Scribble Nation

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!

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.

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

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.

Gearing Up

We're getting closer and closer to the first craft fair and I'm uber excited (and a wee bit nervous) about our first show.  At T-Minus ten days I the subject on my mind right now is display and table setup.  I have a few tricks up my sleeve that should make our table hard to miss. (One involves Godzilla. Hee hee hee.) Other things are similar to our friend on the right here. ---------------> (That's a ceramic Jesus figurine with a head transplant in case you were wondering.)  But one thing I cannot decide on is how to display the earrings.  In an earlier post I showed off a neat display using cardstock. The only problem with that idea is that wall space will be limited. Even if we bring two easels to the show there is no guarantee that there will be room for either, and we're going to need somewhere to put all the magnets too. :P Decisions, decisions.  Here are a couple more ideas that I've cooked up for the earring displays. (Pardon the lousy pictures, I took them at night so I had to use a flash - bleh!)

Upside down mesh file holder. Very neat, orderly display, but is it too low? I wonder if people will see them sitting so low on the table like that.

Earrings on card stock. (As shown in this video earlier.)

My craziest idea yet - I poked holes in an old painting of mine and hung the earrings all over it.  Bobleo liked the concept but suggested placing the earrings against contrasting colors to see if it brought more attention to them instead of the painting.  Good point, Bobleo. The earrings don't seem too interesting in comparison to the swirly rainbow background. Plus this doesn't help if we don't have floor space. :P

Le sigh. My next scheme is to find a mesh waste paper basket for the earrings.  Maybe that will work. :P

Kitschy Kitchen Magnets

Michelle and I nearly died from giddiness while making these things.  This is a small spattering of the mass of Jello Mold magnets we created last week.  These were soooooo fun. I can't wait for round 2.  Unfortunately, that round will have to wait until we get some more molds.  Apparently, resin is a tad unkind to candy molds. Good thing we made a gabillion of these while we had the chance! Now that we've started this resin craze, all I can think about is what else I can permanently encase in its merciless transparent clutches.  I've seen candy in resin before, and it is pretty damn cute. But what else will live forever inside plastic? Pickle cross sections perhaps?

You May be Right...

I may be crazy.
This----------------------------->
Is a stack of circles I spent hours cutting out  one by one on Saturday.  Why you ask? Well, I plan on making a whole crap-load of pin cushions in the near future, and selling them at a rented shelf at The Handcrafter's Haven here in Woodbury.  The Handcrafter's Haven is a really neat shop where they rent out shelves to local craftspeople and artists.  They don't take commission either.  You simply rent a space, set up your wares, and they keep a tally of what you sell.  While I am not so sure most items on Scribble Nation would do well in a place like this, I am certain that pin cushions would do just dandy.  At least they won't scare anybody.  So after cutting what felt like a million circles out of the massive collection of scrap fabric I have here in my craft room/office, I have a sore hand and a STACK of mixable, matchable pin cushion parts.  Now all I have to do is sew, stuff, and finish them off and we'll be in business!

Meet MORE Nestys

The Nestys keep pouring in.  This time around things have gotten a bit dramatic.  Meet the new faces in Nest-town.

Meet Frisky Pete

Frisky Pete McNestiggan drinks YOUR milkshake.

Likes: Cold drinks, long straws, a good pair of suspenders, whiskey, barber shop quartets.
Dislikes: Overzealous preachers, unreliable ladders, competition, tumblin' tumbleweeds.

Frisky Pete is a plush doll that is about 11 inches tall. He is stuffed with fluff, has a beany bottom, and is ready to make a deal.

Meet Desmond Ernest

Desmond is feeling quite anxious.

Likes: Jogging shoes, padlocks, deadbolts, security guards, safety whistles.
Dislikes: Aggressive characters, over sized lizards, seafood, dented taxi cabs.

Desmond is a plush doll that is about 11 inches tall. He is stuffed with fluff, has a beany bottom, and is ready to make a run for it.

Meet Sleepy Pete Nesteville

Sleepy Pete has had a rough day and needs some rest.

Likes: Plush matress covers, down pillows, linen quilts, electric blankets, warm milk.
Dislikes: Alarm clocks, wake-up calls, early morning appointments, breakfast.

Sleepy Pete is a plush doll that is about 11 inches tall. He is stuffed with fluff, has a beany bottom, and is ready to nap.

Meet Paulo Hernesto

Paulo is surprised to find out about his long lost half brother, Desmond.

Likes: Empanadas, fruit flavored gelatin, handmade belt buckles, square dancing.
Dislikes: Pushy salesmen, dairy products, insects with too many legs.

Paulo is a plush doll that is about 11 inches tall. He is stuffed with fluff, has a beany bottom, and is ready to make a deal.

Meet the Nesty's

Ava Nestwacki

Ava enjoys a good bed time story.

Likes: Hugs, music boxes, playing the tambourine, playing with kittens, and Fruit Loops cereal.
Dislikes: Gangster rap, power tools, people who stick bubble gum under restaurant tables.

Zelda Nestofferson

Zelda's not afraid to kick in the double bass drums when thinks get lame.

Likes: Death Metal, bungee jumping, rock star biographies, tattoo magazines, and top shelf vodka.
Dislikes: The color pink, MTV, the smell of old ketcup, folk music, and self help seminars.

Olga Nestoffski

Olga downloaded the new In Flames album early.

Likes: Homemade sausage, heavy metal, death metal, black metal, indie metal, heavy metal goats, and miniature dachshunds.
Dislikes: Bossy tour guides, facial wax, shaving razors, herbal tea, and canned meats.

Simone Nestenbaum

Simone is excited about Macy's all day shopping pass.

Likes: Designer bags, independent clothing designers, Indian food, and watching Project Runway in her pajamas.
Dislikes: Cracking a nail, whiny co-workers, bugs splattering her clean windshield, and getting her Amex bill.