Maybe Emily

Come to see me elsewhere?

2011-01-11T22:00:00.001-08:00

Kelly wants some damn bread, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I am mostly writing over on the Tako Fibers blog. i hope you'll keep up with me there?

I'll continue to post more personal stuff here, but perhaps not as often.

Come visit me!

www.takofibers.com

Packing up pin kits

2010-11-16T23:48:00.001-08:00

Packing up pin kits, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Packing things up, assembling kits, etc. I am hoping by this time next week this can return to a personal blog, and my BRAND NEW AWESOME Tako Fibers website will be up WITH ITS OWN BLOG! Yeah yeah, it will be club awesome, you are invited.

rainbow

2010-11-16T10:07:00.001-08:00

another little sneak peek!, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

another little sneak peek! I am working my butt off trying to get all my samples done. I have put Ben to work separating out yarn and packing kits. I am ahead of schedule but still, only 3 WEEKS until the big seasonal craft shows!

On another note, I think it is funny. I have started using a particular typeface that I find lovely. It is called Lullaby. It is so pretty!
But now, I see it EVERYWHERE! I certainly wasn't the first to use it, but since it has been featured on a popular design blog I think everyone is using it! So now I feel silly using it on my new business cards. Oh well. I have a 1000 of them!

Citrus bird!

2010-11-07T13:43:00.001-08:00

Citrus bird!, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Yay! Citrus bird is finished! I LOVE this little chubby bird.

I made the screen for Citrus Bird back in July, but didn't have time to do all the stitching for the sample piece until this past month. But now I am happy to report that you can purchase your very own kit in the Tako Fibers etsy store!

Expect another new kit or two next week! :)

Also, I have been recently searching the local thrift stores for awesome frames for my new samples. In my searches, I found the WORLDS BIGGEST EMBROIDERY HOOP EVER!

Look at this thing!

I have no idea what I am going to do with it yet! Any ideas?

little sneaky peaky!

2010-10-29T15:52:00.001-07:00

Another little sneaky peaky!, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I haven't written here in a long time, because I:

a) am working on a BRAND NEW AWESOME WEBSITE just for Tako Fibers! Including an amazing fiber arts blog, how-to's for kits, and free embroidery patterns! yeah!

b) got into Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle and Crafty Wonderland in Portland! That means I need to produce A LOT of kits. A lot a lot.

c) have been busy cleaning and arranging my studio for the influx of crafting that shall occur shortly.

Anyway, above is a little sneak peak of my newest bird embroidery kit. I think I will call her Citrus Bird or Tropical Bird, I am not sure yet. I'm hoping she will be ready to purchase by next week!

Have a lovely Halloween!

Brian Vogan and his Good Buddies - Sing a Little Song

2010-08-24T10:11:00.001-07:00

Album Cover!, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I am so excited to share this with you!
One of the things I have been working hard on lately is my illustration work. I recently illustrated and designed this album cover for Brian Vogan and his Good Buddies. The album just came out last week, so I can finally share this work with you!

If you have kids, you should really know about Brian Vogan. He has been working with kids for many years, and knows exactly what kind of music they love. The songs are catchy, rocking, and awesome for everyone. I listen to this album all the time, and I am most certainly not in the their target audience (which is the 1-7 year olds.)

I tried to incorporate some of the songs into the artwork. For example, the gray dog on the front is the wise one from the song Gray Dog! (My favorite on the album!) If you peek inside...

You will see all the Good Buddies, as well as an extremely large Thanksgiving turkey... I suppose you will just need to buy the album to learn about that guy! (There are a few others in the artwork, can you spot them all?)

My husband is one of the Good Buddies, so I have to give him some credit... without him I probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to work on this project. (Thanks Ben!)

If you would like to purchase the album, it is available on CD Baby. You can also like them on Facebook. Peek at their page for upcoming shows!

scones from mom

2010-08-21T11:02:00.001-07:00

scones, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

We are still working on moving. Our basement is finally not insane! We still have a lot to do this week. We are living with my parents during this between-time. Living with my parents is odd, because I have not lived with them (as in, in the same house as them) since I was 14.

It takes a little getting used to, but it is quite nice to wake up to fresh brewed coffee and warm-out-of-the-oven scones with homemade jam.

Sharing the polaroid love

2010-08-16T17:01:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by heather.

I wanted to share these gorgeous little cards from Heather. Be still, my palpitating heart.

In other news, cleaning our house and moving sucks. blah. i hate carrying stuff.

Amy Butler Anna Tunic

2010-08-09T16:57:00.001-07:00

new tunic dress thing, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I have had this pattern in my stash for about a year now, and haven't had the perfect fabric or occasion to make it. But! Last Friday I went to a lovely wedding, and the week before I could not decide what to wear to this fantastic event. With a free night or two I was able to sew this up fast!

I think I have a better picture of the whole mini-dress somewhere in all those wedding photos... When I find it I will post it!

The pattern was very easy to follow, but had lovely details. The yoke neckline is so elegant! My changes were:
Increased the bust and waist inches
Added back darts
Used a wide grosgrain ribbon as a belt
Added a lace hem

I have had this beautiful fabric in my studio for a while! I bought it from EmilyMe on Etsy. It has a lovely drape, and the screenprinted flowers are so opaque and bright! (For a better photo of the fabric, check out the SOLD etsy page. You can really see the ink standing up off the fabric. All of the fabrics that she has are AMAZING and I highly recommend you take a peek.

Why would someone do this?

2010-07-29T11:02:00.001-07:00

Why would someone do this?, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

For the past few weeks, we have been watching the progress of this beautiful mural by our house. The community voted on an amazing design by local artist Todd Lown. (The other finalists had AMAZING work as well! I would have been happy to see any of them go up.) Its one of the most fabulous murals that I have seen in this city!

Its disheartening that somebody decided, not only to tag the mural last night, but to write "NOT ART" on it. What kind of hateful thing is that to write? Does the person who wrote this hate murals? Did their suggestion not make it to the finals? Did they not understand that this is a project supported by the local community? If you don't like something, use the correct channels to complain and voice your opinions, there is no need to ruin it for the rest of us.

They didn't limit their scrawl to just one, small, easily painted over area either. They tagged the ENTIRE MURAL, every 20 feet!

Way to support your local artists. This makes me so mad.

This mural project has its own facebook page, the 46th Street Mural Project. Show some support! If you live in the area, sign up for their next volunteer painting party! Or just send them some love over there and let them know you support the project. (well, you know, if you DO support the project!)

cannon beach

2010-07-27T11:23:00.001-07:00

photo, originally uploaded by benjaminjaybaier.

We just returned from a lovely weekend in Cannon Beach, Oregon. One of my dearest friends from high school invited us to spend the weekend at his family's house. Even though we indulged in a bit too many marshmallows and lemonade-gin-fizzies, we really had a lovely time. And lucky us, gorgeous perfect weather!

I was not very good at taking pictures this weekend, so please note that these lovely photographs are all by Ben.

Our view:

Taffy:

you like my new haircut?

2010-07-23T11:45:00.001-07:00

new haircut!, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I am a pretty big wimp when it comes to cutting my hair. I usually opt for the same styles. Its not because I don't want to change, but usually I don't trust my hairstylist (NO OFFENSE, my dear Jordan who usually cuts my hair!) to make those decisions for me.

When your friend is going to school to cut hair, and they are incredibly creative and talented at everything they do, AND they know your taste just perfectly, well, that's when I let them decide how to cut it.

Astrid, it is brilliant!

Here is a before picture:

As you can see, it is much better now :)

embroidering brother

2010-07-22T10:19:00.001-07:00

embroidering brother, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

my brother is super cool. he helped me at the Seattle Square last Saturday, and learned how to embroider while he was there. He embroidered an awesome robot army.

I truly believe all 18 year old boys who like ladies should learn how to embroider, as the ladies really like it!

yay knitting!

2010-07-22T00:07:00.001-07:00

yarn in a bowl, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I'm participating in a Ravelry KAL (knit-a-long!) for this lovely sweater: Featherweight! It is a simple and lovely pattern so far. If you are on Ravelry you can peek at it when I get my pictures up!

Urban Craft Uprising recap!

2010-07-16T23:54:00.001-07:00

Tako Fibers vendor table, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Yay! Pictured above is how my vendor table turned out at this years Urban Craft Uprising summer show! Posing with the table is my dear friend Brytt, who kindly helped me out the first day of the show. (Thanks, Brytt!) The lovely banner was made by Liz, and it is the cutest thing ever.

On Saturday I presented a demo on DIY Embroidered buttons.

It went so well! My students made beautiful buttons like these:

And some had never even embroidered before, but were very pleased with their results!

Sunday was busy busy busy! Many people came back that had come on Saturday. Also, Sunday was the big Bastille Day celebration at the Seattle Center, so I think a lot of people wandered over from that. Liz helped me out on Sunday, and whenever we weren't helping customers we were practicing our embroidered button skillz:

The feeling for the whole event was very different than the Winter show. At this show, I felt like everyone was looking and contemplating more. There were not as many impulse purchases. It also seemed that people were looking to purchase for themselves (and not for gifts) so they were a bit choosier!

After a long weekend of selling, I left happy (and with a lovely tympan notebook from ilfant!)

Check out all my pictures from the show in my UCU flickr set, and also be sure to peek at the UCU flickr group!

I'll hopefully see everyone at the winter show!

A quick Urban Craft Uprising note...

2010-07-12T22:09:00.001-07:00

Spice Rack Lollipops, originally uploaded by thischarmingcandy.

It is getting late, and I still haven't uploaded my photos from Urban Craft Uprising to my flickr. I will write a more detailed post later, but I wanted to let you all know that it went very well! I even ran out of business cards! Note to self: order more than 200 next time!

When Liz or Brytt was watching over the Tako Fibers table, I made my way over to This Charming Candy. Holy crap. You guys... YOU. MUST. TRY THIS CANDY! Its better than I ever could have dreamed. I have recently become very interested in cardamom. Their Vanilla - Cardamom lolly is amazing. AMAZING. I had a little sample of Sweet Grapefruit as well - I had no idea lollipops could have such intense and complex flavors!

Anyway, I highly recommend you order some RIGHT NOW!

And I'll tell you about the rest of the show later :)

New kit in the shop!

2010-07-08T23:13:00.001-07:00

jeweled bird contents, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

yeah yeah, just listed the jeweled bird in the shop! Those french knots sure do take a long time, otherwise I would have put it up sooner!

I hope you love it!

Featured on the Etsy Blog!

2010-07-07T14:09:00.001-07:00

blue bird embroidery, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I love waking up to good news! My little blue bird kit was featured in the Etsy Finds email and on The Storque yesterday. Thanks Etsy!

...

Things are winding down here in Emilyland! Tonight I am having a group of friends over to help me with all the last minute kit assembly. After that, I just need to pack everything up, and I'll be ready for Urban Craft Uprising this weekend! Hope to see you there!

Boxes! And July!

2010-07-03T17:03:00.001-07:00

boxes all stacked and ready to go, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Urban Craft Uprising is just one week away! I am a little stressed, but things are going well over here in Emilyland. This morning Ben stamped and stickered 100 boxes for the new kits!

My to do list is still pretty long, so unfortunately I will not be partaking in July 4th bbq festivities this year. But, I am planning on making cole slaw, and enjoying it over here in the studio. Liz and Brutus are going to join me, and we will have a grand ol time enjoying our cole slaw and fiber craft.

Have I mentioned that Brutus is the cutest little winker ever? No? Judge for yourself:

Happy July!

*** if you are available this week, and would like to help with last minute assembly, do let me know! I will feed you and give you drinks!

Meet my husband

2010-06-24T18:36:00.001-07:00

What!, originally uploaded by benjaminjaybaier.

Please meet my husband, Ben!

Now that you have seen this picture, you know exactly what he is like.

pasta salad

2010-06-22T21:39:00.001-07:00

pasta salad, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Today is the first REAL day of summer... the first day of our CSA! A CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a super awesome way to support local farms and have a bounty of fresh, wonderful fruits and veggies all summer long. We get our CSA through Helsing Junction Farms, and I have never been disappointed! (This is our 4th year getting a CSA through them.)
Ben and I split a large CSA box with my parents, and every week we have almost more than we can eat. We also get a mushroom share through Provisions Mushrooms that comes with our CSA box each week. This week we got a crazy MEGA MUSHROOM!

Look at that thing! It is called a Lions Mane mushroom. It is very squishy. We fried it up with some other mushrooms and put it in our delicious pasta salad that we had for dinner. Yum!

I am a huge fan of pasta salad. It is filling and refreshing. I can't think of a better summer dinner!

This particular pasta salad was made with:
Bowtie pastas
Pink radishes
Garlic Scapes
A little bit of leftover salami
Big crazy mushroom as well as shitake and crimini mushrooms
Poppy seed vinaigrette (from scratch)
Served on Arugula

This pasta salad was served with my recent alcoholic beverage of choice, white wine spritzer!

yum yum!

little sneak preview!

2010-06-14T22:33:00.001-07:00

little sneak preview!, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

So the summer Urban Craft Uprising is coming up... so I am hard at work making some new kits! I am super excited about these two new birdy kits! They are about the same size as the blue bird and the red bird.
I am having such fun drawing these birds that I may make even MORE birds! Ahhh... a whole wall of embroidered birds, in every color of the rainbow! Sounds AMAZING to me!

Here is another brand NEW design that I am making a screen of... 2 little bears in love!

(Sorry for the crappy photo quality, its a just a quick phone snapshot of the negative I will be using to make the silkscreen stencil.)

This one is going to be a beginners kit. It will not have much stitching on it, but will be a good, small kit for anyone who wants a quick easy project. I am so excited to start stitching the sample for this guy.

I hope you are having a lovely June so far!

sketchbook

2010-06-11T11:48:00.001-07:00

bear, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I drew this lovely little guy when I was working at the art store, in my sketchbook. I do like him very much. I can't decide if he is talking, singing, or shooting water out of his mouth!

The little loopy bits were drawn on with masking fluid first. I let them dry then painted over them, and then gently rubbed to reveal the white underneath. Masking fluid is your friend!

BUSY CRAFT TIME!

2010-05-25T09:37:00.001-07:00

knitting, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I am SO BUSY with crafts right now! I am in 2 awesome swaps on Ravelry (you do know about Ravelry, right??) and on top of that, I have 100 things to do for the Urban Craft Uprising show in July!

I am also working on the album art for Brian Vogan's childrens album. It is coming along so well. I can't wait to show it to ya'll!

See you in a few weeks...

Vacation

2010-05-16T10:56:00.001-07:00

Newport May 2010, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I don't go on vacation enough. But I take a lot of days off. I need to stop taking so many days off and just do it all in one big swoop. Because 4 days away? Totally not enough. Especially when 2 of those days involved driving for 6 hours!
Our family went to Newport, Oregon for a long weekend, and it was quite lovely. The house we stayed in was up on a hill, and we had a lovely view of the Pacific. We drank a lot of wine and ate a lot of seafood. I suppose those types of vacations are the best, where you don't really have anything to do in particular, and can just zone out and relax.
I had a lot of thinking time on this trip, and a lot of it was prompted by the book The Secret Language of Birthdays. Have you ever read that book, or looked up your birthday in it? Of course, I realize that what they write is somewhat general, and if you believe in it you can twist the words to make it sound just like you. But really. My birthday was EXACTLY ME. So much, that it made me realize what kind of person I am. Ben's was also EXACTLY LIKE HIM.
The birthday book told me that people born on my day have extremely high standards (that sure does explain a lot) and the thing that I didn't realize was me until the other day: they expect SO MUCH more from the people around them, and especially expect so much more from themselves. Perfectionism within my crazy standards. Have any of you fine readers experienced me while I am working on a project and the deadline is approaching? Or dealt with one of my freak outs as I work on something creative for someone else, and it JUST ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH EVER?!? Now that I realize that this is me, that I am like this, I feel like I can control it a little more. And I will make an effort to accept the imperfections in life as wonderful things that make us all different and unique. And perhaps I will not need to push myself so hard on the small things that really, really, don't matter all that much.

fresh eggs

2010-05-02T17:17:00.001-07:00

fresh eggs, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

fresh eggs are the best! I am lucky to be related to family that has chickens. Fresh eggs taste DELICIOUS, and its good to know that the chickens were treated right and good!

In this particular batch of eggs, there was a HUGE EGG! Way bigger than any normal egg!

LOOK at that monster! Of course, Ben and I ate it. We made scrambled eggs with it. When we cracked it open...

DOUBLE EGG!

2nd wedding anniversary

2010-04-26T09:59:00.001-07:00

2nd wedding anniversary, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Ben and I have been married for 2 years today. He is the best thing to ever happen to me. He is my dearest love and my best inspiration.
We were talking a little bit about our wedding this morning and how great it was. It was miraculously sunny and beautiful out, and there was NO parking at Golden Gardens (but luckily our friends saved us a parking space so we were not late) and we wrote our vows on scraps of paper while stuck in traffic on the way to the beach.
We realized that before we know it, we'll be looking back and it will be a lot of years, and i just can't wait to experience all that time with him. I can't wait for the rest of our lives! I want to know what happens!
Now the internet knows that I LOVE YOU BEN!

errol

2010-04-22T14:02:00.001-07:00

errol, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

just wanted to share my favorite picture of my favorite little boy :)

Nature Party

2010-04-19T20:15:00.001-07:00

Nature Party, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

and... ta-da! Here is the finished piece! It made it to Portland, Oregon just in time for the show. (THANK YOU KIM!!!!)

I am so super happy with the finished piece, and I am looking forward to making more!!

New Work

2010-03-19T16:00:00.001-07:00

in progress embroidery for Portland show, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I am super excited to tell you about a new body of work I have been doing! This is a little sneak peak - the in progress shot of a piece I am doing for a show in Portland.
I am using acrylic paints and the glorious Golden fabric painting medium, and then embroidering over the paintings. I think its such a great direction for me to go in. It takes the best of my resin/gouache/acrylic paintings, the subjects on my prints, and my love of embroidery all into account. I have 4 or 5 pieces underway right now, and I haven't been this excited about a piece of artwork in a long time.
I finished and framed this piece earlier this week (with the super awesome emergency help of my friend Kim!), and sent it away to Portland. This will be the first time I am showing one of these pieces, and I am very anxious to find out what people will think of them!
I can't wait to show ya'll (yep, all 2 of you that read this) the others I am working on!
Have a happy weekend! It is supposed to be 70 degrees here in Seattle, on the first day of March! Thats crazy!

knitting

2010-03-05T19:33:00.001-08:00

knitting, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

hello!

I've been very busy creating lately. knitting, embroidering, painting,cleaning, loving.

sewing

2010-02-10T19:53:00.001-08:00

hand sewing the sleeve lining, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I've been busy lately!
I've been sewing instead of working on embroidery stuff!
I am very excited to finally get this coat done, so I can wear it all the time!

That's really all I have to say at the moment...

cleaning the messy studio...

2010-02-05T21:32:00.001-08:00

cleaning the messy studio..., originally uploaded by maybeemily.

the studio is SO MESSY right now. I cant do any work. The only blank spot is where Liz has been sewing. Whenever I come in here I pick like one thing up and then RUN AWAY!!!! (to upstairs, where I mess up my mothers sewing room.)

How do ya'll keep your workspaces clean? I think I have a problem. Oh my god. Who wants to help me clean? seriously. I don't think I can do it myself.

Sparkly Pants

2010-01-31T12:20:00.001-08:00

We Wrote The Book on Connectors and Discs of Fury, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

For the past week, Hollie and I had been spending our evenings sewing 3 sets of silver lame hammer pants, sequined muscle-tees with lightening bolt appliques, and stretchy wristbands. It was really frustrating at times: these fabrics are incredibly hard to work with, the glue securing the faux sequins to the fabric kept on gumming up our sewing machines. We had draft the muscle tee patterns ourselves, because apparently nobody else in the world has any interest in making them, so there are no patterns available commercially. We finished these glorious costumes just in time...

But, it was all worth it. Last weekend we had the pleasure of seeing Discs of Fury and We Wrote The Book on Connectors play the BEST SHOW EVER. The sparkly costumes (which were worn by WE, as they were playing the Captains of the Future) were incredible on stage.

If you have never seen Discs of Fury, then part of your life has not been fulfilled. It is the most epic, most exciting, most geeky, most incredibly show I have ever seen in my life. I have seen them twice, and they have completely BLOWN MY MIND both times. I was super excited that I got to participate (in some small way...) this time.

Here is a video of them from last year, doing the awesome song "Blades in the Night" :

Also, I have a huge crush on Marvin Lazer. But really, who doesn't?

au natural

2010-01-18T21:13:00.001-08:00

grass, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Ben and I went on a very long walk today, and it was very lovely. Thats all!

Featured on Etsy!

2010-01-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

Yay! My Red Fancy Bird was featured on The Storque (the Etsy blog) today!

Super awesome!

Oh my gosh, EVERYTHING featured in the article is AMAZING. Check out these knitted earmuffs, this awesome apple ukelele, and MAKE YOUR OWN CHEESE!

This is why I love "the handmade life." Everyone in the world is so darn creative. It is amazingly inspiring.

Suddenly!

2010-01-12T23:16:00.001-08:00

cat owl guy, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Please meet cat-owl guy! I made him to add to the secret santa present that I made for Hollie. He is good luck! As soon as I made him, I started having all kinds of good luck. He is filled with good luck pennies to keep him standing upright, and its rubbing off for me, I hope it works for Hollie too!

I have had a sudden burst of creativity the past few days. I have wanted to paint and draw and print and sew and knit and everything! Its nice after the creativity drought I was having during December.
I am using this creative streak wisely, however. I am putting a lot of energy towards my friends Kim and Jayme's website, which is already shaping up to look awesome. I can't wait to show it to ya'll! I'm hoping to have it done by the end of the month, possibly with some fancy flash stuff to follow.

Also, I have completed task #1 on my to do list, and will be starting my awesome new job in 2 weeks! Hooray! The best thing about it is that I can walk there from my house! So hopefully that will help with task #5 (losing weight).

Yeah January! You are very good so far!

New stuff in the etsy shop...

2010-01-08T13:40:00.001-08:00

brownbearonyellow, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I FINALLY updated my etsy shop with new pictures and items. I had the brilliant idea of scanning the contents of the kits with pretty paper behind them. Is it too distracting? I love it and think its more interesting then a white scanner background!

I got a mention on Apartment Therapy the other day! Check it out here. I am pretty amused by the title of the article though - "DIY Embroidery Kits and Patterns Without the Kitsch." Considering I am GOING for the kitsch factor here, I thought it was funny that I was grouped under that heading! Oh well, its fine and I am happy to be next to so many other amazing artists featured!

Have a happy weekend!

i got some creativity back

2010-01-06T20:18:00.001-08:00

dinosaur love, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

i like these guys! i think my goal for the next week is to whip out a Valentines day embroidery kit of these guys.

new years to do list

2010-01-03T17:17:00.001-08:00

pumpkin feets, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I have a lofty list of goals for the year. If I write them down, they become real, and maybe I will actually get a few of them done.

1. Get a new job that actually pays me well!

2. Develop as many embroidery kits as I can, and sell as many as I can too!

3. Sell crewel supplies on Etsy (specifically crewel yarn and hoops)

4. Say "i love you!" to my husband every single day.

5. Lose enough weight to get rid of my stupid back fat. yuck!

6. Knit 2 sweaters. I CAN DO IT!

7. Eat mostly vegan food.

8. Purchase a new computer that actually works

9. Be creative every day

10. Sing on some of Ben's songs

11. Enter a karaoke contest

12. Make my garden lovely!

13. Try to keep our room and studio clean, perhaps clean it once a week? eh? will that ever happen?

14. See my friends more often.

15. Get rid of this stupid social anxiety that I seem to have developed!

Wish me luck. What are you going to do this year?

New Design ideas!

2009-12-31T11:17:00.000-08:00

One of the big pieces of feedback that Tako Fibers has been getting is "The silkscreened image is so pretty on its own, I don't want to embroider over it!" So, my next idea for kits is to have a multicolored silkscreened image where you only embroider over parts of it. The silkscreened artwork would be part of the design. I have a kit from the '70s that uses that technique (even though its kind of an ugly image) and I think the idea is super. What do you think?

I am also super excited, because I have finally opened up a wholesale account at Brown Sheep! Yay! I am planning on selling crewel yarn by the yard in my Etsy shop, as well as packages of complimentary colors. Also, I am going to be selling hopsack by the yard so that more people can do crewel embroidery without needing to make one of my patterns! yay!

Happy new year to everyone, have a safe and happy eve! We are going to see We Wrote The Book on Connectors tonight at the Blue Moon! Awesome night, fun time!

theremins and mellotrons

2009-12-27T21:33:00.001-08:00

Ben got a theremin and a talk box for christmas!, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Being married to a musician is awesome, because I love music, and I get to learn all about crazy musical instruments.

For Christmas, Ben got a theremin (from me! made by this guy!) and my dad gave him a talk box (here is an example... think Peter Frampton).

One day, Ben hopes to have a studio with the most amazing instrument ever, a Mellotron! This is the trailer for the Mellotron documentary that is (hopefully) coming out soon!

look! I'm in a video!

2009-12-14T16:52:00.001-08:00

Becky from Craft Magazine did a video re-cap of the Urban Craft Uprising show. Watch me be shy and nervous on camera! I make my debut around 2:40, but you should probably watch the whole thing and check out the other wonderful vendors, too! :)

Craft Show Displays

2009-12-14T12:08:00.001-08:00

Lovely display we have there!, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

As you are probably aware, I participated in my first BIG craft show recently. While I had sold my wares at a small show in Savannah, this was the first one where I really needed to think through how I was going to display everything with elegance and functionality, cheaply! I didn't get anything from anywhere exotic - all the display pieces were found or put together from local stores - no ordering from display vendors or anything! It was all EXTREMELY affordable, and I would recommend going this route to anyone going to their first craft show.

1) Tables
The tables were narrow buffet tables from Fred Meyer. I scored these when they were 20% off, but these were the most expensive part of the display at around $25 bucks each. We used 2 of them. They are very lightweight, fold up easily, and I can use them around the house as well.

2) Table coverings
2 twin flat sheets and a tablecloth from Ikea. Cost under $20, and I got so many compliments on the color scheme.

3) Wooden shelves
I went to the hardware store and had a 4x4 cut into equal pieces. Then I painted the pieces. Stacked together as half a pyramid, it made the perfect, portable shelf for the bags of pins I had. Awesome!

4) Signage
My dear friend Hollie painted a sign with the Tako Fibers octopus logo and our slogan: "Crewel Embroidery and Other Fiberful Delights!" The whole sign cost maybe 3 dollars. The sign was painted with acrylic craft paint on a yard of craft felt.
All of our price signs were printed beforehand (looks much more professional!) and were displayed in little placecard holders from Ikea. They came in a package of 6 for 2.99.

5) Fake Grass
This was the MOST AWESOME find! There is a wonderful store in Portland called Cargo. It is a huge collection of crazy things from all over the world. They used fake grass as a display element for everything in their store, and they sold it too! I picked up 4 pieces and used them as shown above. I didn't go overboard and cover my whole table with it. Those little bits of greenery helped convey my product as natural and eco-friendly.

6) Smiles
Luckily, a smile is free! We gave out plenty and got plenty in return. Probably the best display item you can have is a great attitude.

Yay!

Creativity

2009-12-10T23:08:00.001-08:00

gouache, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I am feeling drained. I feel like I have used all my creativity up recently. After spending so much time on my embroidery kits, I have wanted to make a few things for myself - paint and draw in my sketchbook, knit a scarf, make some flash animations. But, I seriously have NOTHING LEFT TO GIVE.
On a similar note, my husband hasn't been feeling very creative either. He has been sad lately, because he feels like he doesn't follow through on his ideas.
My question for you is, what do you do to inspire creativity? When you are feeling down or worn out, what makes you feel good? Where do you go or what do you look at to jumpstart your brain?

Look at all that gouache... it needs to be USED!

Best lunch ever!

2009-12-07T19:13:00.001-08:00

Best lunch ever!, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I have to share this amazingly delicious simple sandwich with you. IT WAS SO GOOD.

Extra-sharp white cheddar cheese, thinly sliced honeycrisp apples, a few very thin slices of onions between whole wheat bread, all pressed on our panini press (but could easily just be cooked in a pan like regular grilled cheese). AMAZING! amazing. I am such a big apple/cheese fan.

Now you know, and now you can enjoy the best lunch ever.

Yeah Urban Craft Uprising!

2009-12-06T19:14:00.001-08:00

What an incredibly awesome experience! I got great feedback from buyers and vendors, and sold a LOT of kits! I am so excited to make new fresh designs now. I'm gonna get crack-a-lackin'!

But, my holiday knitting has been being SO neglected... so I am going to go home, I am going to rest, and I am going to knit! And then i'll embroider some more.

I am going to spend all my money at Urban Craft Uprising...

2009-12-04T22:45:00.001-08:00

my favorite cloud pin, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Today Liz and I spent the afternoon setting up the Tako Fibers booth at Urban Craft Uprising. Oh. My. Goodness! EVERYTHING that I have seen there so far is AMAZING!!!!! I might spend my entire paycheck there. Its going to be really hard to buy gifts, because I want EVERYTHING!
The most beautiful felt paintings and amazing little animals from Softlife are in the booth next to us. They are so great! Liz and I both FREAKED OUT when we saw the amazingness.
We are also right next to Cake Spy, which I love already. We set up pretty early, so we haven't seen the cakey goodness yet, but I am super excited to be sitting between 2 awesome artists! Hooray!
Um... you ARE coming, right? Saturday and Sunday (December 5th and 6th) from 11am - 5pm?? RIGHT? You really should. Get all your holiday shopping done, and buy from local handcrafters!

darn proud of myself

2009-11-28T23:41:00.001-08:00

finished red fancy bird!, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

After tons of hard work, I am finally getting to the point that my kits are getting DONE and look GREAT! I am feeling super confident about the Urban Craft Uprising this weekend.
Thats right, MARK YOUR CALENDERS and come to the Seattle Center expo hall on December 5th and 6th. I will be selling many little kits with many little designs!
The guy pictured above is now officially on my new Etsy. Exciting! Here is a link if you want to check it out.

I have also been silkscreening more felt for more pin/brooch kits:

and only have about 3 more designs to go. then DONE. done done done!

yay! happy! yay!

This is what 257$ of tapestry wool looks like.

2009-11-19T20:06:00.001-08:00

This is what 257$ of tapestry wool looks like., originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Just in case you were wondering.
I did the not so smart thing of picking out all my colors and then having them thrown into a basket. And then forgetting my notebook that TELLS me which colors go with which kits at work, duuuur.

Just 2 weeks until Urban Craft Uprising! So much to do eee!

Yeah swag bags!

2009-11-13T21:19:00.001-08:00

Yeah swag bags!, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Yay!

At Urban Craft Uprising, all vendors donate a few small items to go into their "swag bags." What are these amazing things you ask? Well, the first 500 people to go to the UCU actually GET one of these amazing bags full of handmade goodness for FREE! yes! When I went 2 years ago, there were people lined up for hours WAITING for the goodness.
Vendors only need to donate a small amount, but I donated a bit more - 7 little bags with everything one needs to make my "little cloud" embroidery pattern.

I was up late doing last minute touches, but I think they look GREAT! The shape of the bag made it impractical to silkscreen them, so they are rubber stamped with stamps I carved. I think it looks as good - or better - than a silkscreen, so I'm pleased. I also learned just how much work its going to take to get these all together. Just these 7 little ones took my helper (my momma :) ) and I about 2 hours to get finished. The next too weeks are ASSEMBLY TIME!

In other news, there is no other news. Oh, except my Intermediate Flash class is going really well. I am really enjoying it. I have been working on a little interactive animation where you dress a lady. Very exciting.

Bye!

Working Working Working.....

2009-11-03T20:40:00.001-08:00

Little Silkscreened Felt Pieces!, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Yay! Here are 4 little designs for my embroidery kits. You get a SNEAK PREVIEW!!! I've been cutting and silkscreening and writing and ordering and doing so many things to get them ready. This is a just a little small peek at lots more to come.

I really take on too much. Besides this, I am participating in a print trade, printing all my own business cards, designing the website, taking classes in Flash... and I've been working a full time job too? geez louise!

Business license, credit cards, taxes, oh my....

2009-10-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

Today I have entered the world of BUSINESS. I have spent the morning looking up the ins and outs of getting a business license. The entire process is WAY more confusing than I thought it would be. Not only is there a license needed for Washington state, but also for Seattle. I need to have my UBI number to open a business checking account at my credit union. I need to actually BE ORGANIZED which is really, really difficult for me.
First step - cleaning the studio up and utilizing one of the 5 sets of filing cabinets we have in here.

I am also looking at accepting credit cards for the Urban Craft uprising. Etsy members say that ProPay is awesome, and to forget about the iPhone apps. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm not sure how comfortable buyers would be with entering their credit card info over the phone, but I want to be able to accept their business as well!

Off to clean!

Must. Knit. Sweaters. For. DOGS!

2009-10-14T18:21:00.001-07:00

Must. Knit. Sweaters. For. DOGS!, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Ok. I should be working on embroidery. But the knitting bug is getting to me so bad. I found this book at Books Kinokuniya and I REALLY should have bought it. DOGS! in sweaters. A marriage so pure!

More in progress embroidery

2009-10-13T23:33:00.001-07:00

More in progress embroidery, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

More progress on another embroidery pattern. I have made acetate templates for 12 patterns, more than I was planning on! I am hoping to make at least 12 more, and then pick and choose which ones I want to prepare for Urban Craft Uprising.
I am getting more and more excited by the day. I am pretty sure I have my packaging for the kits all picked out, I just need to do a little more pricing to make sure its the right choice. I found a display solution that is going to look AWESOME, I am so pumped about it! I need to design the Tako Fibers website too! I have a lot of work to do, but I work better under pressure :)

On a different note, I am trying to finish my Mrs. Darcy sweater while preparing for all this crafty madness. All of my sweaters have ridiculously huge holes in them or are not warm enough. I guess I could buy a new one, but when I have a sweater half made, that seems to be a waste of money...

But, in case you want to know... I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY want KnitPicks Elegance yarn in "Jay," to knit myself a new cropped cardigan. mine is so very sad, the holes in the armpits are ridiculously beyond compare. What used to be my cutest sweater is now my only-if-there-is-no-chance-that-i-am-running-into-someone-who-wants-to-hire-me sweater.

I think I'm going to go to bed now and dream about satin stitch... goodnight!

Embroidery!

2009-09-30T19:36:00.001-07:00

Embroidery in Progress, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Again, its been ages since I've written. I am in the lab at SVC, during break from my Intro to Flash class. Its so nice to be in front of a big, huge, nice monitor again! Note to self - computers are better with better equipment!

I have been accepted to the Urban Craft Uprising show in early December! I am so excited. I will be selling my embroidery kits. But how can I sell something that doesn't exist yet, you ask? WELL! I have been feverishly working on them, and plan to have at least 10 designs ready to sell in December! Yeah! Here is one in progress.

Hard at work lately

2009-09-02T15:15:00.001-07:00

photo, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I've been hard at work illustrating, designing, and making art in general lately! I have finished my illustration for the Town Hall "Saturday Family Concerts" poster, and I am happy that it has been spotted all over town! The picture above is the original watercolor in its infancy.
I am working very hard on getting my website up TODAY. I just found a tutorial on making a CSS image gallery that I am going to adapt to my site. Hooray for hard work!

favorite bears

2009-07-08T19:54:00.001-07:00

favorite bear, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I haven't written in a little while! I do apologize. Because I am not on my computer constantly at work, I haven't been very inspired to pick it up at all. My telephone has been serving as my computer, and I have yet to find a good app to post to my blog from my telephone. Do you know one?

Anyway, I have been drawing a lot of bears. Here is another one:

Its not a very good picture, but I do enjoy the bears.

I also painted a lot of little guys on tiles:

I think I am going to cover them with resin!

i am making rain

2009-06-14T20:34:00.001-07:00

i am making rain, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I haven't written in a little while, but this is because I have been very very busy!

This is my latest letterpress project. It is not going very well yet but I like the idea of it. I am taking / symbols (slashes) and randomly scattering them. Its very challenging to put in leading and to get it even remotely close to locking up. The plan is to print this in a few colors on kitakata paper, and then use that paper to chine-colle on bigger prints.

I WILL figure it out!! :)

red bird

2009-05-18T12:13:00.001-07:00

red bird, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

So here is my final little bird!!! The other colors are so subtle and I really enjoy it.

Here it is with the contrast boosted way up, so you can actually see the other colors:

I start my new/old job tomorrow, and I am very very excited about it! Except, I have come down with an evil sinus infection and sore throat. I will be very upset if I have to call into work on my FIRST DAY!

it left a bad taste

2009-05-14T23:48:00.001-07:00

it left a bad taste, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

This is a silkscreen and woodcut. I made it for the Print Zero exchange. I am finally participating in it after being asked to for 3 years in a row!
This piece is a little darker than my usual work. I am not entirely sure what its about. Maybe about something that you used to like that now reminds you of something bad. Or maybe something as innocent as forgetting to brush you teeth in the morning.

By the way, I quit my job and now I have a new job! Hooray!

bird wing

2009-05-08T12:34:00.001-07:00

bird wing, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

In the Continuing Letterpress class that I am taking at Pratt (taught by the wonderfully amazing Miss Lisa Hasegawa), we learned about proper justification of type with this exercise - create a shape out of type.
I had high hopes and big dreams for this - my original setup took me several classes to set - 8pt Spartan type with a multitude of facts telling you all about birds.
But, we are nearing the end of class. Next week is our last class, and I was falling behind. So I scrapped it and made this guy out of 20 different faces/sizes, and I am way happier with it than I was with the original.
I decided to go with the shape on the left. What do you think?

letterpress/anniversary

2009-04-23T18:53:00.001-07:00

letterpress, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I don't have much to say right now, except I am going away for the weekend with my benjamin, for our ONE YEAR wedding anniversary. What! Geez! I can't believe its been a year already!

So I am making us a little present, some buisness cards that we can hand out as a duo, on "hello my name is" stickers. Since they come in sets of two and all. Each one has our different information, but our joined website on the bottom. When we become more awesome than we are now and start to actually update that website, it will be very handy, i'm sure!

Bobmas!

2009-04-14T00:41:00.001-07:00

Bobmas!, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Yay! I gathered a few dear friends who knit to celebrate Bobmas, the founding of Ravelry on April 11th! Hooray! We had cupcakes and knitted.

I made tiny baby socks...

and Keren made mutant booties.

Hollie did a very good job at her first re-learning knitting project! (She has since frogged it all and reknitted it)

I finished one of my baby socks after we had eaten dinner. Baby feet are tiny! Here it is compared to Tater:

Happy Bobmas!

Alpacapalooza!

2009-04-10T10:57:00.001-07:00

Alpacapalooza!, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Alpacapalooza was AMAZING. Last Saturday, we all met up and enjoyed a full day of adorable, amazing, beautiful animals! (We all being me, Ben, Liz, Astrid, Caley, Bre, Brian, Julia and Harper!)

Ben and I are planning on living in a green house and having alpacas one day, as illustrated in this picture:

While we didn't get to roll around in the pen with them this year, it was still a wonderful time. We had a picnic lunch, looked at all the booths, and watched the judging in the show ring too. We even saw little kids leading their alpacas through an obstacle course! Jumping over hurdles! Be still, my heart.

If you would like to see the whole Flickr set, this link will take you there!

Close up of Resin City - In Progress

2009-04-09T15:02:00.001-07:00

Close up of Resin City - In Progress, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

So, although you probably don't know me, you may have gathered from this blog that I like doing a lot of things. I like painting (watercolors, acrylics, gouache, encaustic...), I like knitting (with fancy, beautiful yarns), I like printmaking (letterpress, silkscreen, woodcuts...) I like embroidery (preferably my own designs), I like sewing (blouses mostly), I like cooking (with fresh vegetables)....

Because of this, I have a hard time concentrating on any one project. I will usually dedicate myself to one project per week, and switch between them. I recently finished my cloud embroidery project, I am almost done with my blouse, and I am working on a knitting project (blanket pieces) while I watch movies at home. These little paintings have sat neglected for a month now.
They are acrylic and resin on panel, with many layers of paint and resin. I am really, really pleased with them, but the layering on this piece is especially lovely and unexpected.

So tonight I am going to work on these, and save my other projects for the weekend. But on Saturday, I will be celebrating Bobmas and knitting all afternoon :)

Scarves 1-20

2009-03-30T10:41:00.001-07:00

Scarves 1-20, originally uploaded by willpowergraphics.

This is a photograph that my dear friend Will took. I taught him how to knit last year, and this is his amazing assortment of beautiful scarves that he has made since. I am in love with his color sense! YAY WILL!

Knitting WIP

2009-03-27T15:46:00.001-07:00

DSCN5479, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

After cleaning my studio in an effort to make room for many many silkscreened envelopes, I realized that I have, like, 15 or 16 WIP pieces in my knitting stash. what.

its a building! yes it is

2009-03-15T13:36:00.001-07:00

its a building! yes it is, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I have been making more prints lately. I carved valentines, and sent out freshly printed cards to a few friends.
This print is from a show that I was in 2 years ago. 2 years ago! I can't believe its been that long! I need to show my art somewhere again. Its such a thrill to prepare for a show.

Liz and I have our studio almost all fixed up!!

A whole lotta prints

2009-03-09T17:35:00.001-07:00

A whole lotta prints, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

I am going to put quite a few of these in my Etsy store soon, me thinks!

Lettering

2009-02-26T13:10:00.001-08:00

sketchbook, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Lately I have seen a lot of write ups, blog posts, and general hubbub about hand lettering. I've been playing with hand lettering a lot lately, but I don't think I am very good at it. I do like my "me or you" at the top of this sketchbook page though.

Zink

2009-02-24T16:02:00.001-08:00

zink7, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

Captain Watermelon

2009-02-19T18:17:00.001-08:00

Captain Watermelon, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

This guy was sitting to my left at Bauhaus the other day. He had a very big furry russian hat on. I don't know why I named him captain watermelon.
He wasn't really listening to a walkman, I made that part up.

In other news, I am almost all moved in to my NEW STUDIO! YAY!!!!!!!! I am so excited to have a big place to spread out and work! I feel so, so good about it.

Bye Craft Magazine

2009-02-11T10:23:00.000-08:00

Craft Magazine's last print issue was this past one, Volume 10.

I love you Craft magazine! I'll miss you very much! Even though you will be online, the print version was such a treat.

Encaustic in Progress

2009-02-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

In 2006, I won a little R&F encaustic paint set from Daniel Smith, for meeting a sales goal. Yay! Because encaustic paint is REALLY expensive! So, I decided to start painting.
This is the biggest encaustic painting I have ever done. The biggest painting, actually, I have ever done in any medium! I have made big prints, but never a big painting. This one is on 16x24 panel. It wasn't really intended to be a landscape, but then it quickly became that. I wonder what it will turn into next?

Here is my encaustic set up right now, in my tiny closet sized studio:

I use a pancake griddle, kid sized muffin tins, hog brushes, hake brushes, and a paint stripper to paint with. I learned most of the techniques from Joanne Mattera's book The Art of Encaustic Painting, which I highly recommend to anyone who is interested in painting this way.

Little Resin Tags

2009-01-30T18:51:00.001-08:00

Studio Time, originally uploaded by maybeemily.

While I had been drawing in sketchbooks and making prints and working in resin for a long time before, I had never really tried to express my ideas through paint. I was so pleased with the results of these little tags!
My favorite is on the far left. The title is "A Chaste Landscape." I had read that exposed arms were symbolic of chastity in a book I had of Christian symbolism in art. (After learning about the hidden symbolism in old master's paintings and prints, I became a little obsessed with finding the hidden meanings in EVERYTHING!)
The tags have several layers of paint and resin on them, and are a little less than 1/8" thick. I love the way the resin creates a warm depth to the images. I wish I could make it a little less unruly, however - the backs have lots of drips and dribbles on them!

In Progress

2009-01-18T20:21:00.000-08:00

I am working on several paintings right now. I don't usually think of myself as a painter, but as a printmaker. I find that my paintings are very detailed sketches for future prints and other projects - I never really think of them as the final product.