Jan 25, 2010

50!


I recently got a thank you card from my aunt & uncle thanking me for sending them this card that I made in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary. They're pretty humble folks who don't mess with too much flash, so I'm glad they could appreciate a bit of bling in their lives. If ever there was a time to do so, it'd be for your 50th, right?

Jan 14, 2010

Howard's Motivational Task Master, Ep. 1


Welcome to the first entry of Howard's Motivational Task Master- which I hope will grow into the encouraging battle plan I need in order to accomplish all of my lofty goals. Howard, I miss making eye contact with you, this picture does not replace you. After the jump is the 2010 brainstorm and business plan for King Popcorn that Michele and I devised while drinking the incredible hot chocolate at OST. To be honest, I am mostly posting these notes because I am afraid of losing the originals, and then Michele would never help me organize my brain again. I have a tough time making a list- so having it all laid out in front of me is pretty thrilling. But as you'll see, my note-taking style is not all that specific, and so there are a lot of holes to fill.

Jan 12, 2010

Tragic Mistake(s)


 I was nearly done this card when I realized that I not only did I NOT approve of mixing tinsel and cotton thread together, but that I had an unforgivable grammatical error in my text. As a reminder, I always keep these botched attempts, and actually, I'm quite fond of them. Here's the redo.

Jan 11, 2010

How much sugar is in this?!


I've been working with this same french dot design for a while now- and there's just something about it that always moves me to write the most -too sweet to eat- phrases that make some people coo and others vomit. Like right now, I'm in a pretty vile mood- so this photo has me wincing. But I totally thought of this design and phrase, and I spent a couple hours sewing it- so surely there's a part of me tucked away somewhere that chirps like all the happy birds out there. But I am not one of them now.

Jan 9, 2010

Pretty Genius


Everyone knows and loves Jessica Hagy already, right?



I know I'm just another one of her admirers, but she hit me hard. Real hard.

Jan 7, 2010

Violent Nostalgia


Today I sent off this piece in the mail- somebody bought something! Hurrah! It was actually purchased weeks ago, but  I had to hold onto it because I was sending it directly to the recipient so that they could receive it at the appropriate time.



I first wrote this phrase in an email which I never sent to my friend Alla- who quit her job where we worked together to become a writer (of plays!) I fell in love with her when she described some forgettable thing as "baby heaven"... She had a way of ushering a dozen people to lunch at once. When she saw me, she would wave her arm with her entire body to say a ridiculously loud "HELLO!", especially if I were only 2 inches away. In return, I gave her the most imperceptible of smiles. Some weeks after Alla quit, I was having a lonely time at my desk, much like I am now (but for new, more depressing reasons). I was perched on my work table looking out onto the office. Way at the other end, the length of a basketball court, Ebony was standing in front of the windows- and when she looked in my direction, she waved that wave of ridiculous enthusiasm. Without thinking, I waved back to her with every bit of strength that I could muster; and much to my surprise, my heart broke.

Jan 5, 2010

Identity Forests

So here's the Etsy Shop banner that I've had since the beginning in 2007. Nothing is the same since then, so why should this dinosaur remain? I slash it down!


The process of replacing it is probably more difficult for me than it should be- but right off the bat I can plug in a few things from my current design habits and templates and apply them here (Looks familiar, right?):



I'm using this now in the King Popcorn shop, and I don't think it's the permanent change- but it's a start. I might opt to really invest some time into hand-sewing something and then scanning it- but I'd prefer it to be a graphic. I like the warmer peachy-ness and the design elements in this banner are actual elements used in my products- but it's not the weighty anchor that the original banner is. And now that I really look at it, I'm wondering if perhaps I don't like this because I am tired of these elements- and if I should make myself a whole new visual lexicon- a much larger, more daunting project that would retire a lot of these tricky vicky things that I make. Not to mention my blog banner. King Popcorn Classic. And if that's the case, then I should just  have a clean typeface with a symbol-y logo- that can be tagged on anything, no matter the style. I get lost so easily.

I love this Quicksand typeface, it's hard to resist using the dashed version...But I really can't be that person, can I?



I might end up doing something stitched-like, but perhaps I'll draw it myself. I had drawn something a few months ago, but looking at it now, it has nothing to do with anything, does it?



Alas, to be continued. But these are the current state of affairs.