The one in which Erika does the right thing. . .

So. . . a few months back I made this:



And I grew quite attached to it. Even though I had started to make it for someone else I really really really wanted to keep it for myself. The closer I got to finishing it, the more I wanted to keep it forever. But then it sat there in my room for a bit. . . in a corner. . . and every time I looked at it I felt guilty because it was never meant for me. . . it was meant for Alex. So this Christmas I did the right thing and sent the lovely stuffed Tardis to it's proper home. Here's the reaction it got:



Pretty great reaction, huh? Yeah. . . he was happy. . . I did the right thing. . . and that's what Christmas is all about! Now I'm off to make one of my very own.

hearts and puppies,
erika

Happy Holidays! I'm never doing that again!!!

Hello beautiful, beautiful people!!!

Well, my show season is over. . . 5 shows. . . 6 weeks and a metric ton of felt. It was all exhausting and overwhelming and I think I may have lost 70% of my friends because I fell into my little craft hovel so intensely. Friends! Don't take it personally! I do love you still!

I know I still have more to say but I must admit I'm still a bit shell shocked by the whole affair. Once I fully get over it all I'm sure I'll have better insight on it all. Absolutely sure! It will be deep and great and life affirming. . . for sure. . .

Now I have to make Christmas presents for friends (who will all get them late, sorry, thanks for understanding!). Never stop working this one. . .

Thanks to all who came by at all the shows! It was so great to meet everyone. And if you've bought something. . . thanks even more! Thanks too to all who stopped by my Etsy shop! Things have been flying away over there. It's been really wonderful.

Well. . . that's all for now. . . Happy Holidays! Talk soon!

hearts and puppies,
erika

Bust Holiday Craftacular!!!

The show that's soooo great and soooo fun that they actually had to make up a word for it is coming up this very weekend! It's the 3rd Annual Bust Holiday Craftacular! Woo hoo! Dancing and singing all around!!!

We here at my imaginary boyfriend HQ have been lucky enough to be involved with this show since the begining. . . in fact, the Craftacular was our very first show back in 2005 (so long ago. . . I wore my hair in ribbons then. . . ah, yes I remember it well. . . Oh, sorry.). This year we're sharing our table with the lovely Sarah of Gavin&Lily and most recently of Birch Handmade. We luv, luv, luv sharing with Sarah! She's so our crafting BFF! And it doesn't hurt that she makes some of the prettiest jewelery around. Yeah. . . my imaginary boyfriend and I only have the most talented friends. . .

Well I guess that's all for now. Must get back to sewing felt rock and logs and such. Remember to come by if you're in New York. It promises to be the funnest of fun times!

hearts and puppies,
erika

PS - I feel I've been a little remiss in picture posting of late. . . I don't have any of new crafts, so here's one of Viola! Yea!

Finally!

My Etsy Shop has been updated with stock including Christmas stockings and ornaments! I know it's late but if you order. . . I promise to get you're stuff to you before Santa slides down your chimney (or through your mail slot. . . or breaks into your house or however he gets into places without chimneys and mail slots. . .).

Other news! New baby!!! Not me. . . oh no. . . imaginary boyfriends aren't exactly the knocking you up type. . . one of the perks. . . anyway. . . back on topic. . . New baby! My wonderful, beautiful, super awesome friends Becca and Joe had a wonderful, beautiful, super awesome baby a few weeks back. Here's a picture of him in his Tick ensemble crafted for him by his loving Aunt Erika!



Isn't he just 10 pounds of cute in a 5 pound bag!?!?!

Also. . . more shows!!! December 8th - NYC - Bust Holiday Craftacular! This will be my 3 year doing the Craftacular and I'm so super excited. The Craftacular was my first show ever and It's always been one of my best.

December 15th - San Francisco - Bazaar Bizarre! My first BazBiz!!! Woo Hoo! And my last show of the season. What a wonderful send off!

Then it's a bit of a break for me and the boyfriend. . . gonna hang out with Becca and Joe and the baby and decompress from this hectic season. Worry not, though, faithful reader, I will be posting. . . perhaps more than ever!

Well. . . back to the felt mills. . .

hearts and puppies,
erika

Handmade for the Holidays!

This Friday and Saturday! Los Angeles! At Fairfax HS, the corner of Fairfax and Melrose!

You should come by. . . I'm sharing my booth with the wonderful Sarah of Gavin&Lily. . . it will be super duper awesome. That's a promise!

Oh! And thanks to all those who came by at Felt Club. It was great fun and I heart you all!

hearts and puppies!
erika

Felt Club Tomorrow!

Come by and say "hi!" if you're in the LA area this Sunday. It promises to be a super great show!

Felt Club!

Reminders and news!

Hi lovelies!

Can't talk long. . . still stitching like crazy and have 30+ robots to make before the end of the day but I just wanted to remind you. . .

Stitch is this coming weekend!!! EEK and YIPPY all at once! If you are in Austin you should come by. . . it should be a great day.

Also. . . just got this message from the folks at Felt Club:

We will be offering advance tickets (wristbands) for Felt Club at around 10 locations all over LA. They are only $2.50 (it's $5 at the door). 12 and under is free.

The full list of locations will be announced soon, but these locations will have them for sure starting early next week, so feel free to tell your pals!

ReForm School (Silver Lake)

Handmade Galleries LA (Sherman Oaks)

The Silent Movie Theater (Fairfax)

Family (Fairfax)

Secret Headquarters (Silver Lake)

Melrose, Downtown, and West Side locations are on the way.

Well back to the mines, just me and my felt canary. . .

hearts and puppies,
erika

newsies!

Well. . . not much going on here actually. . . but wanted to share a couple of things. . . first. . . new bags!





What do you think? I'm not sure just yet. . . the gray one's looking a little Alexis Carrington to me and the green looks a bit like a hat. . . not that either of those thing are bad. . . just. . . well, I don't know. . .

Also, the lovely ladies over at Frock in Reading, PA were profiled by the Reading Eagle Newspaper. It's a great article about them and their wonderful little shop featuring a slide show of some of the items available (including one of my super cute ring pillows!). Check it out here!

Well, i guess that's all for now. . . Stitch is soon. . . EEK! and Christmas stuff will be up on Etsy sometime in November.

Okay. . . that's really it. . .

hearts and puppies,
erika

Hey Erika! What have you been up to?

I'd love to tell you that I've been working hard on product for all of the shows I have lined up. . .

I'd love to tell you that I've printed up fabric and stitched my fingers raw on all this product. . .

I'd love to tell you that. . . but I'd so be lying. . .

Oh, don't get me wrong. . . I've been working hard and stitching hard but on something so silly and so not having to do with what I should be doing.

A little back story. . . so here in Bakersfield I don't really have friends. Don't feel sorry for me. . . it's intentional in a way, it means that I don't have too many distractions from the work, at least that's the idea. I do have friends, they're just all out of town. I lived here for a while after I graduated from the Conservatory (oh. . . I went to a performing arts conservatory. . . the Boston Conservatory to be exact. . . but I'm sure most of you reading know this because most of you know me. . . sorry. . . i digress. . .) and was very active in the local theater community with tons of friends and friendly acquaintances. I moved to New York in 2002 to act, and I did but I was only able to get so far before playing the game became an important part of my success, and I royally suck at the game. So I started this thing and moved back. . . but the temptation to perform is still there and I fear that hanging out with my old friends will get me back into my old scene and then what's the point of the last 6 years of my life if I fall back like it's 2001 all over again? So the point of all this rambling, Erika? I don't really have friends here so I watch a lot of TV and many DVDs while I work and I've been watching a LOT of the new Doctor Who.

When I got back from my last trip to New York and Washington DC I became obsessed with the idea of making a stuffed TARDIS. I started it Wednesday and finished it Sunday. Here it is. . .



and close up. . .



Sometimes I get a little obsessed with an idea and I just have to make it happen to clear my mind. Now I can start working again. . . not quite sure where I'm gonna put this thing, it's kinda huge (about 2 feet tall and about a square foot around), but, so far, it's been awful nice to cuddle while watching Torchwood. . .

Okay. . . next post will be about work. . . no more goofing around.

hearts and puppies (and doctors and tardises),
erika

another show!

Just found out that I got in another show! Yea!!!

Add this to the list:
November 18 - Felt Club - Los Angeles, CA

Thanks to everyon who came out for Crafty Bastards. It was a great show! So many great people stopped by the booth and the people who organized this show were the best. It felt so great to be soooo welcomed at a fair. Thanks again!

hearts and puppies,
erika

Sorry so absent!

Hi all!
Boy has it been crazy! Still is. . . Just wanted to let you know that this weekend is Crafty Bastards in Washington DC. If you're in the area. . . stop by! On the Crafty Bastards tip, they have a Q & A with me in their blog this week. Check it out!

Oh and here's a list of upcoming shows and fair where I will be selling my wares!

September 30 - Crafty Bastards - Washington DC
November 10 - Stitch - Austin, Texas
November 23 & 24 - Handmade for the Holidays - w. Gavin&Lily - Los Angeles, CA
December 15 - Bazaar Bizarre Holiday Show - San Francisco, CA

There are a few more dates to come (hopefully)! Hope to see you soon!

hearts and puppies,
erika

Just got word!

My bed is on it's way!!!

New work space!

And sleep space. . . and eat space. . .

It's tiny but it's home. . .



Are those new bag designs hanging from that chair and resting on those storage bins? I think they are!



I spent 2 hours (maybe more?) hanging these pictures and I think I need more. . . what do you think?
Oh, like my bed? . . . it's temporary (and uncomfortable!). This is the daybed/sofa I will soon be sleeping upon!
Isn't it pretty! I splurged to get something modern. . . something that will be with me for the rest of my life. But It's taking forever to get here! But when it comes It will be upholstered in orange and will be 10 times more comfy than my air mattress!








That's it for now. . . back to work. . . new bag photos will be up next week!

hearts and puppies,
erika

PS- Oh! I've added new links to my website and updated my bio! Yea! Have something you'd like me to link to? Let me know!

New Etsy Listings!

Hi friends!

I just listed some new(ish) items in my Etsy shop!

Yea!

As for other new things. . . well. . . that's not been going all that well. . . I'm so super stuck you wouldn't believe it! Maybe it's the move (it's probably the move). . . maybe I'm just tapped. . . Whatever it is I'm more stuck than I've ever been before. I feel like a woolly mammoth at the La Brea tar pits!

It's tough here. Bakersfield isn't the most inspiring place unless you want to be inspired to make country music, race cars, or move but I am trying. It's tough though. . . living with mom. . . stuck working in a 10 by 10 room. . . with contractors on the way (oh yeah, mom's hired contractors to fix one of the bathrooms. sigh. . . construction is great for the creative spirit. . .). I know I moved here for a good reason yet I just can't seem to shake the whole moving home stigma. I just don't know what to do with myself. . .

I made a clutch purse today. I'll take a picture of it tomorrow to see what you all think.

Well, I guess that's it for now. . .

hearts and puppies,
erika

This one's for Joi

So my friend Joi tagged me in a little bloggy sharing game the only problem is that I don't have any bloggy friends to pass it along to but I'm still happy to answer. . .

so, 7 random facts about me. . .

1. I have a favorite episode of the show ChIPs. It's called "Rock Devil Rock" and stars Donny Most (TV's Ralph Malph) as an Alice Cooper-like rock star called Morlock.

2. In 1991 I was a California Arts Scholar and attended the California State Summer School for the Arts. I was in the music program. I still have the medal!

3. I'm somewhat obsessed with the numbers 3 and 7 and their multiples. I also like the number 5 but so much it's multiples. . . just the number 5. If you look at my work you'll see if there's a pattern chances are it's in 3's, 7's, or 5's.

4. I made Cakey! the cake from outerspace!

5. I only learned to sew a few years ago and I don't really like it very much (I much prefer the embroidery and applique part). I've never actually sewn an clothes. I started a very frustrating dress last year but stopped because I had to work on bags and pillows.

6. When I was little, between the ages of 6-9, I was such a troublemaker that my teachers kept trying to put me in special ed. just to get me out of their hair.

7. I had chicken pox at the age of 22. You know what they say about it being worse the older you get? That's not a lie.

Well, that's it! If you have a blog and want to be my bloggy friend, let me know and you can answer these too!

hearts and puppies,
erika

What on earth have I been up to?

Sorry it's been so long since last I posted but oh boy have things been crazy here! Getting settled is so unsettling!

Okay. . . to back track a bit. . . last leg of the trip. . . the following pictures pretty much explain it all. . .











And just in case you were wondering. . . no, I never got to drive. . .

Arriving home, life was a blur of boxes and getting ready. As soon as we unpacked the van I started working on having a yard sale to sell off the my extra stuff and the stuff that was in my old, well. . . new, room . And as soon as that was over I had to get to sewing! Just typing it all makes me tired!

Here is what I was sewing:

and here is where they will be:

Frock is a shop in West Reading, PA that has been carrying my bags for a few months now. They're having an alternative wedding showcase and asked me to send some gem pins and such along. I asked if they'd be interested in ring pillows too (because lord knows I don't have a lot on my plate already!) and they said "Sure! We'd love them!" So these are they. Ring pillows for other people's adorable weddings. I hope they like them. . .

Oh and I made another baby bag. . . there will be pictures soon. . .

Now I have to start building stuff for Crafty Bastards in Washington DC at the end of September. . . oh my. . . so much to do. . . better get back to it.

Talk to you all soon!

hearts and puppies,
erika

Home safe!

I got in Thursday night. . . can't say much because I'm swamped with the business of getting settled but I'll be back to tell you of my exciting final day and how I've realized that I'm more like both of my parents than I wish to admit. . .

hearts and puppies,
erika

Driving down highway 40 in my big ol' pick-up truck, Day 3

Have a lot to say but too tired to say it. We started late so drove late and now it's one am and we just got settled into tonight's hotel. 2 things sum up the day, though, rain and the fact that my invisible passenger side break is still broken. . . do any of you know of any shops that can fix that?

Pictures and more to follow. . .

On the road, day 2

We started in Hebron, OH. . . we are now in Joplin, MO. . . dad's still snoring (and farting) so I'm having a bit of a hard time sleeping right now even though I'm beyond exhausted. . .

The drive was a bit easier today though he still drives as thought he's in a car and not carting around all my most prized possessions. Today, he was a bit crazy on a turn and I asked him not to break my stuff. He was all, "well if it were to get broken, it would have happened all ready." Gee dad, thanks. . . Who knew my dad was such a card?

For the most part we were quite today, driving and listening to music and This American Life but we did have moments. . . here are some highlights:

- Heading into Indiana. . . here's the exchange:
Dad: Now that we're in Indiana, I need to tell you a story. . .
Me: Okay
Dad: Well, there was this Indian lady. . .
Me: Dots or feathers?
Dad: Feathers. . .
Me: Okay
Dad: So she went to this doctor and he saw that she didn't have any nipples. . .
The doctor says, "that's unusual. . . you have no nipples. . ." She says "yeah, it's happened to like 500 women in my tribe. . . they even have a name for us. . ."
The doctor says, "yeah? what's that?" The woman says "the Indian nipple-less 500"

Yep. . . I had the same reaction. . .

-Waffle House waffles, bacon, and coffee are the bomb!

=There are a LOT of caverns on the road.

- Unless it's to eat, pee, or get gas, there is no stopping on this trip. . . all photos will, in all likelihood be from the truck. . .

Here are some pictures from today. . .

Homes in Ohio


Springfield. . . Are we there yet?


Our truck at the Waffle House


St. Louis


Dad and the Mississippi

Well, I guess that's all for the day. . . It's quiet for a short time right now, I'm going to try to fall asleep before the snoring starts again. . . Oh well too late. . . still. . .

Love from Missouri.

hearts and puppies,
erika

PS- OH! We ate at a Chinese/Japanese restaurant called Yummy Yummy. It wasn't so much. . . but it was Chinese food in Ohio, what did I expect? Still that name. . . it's a good one. . . and I learned that my dad and I were both born in the year of the rabbit! Who knew!?!?

Roadrunner, day 1

Update on my landlord situation. . . it all turned out just fine. I'm tired and beat up but we got our deposit back in full! Yippy! Place was probably cleaner than when we moved in. . .

So. . . on the road. . . I was hoping to have some pictures but my dad isn't much for stopping. I promise to take pictures tomorrow regardless, but just a warning. . . they might all be from the inside of the truck cab!

As for the trip so far, it took me 3 days to convince my dad that going through the Holland Tunnel was the right way to get out of the city. Luckily, traffic was brisk (for New York) and we were through the tunnel in no time! All tunnels out of the way! Off we go to the great wide West! Well. . . no. . . not really. . . apparently Pennsylvania is chock full of tunnels! Every other mountain has a freaking tunnel going through it! Dad was a trouper, though, and he drove along with nary a wince.

That's not to say there were no white knuckle moments. . . my father is a reformed speed demon and his need to be right and up front still seemed to show up every so often. I think he forgot that we were in a truck. I must have stepped on my passenger side break at least 10 times during our 500 plus mile trip! Eek!

We did have a bonding moment, though. . . I happened to have Sarah Vowell's "Assassination Vacation"on my ipod and thought that dad would like it. Once he got used to her voice (a voice I'm quite fond of but I also understand that several folks fine it hard listening) he loved it! Listening really made the hours fly though it did get in the way of talking. . . but do have 4 more days of this to actually learn about each other. . . right?

I guess that's all for now. . . if I can fall asleep. . . he snores. . .

Love from Ohio.

hearts and puppies,
erika

My landlords suck big fat toes!

I'm sure it will come as no surprise when I say that my landlords are turning into jackass shysters now that we're moving. Yes, I painted my apartment. Yes, I hung pictures on the walls. Yes, there's wear and tear but that's because we actually LIVED in the apartment for 2 years!!! I don't know much about the law but I do watch a lot of judge shows (Judy. . . People's Court. . . my personal fave. . . Judge Mathis. . .) and as far as I know you can't dock someone's security for the kind of basic wear that comes to a place after 2 years of living there. . . Someone should inform my landlords about that!

Grrrr.

I'm painting and patching like mad here and still it might not be enough! If anything I'm saving them money from having to have this place repainted. I bought the paint. . . I'm doing the labor. . . but still they're threatening to charge me if it's not done "right." I was told "your apartment has to be in perfect condition when you leave in order to get your deposit back in full, just like it was when you moved in. " Well, you know what. . . it wasn't in perfect condition when we moved in. It was a dirty sty! The bathroom was disgusting from the workers who had been in to paint and refinish the floors, the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen were full of crap, there was mysterious brown stuff on some of the doors and a hole punched into one of the closet doors! I'd say that's far from perfect. . . maybe I should leave it like that. . .

Man. . . there's a special level of hell where landlords like these end up. . .

Thank you for letting me rant. . . love you all. . . about as much as I hate moving. . .

hearts and puppies,
erika

PS- Dad's here and here's your first revelation. . . The man is terribly afraid of tunnels! Which makes getting out of here kinda hard. . . because the only bridge off this island in the direction we are heading is almost 2 hours out of the way. But I think I've convinced him that the Holland Tunnel is okay. . . at least I have for now. . . we'll see on Sunday. . .

Bloggers love the rock!

Funny, as I get ready to leave this little chunk of Long Island known as Brooklyn awareness for my "I ROCK NY" bags grows and grows. The attention is great but it makes me a bit sad too. Not that they love my work enough to recognize but just that I'm leaving the town that inspires me to rock. Anyway. . . check it out. . . first some rock love in Rare Bird Finds a super great shopping blog and then Joi hipped me to the loveliness that is the Gold School blog. Yea! such fun!

As for the move. . . it is approaching faster than an oncoming train! Yep, it's this weekend. It seems it's come so fast. . . a few weeks back I was getting ready for Renegade, now everything (including my sewing machine!!!) is in boxes and bins and plastic wrap. . . it's enough to discombobulate a girl! My dad comes in tomorrow to help me transport all 5 and a half years of accumulated miscellany across this great big country of ours. Who's bright idea was it to move to California!?!? Oh yeah. . . mine. . . It's all so overwhelming. . . I don't think it will all finally set in until I'm somewhere in Ohio. Now it's just boxes and paint and the security deposit (specifically, getting it back).

I'm gonna try to blog the trip. . . it should be interesting. Dad and I don't spend that much time together. I don't think we've spent more than 4 or 5 hours alone together and now we're heading off cross country in a moving van. This is the stuff of art house movies, people! Expect amazing revelations! . . . or just long stretches of silence. . . either way. . . what a read!

Talk to you soon.

hearts and puppies,
erika

VIVE LA SWAPPY!!!

Let them eat cake? Nah! Let them swap craft supplies!!!

This Saturday, Bastille Day, The New York City Craft Mafia and Etsy Labs are sponsoring the Return of SWAPPY!, the 2nd of our craft supply swaps. Here's the specs as written up by the lovely folks at Etsy:

Saturday, July 14, 2-5PM
At: Etsy Labs: 325 Gold St., 6th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Has your boyfriend/girlfriend/roommate/cat been begging you to destash your crafting supplies? If your mountain of fabric has been threatening to bury you alive, get yourself down to Etsy Labs for the second awesome NYC Craft Mafia Supply Swap. This event is totally free, just bring your unwanted craft supplies and (if you want) drinks or snackity type things to share.

Got no supplies but still wanna swap? It'll be $10, please.

See ya there, swappers!

Like it says. . . hope to see you there!!!

hearts and puppies,
erika

Moving right along. . . Gugh-gugh-duh-gugh-gugh-duh

Don't know if you know but I'm moving from my beloved Brooklyn. After 5 years in NYC I'm heading out at the end of the month. It was a hard decision, but the right one. I think I'll be able to make something brilliant of the boyfriend if I can cut my costs back (something I could never do here).

So where am I going and what am I doing?

Well. . . I'm moving home, back to Bakersfield, back to my mom's. I must admit I'm a little afraid, scared I'll fall into the familiar day to day that was my life in Bakersfield 5 plus years ago. It was comfortable then. . . I was, to a small degree, a local celebrity, profiled for my acting in the local paper, the lead in community plays, free fries at the Burger King because I was that girl from Comedy Sportz. . . I must admit it was nice. . . but that is not why I'm moving. No, I'm moving to get myself off of this plateau I've built for myself.

If I can cut back my costs, I feel I can really focus all my energy on making the boyfriend profitable. Yes, my imaginary boyfriend and I are planing to take over the world!. . . from Bakersfield. . . for now. . .

Goals for this new year:
More shows!
A clear and concise wholesale catalogue
A better website!
An always full web shop
Collaborations that you will love (can't tell you who the collaboration will be with just yet but I can tell you that it is gonna be so super awesome you just won't know what to do with yourself!)
Leather work (my imaginary boyfriend will be making leather goods by this time next year, THAT is a promise!)

Well. . . that's all. . . but that's a lot. . . no?

hearts and puppies (and hopes and dreams. . .),
erika

Frustration!!!

I don't get it. . . why make a craft supply that takes 48 hours to cure!?!? Seriously. . . that shit's lame.

Oh. . . and I hate gravity. . . and Christmas bulbs. . . and super thick glitter paint that takes 48 hours to cure. . . and having to use glitter paint that takes 48 hours to cure on Christmas bulbs while fighting gravity.

The things we do for money. . .

sigh.

hearts and puppies,
erika

Renegade recap. . .

Sold more than I did at Art Star Craft Bazaar, but not nearly as much as I did at last year's Renegade. I think a lot of it had to do with location. I was way way way far away from the entrance and I think that by the time people wound their way over to me they were way over the novelty of shopping for handmade goods. The heat and rain (the first day) didn't help either. Nor did the giant puddle under my tent the second day from the first day's rain. I didn't really have time to take pictures but my friends at the Craft Mafia took tons! As soon as I get copies, you'll see them.

Know what else you'll see? . . . All my new stuff over at my etsy shop! I've already put some new totes up there and there will be more in the coming days. Now you can own a piece of my imaginary boyfriend sweetness just like all the folks who picked up stuff at Renegade but you don't have to deal with heat, a giant empty swimming pool, rain, or uber-hipsters. Nice, no?

Now for pictures. . .
From my early morning photo shoot this morning (Got to the park at 6:30 am. You read right AM!). Apparently it's odd to take pictures of bags and pillows in a public park. Who knew!?! One little old Asian lady seems especially annoyed with me. Sorry, ma'am.







hearts and puppies,
erika

Renegade Craft Fair this weekend!

So, yeah, another show. . . Renegade Craft Fair. . . this weekend. . .

I must admit, I'm feeling a little gun shy from the show 2 weeks ago, but I know, you just gotta let that stuff roll of the back. . . be the duck, Erika, be the duck. . .

If you're around you should try to come by. Here's the details. . .

What: Renegade Craft Fair Brooklyn
When: June 16th & 17th, 11 am to 6 pm
Where: Brooklyn's best empty swimming pool, McCarren Park Pool on Lorimer btw Driggs and Bayard
Who: erika and my imaginary boyfriend, the New York City Craft Mafia, and over 200 other super talented craftspeople
Why: Because you love me and art and indie crafts and you really need some new, hip clothing, bags, and housewares
How: Come by train or car! Here's directions!

my imaginary boyfriend's booth is booth number 191, right next to the NYC Craft Mafia tent at 192, right in the deep end of the pool because we don't mess around with the shallow end.

Guess that's all, hope to see you there!

Thanks for your time, here are some trees I made:


hearts and puppies,
erika

Birds!

Shots from Art Star Craft Bazaar


Bird No. 1


Bird No. 2 (found a lovely home in Philly)


Bird No. 3

Report from the Art Star Craft Bazaar

Philly Art Star Craft Bazaar - day one, so sunny!


Philly Art Star Craft Bazaar - day two, so not sunny! Had to move everything in due to rain (but I think I like this set-up better).

Back from Philly! The show was. . . well. . . lets just say I met a lot of nice people and made a lot of people smile with my silly little felt things, funny name, and Tiger Beat photo of '80's era Matt Dillon. As for sales. . . yeah. . . I didn't do so well. Lots of people came by and said they loved my stuff but it seems Philly just didn't want to go steady with the boyfriend.

This was how bad it was. . . I only made $82 the first day. Now that's an outcome that can really knock a girl down a few pegs. . . a few hundred pegs. Maybe I've gotten cocky. . . but seriously, everything I make is freaking handmade! Appliqued by hand! Embroidered by hand! Painted by hand! Not only that, the work is impeccable! And my prices. . . my prices are not out of line. The way they are now I'm bairly getting paid for my work!

Sigh. . . anyway. . .

On the plus side I met some great people and the girls who run the Art Star Gallery are beyond great, that's the thing I have to focus on. . . lots of nice people. . . and the Northern Liberties area of Philly is just lovely. . . and I didn't get sunburned (and most everyone got sunburned on Saturday). . . that's something. . .

Hopefully Renegade Craft Fair will be more profitable. If it's not, I just don't know what I'll do with myself.

hearts and puppies,
erika

I should be sleeping. . .

I leave for Philly in 5 hours and 40 minutes.

I am not sleeping.

ggggrrrrrrrggggghhhhhh.

Art Star Craft Bazaar this weekend!!!!

Sorry I've been so absent lately but I've been frantically getting ready for the Art Star show this weekend. Add to that a freak avocado injury last Friday leaving my left hand a little on the useless side and my friend's sudden appendicitis (the same day!!!) and you can see why I've been away!

As for the show. . . I think I'm ready. I've got a fair amount made, lots of pillows and bags. It's not every thing I wanted to have done, but it never is. . . I think I could make enough pillows and bags to fill a swimming pool and I'd think it's not enough! I'm pretty happy with my show set up too. I've been collecting and making display items for the past month and I bought a brand-spanking-new tent! To go with the new digs, I made a new banner last Monday. It's very cute. I hope it holds up if the expected rain comes. . .

We'll see. . . I pick up my rental car tonight and motor off to Philly first thing in the morning.

As for the hand. . . it's much better. I cut myself at the junction of my left middle finger and hand. It was a deep cut but small so no stitches were needed. It's now all closed up but the hand is still pretty bruised, swollen and sore. I wish it looked worse than it does. . . because it hurts like mad sometimes and I'd like people to know I'm not being a big baby!

As for the friend. . . she's much better too and might be joining me for the show!

Well, that's all for now. . .

hearts and puppies!
erika

OH! I promised pictures last time. . . well. . . I haven't taken any but here's one of me acting goofy at the NYC Craft Mafia Swap!

Craft Lockdown progress report

I feel like I've been away forever and honestly I can't talk long. Just popped in to let you all know how it's going. Last week I had a raging cold, the kind of cold you can only get from babies and small children (I got mine from a baby, but it was the cutest cold I've ever had!), so I didn't want to work but I did. I also napped but, hey, I had a cold! Here's what I've completed thus far:

2 Large embroidered pillow covers for 20"x20" down pillows
2 Yellow and 1 green Gocco printed and appliqued pillows
2 Log pillows
2 Clutch purses
2 Large tote bags (both new designs!)

Not bad for a sick girl! De La Soul said that 3 was a magic number (well, technically the School House Rock! folks said it first) but I really think that 2 was the it number last week.

I also finished a project for the fall Adorn Magazine and took care of general business type things. Yea me!

Speaking of Adorn and yea me. . . I have a project in the Summer issue as well! It's an absolutely adorable skirt with embroidered postcards appliqued onto it. I'm very proud of it and the Adorn folks took some lovely close up shots of my work so you can see all my OCD stitch work in it's full glory!

That's all for now! I'll take some pictures of the progress and post them soon.

Oh! If you're in the New York City area this Saturday you should really come by the NYC Craft Mafia's craft swap. It promises to be much fun, much fun indeed!

hearts and puppies,
erika

Oh! More fuel for the anxiety fire

To add to my anxiety, another show:

Art Star Craft Bazaar

Are you in Philadelphia? Want to be in Philadelphia on the weekend of June 2nd and 3rd? Well, come on by and see if I break out of my block and make lots of pretty things to sell! That's exciting drama, is it not? Almost like watching Rocky! But with more felt woodland creatures and less raw egg drinking, meat beating, rope jumping, and pummeling. I probably won't win any Oscars either. . . . So really, nothing like Rocky. . . But it will be fun and I won't make you run up any steps!

Oh, there will also be tons of other awesome designers and craftspeople there as well. You should come. Boys 2 Men will be there with cheesesteaks!*

hearts and puppies,
erika

* Boys 2 Men probably won't be there with cheesesteaks but, hey, anything's possible at the Art Star Craft Bazaar!

At the begining of "craft lockdown" I'm stuck for ideas. . .

With show season fast approaching, I've come to the time I call "craft lockdown" where I sit at home and sew, paint, embellish, and sew some more for 15 to 20 hours a day in preparation for the sales to come. Craft lockdown is just that, I don't really leave the house unless it's an absolute necessity, I loose touch with friends and family and I only shower when I start to gross myself out (I know eeewww, over share!). It's the time of year I'm super thankful I have an understanding, supportive roommate. Because, honestly, I get a little crazy during lockdown. . . okay. . . a lot crazy. . . but it does seem to work for me and I always seem to get things done.

That is until now. . .

I have such a killer design block right now! Nothing new seems to be coming out. I could do what I've done before just to have stuff to sell, but I don't really want to do that. I feel like there's progress to be made, that there's ideas in there. I have them during the day, I even write them down but when I try to execute them, they fall flat. Like this bag I just made. Blech. A big ugly, pleated mess. It's so discouraging.

And now I ask myself, am I pushing myself too far? Should I just go back to what I'm good at which is the embellishment, the applique, the embroidery, and leave the fancy bag shapes and fabrics to the people who can actually make patterns and sew them up all pretty like? Should I just stick to basic shapes like the sewing remedial I am?

BAH. I hate feeling like this. It's been going on for a while (notice my almost empty etsy shop) but I was hoping that, if i just let it be, it would pass. But it hasn't passed and I can't wait any longer! I need ideas that work and I need them now. If I can't come up with anything I'm gonna have to trot out the same old deer and birds and I really don't want to do that.

Sigh.

hearts and puppies,
erika

required updates

Hi all,
Haven't posted in a bit because there's not all that much happening. I mean, there's stuff happening. . . painting fabric like mad, figuring out designs, numbers, logistics. . . but nothing that produces deep, crafty insight or pretty pictures. Thus the quiet. . . but there are a few things to share. . .

The New York City Craft Mafia (of which I am a part) is hosting it's first big event:

ATTACK OF THE CRAFTY SWAP THING!!!
If you couldn't gather, it's a supply swap. What you do is you come bearing all the supplies you no longer use, supplies from projects past or projects never started, and trade them in for new supplies!

$5 and your supplies gets you a big ol' bag to fill with whatever you want.
Have no stray supplies lying around but want to partake in the fun? $20 will get you that same big bag.

The swap will be held from Noon to 4pm on May 12th in the back yard of Archangela, a shoe boutique in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Swag Bags for the first 50 Swappers! Hope to see you there!

Additionally, my imaginary boyfriend and I will be hocking our wares at the Renegade Craft Fair held this year in Brooklyn's finest giant drained swimming pool, McCarren Park Pool . Last year's Renegade was so much fun, we can't wait to do it again!

That's it for now. I have some pillows almost done and another bag design to mock up. When they're finished, you'll be the first to see them, promise.

hearts and puppies,
erika

Bit by the blog bug!

Started a new blog the other day.
picturesofpeopleidontknow.blogspot.com
Now I have some scanning to do.

hearts and puppies,
erika

They call them shadow boxes for a reason. . .

Hello!

Well, here, as promised, is the shadow box I made for Joi. Funny thing about trying to take pictures of a shadow box. . . it's hard because of. . . well. . . all the shadows. Anyway. . . this is it.

I'm really happy with how it turned out. Here are two other views:


The box is 5" by 7", painted in a dark blue-green with an abstract berry design painted up both sides in a light turquoise, and finished with a high gloss varnish. Inside, the box is painted with a golden yellow tinted varnish, the back is a page from a 1957 encyclopedia entry on the sun and sunlight.

The star if this shadow box is the tree. It's wool felt with embroidery accents and stuffed with good ol' polyfill. The pattern on the trunk was stitched freehand using split stitch and french knots.

Then there's my favorite part, the sweeps week guest star if you will (and I will!), the hot pink squirrel scampering up its trunk!

Hope Joi likes it as much as I do.

hearts and puppies,
erika

OH! I forgot to post this! Diorama Lodge!?!?!

So I missed this yesterday because I had some sewing to do but my, oh my do I want to go next month! Who wants to go with me? Come on y'all!

Diorama Lodge

8:00 - 11:00 DIORAMA LODGE: Got a hankering for liquor-fueled arts and crafts?Are you one of those people who relished those assignments in elementary school that required you to create a diorama? Do you see a shoe box as the setting for a whole new world? Do you miss the taste of paste - or are you a hot shot with a glue gun? Do you save boxes of junk in case someday you might 'make something' out it.The theme will be announced on the night of... and there will be one first prize, voted on by all the creators (and drinkers) that show up. Bring your own shoebox plus glue, found objects, foil, toothpicks, craft store doo-dads, string, cotton balls, cake toppers, general junk, and inspiration. Bring stuff for your own diorama - but you are also strongly encouraged to bring stuff to share with the communal stew of diorama ingredients. (Note: We will be required to clean up after ourselves.) Arrive at 8pm for 8:15 start. (8-11:00pm), Held on the first Tuesday of every month after...http://www.friendster.com/dioramalodge
dioramalodge@yahoo.com

Feeling better now. Thank you.

Hi all!
Just wanted to thank all my friends for their support and for saying all the things that would have been petty if they had come out of my mouth (or from my fingers).

Thanks to all my Craft Mafia girls for their "What were they thinking!?!"-s. A special thanks to Joi for talking to me for a full hour and telling me all of her conspiracy theories on my slight and then commissioning a shadow box from me. Working on that box really helped me focus on something other than a mind full of "What did I do wrong?"

Thanks to Cindy for telling me that they're obviously crazy.

Thanks to Tom for trying, though he called at the worse time and I threw him over for a giant tray of Los Pollitos Super Nachos with chicken and 2 pieces of their yummy Mex-corn (and thanks to Los Pollitos for all their tasty goodness at a very affordable price). Even without all of the food that had just been delivered, I just wasn't ready to suss out the why-s of it all. Thanks for understanding (that thanks goes to my Mom too).

Thanks to Julie and Steve for letting me sit on their couch, watch their Showtime on demand (yea! This American Life!) and various other TV wonders (I stand by my stance that Robin Hood is good and fun!), drink their beer, and eat their food for almost all of Sunday. They made me laugh and completely took my mind off anything imaginary boyfriend related.

That is all for now. I'll post pictures of Joi's shadow box soon.

hearts and puppies,
erika

my imaginary boyfriend rejected!

Seems there's no love for the boyfriend over at Bazaar Bizarre. . .

Dear BB SF 2007 Applicant,

Sadly, we're writing to tell you we weren't able to accept your application for the 2007 San Francisco Bazaar Bizarre. We wish we could find a way to let in everyone who applies; as it is there were over two-and-a-half times the number of applications than spots available. It was a very tough decision. There were a lot of really fabulous and inspirational applications that we're really sad we won't have room for.

Thanks very much for your interest and creativity and for taking the time to apply. We very much appreciate it, and wish you the best in your creative efforts.

All the best,
The Bazaar Bizarre Organizers

It feels like a punch in the gut, like it's not really happening.

I have to go cry now, talk to you all later. . .
erika

Christmas in March!

Because July is so cliche. . .

Hi all! Had to take a break from the sewing and the prototyping to do a custom order for the lovely Charlotte. I'm not sure how she found me (a show? Etsy? crystal ball?) but she did and I'm the happier for it. It's great to be able to do custom work for someone who really lets you be you in your work. I've been lucky that way, all my custom orders have allowed me to keep it quirky, makes sense, since that's probably what brought the customers to me in the first place, but one does hear horror stories of crazy compromises! So far all of the things that people have asked me to do outside of my regular template have been awesome and have added to my repertoire. I am now currently knocking on wood that it stays that way!

Anyway. . . Charlotte is what we like to call an early bird here in my imaginary boyfriend HQ. She doesn't mess around with placing orders for Christmas decorations when the artist might have too much to do, heck no! She places those orders in March! I must admit, it was a bit hard to get back into Christmas mode but I was soon fa-la-la-la-la-ing along. Charlotte not only wanted stockings for her immediate family but for her cat family as well! Very fun, the cats on the stockings are my take on the picture she sent me.

Well, now it's back to the work on the non-Christmas line. I started stitching some pillow covers last night using this amazing purple vintage fabric I found on eBay and I can't wait to see if they turn out like the pillows in my mind (not to be confused with the "Windmills of My Mind").

Christmas hearts and puppies,

erika

Spring Sneek Peak! Fabric!

Hi all!
Yesterday was a happy day over at my imaginary boyfriend HQ. . . fabric came! Happy day! Happy day! I went a little crazy with the tax return this year and bought a lot of new (and vintage) fabrics. I still need to take pictures of my vintage stash but check out all the awesome I got yesterday from Repro Depot:

Look at it all folded and stacked pretty like by the lovely Repro Depot folks! And here it is all spread out:

So much pretty! It makes a girl wanna dance!

hearts and puppies,

erika

Sssshhhhh. . . Don't tell. . .

I'm currently crafting at work! I mean shhhhh, i'm currently crafting at work.

Okay. . . technically not currently since I'm typing this right now, but I do have a felt robot sitting on my lap with a needle sticking out of it's eye. Scary needle-eyed robot!

I wish I could full on get my craft on at work. If I'm doing my job, what should the corporate overlords care what I do with the down time in between phone rings and copies? How is stitching or drawing or knitting (a craft that I've had to give up thanks to an affliction I call "shaky hand.") any worse than my normal killing time online? Apparently looking busy is far more important that actually being busy. And so I waste the most creative hours of my day reading television without pity , stereogum and gawker.

I'm trying my best to work around this, though, and so today is my latest attempt at 9 to 5 stealth crafting. It's all about keeping the work low and small. Using shorter floss lengths. . . lowering the office chair. . . So far, so good.

My most outlandish (and least stealth-like) stint of 9 to 5 crafting came a few years back in the form of a prop for my friend Dyna's show Neo Tokyo Girl Crush 2040! I made a cannon arm for one of the characters while sitting under my desk during a particularly dead time at work. Let's hear it for the 9 to 5!!! Sigh.

Check out that cannon arm!!!

The promised bag. . .

Tomorrow is today over here at my imaginary boyfriend HQ! Here are the bags I promised you! First the new diaper bag. . . As you can see, it's a messenger style bag.

I like the idea of a diaper bag that doesn't scream "I'm a diaper bag!! Baby things are kept in me!!!" You know? Just because you have a kid doesn't mean that you suddenly want to carry around totes with child like drawings of zoo animals or bears (which I guess could qualify as a zoo animal, such a stickler!) and so far I've yet to find someone who's developed a sudden love for quilted pastels once they added a life to the world. But then again I don't know that family from TLC's "16 Children and Counting" or whatever it's called, they seem like the pasteled zoo animal type(but honestly, those people scare the living hell out of me!!!).




Anyway. . . more on the bag. I added lots of pockets, one under the flap and one on the back. On the inside there's 2 small pockets for Mom things like phones and lip gloss, a pocket for the namesake diapers, 2 sets of elastic loops for bottles or sippy cups, and a big pocket for the matching changing pad. The strap is adjustable so that it can be shortened and hung on a stroller.

Sarah was happy with it. Which made me happy. The fabric has a story all it's own. I picked it up a couple of years back at a discount fabric store in my hometown of Bakersfield, California. The color and pattern were so wonderfully off. . . I was automatically drawn to it. Bright pink! Clipper ships! Aw yeah! I'm convinced that it was some sort of dye lot mistake (a great explanation for how it ended up in discount-town). I finally used some of it for a few bags over the holidays and I asked my Mom to check to see if they still had it. I wanted more!!! Apparently they did because my over zealous Mom got so excited by the price (a mere $2 a yard!) that she bought me 40 yards! Yes you read right. . . 40 yards. I could make bags, cover my sofa, outfit a bridal party, and still have enough fabric to make 15 pillows! At least! My Mom's the type of lady who when you say "Get all of that fabric you can get." takes you seriously! And I love her for it!

Here's the other bag I made using my beautiful clipper ship fabric. . . my pleated clutch:

and view two:

Any thoughts?

hearts and puppies,
erika

the waiting is the hardest part

Hey Tom! I quoted your man, Tom Petty! Oh, man. . . I can't believe I quoted Tom Petty. . .

Anyway. . .

Spring show season is fast approaching and my applications are out in the ether, out of my hands. . . applications in the hands of a (hopefully not) angry juried alt-craft fair.

I hate this time.

I have (knock on wood/throw salt over my shoulder/go outside, knock to be let back in, be refused, repeat 2 more times before I'm once more granted admission into the building) never not gotten into a show but it doesn't make my anxiety any less anxious. After all, isn't there always a first time?

Flashback to this past November. I had just finished a successful showing at Stitch Austin. Got a lot of positive feedback. . . sold a lot of stuff. . . I should have been happy, right? Wrong. Because I had yet to hear from the Bust Holiday Craftacular and it was the day the acceptance e-mails were going out. All over the craft community message boards were posts about getting in (and not getting in) but I had not heard peep one. On top of that I was stranded at the Austin airport because my flight was delayed due to bad weather in New York.

What was going on!?!? Being the shiny, happy girl I am, I, of course jump to the conclusion that I've not been accepted to this show and that I'm a failure! I start crying. . . in the airport. . . calling my Mom. . . calling my friends. . . going off in equal parts of "What did I do wrong?/Why don't they like me this year?/Forget them! They wouldn't know talent if it shook it's tail feathers in front of them!!!"

Um. . . yeah. . . I know. . . drama much? Sigh. . . kinda makes sense that my mom used to call me her little Sarah Brnhardt. . . Let's just say, I'm not particularly proud of that facet of my personality. . .

What was actually going on? A glitch in the Bust email system where a number of the acceptance letters got lost in the great big world of zeros and ones. . . Oops. . . They do love me!!! I take back that talent thing. . .

So, yeah, that's why I hate the waiting.

I'm doing my best to try and fill the time. Made a baby bag for my friend, and fellow Craft Mafia member, Sarah who just had a super cute baby girl. And I've been working on some new style directions for line. I just finished a new pleated clutch (but is it too close to the pleated clutch that has been vexing Joi over at Stereoette?). Only time and you all will tell. As Cindy says, there are only so many shapes. . .

Tomorrow I'll post pics of the new bags and you can tell me if I'm a big steal-ly thief who steals things.

hearts and puppies!
erika

Fashion Beadz

As opposed as I am to the substitution of the letter z for the letter s in order to make something

"cooler" (I am equally opposed to the substitution of "k" for "c," as anything that claims to be "klassy" is truly the opposite) I can't help but love this product. It's as fun as it's name is cheesy!

My friend, Nikki, over at Cutting Edge, sent this stuff along to me with some other materials for summer issue projects. I was skeptical at first, turned off by that dreaded "z" but then I started to play with it. This stuff is great! It adds sparkly, shiny beads super fast without all that pesky sewing.

I doubt that the Beadz will ever appear on any of my imaginary boyfriends products (not quite our aesthetic) but boy oh boy is it sweet!

hearts and puppies,

erika

my imaginary wish list!

Hi All!
I put this little tidbit in my latest newsletter but just in case you missed it I wanted to add it here too. My imaginary boyfriend and I want to know what you want from us!
Want more faux bois items?
Bigger bags?
More goofy gift items?
Stuff for guys? If so what? Ties? Bags? Tie bags?

Whatever it is, let me know at myimaginarywishlist@gmail.com. I will take all requests seriously and might even blog about them in the future! Too exciting!!!

Thanks for your time. As a gift I give you a picture of my girl, Viola!

hearts and puppies,
erika