my high tech photography studio

I've had friends ask me how I manage to take all of my product and blog pictures so I figured today was as good a day as any to reveal my ultra high tech photography studio. Behold:

Pretty fancy eh? Here's an even more in depth labeled picture:

The secret it out. I take pictures on the floor of my living room with my iphone camera. I've tried all sorts of different set ups and equipment since I started selling online in 2008 (wow that was a while ago), but this seemed to work the best for me.  I have a stretched panel of light cotton fabric (that is actually part of a lightbox Fraser made me) as my backdrop and use the lovely light source of our giant front room windows. Throw in a cushion for my bum and you're set! There it is in all its glory. Oh, and yes, I do have quite the jungle of plants hanging out in my living room...

BFFs

I usually have quite a few product ideas floating around my head, and for years I've been thinking of making a whole bunch of best friend button sets. Well I took the plunge and after a few weeks of concentrated effort (yes - it is quite the long process) they are here! Check out these perfect pairings:

Hooray! I'm super excited for how they turned out and even made some slightly mathematical card packaging for them! As with most of the projects I went a smidge overboard once I got started and ended up with 16 different sets! Ok...if you look closely two of those sets are remarkably similar but once I made bacon and eggs I felt a bacon and bacon set was in order because what goes better with bacon then more bacon? Apparently food items are my favourite pairs making up 56% of the sets, followed by some semi scientific sets like the pollination pals, symbiotic anemone and clown fish, and (my faves) the base pairs! Here are everyones favourite DNA building blocks in their fully packaged glory:

And hey - if you're like Mindy Kaling and "best friend" is more of a tier than a person you can get both base pair sets and share them with three of your geeky pals! Yay!

All of these darling new sets are already up for sale in my etsy shop (link) and just begging to be bought and loved! What are your thoughts? Which set suits your and your BFF the best? Any favourites? 

At long last - an update!

Yesterday morning I was one determined lady. After the past few weeks of a complete and utter of productivity I was sure that I would get at least one thing crossed off my to do list! The verdict? Success! I finally got around to listing my embroidery hoops in my etsy shop! I even had some nice filtered natural light to photograph in too. Check out my babies that are up for grabs:

Hooray! I forgot how time consuming making etsy listing is, which totally explains why I've been focusing on craft shows and consignment these days. It does feel good to refresh the shop up a bit though, I even redid the shop sections for easier searching too! Yay! Just in time for the holiday buying season! You can take a peek at the listings in my embroidery hoop art section (link)! Yipee! Happy buying! 

Etsy About Page

About a week ago I mentioned on the blog how pleased I was with the changes on Etsy. I've been using Etsy to sell my crafts for almost four years now, and it's great to see positive improvements to help my online business! One of my favourite new additions is the revamped "about page" I showed you back on the 12th (link). At that point I had only put up a picture of my craft booth set up for shows (certainly a new view for most of my online buyers) and was trying to come up with some more ideas on giving any potential buyers an in depth look! Since I'm not ready to reveal my crafting reality (one massively messy living room with stacks of crafting supply towers over my spot on the couch), I thought I'd show some of my packaging since it seems to be a common inquiry for buyers:

Yay! It's always nice to throw some packaging options out there since loads of people buy my geekery as presents and is extra handy if you're looking to buy wholesale for retail shops! I love seeing the montage of smiling bacilli and recycled brown card together and it reminds me just how much I love coming up with packages!

The next image I thought I'd throw up is a selection of goodies I love selling at shows but aren't offered online. Unfortunately Canada Post's prices on items thicker than 2cms is so high that it makes many of my reasonably priced handmade goods ridiculous costly with shipping! Ouch! Such a shame! It is nice to show people that I do have other craft talents and lets people know if they are willing to front the extra postage what sweet deals they can get! Heck - it's great for consignment too! Take a peek:

 

Alright - so some of those items may fit into the "thinner than 2cms when packaged" guidelines but with the craft show reason looming I need to keep my table stocked! Perhaps in the fall I'll be able to post some of those items in the shop, but for now they're only available by request.

I figure my next step is organizing my crafting process and showing a few "behind the scenes" creating images, but for now I'm pretty pleased with the collages. What do you think? What sort of pictures do you think should be included in an Etsy profile?

etsy changes

In the last few months it feels like all my regular internet sites are changing. First blogger changed how posting works (which, by the way, I am finally get used to and enjoying) and now Etsy is altering things! I've been using their site since 2008 and although they have made many minor switches over the years, their new alterations are just plain awesome! They've made it so multiple listings of a single product auto renew and have even introduced a sweet about page option! I am extra thrilled about this one and think it is a great way (beyond a profile) to get the inside scoop on a shop owner's story:

I'm sure if you're an avid reader here on the blog you're well aware of my craft history, but if you're curious by all means go and check it out (link)! It's still a little bit of a work in progress, but I love giving the world an easy option to get more info! Now I just have to figure out what other pictures to add to help explain my craftiness...any thoughts?

my own rubber stamps!

I've been thinking about getting my own rubber stamps made for quite some time. I thought they'd be super handy for packaging, craft show bags, and etsy sales but was a little hesitant taking the plunge. A few years ago I tried to find a place to get stamps made in Kamloops with no luck! Rats! I found a few custom stamp places online but wasn't pleased with the pricing and really didn't want to go with one of those self inking plastic stamps. Add in the hefty shipping costs and wait times and my stamp dreams were on the back burner yet again. That is, until now!

As it turns out Victoria has its very own custom stamp and engraving shop just over the Bay Bridge with reasonable pricing, friendly staff, and options galore! Hooray! Check out my new custom rubber stamp friends I got made:


Aren't they just perfect? I'm beyond thrilled with how they turned out and can't wait to use them all the time! The url stamp will be extra handy with packaging (since I often resort to hand printing my website on the back of things) and can combine the two a nice touch on my paper bags I give out at craft shows:


I love it! I left the speech bubble empty so I can customize the message as I want and may even resort to using my stamps for the cards I use to package etsy sales. I also thought it would be fun to add the little happy bacillus on envelopes too:


Yay! What fun! If you're ever interested in getting your own rubber stamps made I totally recommend the guys over at Custom Stamp & Engraving LTD and they even ship worldwide! So what do you think? Any thoughts on other uses for my new stamps?

Hello Products Page!

Over the last four years (wow - that long?) I've created tons of crafts to sell online, at craft shows, and through consignment and wholesale. I seem to always be working on something new but still have quite the selection of tried and true goods under my belt! Since the products I make often differ depending on how I plan to sell them I thought I'd compile them on in one spot. Behold - the birth of my products page:


You can find it under my blog banner between the shop and contact pages and I'll try my best to keep it up to date with all the crafts I make and sell! I think it's a great way to keep myself organized and will be a helpful tool for consignment sellers and craft show opportunities! I figure the next time someone comments on my rose earrings or handmade necklace I'll have an accurate place to direct them to (instead of my etsy shop that doesn't have many of my harder to ship items listed). What fun! I even have a short history (in some cases) of the inspiration behind my products and show packaging options as well. It's sort of like a virtual craft booth! So feel free to peruse my geeky crafts at your leisure, and as always, I'd love to hear what you think! What is your favourite product that I've made? Any tips for the page?

a very special etsy request

Once in a while I get messages on etsy asking for special orders. Even though I would love to accept every one, unfortunately some of them are outside my creative reaches. The other day however, I got one request that was easy to fill and boy was it ever fun! Two wonderful scientists from Edinburgh asked me to make individually packaged magnets as favours for their wedding reception guests! I was so stoked to jump on the order and printed out some special mini "thanks for coming" cards:


Yay! The perfect size for one of the science geek themed magnets Emma chose (robots, dinoaurs, and scientists)! Take a peek:


So much fun! I love the idea of having little illustrated magnets as wedding favours and (of course) am extra thrilled that they chose me to make them! Of course I did have some help making such a massive order...


Yay! Pajama magnet making party with Fraser! What a great guy he is (and ever so helpful)! Thanks Fraser! and thanks to Emma for letting me take part in your magical sciencey wedding! What do you think? What would your ideal wedding favour be?

Update!

Hooray! At long last I finally got around to listing some of my previously unavailable illustrated goods in my Etsy shop! I've been sitting on these yarn themed gems since the end of the summer and am so pleased to get them photographed and posted. Buttons are truly one of the hardest things I've ever tried to take pictures of, and with the limited natural light of winters in rainy Victoria it only makes things extra challenging. Luckily Fraser was kind enough to make me my own light box and with a little lamp rearranging in our living room (and photoshop) I've got images for them:


What do you think? The pins actually look much nicer (and crisper) in real life but it is so hard to get the right balance with their super shiny surfaces. I am quite pleased with how they turned out in the long run - and I even listed my new knitting and crochet cat themed pocket mirrors too. I went with pictures of me holding the mirrors for their front image in the shop since they seemed to turn out the best and have that added "handmade" quality since you get a glimpse of the hands that made them:


Ahaha. That crochet MC Hammer mirror is totally my favourite (even though I haven't managed to sell any yet). I also took the opportunity to take some pics of my deluxe scientist magnet set I designed quite a while ago:


Yup, you can really show off your science geekiness now with the extended set of magnets (that now include new additions Rosalind Franklin and Sir Isaac Newton). Yay! But we're not finished there - I also snapped shots of my veggie pins too! Hooray for productivity and etsy listings!


Yipee! I feel so accomplished for listing so many new items in the shop and even though it ate up my entire Saturday (yes, it was that time consuming) I think it was worth it. Now to wait and see if any of them sell! What do you think? Which is your favourite of my newly listed designs?

What a weekend!

After an entire week of resting my poor torn ab muscles, I was determined to have a hospital-free fun weekend this time around. We woke up early Saturday morning and went out for breakfast at the Blue Fox. It was delicious as always and didn't even have a long line up to compete with. Yay! On our scenic drive home I found the new location of my favourite yarn shop and a new fabric and notion store to check out in the future! What fun! Then it was back home for some productivity! Okay, so I am still in recovery mode, but Fraser was nice enough to finish making a light box for me:


This light box thing has been a long time coming and I can't believe how quick it was to finally finish up! Fraser did an amazing job and once I get some long sheets of paper for backdrops I will be taking pictures like the pros! Well...hopefully anyways. I have been dying to spiff up my etsy shop item images (especially the button ones) and the nice filtered light from my new light box will be perfect! Any tips for what sort of lights I should use with it? I guess I'll have to experiment to find out.

Next we planned to take a wee trip downtown so Fraser could use some of his xmas gift cards and it started to snow! How exciting! It certainly wasn't cold enough to stick, but the fluffy blistery snow flakes were super fun to watch. Take a peek from our deck:


Yay! We've been told it is supposed to snow even more today (Sunday) and Monday so maybe some of it will hang around this time too! Hooray!

To finish up the day off I sewed up some more avocado felt brooches to list in my etsy shop:


After seeing a picture of my last pin on Sarra's blog I decided it would be fun to make a few more! The first one I made actually turned into a reserved listing so I thought it would be neat to see if the little smiling fruits (are avocados fruit?) would be popular sellers! I even whipped up two more Totoro brooches to list too! Yipee!

Here's to hoping today is just as fabulous as Saturday was! What did you get up to this weekend?

Bring on the Bulk!

With the holiday season quickly approaching (and US shoppers going wild with Black Friday and Cyber Monday), I thought I'd list my own special deal in my etsy shop! Since I recently invested in my very own 2.25" button machine, I'm no longer contracting out my illustrated mirrors and can make any number of any design you'd like! Hooray! Bring on the mirrors and bring on the bulk savings:


Yipee! Instead of struggling with trying to get a clear shot of each of my designs, I went with the photoshop approach and made two images numbering off all my illustrated friends. Take a peek:
Whew - almost halfway there...


Tada! I can't believe I've got 55 mirror designs under my belt. Whew! What a selection! In fact, I have tons of designs on there that I've only mentioned on the blog and not in my shop! Oh and not to worry, if you aren't into the bulk purchase (even though it is pretty handy for stocking stuffers and last minute gifting) you can get any of the designs solo too! Which one is your favourite? Know anyone out there who needs an anthropomorphic mirror?

Friday Find: Ikabags

How lovely is Paris in the fall?

I have no idea... (Check back with me in 5 years?)

Short of being in France, the next best thing is having a beautiful Parisian tote from Ikabags.

Just look at Feyza's wonderful colours and designs. I love the green, but think the seafoam would be wonderful in my life. The best part? She is having a bit of a sale until the 17th!

Which one do you like the best?

Kate Worthy Felt

Friday Finds on Wednesday!

Take a look at the beautiful creations of Melissa Davison.

Look at those sunny colours, layered with creative embroidery to create wonderful texture.

If you love her work like I do then check out her shop and her blog too!

Friday Find: Cordialement Bisou

Etsy's Cordialement Bisou shows us that simplicity, straight lines, and amazing colour schemes make the most wonderful accessories. Just take a look at this pendant:


Isn't it amazing? I must say I swoon over the mash of geometric lines with the organic wood disk and the awesome mustard and teal colours! I'm pretty sure this necklace was made specifically to go around my neck, but that may be a smidge of an exaggeration (just maybe). Be sure to take a peek at all the other French lovelies in their shop and maybe there will be something in there that calls to you! What do you think? Do I need to pick up woodworking so I can come up with pendants half as wonderful as this one?

Friday Find: wee little stitches

Today's find is the most fantastic nostalgic cross stitch wonders of Wee Little Stitches! Your perfect opportunity to combine a relatively simple craft technique (if you have never cross stitched before, trust me, you can do this) and geeky characters to make a collection of fun handmade decoration for your home! Hooray! Let's take a peek at a few of my favourite pixel people (can you guess who they are?):


Ahahah! I love them! If 80's movies and Neil Patrick Harris aren't your thing then you can always go with some adorable wide set eye smile anthropomorphic cuties (another topic close to my heart):


Oh I just love them! Actually, I am really drawn to those salt and pepper shakers (if you didn't already know I have quite the collection) so I may need to make that one! Ah! So good! Heck you even get to avoid the awful postal strike going on in Canada right now since the patterns are just emailed to you after purchasing! Hurrah! Instant crafty purchasing! So go...check out Wee Little Stitches' Etsy shop, and then drool over their blog a bit....and then let me know which is your fav! Happy Friday!

Friday Find: lizwill

The other day I met my friend Jordan for coffee. As the day progressed we very quickly realized that the coffee shop we wanted to go to was indeed closed, so we'd have to improvise! We ended up making coffee at my house with the half pound of coffee I got in Seattle, and the (both still in the boxes) coffee burr grinder and coffee press I'd bought while still living at my parents house. It was quite the epic ordeal (since I rinsed off the grinder and the semi wet coffee grounds clogged up the burrs) but we did end up with a Bodum full of extra deliciousness (like 1.5 hours later...)! We also got to catch up and he got to show me some of the fun Etsy shops he's been buying from and I just love the neat art of Lizwill! Look at the print Jordan bought:


Why yes that is a kitten ninja shooting energy from his hands! It's called "kitten juggles the cosmos" and I think it is wonderful! They have a whole bunch of bizarre and amazing prints for sale I can't decide which I like best! Take a peek at the fox, storm trooper, and moose ones I've been coveting:


Ah! So much fun and so random! As for me, I've been spending my spare moments packaging up a wholesale order for a shop in Vancouver so I'll be back tomorrow with part I of my vacation recap! Happy Friday!

Mini Break Crafting! Day 1 of 11

Welcome to a wonderful week and a half of crafting adventures while I am away on my mini break cruising up the coast of California (woo hoo for both of us!). We'll start off with day 1 of Kate crafts with an awesome felt avocado brooch:


Yum! I love avocados and my sister recommended me make an avocado craft when I was asking her for inspiring suggestions. Fraser picked me up some more wool felt squares when he was in Victoria last week and I just couldn't wait to use the bright colours be picked out! Just check out that bright green/yellow pop with this close up pic:


Hooray! I'll be listing this brooch up in my etsy shop at some point (but perhaps when we get back if I can't get a reliable internet source). I also really enjoy the fact that I tried to open my vacation crafts up to all items beyond felt brooches but ended up making a ton of felt brooches anyways...can't mess with success right? Something like that...what do you think of him?

more chalkboards

Apparently I am set on making my own chalkboards. After already writing three blog posts where I oozed about how great chalkboards (and chalkboard paints) are (one, two, three), I found this blog post saved in my drafts section to write about at a later date:


Sparkle power - you have totally renewed my interest in chalkboard making! Just check out those sweet frame colours and just think of the possibilities with those blank canvases (well..boards?) What fun! Even etsy is all about the chalk fun with their featured seller post on playing grown up featuring a whole slew of chalkboard products! Finding fun old frames to paint up is certainly back on my agenda. How about you? What do you think of chalkboards?

Friday Find: frank and gertrude forest

This week's find is etsy's frank and gertrude forest who wonderfully combine my love for hand drawn illustrations and woodsy goods. Their shop sells an assortment of paper goods as well as some charming shrink plastic accessories. Take a peek at a few I'm drooling over:


I think the bear products are my favourites but their perpetual calender would be awesome to help you keep track of important dates and birthdays! So much fun! They also really make me want to make my own illustrated shrink plastic earrings and brooches (I'll add that to my list of post craft show to do's). What is your favourite item?

Friday Find: the lime shop

This week's find reinforces my craving for handprinted fabrics, ultra useful totes/pouches/ kitchen linens, and a trip to toronto! Just check out the wonderful products from the lime shop:


I'm really enjoying the lime shop's simplicity and utility while still maintaining a hand crafted feel. The shop has officially motivated me to add fabric printing onto my goals list for 2011 - which...I will hopefully get to sometime after my next craft show. What do you think?