Quick update!

Ahh...happy January! I'm sad to admit that between a cold, then a sinus infection, and general winter blahs I'm having less than a stellar beginning to 2008. I am finding it difficult to muster the motivation for posting as well as creating! I did manage to pump out a bit of work for AVC, some of which are brand new designs. So, I have a few new necklace designs and a couple of new designers to share!

Nature vs Machine was also recently featured on its first blog! I like that I was recognized both for my art and the fact that a portion of my art is recycled. Unfortunately, metal work does not typically lend itself to "green art" because harsh chemicals are involved in production. I've not heard much along the lines of eco-friendly polishing compounds but if they exist, I will find them!

I hope 2008 finds you all happy and healthy! I will return with fun updates soon!

Art vs Craft!

My friend and I got our Art vs Craft acceptance email last week! I am excited about being accepted but I am kind of freaked out. I know how much work goes into art fairs and it scares me a little. I think I put too much off until the last minute the last time around and it caused me a lot of stress. I hope I can learn from my past experience and get motivated to accomplish as much as possible early on so I don't have a hundred lose ends in December.

When: Dec 8th 10am-7pm
Where: Humphrey Scottish Rite Masonic Center (click for a map)
790 N Van Buren St Milwaukee, WI

AVC time already?

I just got word that the applications for the holiday AVC are due in within the next month (AAAH!) and that they have considerably less space than last year. Why do they have less room, do you ask? Because they have a spiffy NEW VENUE!!!! And it's GORGEOUS!

It's basically a thousand times better than the last venue. Also, it's smaller. A lot smaller. I can tell already that I wouldn't need to wear my brimmed hat again to shade my sensitive eyes from the fluorescent lighting. Now, onto the hard part of getting accepted...

JUNKPRINTS SPECIAL!

Chanel, the fantastic mind behind Junkprints, has offered free shipping* for any of you lovely readers who are interested in purchasing something from her line! All you have to do is enter "Junkprints luvs Sewcial Suicide" in the seller notes. So, if you dig her line, (And how couldn't you?) now is the perfect time to pick up a little something to put a smile on your face. Thanks, Chanel!

P.S. I love the jacket pictured above. A lot.

*The promotion is valid until 8.30.07

New bag!

Here's another framed clutch I created for AVC that is currently housed at Niche.

The patterned fabric contains all of my favorite colors and even has a bit of sparkle! I got the fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics; it sold out in about 2 weeks! I bought two yards and have already cut out the pieces from it for my next project. I found out about the new fabric store on Pattern Review. Pattern Review is a great resource for anything having to do with sewing. I found Gorgeous Fabrics there (the shop was reviewed by a member of PR) and I found great reviews on a "how to sew knits" book I bought for $2.50 online (that I have yet to crack).

New stuff!

I made some new stuff for the Art vs Craft show that I completely forgot to post! ¡Ay, caramba! Here are a couple of the flex-frame clutches/wristlets that I adore so much. I got a lot of positive feedback on them at the show but nobody bought any...The blue floral clutch is on my Etsy page and the neutral clutch is at Niche.
Though neither of those are my favorite as far as print goes, they ended up being the most popular style I brought to the show. The bag on the right was made with vintage floral fabric that has splashes of neon pink, which I love.

I also made some of my sterling and vinyl pendants for the show.
I sold this one at the show. The other design I brought is currently
at Niche.

Simultaneous Inspiration?

I notice, sometimes, before things become trends, that a few people will become inspired around the same time to do similar things. For instance, I've been infatuated with gears for a very long time and have been designing some riveted gear jewelry over the past year or two but I just haven't had time to put the designs into production. Sometime earlier this year I stumbled across Katrinabird's shop where she is sells her gear inspired jewelry. My designs are a bit different than hers but one fact remains clear: it's basically the same idea. I also have designs drawn up for gear screen prints; weeks later I stumble across Moxiemadness' shop where she sells a neon pink gear shirt. Weird; she's doing it, too. Prior to seeing gear stuff being produced I truely don't recall seeing it done elsewhere. Granted, I'm probably wrong. Gears certainly aren't new and I'm sure they've been repurposed a hundred times. Maybe I never noticed those designs before since I wasn't looking out for them. Maybe they weren't there after all. I can't help but feel it's a case of simultaneous inspiration. Another example: a clothing designer friend of mine once saw a design in a fashion show nearly identical to something she had recently made. Neither of those designs had seen the light of day prior to the Fashion show. Neither of them ever accused the other of thieving the idea; they were simply in awe over the fact that they both were feeling the same stuff at the same time.

Copy-cats pt. 2

I've been on the subject of copying for the past few weeks (pt. 1). I think it's time to take a look at it in a different light. Here's a link to a crafter who is copying the big guys (in this case, YakPak). The person who posted these pictures actually put up a tutorial on how to copy this bag yourself.

Is it any different when it's a crafter doing the copying? Perhaps. Maybe I feel differently since these items, most likely, aren't being resold as a copy of the original...or is it because I'm a crafter too? YakPak certainly isn't seeing much, if any, of a reduction in sales due to the tutorial post. The poster, pfeffermint_ish, credits the original so at least (s)he's not trying to pass it off as his/her own design. I do, however, think (s)he could have added more of a personal spin to the actual design of the bag. Nobody is exactly reinventing the handbag these days; it's all in the details...

*pfeffermint_ish is not, by any means, the only one out there deconstructing and reproducing a mass produced item for personal use/resell; That tutorial just happened to be the first one I stumbled upon with the copy-cat theme in mind.

RIP Mighty Flirt

One of my favorite shops to peruse for talent, Mighty Flirt, recently closed its doors without warning (as far as I know). I always wonder about the behind the scenes when a shop closes its doors. I hope they closed shop to pursue other interests and not due to lack of interest.

Please don't flatter me.

Some people say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I say, if that's true, don't flatter me.

A newly opened museum in Germany puts on display something that strikes fear into every artist and designer's heart: blatant rip-off. The museum, Plagiarius, opened on April 1st, 2007. They host about 300 original items and their rip-off twins. Take a look at a slide show of some of the more famous rip-offs shown at the Plagiarius.

Scary! I can't imagine having something like that happen to me. A lot of the time the companies guilty of copying are large corporations with a lot of money and power so it's difficult for the little guys (independent designers) to fight back. We all remember the now infamous (in the right circles) rip-off by Urban Outfitters of Johnny Cupcakes' design of the plane dropping cupcake bombs. There's even a site documenting the never ending rip-offs UO is guilty of committing. Read about them here http://urbncounterfeiters.blogspot.com/ then boycott Urban Outfitters. (Ok, maybe you don't have to boycott them. After all, I buy my colored beaters there. But that's where I draw the line.)

Here's a thread on craftster.org concerning artist rip off.

This topic is widely discussed throughout the nets. A simple search will turn up a lot of distinct stories.

On that note, I am going to pack for my trip.

Ciao!