I found a hamster.

This is kind of old news but I wanted to share my found poster with you because I hung it up at my bakery workplace and people seemed to like it so much that I figured it could be worth a blog mention.

Here is the story of the hamster:

I have an elderly neighbor who knows about my fondness for little pets and he knocked on my door awhile ago and told me that he'd found a guinea pig hanging out in our apartment building's trash can shelter. I got pretty excited because I have always wanted a guinea pig and though I wouldn't go out and get one (since we're already fairly overrun with little creatures). If a guinea pig came to me, I figured I could keep it and love it forever.

I gathered my critter-catching accessories (carrier, gloves, a banana and some reading material for the stakeout) and waited for the guinea pig to appear. After a little while, I spotted a tiny face peering out at me and realized that the trash-shelter dweller was actually a hamster (an exceptionally cute hamster with calico spots). To my dismay, an hour or two of my most enticing cooing and banana brandishing left me hamsterless and I opted to put out a have-a-heart trap and wait until morning.

When I woke up, I was greeted by my neighbor at my door with the trapped hamster! Hooray! I made a little nest area in a rubbermaid bin and started making these posters to put up around town. I am very skeptical that the hamster was actually lost and not just abandoned but I figured I would give it a try.

After only a short while a nice new home was found for the hamster! Win!

If you particularly enjoy the art of the found poster. I highly recommend this book.

Oh no! Am I a jerk blogger?

I'm really sorry.

So, I probably should have read some "how to be a good blogger" articles before I started writing and because I didn't (until Leah posted this article on her blog), I just found out that I have been a little rude to you fine readers for a long time. I've been especially neglectful of those of you who are nice enough to leave a comment.

See (now I know this is no excuse), I leave comments on a few blogs from time to time and I never return to the blogs to check and see if the authors have replied to my comments. Therefore, because everyone MUST think exactly like me, I thought that none of the people who commented on my blog looked for replies either.

I have since learned two things:

1. Not replying to comments may make you look like you think you are "too cool for school".
2. There is a simple way for people to get replies to their comments known as "subscribing to the comments". I feel silly that I did not know this and have never used the trick myself.

I am going digging through past posts now and leaving replies to ancient comments and pledge to be better about replies form now on. Your comments really are my favorite part of having a blog!

bunny photo by Megan Taylor Brooks

Ok, I'm ready to talk.

Ohhh I have been a very bad blogger. Sometimes, I have so much that I need to talk about that I feel overwhelmed and put it off. But, silly girl, the passage of time leads to much more stuff that piles up needing to be talked about! So, instead of infinite procrastination, I'm opting to write tiny manageable tidbits so I can get back on track. I know most of these things are deserving of their own thorough post but I simply do not have the stamina at the moment. I am also going to go ahead and blame Twitter for making writing full paragraphs seem like hard work.

Renegade Craft Fair, Brooklyn, NY: Holy woah! This fair was fun city. Justin and I had a super time and met so many people we internet-adored who we now IRL-adore! I ate corn-on-a-stick for the first time and loved it a lot. I also celebrity-spotted Paul Dano. I made only a little bit of money but ended up pirate-rich in trades! I'm blaming Renegade for my current state of lethargy. I did months of work preparing and the event was so energy-sapping that I needed to recuperate for a week or two. I'm that delicate! Here are some photos: flickr

Mass Market, Boston, MA: This fair was my Renegade remedy. It was a small but well attended event that felt very friendly and relaxed. I finally got to hang out a little with Alice of Forest Bound and Francesca and met a nice new person who happens to also be named Elise.

Tattoo: I got my very first tattoo! It is, of course, bunny related. Here is a photo: flickr. Turns out, it's true what people say about tattoos being addictive; I'm already thinking about my next one.

The Internet: Soon I'll be spreading myself all over the internet (Goodness! That sounds racy!). I was invited to be a guest writer for both Hello Craft and North Shore Art Throb. I am feeling my usual combination of both excited and nervous. I'm excited to be sharing with a much wider audience but I'm nervous about writing for someone else's site and using PROPER PUNCTUATION!

Also, I have the honor of being this weeks "Artsy Wonderbug" on my friend Leah's website today. Please head over to read my little interview here.

Snorg Tees: My very exciting opportunity to have some of my designs turned into tshirts for Snorg is still slowly coming along. They will be made soon though and I can't wait!

What now?: Yes, this post has been catching up on the past but what I'm really excited about is what is coming up in the next few weeks. Nothingness! Yes, it's true, my fair season is over and my commitments are dwindling. I finally should be able to have time to make some new things! It has pained me to put fresh ideas on hold so that I could complete tasks like set up credit card processing accounts and make signs for my fair display. My next post will be all about what has been brewing in my mind for weeks and I'll be able to show off a couple projects in progress.

Now I'm wondering why I put off writing for so long. I enjoyed that.

Big happenings this weekend. RENEGADE!

Today is my last full day of work before heading off to New York City as a vendor at The Renegade Craft Fair! I have been crazy nervous for weeks while I tried to amass inventory, work on my display and get a credit card machine. It's all coming together just in time and I'm finally feeling genuine excitement. I am so very thankful that I am able to participate in Renegade this year! I have actually had this as a goal in my mind before I even had a business! There are so many makers that will be showing at Renegade who I hold in such high regard that I am proud to be beside them. This is by far the biggest event I've ever been a part of!

Are any of you fine blog followers going to be selling or shopping there? Please let me know so I can look forward to meeting you!

Yudu FAIL

I have had a frustrating time in the last few days struggling with a machine.

I excitedly purchased a Yudu screenprinting system after reading some reviews that touted it as the savior for those of us who are running out of our no longer manufactured Gocco supplies. Like the Gocco, it is a self contained screenprinting device and it has the added bonuses of being bigger, geared towards printing on fabric, and it's screens are reusable.

I thought I'd have no problem transitioning from Gocco to Yudu but I was very disappointed.

Before I started printing, I watched a few tutorial videos, perused the Yudu user forums and read the manual. I completed every step slowly and thoughtfully but ended up with imperfections in my three separate attempts.

I spent two whole workdays trying to conquer the Yudu and ended up with unsatisfactory results. I printed 20 "foxy like a crafter" tote bags and most needed touching up by hand and in the end, probably only 6 of them are good enough to sell.

I'm planning on returning the machine later this week.

Here is a ranty rundown of all the annoying details for those of you wondering about the specifics:

The application of emulsion is probably the trickiest part of the process, the screen needs to be wet (but not too wet and not too dry) and then the emulsion is applied in a sheet like a giant green sticker that needs to be smoothed out. My emulsion didn't stick perfectly in all three of my attempts. It was drippy once and un-stuck to the screen once and generally irregular in my last try.

The waiting between steps was expected but annoying and always took longer than the manual suggested.

The machine is pretty clunky. It's very large and feels a bit cheap. For example, the little door flap that holds the screen in the drying rack never stays shut and the top frame part did not hold the screen in very securely. The screen fell out onto the floor once and I spent the next half hour plucking bunny fur out of the ink.... nice.

Once I finally got to start printing on my halfway decently burned screen, I ran into problems getting an even application of ink. I tried to apply an even pressure across the squeegee but I always ended up with un-inked spots which forced me to have to squeegee again thus losing line crispness.

All of the aforementioned grumbles were not insurmountable and I thought that I could get over them with some practice. Then, I realized that my screen needed to be washed between every 7-10 printings because the ink started to dry. Seriously, no. Washing the screen between printings is such a sad waste of ink and time (especially considering the screen needs to be dried after washing too). Yudu ink also only comes in tiny bottles that are prohibitively pricy.

The worst part for me was when I finally had started pulling acceptable prints, I noticed a pink haze had begun to show up around my images. The ink I was using was red and I speculated the screen was wearing down with use and letting a little ink through the blocked parts. I'm not really 100% sure what caused the haze though.

I stopped for the day feeling beaten and went to clean the ink off the screen hoping to pull a better batch tomorrow with the same screen. Sadly, while I cleaned the screen, one or two tiny details of the emulsion lifted off rendering it un-reusable. Reusability was one of the main draws to me for trying the YuDu.

I think the Yudu is a great concept but ended up being not such a great product. It has huge potential but didn't make the cut in my book. I wouldn't recommend it and especially not if you want it for making more than a handful of prints at a time.

Stampin' fiend!

I wonder if I'll ever truly catch up on all the investments I've made for my business. I can't seem to employ the same rigorus budget restraint I have adopted for personal spending to my business. I just love buying new tools, fine paper and amassing every single tip size of Micron Pens and every color of Gocco ink under the sun.

My latest business splurge is three beautiful custom wood-mounted rubber stamps from fellow Etsy seller, Love To Create Stamps! I bought a scarf-bunny stamp first so I (well, Theresa made most of them) could make some stickers and I loved it so much that I promptly ordered my logo stamp and a thank-you snail. I am already planning my next stamp (a "do not bend" design for my outgoing packages featuring an inchworm).

I have been stamping anything that has a spare inch of blank space.

It gets really good at the end...

A little over a month ago, I was crumpled over two rejections. The first was just a little disappointing (not getting in to the Twist Fair in Northampton) and the second made me really start feeling sorry for myself (not being awarded a studio space in Artist's Row).

These bummers were followed by Jenn completing her internship requirements with me and making her graceful exit. Jenn was so helpful and efficient (and damn good company!) that her absence left me a bit disheveled. She only worked with me once a week but added much needed structure and organization as well as ambitious new ideas.

As a result, I had a couple weeks of putting Argyle Whale on autopilot while I floundered around trying to make new plans and make the best of my home workspace.

Well anyway, I thought it was time for a happy update because I am beginning to feel back on track. The opportunities I'd counted on didn't come through but (just like all of you wise ones said) new ones popped up when I needed them.

I rearranged our apartment to better suit my workspace needs (Living rooms are frivolous right?).

I bulked up my Craft Fair circuit since I wouldn't be having a storefront to maintain. I am thrilled that I was accepted to be a vendor at Renegade in Brooklyn this summer as well as Mass Market 4.

I took a little break and came out of my house to socialize a bit and made a new friend. Proof that my luck has changed; she volunteered to be my helper on printing days so that I don't lose my mind preparing for upcoming shows! Seriously, I'm always amazed (and thankful!) when people help me out so generously.

Ok... here is the grand finale! This is the big thing that I was trying to keep a secret surprise but I can't hold it in any longer because it is just that wonderful.....

I have my very first liscensing arrangement with a big fun tshirt store called SNORG TEES!
Snorgsnorgsnorgsnorgsnooooorg! I am excited because they are "kind of a big deal". I can't wait to share more details when they are carved in stone.

I'm frolicking.

I didn't think i'd be frolick-full so soon after being downtrodden.

Things work out sometimes. I'll try to remember this.

PS: That happy picture of me is part of my new initiative to not dress like a total frump. I joined the Wardrobe Remix Flickr group to get me out of a fashion rut and I'll be posting outfits with effort there regularly.