In Print

Check it out, the fabulous Sarah B. Hood used one of my prints as an example of a way to bring country elements into your kitchen in Hoss Magazine! I'm so proud and grateful!

New product shots

When there's work to be done and 2 kids who both want attention, you have to figure out the simplest (yet somewhat elegant) solution. This is what I came up with:

Product shots using our neighbor's aged wood siding for a rustic back drop.

Feeling the farmhouse vibe? When things (if things?) calm down again, I can do some styled shots, but in the meantime, I'm diggin' these. A big ol' thanks to the Hubs for taking such pretty photos!

When work is slow I can draw in a relatively distraction-free zone for hours at a time, provided I don't hop on twitter or facebook... Those are my happiest days, the ones where I work the day job (which means we have health care coverage for our family) but I also get to have a creative field day. Yes, I do know how fortunate I am!

A couple of those kinds of days plus a few good afternoon naps for Mabel so I can scan, color everything in, and make the drawings into repeats and I actually get stuff done!
I ordered 2 yards of each on organic cotton sateen. These will become tea towels. (Of course, that's as soon as I have another good nap day with Mabel...amazing the things I can get done when she takes an afternoon nap.)
 

If you like these, check out my other fabric patterns on Spoonflower.

A few more Made in the USA suggestions:

Fashioned by leather and ceramic planter

The Original Tree Swing bench

LL Bean Boots (made in Maine)

Sterlingwear of Boston military issue peacoats 

Sorry for the short and sweet post, but we've had a crazy week and the crazy doesn't seem to be letting up any time soon! Hope you have a great weekend, and for those of you in Boston, come see Wolfie and the Sneak at Bazaar Bizarre. 

If you're in Chicago, this weekend is Renegade Craft Holiday market!

Have a good one!

counterfeit intelligence

Tis the season to spot rip offs...this little ditty started when I saw the new Crate and Barrel sweater vase heavily inspired by independent designers. In my quest to find out who manufactured the one for Crate and Barrel I also found an original that seems to have heavily influenced renowned ripper-offer Mr. Foster.

Am I naive for thinking companies should be better than reducing themselves to cheap design knock offs? Yes. Will I stop talking about how they should be better than that? No.
This, people, is just another reason to buy from independent designers at craft fairs this season, or from sellers that work directly with the artists. Big box stores have no conscience regarding authentic design and artists' rights...that is, unless it's their own designs getting ripped off.

Even through a couple of frosts there are still flowers blooming--mostly the African marigolds, the last of the zinnias, and an extended show from the hydrangeas. The dramatic color still grasping to twigs and tree limbs, the deep purple of Moses in a blanket, the grasses in an array of burgundy.

The saffron crocus bulbs are blooming, though I didn't expect anything from them this year. Hopefully that means they're happy and will fill a spice jar for me next year!

It's raining here, gray and drizzly, but exciting things are in the works. Tomorrow a special fab.com sale starts and we've got all sorts of plans for new work for the shop. Stay tuned!

two turkey tales

We're suddenly smack dab in the middle of sling your wares, make some money, it's that Holly Jolly Holiday buying time of year! As such, Wolfie & the Sneak are getting ready for 2 upcoming craft shows. They've also figured out a way to part the whirling seas (aka giant chasm) of time, somehow creating room for more time and the opportunity to get around to a few ideas that have been mulling around in our brains. Exhibit A? Hand Turkey place mats! I mean really, what's more fun than doodling over dinner?

Next up is a new print from an original drawing based on this photo by talented photographer Don Blecha. It's a Florida wild turkey (also know as Osceola wild turkey). I started drawing this piece and it ended up much more like the original than I'd expected. Although I took some liberties with the feathers and didn't try to do a photo-realistic bird, the further into the process I got, the more C and I felt like we needed to get an okay from the photographer to ever sell a print based on his original. I sent a quick email to Don and got a speedy response. We came to an agreement, finished the print and put it in the shop!

There you have it: 2 turkeys, 2 tales and a whole lotta fowl.

new stuff!

We have a few new little goodies in the shop! A correspondence set to make the combination of thank you notes + kids a lot easier on their parents this holiday season. {Actually, who am I kidding? I need a lot of help getting my own thank you notes out the door!} The other correspondence set is a set of 6 Color it Yourself bears with scented markers. Sound familiar? These guys are a variation on one of our first products, and we're so excited to have them back!

Fall Reset

Fall is the time of year when I find my stride and somehow balance drawing and family. I don't know if it's the crisp change of air after a long hot summer, or if it's the resetting of my internal clock thanks to my autumn birthday. Whatever the reason, I present another drawing for {hopefully} your enjoyment!

Art and Life

A little bit of work, a little bit of play. 

{Yep, that's a fabric banner we printed of a custom logo design.}

Behind the scenes

The holiday season offers us crafters endless opportunities to push our wares on the masses.It can get tricky figuring out which show is when, the word on the street about which shows to do (good organizers, bad organizers, buying crowd, I-can-do-that crowd), and just how much driving is too much.

Some consideration even goes into which areas of the country dig what you're selling. We have had one good show here in Charlotte...the holiday one we organized several years ago. Just a short 3 1/2 hour drive to Raleigh and we've had some of the best shows we've ever done.

Some winter shows have already closed the application process (The Handmade Market in Raleigh and Boston Bizarre Bazaar are 2 examples) while some are still open (Baltimore Holiday Heap and Richmond Handmade Holiday are but 2).

It's all a process that basically boils down to two questions for me: Where is the fine line between doing what I love and crossing over into bitter holiday exhaustion? Just how much excitement vs. exhaustion can we lovingly share amongst our little family?

Are you a craft show creeper? How do you plan your show season each year?

I say it every Monday, and I'll say it again...weekends just aren't long enough. I finished another custom logo and a few garments for an upcoming photoshoot while C played with Mabel. That kid will color all day long if she gets the chance to. We've just got to master the art of keeping the crayon/marker/pencil on paper and not on headboards/body/everywhere else.

It's much too hot to do anything outside, and the snap beans are finito, so there are gaping holes in the garden begging for attention. It'll happen, but in the meantime we're sticking to the air conditioned spaces around Chez Sneak.

How was your weekend? Fun stuff happen?

You say good bye...

Today is my last post as the Petals and Pedals guest post series on Modish. Jena is flourishing with Miss Modish PR and Modish will soon emphasize that aspect of her multi-faceted life. It's so exciting to see friends find their path in such an organic fashion, you can see the success in their future!

I'm planning to take the extra time each week to further Wolfie & the Sneak and really dig into some work that reflects our experiences and beliefs. I also feel like I missed the boat on some of my own marketing initiatives, and hope to back pedal a bit to make the name Wolfie & the Sneak synonymous with our original designs. You know, settle on a logo...I can do it for other people, seems I should be able to do it for our own series of creations.

This might sound a bit cryptic, but as I learn and read more and more about owning your originality, I feel like "establishment" keeps popping up, and I need to focus on that a bit!

What? you didn't need to see that?

Plus it's time for some serious ME time, as in I'm serious about getting myself in tip top shape to be a good and present mommy. As in many practices, taking care of others requires you take care of yourself first, right?

Am I making sense or just babbling?  Anyway, go visit me at Modish and wish Miss Jena the best!

In the dead heat of summer it's hard to think about the holidays, but just as the retail world starts pushing Christmas right after Valentines, seems the crafting world has to keep up...or at least nipping at the heels of the corporate retailers to stay competitive.

I just sent off my first application for a holiday pop-up shop. In years past I would see notices and tell myself it was too early to apply, that I would wait til closer to the deadline and the beginning of Fall. Not a good idea to procrastinate, because that also meant (in years past) that I would miss the deadline and also miss out on the wonderful opportunities presented.

Are you an artist/crafter? Ready to start thinking about the holiday season? Some early bird organizations include a few of my favorites:
Craftland is taking applications for their month long holiday sale that spans the end of November to the end of December.
ICE Atlanta is taking applications for their 2 day November 2011 show.

The 3 day intensive potty training approach was a little more stress than we were prepared for (M included!) so we did a little more of a casual take and had one total success! We'll get there, but just take our time with it and try not to cause any toilet traumas in the meantime.

C took off for the morning on Saturday to go bass fishing. He came home with a cooler full of fish. As he scaled and filleted them I asked if he felt more manly*. He wasn't sure he did, but while we were eating the tasty dinner of fish tacos he made, he said, "Yeah. I feel pretty manly." Without turning this into a sexist conversation about macho behavior, I'd like to state for the record I would feel pretty *strong, self-confident, and proud if I'd provided such a feast for the family, too, and I just might proclaim, "I feel pretty womanly."

I had a few free moments (that's how I work these days, in free moments) to print up an alphabet poster I made from cutting and pasting hand drawn fonts from other projects. The world may not need another alphabet poster, but Mabel needs one, so why not share, right?

Visual Diet

I've been working on logos for a couple people {I'll share them after the designs are finalized}, which means intense computer time. When what you do is based entirely on appearance, sometimes you just have to look at something else for a while to come back to the initial project with fresh eyes.

This time around that "looking at something else" turned into a new print of heirloom tomatoes! If you're a tomato junkie, this one is for you: the subtle varieties of reds, black, purple, green and peach tomatoes. Hang it in your kitchen and find a bit of reprieve even on the coldest winter day.

Like a little more variety in your visual diet? Try the Four Seasons poster, the perfect guide to in-season veggies all year long!

Calendar Giveaway!

I'd planned to do a post on Cursive Design and some other favorites of mine, but yesterday was an explosion of gettin' stuff done, so I have a lot of my own stuff to show. So Monday we'll drool over the colorful jewelry Sarah makes. Drooling is better suited for a Monday anyway, right?

Are you familiar with While She Naps? That was totally me yesterday: baby slung on my shoulder, deep in baby-sleep while I printed, scanned, colored and photoshopped away. For 2 solid hours I was doing the creativity hustle, and what do I have to show for it? The Winter Poster {and print, although I don't have that graphic on the site yet}!

I also begged Hi-C to get a shot of the calendar and he kindly obliged. Look at that--the 2011 calendar on a one-of-a-kind kindling shelf!

I know I'm whoring out the links left and right, but I'm pretty proud of how the shop is shaping up, so I want people to look at it!


And if you've made it past all the bragging excitement, I have a contest going! Vote for your favorite month's illustration {there are no right or wrong answers} for a chance to win one of our 2011 calendars! We're giving 3 away after the contest closes Wednesday, October 27.
Go now and Vote!

{PS--If you've had trouble opening the link, this link is the same survey.}

She loves me knots

I'm not much on talking about my process--it's kinda boring. I'll start learning about something and think, "OH! That would be fun to record as a drawing" so I start drawing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The past week or so I've been drawing rope and knots. {. . .Actually longer, but the past week is about how long I've been thinking of a knot poster.}
So it starts with pages of drawings, some that make it into the final poster, some that don't. They're scanned in as jpgs and the original drawings then go into a big disorganized drawer file.
On this particular one I also scanned in kraft paper (aka a grocery bag) for texture.

Then I start in on the layout, moving things around in Photoshop until I like the way it flows visually. Next comes color. Sometimes the color makes me rethink the layout, sometimes it clicks and I am happily, miraculously, fantastically in love with the image before me and I know I'm done. Usually, though, it's a process of playing around, then printing the possibly-finished-piece, taping it to the wall and staring at it. I'll get up, move around, lose myself in the internet, sneak a look over my shoulder and see if the satisfied feeling sinks in. If it doesn't, I sit down and make the changes I think will make it work. Print them up, distract myself for a bit, sneak a look. . . and so on. This dance can go on for days. At some point the image feels done but hopefully not overdone. Then I unveil it to the world wide web.

If you want to read the illustration about the process, click on the image or clicky clicky here.



If you love this print and want to purchase it, go check it out in my big cartel shop! This is the August Summer Camp image and, just like the badminton print, only 10 will be available until the end of the month. Then they'll vanish into thin air!

Hello Tuesday. I wonder what else you have in store for me today.

Monday had a stomp on the toes, when I realized an article I'd written had been stolen and used on another blog. Not just my article, but the images I'd used with permission from other bloggers. The whole package. Which. is. not. cool.


As a matter of fact, I would like to loudly utter some serious cuss words at the people who think stealing is okay. It's not. Especially when you integrate penis enhancement pharmaceuticals and lingerie ads into my content. That's a boot to the head, after you've kicked me when I'm down. I've talked about stealing before. I am vehemently against stealing (hello!? Is there anyone out there that truly believes stealing is okay??)

Despite emailing Wordpress, the server host, their actual company, and SEO-Blog, which seems to be owned by the same people, the content was still up this morning. Since beginning this post, though, the blog and user were suspended.

If you have a similar problem, don't hesitate to send a Cease and Desist letter and copies of that letter to their host and other connected organizations. As artists, writers, creative people, it's important to stand up for your copyright protection. Feel it out, some people don't realize they've infringed because trends and ideas can spread rapidly on the internet, and simple communication may help resolve the issue. Unfortunately, some people are out for a quick buck and have no regard for originality.

I'm not a lawyer, but here are some good resources:

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act: This is a good place to start, to know your rights and navigate copyright.
Chilling Effects: Observing the legal climate of the internet. They track Cease and Desist letters.

Maybe it was too much caffeine or too little money in my pocket for comfort. Whatever the cause, I was a poopy head all weekend, grumpy and generally unpleasant.

Last night, curling up together on the couch, watching the Olympics with my man, eating homemade salt and pepper potato chips.

I did get a little cleaning done, not a lot, definitely not as much as I'd hoped. Hi-C, at my suggestion enlisted the help of my brother, and the two of them started their first batch of homebrew, so the house smelled like a yeasty, malty cooking spree--not bad, but not good. Just distractingly different. I kept wanting to check in and see what was going on, though I know full well I can't add any more hobbies to my list of things to do.

Get to the door prizes you say?!?
I was supposed to announce the winners on Friday, I know, but I've changed my mind a bit. And yes, I have the right to do that.
If you commented last week, I need your address. Yes, I want everyone's addresses. email them to nobiting@gmail.com. If you won, you will be receiving the prize you're due, but also everyone will receive a little something else! Heck, even if you comment today, send your address to me and I'll send you a little something cute and fun.

While I'm still on the hunt for a good bargain, and it seems most of you are artists, I thought a couple good alternative sources to the typical ad campaign might help. These are all fairly well-known, but definitely successful for a reason:

Etsy's Cooperative Advertising Program.
Indie Fixx Galleria info here.
PikaLand's PikaPackage.
Poppytalk Handmade Market Deadlines here.
The Sampler--a boatload of bang for your buck.