Jasmine (Aladdin) – Amigurumi #53

I can show you the world,
Shining shimmering, plushy,
Tell me, Pika, now when did you last
finish a project?~ (8)

A whole new plushhhhhh~
A cute mini I never made,
But when I’m way down here,
It’s crystal clear,
that now I’m in a plushie world with you~

At long last, my Princess Jasmine plush has been completed! I call her Jasmini, for reasons you will see later in the blog. Though one reason is that she doesn’t have a mouth, and therefore she is speechless. Heh? HEH?!!!!??! 😀 (Click on “speechless” to get the joke, and enjoy a lovely song)

I used the same head, arms, and body shape as Ariel. Jasmine was a bit more of a challenge to make than Ariel, due to having those…what are they called? Oh, feet.

Pre-styled hair

She also needed a LOT more hair. Sadly to say that this final result doesn’t have the “volume” I was hoping for. Perhaps I should rub the lamp, and wish for a new way to make her hair thick and luxurious?

And yes, I am aware that I used the same skin tone for both characters. I consider these prototypes, hence they are not available in the shop. These two are good friends; they even take selfies together! Further research shows that these two often appear together, outside of their respective movies.

#disneyPrincess #damselsInSuccess

If I recall correctly, Jasmine was my first Disney princess. For my second Hallowe’en, at age 5, I dressed up as her. Mother Raichu even bought a dollar store hair extension to make my hair look super long. I wore the costume the following year to a Hallowe’en party, and kids asked “woah! Pika, is this really your hair?!”

That’s when I decided to grow my hair very long, “like a princess.” Sadly, having thick, naturally curly hair meant the Raichus would frequently chop it down once it got too long and tangled to manage. Years later, I would go to a whole new world; it gave me a new fantastic point of view. With no one to tell me no [you can’t have long hair,] or where to go [to get hair cut,] or say we’re only dreaming [of having long hair.] Okay, I’m done with that song.

On June 27, I finally saw the live action Aladdin! Naomi Scott was a good choice for Jasmine. The only thing I would change, was to make her hair look more cobra-like. If you look at animated Jasmine, her hair is in the silhouette of a cobra.

Here is a picture of me with Jasmini, wearing the Jasmine-themed romper I bought from Hot Topic. I’ve been excited to see the live action movie, since hearing that an old friend went to the same high school as Mena Massoud. Woo, Ontario represent! Also, Wash from Firefly, plays Iago the parrot? Huh. Guess we really couldn’t take the sky from him. Though technically, didn’t the sky take the Wash from us? Oops, Serenity spoiler.

[/tangent]

Anyway, when we went to see the new movie, I introduced Jasmini to bubble tea. She likes the papaya smoothie. For some reason, I think real Jasmine would have preferred mango.

Jasmini had the best seat in the house: in my hat! She enjoyed every second of the movie, and sang along whenever Jasmine was on screen. Well okay, she hummed along, due to not having a mouth. During the end of A Whole New World, the Mad Hatter leaned toward me. Jasmini booped his head.

Perhaps with another blog post, I will give a full review of the movie. I should re-watch the animated Aladdin at some point. I remember watching Return of Jafar, and I remember this song from the third installment. But oddly enough, I don’t remember the original “classic” that everyone raves about. Hopefully I will be able to rewatch the animated movie some time soon.

As a kid, I also liked Jasmine, because she looked the most like me. Growing up in Scarborough, Ontario during the late 90’s meant I was mostly surrounded by, well…. people who looked more like Ariel. And I never knew how to explain my heritage to people, since my parents were never clear on it, either. Now that I think about it, the best description of my heritage is similar to Jasmine’s: it’s an amalgamation of cities and cultures. Jasmine’s city of Agrabah is a made up city, that draws from Middle Eastern and Indian cultures. I was born here in Canada, my parents were born in another country, and our heritage is from another country. If that makes sense. Sometimes I recognize foods, words, and mannerisms in other cultures, that my parents taught me growing up. They aren’t the same, but they are similar. Jasmine’s outfit in the animated movie is different from what a Middle Eastern or Indian princess would wear during that time period, but it is inspired off outfits that real Harem women would have worn. And her hair was designed to imitate the towers of the Taj Mahal, which confused me about the cobra silhouette earlier. Point is, Jasmine is a lot of things. And so am I.

Also like Jasmine, I have felt pressure to do things a certain way because “it’s tradition.” Jasmine was supposed to marry a prince, because she was a princess and it was tradition for her to continue the royal bloodline. But she chose Aladdin/Prince Ali, not only for what he could give her materially, but because he helped her achieve the life of freedom she always longed for. For my family, it is against tradition to move out before getting married, and it was unheard of to fall in love with someone of a different culture. But then I met the Mad Hatter, and he helped encourage me to pursue my dreams. That ultimately gave me the courage to move out and pursue my own independence. Now I’m looking forward to my final year of college, and hope that one day I can create movies that inspire people, just like how Jasmine inspired me. All it took was a little going against the norm.

Who was your favourite Disney princess? Have you seen the new Aladdin movie? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Make This Again: Torchic – Amigurumi #9.1 + Bad News…

Ever heard of the Draw This Again challenge? If not, it’s pretty self-explanatory. I did the “Make This Again” challenge. Here are two wee baby Torchics!

Ahh! Surely, I have improved!

Previously, I tried to make the plushie all one piece. While efficient, it robbed the plushie of its intended shape. I’ve also used brighter coloured orange yarn to help them stand out. The feet are still chained, but they are broader and are closer to chicken feet. It was a hassle to sew the head, wings, and body together, but it was worth it in the end. I now feel confident selling these little guys in the shop.

Five years ago, I made a Torchic key charm for Kitty, before he went to live in the UK for a year. He attached it to his luggage, as intended.

When he went through baggage claim, he found his luggage…but not Torchic. It made me sad.

This time, I’m prepared.

I attached a metal keychain! It’s not great as a baggage tag anymore, but it’s definitely stronger than a yarn cord. This Torchic would be right at home on a backpack or carry-on.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 years since Kitty went to the UK. How much has changed since then? Well, to sum up, he now has a master’s degree, a beautiful wife, and a million more snob points. He’s seen me through new beginnings and bad breakups, made jokes at my expense, and took his share of my salt. He’s just like a real cat; drives you up the wall, but at the end of the day provides comfort. Sad to say we don’t talk as often as we used to, due to busy schedules and life in general. But when we do chat, it’s as though nothing has changed. This is my favourite kind of friendship. And we’ve established that he’s playing piano for my wedding, if I ever get married.

Now that you’re all happy from seeing such a cute little fire chicken…time for the bad news: I done goofed. Tomorrow was supposed to be the re-launch of my shop. However, due to imminent travel plans for which I forgot to account, the shop will be unavailable until May 12.

All is not lost, however! I will be taking requests and commissions during this time period. I currently only have Torchic and Popplio scheduled to be sold, but we need more colours, yarnit! Leave suggestions for plushies/amigurumi that you’d like to see, and let’s start making the world plush!

Do you have any commission suggestions? Have you attempted the “make/draw this again” challenge? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

*Edit: changed “darnit” to “yarnit” at former roommate’s request. Miss ya, Triztan!

Taco – Amigurumi #51

There are a couple things I want to taco ’bout.

First, this is a taco. It’s one of the plushies from the plush binge a couple years back. It has been almost 2 years since the binge, and I may have forgotten what plushies were made when. For argument’s sake, let’s say that there were actually 5 plushies in the binge, because I don’t remember making the cupcake that time, but I do remember making the taco.

Click here to view 1/5: Pudding

Click here to view 2/5: Ice-Cream

Click here to view 3/5: Cupcake

Tacos are amazing, as this video from Pleated Jeans will tell you. They can be crunchy or chewy, meaty or beany, cheesy or saucy. There’s something for everyone, and you can’t be wrong no matter what you choose. As a wee Pichu, I remember the Raichus taking us to Scarborough Town Center, where we would eat fresh, crispy tacos, and I would get ice cream for dessert.

I was craving tacos today, and took that as an opportunity to take some taco pics. I got 2 tacos, supreme fries, and some cinnamon bites. As I type this, I just remembered the latter are still in my bag. (Was too full of fountain drink to eat them)

Hatter suggested I save the amigurumi taco for last, because it looked like the best. So I did. But when I took a bite of it, I went *pleh pleh pleh* I guess just because something looks good on the inside, doesn’t mean it tastes good on the inside.

Messy food is best.

The amigurumi taco contains little red tomato bits. Perhaps I should have made them more prominent.

The next thing I want to mention is: 4 more days until the shop re-opens! I will be selling small plushies and remaking some old ones, as well. I think I will include several plushies as a single listing at a time. Larger plushies will get their own listings.

You will be able to purchase the plushies through PayPal, and in time I hope to incorporate online banking as an option. (I haven’t been on Etsy in a while, and want to check what other payment options are available) Currently, the plushies are only for sale in Canada, but hopefully after the shop sees more success, I can start shipping south of the border.

If anyone I know personally is reading this, please contact me directly for plushie orders. 😉

Hard, or soft tacos? What do you put in your tacos? Do you like fire sauce? What else do you like to eat with your tacos? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Macarons – Amigurumi #50

*This plush also appears on @pikainabag!

And with this blog, I complete my Lenten promise, however late it may be.

Sometimes, it is nice to let other people do things for you. Cooking for yourself is nice, but when you’re busy, it’s nice to just kick back and have someone bring you a pizza. Likewise, when you’re busy but still want to blog, it’s nice to have someone provide a pattern for you to follow.

These macarons were made using the pattern from AmigurumiPianosound. (Click name to visit YouTube channel) I was in the mood for something sweet and simple to make in a single sitting, so as to have blog material that didn’t distract from the boat load of schoolwork. And then I ended up making several.

The above picture demonstrates how varied yarns and alterations can affect the outcome of the macaron’s appearance. The mint chocolate macaron (green) was created using thing green yarn, and I skipped the “*inc, sc 3, repeat from *” round. The result was okay, but a little too round, compared to an actual macaron. I followed the pattern exactly for the pink one, but the colour combination should have been inverted, to help the cream stand out. The yarn I used for the chocolate macaron is thinner, and although it looks normal in the photo, it is a bit too thin in real life.

I like the purple and yellow macarons best. I gave the purple one to Shoonie as a belated birthday present. We promptly fed it to Little Feet, for his first birthday. Seeing as how macaron halves should have “little feet” once they are baked, it felt appropriate.

Feet not shown

And she made delicious Easter desserts!

The best one was the Shoonie hand.
I take my coffee with milk and sugar. Fight me.

You might recognize the pink macaron from the Popplio post. Indeed, Popplio likes macarons. Or are they poffins? They can’t be malasadas… malasadas are fried, and remind me of mandazis. I heard that the new gen will take place in England. Maybe macaron-like Pokemon treats will make an appearance?

Haaaa… at long last, it feels like I can breathe again. There will be another blog this weekend, along with an announcement! Until then, let’s continue to rest, recover, and make the world plush

To make your own cute macaron plush, click here for pianosound’s video tutorial.

Which dessert should be next? Did you achieve your Lenten goals? How was your Easter? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Mimikyu – Amigurumi #48

*The following plush also appears on @pikainabag

Monday was Shoonie’s birthday! In commemoration of her 2 decades on this planet, I broke taboo and made…a Pikachu!

Hm? What’s that? This ISN’T a Pikachu?

…oh. It’s a Mimikyu!

This little guy was a bit tricky to get just right. As pictured to the left, it turns out Mimikyu’s black body underneath has the same spiky pattern as the bottom of its costume. I thought that was merely shadow, but after looking at its model in Sun, it turns out that is not the case.
You’ll also notice it doesn’t sit flat, but rather rocks a bit. The weight created by its head and tail leaning to one side doesn’t help either. After doing a bit of research, I may have found a way to keep the base laying flat. Once the shop reopens, I will make and sell a new Mimikyu according to these strategies.

This cutie has been widely received among my classmates. It’s very well behaved too; it quietly listens to music while I work.

Sometimes it joins me for tea.

This Mimikyu is Canadian made. So Canadian, in fact, that it sat and watched hockey with my roommate.

Poor Mimikyu. It just wants to be loved. Maybe it will find a friend in No-Face.

With only 2 weeks left of school, things are getting hectic. While I’m glad to have gotten a chance to sit down and make plushies again, I must also focus on the plethora of assignments that are due in the coming week. Perhaps I will share the completed ones here at the end of the semester!

Which Pokemon should be next? Or should Mimikyu get an alternate costume? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~