Sketches and Treasures

Doin' some sketching on Sunday, and this is what I came up with...I found a huge paper supply store in NYC this weekend...so I have some cool new binder rings to play with. Planning on some long books that are hangable...not sure if it will work, but I certainly am excited to explore.

Also, yesterday a nice feature of the calendar on Omiru which is a fun shopping blog. So...that was an extra perk for 'Cyber Monday' as it's now called.

I also have a treasury going on Etsy called Fa + La x 8...for anyone who is interested, there are some rich picks for the holidays!

ANNUALS

Ok. Here it is. It's up!
Finally, the first Deluxe 2008 Calendar has been listed in my etsy store. Since I've been under the weather all week, it was put on hold, but today, I finally got the light for the photos and was alert enough to take them. Anyway, I do hope people will enjoy this. It's definitely been a hard process-- harder than I thought it was going to be. But, I'm happy to see it come together.

On view at SusyJack on Etsy.

Love and Headcolds, and Calendar Progress

I may have a stuffy nose, but I will not be stopped! Ok. Yes I will...if there's a Project Runway marathon on...

But anyway...I'm working on filling some orders, taking photos of my new necktile designs, and recovering from the TRAUMA of the bindery and what they did to my precious calendars. Thankfully, I had only brought a sample, rather than a whole bunch of calendars to them because they butchered them. Oh well. So, back to the drawing board on how to actually bind these suckers so they can hang.

Thank heavens for screw posts. In reality, they are the most attractive option...but they require a little more work to change the month. However, I don't think it will be a problem. The pages can easily be torn off, or moved to the back. Plus, the screw posts give a little bit of a high-end industrial feel to the whole affair.

Categorically Speaking

Adding categories to the website...and making a few changes that will make it much easier to add new products. Since the website has been up for a while, I'm finding out what I should change and what is working. So, some changes are on the way...but like everything else...will take a while. I'm pessimistic today. I have a bad cold and I'm just generally mopey because of it.

Calendar Progress

Well, I've had some really wonderful, edifying comments on the calendar, so...I thought I'd post a shot of the progress...I was not happy with the binding job on the samples I brought to the binder, so...today, it's off to try and find another solution. Somehow, a basic spiral binding just doesn't cut it b/c all the pages get uneven when they are folded over. So, today I shall try wire-o...which is a little more reliable as far as neatness. Learning as I go is my modus operandi, in general.

Oh...and here's a pic of a new necktile that I will list shortly. I was at the Japan Society the other night, and they had a speaker talking on a mustard yellow podium. I was so struck by the color that I knew I had to work it into a piece, somehow. I'm really enjoying making these. It's fun to switch up media, and interesting to adapt and work with the patterns and motifs into other shapes and purposes.

If you can...

If you can cover it in paper, I'm gonna try. That's pretty much what I think about what I'm doing lately. I wake up at night, and dream of covering things in paper. I walk through Home Depot like a mental patient...silently cataloguing anything that can be covered in paper or made into a product...and it feels so GOOD.

A few weeks ago I posted about some pendants I was beginning to experiment with...and now, after a little while of plugging away at it, I've finally put my first one up on Etsy. I'm calling them NeckTiles, because I like that they look like little paper tiles. Each one comes with it's own felt pouch, handmade by yours truly. At first, my pendants looked a little globby and the color wasn't coming the glaze enough. But, I stuck to it, and now I'm quite happy with them. I'm even making my own bases for them, using my trust revlon nail file and a little patience.

I hope you enjoy these. I'll be listing more soon, in different designs and with different pouch colors.

More New: Calendar Progress! I am on my way to the bindery (scary) today with my printed calendars. There will be a large size (about 17" long) and a wee size (about 10" long) for sale shortly. So, I hope the binder doesn't mess em up. Holding breath.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow

I feel a bit like my mom when it comes to this calendar. She has this quilt she's been working on for about 30 years...and it's this family joke that it will never really be finished (actually, we joke that it will be her funeral shroud at the rate she's going) but that's what you do when you come from a family who can't resist the dark humor.

Anyway-- I feel a little like that, because I keep getting *close* to finishing this...but just can't quite make it all the way. I'm a little closer today...the dates are plugged in. But, the artwork needs to be refined a bit...and the color needs work. The cover needs to be done...and, oh...they need to be printed and bound. Right.

Anyway-- I guess I could always put this out for 2009, but I was *SO* hoping to have my first calendar be for this coming year.

Some ideas for prints...Hoping to get to this after I finish making up orders today, or over the weekend...There are definitely many ideas floating around in my head...but I haven't really gotten to them yet. This is just a sketch.

Thursday Thoughts...

ooh. that post title sounds like the name of a self-help column. Well, I guess that's pretty accurate. I feel frazzled. But, things are moving along...I'm working on some new ideas...and filling some large orders that have me pretty much paralyzed til I get them done. My mind is racing because once I set into production mode, my mind generally starts to wander into new territory. I hope this finds all of you fine and dandy!

Sets of 3 and new Pencil Cups

Just listed a bundle of 3 journals on etsy...so, you can pick your favorites and get them as a nicely wrapped set. I love the way that patterns look together-- and one of the things I love to do the most is take a bunch of my favorites and start combining them. I thought this was a fun way to get that to happen. A set of 3. Plus, this set is a bit of a deal, since the journals are usually $8.5 each, this works them down to $7.33 each.

Also on the way... PYOP Pencil cups...and Cup o' Clips. Still working on the necklaces. I'm out of goo, so I need to get some more. Believe it or not, I can't find this stuff anywhere in NYC. Frustrating. Mystery Goo.

FYI I have started going to the gym in the morning and I feel like I have 2 additional hours in my day. So nice!

My Pretties...

One thing about trying to make these...it's really hard to do while jumping up and down with glee.

Anyway-- these were just little tests-- They have yet to dry. And they don't have their silver bails yet (that's how they will affix to the necklace). I'm thinking they will be a bit less blobular once the stuff on top dries-- I like the blobby look, though, so I hope they don't lose too much of their roundness.