Hanging On

What a week it has been... I've updated my Etsy shop, website, and online portfolio. The critters and I will be applying to some more juried shows this year, and soon, so it just had to be done! For those of you in the Houston area, you should definitely consider creating a profile and online portfolio on Spacetaker. It is free to set up your profile in their Artist Registry, and you will also be able to post events, calls for artists, and search through numerous artist opportunities. They are an awesome bunch of peeps to work with and are very supportive of the entire Houston arts community. And of course, don't forget about Spacetaker's WHAM (Winter Holiday Art Market), held each November, it is not to be missed, both for artists and shoppers!

Stay warm and have a nice weekend!

Motivation!

All I can say is "Wow" after seeing Handmade Nation this past weekend! It was so thrilling to see hundreds of people turn out for the screening of this documentary and many of them stopped by our Etsy Houston table to make our Valentine's Day paper craft too. Yay! I just LOVED how the beginning of the film showed a bunch of people schlepping all of their boxes and containers from their apartments to the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago, IL. Just like all of us! It was so interesting to see the workshops of many of the artists and most of their interview responses were pretty funny- it was a fantastic night! In case you missed the screening, both the book and the DVD are available for purchase at BUYOLYMPIA.COM

After being so motivated, I thought I would include a sneak peek of some of the Year of the Rabbit pieces I am currently working on. I've become rather fascinated with the signs/critters of the Chinese Zodiac... More photos to come soon!

Handmade Nation

Etsy Houston will be assisting this Saturday evening with some very crafty events! First, there will be a reception from 6-7 pm and then a screening of the documentary, Handmade Nation, from 7-8 pm at the Lawndale Art Center:

"Handmade Nation is a documentary about the new wave of art, craft and design that is capturing the attention of the nation. Director, author, artist and curator Faythe Levine traveled to 15 cities and covered more than 19,000 miles to interview artists, crafters, makers, curators and community members for her feature film debut..."

At 8:15 pm at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Jenine Bressner, one of the artists featured in Handmade Nation, will give a gallery talk about her new exhibition at HCCC, Inverted Harmony: A Handmade Environment.

Come early to enjoy a beer from St. Arnold Brewing Company and to make a cool Valentine's Day paper craft with us Etsy Houston gals! Handmade Nation books will be for sale from Domy Books as well.

Lawndale Art Center
4912 Main Street
Houston, TX 77002
713.528.5858

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
4848 Main Street
Houston, TX 77002
713.529.4848

30 Artists at Watson Galleries

Watson Galleries is hosting a show with 30 artists both on Friday night (1/21) and Saturday night (1/22) this week, from 6-10 pm! I switched out the critters this past Sunday, so there will be a new bunch for this show. I was very impressed last time with the huge crowd that attended, even in the freezing weather! Hopefully they will return...

This will be Count Frankenbunnyskullyrollie's Watson Gallery debut. The Count was created with the concept in mind of what would happen when a vampire, Frankenstein, bunny and skeleton all become fused into one critter. He was originally created for the Rollie Show at Tenacious Toys in New York, where the artists all created pieces built upon the body of a plastic roll-on deodorant! Yesiree, that would be correct- inside his body, the Count has a pink, plastic Ban roll-on base! The other materials that were used for the Count include a vinyl Skully, vinyl Munny accessories, acrylic paint and ink, varnish, modeling clay, Fimo, Sculpey, and genuine hematite and onyx. He even comes with his own rubber rat comrades to keep him company. The Count would love it if you'd stop by and say hi tomorrow night...

Watson Gallery
716 W. Alabama St.
Houston, TX 77006

How Not to Sell at Markets!

Sweet Fine Day is a wonderful blog written by Jenna Park of Whimsy & Spice, one of my absolutely favorite Etsy shops. W&S's artisan baked goods are definitely among the best around, and how I wish they were located in Houston, instead of Brooklyn, NY! You should try the Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies- they are amazing!

Jenna's posts are thoughtful and insightful, and usually contain fun photos of her two daughters, food, Brooklyn, and New York in general. I found How Not to Sell at Markets particularly humorous and perceptive, considering all of the time I spent selling the critters at art markets and craft fairs last year. It's comforting to know that there are others who share almost exactly the same thoughts while attempting to peddle their handmade wares! It is so much fun to meet new potential customers at these shows, and to talk to them about my critters, however, one always wonders what they really may be thinking- Jenna sums it up perfectly!

Photo Credit: Copyright © 2008-2011 by Jenna Park.

Uglydoll Bling!

Wowie! The folks at Uglydoll have recently released some gorgeous, sparkly cases for our portable Apple devices. These Ice Bat and Ox iPad cases make me want to go out and get an iPad immediately!

This Trunko iPhone case is just too cute, however, it is for the 3G/3GS iPhone. Hopefully, they will release one for the iPhone 4 soon.

Hope these put a little sparkle in your day today!

Gummi Bear on a Stick!

Yes, you read that correctly! There is actually a 1/2 pound gummi bear on a stick that comes in NINE different flavors! It is apparently 8" tall (including the stick) and about 1.75" thick. Now the big decision, which flavour(s) to order? I think the cherry is a must, but the blue raspberry, grape and cola might be nice too... Such decisions... This would definitely make a great Valentine's Day gift for that person with a sweet tooth!

Watson Gallery 2011 Opening Show

The critters will be making an appearance tomorrow night (6-10 pm) at the Watson Gallery 2011 Opening Show. This will be General Rusty Bunny's Houston premiere, as he had been residing in Richmond, Virginia until last December. I know it's freezing right now, but if you are in the Houston area come by and say hi!

Other artists participating in the show include: Magda Bowen, Bryan Cope, Howie Doyle, Susan Freeman, Amelia Goff, Paris Holt, Michelle Huff, Kym K., Abby Lee, Chrystal Murley, Christopher Perez, James Phillips, and Brian Sterling. There will be jewelry by Mina Agah and Michelle Hoting.

Watson Gallery
716 W. Alabama St.
Houston, TX 77006

For more information call 585-737-9524 or email watsongallery@yahoo.com

Plotting and Planning for 2011

It will be a full year of exciting events for the Sculptures By Design Art Studio and its artists! At our meeting last Saturday, it was decided that the first show of 2011 @ CityCentre will be held on Thursday, 3 February 2011 (from 6-9:30 pm), to celebrate the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Rabbit. There will be a western-themed show in March (to coincide with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo), and the Art of Wine series will continue at the Hotel Sorella the last Wednesday of each month. I will be curating my first show this year in July, showcasing some of the most talented custom vinyl toy artists in the United States as well as a few of the most amazing Houston-area street artists. Stay tuned for more info!

Badtz Maru: Five Oranges

Not to be outdone by his newly arriving vinyl cousin, is my custom vinyl interpretation of Badtz Maru. He was originally created for the PolyVinylCranium (PVC) online custom toy competition @ Delicious Drips last year. Here is a little background info. from my Etsy description:

"Badtz was a bit jealous of the whole Hello Kitty: Three Apples Exhibition in Los Angeles this year, so he decided to organize his own event, Badtz Maru: Five Oranges. Hello Kitty has had her day in the sun, NOW it was his turn...

Badtz is not normally so jealous, he's just wanting to be noticed for a change... Adopt him and he'll organize numerous fruit festivals for you too!"

This slightly crabby (but loveable) critter was crafted using a black vinyl Skully, modeling clay, Sculpey, acrylic paint and ink, and varnish. Badtz has made several appearances around town and has been featured in a few blogs as well. He has become one of my favorite pieces so far! I have one more Trikky figure- do I make Hello Kitty or Chococat? Any requests?

Bad Badtz Maru!

I am beyond excited about the Kidrobot release of Bad Badtz Maru by Amanda Visell on January 13th! I'm sad that I cannot be there for her signing in LA (and the free poster!), but I'll be just as happy to order it online from one of my many favorite toy shops. Even though I do love Hello Kitty, Badtz is definitely my favorite! Who doesn't love a penguin with attitude?

Peppermint Chocolate Happiness!

I've always been a huge fan of the Chick-fil-A cows, so naturally I had to try the Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshake yesterday... All I can say is just forget about those New Year's resolutions- you'll be happy you did! There were crunchy peppermint bits and chocolate chips swirled into their delicious ice cream topped off with whipped cream and a cherry on top. It definitely changed my mood driving through the rain and traffic yesterday! It's only available for a limited time, so go get yourself one before they are gone until next year!

There is a smaller size available if you don't want to feel too guilty...

Happy 2011!

Happy 2011 everyone! I can't believe that I haven't written a blog post since my first one, last April. LAME! One of my New Year's resolutions is to actually keep up with this blog and to share some of the interesting tidbits I come across on a regular basis. Thanks to Zaimy for being my first follower- I promise not to let you down!