Thursday, September 29, 2011

Raindrops and Daisies

I just finished making a new "daisies in the rain" banner for my shop!


Okay, I said I didn't want to fiddle with graphics anymore, but I really like how this turned out!

Plus the background photo, a close-up of some daisies and violets in the grass, is from the same set of pictures as my Etsy avatar:


One was taken by Raccoon from a distance (I pasted the bunny I made over my own face), and one was taken in close-up by me. It sort of ties everything together, I think, even if the pictures didn't turn out with the same shade of green.

For anyone who's interested, here's an interesting tutorial on getting the "rainy day" effect in Photoshop!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Happy Flying Elephant!

He's here! And now that I've updated the listing with better photos -- ie. now that the sun is up -- I can finally go to bed!


Kawaii!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

New Blog Background!

A few days ago, I made a super simple 3-second background. It was for the 100 mini cards + 50 business cards -- for future craft fairs -- I ordered from moo. Did you know they're having a special "50 free cards + standard shipping" deal and another "10 free cards + free shipping" deal for Etsy shop owners??

I haven't done much with the look of this blog since creating it, because I don't want to spend my time on graphics when I barely have enough time to fill my shop! But now that I've made the background, I thought I might as well put it to use...

I think it's made my blog and Twitter that much prettier!

It is based on the "raindrops & flower" logo I created for wildflower makery. I hope to use the theme in more and more places. :]

******

On an unrelated note, Angelic Pretty's US store is hosting their 1-year anniversary tea party... on November 20th, my birthday!!


But I most likely can't go. (sniff) In times like these, I really wish I had studied something more "profitable" than English...

Monday, September 26, 2011

Slight Crafting Blues


Something is making me a little sad. That little something can be see in this progress photo.

I use too much blue.

Granted, the elephant I started working on today is more mint green in proper lighting, but pale blue and mint aren't really that different. Even this quick snap of my workspace shows how obsessive I am with my favourite two colours...

Optical mouse: blue. Wrist rest: blue and white. Desk: white. Brand logo: white and blue. Laptop (just out of sight): white and blue. That little polkadotted thing in the very bottom left corner? It's another work in progress -- also white x blue.

And don't even remind me what colour this blog is.

My Etsy shop is starting to head down the same path, which isn't supposed to happen because I use a lot of "upcycled" fabrics. Every time I go to the fabric store I come home with a few more metres of something blue or white, but when I dig through my to-be-donated bin for old clothes, I expect colours I don't wear!

Maybe I need to start raiding the closets of everyone I know for COLOUR!


On an unrelated note, I finally got the chance to make a "daisy" chain with red clover blossoms this past weekend!


I love clover!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

My First Craft Fair?


Someone pointed this out to me -- it was in the papers the day after I finished my "creepy old man" art doll. Doesn't it remind you of someone?


The one at the top (the less creepy one) is a yet-unknown dancer, I think. They're even wearing the same colours, hahah!!!


On a more serious note, after posting the bear ears on Facebook, one of my friends suggested that I set up a table at his union craft fair this November. Only union members (employees of the city council and a few other organizations, I think) and their friends can sign up for one of the 15 to 20 tables. It will be fairly small -- perfect for a first-timer, maybe?

I'm all nervous just thinking about it, but I think I might be able to make a table worth of items by late November!! And if no one buys anything, at least only one person I know will be there to laugh at me, hahah...

The best part is, the craft fair will take place on November 22 (Tuesday). I've never even CONSIDERED signing up for one of the local "Christmas" craft fairs before, because they've always been on or over the weekend following Nov. 20, my birthday. :P Maybe when I finally stop caring about birthdays, I can have a booth every year.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Custom bear ears!


Teeny weeny tiny ones, because they're for a guy. XD

I just completed these for a custom order. The focus is actually the removable headphone padding (reversible fleece x cotton!), but I really like the ears!!

Just had to take a picture to show them off before bed. And don't worry, I only put them on because the item is for a close friend. All other items are clean!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Twitter (and a kitty!)


IMAGE UNRELATED. (It's my cat sleeping in a mess.)

All the "pros" in the Etsy forums recommend it as promotional tool, though I still don't see it working that way. Do people even bother to click on links unless they promised news/funny stuff/funny news? I sure don't when my friends post their "tweets" on Facebook...

I do find the idea of writing funny (and possibly sarcastic or nonsensical) snippets appealing, though the idea of Twitter itself still seems sort of... "high school". I did resist Facebook and blogging for YEARS after all.

Well, I've finally caved and gotten a Twitter account. Feel free to follow me and whatnot!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Creepy Old Man


I like how nicely the photos turned out, but he's a lot less creepy by daylight. This does fit in better with the rest of my shop, but maybe I should use one of the evening shots as the first photo. Hmm...

Anyway, I promise this will be the last post about Mr. Longjohns until he sells. I'm ready to move on, too. :P

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Project Complete! (Mr. Longjohns)


Frankly he looks a lot less strange in the bulky jogging suit (I ended up adding a hood and faux drawstrings so they're not long johns anymore)... I guess it's because his head doesn't look so large anymore. Less emphasis on the face and all.

Raccoon says he looks like a retired army guy. :D

If I have time tomorrow he'll be posted in my Etsy shop by evening!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Longjohns Update


As you can see, Mr. Longjohns now has arms. His hands turned out a bit wonky so I've fixed the left one. Will work on the right hand in the morning.

Although (because?) he is still naked, he has already gotten tons of hilarious comments and strange looks. I just had to bring him along on my recent weekend trip to Bowen Island.

Here is another fantastic shot taken on the island:



And here he is at the pier (disclaimer: Mr. Longjohns did not actually touch any dirty surfaces or objects):


I leave you with this particularly soulful photo taken on the ferry:


Thursday, September 15, 2011

Work in Progress: Nude Torso


So far everyone who has seen him has said he's weird and/or creepy. Raccoon saw the in-progress shots and laughed for about 45 minutes over the phone. He finished by choking on his cereal.

Mr. Longjohns (soon!) is hurt.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

More of Hallowe'en!


As promised, here is the miniature companion for the Jack-o-lantern: a tiny black kitty!

My right wrist was "crackly" all last night. Temperatures have dropped suddenly since Monday, after a sweltering week or two of extended summer. While I really love Canadian autumns, the cold air no longer loves my fingers and wrists.

I might need to start looking into those wrist protectors everyone working at a fabric store seems to wear...

HOWEVER, thanks to the discomfort, I put off the headphone padding I was sewing for Raccoon and went off to read. And reading always puts me in a more creative mood, so I ended up making this:


Before Raccoon came by this morning, I wedged the head under the watch he accidentally left at my house the day before. It really freaked him out! :]

'm not sure if I'll make a whole body or just incorporate the head into another project, but I think he (the head) is looking smashing so far!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Boo for a Smile -- Hallowe'en Treasury

Since I joined Etsy in May, I've only been making one Etsy treasury per month (except August).

There's so much work involved in making one, plus I always feel bad when listings disappear, and I have to either find a replacement for the slot or leave the treasury incomplete...

With complaints out of the way, here is the one for September:



Aren't they all just deliciously creepy together? I can barely look at the top right and bottom left corners myself.

On an unrelated note, I got four metres of blue satin today for my Hallowe'en costume. I was going to start working on it overnight, but I've accidentally left all my sewing supplies in a bag at Raccoon's house (I hope). Guess it'll have to wait 'til Monday! I'm not just procrastinating!

Oh, and the aforementioned second Hallowe'en item will be listed tomorrow. If I wake up before the sun sets. ;]

Saturday, September 10, 2011

"Kawaii" kitty


Friday is usually my slowest day in terms of views, but I wanted to list something this morning. So here is the three-inch (7 cm) floral kitty I made two nights ago!


I already have another item ready for Sunday or Monday, depending on whether or not I end up having afternoon tea with J. We haven't met up in a while, having each been away on vacation. I'm rather trying to avoid her, though, because I haven't finished the pincushion I'm making for her (August) birthday...


Hint: The next item is also a cat, but a lot more similar to the miniature Jack-o-lantern in my previous post!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Hallowe'en is Almost Here (?)

I usually don't like when holiday items appear wellllll before the date (Christmas starts in October now, apparently), but if I followed my own rule, I'd probably never have anything sold and shipped in time.

So here is my first seasonal item -- a super miniature Jack-o-lantern!


Upon completion, I checked Etsy for similar items. This is definitely the smallest plush pumpkin there. :P At 5/8 inch (1.5 cm) in height, including the hat, it might just be the smallest Jack-o-lantern you'll see this Hallowe'en.

I still haven't gotten around to making a light box yet, but I used a large styrofoam board as backing for the set of pumpkin photos. The results look similar to my usual photos, but I barely had to correct the colours and lighting this time.

Time to make a real light box!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

There and Back Again


I'm back from my first roadtrip with friends!

It was so much fun I wish I'll never get back to a regular desk job (though it might not be as much fun for my bank account...), so that I can take off whenever I please. Unlike three of the guys who couldn't make it after all.


Shoulder bag handmade by a local artist!

The four of us set off early Saturday morning on a long, eventually scenic drive to Hope.

The first stop was at a riverside fruit stand, where B. picked up some strawberries. Half an hour later, Raccoon, our driver for most of the trip, stopped in Agassiz for some Canadian hazelnuts.

The owner suggested that we take some pictures under the trees, and we walked into her farm to find
the most magical place in the world. A small corner of it is captured in the first photo above.


We reached Coquihalla Provincial/Regional Park (actually two joined parks I couldn't tell apart) about 2.5 hours later.

The hiking was fairly light, but we got a nice long walk through five of the nine tunnels -- the last few were closed due to a recent landslide. All are connected by the remains of a railway from the early days of Canadian history.


It was refreshingly cool and pitch black in every tunnel. We had to rely on camera flashes and cellphone flashlights (apparently there's an app for that) to get through.

Each stretch in between was shrouded by mountains and edged in an emerald-coloured river.


Group shot on the quadricycle

Having filled our cameras with scenery and tourist-y poses, we headed to Harrison for more sightseeing... in a pedal-cart!

It's actually a lot more difficult to move the cart with four people than with two... I guess the weight of the cart doesn't increase in the proper ratio. It's a good workout for your butt and thighs, anyway, and the most amusing mode of transportation ever. Well worth the $40 per hour (a mere $10/person).

Over all, this has been an awesome trip! The only thing that would've made it better would be if we had gone the whole way there and back in a pedal cart.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Hope!


I took some new photos of my tiny geek girl today around 3 or 4 pm. Same angles, same windowsill, same point-and-shoot digital camera, but the pictures are MUCH nicer than the previous set. Lesson learnt!


Also, it feels like I've just gotten back from London -- it hasn't even been two weeks -- but I'm going on a road trip!

I made plans with the guys to drive down (or up? I have no sense of direction) to Hope for the upcoming Labour Day weekend. R. can't make it, and those who usually drop out have dropped out (haha), so it'll just be me and three of the guys. At least we'll have an empty seat for backpacks and tripods. I've added Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park to the itinerary, so we can see the beautiful Othello Tunnels.

Raccoon took me to Hope and Hell's Gate for our first anniversary [insert joke here], but we didn't have time to hike up to the tunnels then. It's been exactly three years, but we're finally going back!


But what does this really mean? (ie. Why am I writing about a little weekend trip?)

It means I need to finish writing down everything about London before a new trip overwrites the memories in my brain. Space is limited.

I just noticed that my dress was blending into the Buckingham Palace gates

Thursday, September 1, 2011

New Items: Geek Girl Art Doll & Mint Cupcake Ring

Mint x white cupcake ring!

I haven't made anything lolita-appropriate in a while, so this deco cupcake ring is a nice addition to the shop. I think I need to photograph it on someone else's hand, however... The size of mine makes the already-large cupcake look ridiculous.

In another bout of productivity, I've actually listed two items today. It's okay -- it counted as two days thanks to differing time zones, so I did manage to space the listings out a bit (as everyone advises).

The second is a miniature art doll I made for an Otherlings team challenge. For August, it was "big-eyed nerd":


As you can see, she's standing my laptop while holding her own little laptop.

This photo turned out alright, though it doesn't show much detail. Sadly, the others were pretty lousy:



Sunset isn't the best time to take macro shots, I guess.

Still, you can more or less see all the silly little details I put into her outfit, from the high-top sneakers with the "star" logo (ahem) to the bitten apples (cough cough) on her shirt and laptop. I hope someone takes this tiny girl-geek home soon!


*Click the pictures to go to the listings