The Bluebird Bulletin: Nanuk's Sleepy Eyes

One of the most important parts of a doll or stuffed animal are the eyes. It is said that the eyes are the "windows to the soul" on a person so why not on a toy too? It is with the eyes that you can tell if the toy is happy, sad, angry or sleepy. The eyes can even make the difference between cute or creepy.

So, when I'm designing the Featherby & Friends dolls and stuffed animals I put a lot of thought into eye types, placement and colors. For my dolls I already use brown and blue eyes but since I offer custom dolls intended to match the recipient I have realized the need for more options. However, my previous source did not have the selection I was hoping for so I started searching for new sources.

That's when I stumbled upon Suncatcher Craft Eyes. First of all, I was incredibly impressed by the selection! There is every conceivable color of eyes and then some. Whether you're looking for realistic people eyes for dolls, glitter eyes for cute fairies or even glow in the dark eyes for a sneaky cat, they are sure to have exactly what you need.

When perusing the Suncatcher blog I noticed an intriguing post asking for designers who were interested in collaborating. I eagerly responded and was overjoyed when I received a lovely, positive reply asking which eyes I would like to try! Although it was difficult to decide I selected 4 pairs:
9mm Opaque Ivy Green (for Little Sister Dolls)
12mm Opaque Country Blue (for Big Sister Dolls)
20mm & 24mm Sleepy Sky Blue (for a brand new design I was playing around with!)

When they arrived I was immediately impressed by the colors and by the quality. They have very sturdy posts and metal backings, which I have found to be more reliable than plastic backings.

I started with the Sleepy Eyes. I was extremely excited about these since they are so unique. At the time I had an idea floating around in my brain (plus a few doodles and notes) and the Sleepy Eyes seemed like exactly the thing to bring the project to life. My idea was for a cute, cuddly, and very huggable Polar Bear. I wanted him to look like the perfect buddy to snuggle with. I requested 2 sizes since I wasn't sure exactly how big they would need to be to get the right look.

After a little experimenting I ended up using the 24mm eyes. They are absolutely perfect and give him the sweet, sleepy expression I was hoping for! The finished Polar Bear is about 14 inches long, 10 inches tall and 6 inches wide. He is made with Bernat Baby Blanket yarn and is extremely soft and squishy!

So without further ado, I would like to introduce Nanuk!