Hi everyone out there in internet land!

It’s August already, so it’s time for a little update on how things have been ^-^ Looking back, I can’t believe so much of the year has passed already. Needless to say, I’ve been away on this semi-hiatus of sorts, only posting about once or twice a month, and that’s been due to all the books I’ve been writing! I’ve let you know about Bling it Up! already, but I should have more books releasing in the coming months, so I’ll be sure to post about that. Now with Metrocon over I’m taking a little break to work on the kind of things that started this whole blog – namely trying out new project ideas to bring down my fabric collection and sharing the tutorials with you! Stay tuned in the next few weeks and you should be seeing a bit of a comeback from me 😀

I’m also getting pretty close to my next giveaway goal, which will be when I hit a kiriban for my DeviantArt pageviews ^-^ Can’t say I’m surprised; my DeviantArt fans are some my best fans! You guys are awesome!
DeviantArt pageviews: 115,638/123,456 = 94%
DeviantArt watchers: 4,286/5,000 = 86%
Facebook likes: 1,405/2,000 = 70%
Tumblr followers: 752/1,000 = 75%
Wordpress followers: 1,288/2,000 = 64%

But now the real reason why we’re here; a new plush pattern for my Monthly Crafting Challenge! This month for August is a little plush square watermelon with matching basket!

Even though this pattern is quite basic, I just love the finished look x3 Many of you might know about the square watermelons that are grown in Japan – they cost a lot more money to buy, but they’re popular due to the novelty of them and that they fit perfectly in tiny Japanese refrigerators. I knew the moment I had the idea that I wanted the plush to show the adorable pink flesh with seeds, but there wasn’t really a way to make it work while still showing the full plush cube. Hence the basket option! It kind of resembles the carved watermelons seen at fancy catered brunches, but nevertheless it has a bright pink interior and you can use it to store your other plush creations or something :3

You can get the pattern for this plush by signing up for email updates (found in the submission box on the right side of the page below the search bar). If you have trouble signing up, you can check out more info at the main Monthly Crafting Challenge page, the FAQ, or by emailing me. Also, bonus! for today only I’m offering both this pattern and the one from July when you sign up. After today though, the prize is just this guy 🙂 Though you can also purchase the older pattern through my Etsy if you’re too late.
If you’ve already signed up for emails, that’s where the challenge comes in. You can get this pattern if you make one of the projects from this blog, my books, or my Etsy then email me or message the finished project to my Facebook where I have a really awesome collection going of your creations! Keep it up every month and you’ll get a new free pattern, so don’t forget to check back during September to see the newest creation!