Coming Up: Baby, Etsy, and Haverford Township Day on October 6th

Hi all –

So, one way or the other, Baby S will be here tomorrow/Saturday at the latest. This means that I will probably be a bit slacking in the blog/sewing department for a week or two until I get a little stir crazy and need to do “SOMMMMMMETHING already, for the love of CHRIST…” But, in case you were worried (if you’re like me, you’re worried about everything), I have been planning for things by getting a crapton of sewing and sewing prep done, and I am pretty set to get moving full steam ahead once I am able to come up for air. And don’t be surprised if you see a blog or two about the girl who is soon to be the cutest thing you have ever seen. Not me. My hair will probably look like shit.
 

It’s a little chaotic, but see how everything is labeled and in plastic bags (well maybe you can’t see the label part)? I’m organized at heart :)

In addition to all the items I have photographed and ready to go on Etsy (I just don’t want to post them right before going incommunicado), I will also have a booth at Haverford Township Day in – here comes the brainteaser – Haverford Township, specifically along Darby Road in Havertown, PA, right outside of Philly. The event is Saturday October 6th from 8am-4pm and there’s alot to do: there’s usually live music, lots of free activities for kids, a flea market, craft vendors, food from local establishments and, as I found last year, some really nice people watching, Like the dude in the mullet and jorts who was rockin’ out solo in front of the music stage. But, anyway, I will be sharing a space with my friend Dawn who is a children’s book illustrator as well as comic book artist. In case you want to check out her work, visit www.zfcomics.com or www.abbysfanclub.com.

Talk soon everyone! Hopefully not in baby talk. :)

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Baby S’s Nursery

Well, she is three days late thus far so she isn’t actually IN these photos… but I wanted to show you a few pics of the room, which I have been calling the Nubb Hub (since I have been calling her Nubbs ever since she looked like a jellybean with nubbin arms and legs on the 8 week ultrasound). Ever see the old commercials for StubHub? Where the narrator is all “STUBB HUB!” in that weird little semi-singsong call? I can’t help but say “NUBB HUB!” every time I walk in here, even though I’m pretty certain they don’t even use that little line anymore. But whatever – it’s stuck now.

It’s pretty sunny in there as there’s another window just beyond the dresser I’m not showing, and the room for some reason seems to get the best afternoon light. Also, the yellow doesn’t hurt. I originally liked purple but we figured better safe than sorry just in case she came out a he.

You’ll see there really isn’t a theme per se, but I do think the room pulls together really well. And there are alot of polka dots. So I guess that counts for some consistency :)

My favorite parts, of course, are the things I made by hand for the room. Over the bookshelves (which I intended to cover the back of with fabric but never got around to doing) are the posters I drew and had printed to echo the awesome show screenprints we have all around the rest of the house. These are also for sale on my Etsy site, in case you want to buy them (which, come on, admit it, you know you do). The fabric bunting on the wall was something I had wanted to do for awhile, and was surprisingly easy; so easy I may go through my scraps and make a few sets to sell as well. Finally, the pink striped crib skirt you see was handmade by yours truly as well. There’s a pleat in the middle on each side that reveals a pink with pink polka panel as well; I didn’t capture it well on camera but trust me, it’s pretty cute.

And yes, yes that IS a stuffed doll of bacon in her crib. It talks too. No judging!

 

Kiddie Rock Posters

One of the first ideas I had awhile ago before I went on my creative own was inspired by a speaker at a graphic design conference whose talk was about selling your product. I went in there thinking I would get some tips on how to open an Etsy store and instead found a discussion on wholesale manufacturing, getting your items in retail stores, start-up costs, etc. It was pretty inspiring, and although I was not necessarily ready for that level of commitment at the time, it did spur me to start sketching out some ideas for something I could sell, something I didn’t think there were too many versions of already out there. I mean, I know the chances of my product being the only thing in its category are slim, but I also didn’t want to just make another feathered headband collection. Do you know how sometimes, ideas just come to you, how you just can “see” them in your head faster than you can get them down on paper? I have a hard time explaining it to people alot of the times, but I know there are those of you out there who understand so I will just pretend this all makes complete and perfect sense to you.

Anyway, Mr. Jennysold and I have all these screenprinted rock posters decorating our house from different shows we have been to. His favorite is this neon fright from a Hot Snakes show in Philly, mine is the requisite (for me) Pearl Jam representative Eddie Vedder solo show poster from the Tower Theater. These prints are in every room of the house except the upstairs bathroom and the soon-to-be nursery. I really like them: they’re not cheap and shiny catalogs of sex positions as illustrated by bathroom silhouettes, or Scarface, or anything you may have kept from your dorm room. They’re actual pieces of art; graphic designs that are colorful and interesting decor. So I thought, hey, I have alot of pregnant friends with the same sensibilities as Mr. Jennysold and I that are looking for something different for their nurseries. What about posters that echoed the style and personalities of real show prints?

After I got back from this conference there the idea sat until I we found out we (well, I – Mr. Jennysold sure isn’t carrying this wee one himself) were going to be parents. As with most big events in my life, the first thing I think about is what kind of project I get to do now. My wedding invites were designed way before we had everything else sorted out. So, naturally, I find out I’m going to pop out a kid and the first thing I think of is how to decorate the nursery. Ooh! I have these posters I was going to do!

Since screenprinting was cost-prohibitive, and I didn’t want to work with the chemicals for the next few months, I designed them to look a little roughed up and imperfect then had them printed professionally. There are now four designs up for sale on Etsy, and more are in development. The current themes are numbers, colors, the alphabet, and fruits & veggies. Designed to be colorful and eye-catching for infant eye development, they are also educational for toddlers. I can see them in playrooms, schools, daycares: anywhere kid-centric, really.

To buy:
Countup, Countdown: The Numbers
A to Z: I’m Alphabetting on It!
Surrounded by Rainbows: Color’s Greatest Hits
Fruit & Veggie: Live!

Enjoy!