Little Bitty Kitty Update

Hey, remember when we told you about Little Bitty Kitty and his hilarious podcasts? Well, because we were fortunate enough to be picked for a Girl Power Moment we also received this really great calendar! We received it months ago so it's a bit of a belated acknowledgment (sorry LBK!) but we love it and thought it was cute and funny to boot! Thanks again to Little Bitty Kitty and if you haven't listened to one of his podcasts yet definitely hightail it over there.

Anatomically Correct

I'm finally getting some of our hand-printed anatomy cards up in the shop. We're cooking up some other product ideas that will also feature these old medical illustrations. I made the etching plates using a very cool toner-transfer technique that I need to post as a separate tutorial. On some of them I then I used a process called chin collé in which you add an additional piece of paper in between the plate and the printing paper. Sprinkle on some powdered wheat paste and when you run it through the press the dampness of the printing paper and the pressure of the press activates the paste and it all sticks together. It's a great way to add color to a piece while printing with black ink. There are so many interesting things you can do with this process, I just love it!

Customized Fortune Cookie

Here's a neat little marketing idea, that I'll bet is actually pretty expensive when it comes right down to it. Customized fortune cookies! (Click on the photo to see a larger version.) We ordered some snorkeling gear recently and this was in the package. I have to tell you though that I did not eat the cookie because the wrapper had come open, but I thought it was a really interesting way for Snorkel-Mart to make themselves memorable. And it's not the usual snorkel or dive related promo such as something to do with the ocean or fish; I like that the fortune cookie promo was paired with snorkel products. What other ways have you seen to make your packages more memorable?

I Finally Know What a Tasket Is

Taskets are these wonderful little odds-and-ends holder thingys made by Jenn Maruska. She also makes too-cute-for-words sewing books. I hadn't heard of a sewing book before but now that I've seen these I know my crafting life will not be complete without one. And the best part is she also blogs! Go check her out!

My Cupcakes Need Feet

How adorable are these?! I officially dub these the cutest silicone baking cups ever! Found them in Family Fun magazine and they mentioned their kids were using them on their desks to hold odds and ends. So now I'll have to order enough to use for cupcakes AND in my office.

Wilton is the company who makes the extra tall cupcake pan that everybody's been talking about and now I see that they have jumbo muffin pans as well. Michaels carries the Wilton brand if you don't want to pay for shipping. Hooray!

And Another Thing....

One other thing that used to bug me about some blogs is the tendency to forget about things they say they'll post at a later date. Now that I have my own blog however, I see how difficult it is to keep up on this. In fact, I can think of at least a couple of things I said I'd be posting on here and then promptly forgot about. Shame on me! So, as previously promised, here are some personal favorites from the Etsy/BazBiz Upcycle contest:

Korean Cookie box made into a pen case - This item has sold already but take a look at the rest of Dingo's shop. Love this teeny tiny little book!

Recycled Paper Shower Curtain - Love the design and colors of this piece. She has some lovely handpainted scarves too.

Blue Capacitor Bug - So cute! This one is sold out, but there are plenty more where that came from.

Plastic Bag Rain Coat - I was really sad that I missed out on buying this back in February. Love the design! Check out the cute felted hair clips.

Bottle Cap Necklace - Love the seed beads in resin. More recycled stuff in her shop.

Missing Time

Holy Moly, has it really been two weeks since I posted to the blog? Unforgiveable! I really hate it when my favorite blogs aren't updated regularly so I had been trying to make a more concerted effort to post consistently. But then work was busy, and I had a LOT of cleaning to do to get ready for a parental visit, and then the 'rents came out for a *very* fun week of galavanting around SoCal and here we are. May 16th and mentally it feels like March. sigh. (The photo is from a car show we went to in Hermosa Beach. It's a side view of the tire cover on the back of a beautifully restored old car. I really love photos of reflections.)

Lots of stuff going on right now:

Maker Faire - This weekend! May 19 & 20! Check out the full schedule here. Don't forget to swing by Bazaar Bizarre inside the Maker Faire and look for our two Etsy Upcycle contest winners JackRabbit and New Orleans Craft Mafia. We had to pass on it this year (*sob*) so please let us know when you have photos posted.

Felt Club - Applications are now being accepted for Felt Club's summer show. But hurry, the deadline is this Friday, May 18th.

Sew Useful Contest at Etsy - Sponsored by Etsy and Instructables this contest is looking for a tutorial along with the finished product. Put your thinking caps on and check here for details.