Robot Love

Robots are awesome. I especially enjoy love robots (being robots designed for love as demonstrated by the little hearts they have on them) and as such have created a wide range of love robot products over the years including:

1) tea cozies

2) pocket mirrors/buttons/magnets


3) coffee sleeves


4) cell phone charms

and
5) art/postcards!


Yup - quite the number of love robots! I am also very fond of music and especially fond of the "robots need love too" music of dan mangan! So much so that I even gave him a set of my love robot buttons when I saw him last february!


and here he is wearing them!:


Okay...so I photoshopped the buttons in there...but a girl can dream right? But hey! I'm not the only one with this obsession! Three separate ladies who attended my craft show last weekend asked me if my love robot items were inspired by dan mangan's music and I got the lovely pleasure to tell each one of them about how dan owns his very own set of my robot buttons! Okay, I guess that doesn't make them as obsessed as me..since they didn't alter photographs of him or anything...but they did put the two together which I thought was pretty cool...

Anyways - long robot rambling aside, lindsay and I are headed down to vancouver today to see dan perform again! And at the vogue even (where we saw the most wonderful mumford and sons a few weeks ago)! Maybe he'll have the button on then for me to photograph! Okay, probably not but he does put on one heck of a good show! And to get you in the robot mood - check out dan's robots video:

Admittedly that is the first time I've actually seen that video...and it is...odd. Pretty heartwarming at the end though - and bonus - the battle robot team is actually members of the other vancouver band said the whale (who I saw in september)! Fun! Wish me luck at the dan show!

Friday Find: scientific culture at fabulous finds!

Yup - the big day is finally here! My first large scale two day craft show starts tonight and ready or not I'll be there! And I figured since all I've done is prepare for this show for the last month I will have this week's find as me! and my wares for my craft show! Let's take a peek at my line up:

1) pinback buttons and magnets - my etsy shop staple, lots to chose from, loads in stock


2) coffee sleeves - showing off my mad embroidery skills and your love for hot caffeinated drinks!


3) plush microbes - because everyone wants chlamydia for xmas this year...


4) fabric rings - bright, cheery, and a low price point for the thrifty shopper


5) button clutch - giving you even more reason to stock up on buttons!


6) felt flower brooches - one item I have never actually managed to sell at any craft show...we'll see how they do this time...


7) pocket mirrors - my best seller from my summer of bizarre bazaars is back in full force for the stocking stuffer crowd!


8) art/postcard sets - fun to frame or post!


9) mini moo bookmarks - a big hit with the kiddos and a nice freebie for large orders!


10) mustache on a stick - silly, amusing, and a perfect way for the facial hair impaired to celebrate movember


11) stickers - everyone loves stickers!


12) felt earrings - loads to chose from + positive fan feedback = good seller?


13) tea cozies - my higher price item! Tons of work but super fun! Way to keep those tea pots warm guys!


and....*drumroll please*...

14) little pouches and clutches!!! made from the highest quality suitings salmon arm has to offer these babies have been on the back burner of my mind for far too long. I love the cotton lace detail (almost doily-esque?) and great textures. Oh, and most definitely the reason for my sleep deprivation (hence the sad awful lighting 1am picture). I promise they are cute in real life!


Yay! I've loaded up my totes and am on my way for the show! We're open 4 -9 pm tonight if you're around. Heck mention this blog post and I'll even throw in something extra for you! Wish me luck!

Holy Pocket Mirrors Batman!

The pocket mirror saga continues as I ramp up for the xmas/craft show season! My adventures in 2.25" mirrors started off strong last june and the sales kept pouring in over my summer bizarre bazaar shows. After a plea for mirror design brainstorming, my pocket mirror stocks are back in full force! Take a peek:


Woo! Once I get some more felt cases whipped up I will be ready for fabulous finds on november 5th and 6th! Oo! And I'm working on some new packaging for these dudes for their arrival to the kamloops art gallery's expanded xmas shop this winter! What fun! I love feeling prepared! Too bad I'm not overstocked in all my illustrated wares...but hey, you have to start somewhere! And for the first time I thought I'd show you all a detailed shot of all the pocket mirrors I have available:


What do you think? I'm loving my new additions to the mirror crew - tea bag and jackelope! Thanks for the suggestion leslie! I'm really hoping that they will be a big hit at the craft show (just like they were at my summer shows) but who knows what the kelowna craft buying customer base will be like! And if you're not lucky enough to be able to attend any of my local shows, not to worry - I'm totally up for selling these babies on etsy too - I just won't be able to create item listings for them for a while. So if you see a mirror you'd like to get your hands on just send me a message and I will gladly create a custom listing for you (just one of the joys of reading my blog). Hooray! Which is your favourite?

Plants vs. Zombies Please!

I try very hard to stay away from video games. I always seem to get suckered in with cute graphics and interesting plot lines and quickly convert to an irrational, obsessive game addict. It happened with Kirby's Dreamland, Escape from Monkey Island, My Tribe, and very much so happened with Plants vs. Zombies. Jimmy - why did you have to show me how cute the little pea shooters were on your iPhone? And I am a sucker for zombies...I mean look at those graphics:


How could I resist? And at such a reasonable price for my iPod! It was official. I was hooked. After playing the game nonstop for a few weeks (beating all the levels, unlocking all the extras, and getting all the trophies) I could move on. Success! Addiction over! But then my ipod crashed on me forcing me to reboot and inevitably lose all my saved PvsZ scores. Rats! Looks like it was time for me to start all over again. I must get this video game addiction from my mom - we'll see if you stop playing Dr. Mario when the batteries die on the gameboy this time mom (she's been saying that since xmas)...

I was extremely glad to find out that I'm not the only PvsZ addict out there and especially pleased to see the adorable game inspired plush Alix from arixystix has for sale on etsy! She even has a pea shooter pattern available! Check out this great picture she has of her creations from her blog:


Oh my those are darling! And what fantastic sewing skills! What fun! And although I am quite the advocate for PvsZ, be cautious - it is extremely addicting...

Friday Find: Nervous System

Thank you suggested shops of etsy for pointing out the wonderful science related goodness of Nervous System! It is actually quite the interesting shop that uses computational programming to create complex designs inspired by nature and then turn them into jewelry for you! Yay! Take a look at some of their goods:


I love how amazingly intricate they are and how each piece tells a story about the wonder and awesomeness of science! The pieces above are inspired from a whole range of biological sources including botanty (leaf vein earrings, algal bloom necklace), invertebrate (radiolaria protozoa rings), and immunology (dendrite brooch)! Man science is cool!

Friday Find: The Crafty Hedgehog

While strolling the internet isles of the maker's market science section I came across a darling shop that sells knitted dissections called aKNITomy. How charming! And educational to boot! I quite like the bisected human head:


Quite the textural masterpiece! And if you'd prefer the dissection of non humans, check out the frog, alligator, and lab rat:


Mmm...sort of disturbing...but charming nonetheless! Turns out the crafty hedgehog has a shop on etsy too with loads of knitted goods to chose from! You can even get DIY kits to make your own dissected buddies just in case you don't like paying someone else to do your knitting for you! Cool! If only I knew how to knit...

Mad Scientist Baby Blocks

With my sister's first baby on the way I've had my eyes peeled looking for great baby purchases. As you can imagine, I totally couldn't resist these awesome mad scientist baby blocks from the maker's market:


That tentacle block is for sure my favourite! I like their off -beat sort of educationalness too! Nothing better than some geekiness to raise a well rounded child right? or a social outcast...either way...

Yeti time!

I got the wonderful pleasure of being interviewed for an article Michelle did for her blog indie smiles. The two part feature was all about yeti and bigfoot and their constant appearances on etsy! She stumbled across my thumbs up yeti button set and thought I was a perfect candidate to be included in the article! I've been meaning to blog about this for quite some time (seriously - the article was posted in march...) and I figure no time like the present! Especially since it gives me the excuse to show off my super limited edition (didn't even put it in my shop) thumbs up yeti postcard I made:


Isn't he cute! I sent him to a very special sibling of mine (in fact my only sibling!) and I certainly hope leslie is enjoying him!

As for the blog article, Michelle asked us all a few questions and the answers are both hilarious and very much give you an idea of the unique personalities of the crafters who sell on etsy.

Here are a few answers to the question, "What would you do if you ran into Bigfoot or Yeti?" (see if you can pick out my answer):

- "Hopefully shoot some non-shaky film, get some un-fake-able photos, and throw a press conference."

- “Offer him a cupcake. And then run."

- "compare shoe sizes."

- "I’d ask him to have a drink with me so we could get acquainted in a relaxed atmosphere. Then, if he was up to it, we’d go shoe shopping and he’d buy a pair of Onitsuka Tigers if they had his size (royal blue ones with white stripes and red accents). If things were still going well, we’d go out for a pasta dinner and then maybe catch a concert if someone good was playing. At the end of the night, I’d send him home with a plush Domo to keep him company in the woods and a promise to call within a week."

- "(Hope they recognize the fur-less me and) give them a big hug, catch up on all the bigfoot gossip, and tell them about my city adventures."

- "As a scientist, fact and logic always seem to override any possibility of imaginary undiscovered North American creatures so if I ran into bigfoot or yeti I’d be sure to give him a killer high five and request a small fur sample for microsatellite genetic species analysis! Interestingly enough, during my undergrad I actually performed genetic tests on hair samples collected from scientists in attempt to identify the unknown species of Sasquatch. Unfortunately the fur ended up being black bear…but it was exciting nonetheless…"

- "Give the dude some space. I’ve heard they’re pretty smelly."


Okay - it's pretty obvious. And I do like to ramble don't I? Well I certainly recommend checking out the articles (part 1 here, part 2 here) and some of the other rad bigfoot/yeti goods! What fun! Anyone not able to guess my answer?

Stop Motion Knitting

Yet another instance where I crave learning how to knit:

I totally love how they use knitting as imagery for warming up the house in the morning and am particularly fond of the yarn shower stream! Sort of reminds me of that knit bicycle I spotted back in september in victoria. Allow me to refresh your memory:


I've seen quite a few "knitting graffiti" instruction/picture books during the last few trips to bookland too so I guess this sort of public yarn crafting is the hot upcoming trend! I think I'll stick to geeky wide eyed smile science cuteness for the time being. Unless you think knit micropipette cozies are soon to be all the rage? It does sort of challenge the whole idea of "aseptic technique"though...just saying...

Mini Moo Order Freebies!

A few days ago my moo order arrived with a wonderfully charming box full of my custom created moo minicards! I had a great time playing with my wide set eye smile characters and transforming them into my latest promo freebie! Take a peek at the mini bookmark/gift tag goodness:


Man they are cute! I'm really pleased with how they turned out and think they will be a great addition to my etsy orders! I'm not so secretly hoping this will be turn into a successful marketing tool for my shop and blog but only time will tell...any thoughts?

Friday Find: Cleaner Science

I saw this item when I was surfing the science geekery listing on etsy and couldn't help but fall in love! Cleaner Science puts their knowledge of 4-way isolation bacterial streaking to good use by making petri dish soap! Check it out:


It's even grapefruit scented! Double win! What could be cooler than washing with bacteria? (Well...imaginary bacteria that is...). Another rad thing about this shop? I'm on their favourites list! Awesome! Science geeks unite!

Do you have a card?

When I decided to open up an etsy shop I figured one of the first things I'd have to do is brand myself. Once I decided on "scientific culture" as my shop name and niche (in attempt of a play on words sort of? No? Am I the only one that gets that?), quinn helped me come up with a banner for my shop and sweet business cards. She told me to keep my eyes peeled for cards I am fond of and what it is about them I like. Being the overachiever I am, I started picking up business cards like no other! This craze quickly grew into a full fledged collection which I ever so neatly organize with those baseball card holders they sell at the dollar store. Behold my current abundance of business cards:


I love flipping through my binder of them and fondly remembering where I picked up each card. It's sort of like a photo album/journal where I can recall great road trip and etsy purchases I've had! It's also like an added perk for going to new places and shops in hopes of discovering new business card gems! It has almost reached obsession stage since I'm really craving a trip down to the states for some renegade craft fairs solely for the purpose of picking up cards from their amazingly talented crafters! Okay...that isn't actually the only reason I'd go - but it certainly adds to the appeal. Next time you buy something from a cool shop take a look at their card and while you're at it, send it my way. I've got loads of space left in my binder...

Coolest wall art ever!!!

Bringing a whole new meaning to portrait art, the folks at dna11 combine genetic technique and print to make sweet dna art pieces using your very own dna! Amazingly cool! And it even looks neat:


They're available in a whole range of colours too but that classic black and white is extra appealing if you ask me. Heck, if it wasn't so ridiculously expensive I'd have one of these in an instant! Well when those imaginary lottery winnings come my way you'll all know my first splurge...

Articulate Matter

Nothing says "awesome" better than sculptural squid web comics! Justina Kochansky crafts delightfully entertaining images of sea creatures in all sorts of quirky scenarios on her site Articulate Matter. Here are a few of my favourites:


Crap those are cute! She's even got a flickr site which showcases all of her works too. And if that isn't enough - some of her sculptures are available to buy in her etsy shop! Wowee! Talk about an imaginative and talented lady! I hope these images add an extra dash of awesome to your day just like they've done for me! Which ones do you like best?

Friday Find: Argenta Collaberative

This weeks find celebrates the fantastic geekiness residing within every one of us! Behold - Argenta Collaberative, an etsy shop selling cross stitching patterns, felt goodies, and perler bead creations all with a geeky touch of awesomeness. Here are few that I'm particularly fond of:


Sweet, colourful, and totally unique - this shop has something for everyone (well...probably not...but everyone I know anyways...). Just one more reason why I think the world of etsy is fantastic! *sigh*

Terrarium please!

I've been wanting to make a terrarium for quite some time now - and no better way to kick start a project then with two lovely tutorials from poppytalk and poopscape projects! Hooray! And in all honesty, they don't even look that difficult! And they look so cool:


You just need the following items:

- glass container (complete with lid)
- pebbles (also knowns as "drainage rocks")
- charcoal (activated = best)
- soil (wonderful dirt)
- and plants! I'm really drawn to the moss one (I love moss!)

As an added bonus you can even make (or scavenge) little goodies to add some visual interest to your mini plant world! And if crafting isn't quite up your alley, you can always purchase some terrarium miniatures - in fact etsy has a ridiculous selection! I'm trying to decide on which little house is the cutest at etsy's the little red door (I have a gift certificate for there I won back in december too)! So excting!

And just in case you doubted my moss loving ways - here's some photographic evidence! Here I am checking out the darling little sporophyte and gametophyte generations of some moss on a spirit lake walk with my sis in the charlottes last june! Yup - that's some dedicated moss love:


Now spring/summer just needs to get it's act together and arrive so I can do some moss hunting! Which also means road trip!! (since kamloops' semi arid desert ways aren't good for ample moss selection). Hopefully by that time I'll have a kitchen again and there will be a lovely counter to house my terrarium (and a kitchen sink to water it for that matter)! Yay! Only a mere 4+ months to go! Anyone have any ideas on where to get a cool glass container?

Pinback Peek (5 of 6)

Bring on the science geekery with round 5 of my pinback button design sneak peek! A perfect addition to the "scientific culture" line of adorableness - behold: Lab Ware!


Extra cute anthropomorphic tools used for advancement in science! We've got bunsen burner, glassware (including graduated cylinder, erlenmeyer, and beaker), and my personal favourite (who everyone I seem to show has no idea what he is) micropipette (with lil' buddy epindorph tubes)!! How charming! I'm really hoping this set is popular with the scientist crowd, since that is the niche market I was originally aiming for when I started my shop (hence my shop name...and banner....and items). But I am pretty lousy at guessing which sets will sell best. So I guess only time will tell...

Pinback Peek (3 of 6)

Hooray! Let the pinback buttons adventures continue with round 3 of 6! (recall round 1 and round 2). I thought I'd break up the "I chose all of leslie's design ideas" trend with one I came up with! Mind you - I didn't come up with it all on my own - the idea grew out of a post I was reading on etsy's blog "the storque" on potential upcoming trends for the etsy world! It forcasted that alice in wonderland themed items will be all the rage as far as crafty trends go, so I figure I'd jump on that bandwagon and do some mushroom buttons! The fact that I've sold out of my mushroom and gnome mycology finger puppets quite a few times further supports my decision on selecting these adorable fungi - and hey, mushrooms are awesome!


This set includes everyone's favourite ascocarp (morel) joining his basidiocarp cousins for the dikarya subphylum reunion! The middle momma and baby fungi are psilocybins (magic mushrooms) and the cute spotted red guy is a classic toadstool (amanita)! Whee! Science is so much fun! And so are these buttons! What are your thoughts?

Pinback Peek (1 of 6)

After many weeks of wide set eye smile drawing, I've finally made some progress on my new collections of pinback buttons to add to my shop! Six whole new sets in fact! Exciting! As you may remember, I held a button brainstorming giveaway allowing my beloved readers the opportunity to aid in my creative process and to potentially win some free buttons too. I tried really, really hard to make designs based on the ideas each commenter suggested but unfortunately am just not that skilled. And although I very much did not plan it this way, I may have chosen almost exclusively design ideas my sister came with....(no wonder she thought my blog should be called "scientific culture and leslie"). I swear - she just knows what anthropomorphic items I'd select and to give her credit - they were some pretty awesome ideas. So once they're complete 5 of the 6 sets are headed your way les! Lucky you!

Since I'm sure you're dying to find out what these new buttons are going to be, I thought I'd sprinkle a peek at each of them into my blog for the next while! I'm also hoping this will keep you all on the edge of your seats to see what posts will come up each morning at 9 am too! It also gives you ample opportunity to comment up a storm and tell me specific opinions about each set (verses the sensory cute overload showing all six sets at once would cause - I'm just thinking of your health here!). So behold - a glance at my first new pinback button design - Geek Wear:


Nothing says, "I'm a huge geek!" quite like a pocket protector, bow tie, and calculator! I'm hoping this one appeals to the geekery and science fans as well as a slight overlap into lovers of bows! I'm really pleased with how this one turned out and am especially fond of the colours I picked. I thought I'd better start off with this set since it's my mom's favourite and I thought I'd aim to win over any giveaway non-winners on this set's charmingly sweet disposition! I mean look at those little smiles! Who wouldn't love them? Which one do you like best?

Adorable Plush Microbe Goodness!

After many months of being sold out of two of my most popular plush microbes (anthrax and chlamydia) my shop is finally restocked! I couldn't find the same light orange and blue fleece that I had for my first round of microbe friends so they're now in gold and teal! I love how they turned out and I think the group bacillus shots are super adorable! So many little cute smiles!


I've even found a new source for their 12mm black safety eyes which has fantastic selection and prices on plush supplies (and it is on etsy - extra bonus)! I must say re-doing my microbe plush pictures was pretty tricky, hence putting off updating them for so long! I'm still not totally sold on how the lighting looks. Hopefully I'll get around to making a light box one of these days and be able to redo them. In the mean time these will have to do until I get through more of my crafty to-do list items. But they are awfully cute don't you think?

In other news - Happy 57th birthday mom! (That's right - I just told the world how old you are) Love you!