Artist Spotlight : The Yarn Ball Creations

Handmade items are frequently things that people often treasure. Often because they are one of a kind custom items created to bring joy to their new owners life. The Yarn Ball Creations is a shop owned by an artist with the intent to do just that. Create unique hand made toys that you can love as well as share with others. If you want to take a peak at some of her work it's viewable at her etsy shop as well as on her instagram feed @theyarnball_creations.You can also find her creations on her page on facebook.

Customizable Amigurumi Alligator available on Etsy 

I have to say that the variety of cute creatures that The Yarn Ball Creations offer happens to be impressive for a young shop. Not only that, she's working on new things to add to her selection. I'll get to that later on though. A great example of her work can be seen to the left. It's an adorable little alligator!

I know it might sound silly, but sometimes it's nice to start at the beginning. At A so to speak. The Yarn Ball Creations is the shop of Sarah, who has been gracious enough to answer some questions for us, as well as share her work with the world. One of the questions I always like to ask people is about how they started crafting or creating.

Sarah's response was very illuminating, humanizing her, as many of us may share some if not all of the inspirations. As a child she enjoyed coming up with different crafts and creations to gift to her mother. She also enjoyed learning the numerous creative skills many explore. She tried the musical arts, painting, sewing, and a number of other creative outlets.

Amigurumi Mallard Duck available on Etsy

But one skill became very special to her. Crocheting. This particular skill is one that helped her get through a difficult time of her life. During a particular period of self doubt, where she was dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety in life she met an older woman who had a talent that impressed her. The woman crocheted, and Sarah with a bit of effort was blessed with the chance to learn how from her.

The action of crocheting felt good to Sarah, and the reality of having something to do with her hands helped release some of her anxiety. She also enjoyed the creative aspect of it, so she kept going slowly improving her skill over time. She believes that the woman who taught her would be pleasantly shocked and impressed to see how far she's progressed in the craft.

As you can see from some of the examples that we've posted images of here. You have to admit that her pieces are adorable and cute.

Amigurumi Blue Jay available on Etsy

Her birds feature elements that make it easy to identify them as the types of avians they're created to represent. But her other animals are just as cute. One of the newest animals that she is creating and sharing with others are hippos. This might sound silly but they're absolutely adorable. I'll mention more about them in the near future though, to inspire some of you.

But what inspired Sarah to do what she's doing now? It was a complicated situation. She was in college, as well as newly married while working a highly stressful job when she had a few thoughts enter her mind. One thought that entered her mind was that she'd been seeing many women take things they are passionate about and use these talents to earn money. She was wondering why she couldn't do that herself. But the other thought Sarah had was that there was nothing in her life she was doing simply for her own enjoyment. With time and encouragement and nudging from her amazing husband, The Yarn Ball Creations was started.

Custom Crocheted Look-alike Doll available on Etsy

Sarah started off creating animals first, because she found that creating them was fun. As you can see from the images here in the post, she has a variety of these that she's managed to make. But now she's starting to shift gears and is creating something different.  Something that sounds like a ton of fun in my opinion, and we're lucky to have the chance to say that we've gotten to enjoy the creative experience as well.

The Yarn Ball Creations is now offering Custom Crocheted Look-alike Dolls! There's an example to the right, and that's me. (I know I normally don't show myself in pictures) But Sarah has created an adorable mini version of me! But not only that, she's offering to make mini versions of different people, so if you're looking for something cute for someone you love, this is definitely something to check out.

Why? Sarah pays attention to details. She even stitched glasses onto the doll. The outfit is adorable that she created, and mimics the one I wear myself on some of my outings. She is also planning on making different outfits that people can purchase and enjoy, giving them the chance to add personalized wardrobe pieces to the doll's wardrobe collection.

Sarah was inspired to create these dolls by fond memories of the doll she had as a child that had hair, red, just like her own. She remembered how much fun she had dressing the two of them similarly and calling the doll her twin. Her goal with this process is to help other people have the chance to have similar experiences. I think she's got a great idea.

The doll she made for me arrived, packaged comfortably and wrapped in tissue paper. I was quite surprised as I pulled her out of the box at how big she is. I wasn't sure at the size at first since pictures can be a bit confusing, but she's a little taller than a barbie doll, but not quite as tall as my 12 inch pillow. Because of all her soft parts, a doll like this a good choice for younger children. Sarah's stitching is very uniform, and the doll is packed well giving her a nice firm form that should hold it's shape over time and through play (My nephew is going to help me test this).

Her clothes are absolutely darling! And made to match my own faire outfit. I'm excited to share her there as well because everyone loves a good toy, especially when they're unique. They're made well, and are likely to stand up to some fairly rough play style, just don't be too rough. I highly recommend this toy idea if you're looking for a unique gift. Look at it as something someone will treasure for a very long time, there's endless possibilities.

I asked Sarah, the mind behind Yarn Ball Creations, about what inspires her. She finds that her reason for starting the whole endeavor, is to do what brings her joy. She admitted that at times she's thought about making other things that might sell better, but there are some things that are more fun to make. She's decided to go with the choice that's more fun for her. Sarah was also advised when she started out by another "mom-trepeneur" that if she were to follow her dream, the income will follow. So that's what she's working on doing, follow her dream and vision, and worry about what other people will think about it as a secondary thought.

This is also part of t he answer that Sarah gave when asked about what advice she'd offer to aspiring artists. You'll do a better job making things that you're passionate about. So Sarah says the best advice to follow is to do what you love.

Please remember to check out The Yarn Ball Creations shop on etsy, see what she's doing new on instagram, and feel free to interact and inquire about a project on facebook. Sarah is a great artist, and She's looking forward to working with you.