Scribble Nation

RME

Mary's Berries - A Kitschy Collection

I've been collecting these awful figurines from the 70's for years now.  Every time I find one at a thrift shop I grab it up as quick as I can.  Etsy was looking for some Etsian collection videos so I decided to make one up real quick.  I've been meaning to show these guys off ever since Michelle gave me the "Things Go Better With Sex Guy" - the figurine that started the obsession.

Hey! Rock n' roll, The Storque just posted an article on my ugly Berries collection. Woo wee. Way to share the freakiness! Oh, and apparently I've been calling them by a backwards name all this time - it's R.W. Berries! That's me, the queen of dyslexia for you. :)

This is Me

After being sick all last week I seem to have lost my momentum. Blech.  That stuff takes a lot of energy to work up so it sucks to back at the bottom of the hill again.  But I am determined to get back on the productive trolley ASAP.  I have all kinds of cool things going on behind the scenes that I am just itching to announce once they are concrete.  For now, I've been focusing on listing some new items that are long overdue to hit the Scribble Nation Shop. This includes a bevvy of new Boot-onnières, including Michelle's awesome Button Boot-onnières, a slew of new Kitschy Kitchen Magnets, and a couple of adorable clutch handbags. (One of which sold already!). I'm also getting some more Upcycled Envelopes ready so they should be up pretty soon. 

LOL

more cat pictures

This is where I was all last week - but cuter.

Prom Pixie

Sniff sniff. There she is, the littlest McSibling trotting down the dock in her Senior Prom dress. She'll be graduating High School at the end of the month.

It feels like only yesterday, and not almost ten years ago that I went to my prom. Though, in truth it wasn't MY prom, but a childhood friend's. Either way it was a prom, and the only one I got so I'll try to keep it alive in my brain for the sake of sentimental checklists. Prom, check.

While my date was a love lorn friend, Caity's was her high school sweetheart and boyfriend of two years, James.  Though I am yet to meet James in person, he seems to be a very nice guy. Sweet, funny, and madly in love with my little sis.  They make an adorable pair. :)

Here's the money shot!! The classic side by side prom pic. I wish I had one of these, but alas, I've only got a handful of snapshots. I wonder if I can dig them up? Might be time for a scan.

Ohhhh yeah. I just found my prom's side by side. I've got to warn you people, it's a whole lot less virtuous. :P Yes, that's stogey in my hand. And yes, I am practically tiny next to my date despite the fact that I was wearing 4 inch platform shoes. Oh well.  His name, by the way, is Steve Celentano, and was very good friend of mine while I was growing up. I haven't seen him in a verrrrry long time, but last time I did he seemed quite happy. Here's hoping he still is.

Glamour Cross Tutorial

The long awaited Glamour Cross Tutorial is HERE!!! Woot woot. We've donned our chipmunk personalities to show you how to make the kitschiest crucifixes in town!

Daydreamer Self Portrait

Do you ever have days where you are just too creative for your own good?  I am a notorious day dreamer - to a fault!  I have had this idea in my head for years, but lately it just keeps itching me.

The Hat City Scissor Center
I dream of a wide open space nestled in downtown Danbury that would act as an arts and crafts community center.  Monthly memberships would buy local crafters and artisans unlimited studio time and a hefty discount on special classes and workshops. We would have a kickass selection of equipment for sewing, jewelry making, art, you name it. Monthly members would also have access to a craft supply swap meet, fueled by member donations.  And my dreams don't stop there.  I would LOVE to make it inviting to the hugely diverse culture of the area by having bi or tri-lingual staff on hand.  Best of all, I dream of this place being a non-profit operation so that I can make it available to the people who need it most: artists who don't have the means to purchase the expensive equipment they are dying to work with.  I would also have benefits for volunteers, teachers, and sponsors. We could also organize craft shows and events where the artists in the community can try to turn a dime on their creations, auction fund raisers, bake sales, and more. My heart skips a beat when I get caught up imagining this bustling center of affordable and accessible creativity.  If only I could fall into piles of money so that I could start this place up. Le sigh. Someday!

Boot-onnière Bonanza!

Michelle and I were lucky enough to be gifted a very special attic find recently.  Anne from The Scissor Squad found a ziploc full of old Barbie gogo, cowboy, and even army boots during a recent trip to see her folks.  She was kind enough to send them our way and I knew as soon as I laid eyes on them what they were meant to be:

But it was Michelle, (I think) who coined the name. Or was it another brilliant Scissor Squad member?  I'm not sure - they are all so damned fantastic. Who really knows? Anyway, the first batch you see above is already listed on The Scribble Nation Etsy Shop.  Next in line? Michelle's amazing variation below, The Button Boot-onnière!!

Keep your eyes peeled folks.  There are many more to come.

Pssssssst. What the "F" is a Boot-onnière anyway?

Oh darling, I am SO glad you asked.  A Boot-onnière is a charming bouquet of vintage and modern buttons, baubles and beads that has been permanently nestled inside of a reclaimed toy boot.  If Barbie could only see what's been done with her favorite go-go!  Each Boot-onnière sports a sturdy pinback so that you can easily dress up your ensemble.  Even the sorriest lapel will become a fashion frenzy with a Boot-onnière pinned upon it.

Each Boot-onnière is utterly and completely one of a kind.  Though we may duplicate color schemes, the final product will never be the same twice.

What is the biggest challenge of working from home?

You're looking at him. Sure, he may look innocent and adorable, but this cat is not only a villainous mastermind, he is a professional interrupter.  He knocks glasses of water onto electronic equipment, chews through speaker wires, switches off power strips. You name a way to interrupt my flow of work, and I'll betcha he has already tried it.  Sometimes he takes a cuter approach and tries to stop me from typing by sitting on my hands. 

Sometimes he'll simply meow one hundred times in a row for no apparent reason.  His favorite trick is to steal important items from my office than bat them around the house.  Nothing is safe from the orange kitty, and there is no escaping him either.  Recently, he figured out how to push the bathroom door open.  After he gets into the room, he proceeds to meow by the shower door.  Once he becomes tired of meowing, he simply slides the door open and jumps into the shower with you.

Bad Kitty!   

Turtle!

I just got these awesome pics from one of my Dad's latest dives.  This Hawkbill Sea Turtle swam right up to the camera! What a ham!

My Pops is quite the Cousteau. Check out the last picture he sent me, from a close encounter of a very much scarier kind. 

Shameless

This week for Self Portrait Thursday I thought I would do something a little different.  Instead of a macro shot zooming in on my cavernous nose pores I've decided to showcase the current state of my "office".  I'm only one craft show into the season and LOOK at the state of things.  Looks like I'll be cleaning before I can start crafting tonight. Le sigh. A far cry from the last time I invited you all into this room.

Details on the chaos:

1. Storage bins for all my fabric. It seems only yesterday the contents were neatly organized by color and material. Good times...
2. The aforementioned "poop chair". I painted this sucker many years back.  It horrified my father, but I thought the little floater added necessary detail to the piece.
3. My sewing machine safely tucked inside its case (but wearing a random crap hat.)
4. Yes, that is a coconut.
5. Go bulletin board! When I put this up I imagined a collage of neatly arranged swatches, sketches, and clippings. What actually wound up here? Not quite Martha material.
6. My favorite Minks to Sinks find ever, a freaky old cabinet made with cigar box drawers. It hold all of my little doo dads with suck style!
7. This is not coffee. It actually holds all of the little stray strings  from when I sew. They are kept safely inside this cup until so that this won't happen.
8. A giant bag of herb. No! Not THAT kind of herb. Come on, this is a family show.
9. Fabric scrap bags. I may be messy, but that doesn't mean I'm not O.C.D. I have all of my fabric pieces under 1/2 yard in color schemed ziplocks. This particular one is a mish-mash that I put together for a project. The rest are freakishly color coordinated.

And now, the control center!! The messiest place of all.

1. A plate full of kiwi.  Believe it or not, this and the coconut are actually work related.
2. Various Boot-onnière's waiting for pinbacks. Coming soon to a Scribble Nation near you!!
3. Packing tape! Amidst all the chaos I still get my orders out. (And my endless amount of SwapTree swap books.)
4. God damn allergies.
5. Upcycled Envelopes waiting to be sorted into "collections" and photographed.
6. Google Chat - the underminer of all productivity.
7. A golden chicken (and his friend the rubber cow). I don't really know the deal with the golden chicken. According to my Pops it's VERY important though, so I keep it right here on my desk.
8. Kewpie!!
9. Martha's free calender keeping me up to date! (It's even on the right month. I'm SO grown up.)
10. You could call this a cordless phone OR you could more accurately call it the charities begging for money device.  I know this sounds awful, but anyone who belongs to activist groups or has donated money from time to time will know what I mean when I tell you that I get called EVERY DAY by multiple charities. I couldn't possibly have enough to donate to all of them so I wish they would just LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY!
11. My lucky Etsy magic candle. I wrote ETSY all over this pillar and I light it every time I list something new. Mojo anyone?

Punk Rock Flea Market!

This Saturday, April 19!! Noon to 5:00 PM / Admission $5.00
Heirloom Arts Theater - 155 Main Street Danbury, CT

Live performances by:
Arms and Legs
James Downes
Toby Goodshank of The Moldy Peaches
Deer Tick
Neil Hamburger

Tons of cool indie vendors including several of our very own CT Etsy Team members:
LAA Designs
Ms Kitty Fantastico
Ornametal
Scribble Nation

Other vendors include:
  CT Roller Girls
Trash American Style
WXCI
  Vegan Pitbull Rescue
and many more!

Craftastic Makes Scribble History!

I am happy to report that Scribble Nation's first craft fair went rather swimmingly.  It was a small show, with a relatively small amount of shoppers, but a great way to get our feet wet.  We sold a fair amount of stuff throughout the day, got to meet many of our fellow CT Etsy Team people, and overall had a faboo time. 

Here's Michelle showing off our fancy table! We didn't get to bring Godzilla this time, but we're hoping to have him fixed up in time for Friday's Sidewalk Sale in Bethel. 

We came up with a crazy idea while setting up to give away buttons to anyone brave enough to model our Scribble Nation Crown. I made this wacky hat one night while I was getting silly with a glue gun. I giggled for hours while I scared the bejeezus out of Scott Bobleo that night. Mwa hahaha. He begged me not to wear it in public, but I said "poo poo to you Scott Bobleo. I'll do what I please." And I did.

Here is Bobleo Senior modeling the hat in question.

And a fetching young lady who tried it on for size.

And best of all, this crazy kid who came with his mom. He had a hilarious joke for every item on the table and was cracking us up the whole time he was there.  We sort of wound him up. Can you tell?

For more pictures of the Craftastic Event please check out The CT Etsy Team Blog.

Crafty Table Test Drive

I tell ya. You never know how much crap you have made until you try to pile it all onto an eight foot table.  I tested out our display the other day. We still have a LOT of work to do before Sunday. We need to sign, tag and price everything. We need to make a banner, and we need to bake the Day of the Dead cookies!! Eye yi yi. We also need to make an inventory of everything we're bringing with us, make vendor aprons, and... oh yeah - thin out the herd! This table is over stuffed. We'll need to thin it down a bit so people aren't overwhelmed. Wish us luck that we can get this all done by Sunday!

Left side: Coloring books, softies, pin cushions

Center: Earrings, manisters, jewelry, cards

Right side: Cocktail hats, toilet cozys, glamour crosses

Popeye

Self Portrait Thursday 04/10/08

 

I yam what I yam. Hyuck Hyuck Hyuck.

Playing with color.

Mazy, The Too Fat Elephant

I made a new elephant this weekend! I drafted a new pattern and had to test it out before creating a whole herd. I'm glad I did because Mazy may be adorably cute, but she is a bit overweight. Hee hee. She's so fat she can't even stand up! So, Mazy the too fat elephant will be a one of a kind creation. I gave her some lazy eyes to match her attitude. What do you think?

I'm going to take some real photos of her later for the shop, but I couldn't resist posting one shot of her sleepy face in the meantime.

Bobleo's Birthday Cake

It was my dear Scott Bobleo's Birthday on Thursday! He turned twenty seven! Wowzers! We are getting so old. It will be my turn to be 27 in July. I know all of you 30+ folks are cursing me for bitching about 27, but after 25, every year that gets you closer to 30 feels kind of heavy.  The pressure is on if I want to keep up with the five year plan I imagined up two years ago when we turned 25. 

Big goals by 30!
-Find Job Working From Home
-Launch Craft Business to Build Capital to Launch Soap Business
-Achieve some semblance of financial stability
-Achieve ACTUAL financial stability
-Get Married
-Move to Much Cheaper Area (It's looking like Bangor, Maine)
-Launch Soap Business
-Be Making a PROFIT on soap business before babies
-Have Babies

Phew! That's some list, but at least we're on our way. 

Scott Bobleo has his own list of goals, one of which we took care of last week.
-Own Dirt Bike
-Get Promoted at Work
-Get Promoted at Work Once More
-Move to Much Cheaper Area (It's looking like Bangor, Maine)
-Make Enough Money So That He Won't Have to Work TWO to THREE Jobs Anymore
-Get Promoted One More Time
-Own Our Own Home
-Buy Snowmobile
-Buy Quad
-Buy Twin Kayaks
-Adopt an Entire Dog Sled Team to Keep Gracie Company

So all in all we are making fairly dandy progress - and Scott's turning twenty seven is just another kick in the ass to make us re-assess our goals for the remainder of our second decade.  To celebrate, I baked him a cake. Not just any cake, the most kick-ass Peanut Butter Lover's cake ever!! Get ready, people, I'm about to BLOW your MIND.

I un-cozied Edna, and revved her up for the big day.  "You've got a lot of work to do today Edna", I said.  "Better get your ass in gear!"

As soon as she was ready I set to work making a Classic Yellow Layer Cake using the Yellow Cake from this recipe from Martha Stewart's website. 

I made two round cakes, one of which split when I turned it out of the pan!! EEEk! Z'ok though, luckily it split in a way that was easily overcome.  I just used the unstable cake on the bottom so the top would stay pretty.  Next, I made up a batch of Peanut Butter Frosting from this Whoopie Pie recipe. 

This stuff was so delicious.  It will definitely be making appearances in other baked items sometime soon. Yum yum yum.  After that, I cooked up some Rich Chocolate Frosting.  This stuff was a little more liquidy than I had expected.  I suspect I either did something very wrong, or the picture from the cake recipe was not using the same icing.  I had to drizzle this frosting over the cake.  It was far from the light, fluffy frosting pictured in the recipe.  Luckily, the dark flavor of it offset the peanut butter filling very nicely. 

After it was all frosted I sprinkled the whole thing with Reese's Pieces.  My man loves his peanut butter.

And it looks like he loved his cake too! Happy birthday Bobleo!!

I had the Weirdest Dream Last Night

I was a frat boy whose buxom girlfriend (played by Jenny MCcarthy) was bitten by a vampire and than won a hamburger eating contest. Right after that I switched from being in the frat boy's point of view to being in my point of view.  Now I was in Brooklyn at Etsy Labs going to some class. I met some of my old friends there and was all "I didn't know you worked at Etsy Labs!" and they were all "Yeah, duh. Of course we do. Let us show you where we all live." So they took me to this crazy Condo Complex. It was a series of buildings with four apartments each, in a horse shoe pattern.  In the middle was a huge courtyard, with a really cool pool that everyone called "The Grotto". It was a really fancy pool that incorporated a lot of stone and natural shapes. It was actually very similar to the playboy mansion pool which is also called "The Grotto". Very cool. My friends show me their apartment and explain that everyone who works at Etsy in Brooklyn lives in this fancy gated community that they call Etsy Town.  Each apartment building also has a rooftop garden and a huge art studio for the people that live inside.  After my friend's show us (now Scott is here too) their apartment they take us down to the pool. We are all having fun and drinking fancy cocktails when I look at one of the people and recognize an acquaintance I have that has always seemed to dislike me.  I was in the middle of asking her why when the sun went down!! All of the sudden the Jenny MCcarthy vampire started running a muck in Etsy Town! My memory gets a little foggy after this part, but I think my point of view kept switching from me to frat boy in a strange attempt to restore order while saving Jenny MCcarthy Vampire Girlfriend's life.

Dreams are wacky, yes?

Come on Guys!!

I'm trying to work!!

These two never quit.

The Bird and the Bee

I am loving The Bird and The Bee lately.  Disco vocals against modern indie electronic. Sweet.