In Which You Clamor for Yetis

The results of my little poll are in, and yetis beat out the competition by a small margin:

You asked for it, you got it! Introducing Cotton Candy Yetis!

These guys will be available at No Coast, but there's only six of 'em, so get to the booth early!

And for those of you who were really hoping for more frogs and owls, no worries. I have plenty of both of those as well.

See you at No Coast! I'm booth D-2 this year, in the main hallway near the security desk.

November Goal Recap and December Goals

I don't know about you, but November flew by for me! My month kind of got derailed by my acceptance into the No Coast Craft-o-Rama; this will be my fourth year at this awesome event! So let's see how I did on last month's goals:

1. Finish and ship my pieces for the Go Ask Alice show. Status: Complete.
   I wasn't entirely happy with my Queen of Hearts piece, but I loved my Tweedles. I'd never made anything remotely human before, and I'm kind of excited to try it again!


2. Send out at least 2 more inquiry emails to retail stores/art
   gallery boutiques. (If any of you know of an awesome store/gallery in
   your city that I should contact, please let me know!) Status: Complete.
   No response from either yet, but at least I'm getting my contact info out there. I identified a few more boutiques I can send inquiries to after the holidays as well.


3. Finish organizing my fabric shelves, take pictures of the craft room, and blog about the process. Status: incomplete.
   In fact, I'll likely have to start all over again later this month as I've been sewing like a madwoman and have made my craft room pretty messy again. Ah well. At least I'm creating!
   
   Total Accomplished: 2 / 3. Not bad! 

Last month I also managed to make 26 plushies (that's got to be a record for me!), create price tags for my No Coast items, create other signage for my booth, buy a new booth display, and open a merchant account that will enable me to accept credit cards at my booth. 

I'm feeling really overwhelmed about December at the moment because No Coast is only 2 days away and I still have so much to do, so I'm once again keeping my goals simple.

1. Kick butt at No Coast. Specifically, I hope to sell at least half of my inventory, and make some new connections with sponsors/vendors I haven't chatted up in past years.


2. Complete all my custom Christmas orders. I received 6 custom order requests before November was even over, so I don't think I'll be accepting any more Christmas customs at No Coast this year.


3. Clean up my craft room again, organize shelves, take pictures, and blog it.


4. Send out at least 2 more inquiry emails to retail stores/art
   gallery boutiques. (If any of you know of an awesome store/gallery in
   your city that I should contact, please let me know!)

Go Ask Alice

I'm finally ready to reveal the pieces I made for this awesome show! I decided to make the Queen of Hearts, Alice, and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. I envisioned the Queen of Hearts as a nasty sea monster who captured Alice:

The Queen herself is vaguely heart-shaped, and she has heart-shaped pupils and suckers, as well as heart-shaped jewels on her crown.

I based my Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum on the John Tenniel illustrations from Through the Looking Glass.

 
I actually used my owl pattern, enlarged, for their general shape (Alice also uses my owl pattern, but much smaller), and then I just added arms and legs. I was really nervous about embroidering the faces since I've never made anything remotely human-looking before, but I am rather pleased with how they came out.

I decided to also make sailor hats for Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, to more closely tie them to the Queen of Hearts piece.

And here's the whole gang together:

I've long been a fan of Alice in Wonderland (I even wrote my undergrad thesis paper on the tale, because I'm that nerdy), so I'm more excited than usual to be participating in this show. Many, many thanks to Cimmi for curating! If you're in the Santa Barbara area, please go check it out (and take lots of pictures!). Visit the Paul Cumes Fine Art Gallery website for more info.

Introducing Owlets and Froglets!

Two of the items debuting at No Coast this year are owlets and froglets. I shrunk my usual owl and frog patterns by 30 percent for the new critters. Not only because shrinking my imps and yetis by 30 percent last year was so successful, but because tiny things are endlessly adorable, no? Also, given the still less than stellar economy, I figured the more items I have at a lower price point, the better.

Well, enough rambling, on with the pictures!

 

 

So, how much smaller is 30 percent, exactly? For comparison:

 

Busy Bee

There are only 16 days until No Coast (ack!). Which means it's officially the time of year when I put most of my life on hold to sew pretty much every spare moment. My sleep, house, and social calendar all suffer. This year is a little extra stressful since my pieces for the Go Ask Alice show are due close to the same time as well. Yikes!

I've been carving out windows of time wherever I can to get some sewing done. I sew in my craft room

at friend's houses

even during my lunch break at work!

It's amazing what just an hour here or there can do for both my sanity and my productivity. Tomorrow, I'll post some pictures of what I've been cranking out. For now, here's a sneak peek:

No Coast, Here I Come!

So last week I was happily (and very thankfully!) un-wait listed for No Coast. Which means my typical month of manic stitching sessions begins. I will make as many plushies as I possibly can before the big event. Which brings me to the real reason I'm posting today. Given that I have limited sewing time (22 days! Ack!), where should I focus my energy? Which critters do you like best? If you were coming to the show to buy a critter (and I sure hope you are!), what would you most hope to see on my table? I've installed a handy little poll below, so you can anonymously let me know what you think. If you choose "other," please do leave a comment on the post explaining what the "other" should be.

Thanks so much for your participation!

Online Surveys & Market Research

Etsy Wish List

As much as I hate to admit that the Christmas shopping season is pretty much upon us, I can't escape it. My Etsy wish list is about three miles long, but here are a few things that not only would make a lovely gift for yours truly, but just might satisfy someone on your shopping list as well.

From left to right, top to bottom:

1. Mini Christmas Tree Adhesive Fabric Wall Stickers / Decals from Love Mae. I've struggled to find a nice place to put up the Christmas tree ever since I moved in with Jon, not to mention I think our menagerie might wreak havoc on any tree. But this wall decal set is such a lovely and creative alternative!
   


2. Poppy Pins from Modest Maven. I have a slight obsession with hair accessories, and I especially love any accessory that has a vintage pin-up girl feel to it. These pins are so delicate and pretty, and would look great whether worn at the office or out on the town.


3. Soft Collection of Snow print from Wool and Water. I don't really need nor have any room for more wall art, but this print is irresistible. The colors and the mood of the print are fantastic. Plus, I really wish I had that girl's coat!


4. Silver Oval Framed Branch Earrings from Sweet Fairy Boutique. Love the simple branch motif. I'd pair these with simple jeans and a tee for an understated look.


5. Partners in Slime Dragon Snail polymer sculpture from Eirewolf Creations. I'm such a fantasy and fairy tale geek, and these adorable sculptures are so different from anything else in my little collection. It's amazing how expressive they are, and yet they're only about 2 1/4 inches tall!


6. Blue Snow Cashmere Jacket from Idea2Lifestyle. I've been on the lookout for the perfect new winter coat for about a year now. This one probably isn't warm enough for harsh Minnesota winters, nor would it fit over my bulky sweaters, but it's so cute that I've been on the verge of ordering it anyway for the past six months. . . .


7. Feltscape from Hibou Cards. All of the feltscapes in this shop are absolutely adorable.
   


8. Fawn Pin from Decoy Lab. I've had a special weakness lately for fawns, foxes, and squirrels. This little pin is so adorable, and I love that it's made from bamboo. This shop has some pretty fantastic woodland-themed clocks as well. The one I had been coveting sold, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed they'll make more.


9. The Guardian from Naughty & Nice. I know, I know! I should really stop looking at wall art. But there's something about this mixed media painting that really captivates me. If I could afford the price tag, this would already be hanging in my house.


10. Pewter toned Antler Stag Hair Pins from The Sparrow's Nest. Honestly, the only thing that's kept me from purchasing from this shop is that I can't decide which hair pins I like best! These, the lovely birch ones, or the moss-covered twigs? Maybe Santa will be nice and bring me all three pairs (nudge, nudge).


11. The Cat and the Moon Skirt by Zoe Chen. Isn't it darling? I love most of the clothing in this shop. Unfortunately, I think it's sized for slightly more petite ladies than myself.


12. Lose Lose original painting by Melissa Moss. So melancholy and sweet all at the same time, this woman's artwork is fantastic.

What about you? What are you putting on your holiday wish list?