School fish - didn't they do well?

I worked with reception and year two children, so that I could help out in all of my girls classes! 

Mary had a lot of fun looking for purple flowers for her fish. Some of the reception children finished inside the hour we had together, and very quickly chose a favourite colour ...

I love the eye on this fish!

Daisy worked with blocks of strong colour. Some children really didn't want to be restricted to one colour. 

These are going to look great swimming all over the carnival float! 

School of fish!

Today I am going into school to help Mary's class make some fish for Weymouth carnival this year!

I love collage, so we will be working with magazines and glue. 

I am going to be 'the rainbow fish' and give each child a glittery shimmery scale, fin or eye! I will make sure I share some of the results!

Jingling Johnnys are ready to make a joyful noise!

Here are those fun handmade instruments, a really amazing collaboration and ready to play. These will be at Weymouth carnival this year. Are you coming?

New Raggy Rat Website ...

I am pleased to announce a lovely new Raggy Rat Website, linking together my up to date activities with an archive of all the old raggy rat favourites ... It even feeds from this lovely blog!

It has been carefully created for me by Differo Web Design and you can find them FACEBOOK too!

Sketch book time!

Sometimes I have to stop and draw something in order to know how it will come together. As if my hand movements on the paper help me to see?

So these are sketches of the rat fursuit head I am working on, with a different shaped nose than the last time. Although the drawing below does admittedly look like a pair of pants! Oops!

This top view sketch shows what I'm aiming for, so I plan to cover thin sheet foam in fleece and add shading. This may match the rat's ears! 

Sometimes, I find out how much fun happens ...

"Since I got the rat bag I wear it every day and EVERYONE talks about it! I have had young men, old men, smart women, scruffy women, old and young, children, parents, hipsters, grannies, hip hop people, goths, punks, business men, bouncers at clubs, all come up and ask about it, pat it, beg me to tell them where I got it, I have never in my life been so famous through an item!

"I've given them your website but honestly you should go global!! Seems no one can get enough of the Ratbag! Thought you'd like to hear that!

"Lara x"

Plush Team Holiday nightmare Challenge!

This little Kitty went on holiday to Weymouth! Great! That's where I live!

But it wasn't a good start. She was very travel sick on the way over in the car. Well, luckily, outside of the car! She had to stop several times!

If you get car-sick you will know that you need some time to recover after. Kitten is enjoying the south coast sunshine - quite rare these days! We are not having a summer this year ...

Our little friend decided on a boat trip. Bad idea. She got very seasick.

The sea-life tower boasts awesome views both in land and out to sea. But kitty felt quite dizzy at such a great height and was glad to be back on the ground! Please don't make me do that again!

Now of course a roller coaster might not be good for our kitty, but a ride on a sweet carousel should be OK, right? Sadly kitty only felt another shade of green, and turned a whiter shade of pale again! OOPS!

So kitty recovered by strolling along the sea front until her legs had forgiven her and she felt much better. She became excited to find a lovely booth selling seaside treats and jumped up and down, demanding far too much candy-floss from the stall holder. Unfortunately, you can guess the rest!

I hand made kitty for a plushteam plush challenge, and you can find her in the plush team Etsy shop, just click HERE!