"Stuff" by Heather Boulton-Lyons

Heather's Hooters

2012-01-06T10:47:00.004-05:00

Two postings in one week? It could be that I'm actually going to follow through on my New Year's resolution to maintain my blog this year. Who knew that 2012 was going to be such a productive year? Now on with the self-congratulatory pontification!

The next thing I want to show you are my Hooters... er, I mean Owls!

It seems that no matter where you look these days, cute owl-themed paraphernalia is everywhere! Not wanting to be left out of the fun (and wanting to capitalize on a HOT trend) I created Heather's Hooters, a project for my Guerilla Entrepreneurship class.

(yes, at art school this is a thing!)

Measuring in at around eight inches high and made from the finest acrylic yarn, these awesome owls will keep even the most crafty plush squirrels and mice away from your crocheted vegetable garden.

If you live in the Toronto area and think you need a plush owl to guard your couch or bookshelf, head on down to Ransack the Universe

(1207 Bloor Street West - in the basement of 69 Vintage Collective)

and pick one up today!

While there, you should also check out their awesome selection of cool crafts (by local Toronto artists) and other vintage-y finds too!

The Big Weenie

2012-01-03T09:28:00.008-05:00

I'm admittedly the worst offender when it comes to updating a blog on a regular basis, but I'm going to try to do a better job in 2012. Here's the first posting of the new year, hopefully it will be one among many!

This is the Big Weenie!

He was part of the final project for my Toy Design class from the fall 2011/2012 semester.

In the midst of the semester I became obsessed with creating anthropomorphized food items and I began dreaming about cartoon junk food, hotdogs and Mr. Potato Head.

A dress-up hotdog doll was a natural progression from there (obviously). He's got removable condiments that can be repositioned in various ways and his very own bun backpack!

That's it for now! Hopefully, I'll have another post for you in a week or so.

Get MAAD! Group Show at OCAD's Learning Zone

2011-04-12T08:55:00.005-04:00

Join us this Wednesday April 13th, 2011 from 4 - 6 pm
See the work of 3rd year MAAD Students (me included) and eat some baked goods!
Show runs until April 21st, 2011
Click here for more information

The First Craft Show of 2011

2011-03-27T17:18:00.002-04:00

"Stuff" by Heather Boulton-Lyons will be at the "Past and Presents" Spring Show and Sale!

Saturday May 7th, 2011

from 10am to 4pm

A great day to come an meet local artisans and crafts people from the Uxbridge area!

See you there!

"Blinky and Clyde"

2011-02-24T17:34:00.004-05:00

"Stuff By Heather Boulton-Lyons"
presents...
"8-Bit Pillows!"

now available at "Ransack The Universe"

featuring Pac-Man's archenemies, Blinky and Clyde

made from crocheted acrylic yarn and polyester fiber-fill

"Beaver"

2011-01-04T12:30:00.004-05:00

Beaver was made from an old wool blanket that was hand-dyed in a bath made from black walnut hulls. Variations in shade were achieved by dyeing the fabric for differing lengths of time

(longer time in bath = deeper shade of brown).

Beaver is stuffed with polyester fiber-fill.

Facial features and details were hand-embroidered.

This was the final project for my "Fibre: Implementing the History Class"

Paisley Scarf

2011-01-04T12:14:00.005-05:00

The first project for my "Fibre: Implementing the History" class was

inspired by Victorian-era printed Paisley shawls.

The scarf is made of 100% linen and hand-dyed using cochineal mordanted with iron.

My original 2 colour design was then screen-printed by hand.

"Ophidian"

2011-01-04T11:55:00.007-05:00

Ophidian was another project for my

"Fibre: Implementing the History" class and was inspired by my research into

WWII Trench Art

Materials:

100% wool yarn and fleece

Single crocheted in a continuous spiral

Needle-sculpted head

Embroidery and bead accents

A Red Linen Bag

2010-07-27T15:56:00.004-04:00

This red bag was a request from my sister-in-law, who wanted/needed it as a prop for her Fringe Show.

Although it never actually made it onto the stage (she said that she liked it way too much and was worried that it would get wrecked during a scene in which she gets a pie in the face), it did make the rounds of the Fringe Tent almost every night.

Similar in design to (but larger than) my GO Train Bag, it features a long shoulder strap instead of handles.

The outer shell is a luxurious linen-blend in a fabulous tomato-red.

The lining was screen-printed (by hand and by yours truly) and features my original fruit-sticker design.

Stumpits

2010-07-27T15:24:00.003-04:00

When my parents sold their house this year (in an effort to downsize), I inherited a box of beautiful, 100%-wool blankets. They were perfectly felted (I assume from years of washing) and ready for a unique sewing project.

It wasn't until this week, however, that an idea about what to do with them came to me.

Meet the Stumpits! Clever little creatures that live in the cracks between the sofa cushions and take secret baths in your kitchen sink while you're away on vacation.

They have hand embroidered faces and safety eyes...

... and fanciful embroidered appliques...

They were stitched together on my trusty Singer, stuffed with polyester fiber-fill and lovingly finished by hand.

Ta-da!

Little Yarn People, Man...

2010-07-27T14:48:00.003-04:00

People kept asking me when I was going to make more Little Yarn People, so I spent two whole days watching "Glee" re-runs while stitching up another one...

Again, this doll was crocheted free-form (without a pattern) and based upon

Fisher Price's Little People (circa 1980)...

Made from a combination of wool and acrylic yarns and stuffed with polyester fiber-fill.

(his features are a combination of felt and embroidery floss)...

Pictured below with the original doll on which I based my design.

"Stuff" in stores...

2010-06-24T20:03:00.003-04:00

You can now buy selected "Stuff" by Heather merchandise exclusively at:

Ransack the Universe

1207 Bloor Street West, Toronto

(in the basement of 69 Vintage Collective/Buy the Pound)

It's an amazing store featuring the work of many talented local artists and I encourage everyone to check it out.

"Blue Jay"

2010-06-01T12:38:00.005-04:00

This is Blue. The final project for my "Explorations in Fibre" class.

He’s a streetwise jay who makes his home in an elm tree at the corner of Broadview and Danforth Avenues in Toronto. Originally from the valley, Blue moved here over a year ago to get away from the noise of the parkway and the rumble of the TTC.

Blue was a fairly involved project. He was created using a combination of wet felting, needle felting and machine embroidery.

Guess who finally finished second-year?

2010-06-01T11:14:00.008-04:00

...and after a month of sitting around the house watching re-runs of Glee I think I'm now fully recovered from the experience!!!

It was an intense eight months filled with laughter, tears and thirteen-hour studio days but it all paid off in the end. I just found out yesterday that I won the 2010 George A. Reid Scholarship for second-year Material Art and Design students.

I want to sincerely thank the estate of George A. Reid for this incredible honour and express my profound appreciation for the financial support and opportunity your scholarship has afforded me.

Apparently good grades do matter after all!

Big Breakfast Mitts

2009-12-13T22:04:00.003-05:00

These oven mitts are an homage to the

"play food" of my childhood

and my husband's skill in the kitchen.

They feature interchangeable,

snap-on breakfast foods

and are made from 100% cotton.

This was my final project for my drawing class

where we were studying the "body as a narrative".

As a material artist, I naturally focused on the hands.

Lucy

2009-12-13T21:45:00.004-05:00

"Lucy" was the final project for my "Intro to Fibre" class.

She's an amalgamation of techniques

that were covered over the course of the semester.

From her block printed sweatshirt

to her coiled Doc Martins,

she's a teen goth with serious attitude!

Monarcle

2009-12-13T20:55:00.009-05:00

This is the "Monarcle", the first assignment for my "Intro to Jewelry" class.

We had to chose a bug and design a piece of body adornment that captured its "essence".

I chose the butterfly and designed this costume piece.

I see it being worn on the stage at a performance by Cirque du Soleil, or maybe at Mardi Gras.

It's constructed from hand dyed cotton, wire and acrylic paint.

Erin's Doll

2009-08-27T23:46:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures of the doll I made for my friend Erin.

It was her birthday last weekend.

So... What's better than a doll with your face on it?

Nothing!

Except maybe the sandwich platter from "Mainly Cheese" in South Ajax.

2009-08-27T23:11:00.004-04:00

Back to School and Back to Blog!

I'm afraid that too much fun this summer

meant too few posts for you, dear friends!

I promise to make it up to you

with some pictures of my newest adventures in fiber!

Coming soon to a blog near you!

Return of the Sock O'Monkeys

2009-07-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

A bunch of monkeys showed up on my window sill this morning...

they wanted to know if I had any dryer lint to eat...

Ahhhhh.....Zombies!!!!!!

2009-07-20T23:00:00.001-04:00

They're seven inches of brain-sucking cuteness...

cuddly and deadly...

... the undead have never been so huggable!

Friends of St. William Fundraiser

2009-07-13T22:42:00.000-04:00

If you have twenty bucks, come out and join us this Thursday July 16th.

It’s a worthy cause and there are so many great artists participating.

Hope to see you there!

Strawberry Success!

2009-07-09T22:23:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday's Stouffville Strawberry Festival was a huge success!!!!

I completely sold out of Sock O'Monkeys!

...going...going...GONE!

(but don't worry...new monkeys will be here in one to two weeks)

...a few more pictures of my display from Saturday:

A big thanks to everyone who came by our booth last Saturday and to everyone who helped out!

Totes 'n' Stuff

2009-07-01T13:54:00.001-04:00

Made from vintage pillowcases, these one-of-a-kind totes feature photographs of my favourite toys!

Foonfee Boom-Bahs

2009-07-01T13:41:00.000-04:00

We're the "Foonfee Boom-Bahs"....

...squishy brothers from another planet...

... but we're not just sure which one????

Cow-muter?

2009-06-29T22:28:00.000-04:00

MOO!

She rides the train everyday from Ajax to Toronto.

She's on her way to greener pastures, but

when you're always on the go it's sometimes easy to get lost in the herd!

This slide-show would not have been possible without help.

Thanks to Will and Dave (my creative team) for help with staging and photography

... and a big thank-you to Mr. Willie Nelson for

providing the perfect soundtrack for the adventures of my three-foot, fabric cow!

Purses

2009-06-23T00:20:00.000-04:00

Both of these purses were crocheted from merino wool and then wet felted....

... and this purse features a collage of images taken while I was commuting from Ajax to Toronto last fall...

Battle of the Pocket-Ninjas

2009-06-22T18:52:00.000-04:00

Tiny warriors take to the battlefield in the ultimate showdown for back-yard supremacy!

"So, we meet again..."

"...for the first time, for the last time...."

2009-06-18T16:07:00.000-04:00

"Stuff" by Heather Boulton-Lyons and The Town Planner Community Calendar are sharing a booth at this years ...

Saturday July 4th, 2009

9:00am to 4:00pm

Main Street, Stouffville

Check out the official website for more information

www.strawberryfestival.ca

Hope to see you there!

Sock O'Monkeys

2009-06-14T18:04:00.000-04:00

Meet the Sock O'Monkeys!

This crazy bunch of primates love to hang out all day with the laundry and snack on the dryer lint.

That may explain why they're always static free and why they smell like a fresh summer breeze!

Summerfest

2009-06-14T14:36:00.001-04:00

Come out to the Rose Theatre in Brampton, ON on Saturday July 25th, 2009 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and stop by my booth. This is my very first juried art show and I will be shamelessly promoting my unique designs and flogging my wares all day long.

Check out www.bramptonartfair.com for a list of vendors and events.

Hope to see you there!

"Lil' Yarn People"

2009-06-14T13:15:00.000-04:00

Designed and modeled after classic "Little People" by toddler-toy manufacturer Fisher Price, these larger versions pay homage to one of my favourite toys growing up. Both pieces are crocheted out of worsted-weight acrylic yarn and stuffed with polyester fiber-fill.

This red one is set to be auctioned off in support of the St.William Adult ESL Library

The fundraiser and silent auction will be held at Leonardo Galleries,

(133 Avenue Rd. Toronto, ON) on July 16th, 2009

Anyone interested in supporting this charity event can contact Milka at

friendsofstwilliam@gmail.com

"Wilbur The Frog"

2009-06-14T13:01:00.000-04:00

Croak... Croak.... Croak....

This ectotherm loves to sun himself on the rocks next to our pool!

(Wilbur was crocheted with sport weight acrylic yarn and stuffed with polyester fiber-fill)

2009-06-12T16:04:00.001-04:00

"Stuff" by Heather Boulton-Lyons

A blog for shameless self promotion!

A showcase for my work in fiber and textiles!

!!!!!!COMING SOON!!!!!

Pictures of my artwork and where you can buy it this summer!