
And now - off to plan 2009!

We're back! (And you didn't even know we were gone)

Hi guys! We're back from a weekend in Seattle, for Plush You! and a bit of a breather. It was great, we absolutely loved it. I promise a slide show sometime next week (we're back in the grind, shock).
And all of my plushies were sold! Wow!

And Dia de Los Plush opened last friday too, and it looks like it was a blast too.
Check it out. And if you're interested in Señor Muertez, you can buy it, and other show "participants" here (just choose "current show" and scroll around).

See you on the other side!

Buonas noches, Señor Muertez!

I was recently accepted into the cool Dia de Los Plush show, at Red Hot Robot in Phoenix, AZ. Honestly, it was a short notice and I really had no time at all to even think about it, but I was intrigued. My art work, in case you're not very familiar, tends to be cute on the side of sweet and i've been trying to bring it a bit "to the dark side". I want to make it more edgy, a bit darker, more cynical and a bit creepy. Hence the child-eating monsters and the interest in a show that's inspired by the Day of the Dead.
Some research, some eating "Dead Bread" (provided kindly by one of our PA's wife) and a lot of gringo (read "white Jewish girl from the holly land") head scratching - and in came Señor Muertez,


(more pictures here)
He's Death's accountant (i've been watching too much Dead Like Me lately), and he's a crafty little guy. He made his own headdress himself. No, he didn't, actually. I did. And yes, it did take forever.