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!

Giving back ownership

Still researching these weird, cheap, "artsy" pillows that are made overseas and sold all over the internet. I feel like I'm writing a thesis on design theft. I don't know how many people I've emailed asking if their designs are being used legitimately.

In an attempt to start looking for solutions (I really get sucked into the matching game of artist to design), I decided to look at one shop on etsy. I compiled an image of all the pillows they offer and I blacked out the designs of artists who I suspect didn't license their designs to be sold on these pillows.That's not to say all of the other pillows are legit, there are some that are from books, others that are from major brands like Tannoka and Paul Frank, and those I couldn't place with a simple reverse image search. The shop owner probably doesn't know they're selling counterfeit goods, but odds are good they know they're not within etsy selling guidelines.

Below are the artists whom I've been able to assert design credit. The ones in bold are the artists I've confirmed did not license their design for use on these pillows being sold.

Dario Albini, Sanna Annukka (3 listings), Amy Blackwell (5 listings),  Faye Bradley (2 listings), Helen Dardik, Maria Diamantes, Fréya Eté, Philip Giordano, Jazzberry Blue (8 listings), Blanca Gomez, Chase Kunz, Oliver Lake (4 listings), Jude Landry, Daniel Mackey (6 listings),  Iain Macarthur (3 listings), Dushan Milic, Vasare Nar, Rhys Owens aka Hidden Moves, Ashley Percival (4 listings),  Poppy and Red (2 listings), Andreas Preis, Allan Sanders, Roberto Salvador (removed as of 4/29/14), Steve Simpson, Lizzy Stewart, Lim Heng Swee aka I love doodle (4 listings), Nate Williams (5 listings), Olimpia Zagnoli, Geninne Zlatkis (2 listings)

Cushioning Profits

Several weeks ago I came across a pillow (maybe on Pinterest?) from an artist I was vaguely familiar with. The link took me to Aliexpress.com, a companion site to Alibaba.com, which is a site that is both an e-commerce site and a way for businesses to pair up with manufacturers to produce their wares. Shortly before this discovery, I was hired by Copyright Collaborative to do a little freelance design investigating. I have to say, the opportunity was a dream come true since I've been looking into infringement in the digital age on my own for a few years anyway. Yeah, weird hobby, but interesting. Anyway, the pillows gave me the perfect opportunity to investigate!

Since the Aliexpress link said nothing about the artist, I did a reverse image search and ended up in an etsy shop full of pillows printed with unique art. So I started playing matchmaker, pairing up designs with artists. Here I am, 45+ artists later. When I make a match I contact the artist to see if their work was licensed. I still haven't heard back from all the artists about whether their designs are licensed, but have yet to hear one respond saying their design was reprinted legitimately.

In the meantime, I searched "linen cushion" on etsy and found a whopping 250 page result. Work is slow, so what's a bored secretary to do? Start filtering the results to separate the truly handmade pillows from the mass produced ones, then identifying the shops with stolen artwork. From there I created an excel spreadsheet of shops selling at least 1 confirmed unlicensed pillow design.

What did I find? There are at least 46 shops, those shops have sold about $30,000 worth of wares over several years time, making the fees for etsy from sales alone about $10,000. That doesn't include the listing fees for the pieces sold. It also doesn't include the listing fees or the 3.5% sales fee for the 7,634 items still for sale.

To be honest, that's not much money for a $700 million company. Why would it risk smearing it's "rooting for the little guys" image for a bunch of cheap pillow covers? I aired my speculation on twitter and the response was plausible: If etsy started worrying about one type of  knock off they'd have to worry about the rest: phone covers, fashion logos, dollar store variety jewelry...If nothing else, it's worth thinking about.

Interested in seeing some examples? Hop on over to Copyright Collaborative and check out the effigies page. My intention in finding these knock offs isn't to discourage artists, but instead to help them reclaim their ownership of the designs.

On being a fan of Weeds

Hey look! You can download this image here

As I've been reading up on herbs and their uses, I've realized just how many weedy plants in the yard are actually medicinal.  After the initial feeling of astonishment passes, the same thought runs through my head each time, "They're weeds only if you don't know how to use them." That one thought and a little series of drawings was born.

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.

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!

the underbelly of the Sneak

I've been getting up at 5 every morning to work on printing orders for shops. I've worked out 3 days this week. I've gone to work my desk job every day and then home to work my real job (mama-ing). Then it's time for laundry, dinner, and any other cleaning I can fit into 2 minute increments.

I'm tired. (Enough with the whining, I know.) We're supposed to take a quick little jaunt to the beach, but that's all up in the air now, thanks to Irene. She seems to want to see the NC coast, too. On a non-related (but far prettier) note, another skirt:

Since I had Fat Roll Friday once before, I thought I'd share the strength part of my Wednesday and Friday workouts this week.  We do a 45 minute work out that consists of a 15 minute warm up, 15 minute skill building and then a 15 minutes of strength building. I'm writing it out because it makes me look tougher than I really am.

Wednesday: 90 sit ups, 160 lunges and 68 25-lb kettle bell push presses in 15 minutes. My bottom hurts, but that's it! A few months ago I would've been immobilized.

Since Wednesday's lunges didn't do me in then today's 11 minute workout of 60 sumo lifts (15 pounds each arm), 120 15 pound kettlebell rows, and 120 side lunges with a 15 pound kettlebell probably will. Yeah, I can hardly move around and today I've already run upstairs and downstairs at work more than I usually do in a whole month.

To distract you from the pain, I present to you some feathery culottes. If for no other reason, simply the word "culottes" should make you smile. Say it with me: CULOTTES!

There you have it. Some pretty, some ugly, just a bit of life from the underbelly of the Sneak!

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!

Well, kids, I hate to say it, but it appears someone is back at it, and they seem to love Alyssa's work. If you recall the cable knit bone china candle holders last year at Anthropologie, also a riff from Alyssa's catalog.

How is this still going on?

What can we, as designers, do to claim ownership of a design without sinking all our hard earned money into the process?

What can we, as consumers, do to let companies know we won't support those that support design theft?

One more in-depth pinhole sneak peek. I just love when we both have time and energy to make things. The creativity makes our home more alive than ever, a palpable energy in the air.

Plus I love the sparkle in his eye that the Mr. gets when he's made something he's truly excited about. That plus the spring weather and 15 tomato plants I already have in the ground? Everything is just right.

Michelle Smith put a page together in the IndieNC shop to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of Raleigh. The tornadoes that touched down sure did a number on Raleigh. Check out the shop here.

And for news around Sneakville. . .

Here are a couple pics from the most recent crop of pinhole cameras. They aren't in the shop yet, but will be soon. If you're interested in one, use the contact me button and send me a note and we'll set one aside for you!

These will take roll film so you can drop it off at the 1 hour lab if you don't have a dark room. This particular roll of film was well past expired, so the colors are a bit funky, but I like it that way. The images are so dreamy, ethereal, and they even make our old lawnmower look interesting!

Did everyone make it through tax day okay?

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.}

Oh 2011!

Here are couple more images for you! January in full white stag glory amidst a field of snow drops and pale Lenten roses. December full of nature's feasts for the critters outside, boughs of holly, slivers of silvery paper birch, and rosemary wafting room to room as dinner slowly roasts in the kitchen.

Oh 2011!

What do you see in the not-too-distant future?



{In 2 days the calendars will go up to full price. Hint, hint.}

(click on the pic to see it full size)

I still have 5 more images to add, but here's the biggest sneak peek into Peer to date:

Top row: Abbey Hendrickson, Heather Smith Jones, Julianna Swaney/Oh My Cavalier!, Sandra Juto
2nd Row: Bonnie Rue/Model Citizen, Hernan Paganini/Puloverchito, Kate Bingaman Burt, Shannon Rankin/Selflesh
3rd Row: Camilla Engman, Jen Ray, Katey Nicosia/One Good Bumblebeer, Stephanie DosReis
4th Row: Danna Ray/Groundwork, Jessica Gonacha, Kelly Lynn Jones, Substudio
5th Row: Frances Hawthorne, Julia Rothman, Lisa Solomon, Will Bryant

Each page is an 8 x 8" self portrait, ready for you to color and collaborate with the 25 incredible participating artists. Take a peek in Peer!

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.

Phew! I finished--finally! I know it doesn't look like at lot of work, but I had some serious issues making decisions and trying to get the recipe cards to look a little bit old and grimy vintage, and somewhat original.

If you would like them as a pdf, email nobiting {the at symbol} gmail {period} com, and I'll be glad to send it to you FREE!


And then some little gems in the garden, from exploring the world through a bug's eye view.
(Which is something of a tiny thread like hint for today's post on Modish)

tuesday the twenty second

This morning on my way to work, I caught an NPR story about the new Calder exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. With all the food talk seeping its way into this here blog, I thought it was most appropriate.

Alexander Calder, who lived from 1898 to 1976, liked to poke fun, too. In a clip from a 1950s TV program, an interviewer asked how the artist knew when a project was finished.

"When it's dinnertime," was Calder's laughing answer.

In addition to his delicate eye for design, Calder apparently had a forthright attitude and great sense of humor.

Yesterday was a rather slow day at the day job, so I did a little drawing. Actually a lot of drawing; pages and pages of sketches and lettering, with thoughts and plans for each. Then I got home and nothing worked like I'd envisioned. It made me a really crabby girl.


When Hi-C came home, I gave him fair enough warning of my ill-temperedness and he kindly let me be. Of the full day of working then art-working more (I know--whine whine whine), I finished up the first of a series free, down loadable recipe cards I'll have available as 4 to a page, 100% free printables. Here's the grand unveiling of the first: Helping Hands in the Kitchen.