Wa-wa-wee-wa!

That sound frequently acts as a mating call, but in this case it means I'm excited. It is my esteemed pleasure to introduce you to Aronzo Aranzi. Go investigate! These books galvanized my love of all crafts adorable. The most popular in the series, The Cute Book, contains 20+ patterns for mascots- various animals and characters from the Aranzi line. these straight-forward, rewarding, and totally boss crafts require:

Some felt, color palate of your choice
Embroidery floss
An embroidery needle
filling (stuffed animal fluff, $2ish for a pillow-sized bag)
and approx. 1-2 hours

The amusing and succinct story poems that accompany each pattern contribute to the appeal of the Aranzi books, with gems like:

Kidnapper's job is to steal kids.
That white bag is his work bag.
Kidnapper is very trim,
so stuffing him with cotton
might be hard, but neat and trim he must be.

Doesn't that give you the urge to make a little kidnapper to watch you while you sleep?