This is a picture of my first weighted bear. It has a removable rice pack in its belly which can be heated up by placing it in a microwave for about 2 minutes. The rice bag also provides a nice amount of weight to the bear so that little children can get a sense of being grounded. I got the idea for a weighted stuffed animal while working at a preschool. I saw that some kids who had sensory integration issues or just emotional regulation issues responded well to activities that allowed them to experience deep muscle pressure, like jumping or pressing down on play dough. I learned that a weighted vest could help some children who needed that extra pressure to give them a sense of being in their body. But for a child to be allowed to wear a vest like that required a doctor's diagnosis and prescription. So why not have other weighted toys that do not require medical criteria and sanction. I am interested in building more of these and also repurposing other stuffed animals by replacing their stuffing with rice to give them a new life and to give you a new feeling. It feels very comforting to me. 

Here is my version of the comic book character Concrete. 

Here is my attempt at a more realistic looking squid. 

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Here you can see my Hell Boy puppet. The right arm is hollow with a hockey glove so you can manipulate the fingers. the back of the head has a zipper so you can operate the mouth. The zipper can be closed and the puppet turns into a stuffed animal. I was surprised to not find other stuffed Hell Boy toys on the internet and just a few action figures. So if you or your child like Hell Boy and want to sleep with him next to you in bed then this is the stuffed animal for you. 



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Here is my rainbow squid. The head and limbs are filled with rice and soft stuffing to make a cushy 10 pound creature. 

Here is a Box turtle costume that I made out of paper mache. 

I wore it for Halloween several years ago. It was fun to paint their unique coloration pattern. 

Here is a pillow case I made for a class at the Waldorf Teacher Training here in Chicago. It is a model of the human body, soul, and spirit. 

For a while I was inspired by the Flying Spaghetti Monster phenomenon and this costume is what came out of that. I added eyes to the ends of the spaghetti and also some read sauce. I was most proud of the eyes that I build coming out of my shoes. 

This is a marionette puppet I made from wood. I had the idea of making a working tongue by putting a party noise maker inside the mouth. I attached a tube so that I could blow down and when the mouth opened the tongue would unfurl and make a little honk sound. 

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I looked and could find no uncooked pasta sculpture of the Flying Spaghetti Monster in Google Images. So I made one myself. This image inspires awe and other emotions in Pastafarians. In case you are wondering the meatballs are made from milk caps.