Giddeyup!!

Royal gets very angry when I take pictures of his horse, but I managed to sneak a fair one while he wasn't looking. It is his horse, you see, and that apparently means there needs to be some sort of equestrian minor model release form signed. Who knows, but this is by far one of my favorite creations.

He's been wanting to go to the dollar store to get a horse (-on-a-steek) and I've been steering him away from such a purchase because, well, it's at the dollar store. Hobby horses can be SO COOL, I would hate to have one be cheap and crumby when the potential is so great. Mommy-made stuff is always better, anyway.

The orange herringbone upholstery fabric is scraps from my father-in-law when he was working for a Maine retail manufacturing giant and would bring home bags upon bags of crap, I mean, scrap fabric. The interior of the ears was left over upholstery fabric from when I originally recovered the ottoman. The button eyes and "bit" are random buttons from the box, the reigns and mane are old trim from back in the day when I made medieval garb, and the "steek" was from my mother-in-law's "Martha" moment last Halloween when she made the boys goody bags that looked like brooms. I made the pattern (which I'm thinking of selling pdf style on eBay), serged the poo out of seams, tucked in the bottom of the stuffed head with a rubber band (stroke of genius- I tend to figure out the details after I make something), and threw on an industrial staple under the chin to keep the stick from becoming a javolin.

This baby has been cowboy-style, knight's best friend, to the grocery store, t-ball games, friend's houses, and camped out on the couch watching videos. The greatest honor from my dear Royal son is when he sleeps with things. Not just anything is invited to spend the night on the foot of his bed, mind you. There are plenty of toys and treasures that stay where they are at night, but to be requested as a snuggler is truly something for any possession to aspire to. It usually starts under the covers, then a week goes by and it's moved on top of the covers, then after a few nights it lives at the foot of the bed. My Sterling has his beloved TigieBlankie (two things, one word), but Royal likes to change it up with his mood. There is Dear-DeerBlankie (again, two thing, one word) but they are rarely unaccompanied by the obsession du jour. Its sad that most people don't love anything as much as that boy loves some random object he decided was special. I hope he always sees diamonds in the rough.