Reality Check

There is so much copying going on out in the world and as independant artists we all have the responsibility to stand up to copy cats. While I have never come across anyone copying my work (so far) I have many craft pals that have to deal with it frequently. There is a blog called You Thought We Wouldn't Notice dedicated to outing copiers from all kinds of different art, advertising, writing and crafting mediums. Some posts are really eye opening. I just read a great post on their site by David Lechnyr called "What to Do When Someone Steals Your Work". I thought it was so useful and full of good advice I wanted to pass it on.

Sweet Sweet Things

It never ceases to amaze me that there are still so many blogs/artists/products/people to discover on the internet. I was reading Mom-O-Matics post about DIY propaganda and I linked on over to Try Handmade where her guest column showed how to make a sweet little block phrase decoration. Her inspiration for the post came from the blog Sweet Sweet Life. What an adorable idea and what an adorable blog!!! I think I have a new favorite blog to follow!

MYM is Only One Week Away

Friday July 31 I will once again be doing Eugene's Meet Your Maker indie craft show. I am really excited about this show because the location is new. Also for the first time it is being held on the last Friday artwalk instead of the first friday artwalk. If you live in Eugene Oregon or the surrounding areas you should come to MYM! It is a great little show ran by the awesome Amy and Megan. I have been working my tush off to build up my stock. Check out their site for more info.

And They Are Off...

All these guys are heading off tomorrow to Eco Mums and Bubs in Australia. Look for them soon available in their shop.

Yes it is that kind of evening....

I was so excited to receive my most recent Etsy purchase today. It goes great with a vodka tonic he hee. I was looking all over for coconut scented lotion this summer. It seems like the right thing to have for the summer. Unfortunatly I couldn't find any ANYWHERE! So I headed over to Etsy and snagged this stuff. I got it today and it is perfect. Thought I would share. :) I am slathered up and enjoying the hot evening...

Check out Rainwater Botanicals

Impromptu Beach!

Well I went to the beach this weekend on a whim and it sure was a nice day there. Unfortunatly I started feeling sick Saturday night and was up most of the night sick to my stomach. I am back home now but still not feeling so well. I still got to visit the beach and eat some seafood (which might be the stomach problem) but I didn't get any work done like I had planned. So I am writing a blog post and calling it good! I will have to get back to everything tomorrow. Boy the weekends go by fast....


Newport View!

I have so many pictures of Maisy at the beach it's not even funny...she likes to run around super fast...

BeBe Babies and Friends Studio

A magazine has contacted me about participating in an article they are putting together about doll artists and their work spaces. I snapped a few pictures around my crammed tight workspace tonight that I thought I would share. I will probably take a bunch more as I really don't like some of the pictures. I will have to hurry though because I spent all day yesterday cleaning and organizing my room. It might not look like it but this is the cleanest and tidiest it has EVER been! It will surely not stay this way for long.

Also in all honesty if I am going to really show people how and where I work I will need to get a picture of my "couch station". Although it is going to take strategy to photograph tastefully as usually my living room is a mess. I will leave that for another day...

BeBe Spotting!

So my pals had their little baby yesterday and sent me this picture via text message. The little BeBe Bear was a baby shower gift. They didn't find out what they were having so I had purposely made a gender neutral bear. They ended up having a girl! Welcome little Jayda Marie! I hope you like your bear. :)

Stuffed!!! A Gathering of Softies

I picked up the second issue of "Stuffed" over the weekend and was happy to see many of my Plushteam buddies gracing the pages. Stuffed is a really awesome magazine by Stampinton & Company. Because they do all of their photography (they require you to submit actual pieces) the pictures come out amazing and clear. There are articles, tips and even some patterns sprinkled throughout. I really like the layout. Oh and did I mention there is a nice big article about the Plushteam? Yay!

I did submit two OOAK pieces but was not picked to be in the magazine. The deadline to submit for the next issue is 8/15. I am planning to submit again but I am not positive what I will send. I am thinking a variety of BeBe Pets might make the trip this time. I don't know that I want to stress on creating OOAK pieces again. I have worried about them for the past several months that they have been out in the world. But then on the other hand I would like to get picked and don't know if maybe OOAK pieces would be the way to go. TOTALLY INDECISIVE HERE! Any ideas?

Here is a picture of one of the pieces I sent:

You can order the mag here or pick one up locally. I got mine at Barnes and Noble but I know I got the last issue at Joann Fabrics so that should give you a couple places to check should you like to get a copy. :)

Here are some of my favorite and inspiring pages from the mag:

Cutesy but not Cutesy

Robin Fabsits

Yummy Pancake

Bruno!

Today while my bathroom was being worked on my Mom and I watched the end of Borat on tv. She has never seen Borat and was saying how she thought Bruno looked funny. I told her that Borat is not a movie you should watch with your parents but she didn't believe me....well then the gross naked part came on (if you have seen Borat you know which part I mean). My Mom started screaming and flailing her arms and screaming some more. In all fairness I was shocked they played the entire scene on tv with only the thinnest of black censor bars covering the worst parts. And on a Sunday afternoon no less.

My Mom says she will never forget that part as long as she lives. I completed a new OOAK doll while we watched and I was stunned to find out I had created Bruno...in baby doll form. So here is my newest OOAK Bruno!

West Seattle Festival/ Street Fair

Nico and Zoe, the adorable Seattle toy store that carries BeBe Babies, is going to have a booth/table at the West Seattle Street Fair July 10-12. There will be 6 Bundle BeBes available on their table so if you live in the area or will be visiting Seattle stop by to snag one. For more info and to get their table number check out Nico and Zoe's website here. These are the dollies that will be there: