February Round-up

It's been a month and I guess you think I've been twiddling my thumbs. Well in between bouts of watching entire seasons of 24 on Netflix, (so addictive but essential for couch crafting.) I am glad to report that there has been progress, namely I've added a new product to the line: Baby Owl and did two craft events.

Baby Owls dozing

Baby Owl awake

I made some totes and naughty me this is the only picture I have of them.

I did the Last Saturday's Event at SEED and made it on to their blog. Seed Feed: Last Saturdays Recap.

I watched Julie/Julia the other day and it made me hungry. I have been wanting to make Pad Thai for ages and by the time I remember I realize I don't have the ingredients. I once bought a Pad Thai sauce (readymade) which I sloshed over my noodles and it was disgusting. I am hopeful that my attempt will be successful as I spent a good half hour in the Westminster Supermarket trawling the aisles for Tamarind. The asian supermarket is great but at times it's not big on details so the Tamarind says concentrated but not how much you should use to unconcentrate it so that will be a test I'm sure but I'll take a picture however it turns out. Back to the film though cooking those 500 recipes was a feat to be sure and one that I definitely could not emulate.

In addition to looking recipes up online I have also been reading some craft business blogs about getting over creative slumps and stopping procrastinating both of which have taken time out of my day. What I did get from them however is that completing small projects will get you back on the wagon. I have realized that in my case I need to create new items and improve on existing ones in order to keep me motivated. Point in case, baby owl was one of three designs made after about 8 hours. No sooner did I have my pattern I couldn't wait to make the sample and within the week 4 baby owls had been born. Two of which sold on their first ever public viewing ! which was very exciting. So next time I find myself facing a small bump I'll get designing. I have so many ideas now that I don't really know where to begin so I shall start with a full scale assault on the craft room and clear my space which will probably take the rest of the day to do.

Happy crafting.

ER and alternate Universes

Well it would seem that the flying start to the year that I had hoped for is experiencing a few bumps. This past week was almost a total loss except for the progress made when my intern came in. It was the jolt I needed to finish off a large pile of owls and begin some new projects. On Tuesday 3am, the husband started feeling excruciating pain otherwise known as acute sciatica down one leg. We ended up in the ER on Friday after the pain killers failed to make a dent. We struck it lucky as we were seen pretty much instantly, it was pretty empty when we arrived and we were the only ones checking in. I can't say that has ever happened when I've been to the NHS casualty where many an hour goes by in crowded waiting rooms. So after he had some pain medication administered he fell asleep and I was left trying to keep awake. I am so glad to not to have had back issues and touch wood it will remain that way. Fast forward 3 days and as we wait for a scheduled procedure this week, pain management has been the overriding priority.

On a positive note I have begun working on a Spring Line and signed up for a craft fair in Silverlake, Los Angeles in two weeks time so I need to get sewing.Here's some of the Valentine inspired Owls that have been finished.

 What an appropriate stitch ?

Love is in the Air

I think I'm going to need another week to catch up on the lost sleep. Boss, the oldest dog who sleeps in our room has started to snore really loudly and I haven't really got the heart to chuck him out. I think he would be a bit upset, so I've been trying earplugs that I found (they're for shooting with and we had a whole packet) they apparently go up to 30 decibels which means Boss' snoring is louder than that as I still hear a faint sound, but if I lie on my side and bury one ear in the pillow it improves a bit. When living in London we had these noisy neighbors from hell, we are talking Beyonce singing "irreplaceable" so loudly on repeat that the walls vibrated. It really put me off Beyonce in a big way and to this day I have flashbacks of sleepless nights whenever "I hear to the left to the left..."

With earplugs you enter this alternate universe where your own breathing becomes really, really loud.  Speaking of alternate universes I found myself in a laundrette having amassed so much washing that it would have been about 6 loads. The speed queen (honest that's what the washing machine is called) wasn't slow but when all you're doing is waiting for the spin light to come on it seems like an eternity. For those whose minds conjure up early 80's Nick Kamen Levi's Ads I can assure you that the likelihood of that happening in this particular laundrette were pretty slim. It was like an anthropological study trying to work out whose pale green towels were spinning around in the dryer. A bearded man apparently. I wondered what my washing load revealed about me, other than the obvious observation that I hadn't done laundry in a while. I had bought a book to read but I opted to watch the clothes spinning in the dryer. Those are 2 hours that I will never get back, how sad is that ?

Curtains, procrastination and Hulu

Well it's midway through January and while I started strong and focused I waned a little. The sunshine came back and what with the enforced non-surf due to rain, and a cold there was nothing for it but to get in the ocean. It felt glorious although there were a couple of Niagara Falls moments of nose diving, put it down to rustiness. Back in the craft world I made a 2011 calendar as I couldn't find one that was just right. Today I re-organised the craft room and moved tables and made a pair of curtains which are a work in progress. I'm looking for an inspiring quote to applique onto them.  It feels so roomy. I think it's just what I needed to do, I finally finished my couch potato cushions. I can't even remember when I started making them it was so long ago so it's nice to finally see the end product.

Heavy noisy doors

Messy cupboard

Curtain pole up

2 hours later ta da curtains (mess still inside).

couch potato a long overdue project

the original couch potato

Mine

As you can see no sooner is a craft project completed, Sanford is ALL over it. I don't know why it took me so long to finish it, I was waiting for a zipper and procrastinating I guess. The other spanner in the works has been the discovery of Hulu and Season 2 of Lipstick Jungle. In my next post I'll be revealing some Valentine's Day inspired Owls and some other projects I've been working on so stay tuned.

Down to Business

With 2011 just days away I'm excited by what the new year holds in store. I have been busy checking out some useful websites to help me on my way that I thought I'd share.
These are good resources for all aspects of running a small art/craft/design business, marketing ideas and success stories:
Crafting an MBA
Scoutie Girl
Etsy Community

Got a mailing list Mailchimp will help you to organise your contacts and send some lovely looking emails and best of all it's free. (not that I have, with much regularity I think I maybe sent two out, my excuse is that I already write two blogs, but that's about to change!)

Hootsuite is a social media dashboard, take the hassle out of posting updates individually. Written a blog ? Hootsuite will post a link to it on your twitter and facebook leaving you to focus on the important things in life.

So I hope that info is useful on setting you on your handmade path, and now back to some pictures.

The woolies are being professionally photographed by the ultra talented Lindsey Kliewer and here is a sneek peek of one of my favourites. It's part of the grand marketing scheme that I have cooked up for 2011 so stay tuned for more. I was also very lucky to work with professional photographer John Santoni who came to my studio to take some shots. I tidied up in anticipation of the shoot, honest ! As you can see I'm am a mere amateur compared to Sanford who weasled his way into the shoot and modelled like a pro !

I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain....

With an almost three week layoff due to a persistent cold I hope you haven't been too disappointed about the gap since the last blog. Honestly I picked up a pair of scissors and started cutting and within the same breath put them down again as the effort was too much ! There was nothing for it but to succumb and watch Tivo'd programs and sleep a lot. One of my recent favourite shows is Modern Family, I kept seeing ads and thinking that looks funny, I should watch it and then never did so now I'm catching up on reruns and new stuff....Where is this post going. I was going to keep it all upbeat and now I'm rambling on about telly !
2010 has been a year of progress and positive change. I am thankful for all the talented people that I've met and the opportunities that have come my way. I'm happy to be doing something that I really enjoy and that brings a smile to people's faces. According to something I read online it takes at least 5 years to build an empire which is where I hope to be 3 years from now ! Anyway enough of the serious stuff, here's some photos I took this morning (and then accidentally deleted 20 of them !!!) fortunately there's still 100 but here are some of my faves. You may have heard about the recent rain in Southern California, well the sun wasn't out but it did stop raining today. Enjoy and Happy Christmas.

Red Squirrel finds natural Camoflage

The Red squirrel is surrounded.

Two Rare Red Squirrels

Owl up a tree

Don't mess with me !

Run Squirrel Run

Grey squirrels fear nothing not even miniature donkeys !

The Cosy Dresser

The other day I found myself taking one of those online quizzes, (so easy to get sucked in) one minute you're reading emails and the next you are finding out what kind of dresser you are. I didn't really need to take the quiz as I already knew the answer, cosy dresser. One who dresses for comfort, which is not to say that I'm all about elasticated waists I just appreciate clothes that don't restrict my movement. I recently made a U-turn on Uggs, having vowed that I'd never wear them, I have been wearing my wooly boots for two days solid ! It would probably have been longer had I not got home only to discover I had two right feet in the box, honestly it was very disappointing and I had to wait a week for the next delivery. I haven't worn them outdoors, just in the privacy of my own home but I see how it happens. It's like putting your feet in a warm duvet and then suddenly you're outside and you haven't taken the duvet off. It's been getting a bit chilly here at night nothing on the scale of England and snow but then there's no open fires and central heating (in this apartment at least) so a little chill goes a long way. There is one gas furnace type thing, it takes me back to being a student at Leeds and hovering around a most likely non-gas compliant heater in the most burgled street in Europe. Now Leeds that was COLD !
Why am I rambling on about the weather ? Well, it's making me less productive when it's warm I don't mind getting out of bed, it's easy, not so much in the Winter. Add to that as soon as the husband gets up the dogs swoop in, take his spot and proceed to nap, so now I have nap companions which makes me less guilty about getting up. However I did manage to tackle the Etsy Shop, Etsy is like that essay you got for homework and put off till the last possible moment. I spent the morning outside taking the product shots before settling down to write descriptions and particulars. It had been so long since I uploaded anything that the site's changed. It actually has a copy feature now which made the task far less arduous. I did redo the banner though. On that note, check out my new look shop (it's that store tab at the top) and let me know what you think.
In my next post I will have finished a batch of squirrels so it'll be less rambling and more pics. However I will leave you a pic of my dogs that I did in Photoshop. It started as a Xmas card idea and ended up being well not.... see so easily distracted ! I'm sure I'm not the only one so I ask you, what stories do you have of impulse online shopping or other stuff when all you were supposed to be doing was quickly checking your email ?

How to... Sewing Caddy

I have strayed away from instructionals because, well I'm not very good at documenting each step by the time I think about it, it's already made. This was almost the case with Sewing Caddy, the pret-a-porter holdall for your sewing essentials. (You'll notice there's no step one!) It was also almost the death of Brother (sewing machine) it did not like sewing layers of thick fabric together. I got tired of carting my sewing smalls in a ziplock bag and then fretting that I'd forgotten something big, like scissors. Now there's no way I'll forget the important things, because there will be an empty pocket. Anyway enough blabbing here it is.

What you will need: Heavyweight fabric, elastic, thread, padding, ribbon.
Tools: Scissors, sewing machine, iron, pins,

Fabric from Ikea in case you're wondering.

After you have laid out everything that you want to carry in your sewing caddy. Cut out 2 equally sized rectangular pieces of fabric.

Next cut a piece of padding (stuff quilter's use) This will have the effect of swaddling your tools and making the caddy sturdier. Iron everything and pin hems.

Cut out additional pockets, don't be afraid to put the tools inside to gage how big the pockets need to be. Place a long piece of ribbon between your front and back layer. This will be used to tie it together.

Use elastic for some flexibility and additional storage. I used 3 rows of elastic.

Pin your pocket and use an invisible marker or chalk to mark your pockets.

Sew pocket and elastic using a straight stitch.

I added a piece of felt to attach sewing needles and pins and an extra piece of elastic so that I can still put all the miscellaneous items in a ziplock !

Here's a few of my essentials thread, glue and hem picker. ( Does anyone else lose these all the time ?)

Here it is rolled up, in my excitement I forgot to cut off that hanging thread.

All cosy and ready for a trip.