govango!CRAFTS

Vintage-y

2009-09-20T18:59:00.005-05:00

Been incredibly busy these past few months! Unfortunately I haven't had any time at all to craft anything. My latest addition to my etsy shop has been this new calendar design. My calendars are doing quite well sales-wise and i think its because people really liked the timeless quality of my Matchbox Style calendar set. I really wanted to do something sophisticated and elegant. Something inspired from vintage wine bottles and stuff. I really like how these came out. They should be quite versatile.

In other news, I've been working for a design and advertising firm called El Creative in Dallas. I started an internship there at the beginning of the summer and they loved me so much that they actually hired me on as a part-time designer. Its quite exciting. Its a very small design group (only four guys and me), but I've had a good time so far and they've really enjoyed my work. What's great about working there is that they really love to embrace design styles from past eras and I've come to learn alot of various "looks" just from being around the studio and seeing them work. I'd love to take what i've learned from the studio and eventually apply it to my stationery and calendar designs. :)

In other OTHER news, I've also been working with a partner to start up a t-shirt company. Its called Mekkem and its in its baby-stages right now. I'm quite anxious to see how it'll work out. Most of the design ideas are coming from my partner and I've been the one to make them happen. For the most part, the designs are targeted towards a predominantly male consumer group. Its kind of interesting because most of the stuff I've done is fairly feminine so it would be nice to flex my designerly muscle in something that is more masculine. Just wanna be your friendly neighborhood designer.

The quirky and the cute.

2009-04-28T20:43:00.002-05:00

Sometimes there are things in this world that are so indescribably cute and quirky that it needs its own genre or category. Tada's Revolution is one of those genres. Tada's Revolution is a great little blog that follows a funny cast of animal doll characters.

I saw these pictures while browsing through flickr and was mesmerized by them not only because of the cute dolls themselves but the unbelievable level of detail in the miniature background settings and the professional photography and lighting. The humor is quirky, weird, and never too sugar-coated. Just the way I like it.

Empty journal... empty thoughts...

2009-04-25T16:28:00.004-05:00

I got this really wonderful journal awhile back from my boyfriend. Its probably the nicest if not the best journal I've ever gotten. Problem is... Its too nice. XD I haven't cracked it open and drawn in it yet. I feel like its one of those types of journals where you have to do like a rough draft BEFORE you put it in the book.

Its a handcrafted book by Iona Handcrafted Books. My boyfriend got it while he was in Austin. Its a very lovely book. Handtorn watercolor paper, banana leaf endpages, and a super thick leather jacket. Looks like something that Indiana Jones or someone who is well-travelled to have in their bag. I've sort of stowed it away on the bookshelf until the day I feel inspired to start putting something in it. Hopefully that day comes. XD I've always loved the really intricate artwork and ideas that other people put in their journals.

Life on a string...

2009-04-23T18:59:00.002-05:00

Sometimes its nice to just break away from the laptop and graphics programs and just do some good ol fashion needlework or paint something. I think that's why I love being a designer as well as an artist because I get to work in between several different mediums. (Plus, I get bored very quickly!)

I've gotten very interested in more embroidery-type work. I keep running into lovely embroidery hoop art on etsy and its really inspired me to grab myself a wooden hoop and get to stitchin'! But I'm nowhere near as good as hardcore embroidery people.

Here's a few of the cool things I found quite inspiring today:

By dailythreads.

By Samskiart.

By HAREandDRUM

Updated goodness!!!

2009-04-22T16:47:00.003-05:00

I'm so horrible at updating this blog! My goodness! But I have alot of fun things I've been doing this past week. So here we go!

I'm introducing a different style of printable card at my shop. Its a trifold style with a diecut. What's really cool about this card is that it can pretty much adapt to alot of different occasions so its great for when the Hallmark shop is little out of reach. You can either write in your message or simply cut and paste the messages that come with the template. I'm allowing customers to request certain messages to come with the templates in case they're looking for something a little more custom. You can see how it all comes out in the youtube tutorial video!

I've also designed my very first calendar set today! Its done in a simple vintage-y matchbox kind of style. Hence the name "Matchbox Calendar Set". They are mini calendars and great for the office or just to print and give away. I'm just so happy with the way these came out. I haven't really flexed my designerly muscle in a long time.

A fun video tutorial for one of my card designs!

2009-04-11T21:02:00.002-05:00

This is a fun little promotional video and tutorial to show people how they can make my cards at home. It features my newest card creation: an owl-shaped card!

Cool Mail!

2009-04-09T16:05:00.001-05:00

I get random mail from this stock photography website that I made an account with. I've never bought a single photo from them but they keep sending me stuff in the mail and alot of it is pretty cool stuff. Like this mailer. My dad was all like "It has a secret message if you look at it in the sunlight!!!". lol All it says is photosynthesis. You can't quite see it in the first picture but you can KINDA see it in the second one. The letters jump out as a more vivid green color when you see it in person. Its pretty cool. Its supposed to promote something green-related. lol Thought I'd share this cuz I like stuff that changes in the sunlight. XD

It was funny cuz our neighbor who was mowing his lawn was like "Why are you guys staring at that piece of cardboard??"

Lovely lovely...

2009-03-28T17:04:00.003-05:00

Image by Jane Joss on Etsy.

Its been kind of hard financially around here for the past few weeks. Freelance projects seemed to have shriveled up for me. I don't know if its the economy or what, but I'll need to find a "real job" at some point. It kind of sucks because I really liked just hanging around all day doing whatever I wanted. :P Its a shame.

I got an email today from webs.com saying that my naranjapanda.webs.com website is the top#1 site created this past week. That's nice to know. I did update it this past Thursday. I'm gonna try to update it every Thursday with a new webcomic. Let's see if that works out. XD

Besides moping around, I did get to work on more etsy projects. I finally got my camera back today. Here are a few things that are about to go into my etsy shop in the next few days.

Dandelions Printable Digital Card and Envelope Set (includes a designs for general use, "Happy Birthday" and "Thank You."

Paisley Girl Printable Digital Card and Envelope Set (includes designs for general use, "Happy Birthday", and "Thank You".

"Orange you glad to see me" 5 x 7 embroidered art print.

"Its hard to be a glum plum" 5 x 7 embroidered art print.

Let's get crafty, ya'll

2009-03-27T22:56:00.003-05:00

I decided to do things a little differently with my collage sets. My illustration style keeps morphing depending on my mood and what inspires me. I've also been doing alot of pattern designs as well and wanted to incorporate that more into the collage sets for my etsy shop. I've decided to create separate PNG files for each graphic as well, which should allow the user to use them for a wider array of things besides just cutting them out of one sheet of paper and gluing them. That means they can use them to make their own cards and stationery. Wouldn't that be nice?

Webcomic Website

2009-03-24T16:46:00.001-05:00

So I decided to move my webcomic and its archives to its own separate website. Take a look!

http://naranjapanda.webs.com

Life's hard when you're a glum plum.

2009-03-21T23:57:00.003-05:00

I totally remembered that I have a webcam! Its not perfect, but at least I can still take pictures! Here's what I've concocted the other day! Its a glum plum. HAHAHA. XD I know. I'm so poetic. :P These are also hand-embroidered art prints. Signed and limited edition of 50. As soon as I get my Nikon back, I'll list them on etsy. :D

Don't mind my dorky self in the background.

Apples to apples

2009-03-21T00:17:00.003-05:00

What a slow week its been. Feels like its been dragging on! I've finished a few more art and stationery projects but alas, I will not have my trusty Nikon for the next week and a half so I can't upload pics of them yet. I'm itching to though. I'm really excited about them. :D

In the mean time though, this was the last project I photographed. They're apple shaped hair barrettes I sewed out of felt. :D Again, I've come to that fork in the road of indecision where I can't decide whether I just want to keep them and use them or sell them. Why must I always come to this conclusion?

In other news, despite having gone through four years of design school and learned the pitfalls of printing, it seems that no matter what I try to do to print my art prints on my home computer, things go terribly wrong and I end up with a bunch of un-useable prints in the trash. On one round, the paper gets jammed. The next round, I accidently place the finished print on something wet and it gets ruined. Next round I realize that my printer scaled the image down so it was not at the correct dimensions! OH MY GOD.... somebody SHOOT me in the face! The paper I'm using is not cheap either. And neither is the ink for my printer. *Sigh* Its like I'm in college again... crying over my project that can't seem to print right and it happens to be due in three hours.

Typography Tuesday... even though its actually Monday.

2009-03-16T17:17:00.003-05:00

I thought today I'd have some fun and search for random images that just have cool typography. This has been something I've done since I took typography in college and it always amazes me how flexible type can really be. You can stretch it, manipulate it, twist it, texturize it, shake it up and throw it against the wall, and it still spells something. No matter what you do to those simple strokes that make up the structure of a letter, you will still be able to "read" it as a letter. I am particularly in love with hand-drawn type though.

Here is just a snapshot of some creative possibilities with type.

Paper and thread: Hand embroidery!

2009-03-13T14:45:00.003-05:00

The other day I thought I'd try my hand at embroidery work. I must say that it gets quite addicting for some reason. :P I sort of figured it out on my own but you can find tutorials online on how to do embroidery work on paper. That's what I did here.

This is just a basic hand-embroidered greeting card. Not so bad for my first time, I must say! I had some great little brass brads to attach the embroidery to the actual folded card. Made my life alot easier, and it looks pretty classy! I can't wait to try this on textured watercolor paper!

I also did the embroidery work on this art print I was working on for the etsy shop. It looked boring before I added the embroidery work. All of a sudden, it perked it right up! Fun stuff! I don't know why it took me this long to actually doing embroidery work. :P Paper and thread were meant for each other.

Panda better hold on to that kite! Its gonna blow away!

2009-03-12T16:31:00.004-05:00

Panda loves to fly kites. Especially his bamboo-themed one. :P I've decided to introduce art prints to my etsy shop this week. Very exciting. I have one more to unveil that uses embroidery techniques but I'm still working on it. :P These will be limited edition prints. Only 50 will be made. They are signed, numbered and dated. :D

"Go where the wind takes you"

5" x 7"

Digital Illustration on Heavyweight Matte Paper

The sun hurts my eyes but I keep staring anyway...

2009-03-10T20:57:00.002-05:00

Some new items for the shop today. The printable greeting card will have two messages on the file that you download from me. One that says Thank You" and another that says "Happy Birthday" (not pictured). I figured people always need those two types of cards on hand at any given moment. :P

These were also fun to make as well. These little guys are a new shop item and they are typically used for collage or scrabble tile pendants for necklaces. Apparently they are the rage on Etsy so I thought I'd throw in my two cents. I gathered all of Panda's little friends! :D These are also printable, but of course, you can request anything in my shop to be printed and shipped to you under a custom listing. Just convo me to let me know.

New Webcomic: "The Indestructible Fly"

2009-03-05T23:53:00.001-06:00

[CLICK IMAGE FOR A LARGER VIEW]

I have a love affair with folded paper.

2009-03-02T20:02:00.005-06:00

New card designs this week! I haven't listed these yet as I am still working out the kinks in the PDF files, but I just couldn't resist posting them right away. :D These are shaped cards. A little more intricate to cut out but still pretty fun to make. Hope people will like these. :)

Inspiration: Embroidery

2009-02-21T17:31:00.003-06:00

I saw these while cruising etsy today. Embroidery + Paper = Love. Great work from King Popcorn.

Hello hello helloo

2009-02-20T15:36:00.002-06:00

I've been incredibly busy as well as incredibly lazy this past week. I've mostly been working on freelance graphic design work as well as new items for my etsy shop and haven't had a moment's peace! So here are some of the new items for the shop!

Rainbow Brooch!

Strawberry Brooch!

Printable Birthday-Themed Collage Set!

Printable Octopus Stationery Set!

Printable Yoyo Stationery Set!

I'm introducing brooches to the collection! They're so much fun to make! I've been pinning all sorts of things on myself. :P I'm also working on something I call Felt Art Patches... but more on that next week!

Besides working on some new projects for the etsy shop and my design clients, I've also recently signed a contract with Juna Studio. I'll be designing all sorts of pattern designs and graphics to be sold to retail markets and buyers. I hope it works out well. I'll be busting my ass around here trying to submit enough designs every month. Wish me luck!

Awkward young designer...

2009-02-08T12:08:00.003-06:00

Today is my 23rd birthday. I remember when turning 20 was a big deal and both my dorm-mate and I felt like things were gonna change dramatically between being a teenager to being a 20-something. Whether or not I feel dramatically different... I don't know. I think being an early 20-something in this day and age is really quite similar to being a teenybopper. You're still confused as hell. You're still running around wondering what you should be doing.

If I was born a few generations back, I would most likely have some kind of stable career choice in mind or at least working full-time by my age. I might even be married and already have a baby on my arm. Adulthood came fast for my parents' generation, but it doesn't seem the same for my generation. That period of feeling unsettled, unsure, and (for my current situation) unemployed seems to drone on...

I'm not very happy about my birthday actually. Because it only reminds me that another year has passed and I still haven't felt like I've grown up into adulthood. I still live with my parents. I can barely drive on my own (I'm a terrible driver). I still don't have a real job nor do I even know how to properly search for one. And for the most part, people take care of me. I'm still baby Van.

This has caused me quite a bit of stress after I graduated college in the summer of 2008. Its usually expected that I run out of the classroom and straight into the office. Straight into my line of work where I get a nice cushy salary and health insurance. Where I can finally watch all my time spent getting my degree actually pay off. I guess its these expectations that are really bogging me down more than anything. Do I want a job like that? Do I have to be like everybody else in my graduating class who ran out for internships and open slots at fancy design studios? I'm just intimidated by all of that.

Don't get me wrong. I like my degree in Graphic Design, but the thought of spending every day in the office staring at computer screens moving pixels around... it kind of bothers me. I guess I've been sort of hesitant about jumping into the workforce because I'm afraid I'll get sucked into that 9-5 soul-sucking kind of job. I dunno. I think I'm just at a stand-still right now. I really don't know which direction to move forward that will make me happy.

On the bright side, I do like my etsy shop, and I do like the freelance gigs that I've been doing to keep myself afloat these past months. I've even been given an opportunity to be a freelance illustrator for a NYC-based print studio just a few days ago. So... I know that my talent is being wasted. I know that I like being creative and I love to make things. So I wonder if this would be the right career path for me. Somebody self-employed. Would it be successful? Could I live off of what I make on my own? The prospect at least seems exciting to me, but I do have my never-ending string of doubts about self-employment and failure. I just wish I had a cohesive plan.

Milk Dud

2009-02-07T20:39:00.003-06:00

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR A LARGER VIEW]

You can find my older webcomics here.

Rain rain go away...

2009-02-03T15:54:00.002-06:00

I saw this in an etsy listing. I wish I could find the original link. I thought it was just too darn cool not to share with others. I wish I had a tree like this infront of my house. :P

Love is in the air...

2009-02-02T21:18:00.002-06:00

Its finally February! The month of my birthday. The second month of the year. Hopefully it will be a good month!

Today I worked on some more Valentines stuff for my etsy. It feels like this past month has been nothing but Valentines stuff, so hopefully after this holiday I can move on with other less thematic stuff. Hahaha. I'm not all hearts and roses all the time. :P Anyway, I designed some printable collage images today. Great for decorating those Valentines day cards and envelopes, letters, and scrapbooking. :) They should be on my etsy by tomorrow.

Good things come to those who wait...

2009-01-30T00:05:00.003-06:00

I listed two new Valentine cards the other day. Still trying to figure out the ins and outs of my Nikon though because now my shots feel cold and I'm just not happy with them, but they're better than nothing, I suppose! New backdrop though! Trying to add a bit of pizzazzz... Yes, that's right. I said pizazz. :P I got my first sale today though! So exciting!

I've been feeling kind of blue lately and that's why I didn't feel like posting a blog the other day. So today I resorted back to the things that always make me laugh no matter what and oddly enough, clips from Flight of the Conchords usually do me the trick. If you can't laugh after watching this, you aren't human:

Ushering in the Year of the Ox

2009-01-27T12:49:00.005-06:00

We celebrated Chinese New Year the other night. It is officially the Year of the Ox, which actually happens to be my Chinese Zodiac sign, believe it or not. I'm not usually the superstitious type, but due to my mother's unwavering attention to all things Zodiac when it comes to "reading" people... I do come back to it every once and awhile.

Its hard not to read your own horoscope and think to yourself "Oh man... alot of this can really apply to me." I guess there are aspects of the Ox that I do find very applicable to my personality. I am stubborn at times, and I worry incessantly about stuff that I'm not familiar with. I'm introverted, speak very little, and I do believe that things come only through a steady pace of hard work. Coincidence? Probably.

My family is predominantly Vietnamese, and yes, Vietnamese celebrate Chinese New Year as well. My grandfather on my dad's side is Chinese though. So I guess I am one fourth Chinese? My mother was calling family last night to tell them Happy New Year and she told me that my grandpa said I shouldn't worry so much. I rarely speak with my grandfather (mainly because of a language barrier) but he never fails to puzzle me with how well he pinpoints people's weaknesses. For awhile now, I've been incredibly worrisome for a number of reasons, however, I never really disclosed this to my grandfather at any time. I mean, the man is half way across the globe. How would he know that I'm worried? I'm pretty certain the man has mystical psychic powers. :P

Its Worth a Million Happy Birthdays

2009-01-27T01:17:00.002-06:00

[CLICK HERE FOR A LARGER IMAGE]

Lavender kittens and birthday girls...

2009-01-25T17:49:00.006-06:00

Hello all! The other day I went to a small birthday party for my old friend Sarah. She turns 23 this month, which only reminded me that I will also be turning 23 this upcoming February. For her present, I thought I'd dish out one of my handmade journals. Despite the time consuming process and paper cuts, I'm usually thrilled with making coptic-stitch blank journals. I personalized this set for Sarah who happens to like lavender and kitty cats. :) I also threw in some cute notecards.

My favorite part is actually the binding. Its just not a book until you bind it all, and its all of a sudden a THING that can be used. XD I learned coptic stitching on youtube actually. There's tons of great video tutorials. I could spend all day watching them.

On an entirely different note: govango is finally on Twitter! Yup. My username is govango so feel free to add me on there for even more updating awesomeness.

Prints galore!

2009-01-22T22:21:00.003-06:00

So many awesome prints, so little time. Today I wanted to highlight a favorite etsy seller jenniferladd that I came across on flickr the other day. Her purses are absolutely gorgeous! If I could have one of each, I totally would. I tend to gravitate towards the casual purses that can tag along with me no matter what the occasion, and these are totally it.

Besides making wonderful purses, she also makes these absolutely adorable baby booties. HOW CUTE ARE THOSE? Don't they make you want to have a baby? XD I adore her use of bold, colorful japanese fabrics in all of her products. Great stuff.

One funky fresh panda

2009-01-21T15:27:00.007-06:00

Today I listed my first printable stationery set! I'm totally excited. I wanted to do something kind of whimsical and I finally found a use for that little doodle I drew a few weeks back. Very very thrilled with how this came out.

The set includes a flat card, folded card, gift tags, bookmarks, and a letterhead. I can't wait to design another set. :) I am debating whether I should include the option of pre-printed stationery sets. I feel like that can only get more expensive for the customer and in these days, I assume people would want to cut costs as much as possible. I don't know. I'm still weighing the pros and cons between selling pre-printed vs print-your-own. What do you guys think?

My friend Bradley also created a Facebook group for my GOVANGO etsy site! Just search GOVANGO in the groups section if you want to add me! :)

History in the Making

2009-01-20T13:57:00.004-06:00

[ CLICK IMAGE FOR A LARGER VIEW ]

In actuality, I overslept this morning and missed the darn inauguration live so I had to go find streaming video online to see it. Not as epic, but I did laugh at the beginning when they both flubbed the inaugural oath. :P I don't blame them, I can only imagine how nerveracking that would be.

Anyway, we have a brand new president today! How refreshing. :)

Quit Playing Games

2009-01-19T21:40:00.005-06:00

[ CLICK IMAGE FOR A LARGER VIEW ]

Swirling lines and swirling prices

2009-01-19T02:53:00.003-06:00

Inspiration for today comes from a great illustrator and artist that I came across a few years back. I love to check on my favorite artist sites to see how their work is evolving. This comes from an artist named Lucy McLauchlan. I love street art and she clearly has traces of it in her work. Great use of line and weight and movement throughout her pieces.

In etsy news, I decided to lower my prices for my printable Valentine cards. Instead of $4 they are now $2.50. I am also open to selling Pre-Printed cards of my designs for those who cannot print my printable files. For printed cards, I will sell batches of 2 for $5 with $2 shipping to the US only. Hopefully everyone will be happy over that. :)

Cute food stuffs and buttons galore

2009-01-18T01:52:00.004-06:00

I made a cupcake keychain today as you can see. I do have a major weakness for anything that has pastries and cakes on it. Its kind of an obsession. I don't think guys really understand why girls love things that have cupcakes, cookies, and ice cream cones on them. Or really anything that is food-related, you know? Its like the chocolate thing I guess. They don't understand what these foods do to us. Its like... indescribable how important these things are to women. :P

Anyway, the keychain will be on etsy tomorrow for anyone who just absolutely adores it.

I also made this amazing bracelet! I'm REALLY debating on whether I want to add it to my etsy or not. Its reaaallly hard to decide because I've fallen madly in love with it. Its an entirely new design that just came to me when I was staring at my pile of unused buttons. I kept thinking "I NEED TO USE THESE SOMEHOW! I HAVE TO!" Its so cute. It goes well with alot of my outfits... Oh forget it, its mine. XD Nobody can have it. I'm sorry. lol

Cold Intentions

2009-01-16T22:21:00.004-06:00

Cards, sewing, and needle-related accidents...

2009-01-15T16:24:00.005-06:00

Today I made a bunch of Valentines Day-themed cards. It was alot of fun. Unfortunately, I had a bit of trouble with my camera today. It kept giving me really low-lit images even though I was in a pretty well-lit room with ample light from a nearby window. I really need to get better at using my Nikon d80. Such a confusing little machine compared to a point and click camera that I was so used to before I got it. :P Technology is never always on your side I guess...

Besides cards, I was itching to make a pencil case! I'm so happy with the way it came out. Its just soooo daaarn cuuute that I can barely let myself list it on Etsy. Its made of felt, of course. And buttons! I need to use more buttons in my work. I think they lend a bit of charm.

Unfortunately, during the making of this pencil case, I actually sat on a needle. Yes. my butt was a temporary pin cushion for like the 16th time now. So I got very fed up and made myself a pin cushion for all my needles to sit on. Its like a small pillow. I tried to look for a small doll that I didn't really care for and pretend that its my ex-boyfriend or somebody that I really dislike... something I could use for a pin-cushion/voodoo doll (kill two birds with one stone, I say!). But also, this pillow cushion will do.

Inspiration and Technology

2009-01-13T19:46:00.010-06:00

Today I came across these wonderful works by a woman that uses paper to sculpt typographic illustrations. I found them all so mesmerizing that I absolutely couldn't resist infecting more people with her work. Its so beautiful and whimsical! Her name is Yulia. I think the most I could ever do with paper is give myself a pretty bad paper cut. XD

In other news, I am proudly at the half way mark on my savings to buy a drawing tablet! I've never had one or used one before but considering the stuff I do, it would only make sense that I invest in one now. Plus, they're just so darn cool. The one I am planning to get is a Wacom Intuos3 6 x 8 drawing tablet. Of course, if I had all the money in the world I'd much rather blow it all on the mother of all digital drawing tablets, the Wacom Cintiq.

Productivity is a hard thing to produce

2009-01-12T16:18:00.005-06:00

Helloooo, new blog that nobody reads except for me.

Today wasn't too productive. I have the horrible habit of just letting the day slip by without even noticing it until its already 6 o clock and the sun is going down. I freak out quite a bit since nowadays the sun seems to go down earlier and earlier. I used to have my own nightowl tendencies where I'd be the most productive during the weeeeee hours of the night but now I think that I just use that time to goof off even more. :P

I mostly doodled today. I'm hoping this might turn into some kind of pattern I can use for stationery later on. Either that or fall into the heap of forgotten doodles in the corner of my room. I dunno. I feel as though I have the start of many interesting ideas but then they seem to fade into nothing after I work on them. Amazing how that happens.

My plan for the new year was to be productive too, but 12 days in I'm not feeling TOO confident in that. :P I honestly don't know how productive people do it. Do they just wake up and start working right away? Do they eat? Do they take potty breaks? Do they ever daydream or find themselves wondering things like why New York City is called the Big Apple? Do they ever stop to go wikipedia something? Because that's what I do. Because I'm HUMAN, damnit. PRODUCTIVE PEOPLE ARE ROBOTS!

Okay so maybe I'm a little over-reacting, but seriously. Some people are just like a force to be reckoned with. Some of college companions were those types of people. Constantly working... constantly being TOTALLY AWESOMER THAN EVERYONE. What's up with that? Thanks alot for raising the bar to an absolutely impossible level. I'm a short girl. I can't jump that high.

I spent the weekend with the bf and he bought me these wonderful books by Aranzi Aronzo. LOVE THESE GUYS. I love the characters. I aspire to create funny cartoons like them. None of them have to make any sense and that's exactly the way I like to jive. But I may try my hand making every single character. They are just too darn adorable to give up. Wonderfully cute and senseless.

We also picked up some wonderful fabric scraps at Hobby Lobby (YES, the Great Lobby of Hobbies!!!) I think if I just had a collection of cool fabric scraps, I could die happy. Just roll up my dead body in all that fabric and I'm good to go. Seriously, I think fabric designers have the greatest job ever. A technicolored, pattern-happy job.

What else did I do today besides actually work on anything? Made mini apple pies. Yeah, that's right. MINI APPLE PIES. Their size does not match the greatness of their tasty flaky goodness.

So I caved in and got a blog...

2009-01-11T20:45:00.006-06:00

Blogging isn't anything new to me, of course. I have another personal blog on livejournal dedicated to just... all things life-oriented and I've had that blog for years. I decided to make this one to showcase the small projects I've been so avidly working on lately, predominately for my etsy web shop, as well as anything else I feel I should share alongside my work. Hopefully, I'll feel more compelled to make more weird stuff later on!

Anyway, here's two items I listed today on my shop: