Happy Halloween!

If you haven't noticed (which I sort of hope you haven't), my blog posts have been a wee bit on the truncated side lately. Why you may wonder? I have been spending every second I'm not working, sleeping, eating, or bathing (yes - don't worry - not started to smell yet) working on crafts for the fabulous finds craft show this next weekend! Eee! It is scary how quickly time sneaks up on you! So since I haven't had time to do anything halloween-y this year I thought I'd reminisce with the darling little wide-set eye smile pumpkin I carved last year instead:


Further proof throwing a little gimpy smile on anything makes it super cute! Happy halloween everyone! What are you going as this year?

Kirigami leaves!

I came across this fantastic tutorial over at zakka life a few weeks ago and just had to share it with you! Behold - the most amazing kirigami (cut origami) fall leaves:


Ooo! I do love ginkos - but if you're looking for some more traditional trees:


Fun! And a perfect way to celebrate fall! I think these would be so awesome on an autumn table setting or maybe tucked under candles? Heck - string them into a garland, cover a notebook, or decoupage your bathroom - the uses are limitless! I sort of feel like these leaves are doily related (maybe it is just me?) so maybe that is why I'm so drawn to them...they look like a rad little project though - what would you use them for?

Friday Find: Tall Rabbit

Since I'm determined that brooches are well overdue for a comeback I've been keeping my eyes peeled for perfect pieces to help jumpstart the trend. Tall rabbit's laser cut creation certainly fits the criteria in my mind:


I mean how can you get cooler than a walrus in a bowler hat? (correct answer = you can't). Now to start saving my pennies until I can afford this one! Anyone else joining the brooch bandwagon?

Granny Panties!

Just in case you feel your undies are gigantic check out these:


Thank you Yoshikazu Yamagata. Totally made my day.

Sparkle Pom Pom Return?

A few months ago I recreated the loving tale of my mom's evil cat percy (el gato diablo) and his obsession with sparkle pom poms (link!). I have never seen a cat go so crazy over a toy he just couldn't take his eyes off of it:


Well just the other day I was reading a post on Cow Milk Bubble's blog where they gave their kitties a package of toys from modern cat to celebrate founder's day (the day they found their cats in lieu of kitty bday). What was in this package? Why an orange sparkle pom pom:


Looks like percy isn't the only cat who loves them! In fact cow milk bubble's kitties spend hours carrying it around with segments of hissing and growling to protect their loot! What fun! So next time you go cat toy shopping (which is often right?) try to pick up a pom pom or two...I'd love to hear how it turns out...

Road Trip: Vancouver

Just as I mentioned on saturday, my friend lindsay and I made an overnight super fun trip down to vancouver this past weekend! Minus the slightly rough start (I scratched my cornea the night before and had a late night hospital trip), the trip was a success! We got to fit in a little shopping, a wonderful visit to our friend quinn's new 16th floor pad, and (of course) the most fantastic mumford & sons concert:


My goodness they were phenomenal! You could certainly feel the excitement from the crowd who sang and clapped along to every single moment of mumford's amazingness. Looks like British nu-folk is about to takeover the music scene! Even the vancouver sun's article on the show agrees! I'm sure I could go on and on about how awesome they were but I'm sure you don't need that much repetition from me...in fact, I ended up with 129 pictures from the show (I told you I wanted to bring my camera this time) and when I was going through them I originally had six pictures I was going to include. Perhaps a little overboard, but the vogue theatre was certainly the perfect venue. I really enjoyed their setup and the lighting changes were lovely. Check out the sweet stringed lights they had (just like their little lion man video):


So good! If you ever come across the chance to see this band do it! They don't disappoint! Now to go listen to mumford & sons on repeat for a few more hours and reminisce...*sigh*

An ode to Serena

I am an exceptionally cold person. Once our lovely canadian fall/winter hits you'll find me ridiculously bundled up trying to keep warm! In fact I often sport double socks *gasp! Yup knee socks and cushy regular white socks are the only way to keep my little piggies warm! So I'm sure you can imagine how much I enjoyed "my girl thursday"s lovely knee sock print:


I'm especially fond of the argyle and slight serena ryder lyric quote you might catch if you attended the 2009 salmon arm roots and blues festival (or if you're just a serena fan). But hey - if you aren't in for the tartan style she's got vintage floral too! And hey! They are both free for you to download, print, and enjoy! Hooray for knee socks and hooray for free art! Heck - hooray for monday! Hope your week is starting off wonderfully!

Thrifty finds!

When I moved into my new place in september I was inspired and ready to get unpacked, get settled, and get decorating! Once all the chaos of moving slowed down a bit I quickly realized that decorating on a practically nonexistent budget is much more difficult than I'd hoped and my motivation for having the sweetest rental in history faded a bit. I did however keep my eyes peeled for inexpensive crafty art ideas and when I came across perl bee's swatch portrait tutorial I was convinced I could successfully execute that craft! (I blogged about it here.) My new mission was to search kamloops for wooden embroidery hoops - which seemed near to impossible after a good month of searching...until today! Thanks to the wonderful thrifty eye of wendy I had my first successful trip to the thrift store! Check out all these killer deal hoops:


Yay! Now to figure out what fabrics I want to put in there, stretch them in, and stick them on the wall! So good! I've also realized a few things about thrift shopping in kamloops (that's right - list time!):

1) Shop often. Thrift stores are always getting new stock in and the more often you go the better chance you'll be able to get a wicked deal!

2) Pick the right area. I've discovered that trying to find amazing deals at the crazy popular thrift stores is pretty pointless. Not only are some ridiculously overpriced but they are usually picked over. Try supporting your local community and pick the little shops in the lower income area of town and you're more likely to get deals!

3) Go with a friend! Two sets of eyes are better than one - but make sure you aren't looking for the same items or you might run into conflict.

and
4) Be patient. I always seem to find things when I'm not really looking for them. If you set high expectations for a thrifting trip you're destined to be disappointed. Don't expect much out of the shopping and have fun with the experience!

Yay! I definitely want to work more thrift store searching into my spare time because you never know what you'll stumble across! I am super excited for the other two items I picked up with those wooden embroidery hoops:


Best $1.75 I've spent in a while! And a girl can never have too many doilies and owl prints right? Now I've just got to spray paint that beat up gold frame a nice matte black and get it on the wall! Hooray! Anyone else have any amazing thrift store tips to share? I'm all ears! Well....eyes really...

More Banjo!

Time to take a little break from my hectic crafting schedule and take a mini road trip down to vancouver to see the most banjo-tastic band - Mumford & Sons:


Hooray! Why yes you may recall a similar trip down to the coast I took in May to do pretty much the same thing - but this band is so fantastic I just couldn't pass up the amazing opportunity! Luckily lindsay was on the ball and got us some tickets before they sold out too! I'm looking forward to some hand-clapping good times as we sit in awe of mumford & sons pure awesomeness. I mean how many times do you see the lead singer belt out the tunes while playing guitar and kick drum? Probably not often enough...take a peek at one of my favourite songs of theirs (be warned - foul language involved! Not for the kiddies!):

Oh so good! And terribly exciting for me! I hope to also fit in a little shopping, visiting, and transportation of hazardous goods in there and be back tomorrow night to get back to crafting! That craft show is looming right around the corner after all...but since I somehow managed to sprain my left wrist cutting out felt, this weekend trip might be a nice little break from all the slave labor! Hey! Maybe I will even manage to take a few pictures of the band this time! Woo!

Friday Find: Magasin

Today's find is the one and only magasin! An etsy shop full of cross-stitch wonders you're sure to fall for. Check out this sampling:


I really enjoy how awesomely handmade everything in her shop is and the designs are to die for! I'm particularly fond of her homewares section (because everyone needs more mustaches on their walls) but am also keen on her great accessories! What are your favourites?

More Packaging!

About a week ago I shared some shots of my new button packaging I made for a wholesale order and it seems to be a hit! (Check it out here!) I also starting discussing how I planned on using some recycled cardstock for the items I am going to be selling at the art gallery this year and finally they are complete! Very similar to the first round of button packaging - just brown. Take a peek:


I really like how they turned out and I think the brown cardstock is a good choice to attempt to stay environmentally friendly and let the colours and designs of the pinback buttons stand out! Sticking with the recycled card theme I came up with a similar design for my new pocket mirror packaging:


Why yes - it is extremely similar to the button packaging - but that was sort of the point! Just keeping with consistency! So (not surprisingly) I used the little ciliated bacillus speech bubble idea again for my art/postcards:


Put them all together and you've got quite the scientific culture collection:


I'm so pleased with how it turned out! I chose a variety of different illustrated goods to sell at the gallery store so here's to hoping they are thrilled when they get to open up this box:


Hooray! So if you're in the area you should make a stop by the kamloops art gallery store and go shopping! They even have smoking lily and floating goal iceberg items there making it pretty much the coolest shopping destination in town! Yay! I hope my products go over well...what do you think?

DIY Pumpkin Cozy

Knit and crochet cozies are awesome. Nothing like a touch of wool to help keep your hands cool from a hot coffee cup or to jazz up and keep in the heat of your tea pot! I often sport a cool apple cozy I won last winter from UnravelMe's shop and it does a great job of keeping my royal gala's bruise free! Well now you can take your covered fruit/veg to a whole new level and make a knit pumpkin cozy:


Oh that is so cute! I totally think my mom should make this (hint hint) to put on one of her 20+ pumpkins for the month of october before she gets to carving them. Then you'd be able to enjoy a crafty/homely jack-o-lantern without having to deal with a gross rotting pumpkin part! Good thing craftzine offers this pumpkin knit cozy pattern free of charge on their site! And once again providing further inspiration to get me to learn how to knit! If only I had time...maybe next year?

Site Visit Bingo update!

It has been a really long time since I last did a site visit bingo update so I figured no time like the present! If you're new to the s.v.b. concept - it is something I came up with last year around this time. After being introduced to the amazing data wonderfulness of google analytics (a program that tracks site visits), I decided to make a game out of it and track my progress of all the countries I get views from on my etsy site! I went full boar into the challenge and decided to go for a full out site visit blackout - which - was a little hopeful. I excitingly checked my visits each night when the info from the previous day was updated online and saw as each country filled up! Eventually I lost momentum on the s.v.b as I quickly realized that (1) most of those places I'm still missing are 3rd world/don't have the internet access and (2) they probably don't really speak english so why read my english website....oh well. I have seen a little bit of progress over the last year though, so I thought I'd share my exciting achievement with all of you!

Progress last seen on nov 7th 2009:


Progress as of oct 19th 2010:


Very nice! Looks like my u.s. visits just keep going up (woo hoo!) and I've managed to make some substantial progress in south eastern europe and asia! Plus I've snagged a few more countries in south america and (the ever challenging) africa! Fun! Perhaps one day my map will reach blackout..until then I'll keep appreciating the wonders of google analytics and keep trying to make my etsy shop as good as I can! It does leave me wondering - anyone else out there go mad over data?

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?

The absolute ultimate!

Whenever I see something I'm particularly fond of on the internet I usually save the link as a draft post for the blog. That way when I'm in need of a few more blog posts (blogging every day can be quite taxing on the creativity) I can flip back through my drafts for inspiration! Well today's post is inspired from a link I saw back in july! Perhaps a little dated (as this pertains to summer much more than fall/winter) but let's be realistic here - there is always room for gidget:


If you're unfamiliar with gidget, not to worry. It is a teen movie staring sandra dee (whom you probably recognize from the grease song) from 1959 so chances are either (1) you weren't born yet (and since you are successfully navigating the internet there is a high chance of this) or (2) your parents didn't have an opportunity to expose to to such a masterpiece of pop teen surfing movie culture! Well I certainly love the movie and apparently this one little film and its resultant legacy is credited to have been the single main influence in bringing surfing and surfing culture into the american mainstream! Way to go gidge'!

Being such a loyal fan I'm sure you can understand how ridiculously excited I was to see etsy's blog (the storque) do an article on getting the look of gidget! That's right - after all this time sandra dee is back - in the form of preppy 60's fashion. Forget cleavage and skin - give us the allure of coyness and sweetheart style. Take a look on some of the article's picks:


Looks fun to me! Especially since I am all about keeping it covered up! And if you aren't aiming to go all vintage you can always work a few sandra dee type pieces into your wardrobe for a hint of gidget! Perfect! Oh - and if this post has left you craving a gidget movie night - come on over! I'll get the VHS warmed up...

Banjo-tastic!

As you may recall, back in mid-july I did a post about the awesome webcomics/cut out strips of "my cardboard life" (if you don't remember - you can check it out here). Well I (obviously) still really enjoy the comics and they constantly make my day with their hilarity! (Especially since my most favourite webcomic "the unfeasible adventures of beaver and steve" has been on hiatus since 2008). When I came across my cardboard life's latest comic I just had to share it with all of you:


Yay! Successfully combining cardboard colin and an angry looking pink banjo playing polar bear! Priceless! And providing a convenient transition for me to chat about banjos for a while! Double win!

If you're an avid kate blog reader you may have noticed my obsession with banjos (perhaps in one of my previous eight posts I've mentioned them in...). Well yes. Banjos are pretty super rad in my eyes and learning to play one is part of my resolutions for the year! So since I've already been doing such a great job of blogging every day and breaking into the world of craft shows - it is time for the banjo!

First step of banjo playing wonder? Purchasing a banjo! Which...I did a few months ago. So far banjo really seems to enjoy chilling out in its case (by that back door we have never used):


Poor banjo. Unfortunately with the move and crazy hectic craft sale schedules I haven't had much spare time to get to the second step of banjo playing and actually learn it - but not to worry! There is still time before we hit 2011! I even bought some banjo playing books on amazon and have a musical genius of a friend who is willing to show me the ropes! Plus it is so pretty! Take a look at banjo out of its case:


Fun! I am totally destined to reach my goal of being the coolest 30 year old banjo playing crafty woman in kamloops! Heck! I've got 4 whole years to get there! And even if I haven't really gotten to playing the banjo yet, I do enjoy how gorgeous it is. Check out those charming flowery/heart details on the frets:


*Sigh* I figure once the xmas crazy craft selling season is over I will have a whole month to pick it up and awe the world with my plinking skills! But I do have quite the number of craft projects on my to do list...so...we'll see how that works for me...

Friday Find: Lee Meszaros

Today's find, Lee Meszaro, was a natural pick in my books for oh so many reasons. That's right - list time!

1) She makes "be proud" merit badges. Allowing you to celebrate the simple things in life and conveniently display it for the world to see in a brooch type fashion (yup they have pins on the back)!

2) Her badge images are always based on a play on words, which is sort of like a pun...and puns are wonderful.

3) She is a master of all trades by combining silkscreening, painting, and hand embroidery!

4) She's Canadian (and sells online for worldwide access)

and

5) She's buddies with bespoke uprising (which I had as a find about a month ago)!!!

So awesome! Take a look at some of her wonderful badges:


These ones are for "going out in a limb", "tooting your own horn", "being a smitten kitten", "being sharp as a tack", "being nutty as a squirrel", and "tying the knot"! Fun! I totally think these would be a super fun and quirky gift idea and they even come with a certificate to help explain what you're getting your merit badge for! I also really like her drawing style and the whole handmade charm the badges are oozing!

I also totally think many of my friends (in particular quinn and lucas) could really work these into their already amazing wardrobes and single-handedly start the merit badge accessory craze! Okay...maybe I am getting a little far out with that one...but I do like them an awful lot! What do you think?

Owl Smores!

As I've already talked about once this month, I am a huge fan of candy corn. Each year around halloween I rush to the stores to get all the candy corn I can handle! This year has been a particularly ample candy corn year since I'm living with fraser now and he loves to support my candy obsession (yay me - boo my waistline)! Candy corn certainly seems to be an acquired taste since most people I talk to hate it (with a fewer amount thinking it is pretty okay). My mom dislikes it so much that when we saw this candy corn wreath on the cover of woman's day magazine last week she thought it was the perfect use for such a foul treat:


I thought it was pretty cool looking...but what a waste! I'd much rather skip this project and make one with black feathers and a crow or something...

Anyways - wreath aside, my owl barn has done it again and shown me yet another owl related tutorial I am dying to try out! And best of all? It includes candy corn! Check out this super awesome owl smore:


Nummers! Looks pretty simple too! Now I just need to take a trip to the grocery store for marshmallows, yellow chocolate melting bits, chocolate chips, graham crackers, and candy corn! Or maybe I'll skip the smore part and just get the candy corn...it is pretty cute though! What do you think?

pack it up, pack it in

Apparently the etsy sales stars have aligned for me! After my week haitus, my shop is back in full bore and the sales have been rolling in! Giving me the wonderful joy of lovingly packaging up orders to take to the post office! What fun! I've also managed to take my sales up to a record 450 there leaving me a mere 50 more before hitting the landmark 500 point! Just think of all the manila envelopes I'll get to send out (which, by the way, is still one of my favourite things about selling). Check out the nice little stack I sent out before work yesterday:


And since we're on the topic of packaging...I thought I'd take this time to share the new button packaging I came up with for a wholesale order I made with mary at the revelry boutique gallery:


Any thoughts? I feel they are more practical for store selling than the folded button cards I use for sales in my shop for a plethora of reasons. Ooo! List time!

I like the new packaging because:

1) You get to see the buttons right away! How eye catching and spectacular!

2) They tell you what the designs of the sets are (mary's idea) - which clears up those "who the heck are those old people?" and "what is that smiling hairy blob?" questions I hear quite often at craft shows...

3) They are sealed! Perfect for avoiding any buttons from falling off and getting lost or those sneaky shoppers who rearrange packages (just like how we all make underwear packages to have no white ones...or is that just me?)

4) They are more professional looking. Maybe? I thought so...

5) More store display options! Oh the possibilities! You could stick them on a dish, make a mobile, or hole punch the card and hang them on a rack! Fun!

Clearly I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out - and in case you aren't overly convinced here is a close up shot to sway you:


I'm thinking these packages will be perfect for the button sets I'm selling at the art gallery this year too! I've got a big stack of recycled brown cardstock that is just waiting to be printed on and cut up! I'm also planning to alter the card a bit and customize some for pocket mirror packaging too! That way all my items will be unified to some extent and wonderfully sealed and ready for xmas gift purchasing and giving! What do you think?

Road Trip: Prince Rupert

I'm not sure if anyone picked up on something I said yesterday in my road trip to smithers post (it was a speedy post and I didn't draw much attention to it...) - but I said how I saw seven sea otters during my trip. Well...if you know anything about the geography of british columbia this should seem a little fishy since smithers (noted by red dot) is not on the coast:


So how did I manage such a magical wildlife spotting you ask? I took a day trip to the lovely rainy (and I mean rainy) coastal town of prince rupert! Hooray! And even though I didn't manage to take too many pictures during the torrential downpour (again...seriously...so rainy) I did snap one of my most favourite part of rupert - the wonderfully cow themed sites of cowbay!:



Yay! So much fun! Leslie and I ferried over to rupert a few summers back when I was up visiting her in haida gwaii, and despite the awful ferry ride, I was stoked to make a return visit! Ooo! And after a little sight seeing with my parents, a tea at cowpuccinos, and some puttering around I got to go to the most fantastic shopping experience in the north of bc too! Woo! Homework (the focal point of that image above) is such a fun place to shop at. They have everything - from tea and spices to clothing and a fabulous selection of jewelery! Two floors of overloaded shopping senses - and a convenient excuse to get out of the rain! Double win! Check out that retail glory:


*Sigh* so good! If you're ever in the area I certainly recommend stopping by - it is worth your while. Oh and after you should go for lunch at breaker's pub! It's just down the road and looks out over the docks on the ocean, which (as I was hinting at back at the beginning of this post) is where we saw the cute little sea otters playing in the water! Hooray! But if you're not up for venturing all that way, not to worry, homework has a lovely website to check out...and as for the otters...maybe check out this cute video of two of them holding hands? Adorable! Internet for the win!

Road Trip: Smithers

I'm back from a week in british columbia's north (ish) and boy what a trip! I've decided to share all my vacation highlights with a series of pictures for your viewing enjoyment! Hooray! Let's go!

The trip started off with a lot of trees and a lot of driving (11 hours to be exact):


It actually got pretty monotonous after a while but the fall colours were lovely! So much yellow! After the epic drive we arrived in smithers to meet my niece jean! Hello sleeping baby:


Oh so cute! We also got to see loads of wildlife on the trip including bears, deer, and sea otters! And this mountain goat?:


Okay...so the goat is just a statue but smithers has loads of them! My sister really wanted me to do a post on all the cool statues there, but unfortunately car sickness cut that plan pretty quickly. We did however get to enjoy some more lovely fall when my sister and I walked down to the park to visit my dad fishing on the river:


Got to love abnormally warm pre-thanksgiving weekends! The rest of the trip pretty much revolved around jean and soaking up all her adorableness:


I can't believe how tiny we all start out (okay...most of us start out...I had a good 2 pounds on jean when I was born...). And it also gave me the opportunity to give her first present from her auntie kate! Mr. T the corduroy dinosaur! Little kid shopping is so much fun! I have a feeling jean is going to be quite the spoiled child. Oh and in case you haven't seen enough of her - here I am holding that bundle of sleeping cuteness:


Hooray! Whirlwind super fun trip! And crazy speedy blog post writing from me (in case you couldn't already tell...) with lots of exclamation marks! Yay! !!!

Fabulous Finds!

It is official! I'm taking my crafty wares on the road for my first multi-day large-scale craft show! Hooray! And I'm even on the poster! Take a gander:


Did you see my woodland creature buttons on the lower right hand side? Boy am I ever excited! And with excitement comes crafty preparation! I've been crafting up a storm trying to get ready for the show with lots of buttons, mirrors, postcards, coffee sleeves and more! I'm also working on a new few items to test out at the sale! But since I am fairly new to the craft show scene I've still got plenty to learn and hopefully enough time to be thoroughly over stocked and ready! Anyone have any great tips or links for me? I'm ready to learn! Oh! And if anyone has some spare time on their hands feel free to come help me with production! Crafting for all! Hope to see many of you in november at the show! You can even join the facebook event here! The more the merrier!

Etsy Shop Birthday!

Happy 2nd birthday etsy shop! And boy, what a long way you've come! This also marks the anniversary of making crafts for an actual reason! Hooray!


This last year was certainly a great one with loads of lovely accomplishments including:

- skyrocketing my sales from 111 (of year 1) to 441
- expanding my button line to include 6 new designs
- making scientific culture postcards and pocket mirrors
and
- breaking into the world of craft shows!!!

Woo! Here's hoping the terrible twos doesn't apply to internet shops as I ramp up my geekery selling for year three! Yay!

Friday Find: Maranon

This week's find is all about meticulous embroidery and bold accessories! Check out the lovely goods (or at least my favourite product) of etsy's Maranon:


Pretty much the epitome of hand embroidered accessories, maranon uses rich colours (hooray for jewel tones) and bold geometrical shapes to create their eye catching designs. And if necklaces aren't your thing lorena has a variety of other products to meet your needs. Oh - and bonus fun fact - a "maranon" is actually the spanish word for cashew apple! Neat! Turns out lorena named her shop after the fruit because apparently the fruit displays all the colours visible to the human eye throughout its developmental stages (perhaps like the vast colour scheme of her pieces?). If you're really intrigued I recommend checking out her etsy interview...or her shop...or just this blog post (which you've already done if you're reading this!) Yay!