Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Thanksgiving Stuffing

...but not the kind I would have expected! A year ago today, my shop was still an idea. I had no business card, no shop, and only a few drawings.  I didn't launch until the end of January, so I am very pleased with these past ten months.  This weekend, I started work on a new line of items: plush ornaments (and soon, toys) for the shop.  I am no seamstress, so my good friend Deb (of www.bunniescandream.etsy.com and www.harlequinlionhead.etsy.com) helped me out with the trial line. My very talented Aunt Judi will be my sewing partner, making sure the quality is very high and that the plush animals are delightful and whimsical.  Here are some shots from the first attempt!

Disaster afoot? Me with scissors.

Master Jeweler Debbie Liu at work with the sewing machine. Woman vs. Machine: who will win?
Stuffless animals.
Stuffed but not stitched...
A fabric menagerie. 

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

My Second Fair---Crafts in Chelsea

What a great experience! I shared again with my friend Deb, a talented and creative jeweler of Bunnies Can Dream Jewelry and Harlequin and Lionhead Jewelry.  We had a large space, 10x10 feet, as big as some Manhattan apartments, on a tree-lined street in Chelsea.  The day was gorgeous, crisp and perfectly autumn (with some pretty strong wind gusts, though our tent did not blow away), and after a few days of rain, lots of delightful shoppers came out.  Really, the best part was what I call my "market test".  It was great to see just what the reaction to the prints were.  Even if people didn't ultimately purchase anything, they always smiled looking at my work, and that made me really satisfied.  On top of that we were surrounded by some very creative individuals and I even came home with some really yummy vegan spicy caramel popcorn from Woodside Bakehouse (and later scored some vegan Peanutella there for my brother), and a really killer skirt from Rock and Salt. Love it.


Baskets of holiday cards and giclee prints
First attempt at a hanging display. 

Our whole tent...and one of the vendors from an amigurumi shop across the way.