BloomAndBarnacle

We've moved!!

2011-09-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

Check out our new blog here: http://deadliestcraft.tumblr.com/

Screenprinting Tutorials

2011-08-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

So we're trying to improve our silkscreening skills, as this is probably our weakest area.=) One of the smartest things we did this year was TAKE A CLASS! I don't know why it's so easy to write this off, I know I always think, oh, I'll just by a book. Not the same thing. Most importantly, the book can't watch you go to pull a print, and say, your angle is a little off, don't hold it that way, too easy to get your hand in the ink, etc., etc. So if you're frustrated with something you want to learn, check out your local college's extension program, or if there's a community college close to you, they have a ton of really helpful classes that you can usually take at night. If you're in the SD area, UCSD Extension and the Craft Center have a crazy range of classes you can take, from metal casting to glass blowing. And when all else fails, You Tube!!

Haven't tried these yet, so can't vouch for them, but will be very soon!

How to make a cheap & easy exposure unit:

http://youtu.be/KjeiVrfuMyc

http://youtu.be/1OIpRQt9ttY

Super cheap & easy screen drying box:

http://youtu.be/HXN8YhSfFhM

Step 3

2011-05-25T00:37:00.002-07:00

Step 2

2011-05-25T00:37:00.001-07:00

Probably should've stopped here.

Step 1

2011-05-25T00:36:00.001-07:00

Pre-Stain

Things are about to get exciting!!

2011-05-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

So I've been off the radar for a while. Here's what I've been doing:

Housekeeping--Check it out, I found the pics of my favorite stockings of the year! An awesome customer ordered 5 black and white custom stockings with a rainbow of jewel toned flowers. I thought about keeping them.=) (Forgive me, they're unedited.)

Ran the Big Sur Marathon--A-mazing...The last marathon I ran, said I'd never need to do it again. This one, we were ready to sign up at the finish line. A really tough run, but probably the most scenic run I've ever been on, and really well organized.

Apparently everyone I know got the memo that it's Lets Have a Baby Summer. So I now have a stock pile of baby gift tutorials on my bookmark bar (I'll link some at the bottom), and got to use up lots of really cool tiny scraps of fabric I thought I'd have to throw out. And I learned how to make a sock monkey. Or 6 :)

Anyone know a good IT/IS whatever the *&#$ ( they're called? I've spent the last couple of weeks transferring software, installing/uninstalling, my web host lost ALL of my contacts, and after 24 hours of internet chat restored them on and on and on. And now I'm trying to do a total makeover on my website--(soon to be E-Commerce Site!!), blog, packaging, branding, the whole sha-bang. Did I mention I HATE working on this kind of stuff? I can't wait till I all this crap is over and it's back to sewing!!

The bright side? I learned A LOT.

We worked through some serious silkscreen issues. New vendor, new screens, new emulsion, new equipment, couple of good online tutorials (if you're into silkscreening check out this site), and things are going to be about 300% easier, faster, better than they were last year.

Made my big purchase of the year--Accucut Grandemark!! It's a commercial grade die cutter. I literally cut out 1000's of 1" circles last year by hand, this sucker will cut out about 40 in about 10 seconds. And they make custom dies, lets just say I should buy stock in this company.=)

So all of this horrible housecleaning crap should be finished in the next week or so, and it'll be time to prototype all new ideas for Halloween/Christmas 2011!! I'll post some pics once I get there.

Oh, and almost forgot, in the midst of all this, we did get some beach bags finished! I'm not 100% happy with the screen design, that should be fixed this weekend, and should be listed by mid-next week at the latest.

Some baby gift tutorials:

Nursing Cover: http://sewmuchado.blogspot.com/2009/02/description-stylish-and-practical.html

Easy, cute baby dress: http://www.made-by-rae.com/2008/04/free-itty-bitty-baby-dress-pattern.html

Classic Sock Monkey: http://www.supersockmonkey.com/catalog/howtomake.html
(Target has really cute socks for a couple of bucks, pick some up!)

TGIM!!

2011-03-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I can come out of hiding, January and February are over!!

I don't know about you, but these are my least favorite months of the year, for several reasons.

But really, the biggest is my own fault.

Up until hopefully this year, I've really only done any significant amount of business September through December. Last year was kind of nuts because we developed an entire new product line and were dealing with a lot of materials we hadn't used before. Long list of excuses short, I didn't do any of my books until after Christmas. I do not recommend this!! =) I've spent the last 2 months doing 2 things: reorganizing my studio-house from the chaos that ensued Nov-Dec. and entering a pile of receipts resembling that Vonage commercial into Quickbooks.

But now the light is at the end of the tunnel! I ripped apart the studio and reorganized everything so that the materials I intend on using most often are the easiest to get to. I finally feel like I can breath in there again. It was a lot of work, took more than a few Venti iced coffees to get through, but was totally worth it.

So this weekend I'm back to work on some new stuff. Will have pics to post soon!

In the meantime, my current big inspiration: Harry Clarke Illustrations.

What I Did While I Was Hiding Out All Year.

2011-01-13T15:59:00.000-08:00

Here's some proof for people that used to call me a friend that I was indeed working while not having a social life.=)

My Favorite Big Stockings from 2011, in no particular order. (Some of them are missing because I was in too big of a hurry to take pics, will not make that mistake next year!) Almost all of these were custom orders, which I had an awesome time making.

Mini Stockings & Halloween will be in another post!

Ew, January

2011-01-10T17:49:00.000-08:00

January is, and has been since I was old enough to have to go back to school after Christmas break, my least favorite month of the year. The holidays are over, the days are short and it's cold. That being said, it's a fantastic time to clean and reorganize. So we've spent the last 3 days cleaning out cabinets I forgot were there, and a fortune at target on organizers. So by February were hoping to run like a well oiled machine here at B & B, something that couldn't have been further from the truth the end of 2010 :). We scrambled through it, and a big thank you to all of our customers who made it a successful year for us.

We re in the design stage of some awesome beach bags, and hopefully a whole line of totes to be listed by April. (Think circus and vintage fairy tale.)

Recap of 2010:

Ran my first marathon.

Barnacle got 3 stitches in his tongue (won t even tell you what that cost, you wouldn't believe it.)

Designed our first Halloween line.

Had a blast doing custom big stockings for some really fun customers.

Got an iPhone!!!!

I'm going to post some pics of our favorite items from 2010 in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks again to all of our customers!

Cool New Big Stockings!

2010-11-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

Okay so Halloween was kind of crazy. I think it really hit me how nuts it was while half-listening to TLC and wondering when baby reality shows and insomnia infomercials had gotten so popular, then realizing they hadn't, but the only other people up with me night after night at 3 a.m. were new parents and insomniacs. Those of you who went to college and worked full time, you know that feeling right after finals? Sort of the mental equivalent of running a marathon. That's where we are right now. =)

So a big thank you to all of our customers, we learned SO much over the past couple of months and are really excited to get started on new things. For right now we're kind of focusing on mini stockings, something we're pretty comfortable with, and are hoping to get most of our new product out by this weekend.

Last night I finished our very first BIG stockings. I'm so stoked on how they came out. For right now we're doing these as custom requests. I'm trying to figure out the best way to handle them, since I can only get pretty much 1 stocking per design, it's going to be a little tricky. In the meantime, if you're interested, just send me a convo at the etsy shop with the color you're looking for and I'll send you pics of available fabrics.

Thrifty Thursday tip: This ones a little different, but pretty useful for just about anyone, even if you're not into crafting. Get a Staples rewards number and return your empty ink cartridges. They give you $3 for each cartridge, up to $9 a month, and more if you start a business account. It really adds up if you go through ink like we do.=)

It's Thursday already?

2010-10-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

The weeks are serioulsy flying by. So I was talking with a friend of mine who's thinking about opening up an Etsy store, and realized a lot of people don't know about this: the Jo Ann's mailing list. If you sew, and your near a Jo Anns, this is one of the best things ever! I think they still send out flyers in the Sunday paper as well. There's usually at least one 40% off any item coupon, and every so often they do something called coupon commotion, which is literally pages of 40% off coupons. Plus, if you have a resale license you can sign up for tax exempt status and a VIP card, which gets you 10% off your entire purchase every time you shop.

Check it out here:

VIP Discount: http://www.joann.com/joann/common/content_custservice.jsp;jsessionid=4CEC8F1B089788D3483960CA778D1D37.a5p2?catName=VIPDiscounts

Mailing List: https://www.joann.com/joann/profile/login.jsp?contactPref=true

My very first Giveaway!

2010-09-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

So I'm kind of excited, I've decided to do my very first online giveaway! Winner chooses their prize of either: A big ghostie, a small ghost card holder and 2 mini pumpkins, a wine bag and small ghost card holder or a fabric pumpkin of your choice.

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment with a link to your favorite item in the etsy shop and why it's your fav! I'll pick the winner using a random number generator on Friday, October 8th. Make sure to leave your email so I can contact you if you win (it will not be displayed). Earn extra entries by liking B&B on facebook to the right.

Good luck & Happy Halloween!

It's Officially Halloween Season!

2010-09-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

Wow, Halloween is in full swing at our house. I almost took some pics of the craziness, but there was no way I was going to publicize that. I honestly was worried that someone at Hoarders would be calling.

So, instead, here's a big group of ghosties in progress.

So I think I'm going to attempt to start doing some regular posting. So how about a Thrifty Thursday post? Kind of lame, but hey, I've learned a lot in the past year, a ton of it from other bloggers sharing tips so I guess I should start sharing the wealth, right?

This ones local, but you can probably scout out something similar in your area. Wednesday is now my favorite day of the week, and yes, I'm a weirdo, but here's why: Half off all clothing at the Salvation Army. This is where I get nearly all of my stocking fabric. I come from a long line of junk collectors. My grandma actually remembers scouring local dumping grounds for treasures with my great grandpa. He would take things home, clean them up and create things like fishing lures and walking sticks. I was about 3 years old when he passed away, but I can vividly remember walking through mazes of tables showcasing his finds, organized into categories only he could decipher. It was the coolest thing.

Anyway, that being said, the hoarding instinct thankfully dwindled to controllable in my case, but I LOVE looking through peoples stuff. Estate sales, yard sales, thrift stores.... I love that something has a story to it before you even begin, it makes it a lot more interesting. When I was in school, blank canvases would really freak me out. There was something foreboding about them, and honestly I kind of still find painting a little stressful. But when I start with something that was found, it's totally different. Instead of creating something, I'm kind of just exemplifying it, taking something that someone didn't appreciate it and making it beautiful, in a way rescuing it. And I don't get the blank canvas freak out.

That's what I love about the stockings. So, check out your local salvation army or whatever thrift store is close to you and see if they have a half off day. I SCORED yesterday. So today I'm off to reorganize the whole studio so stockings will be ready to go. I can't wait to start listing my new finds!

Lastly, I'm working on a couple of new Halloween items that I should have listed by Saturday. Mini sculpey pumpkins, Boo Block & Ghostie sets, scarecrows and a bride & groom ghostie. Check out the store if you get a chance! http://www.bloomandbarnacle.etsy.com/

And here's a peak of some new Christmas items:

Yay, A ghostie made the front page!

2010-09-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

Check it out with some other really cool Halloween finds here:
View an Etsy Front Page Treasury List - The Vault on Craft Cult

Bloom And Barnacle In Store Raffle!

2010-09-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

The Halloween line is finally in store and available!

If you're in the LA area, please check out the Halloween line at Confetti Halloween Store in Thousand Oaks.

They're carrying everything from my Halloween & Fall Block Sets to the one of a kind sculpted banner ghosts and everything in between. (Plus they have some really amazing props/displays, you can literally spend hours just looking around!)

Even better, we are raffling off a table decor set! Everyone who stops in and signs up for the Bloom & Barnacle Keep In Touch list will be entered in a raffle to win a 4' Modern Quilted Table Runner, a set of 6 Card Holder Ghosts and a large sculpted Boo Banner Ghost. The winner will be notified on Saturday October 2nd.

Confetti is located at the Janns Marketplace in Thousand Oaks, CA just next to the food court, across from Sunset Terrace.

193 N. Moorpark Rd

Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

Halloween Block Sentiments

2010-08-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

So the decorative Halloween Phrase blocks that should have been so easy, were probably my biggest nightmare. Actually, and I'm not exagerating at all, I'm having nightmares about them almost every night. That the wood we used is highly bug attractive, and there are huge bug swarms all over the store they were sent to. That for some unforseen reason the paper is peeling itself off of the wood like crumbly old wallpaper.

The good news is they are finished, have been delivered, and came out really spot on.

I took this pic just near the end, in the middle of spray sealing. The fumes had definitely gotten to me at this point. So anyway, here's how I felt about the Halloween Blocks.

I NNNEEEDDD AN IIIIPPPPHOOONNNEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

I swear I would have the coolest posts if I only had up to date technology.

That's all for now.

Things are Getting Real Serious...

2010-08-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

So, as Murphy's Law would predict, I was THIS close to having my big Halloween order finished, and right in the middle of one of the very last table runners, the sewing machine needle screeches to a halt mid-stitch, horrible grinding sound, alarms going off, lots of blinking, disaster. Mind you, I have 2 days left till this is supposed to be delivered. I run to the laptop and frantically start searching yelp for sewing machine repair shops. Amazingly enough, one of the top rated just so happens to be about 5 minutes from me. They also just so happen to be one of the few authorized Bernina dealers in the city.

Soooo, I take in my $300 Target special machine. The tech calls me back the next day and says he can't bring himself to even attempt to fix it, it's not worth the labor in and of itself. At this point I've come to realize not only do I need a REAL sewing machine, I also need a back-up. So I buy the most basic one they have knowing I'm coming back to look at a Bernina. Mimi Kirchner sews on a Bernina. I mean, lets face it, even the name is exotic and professional sounding. I don't know how I know this, but somehow I've got it in my head that Bernina is the best of the best. So I start doing research.

Looks like it comes down to this. Avid sewers are either in Camp A-Bernina, Camp B-Pfaff, Camp C-Viking, Camp D-Vintage Singer, Camp E-Babylock. Another interesting thing I learned. Almost everyone writing a review of a top of the line machines cites buying from a good dealer as being as important as the machine itself. So I find a reputable Pfaff dealer. They happen to be about 15 miles away, only open from 10-5 and in the worst direction possible for me to ever get there, even leaving work early. I go check them out on a long lunch break anyway. Very nice ladies, nice machines. Go home for more research. Review of Pfaff TOL's seem to be about as good as Bernina TOL's. Looks like most people love them, a handfull got lemons, and some bad reviews seeminlgy due to user error which is understandable when you take a look at these things. HOWEVER, the Bernina software is really a step above. You can digitize Jpegs, embroider on top of embroidery, and the coolest freaking thing ever, they have a Cutwork tool, basically a blade that replaces the needle and cuts out anything you want. I have been looking for this since I bought my Silhouette die cutter, which I LOVE, but it doesn't cut fabric. So, I need a Bernina.

So back to the Bernina dealer, which is open till 6 (makes a huge difference). Pricing is more or less about the same as the Pfaff's, excepting the TOL 830e. I narrow it down to either the 640e or a used 730e they have in the shop. Then talk to my husband. Now there's a long list of great things I love about him. One really important thing I've learned from him regarding business in the recent past is to not skimp on business equipment. If you're going to use it, get the best you can, you'll get your money back. He says he wants to go with me to check them out. So, we get there, and they happen to be demo-ing the 830e. I can see it sucking him in. The guy is trying to tell us all about the 640e, and he's all but falling out of his chair in the other direction, watching the 830 embroider.

So, God love him, he is now convinced I need the 830e. I'm by no means arguing, but not completely 100% sure it's worth double the money. What in the World, the things you can do with this though. I can't think about anything else at the moment. It would literally open up a whole new world of product. The ability to personalize things in and of itself is amazing. If anyone has any experience with an 830e or 640e, I'd definitely appreciate any opinions/advice.

In the meantime, here are some pics of my upcoming Halloween line in progress. I'll let you know when these are available on Etsy, I'm shooting for Labor Day weekend.

P.S. If you're looking at sewing machines, this site has plenty of reviews on just about everything:

http://sewing.patternreview.com/

Wholesaling 101

2010-06-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

So I'm currently in the midst of some serious research on how to get some wholesale accounts. I love it when I find a blog that has a whole list of articles, so I figured I'd round some up here just in case some other people need some help too. If you haven't checked out Design Sponge's Biz Ladies posts, they're definitely a must read. I think it was an article there that got me inspired to start my online store. Anyway, here's a list of some good articles on how to wholesale:

Etsy: Approaching Boutiques

Littleput: (Long time highly successful Etsy Seller)

ModishBiz: Selling your work in stores

Craft Inc. (If you haven't read this book, buy it now!)

Some Things I Learned at the Marathon

2010-06-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

My first marathon was a success! I'm alive, 4 days later I can walk down stairs without people staring, and I have 2 toenails that might fall off any day, and I am ready to sign up for next year.

I don't know what it is that makes sick people like me want to do this. The fact that all it really takes it determination? The urban legend that less than 1% of the population will ever do it? Bragging rights? Proving something to yourself? I think for me I kind of just thought it would be fun. I like running, I like getting to see things at a slower pace and not out of a car window. I like being outside. The cool thing about a marathon is you get to be on foot places you never will be otherwise. Anyway, we had a great time and finished a good 20 minutes earlier than I thought I would.

Some things I'll remember for next time:

Bring toilet paper. You'd think they'd have stocked extra. Nope.

Vaseline in between the toes.

Reapply sunblock.

Tighter braid. I had dreads that looked like they'd been there for 10 years. Not fun.

How awesome last year was.=)

Now that that's checked off the list, back to Halloween!

Memorial Day Sale!

2010-05-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

So stoked that a long weekend is coming up!! The first week of June is probably my favorite time of year, lots of family birthdays, super long days, and it's finally almost summer. On that note, I decided to celebrate and have an etsy sale! Now's your chance to grab some last minute grad gifts, all napkin sets and wine bags are 31% off and all dolls will ship free on purchases made Thursday May 27th through Monday May 31st. Check out the store to do some shopping.

I'm so excited for my new Halloween line! I'm hoping to start putting items in the shop early September. They'll also be available in store, I'll list the info as soon as I have all the details. We've been working hard and have really broadened our range of products. I have learned SO MUCH in the past few months. Lots of trial and error. There is a huge pile of some really kind of hideous attempts in the studio, everybody needs a scrap pile, right? There are some really fun things that came out quite nice though. Really different new wine bags, table runners, place card holders, utensil holders, napkin rings, witch stockings, decorative blocks, etc., etc. I'll start posting some teasers here shortly.

In the meantime, Barney licking a fish. I never thought I'd be one of those crazy dog people, then I bought a boxer. =)

What in the world?

2010-05-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

These guys would kick our butts at Just Dance.

Check out this great MSN Video: Soldiers Perform Lady Gaga's 'Telephone'

Studio Pics

2010-05-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

My loft desks are finally finished! I'm so excited!

Here's the studio in it's current condition, and some real sneaky sneak pics of Bloom & Barancle

Halloween 2010.

MIA

2010-04-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

I really need to start posting more regularly! Things have been way more chaotic than ususal.

Halloween is in full swing for me, I'm swimming in witch hats and mini ghosts. Lots of things in the works!

I'm also finally going to run a full marathon, so I'm in training for that as well. Very, very busy!

Currently trying to figure out:

How to make high quality decorative blocks from 2 x4's. Not as easy as I thought. I think my main issue is I haven't been sanding them correctly/enough. I may have to get a hold of a belt sander, that would be fantastic. We did make one of the best purchases we've made in a while though, finally bit the bullet and got a router table. So fun! Also need to get some Matte Mod Podge, the glossy is a little cheap looking. Will post some sneak pics once I get it nailed down. Maybe I'll do a before and after.=)

Best way to make a stocking hanger. Or, more accurately, a witch boot hanger. We've almost got this one down, I think the actual hook just needs a little tweaking. Here's a great post if you're interested in making stocking (or witch boot, you never know!) hangers: http://themanyfacesofmom.blogspot.com/2009/12/best-stocking-hangers-ever-tutorial.html (Thanks for the tutorial!)

Estate sale season is sneaking up on us. One of my favorite times of year. This is when we get to go hunting for Halloween props. So fun!

Before & After's this weekend. Happy Friday!

Creepy Nostalgic

2010-02-24T09:16:00.000-08:00

I've never been a "Circus Freak" in the sense that I was crazy about the circus, in the other sense possibly at times. But there's something very mysterious, kind of creepy nostalgic that is really intriguing to me about the early American circus. I love looking at old pictures of clowns and trapeze artists, they must've been the most interesting people. Anyway, before I start to ramble, please check out this awesome circus post at I Dreamed I Saw. One of the best collections of creepy nostalgic circus I've seen. Plus it features B & B Trapeze Lady Napkins!

Moon Face Blog Wine Bag Giveaway!

2010-02-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

Please check out the very sweet Cassie's blog Moon Face here to see some really great stuff and enter to win a Trapeze Lady Winebag!

Revamping for 2010!

2010-02-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

(I"m really excited about my recent Amazon purchase above, you'll see why below!)

So after much deliberation, I've decided to kind of revamp my plans/goals/Etsy store. When I started I had an idea that I figured probably wasn't going to make me a millionaire, but would be kind of fun regardless. In other words, I knew that I probably wouldn't sell a lot of dolls, but as any artistic type knows, sometimes you get something in your head and it has to be made. Nothing else can be achieved until it does. So they're made and out there and it's time to move on. Not to say there won't be more, they're just not going to be the main focus.

I really think, and I know there's a lot of debate about this, that one can make a living as an artist/creator/craftsperson if enough time and thought is put into the process. I knew even when I was in school that I would never be a painter. Even at 21 I just didn't have enough angst to do it. I didn't really have any huge statement/argument I needed to make. I just wanted to make really beautiful things that would make people happy/nostalgic/warm & fuzzy, whatever the mood of the piece was. Fortunately, I think that can be done in so many different ways. In my case, I just want to make pretty things. I digress. My point is I would like to diversify my product line and eventually have all day every day to work on art.

When I was in Hawaii our good friend told me that my creativity bank is way too full. I need to get organized and/or get help. She was right on. There are so many things I want to be doing, so many things that need to get made. I actually took this week off from making anything at all, so I could kind of just think. We're going to a show this weekend that I'm very excited about, and I should be able to come up with a very organized, detailed and solid plan after this weekend. Here's what I'm thinking: flowers. I love flowers, have always had kind of a weird obsession with them. They were the very first thing I painted. My college graduation invitation was a flower illustration. Our wedding invites were covered in a flower print. Our wedding "logo" if you will was a rose. I bought and transported about 25 dozen fresh flowers to our wedding site and made all the bouquets myself. I'm kind of nuts, I know this. But that's the direction I'm heading. That's all I can tell you for now, I'll have more details as things get fleshed out a little better.

Have a great weekend!

What I did this weekend.

2010-01-25T12:49:00.000-08:00

Last week was a little insane, what with the hail, thunderstorms and crazy wind and rain. Then both of us getting sick. Then, this is really weird, but my husband and I were talking on Saturday night and he told me he'd woken up with really weird feeling the night before and couldn't go back to sleep. Barney had been acting kind of weird earlier that night, barking at something that we couldn't find, and kind of sniffing around the perimeter of the house. He's pretty predictable so when he does things out of the ordinary we usually pay attention. We attributed it to the weird weather and went to bed. The next morning when we went to get coffee, I noticed weird handprints on my car, then saw they were on all the cars on our side of the street. My car was fine but E's GPS was stolen and after talking to the neighbors it appears over the last couple of weeks there's been some shadiness going on and stuff being taken. We then realized we actually heard them shut the car door but had thought it was the heater turning off. Point is, if you have a gut feeling, go with it. We should have checked it out. For whatever reason our street seems to be prone to theft in the wintertime and we need to be more diligent about not leaving stuff out. Still infuriating though.

Regardless, I did get some stuff done. I'm working on some felt flowers for the Halloween store, this is new for me so probably going to be a little frustrating for a while. Pretty much everything I'm working on right now is new stuff, that can be really hard. I need at least one project to work on that I'm comfortable with, and I don't have one right now and that can make it a little hard to stay motivated. Anyway, I think I finally have the Heart Garland figured out, I listed the first one in the Etsy store this morning! I'm hoping to finish a few more this week. I also finally finished my poor niece's doll that I've been promising her for months. I hope she likes her! I was hoping for more napkins but the screens need to be remade (they should be a little bigger) so I'm not sure if there will be any more before V Day, we'll see. Regardless, here are some pics of things accomplished.=)

New Napkins this afternoon.

2010-01-17T09:41:00.001-08:00

I'm so excited about these. Theres been a slight delay due to some photography issues, but they will be posted by tonight.

Hope you like them!

Napkins Listed Tomorrow!

2010-01-16T11:11:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay! Cool new Valentines Napkins will be listed by tomorrow morning (possibly tonight). Here's a little hint:

A Few Hiccups, but V-Day Items Soon!

2010-01-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately somehow my memory card ended up in a pocket at the dry cleaner, so posting has been delayed! I've been working hard on some new items and would love to post studio pics, however.......anyway, memory card issue should be solved tomorrow and new wine bags listed, soon to be followed by new napkins and some super cute flatware holders. Thanks for your patience! In the meantime, here's a pic of our super exciting Christmas surprise for my dad, Ruger the German Shorthaired Pointer! We had him for 3 weeks and it was sooo hard to keep it a secret. Dad was really happy and really surprised, and we were stoked, but a little sad to see him go. I'm sure he's happier in his new home with a real yard and real birds to chase after.

Happy New Year!

Valentines Coming Soon!

2009-12-22T23:17:00.000-08:00

Stocking mania has finally calmed down, and I've been super busy finishing up Christmas presents, unfortunately I can't post anything for obvious reasons!

I just got in my new napkins and should be receiving a giant order of ink tomorrow. I have some really cool designs in the works for Valentines Day. I agree that this is a totally contrived holiday, however, I love it because I love pink and it's a great excuse to make some really girly stuff! Right after New Years' I'll have a bunch of really fun tabletop items in the shop, as well as some cool new wine bags.

Stay tuned and Happy Holidays!

Stockings, stockings, stockings!

2009-12-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

I've been super busy making stockings and haven't had a chance to get to any of the clothespin dolls. Sunday was eaten up by a little excursion to get the best Christmas present ever that ended up being about an 8 hour trip. So worth it though. After Christmas I'll post a pic, no hints just in case the lucky recipient is reading.=)

I did get a new batch of stockings finished and will have them listed by this evening, as well as a new wine bag. New bag designs are in the works, a little different than the ones listed, they'll be posted by Saturday night.

Erik, being the great display maker that he is, went all out last night after bringing out all the tubs of decorations. I don't even try to help. He gets in the zone and I would really just be a hindrence. Last year Erik's mom brought us giant plastic bins of things she had left over, it really was amazing. I'd never seen so many cool Christmas decorations. Our living room looks like an Anna Lee Elf bomb went off.

We also went all out with the tree. We got the biggest one we thought we could fit in the house. Somehow the two of us got it up the stairs. I think it weighed 200 lbs.

So tonight is tree trimming time! We have some really cool new ornaments we got over Thanksgiving. So exciting!

Will post pics tonight!

Clothespin Dolls Coming Soon!

2009-12-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

Everything's been a little nuts because November is always crazy for us. We don't go anywhere all year, but somehow we're always gone almost all of November. So vacation's are now officially over and it's time to get to work! Vacation was great, but it's actually kind of exciting to focus on getting things done.

We found probably one of my favorite stores ever while in the Ballard area of Seattle. If you get a chance, go to this store. The best collection of Christmas ornaments I've ever seen. I could've been in there for hours. I'm not really a HUGE Christmas nut, but I do really love the Christmas season, especially the decorations, the scents, the drinks and food. However, I cannot stand Christmas music. I think it started especially early this year. Kind of weird, but then, I guess I'm kind of weird.=)

I've been really fortunate and am staying busy making stockings. I'm out to the Salvation Army tonight after work to pick out some sweaters for a new batch. I had no idea these were going to be so much fun to make. Picking out the sweaters is one of the best parts. A lot of them are really kind of hideous when looked at as a sweater, but are fantastic as a stocking. It's like going yard sale-ing, it's the thrill of the hunt.=)

I'm really excited about my new project. I'm working on some clothespin girls that are actually made out of the stocking scraps. I have one almost complete, I'm hoping to have a few listed on etsy by this weekend. I had a little trouble gettting the faces worked out and for whatever reason couldn't figure out how to make a good paper cone. Seriously? It's like the easiest thing to do ever, I remember making them in like 2nd grade, but could not figure it out, to the point that I had to google it. Anyway, finally got it and should have some done by Sunday.

We also have a suprise Christmas present that we're super excited about but can't post yet. It's nice how as you get older it really does become more about giving then receiving.

Etsy Treasury

2009-11-28T08:02:00.001-08:00

One of the new stockings made the front page on Thanksgiving! Check out this great list:

New Stocking Ornaments on Sale!

2009-11-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

I just listed some new stockings, please take a look! More to follow, in the meantime we're off to the Pacific Northwest for Thanksgiving.

Also, new dolls in the works. Here's my latest inspiration ....(sorry, can't remember where I found this)

Happy Turkey Day!

View from the Balcony

2009-11-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

There's been a serious lack of posting the past couple weeks. I was considerably lucky the week before I left for the honeymoon in that the Craft Fair was a "great success" in Borat terms, and the nice people at Etsy put me on 2 gift guides which is so awesome and finally got my sales into the double digits. I think I slept about 10 hours all week. Then we left for the Honeymoon on Thursday night.

Since last year they've added free WiFi, so I've been able to check on things which is totally fine since the husband is surfing all morning anyway. We've made a couple of trips to Barnes & Noble, had a really nice day laying out an reading, and yesterday hiked a new trail they built along the coast. It happened to be a little longer of a trail than we thought, and it also happens to be pretty windy and rainy up north, and we got caught in an almost torrential downpour. No problem, we warmed up by getting in the water at the beach at the end of the trail. Seriously, the water is that warm this year. I was in serious need of a burger (I only eat burgers about once every year or two. The last time was when we ran the Rock & Roll marathon. When I need one, I need one.) We found the only place around that was open, and got some apps and aforementioned burger, then decided to run all the way back. A serious adventure, but that has been an integral part of our relationship from the beginning. We really should try out for the Amazing Race.

So things are great here. It's already halfway over, I can't believe it. Then we go home for 4 days, and off to the Pacific Northwest for Thanksgiving, always a fun trip. Then it's back to serious work. I'm going to try to get as much done as possible the first week of December seeing as USPS first class Christmas deadline is Dec. 11. I'm hoping to have a few more designs/products up by Dec. 6. Aloha!

Front Page!

2009-11-06T09:11:00.000-08:00

Such good luck! The red rose wine bag was featured on the front page last night! I'm so excited, I sold 2 afterwards! Yay!

Peddler's Fair This Weekend!

2009-11-03T12:58:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited, this weekend will be my first true craft fair as B& B. I'll be attending with my Mom, who has a booth next to mine and makes some really rad retro aprons. I'm trying hard to convince her to open an etsy shop, maybe after this weekend she'll be a little more into it?

Anyway, I've been crazy busy working on some new ornaments and haven't taken pics yet (the time change really sucks, stupid DST, screwing up my whole schedule.) But I'm really having a good time with them, I will definitely try to post some pics by tomorrow.

Barney is feeling much better, he's been getting walks early in the morning with Dad which he's super stoked about.

B&B Featured in Etsy Gift Guides!

2009-11-02T11:41:00.000-08:00

One of my wine bags was just featured in Etsy's Hostess Gifts gift guide, along with some other really cool gifts, check it out here:

Hooray!

Bloom And Barnacle's First Craft Fair

2009-10-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

I've been hard at work trying to get ready for my first craft fair! Of course it was a last minute decision, so I'm scurrying as usual. Good news though, I have this weekend off! This will be the first Halloween that I haven't worked at the store in 6 years. In fact, I think it will be the first Halloween I haven't worked since my freshmen year of college. We have no idea what to do?

I started making these really cool ornaments from thrift store sweaters. There's something so fun about having to hunt for things in thrift stores and at yard sales. I remember my great grandpa had about 4 banquet tables in his backyard, covered in junk yard findings, sorted into piles, that he used to invent all kinds of things. It's in my genetics, I can't help it.=)

Anyway, you know how sometimes you're making/painting/baking something and you totally screw up what you're supposed to do, but then somehow it turns out even better than it would've had you not? So it goes with the ornaments. I don't have a pic yet, will post tomorrow.

So I'll have some cool ornaments, some dolls, napkins and winebags for the fair. And possibly some clothespin doll ornaments if I can get supplies in time. I love making ornaments because there's such a wide variety of things you can do, and most of them are fairly quick.

In the meantime, Circus Lady Napkin pics.

I Made Etsy's Front Page!

2009-10-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to Bayanhippo.etsy.com, who put Poppy in her treasury that just so happened to make front page! (See right) I was so excited, I was dancing around and I think I scared poor Barney! More tomorrow!

Some Good News, Some Bad News

2009-10-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't say I'm a pessimist, however, I'm definitely a realist, so let's do bad news first.

Poor Barney has a (hopefully) mild case of pancreatitis. He's been acting really funny, not eating as much as usual, had that look on his face like he really didn't feel well, actually got up in the middle of the night and hid in his crate, which he only does if he thinks he's in trouble, or something hurts really bad. So I took him to the vet yesterday and she did some bloodwork, I guess his pancreas is irritated. So he gets boiled chicken, rice and cottage cheese for a week or so. She gave him some anti-naseua meds yesterday and last night he was a whole different dog. I was worried that it was a reaction to the previcox (for his dysplasia) but it doesn't look like it. I guess it's usually caused be eating high fat foods. The only thing I can think of is a neighbor gave him a bone that was possibly fatty? Or he got into the trash or something outside that we didn't catch. But he seems to be feeling better. So scary.=(

Good news, I finally took some decent pics. I'm pretty happy with about half of them, the others came out slightly blurry. Work in progress, but definitely getting there.

Today I'm going to get some different colors of fabric paint and should have the first set of napkins finished tonight. I also finished shoes for 3 dolls last night, hopefully I'll get some good pics this evening and can list tonight or tomorrow. No more days off until Nov 2. So only 1 weekend off then we go to Hawaii. I'm going to have to figure out how to get more done on workdays!=)

Photography Woes!

2009-10-16T12:46:00.000-07:00

Good Resolution, Not so Good color

Decent Color-Bad Resolution

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I suck (sorry, there's no alternate word that conveys such frustration) at taking pictures.

The only C grade I was given at UCSD was in photography. And the sad thing is, I actually tried, and honestly didn't know what I could have done differently. It just doesn't click in my mind.

So taking pics for Etsy has been rough. I read through my camera manual the other day, figured out how to change the white balance and EV and actually in the last few pics the color came out much better than the first round. However, somehow I'd adjusted the pixel size so everything came out blurry. It wouldn't be so bad, except that the best light I get is right before sundown, so it's race home, get everything set up and shoot, shoot shoot. I hate being in a rush to do things. But I have tomorrow morning too, so hopefully I'll have some decent pics posted by tomorrow afternoon.

Sidenote, we're going to family dinner tomorrow night and it's a costume dinner. I haven't gotten to truly dress up for Halloween since Erik and I started dating, and consequently working at the Halloween store, 6 Halloween's ago. We're so excited. I've decided I'm going as Amy Winehouse. It would be weird to dress up super hot & sexy since it's family dinner, and if you're not going hot and sexy, you've got to do something fun. Can't wait!

My first sale!

2009-10-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

I made my first Etsy sale yesterday, so exciting! It was actually a wine bag, which I started making as gift bags for the dolls but then thought they would make a good side project, plus a nice excuse to paint a little.

It really is a lot of work figuring out how Etsy works. The tagging, the listing, the shipping, etc. Very cool and really exciting though. I didn't realize how many great tools there are for checking stats. Here are some great ones:
http://www.craftcult.com/
http://www.cr8tvity.com/

However, it's been hard getting new things done in the meantime. Tonight I'll be working on new pics of existing dolls (I finally read through my camera manual and figured out how to adjust the white balance) and on finishing four girls that just need shoes and shirts. I'm also working on a doll for my psuedo niece that I'd like to have shipped off for her this weekend. I had a hard time finding the right colored plaid, so I'm dyeing the undershirt to sort of liven it up. Some samples:

And finally, I'd really like to finish the two witches by next week, seeing as it is almost Halloween. That really is hard to believe. I feel like summer just started yesterday.
Almost Finished:

And I almost forgot, I also need to reorganize the loft:

Etsy Shop is Open!

2009-10-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, I finally opened my etsy store! I have 8 dolls listed and am working on wine totes/gift bags right now. Please click at the right to check it out.

Doll Boots!

2009-10-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I had to push my etsy deadline back one last & final time. It WILL be open, with multiple listings, on Saturday Oct. 10. I finally figured out how to make the boots I wanted. That was a serious, serious process. I swear I spent almost all day last Saturday running errands because I kept finding out that I needed this or that. Those days can be so frustrating sometimes. So I ended up buying a clay "pasta" machine (for about $12 with my 40% off Michael's coupon) a bunch of sculpey, and a tacky glue pen. My main problem was that I didn't make the feet in the form of the shoe I wanted, which meant I needed to make a mold of what I wanted the shoe to be shaped like, apparently called a "last" in the shoe making world. Once I got that part figured out, everything kind of came together. Once I get it all nailed down, I'll put up a how-to.

Regardless, I should have about 10 dolls done by tomorrow. I've taken a long weekend starting tomorrow (so exciting!) We finally got a silkscreen in workable condition. I forgot what process that was as well. Lots of trial and error.

On a sidenote, it's so interesting how the really frustrating things can end up being the most fruitful. I was thinking about it, I'm always reading stories or watching interviews about highly successful people who beat the odds, and they're always noting "hard work" as the main force that got them there. (An great book on this is Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.) It's such an over-used term that I kind of just took it for granted. Well of course it took hard work. School took hard work. Relationships take hard work. But I think a lot of the "hard work" they're talking about is not giving up when something doesn't work out, not taking no for an answer in a sense. When I look back at certain things, I would say the most life changing, good things, they happened once I had reached a point where I should have given up and didn't. I think you know when you get to that point. And you think, okay I've been working on this for so long, I've tried so many different ways to make this work, and it's just not happening for me. It's when your mind-set changes to, "I know that I can do this, and I'm not quitting until it does" that things start to come about. Another interesting thing, I've noticed that this has happened a lot more often since I hit my late 20's. I remember my Mom telling me that she enjoyed her 30's much more than her 20's because she was much more certain of herself, and it seems to be the consensus that women are generally much more confident in their 30's. I would say it definitely rings true for me. Phew, okay, off my soap box.

So, dolls should be done by tomorrow, as well as the gift/wine bags they'll be packaged in. Then I'm hoping to make more wine totes to sell individually and once I have enough of those, I'm on to dinner napkins. Of course, this will involve more silkscreen making, and a lot more hard work-determination.=)

I do have to say though that the dolls seem to be coming along much more quickly now though, so I'm hoping to have quite a few new girls (and possibly some guys) by November.

Etsy, we're almost there!

2009-09-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

(More pics on Flickr, click on sidebar at right.)

New Dolls! I've gone a little plaid crazy, I've never really been unordinarily drawn to plaid, but there's something about it on the doll clothes that's so sophisticated and amusingly absurd that it makes me really happy. That and I love the colors. You can find almost any combination of complementary colors in a plaid, and somehow they look chic. It's really fun to make the outerwear, then pick a couple of colors out of the pattern that seem so wrong, yet somehow they work when layered underneath. So there will be more plaid girls to come.

Okay, so I've pushed my etsy deadline back soooo many times now. It's like construction. Take the deadline, then mutliply the amount of time by at least two. My first deadline to list was August 1, that seems hilarious now. Of course, Halloween ate up most of July, but we got to do some really cool stuff so it was worth it.

Regardless, my goal to start listing is now October 3. Last weekend I took Monday off of work, Erik went fishing so I had the house mostly to myself, and believe it or not actually got a lot done. My last tasks for these week are to figure out how to make doll boots, finish some sandals, clean up a few loose ends, make up some gift tags, screen images onto the bags and sew them up. I have all the silkscreen transfers ready, I'm hoping Erik will show me how to make the screens tonight. The bags are fairly easy to sew, they take a little time, but I think if I make a bunch at once I should be able to get quite few done in a short amount of time.

Last week I got all the boring business stuff done, license, permit, etc. etc. So all is official now.

I have this weekend off, I'm hoping to get the dolls listed Saturday morning, afternoon at the latest. Then hopefully I can work on some napkins and bags on Sunday.

Recently Clothed

2009-09-17T13:57:00.001-07:00

A pic of the most recently completed ensemble.=) I wanted each of the dolls to have a tangible personality, and I can't help but think of her as the school snot. I didn't dress her that way for some reason though. Her clothes are more beachy, down to earth, nature loving, but her face has condescending snottiness written all over it. Maybe she's going through period of transformation? Or maybe she's just having a bad day.

I just noticed that it might be time for a shoe making day. I'm calling a lot of these guys complete but they're shoeless. Now I'm affirming my earlier point. Her clothes look complete without shoes. She looks like she's about to go read on the beach. But with a smirk like that doesn't she need some super trendy sandals?

Sign of things to come.

2009-09-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

I hate, hate, hate admitting this, because I really despise the idea of fashion and things being "in" or "now", but unfortunately that's how the world works, and I caught myself carefully scrutinizing all of the fastidiously fashionable OC housewife Halloween clientele this weekend, to see what I am missing out on hiding in my seen by few breathing mammals hermit recluse I call an office.

What I noticed was plaid shirts. Really?? Wasn't it only the post-Nirvana midstream acceptance about 1994 that these went out? And they're back already? Mind you, not the grungy, I stole my hunter dad's flannel shirt because I don't care what you think plaid. They're more of a preppy, ivy league, catholic school, tailored plaid shirt. And long jean shorts. They look like skinny jeans, cut off at the knee. Ironically, I had just made some of these for the last back to school doll, without even really thinking about where the inspiration came from, I kind of just had them in my head. Now I realize how they came about.

Regardless, both look horrible on me. Another thing I've realized, I have a tendency to make the dolls clothes that I would love to wear but just aren't going to happen for me.

So, I found myself at Joann's on Sunday morning ( I snuck in an hour before the Halloween store opened) buying 3 different plaids and 2 new denims. I should have pics of completeness by Monday. I have 2 days off this weekend! A real weekend! So excited! I'm opening my etsy store Monday, regardless of what I have done. I have to get it open before October.

On another note, completely unrelated, I was reading this post today, and decided this is the book I need to read now. I had to drive to Fountain Valley & back today to deliver something for work (a 3 hour drive) and realized a couple of things. 1) I haven't had any completely indulgent me time in a long time. 2) The lack thereof has kind of made me feel like I'm losing a part of my identity that I really like. Like I'm actually losing good, unique parts of myself. 3) I enjoyed the day so much more than normal because I was OUTSIDE. It's beautiful here in the fall. I completely missed out on the summer, and I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to start being more selfish and do things I enjoy more whether it seems responsible or not.

Back to School Girl

2009-09-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

I hate to name dolls, but need to refer t0 them somehow, and I've been thinking of her as dressed up to go back to school. I'm so jealous of everyone getting ready to go back to college right now. Its in the air, everywhere you go. Computers and calculators on sale. Dorm organizers & backpacks in flyers in the junk mail. I find myself turning green in the aisles at Target, watching all these kids gathering up school supplies. So horribly jealous! Hopefully it will be me again, but for the time being, I'll have to live vicariously through my crafts!

Surfer Beanie!

2009-09-03T15:13:00.001-07:00

Surfer Beanie
Originally uploaded by Bloom And Barnacle

Doll Beanies!

2009-09-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

Soon To Be Embroidered Pockets!

I finally got to work on the girls' clothes yesterday. It's been really hot in the loft and I find it hard to concentrate anywhere else if anyone's home. I realize how lame it is to complain about heat in San Diego. I'm from the hottest place on Earth (okay, maybe just the US) for cryin out loud. However, the highest room in the house, lots of west facing windows, no AC, and no breeze makes for a hot day in the studio. Okay, done with the excuses. Moving on.

So E had a great idea for the short felt haired dolls. Surfer Beanies! I spent a little while yesterday trying to figure out the best way to do this without actually having to crochet or knit them. (I'm having a hard time recalling how to crochet, my great grandma was amazing but I haven't done it since the last time I made Barbie bikinis at about 11.) I'm trying to learn how to knit, but have found it kind of frustrating. So I just used some knit fabric and I think it actually came out pretty nice. I'm working on doll jeans with fun embroidered pockets. The jeans are taking a while because the dolls don't really have any booty, but need a slightly curved inseam, and they're being really picky about the fit. I guess jeans are never easy for anyone.=(

I've been sidetracked by cooking this week. I don't know why I always get a weird cooking fetish during a heatwave, but it kind of happens a lot. Last night was Shrimp & Scallop linguine (I substituted scallops for clams and linguine for spaghetti.) I'd never made it before but was really easy. Love the food network site, the reviews seem to be pretty reliable.

I get to leave work early tomorrow, our office is going to the Del Mar races to celebrate the 5 year anniversary. I however, am not going because it's the last weekend at the Halloween Store before the Grand Opening. It's incredible this year. I think we're all really proud to have been a part of it. So I'll spend this weekend sewing pirate skeleton costumes and distressing said skeletons along with various other macabre tasks. I'm hoping I can post some pics soon.

In the meantime, some progress pics of Short Haired Surfers!

Mimi Kirchner Handmade Portrait on Etsy

2009-08-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Mimi is one of my biggest inspirations in doll making (besides my grandma=)) and her new handmade portrait on etsy is really great. When I first started thinking about making dolls her Purl girl pattern was one of the first patterns I came across that I was really interested in. I love how each one of them is so unique, and such a simple basic pattern, but the personality that comes across in the details is so intriguing. Anyway, I could go on and on, but this is really cool if you're into sewing or really any kind of craft.

Progress!

2009-08-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, finally some new pics of the witches. The Magic Circle girl is close to being finished, she just needs the front of her dress seamed, a bottom hem, and her collar and waist shawl put together. Oh, and I'm stoked, I finally have a reason to make ribbon flowers. I was reading one of my current fav books (Cloth Doll Couture, Patti Medaris Culea) last night and got totally inspired by a dress with ribbon flowers at the hem. (Love this book, definitely check it out.)

Lady of Shalott is getting there, I'm trying to figure out exact sleeve placement and what to do with her collar. Plus the dress just seems a little bland to me. I'm thinking the sheer fabric should maybe have a really slight tinge of a pink-peach color. I like to think of it as 50's pink. I'm really into 50's colors right now. Weird. Anyway, I like how her face turned out. Pretty funny, she really does look like she saw her life flash before her eyes.

More pics (I hope some complete dolls) by Thursday. In the meantime, I'm also on the lookout for some cool fabrics for 80's glam metal costumes. I swear people must think I'm a real freakin wierdo. That's alright, I kind of like it that way.=)

Finally some sewing time!

2009-08-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, last week was insane. Family is back home, Barney is a million times better since he got his new medicine and we switched food (I wish I would have known how important premium dog food was sooner), and I took the afternoon off on Thursday to work on dolls! (Had to make a hair appt. though, which cuts in on my time and is really irritating because I hate getting my hair done, but my roots are looking pretty bad and we have a big family birthday party on Friday. But I should still fit in a lot more time than last week.)

Anyway, spent all weekend at the Halloween store, which is going to be incredible this year. I could have the weirdest resume ever. This weekend I:

Distressed skeletons

Sewed Wednesday Adams look alike dresses

Painted a 4x 8 foot haunted house mural

Painted tile for a scary dentist's office

Painted tile for a fortune teller's room

Sewed and painted numerous other deranged projects

Loved every minute of it though. I do miss painting every day.

I started my online accounting class today. I'm hoping by January I can start picking up bookkeeping jobs. I think it'd be a great way to make more money in less time, hence more art/craft time, which is my main goal right now.

I will definitely have progess pics of the witches by tomorrow. For now, an inspirational pic (from Vogue) I'm thinking about for dolls.

On the verge......

2009-08-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

Soon to post more pics. Halloween is in full swing for us and has caused serious delays in getting the etsy store open. I'm slowly making progress, albeit in bits and pieces. The seriousness of Barney's hip dysplasia has started to set in as well, and that's been quite heartbreaking. Although the vet says he's still in very good shape and should have a long road ahead of him before surgery. We've had family here all week, to add to the stress, not to say we haven't had a day off in over 6 weeks. A serious vacation is in order.

In the midst, MC Witch is almost finished, her dress just needs to be seamed up the front and hemmed, and her collar and shawl need to be put together. Oh, and I need to order some crows.

Lady of Shallot is coming along too, just trying to figure out the last details of the dress. Hoping to find a small candleholder somewhere also.

Some beach ladies are on their way as well, hair is finished, just need to get started on clothes.

I'm leaving work early Thurs. next week, hoping to get much done that day.

In the meantime, a Barney pic.

Coming Along

2009-08-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

I've decided I'm never going to reach my goal deadlines unless I get up earlier and work on things before I go to my day job. I'm not a morning person. I wish I was. I'm not one of those people that want to sleep until 11 a.m., but I'm not one of those people who wake up and the crack of dawn ready to go either. So I'm starting slowly, I'm getting up at 7 (45 minutes earlier than I absolutely have to.) I digress. On to Dolls!

I finished everybody's hair last night. These pics are from yesterday morning. Tonight is clothing night, my favorite part! Hopefully more pics tomorrow!

New Dolls!(And a great Barnacle Shot)

2009-08-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I finally had a day all to myself. I sat on the deck and worked on dolls from 10 till 7, it was fantastic! So I have about 12 dolls that should be done within the next week or so. These pics are from last week, I'm taking new pics tonight. I'm hoping to finish everyone's hair tonight, and get started on outfits tomorrow. Oh, and just for fun, I threw in a picture of Barney (Barnacle) at a beach near Big Sur from our honeymoon.

Finished Dolls!

2009-07-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, I finally finished my first dolls! Their sandals are still drying, so I guess they're not 100% complete, but no more work to do for these girls! I finally picked up the dye I needed at Dick Blick, so I'm hoping my next batch will be tub dyed, which should save a lot of time. I'm going to start working on some more "girly dolls" tonight. There's been so much to do this week with the Halloween store starting that my mind's been kind of reeling and it's been hard to concentrate. (Not that I'm complaining, I love scouring the thrift stores for Halloween props. If I could go back, I would have majored in set design for sure!) Lots of post it lists, not a lot of running (poor Barney!). Hopefully things will be more normal next week!

Craft Hope

2009-07-07T15:38:00.001-07:00

This is really cool. The donations are pretty simple projects (currently baby blankets, beanies and booties, or even a pillowcase or handkerchief). I need a kind of distraction project every once in a while, something different from what I've been working on. This is perfect because it's simple, and you're doing something awesome for someone in need. Please check it out.

Craft Hope

Progress as of this morning

2009-07-07T15:13:00.001-07:00

Almost Finished Dollies!

All the Girls, various states of progress.

The Studio (it was clean 2 days ago).

Art School Ramblings and Other Digression

2009-07-07T15:00:00.001-07:00

I finally made some progress this weekend, and even managed to work in a few hours carousing on bikes at the beach!

Small Surfer Girl finally has a face, and Naked Surfer Girl is now Big Green Surfer Girl. I'm going back and forth on naming them. I'm kind of against it because names have very different, sometimes very strong connotations for different people, and these will hopefully have new owners some day and should represent who they think they are. I feel like my input should be complete with the actual physical creation. I felt the same way about painting in school. We would have to stand before our peers and discuss what the painting meant, what we were trying to say. A few years after I graduated I finally realized why I had such a hard time with it. The whole point (to me at least) in making a painting is that you can't get across with words what you can in the painting. Otherwise you'd write a book. I feel a sort of watered down version of this with the dolls. My meaning, what I'm trying to get across about this personality, is accomplished through the use of fabric and color, clothing style, expression, hair, and the purely physical aspects of it. Paintings, dolls, songs, what one means to one person means something very different to the other. That's why so many people can identify with them. Anyway, I guess I've decided my stance on doll naming. Off my soapbox!

Shell Collector

2009-07-01T11:05:00.001-07:00

The Shell Collector is almost finished! I just need to figure out her shoe design and give her a bag.

Bird Lady

2009-07-01T10:21:00.001-07:00

This is actually the first doll I started on. Everyone says she looks like Wynona Rider on Beetle juice. Not what I was going for, but still scary, which was the intent. She still needs a little work, shoes, accessories and a little tweaking.

Surfer Girl #1

2009-07-01T10:13:00.001-07:00

My first surfer girl! I just need to give her a face, I'm still trying to figure out her exact expression, I think it should be kind but a little tough? Also, she needs a tan, not sure how I'm going to take care of that, but will figure out this weekend.

Doll Progress!

2009-07-01T09:54:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I finally managed to get some things done. I've been a little under the weather for almost two weeks now, I finally did what I should have done in the beginning and went to the doctor last week, then went back again on Monday and figured out that I had strep throat, something I haven't had since I was about 9 years old. Finally got the right meds and am feeling pretty good right now. (Apparently Day Quil won't cure strep.=))

I'm super looking forward to Friday, I have a 3 day weekend, and I've dedicated at least 2 entire days to doll making. Yeah! Yesterday I used my birthday gift certificate at Michaels (free shopping at Michaels is pretty much one of my favorite things ever.) Anyway, I read a great article on sewing needles here at Sew Mama Sew, so I picked up one of almost every variety yesterday. I also noticed while browsing through some open studio galleries on-line, that in almost every single studio, somewhere peeking out from stacks of fabric or cans of paint brushes, was an Ott Light. I decided it was probably a good thing to have, considering I really don't have enough light in the studio (at night) in the first place. Plus, the $69 version was on sale for$29 so I really couldn't pass it up. I also figured I should try dyeing some of the lace that I scored at a yard sale on Satuday, plus I'm sure I'll need to dye some fabric at some point in the future, so I'm starting with some Scarlet and Tan Rit dye. Oh, and I found the perfect yarn for my Red Haired witch! Exciting stuff.

Halloween Doll Inspiration

2009-06-26T09:11:00.002-07:00

I know it seems a little early to be talking about Halloween, but being as it's Halloween Hunt time for me, I've got it on the brain. So I've been trying to flesh out my ideas for some Halloween Dolls, here's a little hint as to what I'm thinking.

(J.W. Waterhouse is my favorite painter, I could really find inspiration for almost anything in his paintings. I expect a lot of dolls to resemble his paintings in some form or fashion!)

New Pics Tomorrow!

2009-06-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

This week has been one of those where I'm having to scavenge for bits and pieces of time to slowly progess. But this weekend I'm free! This will be the first weekend since April that I'll be home and have no guests to entertain, and couldn't be more excited. Here's a short list of things to accomplish:

Dolls!
Lars Birthday Present (of the kitchen textile variety)
Finish my Swap Meet Stool Makevoer
Giesel Library for research/inspiration (My favorite thing to do ever!)
More Dolls!
Possibly estate sales? (Will be checking Craigslist Shortly)
Bike Ride
Start on my new Vintage inspired doll pattern
Post pics of progress!

Coming Soon!

2009-06-16T10:37:00.002-07:00

I got a little work done this weekend. Saturday morning started out as kind of a bummer (I think it had to do with the heavy June gloom.)

Sunday was the official start of the Halloween Hunt. Halloween Hunt?

Long story short, my mother in law owns the best Halloween store you'll step foot in, and she does everything from building the shelves to running the store to packing it up herself, with the help of her long time best friend. Erik and I spend a lot of time helping with the set up, which is our favorite part. It's not your typical Halloween store, in that it's kind of a haunted house, Disneyland, and gift shop rolled into one. Lots of ridiculous displays. Since it's a temporary store (Sept-Nov. 1) we never know where the store will be until about July. Right now, it looks like it's going to be the biggest store she's had. That means LOTS of displays. So Sunday my bro and I scoured a few thrift stores and the swap meet in search of pirate loot. We scored at the thrift store, swap meet was a bust. Except I found a nifty little sewing chair for $12. I'll post a before and after, it needs paint and a new cover.

Sunday afternoon I got to work on the dolls. My surfer girl is almost done. I figured out the patterns for a bikini top and boardshorts, as well as the hoodie, which I thought would be really difficult but was actually the easiest part. Last night I got most of the sandals figured out. So I just need to give her a face and finish the sandals and she'll be finished!

Scary Bird Lady is fairly close to completion also. I finished the trim on her pinafore and bought new fabric for her shoes. Her shoes have been a real pain in the !@#. But I think I'm close to having them figured out. I may actually make a new body, I'm not sure about the color of her face, but I've gotten good feedback so we'll see.

Seashell collector (she's been named Melanie because as I didn't even realize until Erik pointed out, she creepily resembles a good friend of ours who happens to be an avid shell collector), is only awaiting shoes. So it looks like all signs point to tonight being shoe night?

I hope to have more pics posted by Thursday at the latest.

When it Rains, It Pours

2009-06-12T10:39:00.002-07:00

So I took off the Friday before my 30th Bday on Saturday, solely in order to be selfish, spend the day in the studio and work on the dolls.

However.....

Erik's friend from college came down, as well as my brother, to hang out with us for the weekend. My mother and father in law also came down to take us to dinner, which was a fantastic time as always.

But that meant house cleaning, and major reorganizing. I had started on this during the week, unfortunately I needed a little help, and we had swell (surfable waves). As anyone who is in relationship with a surfer knows, when there is swell, especially after there hasn't been in a while, NOTHING else gets done.

So I was a little peeved, but the house cleaning got done on Friday, with the help of my husband.=)

But then, we realized, the water heater had started leaking. At which point we discovered, it was 18 years old. Apparently, this is ridiculously old for a water heater. So off to Lowes, where they wanted to charge $400 to install a $300 water heater, at which point we call my dad, and decide to install it ourselves, with Dad on speaker phone. Thank goodness we did have company, I can't imagine Erik and I trying to do that ourselves.

The next day, the radiator fan in my jeep broke. So now I have no car. Awesome.

This was not meant to be a whining session, just a way to make me feel better about not meeting my deadline. The good thing is, we finally have a weekend with no company and no events planned, so I am all about doll making starting 5:30 this evening. Hopefully I will have more pics to post tomorrow.

Have a good weekend everyone!

2009-06-04T14:36:00.007-07:00

So I started working on my new Doll collection late April, and was hoping to have at least 5 prototypes done by June 5. I have 8 semi-done, does that count? Anyway, I took a day off of my day job in order to try and make my self-imposed deadline, and am hoping to finish 5 tomorrow. More details to come, but I took some pics this morning, enjoy!

Sneak Peek!

2009-06-04T14:36:00.004-07:00

2009-06-04T14:36:00.001-07:00

A Little Background

2009-06-01T12:11:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for reading. I guess I'll start off with a little about myself. I didn't think I had that much to say, but my profile started getting kind of lengthy so I figured I should re-direct.

First off, I'm starting this blog as an off-shoot of my brand spankin' new Etsy Store, BloomAndBarnacle. Yes, I did indeed name my store after my dog, Barnacle (Barney). I haven't always been a crazy dog person. I had dogs growing up, and I was always a "dog" person, in the sense that I would much rather own a dog than a cat. The crazy part developed about 2 years ago when I became a boxer owner. As any boxer owners out there know, a boxer is not a "dog", but a four-legged, furry, better-than-human best friend. And seeing as he sticks by my side through countless 15 hour Saturday sewing/painting/crafting sessions, he should get some kind of retribution. More about Barney later.

I've blogged a little here and there, mostly while I was planning my wedding purely to keep track of all of my inspiration pics. My family is always giving me a hard time about being a "clipping" junkie. As in having a million torn out magazine pages and printed photos from websites all over the place. These blogs were essentially e-clipping binders with a few journal entries thrown in to keep it interesting. Regardless, that is the opposite of what I'd like to do here. I'm hoping to keep an organized, readable, interesting literary account of my artistic pursuits in order to keep myself on track. And seeing as my entire wedding was planned through the generous posting of pics and diy tricks from others, I thought it was time I put some of my own ideas\inspiration out there and hopefully someone else can get something out of it.

That being said, expect to read about a few varying ventures here. Anything from painting, sewing, papercrafts, etc.

However, I'm hoping that the gist of this site will be in reference to my new venture, Dollmaking. I guess it isn't exactly new. I started making dolls with my Grandma when I was probably about 6 years old. I'm from a tiny town in the Mojave Desert, and it gets unbelievably hot there in the summer. I'm talking record temps of 130 degrees. There were three options that my brother and I had as children during these months: talk someone into taking us to the river where we'd spend the day happy as fish in the icy water, find a friend with a pool, or stay inside. When we resorted to option three, we were making something, and most often this was at my granparents' house.

We were very lucky as children in a lot of ways, one of them being that our family was incredibly creative. My dad can build/fix anything, from playhouses to real houses to trucks. My mom is an incredible painter who had a day job as a hairdresser and can build a killer float and sew an amazing Halloween costume. My grandmother is an incredible seamstress and made a career out of doll crafting. My Grandpa is a carpenter/welder/taxidermist and makes some of the most incredible knives you'll ever see.

I digress. So I started making cloth dolls as a small child under the expert tutorage of my Grandma. Eventually I moved onto Barbie clothes. I honestly got a little scared as a pre-teen that I was never going to grow out of Barbies. I know now that there are more of us out there, but at the time I really thought I was kind of a wierdo. I would still secretly get Barbies for Christmas when I was like 12 years old. I would only ask for the collector's editions because I figured that was slightly more excusable. Anway, my Barbies had the most eclectic wardrobes of anyone I knew. I was crocheting Barbie bikinis before Ashley Paige had ever been heard of. In college, one of my last projects was an installation involving two different Barbie houses. Okay, maybe I am a weirdo.=)

So, now that I've graduated from college, I'm happily married, and have finally purchased a house with the incredibly gracious help from the best father in law ever, it was time to sit down and really think about what I want to do with my life. I had a short stint with a faux finishing studio right out of college, and had thought that maybe I'd be a mural painter. And although I did enjoy it, it never felt quite right to me. When I decided to leave that venture, I sat down and had a heart to heart with my fiance, and told him what I wanted to do, my ultimate dream, my goal in life: I wanted to make stuff.

I'm not an eloquent person. It's not that I couldn't be, it just doesn't interest me, I don't have the patience for it, I don't like the hoity toitiness that it ephemerates. (Ironic?)

The problem was, I couldn't figure out how I was going to make that work. I don't know anyone else who does anything like this in the big city. (My family made their entire living through local craft fairs and word of mouth). More importantly, I wasn't sure what I wanted to make. I like doing too many things. And I couldn't bear the thought of being pigeonholed into one idea for the rest of my career.

More and more, as I was looking up wedding ideas, I kept coming across tutorials for rag dolls. That's something I was actually really interested in. I could make rag dolls with the coolest freakin clothes/hair/personalities you've ever seen. Then I discovered Etsy. Pure brilliance! The thing is, I didn't realize there were that many people interested in handmade products. There are millions! And believe it or not, there are people that are actually doing this FOR A LIVING! Now I'm not naive. I know that probably like .05% of Etsy sellers are making enough money to live off of their handmade products. But I am determined! I was not meant to be an Office Manger, I can tell you that. With my 30th birthday looming, there's no time like the present. If it is possible, I'm going to make it happen.

(I also found a great book, Craft Inc., through one of my favorite sites, DesignSponge. They say that many times you can identify the one moment/idea/inspiration that you set you on path in life. I have to say, this book set me in motion. Sorry if this sounds like a shameless advertisement, it's not, I'm just really happy that I found that little push that I needed.)

So my goal is to make a quality, handmade doll that will blow your socks off. Something that you can buy for that kid who has EVERYTHING. Or that adult who has everything. Dolls that are quirky, that you can't find anywhere else. Dolls that are inspired by historic sources and current social trends that are just right for your friend/cousin/co-worker with that eclectic personality.

So please stay tuned! I'm hard at work to have a line of about 30 dolls debut late July/early August. I also have a hand-painted kitchen textile line in the works that should be ready shortly after the dolls.