Puppet sales

Hi all, I have three finished puppets for sale ..... here's my blurb ;)

I make for your enjoyment  quality performance Muppet style puppets hand made from all new materials.   fleece, foam, felt, thin board, hot & contact glue, thread, plastic eyes, faux fur, cotton material & poly fill.

these puppets measure 45cm long from head to lower body and 25cm across the shoulders.

For your ease I have added  an inner sleeve to all my puppets allowing your hand to slip in and out  without feeling  that annoying inner foam body.  My own label is sewn inside each one.  Please remember this is a performance puppet and NOT a toy !

I recommend you store your puppet in a pillow case straight after a performance to keep it dust free.

Avoid touching the face to keep it free of dirty marks  (tip) you could scotch guard your puppet for easy cleaning. (material skin only!)
These three puppets come undressed. when you dress your puppet please choose a size 1-2 children's clothing.
These puppets can be used in many ways... outreach, in school drama classes, as a communication aid tackling some tricky issues, School teachers class room aid, in hospitals, nursing homes, storytelling for Librarians, or just for the grandparents to entertain their grand kids or big kids alike. Drop me a line and let me know some of your ideas on how you would use a puppet!

please leave your feedback, press like on my face book page and spread the word!  "VR Puppet Builds"

For more info,  videos and so you don't miss a thing go to my blog and YouTube channel ... press subscribe !   http://vrpuppetbuilds.blogspot.com.au/

For sales and If you would like a special order or a particular look please Inbox me or contact me at    valita_reynolds@yahoo.com

these are the three for sale....

They are $70 each and $17.00 P&H within Australia. Email me to make payment by PayPal. If you are somewhere else in the world and would love one please send me an email and I can take the puppet to the post office and get a true estimate on what it would cost to post your way !! thanks

and a last thought

 Rejoice in hope, 

be patient in tribulation, 

be constant in prayer. 

Romans 12:12

Making puppet hair with odd shaped fur scraps

HI all, as promised here is my post on making puppet hair with odd shaped fur scraps. I bought these from a lady off Esty.... you can do a search.... there are quite a few different sellers to choose from. So what I wanted to show was how to glue those odd shapes to make great looking hair. This is just one of many ways depending on the size and shape of your scrap pieces.

Basically I just took a piece of fur from the bag of scraps ..... it was an odd sized triangle which works great as you can turn this into a cone shape and get some height into the hair without the fur being long. The longer black and yellow hair in the pic above were also triangle shaped but just glued on as is. Find the grain of the fur so it naturally runs from front to back as hair would. Hot glue the chosen front and side edges then glue remaining edges together to form a cone like shape. With your front section chosen glue to your puppets head. Ive added a picture tutorial and video below which you may also find helpful. Happy Puppeting!

here is a pic of my latest shipment of fur scraps!How fun do they look! I'm so excited because we just don't get anything like this here in Australia.

and a last thought

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly,

 since love covers a multitude of sins. 

1 Peter 4:8

Making black edging on spoon eyes for your puppet

HI all, its been a little while since my last post and I have finally finished my three blue puppets which have been on my rack blind and hairless for some time..... I know.... a little depressing hey! well they now have sight and are a tad warmer on top.... so I wanted to share with you how I made the black borders around my spoon eyes, always wanted to try this .... here is my version, it's really easy so lets get started!
To start you will need some finished spoon eyes, click here and see my previous post on how to make these. Cut two pieces of felt larger than the eyes. Using the safety eye backing make an indent into the felt to mark the spot and cut a small hole for the backing to go through. Use cold quick drying glue on the inside of the eye and place the felt over the eye back pushing it all down into the cup of the eye. Let it dry then with some sharp material scissors cut a 1/8" border all the way around. Keep in mind when you choose the width of the eye border the material on your puppet may puff around the black border to make it look a little thinner. Some of the above plastic spoon eyes were trimmed before I did my black edging just to give them all a different look. Here is my link on how to attach safety eyes. 
And that's all there is to it! I loved how they turned out! so much more definition and expression with a touch of cartoon!  stay tuned for my next post on how to use fur scraps as hair! don't forget to subscribe, check out my video & give them a try...... enjoy :)

and a last thought

The eye is the lamp of the body, if your eyes are good

your whole body will be full of light. 

Matthew 6:22 

 

Storage rack idea for your puppets

 Hi all, My 10 indigenous puppets arrived safely at their destination and I'm told they will be given out to different schools in Victoria as a way of communicating and opening up young people to talk about the issues they face today. What a great way to use a puppet! its been great to be a part of this project.
 Well in today's post I wanted to share with you my puppet storage solution. I searched everywhere on the net for something that would suit my needs and if your familiar with my crafting area you'll know how small it is!!! The only available area I had left was on the back of the door! which got me searching out "over the door" storage racks which led me to this Whitmor over the door shoe rack. It was pricey to buy here in Australia but I did see them over half the price cheaper in the USA but they wouldn't post them to my area. So I took the plunge and bought one and I'm pretty happy with how it has worked for me. I did have to do some minimal changes to this rack to support the puppets heads using pool noodles and some cable ties but that was pretty cheap and easy to do myself. It fits 12 regular size puppets on the whole rack, 2 on each row but if your puppet bodies are smaller you could adjust that to fit a few more..... So after using this for the past few months now the only down side was.... the pool noodles do bend a little with the weight of the puppet but that was easy to fix just flip the noodle around. and I did find when I finished all the hair and dressing the puppets the rack weight wise was definitely maxed out! so after posting away the 10 indigenous puppets I now have another four on the storage rack waiting for me to put their features on and dress them. Overall I'm pretty happy with this storage solution!

here is a pic of it loaded with puppets and I also added some large bags for dust covers...........

If you have any questions just email me and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. I hope this may give you some needed inspiration or help in some way, now check out my video.... Happy puppeting!

 and a last thought

Store your treasures in heaven, 

where moths and rust cannot destroy,

 and thieves do not break in and steal.

Matthew 6:20

Making a fur wig cap for a puppet

Hi all, I was so happy with the way my long plush fake fur came out as puppet hair and had to share with you how I did it........ probably not a new idea but I hate wasting this stuff as it can be very expensive!
When using long pile fur make sure it is running in the direction up and over the head, this way you can slick the hair back or fluff it up!
I cut out a square around the size on the puppets head I want to cover, you could do this with some old fabric first to make a pattern. Then with some sharp fabric scissors make small snips (making sure to only cut the base fabric and not the fur) cutting off each corner and a V shape at the back edge. I don't like the look of raw edges on fur hair it just looks half done and cheap.....so crank up your hot glue gun and glue a small hem all the way around and closing up your V cut, this way you will end up with a nice concave shape that will fit well over a round headed puppet. Again just adjust the sizes of everything to fit your own needs.I then hot glued mine to the head but you could also sew it on. LOL I know what my husband will say .... can I have one of those!  :) 
Here are some details for you to save ........ and check my video (yes I was in my PJs but hey its cold here atm ;) don't forget to press like, subscribe or just say hi  :) happy puppeting!

and a last thought

He will cover you with his feathers. 

He will shelter you with his wings. 

His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Psalm 91:4

 

Mungo

HI all,  Mungo is my recent build.... he was given to our neighbor who is a single mum with two small children who also gave him this great name :)
His eyes were made using the spoons in one of my last posts I love how they turned out! His hair was just a 3x3" piece of fur scrap (never throw out your scraps!) ..... watch for my next video on how I put on a fur wig cap as hair for your puppet! His tongue was some fun foam and I only put glue on the back section so the front would jiggle a little and make him look fun! He's so cute and I'm sure he will make two little girls laugh..... happy puppeting!

and a last thought

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, 

and your lips with shouting.

Job 8:21

Making yarn hair for puppets

Hi all, my next few posts will be about making hair for your puppets. previously you have seen my indigenous puppets well this yarn hair idea is what I used for the five girls. The idea was NOT my own I searched the net on doll hair making and used a mix of ideas to make it suit my needs... the original inspiration came from here at craft sheep.
The circumference around the head for my puppets was about 17" around, just above the ears and eyes that I wanted to cover. The card template I wrapped the yarn on measured 10 x 6" and one regular ball of wool made almost 2 wigs, my video below will show you all the details. They were basically made the same way as craft sheep made hers but on a bigger scale and an extra section. So I made a front fringe or bangs, a longer back under section and a thicker main overall wig with a center part. This way you get a full thick coverage and you see much less of the head skin.

This next pic shows how I pinned each section onto the head ready for sewing.... don't forget to remove the pins as you go .... I did ......

This is the wig finished! you can sew down small sections with matching fine thread just to keep the hair in place as sometimes during performances things can get a little crazy.... believe me I know! and you could also cut the fringe short as I did with some of the girls.

Well I hope you have found this helpful, enjoy the video (which I had a few problems with) and Happy puppeting!

and a last thought

And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 

So don't be afraid; you are more valuable

 to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

Luke 12:7