I've had a hard time coming up with a follow up to my inaugural post on my new blog. My purpose here is to offer up some inspiring thoughts on starting up your own craft business. I envisioned myself sharing with you parts of my well developed master plan. You know, a well plotted course with a simple step-by-step process leading up to getting one's work out in the world. Then it hit me today: I don't have a plan, on purpose.
In the past I've gotten stuck in the planning phase of my business ventures. Spreadsheets, reading books, researching supplies, all of these things have kept me form doing the work I really love and getting it out there. So this time I'm going with the "No-Plan" Plan.
I'm not discounting the importance of entering a business with some kind of plan, and I have done a bit of it this time around. But, being a mom to a busy toddler and having limited amounts of free time have forced me to be efficient with planning, and I think it is a really good thing.
I read this quote this week and it made so much sense to me:
"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Months in Review: August & September
Hello, sad, neglected blog. Is anyone reading this anymore? I can only hope. I feel like I should rename this "Miss J's Busy-Blog". Because I'm just too busy to update it very often. So what did I do? I went started another blog. Uhm, yeah..when you can't 'keep up' with your original blog, what should you do? Start another one! Haha. Here's the deal...soon, I'll be launching my line of printed goods on Etsy, and I wanted a blog to document that process. The name of my little biz is Pixel & Post. You can find it over there to the right in my links. I'm not sure how I'm going to merge these two blogs, or if that is even what I want to do. But for now all my personal stuff will live here on the Flying Pencil and business stuff will live on Pixel & Post.
Off the needles
I finally finished this sweater for the adorable Mister E. E is the firstborn of our good friends. He's an absolutely gorgeous little guy, and looks like he is also going to be one tall drink of water (with a daddy over 6'5" it is really no surprise). He's only 8 weeks old and is already sporting 3 month size clothes. I started the sweater with hopes of giving it to E's momma at her baby shower (which was in June), but it didn't get done in time. My next goal was to have it done when he was born...and that didn't happen either. I was knitting furiously on a trip back from the coast (in the passenger seat) on the day he was born. Finally I finished it, and luckily it fits him still.
After one of my knitted creations for my little one got ruined when it got thrown in the dryer (by ME of all people), I decided to try knitting in acrylic that could be thrown in the washer and the dryer. I know......gasp, choke, horror of all horrors...acrylic yarn. But seriously, the stuff they make today is way nicer than that scratchy stuff your granny knit with. I used Vanna's Choice yarn Who knew Vanna was so into yarn? Anyhoo, I like this stuff. It is soft, washes up beautifully and comes in super neat colors. I'm even knitting a sweater for myself with it. I still love me some fancy yarns, but there is something to be said for knitting yourself an entire sweater for under 30 buckaroos. I used this free Knitting Pure and Simple Cardigan pattern and made a few modifications, like turned cuffs and the crochet button hole loops. I love this pattern, as is it knit from the top down. I also changed the pattern to knit the sleeves flat instead of in the round, and that worked fine. Yay for completed projects, and cute babies to wear them!
On my plate:
Because I've been spending every spare moment prepping for the opening of Pixel & Post, things have been a little spare on the dinner table. We've been eating the same things over and over and over. Namely, Martha's Chicken and Dumplings and her Ginger Beef with Kale, chicken enchiladas and grilled burgers. We've been trying to make a lot of things that can be eaten as leftovers, which is great. My mom also gave me a copy of this book of casseroles circa 1958.
It has recipes for such culinary delights as "Yummy Balls" and "Green Beans, Patio Style". Maybe I'll try and make one soon.
In my less healthy moments I've been consuming the new Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate, enjoying some mini Twix bars, and have been craving french fries way too often. I've also tired of my afternoon cup of tea, so instead I dug out my demitasse cups I brought home from Holland back in 92, and have been having a delicious shot of espresso with cream and a touch of sugar. I also love these cookies by Two by Two, these are from The Owl and the Pussycat box.
Laughing at:
I record Saturday Night Live each week. Sometime during the week I usually catch up on it, and in the last year I feel like there have been some funny moments, but I used to skip through skits a lot. But lately, I've been cracking up big time. The political stuff has been just hilarious. And this skit nearly had me weeping with laughter. I guess it comes from all those weekends at my grandparents when I was forced to watch Lawrence Welk in silence. There was a part of me that just wanted something like THIS to happen.
In my ears:
In the past few months I've been addicted to Pandora. It has lead me to all sorts of new music and confirmed my love for certain artists. "Just One Thing" by My Morning Jacket is nice, and is how I think about my morning cuppa joe. "Words" by Doves has a sounds that reminds me of Stone Roses in a way. I love this song by Maps, a band I'd never taken much notice of before I started listening to Pandora. I know "Time to Pretend" has been played on a lot of prime time tv, but I still like it. My current favorite, favorite, favorite band is Helio Sequence. I haven't heard a thing by them I don't love.
Off the needles
I finally finished this sweater for the adorable Mister E. E is the firstborn of our good friends. He's an absolutely gorgeous little guy, and looks like he is also going to be one tall drink of water (with a daddy over 6'5" it is really no surprise). He's only 8 weeks old and is already sporting 3 month size clothes. I started the sweater with hopes of giving it to E's momma at her baby shower (which was in June), but it didn't get done in time. My next goal was to have it done when he was born...and that didn't happen either. I was knitting furiously on a trip back from the coast (in the passenger seat) on the day he was born. Finally I finished it, and luckily it fits him still.
After one of my knitted creations for my little one got ruined when it got thrown in the dryer (by ME of all people), I decided to try knitting in acrylic that could be thrown in the washer and the dryer. I know......gasp, choke, horror of all horrors...acrylic yarn. But seriously, the stuff they make today is way nicer than that scratchy stuff your granny knit with. I used Vanna's Choice yarn Who knew Vanna was so into yarn? Anyhoo, I like this stuff. It is soft, washes up beautifully and comes in super neat colors. I'm even knitting a sweater for myself with it. I still love me some fancy yarns, but there is something to be said for knitting yourself an entire sweater for under 30 buckaroos. I used this free Knitting Pure and Simple Cardigan pattern and made a few modifications, like turned cuffs and the crochet button hole loops. I love this pattern, as is it knit from the top down. I also changed the pattern to knit the sleeves flat instead of in the round, and that worked fine. Yay for completed projects, and cute babies to wear them!
On my plate:
Because I've been spending every spare moment prepping for the opening of Pixel & Post, things have been a little spare on the dinner table. We've been eating the same things over and over and over. Namely, Martha's Chicken and Dumplings and her Ginger Beef with Kale, chicken enchiladas and grilled burgers. We've been trying to make a lot of things that can be eaten as leftovers, which is great. My mom also gave me a copy of this book of casseroles circa 1958.
It has recipes for such culinary delights as "Yummy Balls" and "Green Beans, Patio Style". Maybe I'll try and make one soon.In my less healthy moments I've been consuming the new Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate, enjoying some mini Twix bars, and have been craving french fries way too often. I've also tired of my afternoon cup of tea, so instead I dug out my demitasse cups I brought home from Holland back in 92, and have been having a delicious shot of espresso with cream and a touch of sugar. I also love these cookies by Two by Two, these are from The Owl and the Pussycat box.
Laughing at:
I record Saturday Night Live each week. Sometime during the week I usually catch up on it, and in the last year I feel like there have been some funny moments, but I used to skip through skits a lot. But lately, I've been cracking up big time. The political stuff has been just hilarious. And this skit nearly had me weeping with laughter. I guess it comes from all those weekends at my grandparents when I was forced to watch Lawrence Welk in silence. There was a part of me that just wanted something like THIS to happen.
In my ears:
In the past few months I've been addicted to Pandora. It has lead me to all sorts of new music and confirmed my love for certain artists. "Just One Thing" by My Morning Jacket is nice, and is how I think about my morning cuppa joe. "Words" by Doves has a sounds that reminds me of Stone Roses in a way. I love this song by Maps, a band I'd never taken much notice of before I started listening to Pandora. I know "Time to Pretend" has been played on a lot of prime time tv, but I still like it. My current favorite, favorite, favorite band is Helio Sequence. I haven't heard a thing by them I don't love.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Greetings!
Hello Internets!
Welcome to the blog of Pixel & Post.
For many, many years I've had the dream of designing and publishing my own line of greeting cards, and other printed lovelies. Finally, that dream is about to become reality. I'll be using this blog to document my path, roadblocks and hopefully successes with you.
Ten years ago when this dream took root in my noggin, I knew nothing about starting a business, how to get my work printed, or get my cards seen by anyone but my next door neighbor (which was great, don't get me wrong). I've actually started this business twice (yes twice) and both times, for different reasons, it never came to be. But instead of looking at those beginnings as failures, I really see now that they happened for a reason, and in the end I am armed with much more knowledge, and know this time it is going to happen.
I'm hoping that my blog might help someone out there just starting out on a creative path of their own to make the leap! I believe there is room for every one to share their creativity and the world would be a better place if more people did just that.
So, onward and upward! More soon.
Welcome to the blog of Pixel & Post.
For many, many years I've had the dream of designing and publishing my own line of greeting cards, and other printed lovelies. Finally, that dream is about to become reality. I'll be using this blog to document my path, roadblocks and hopefully successes with you.
Ten years ago when this dream took root in my noggin, I knew nothing about starting a business, how to get my work printed, or get my cards seen by anyone but my next door neighbor (which was great, don't get me wrong). I've actually started this business twice (yes twice) and both times, for different reasons, it never came to be. But instead of looking at those beginnings as failures, I really see now that they happened for a reason, and in the end I am armed with much more knowledge, and know this time it is going to happen.
I'm hoping that my blog might help someone out there just starting out on a creative path of their own to make the leap! I believe there is room for every one to share their creativity and the world would be a better place if more people did just that.
So, onward and upward! More soon.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Month in Review: June & July
Wow...It is hard to believe that June and July have come and gone. I feel like the ole blog is just hanging by a thread! This summer has been so busy. I miss blogging and am looking forward to more regular posts soon, but until then...
Off my hard drive
One project I completed in June was the season brochure for Book It Repertory Theatre in Seattle. I did this mural-like illustration of their five plays for the season, featuring pull quotes from the books. If you live in Seattle or plan on visiting please check out their offerings for the season! It looks like it is going to be a good one (from left to right : Even Cowgirls Get The Blues by Tom Robbins, My Antonia by Willa Cather, Moby-Dick or The Whale by Herman Melville, The Beautiful Things Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu and Night Flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry).
On my plate
Unlike last month, June was a month full of culinary delights. Giving two birthday parties, and hosting visitors from another country forced us to bust out of our take out rut, dust off the recipe box and get to work. In early June I made our kiddo some sugar free carrot cupcakes for her first birthday. The cupcakes are sort of a tradition among my friends, and the recipe has been passed around to quite a few babes who still hadn't sampled sugar by their first b-day. Our girl daintily ate a few bites and then spied the sugar laden, 5 pound slice of butter cream loveliness on my plate and got mad. And, of course I gave in and let her have a few bites which made her happier than Uncle Albert in Mary Poppins. For the international guests I made Martha's Key Lime bars, which were a big hit and relatively easy for a Martha recipe ( I ignored the part about juicing 23 key limes and just used lime juice from a bottle- oh the scandal)! I also whipped up the Everyday Food Apricot Stuffed Chicken, Jicama Citrus Salad, and a spinach dip recipe I found online. All were eaten so fast I didn't get any photos. I've also become addicted to a nightly scoop of Ciao Bella gelato. A deliciously bad habit I plan on continuing until the day I leave this earth. Seriously, you should try this stuff. Their Fresh Mint with Chocolate Chips makes me go week in the knees.
Mother of invention
If you know me well, (or maybe even not so well) you know I live somewhere in between Organization Avenue, and Clutter Street. My problem is piles (luckily not the kind that require medical attention). I tend to flit so quickly between activities that I leave a trail, like some kind of blissed out domestic slug around my house. By evening there are usually little bits of my day strewn or sometimes piled all over the house. And now with a running toddler to chase I have even less time to clean up my act (both literally and figuratively speaking). It has me worried. I mean, how am I going to get my kid to pick up after herself if I can't? That's some scary stuff! So this month I invented a game for myself. I call it the "Rommel Basket". Rommel means "Junk" in Dutch, and to me has a less negative, more cheerful feel to it than JUNK. It goes like this. I have a beautiful, large wire basket that a friend gave me as a gift. During the day I just throw everything in it that I don't have time to put away properly at that very moment. And then, at the end of the day I play "beat the clock" and try to get it all put away in less than 10 minutes. And you know what? It is working! I'm finding that I hesitate before throwing stuff in, and just take care of it right away. And other days when things are hectic at least all the clutter is contained. Anyhow, it is a simple idea that is really working for me. Maybe someday I'll use the idea with my kiddo.
Font of the month
One of my recent projects was in need of a scripty, handwritten typeface. I actually entertained the idea of hand lettering the type myself, but even I'm not loco enough to take that on at this point. I did a lot of research and finally found Panhandler by David Buck. I'm not usually a big fan of script fonts. I think they end up looking too regular and not spontaneous enough most of the time. But when I saw Panhandlers lower-case 'r' I fell ascender over descender (that's the typographical equivalent of head over heels).
From my camera
One of the highlights of my summer was finally seeing a bench I helped design in 3-D! It is living next to the Seattle Center fountain until the end of the summer. Fun!
In my ears
Here are a few songs that I added to my ipod in June and July. I really love the beginning of "I Will Possess Your Heart". Makes me want to play bass guitar for some reason. I'm pretty much gaga for anything by the Helio Sequence these days, "Hallelujah" is no exception. "SunShinin" pretty much perfectly decribes how summer is percieved here in Rainyville. I had to add "Caught in a Crosswalk", by Baskervilles..because I'm a type geek and any band that is named after a typeface has to be neat. I do think the song sounds a little more sans serif, though. And the sweet sound of 'Electric Love Letter", is just, well kinda sweet.
Off my hard drive
One project I completed in June was the season brochure for Book It Repertory Theatre in Seattle. I did this mural-like illustration of their five plays for the season, featuring pull quotes from the books. If you live in Seattle or plan on visiting please check out their offerings for the season! It looks like it is going to be a good one (from left to right : Even Cowgirls Get The Blues by Tom Robbins, My Antonia by Willa Cather, Moby-Dick or The Whale by Herman Melville, The Beautiful Things Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu and Night Flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry). On my plate
Unlike last month, June was a month full of culinary delights. Giving two birthday parties, and hosting visitors from another country forced us to bust out of our take out rut, dust off the recipe box and get to work. In early June I made our kiddo some sugar free carrot cupcakes for her first birthday. The cupcakes are sort of a tradition among my friends, and the recipe has been passed around to quite a few babes who still hadn't sampled sugar by their first b-day. Our girl daintily ate a few bites and then spied the sugar laden, 5 pound slice of butter cream loveliness on my plate and got mad. And, of course I gave in and let her have a few bites which made her happier than Uncle Albert in Mary Poppins. For the international guests I made Martha's Key Lime bars, which were a big hit and relatively easy for a Martha recipe ( I ignored the part about juicing 23 key limes and just used lime juice from a bottle- oh the scandal)! I also whipped up the Everyday Food Apricot Stuffed Chicken, Jicama Citrus Salad, and a spinach dip recipe I found online. All were eaten so fast I didn't get any photos. I've also become addicted to a nightly scoop of Ciao Bella gelato. A deliciously bad habit I plan on continuing until the day I leave this earth. Seriously, you should try this stuff. Their Fresh Mint with Chocolate Chips makes me go week in the knees. Mother of invention
If you know me well, (or maybe even not so well) you know I live somewhere in between Organization Avenue, and Clutter Street. My problem is piles (luckily not the kind that require medical attention). I tend to flit so quickly between activities that I leave a trail, like some kind of blissed out domestic slug around my house. By evening there are usually little bits of my day strewn or sometimes piled all over the house. And now with a running toddler to chase I have even less time to clean up my act (both literally and figuratively speaking). It has me worried. I mean, how am I going to get my kid to pick up after herself if I can't? That's some scary stuff! So this month I invented a game for myself. I call it the "Rommel Basket". Rommel means "Junk" in Dutch, and to me has a less negative, more cheerful feel to it than JUNK. It goes like this. I have a beautiful, large wire basket that a friend gave me as a gift. During the day I just throw everything in it that I don't have time to put away properly at that very moment. And then, at the end of the day I play "beat the clock" and try to get it all put away in less than 10 minutes. And you know what? It is working! I'm finding that I hesitate before throwing stuff in, and just take care of it right away. And other days when things are hectic at least all the clutter is contained. Anyhow, it is a simple idea that is really working for me. Maybe someday I'll use the idea with my kiddo.Font of the month
One of my recent projects was in need of a scripty, handwritten typeface. I actually entertained the idea of hand lettering the type myself, but even I'm not loco enough to take that on at this point. I did a lot of research and finally found Panhandler by David Buck. I'm not usually a big fan of script fonts. I think they end up looking too regular and not spontaneous enough most of the time. But when I saw Panhandlers lower-case 'r' I fell ascender over descender (that's the typographical equivalent of head over heels). From my camera
One of the highlights of my summer was finally seeing a bench I helped design in 3-D! It is living next to the Seattle Center fountain until the end of the summer. Fun!
In my ears
Here are a few songs that I added to my ipod in June and July. I really love the beginning of "I Will Possess Your Heart". Makes me want to play bass guitar for some reason. I'm pretty much gaga for anything by the Helio Sequence these days, "Hallelujah" is no exception. "SunShinin" pretty much perfectly decribes how summer is percieved here in Rainyville. I had to add "Caught in a Crosswalk", by Baskervilles..because I'm a type geek and any band that is named after a typeface has to be neat. I do think the song sounds a little more sans serif, though. And the sweet sound of 'Electric Love Letter", is just, well kinda sweet.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Month in Review: May
Folks, it is busy times around here. I'm working on a completing a big design project, we've got a house remodel going, two very anticipated international guests coming at the end of the month, and two first birthday parties to plan and give. Yeah. We're busy. And as a result ye olde blog has suffered a bit. But, as busy as things are right now there are still creative goings on that are worth reporting here. So I give you the Month in Review for May instead of The Weeklies.On my plate
I'm not gonna lie. When things get hectic, my cooking and baking adventures tend to come to a stop. The month of May found us eating lots of take out burritos, delivered pizza, breakfast for dinner, and scraps of rejected banana off the baby's highchair tray (sounds kinda gross, doesn't it?). We've been eating more than our fair share of packaged foods, too. After a stop to a local import grocer I've become addicted to having a few McVitie's digestive cookies with my afternoon Typhoo tea. Hopefully June will see us eating a bit healthier.
Lesson Learned Cutting a squirmy baby's hair is hard, and my kid is destined to have crooked bangs. I wish my haircut went as easy as the on in this sweet Howcast video.
Font of the Month
I'm totally digging Sympathique by Canada Type. It's only 22 bucks, and best of all, I think I have an upcoming project the this face will be perfect for! I love, love, love the curly ampersand.In my bookmarks Ok, for all you typophiles out there, here is a fun quiz to test your font-know how. The Rather Difficult Font Game. I'm not revealing my score.
Off the needles
Yes! I FINALLY finished a project. Since summer has yet to really start here in Mossytown (I am so OVER this weather I have no words for it anymore), the baby still has the need for a warm sweater. I had two skeins of inexpensive, soft, Red Heart yarn in my stash and thought, why not? In the past I've been partial to knitting with more expensive natural stuff. But after one such creation got thrown in the dryer and ruined by a very tired mama (that'd be me) I decided the knit something that could indeed be washed and dried without shrinking. I used this free pattern from Knitting Pure and Simple. All in all I'm happy with the results and it cost less than $10 to make.
From my camera
Here are two photos I'm pretty proud of from the past month. They are both inspired my my pal Andrea, a professional photographer who continually inspires me to look closer at things! I love her work so much. She's also been really helpful to me in explaining my new camera to me! Thanks Andrea!In my ears
I love "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John. I know it has been around for a bit, but the whistling s so catchy! Any song with cool whistling is my friend. "Evil Urges" is also groovy, and will stick in your head as well. I love these lyrics " Honey it‘s rotten and they got us so scared/Thinking there’s some evil waiting under vain/ Whooo! I made a nasty decision/ To love whoever I want just-a whenever I can". Sweet! "Grounds For Divorce" kinda reminds me of The The from back in the day, mixed with Peter Gabriel..a strange but good combo. "Stronger" is just plain catchy and has been on my mind (Be warned..this is the explicit version..probably not for the kiddies) the month of May was challenging for me, so it was important to remember "N-n-now that that don't kill me can only make me stronger". Crank this one up, put on your shutter shades and do a silly dance. And finally, a little Flaming LIps love with "It's Summertime". I need to believe that it is!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
5 Minute Doodle: Little Treasures
The topic over at The Five Minute Doodle this week is "Little Treasures". It didn't take me long to decide what to doodle. There is a Robin nesting under our deck. Every day I tip toe quietly out there, get on my hands and knees and squish my face between the wooden slats of our deck's floor to check on the eggs. There are two, perfect little blue eggs in her nest. A few years back another Robin nested in the same place. One afternoon I heard a huge bird-ruckus. I flew to the window to see a Crow destroying the eggs on our driveway. It was heartbreaking. Worse yet, the sweet Robin sat there all day chirping a sad, mournful song. I get that it's all part of natural selection and all, but there is a part of me that wishes I could give this year's Robin a comfy Robin-condo with a nice, solid, locking door.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Weeklies#5: Back Burner Burnout
Hi there. This month has been crazy and if anyone has visited here in the past few weeks, you've noticed my lack of posting. Sorry folks. I'm knee deep in project-ville, which is a good thing but I'm going non-stop. I hope to get back to regular posting again soon, and to get this blog off the back burner! Soon I can do a little show and tell, but until then it is nose to the grindstone time.
On my plate...
In the past few weeks, I made Bakers One Bowl Brownies. I love to bake, but when it comes to brownies somehow I always make them from a box mix. Back in 8th grade my dad and I decided to taste-test every brownie mix on the market. We did our 'research' over a few weekends, and were surprised that the Krusteze brand was the best. Anyhow, that's why I'm probably into to box mix brownies. I mean, why throw away all that painstaking, highly scientific research? But this recipe could change my mind. They were really good, and easy. I left out the nuts and added mini chocolate chips instead. Part of the recipe reads "Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs." The phrase "fudgy crumbs" has been stuck in my head ever since.
I also made the Martha Stewart Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies. A.K.A the "cover cookie" from her new cookie book (thanks mom!). In true Martha style there were a few too many steps for my taste (chilling the dough twice for example). I also took some shortcuts like substituting mini chocolate chips for the hand chopped chocolate "cut into 1/4 inch chunks"( yeah whatever Martha) and powdered ginger for fresh. The cookies were tasty. I made a double batch, because after all that work you really should have more than 24 cookies to show for your efforts. This made for some very happy neighbors, and friends. In my bookmarks...
My friend Gwen turned me on to these awesome print and assemble pinhole cameras. So cool!
In my ears...
I'm in love with these five songs. I heard the M83 song on the radio and my first impression was that it was some kind of awesome electronic movie score. Listening to it makes me want to run along the beach all Chariots of Fire style or something. The Bjork song, "Bachelorette" isn't new to me but I just love the melody and the words, and her voice. Bjork rocks, so dramatic! Iron and Wine blows me away. I could listen to them over and over. This song is no exception, there is something reminiscent of Crosby, Stills Nash and Young in this one. Love it. And yes, there's more electronic loveliness in "What Else is There?". Love the melody here too. If I were an aerobics instructor this would be my nifty "cool down" song. Feel the burn, ladies! "No One's Gonna Love You" by Band of Horses is a catchy, sweet song about loving someone though hard times. Love these lyrics: We're reeling through an endless fall / We are the ever-living ghost of what once was / But no one is ever gonna love you more than I do/ No one's gonna love you more than I do.
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