Cathy's Sweet Shop

Moving... again!

2009-01-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

Here I go again.

Since I went and "moved" my etsy shop, it was sort of inevitable that my blog would follow suit. Darn it all though, I didn't claim "cathypeng" on blogger sooner. I found out that my web hosting service offers a free blog, so I tried it out the other afternoon. Kinda simple and boring to look at though:

Then I tried out typepad very briefly since my name was still available. But I couldn't figure out how to make it all pretty after fiddling with it for about an hour, so I could foresee blogging to be more of a task than fun in the future. Especially since I'd have to pay for it after the 2 weeks free trial period was up. So cathypengart it is. It's shorter than "cathyssweetshop", at least.

Some things I'm working towards for the new blog this year:

- updating more frequently, hopefully more than once a week
- fun giveaways of stuff made by me
- more photos of work-in-progress, our home, the city and other interesting things

Sorry to my readers ...
I hope you'll follow me to my new location.

Today's Post is brought to you by the Letter C...

2009-01-16T12:30:00.000-08:00

... for "C" I told you so.
And for Crappy with a capital "C".

I should really learn to take my own advice. Last night, against my better judgment, I decided to drink on an empty stomach. It was only a few sips of wine before dinner and I drank maybe 3 small glasses over 3-4 hours. I felt fine all through dinner and the rest of the evening. And fine when we went to bed.

A few hours into slumber though, I awoke and didn't feel so hot.

So here's a tip for anyone considering drinking alcohol on an empty stomach...
DON'T!!!

Unless you want to wake up in the middle of the night and start hurling.

More than once.

And cap it off by feeling rotten the next morning and the rest of the day.
Yes, I'm still feeling crappy.

At least that's my reasoning as to why I got sick. Either that or alcohol just doesn't agree with me anymore.
Yes, I'm getting old.

This post was going to be longer and more upbeat, but that's just not going to happen today. So I'll leave you with a few more pictures with the letter "C".

this is kinda how I feel - like someone took a bite out of me

and here's a sneak peek of my desktop these days

A New Year & A New Shop

2009-01-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Belated New Year! Hope everyone's year is off to a good start. My first post of 2009 is a bit overdue. Better late than never though, right? That's sort of how I feel about my decision to rebrand my online shop. Back in February of 2006 when I opened my (first) etsy shop, I didn't really give much thought to the username I chose. But almost as soon as I picked the name, I wanted to change it. Fast forward to the end of 2008 and my wanting to turn over a new leaf despite some 800 sales and nearly 700 positive feedbacks. I did a bit of forum reading to see what other buyers and sellers thought about changing shop names and finally just decided to go for it. So my new shop was born a few days before the new year!

It's pretty much the same as before, just under a different name, my name, which will be my new business name soon (as opposed to Cathy Peng Illustration). I'm being a bit more selective about what I list in the shop, making sure there is a cohesive look to everything so I may phase out certain items altogether. I'm glad for not getting rid of these though, since they made the front page the other day and brought me quite a few sales afterwards.

Our holidays were pretty low-key since it was just Matt, me and the cats at home this year. We did make it to a few fun holiday get-togethers though, which is impressive for two rather anti-social creatures. After several weeks of overloading on sweets, mindless tv, and the internet, I'm feeling recharged and more creative these days. But all my hours of surfing the net were not wasted since I discovered and rediscovered some great new blogs and websites:
- Shinzi Katoh - whose art and designs I'm sure I've seen before but just never knew who was behind it.
- A Beautiful Mess - love the name of this girl's blog and the art that she creates and sells on etsy.
- Making it Lovely - a stationery designer whose home renos are amazing and inspiring.
- Apartment Therapy - for a peek inside others' homes and living spaces and for interior design tips.
- The Life Pursuit - another creative spirit who's inspiring me at the moment.

When I wasn't pigging out or vegging out, I was doing some major decluttering and reorganizing around our place. I rearranged my workspace for the hundredth time and finally feel satisfied with the setup. Pictures to come later this week (or month) once I've got art and other stuff hung up.

I'll sign off with our 2008 holiday photo. Three out of four of us were PhotoShopped in since we couldn't get the cats to stay still long enough for one decent shot. Can you guess which three?

8 days and counting...

2008-12-17T08:19:00.001-08:00

until Christmas! Phew. December has been flying by and I've been catching up on blog reading this morning. I'm a tad embarrassed that our tree is so minimally decorated after seeing so many other beautifully dressed ones among the blog world. There's still time to make some ornaments or pick up some if I dare brave the shops again in the next week.

This is the first Christmas tree for Dex (to our knowledge) and Suki's second, and so far they've both been pretty well behaved. A little paw batting of the red ornaments and rubbing up against the branches, but the tree is still standing. Since we spent last Christmas in Arizona, we opted to stay in Toronto this year. I wish our families could be here with us... I seriously don't have the energy to go anywhere. Working outside of the house for the past several months has drained me and I'm ready to hibernate until the New Year.

Creatively, I have felt a bit uninspired of late, but I hope to introduce some new things to the shop in 2009. As well, I look forward to sharing a new project that I've been working on with everyone soon. For now, I have to remain *hush hush* though.

Well, I best get busy and package up gifts to send to my family. If I don't get around to posting here again before Christmas, here's hoping everyone has a very Merry one!

Hello, December.

2008-12-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

I've been away from blogland for the past week and a half, so am late announcing the arrival of gift certificates in the shop. They're a Sweet Shop first.

Once again, I'm helping out this sweet gal at the One of a Kind Show, which is one of the reasons for the lack of blogging. The other is that I picked up some part-time work at a design firm down the street from us. Go figure that the almost perfect job for me was almost right under my nose, or only a 10 minute walk away. While I can handle working retail every once in a while, it is certainly not my favourite job in the world. Candice's booth can get pretty hectic at times - as her undies and briefs are a big hit - so by the end of a shift, I'm eager to get home.

Still, the crowds at the Show have not been that bad, and I'm sure they are nothing compared to the one that was gathered outside that Wal-Mart in New York this past Black Friday. Disturbing and crazy and sad all at the same time. Poor man. Matt told me about that incident while we were grocery shopping this morning and I almost couldn't believe my ears. My mom used to work as a greeter at Wal-Mart, and though Saskatoon is not nearly as populous as New York, when there are deals to be had, I know people can be pretty fanatical about getting them. I remember seeing long lineups outside stores on Boxing Day morning in Saskatoon. Heck, I think I may have even stood in one myself years ago. And all to save a little big of money on stuff you probably don't even need. Was it worth it, people? A man's life for $50? May he rest in peace.

On a happier note - I don't want to end the post on a dour one - I received a lovely email from one of my sweet sweet customers the other day. She bought the painting above from me a while ago and had it framed. Her daughter is now the proud and happy owner of this piece and I feel blessed to know that someone else is enjoying this in her home.

Holiday Sale Now On!

2008-11-21T07:20:00.000-08:00

I feel so behind with the holidays this year. Every year around this time, I say I will start prepping earlier next year, but I still haven't mastered that feat. There's always next year to get my act together, though.

Since I don't think I'll have time to partake in any holiday shows, I'm having a big sale in my shop. (Click on image above to enlarge it) I've got an abundance of summer tees that I'd like to clear out to make room for new stock in 2009. So for every 2 tees or totes or a combination of 1 tee and 1 tote, you get a free tee/tote of your choice. The catch is that the free item has to be of equal or lesser value than the lowest priced item and also that the free item must be in stock.

Several new tees have been added to the shop and I will be listing more later today, as well as some other items.

I will be selling some of my goods at this event next Sunday, but won't actually be there. This lovely lady will be selling things on my behalf. Hope the event is a success. If any of you readers are in the Montreal area, please check it out.

And here's a cute image (I'm a little biased) that I came across the other day, c/o this awesome store's new site. They carry an assortment of my kitty items, which reminds me that I should send them some more stock soon.

Less than 60 Seconds or More than 90 Minutes?

2008-11-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

Commuting is the topic and hmmm, that's a tough one. Let me think about it for a second... Not! Like I mentioned in yesterday's post, I am back working from home and loving it again. When faced with the choice of either getting up at 5 am 5 days a week and commuting for 1 and a half to 2 hours one way OR getting up when I please and walking up the stairs to my office, well, the choice was pretty clear. I mean I'd be missing out on priceless moments like the one in the photo above if I chose the former. And that is just one of the many reasons why I quit that job.

Not that the job was without its pros. But the cons definitely outweighed them. See, I even made a list:

Pros
- a steady income (for a little while anyways, as it was a contract job)
- it was art-related
- I didn't have to deal with the public
- social interaction with artistic peers; breaks and lunch time were usually entertaining and I met some really nice people there

Cons
- the 1.5 to 2 hour commute each way to the middle of nowhere-land, I mean, Richmond Hill
- 5 am daily wake-up
- $10 a day on transit
- our somewhat decent hourly wage would be changing to payment for the number of "things" you completed in a day, which for me as of last Friday topped the charts at 4... which would make my new hourly wage less than minimum
- a serious lack of good communication between management and staff, a lack of organization and generally too much secrecy; we did sign a confidentiality agreement when we started the job, but I didn't think it meant that we, as staff, would be kept in the dark about what they wanted from us. Heck, we didn't even know how long the contract was for until last Friday. And that wasn't even certain anyways. Things could have been run a lot smoother but I suppose everyone thinks he or she could do things better if he or she was in charge. Honestly though, it's not like I was working at the Canadian Intelligence... I was simply, oh, better not say.
- it was a messy and smelly environment
- social interaction (which was also a pro, but being a naturally introverted person, by the time I got home everyday, I'd be pretty spent, which isn't fair to Matt or the cats)
- not having the energy to do anything else creative once I got home, or even on the weekends
- the cats (mainly Dex, the attention hog) didn't seem too fond of the lack of attention and made it obvious by destroying some of my possessions or wreaking havoc in my office area, so much so that I had to rearrange my desk set-up just so nothing major got damaged.

I think that pretty much covers the pros and cons. Don't get me wrong, though. I am thankful to have had this job, if even only for a month. Every bit helps these days. And thanks, Stacey, for letting me know that your Turkey Day (or Tofurkey Day) hasn't come and gone yet. I wondered why I couldn't place it on my calendar. For some reason, I thought people had already celebrated it.

I can't forget to mention some funny and priceless moments related to this job:

1. The fact that I was even hired is pretty amazing. After arriving late for the interview or test, rather (as the job was based on specific skills you needed), I had to borrow money from my eventual supervisor just so I could get home. I had no idea that you have to pay extra fare after a certain point in Toronto. Had my supervisor not been so kind, I could have been stranded there for a while. I was too upset and hungry to even be that embarrassed though... Lesson learned: always bring enough cash with you.
2. Lack of sleep led me to take the wrong subway direction one morning.
3. Lack of sleep also led me to bring cat food for lunch one day, as my lunch and the cats' food were in similar containers. This led to me having to run to the nearest coffee shop, or shall I say running 1/3 of the way and gasping and walking the rest of the way there. Needless to say, I'm a tad out of shape.

Hopefully I can get back into a regular exercise regime for the winter. If not, oh well, I'll settle for hibernating with this other furball.

I'm Back!

2008-11-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

It's been ages since I've blogged. Okay, well only several weeks. I feel a little rusty though. I missed posting about Halloween, the beginning of November, Remembrance Day and American Thanksgiving. Now Christmas is just around the corner. And I haven't had a chance to create any new holiday cards this year as of yet. So the ones from Christmases past will have to do for now. You can find them here.

I'm happy to report that I'm back working from home these days. The job that I started only a month ago was making some changes as far as how we'd be paid, which made it all the easier for me to tell them "Sayonara!" (I'll elaborate more in tomorrow's post.) So I will hopefully get back to creating some new things for the shop very shortly. For sure there will be gift certificates available this year. And I'm considering a holiday sale to clear out an overstock of summer shirts. Check back later this week.

A Long Weekend...

2008-10-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

Well, for me anyways.
The concept of long weekends has not really been something I've relished for the past several years, since I worked from home and basically worked everyday. But last week things changed and I started a new job that actually required leaving the house. By the time I got home each day more than 12 hours had passed. Matt would leave the house 3 and a half hours after me, but would still get home before me. To his credit though, Matt did come down with me on Monday morning (that's a 5 am wake-up call) and for a guy who loves his sleep, that was very sweet of him, especially on his day off. Still, you can imagine my reasons for not loving the new job...
Of course, when you're faced with the probability that you may lose something (ie. a job, or freedom), you realize just how valuable that thing may be after all.

In this case, just a week into the new job, all the new hires were told that some of us would be laid off. Ouch! And we wouldn't know who the company would be keeping and who they'd be laying off until later this week. If you've ever thought about slacking off at a job, well then too bad for you. Pretty much all the stuff we'd been doing for the past week was a way to rate who to keep. Not like they had been planning to get rid of people, but with the lagging U.S. economy, their projected sales were not as high as they'd expected so they don't have the budget for the amount of staff that was hired.

So if you haven't already guessed, I was one of the ones who was kept on. Hence, the long weekend. I had prepared myself for bad news, that it wasn't the end of the world if I didn't get called back. But it is a bit of a relief since it'd taken me about nine months of job hunting to land this position. That's a whole other blog post that I will hopefully get around to writing soon. It'll be interesting to see who else is at work on Monday. Toronto certainly doesn't have a shortage of artists and creative types, so I feel for those who didn't get good news.

Today I've been house bound and am loving it. Working on a custom calling card and my own business card which I ran out of weeks ago, but haven't really needed since my shop sales have been kind of slow. That's the downside of working out of the house. I don't have internet access and by the time I get home, I'm too wiped to do anything but veg. Ah, well. Gotta pay my dues. And pay those bills.

Tomorrow is UN Day. The image above is from a yet to be published book that I worked on a while back, the second in the TCK series by Jen Munnerlyn. No new photos or illustrations to show, so old ones will have to do.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-10-13T16:29:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post before we sit down for our holiday feast. Yes, Thanksgiving Day is almost over in Canada, so this post is a little late. And yes, that's a frog, not a turkey. But I don't normally draw turkeys (or frogs for that matter), so a frog will have to do.

A big thank you to my lovelySweet Shop customers for helping me reach 800 sales the other day! Hope my fellow Canadian readers are enjoying the day and enjoyed the long weekend too. It was gorgeous here in Toronto and Matt and I ventured out to the beach to take in possibly the last warm weekend this year. The rest of the weekend was spent revamping my website, but I've not yet uploaded the new files.

I think it's about time to eat. I'm VERY grateful for my sweet hubby who made dinner tonight. Yum!

The Times, They Are a-Changin'

2008-10-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday, so what better day to reflect on things of the week past. The Clothing Show was pretty good, as my sales improved from the first show I did back in Spring - thank you to all my buyers for your support and purchases!- but they weren't so spectacular that it's convinced me to do another one again. Plus, as my post title suggests, the times, or should I say my times will be changing, so who knows if the show circuit is in my near future?

The most significant change coming up, or the one that has me feeling mixed emotions, is my acceptance of a job outside of the house. While I'm happy to have gotten the position - I've only been applying for jobs since the beginning of this year - it will require me commuting close to 2 hours each way, 6 days a week. Plus, rising hours before the sun comes up. Not a lot of fun, especially since darkness pervades these mornings leading up to winter. I swore that I would never take a job that required more than an hour of commuting one way, but (here I am quoting another song) you can't always get what you want.

It's been several years since I've worked outside of home - thanks to my dear hubby, without whom, I think I'd be in a heck of a bigger mess - and as much as I'd love to continue to do so, the reality of it, is that I'm not making as much as I need to be making to live a comfortable life in downtown Toronto. I'd love to say that I am. I'd love to say that Etsy allowed me to quit my day job. But really, my day job was working from my home. Well, IS, for now. For another week and a half. So my reality is that I have to quit my day job to make more money. How bizarre is that?

My big concern is that the new job won't allow me enough time or energy to devote to my shop and other projects and commitments. I'm also upset that I haven't been able to "make it work" as well I want it to. I know this is just another leg of my journey in life and so I should embrace it and take things one day at a time, but part of me can't help feeling like I've failed a little. I certainly am not going to give up doing what I love, but this post is also to let others know that I may have to close shop temporarily to maintain my sanity.

And speaking of sanity, Matt and I could only handle so much of Nuit Blanche last night before we returned home. We didn't see anything really related to the event aside from lots of people out and about, as we had our own adventure planned for the evening. Some people are okay with crowds, but we are not among them. I love the idea of the event, but maybe if I were 10 years younger, I'd be more into it. Hope whoever was out last night/this morning had a swell time!

Fall Clothing Show Tomorrow!

2008-09-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

I'm in the final stages of prep for The Clothing Show, so this will not be a long post. For any of my readers in Toronto, please come by Booth #513 if you can and take advantage of some great deals. Hint: Print the above image from this post out and you can save 20% off my New Fall tees.

I was thrilled to see another of my items on the front page of etsy the other day. What a great looking treasury for Fall too! Well, wish me luck at the Show! I'll let you know how it goes after the weekend.

First Day of Autumn

2008-09-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

This morning I was treated to a nice surprise when this made it to the front page. I love it when that happens!

Last week, this sweet gal wrote some very kind things about me and my shop.
Thanks, Kristen. You are a sweetheart!

Today is also the first day of my favourite season so I'm looking forward to the cooler days. No more need for a/c, lots of excuses for hot chocolate and less sweat exuded from my body (hopefully). Of course, I've yet to step outside. The day was devoted to making a ton of buttons for my various retailers and also the upcoming Clothing Show. Most of my stock is together, I just need to make signage for the booth and price it all. I will have some great deals on the Summer tees and older items, plus will unveil some new Fall stuff. If I have time, I'll post some pics of what to expect in the next few days.

The change of seasons also means all the Fall lineup of shows are starting up again. Tonight is Heroes, one of Matt's favourites. Tomorrow is House, I believe. Next week, there's Grey's Anatomy, my fave... So much to watch and so little time! Yes, we are tv junkies, but hey, it beats being addicted to other vices.

Edit: I forgot that the Season Premiere of House was on last week. Duh! And I meant Thursday instead of next week for Grey's Anatomy. Geez, where's my brain?

A Clean Slate & A Blank Canvas

2008-09-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

I didn't get around to blogging yesterday and really should be silkscreening some things right now, but if I don't do this now, I probably won't get around to it at all this week. After wanting to repaint our upper level for several months now, Matt and I finally did just that last Friday. His colour of choice was a dark greenish-grey to mimic a chalkboard and my colour of choice was white, hence the title of this post.

This is what that same wall looked like before we started painting:

Thank goodness the dark wall is just a temporary thing for Matt's next film project. (It will be painted white to match my workspace after he's done shooting.) I had previously told him that he wasn't allowed to film any more movies in our home. Since I work from home and need to be able to move around and make noise at any given point, filming a movie in the same environment can prove to be difficult. But in marriage, you learn to compromise. And so while Matt got his wish to film part of his next project here, I also got my wish (below):

In all his years of riding a bike, Matt has never worn a helmet. Until now!

Something new that I'm trying these days is having my desk up against the wall. If you're familiar at all with feng shui, then you know this isn't the best position in which to have your desk. Not only do you have something in front of you, blocking chi, but your back is left vulnerable. But for practical reasons - facing the other way meant I'd have to use a huge and unsightly extension cord - I set it up like this for now. Plus, all the cables and cords are kind of eyesore so at least this way they are less visible.

The main reason I wanted white walls is because I thought they'd make for better product shots. A good amount of natural light and decent photography skills don't hurt either, but I thought the wall colour before just didn't go anything for my items.

At least now I have a blank white wall to work with. My workspace is still a work-in-progress as there are a number of other things I want to get from here to complete it. I'm loving my new Judy dress form and red Lerberg rack though.

Those are all the photos for now. To see more from our fun day, you can go here. Sorry, Tara, no other after shots yet :)

Makeover Madness

2008-09-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

I don't get my hair cut at salons very often. Not because I've had any traumatic experiences... until yesterday, that is. See my hair in the photo above? Notice how long it looks? It's nearly down to the middle of my back.

Well, Matt was in need of a haircut, and my hair was badly in need of a trim to get rid of the split ends. I asked for two inches off. THAT'S TWO INCHES PEOPLE! What ended up happening? My hair was basically massacred.

Before I knew it, hair was flying and a LOT more than two inches was lopped off my head.

The hair stylist said I had such pretty hair...
--- SNIP SNIP ---

The hair stylist said I had a lot of hair...
--- SNIP SNIP ---

Why didn't I say anything?

Well, it's a bit intimidating to tell someone holding a pair or scissors and a razor in their hands to stop. Plus, I was trusting her to listen to what I told her at the beginning. I specifically said "only two inches". Obviously her idea of two inches is more like 2 + 2 + 2 = 2.

Yes, it's just hair. It's not the end of the world. And thankfully it will grow back before it is the end of the world (hopefully). But seriously, by the time I walked out of the salon, my hair looked like "The Rachel" - you know, Jennifer Aniston's famous Friends hairdo - only not nearly as glamorous. Not to mention the fact that I was never crazy about that do.

So now my hair barely pulls back into a ponytail, that's how short it is. And the hair that makes it into that ponytail is about 1/3 of what was there before. I have yet to take a photo of the mess and I'm not sure I want to.

Needless to say, I won't be going back to that salon for my next haircut.

More makeover madness photos to come tomorrow though. This time of the home reno kind.

Can you "handle" this?

2008-09-07T19:06:00.000-07:00

I've been on a blog hiatus lately but only because I've been working real hard. A new design is here, finally! And yes, I've hopped on the moustache bandwagon, but only because it looks so cute and funny on this kitty. I'll be listing tees and totes with "moustache kitty" in my shop later this month.

Other new designs are in the works, along similar "dress-up" lines. With Halloween around the corner, I've been inspired by that theme of donning costumes. Stay tuned.

As well, the Clothing Show is just weeks away, so I'm preparing for my second time there. A lot of summer stock will be marked down and I will have some new items too. It may be my only show for the rest of the year, since a lot of the deadlines for Christmas shows seemed to have already passed. Please come check it out. Same spot as the Spring show. Booth 513. September 26-28.

Bubblemint!

2008-08-26T14:19:00.001-07:00

I was admiring this beautiful treasury (wink wink) the other day and was thinking how lovely it would be to see on the front page and voila! It happened this morning. Sweet! And I have to thank Stacey and Christine for letting me know that it was on the front page, as well as Margaret for including me in the treasury.

I took the cats in for their annual checkups this morning and both got a clean bill of health. It was a bit tough juggling two cat carriers on my own, but can you imagine looking after 500 cats? Check out this link I discovered today. What an amazing woman! I think for the upcoming Christmas season, I will be donating a portion of my etsy sales to The Cat House.

Home... where the heart is.

2008-08-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

I'm back home now... after going "home" to my parents' for a week. Funny, how I used to consider Saskatoon my home, but now I don't think I could ever live there again permanently. I told my sister that if Matt and I moved there, I think we'd just get fat. Saskatoon's not really a walking city like Toronto. Even biking seems kind of foreign there, as I didn't see very many people pedaling around. Plus, the way the sun beats down on you, you seem safer in a car. Though the skies are clear and blue there, as opposed to the smoky haze we noticed from the plane, as soon as we were over Toronto. If we didn't put on weight from being sloths, we'd surely gain some from all the food my mom fed us. Appropriately, we saw Wall-E while we were there.

And since it'd been more than 2 years since my previous visit, some things surprised me. Like the size of the trees in their front and back yard. HUGE! They never reached up to my bedroom on the second floor when I lived there, but now they soar above it. And the birds there seem plentiful. I heard and spotted a blue jay several times there and I swear they weren't around before. Or else I was too caught up in my teen angst to have noticed.

Then there was how dry it was. Almost every night I woke up having to go to the bathroom because my body wasn't sweating out the fluids. Even though temperatures were in their 30's most of the time we were there, it didn't feel as unbearable.

Still, there were some things that haven't changed. Most noticeably, all the brown in the house! If I work up the nerve, I will nominate my parents' place for a home decorating show as it is badly in need of some updating. Everything in their house is brown or beige. Well, almost. Their bedroom is an exception but baby blue curtains are not that hip either.

Our big project for a few days was to paint the exterior trim on the windows and garage door. Matt had wanted to repaint their deck too but my dad said it needed to be fixed first... by the time we left, it was in pieces as it required more fixing that my dad originally thought. Sorry, Dad :)

Other than that, we spent a lot of time eating like I said, watching Olympics and playing an array of board games including PayDay, Monopoly, Clue, The Game of Life, Sorry and Scrabble. I didn't do an ounce of my own work or catch up on my reading like I had planned on doing. In fact that stuff didn't leave my bag while I was there. Typical.

I also brought my camera but never took any photos (which accounts for the drawings and Internet image). I certainly took my vacation to heart this time. Which means I've got to get my butt back to work. The Fall Clothing Show is coming up next month so new tees are in the works. And some new things will be added to the shop in the next little while.

Running back to Saskatoon

2008-08-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

August has been really slow so far in my etsy shop but when it's slow, instead of getting down about it, I have to take advantage of that time for creating new things. I finally made some more girl aceo's which are all listed in the shop now. My favourites are the pink and yellow girls. If I didn't have black hair, I'd want to be a redhead.

In an effort to get some new wholesale clients, I pounded the pavement today along Queen Street West. After the first shop owner was less than impressed about my drop-in, I decided to just get the rest of the owner's/buyer's contact info from each store. Lesson learned. But you never know until you try. Plus, I don't have a ton of money to invest in getting catalogues printed and mailed out right now, so a face to face meeting is the most direct and cost-effective way for feedback right now, even if it means dealing with some up-turned noses and dirty looks.

The highlight of my excursion was when I spotted a woman wearing one of my Bad Kitty shirts. I even held the door open for her, but was too chicken to blurt out that I'd made her shirt. I think that was the first time I've seen someone wearing one of my shirts.

And last week when I stopped by the vet's to pick up more pills for Suki I got another ego boost. The receptionist asked for my name and when I told her, she said "Oh you make those shirts! I have one (bad kitty)."

The feeling I get when I sell one of my creations, especially an original painting or one of my shirts makes what I do worthwhile. While it doesn't make the tough times go away - how I wish it would - it fuels my fire to keep doing what I'm doing. After all, Bad Kitty was the original design that started off my line of kitty products. If people are still interested in her, then I'm doing something right.

Tomorrow, Matt and I are off for a week to Saskatoon. It'll be my first visit in several years - I can't even remember how long it's been, that's how long it's been - and Matt's first time ever. I'm looking forward to my mom's cooking, seeing my sister's place, playing Scrabble with the family, catching up on reading and checking out the annual Folkfest that I used to partake in. I'm sure we'll be following the Olympics too. Hopefully the kitties will be fine here (yes, that's an old photo, but I haven't gotten around to uploading new ones). Our cat sitter has promised to keep us updated with daily emails. While I will have internet access, I probably won't be updating my blog until we're back.

Hope everyone has a great week!

A Sweet Giveaway

2008-08-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

I love giveaways and will have one of my own sometime soon. But this one is from a new blogger that I discovered recently... she left a sweet comment on one of my recent posts. Her art is lovely and she's giving people a chance to win one of her very cute Birdie Says mugs.

These are my favourites:

If you're interested in a chance to win your own mug, check out Gisele's rules here.

It's My Birthday...

2008-08-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

so I gave myself permission to take the day off and go shopping! The message inside the card (pictured above) that Matt's parents sent did tell me to "Be bad" after all.
In fact, "Be very bad!".
So I was.
My mom gifted me with some birthday money and told me to spend it on some new clothes.
So I did.
I was badly in need of a new bra and finally found one, aptly called "dream bra" by Maidenform. And with all the summer markdowns, I was also able to score some black capris and a new top both for less than the price of the bra!

And being the cat fanatic that I am, I was treated to some more feline greetings today: a hilarious animated e-card from my sister... it's funnier when animated, but the image captures still give you a sense of what happens...

and a sweet photo via email from a friend

Dinner's on Matt tonight at Red Lobster. Let's hope it's as good as I remember, from years ago.
And of course there'll be some kind of dessert. Yum.

Sweets for my sweet...

2008-08-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

My exercise regime has definitely been pushed to the wayside this summer. I had good intentions to stick to a regular cardio routine but have not touched the dvd I ordered and received weeks ago. I blame it on all the opportunities for cake and ice cream during these few months. Plus the hot weather is another excuse to indulge. Matt got his favourite Dufflet cakelet last week for his 37th birthday. In a few days, it will be my turn to celebrate. I think an ice cream cake is calling my name.

I mean, really, it's not like I'll be donning a bikini ever again in this lifetime. As much as I'd like to lie on the beach some days, I rather prefer being indoors tending to my shop. Unfortunately I've been in a creative lull for the past few weeks, so nothing new to show except for these stationery sets from early July.

I redesigned my site again to coincide with my first paid advertising in the second issue of this sweet mag due out tomorrow. It's quite a bit more pared down and my art portfolio is only viewable via flickr right now. May as well take advantage of the ease of it since I just renewed my pro account.

Signing off for the rest of the long weekend now. Happy Long one to my fellow Canadians!

I'm Having One of Those Days...

2008-07-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

You know the kind. The wake up on the wrong side of the bed day. I just got off the phone with Matt, after snapping at him. (Sorry, baby... it was your day yesterday, but today isn't your birthday anymore) He probably doesn't know what he did to set me off. It's not his fault. I'm simply finding it tough lately to remain positive and upbeat.

I went for another job interview today, which went alright, but just the thought of having to work for someone else again feels like a defeat. Especially when it only pays $9 an hour, and I haven't even gotten the job. I still have to go for the second part of the interview which means working for free for an hour to see if they like me enough to hire me.

It's days like these that some kind words can help lift one's spirit.

Flattered

2008-07-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

I got a nice surprise via email this morning. This sweet lady nominated me for a Brillante Weblog Award. I tried googling it to find out exactly what it was, or how it originated it but came up short. Roughly translated though, I think it means "Brilliant", so thank you, Stacey for thinking my humble blog to be worthy and for introducing me to several more great blogs. And thank you to anyone who takes the time to read my posts and especially to those who choose to comment. Growing up, I kept diaries for years, but never imagined that I'd be sharing my thoughts in a public format like this. How the times they change!

So as part of being nominated, I get to choose my own nominees... ooo, fun! I generally peek in on 20 or so blogs on a daily basis, but if I have to pick 7, here they are in no particular order:

Three Red Trees - a newly discovered blog from a former etsy customer and fellow shop owner. Stacey makes some darn cute sock animals and I hope she and her family become Canadian transplants soon.

Blacklilypie - another fellow etsian whose creations I love. Tara's blog is always a fun read as she has a great sense of humour and I always look forward to seeing what new things she has up her sleeve.

The Odd Bird Rant - another Tara in the blog world with a wicked sense of humour and generosity to boot. She encouraged me to approach several of the retail shops which now carry my stuff. She also makes some awesome creations herself.

Starryluvly - Nadia's a sweet and sassy blogger who I "met" through etsy, but of course! I was saddened to learn of her recent breakup, but feel she is brave for letting her readers know the reality of her current situation.

Natascha Rosenberg - I forget how I came upon Natascha's blog, but I'm glad I did. Her illustrations are wonderful and hopefully one day I will own some of her work!

Ma Petite Theiere - Anne-Julie's art is gorgeous and prolific and her blog is a joy to read. That she takes the time to translate her posts into English is a blessing for us English readers.

Aunty Cookie - I adore Shannon's (aka Aunty Cookie) quirky characters and her own fabric designs that she sells in her etsy shop. Her sense of humour shines through in her posts too.

Like Stacey, I will skip the last rule of the Brillante Award. Here they are for my fellow nominees:

1. The winner can put the logo on their blog.
2. Link to the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you've nominated.
6. Write an acceptance speech in the style of the Academy Awards, thanking everybody's mother, father, sister, brother, aunties and uncles and kitchen staff at your favorite restaurant!

Where's the Summer Going?

2008-07-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

This past week sort of went by in a flash but I feel like I didn't get a lot of work done. Don't you hate that? Here's the latest portrait that I've been working on. It's nearly finished.

Tuesday was a busy day of sorts, but that day turned out to be an "errand day", aka. no work was done. Sigh. First, I met with our new cat sitter who will be looking after Suki and Dex while we're away next month. It will be the longest we've left them alone since being in our new place, and also ever. But I think they''ll be in good hands (knock on wood), as Gail already won Suki over with one of the cat toys she brought over and Dex even came out of hiding to check it out.

Later that day, I dropped off some stock at a relatively new store which is appropriately in Toronto's fashion district. The shop was opened by a fellow former designer from this other Queen street gem and her friend. Their shop has been doing alright since their grand opening in March, but they are seeking more independent and local designers. So if any of you are interested, check them out. Happily, I've already sold a couple of things from the limited stock I dropped off.

Right after I left the shop, I ran into another designer from the Collective, and we chatted about blogs, bikes and life in general lately. After parting ways, I ventured into the new Urban Outfitters on Queen St. but wasn't really enamored enough with anything there to shell out $50 on a shirt. I always consider browsing in shops part of market research though. *wink wink* Yeah, that's what I tell myself.

That evening, I was also fortunate to get an email from a customer who bought one of my paintings recently. Turns out she works in the book industry, specifically children's books, and has offered to share valuable information with me since she knows how tough it can be for children's book illustrators to eke out a living. How generous is that?!

This weekend we're planning on taking in the new Batman movie. Although I'm not a huge fan of the movies so far - I always find the casting of Batman to be a bit strange - it will be interesting to see Heath Ledger's performance, there's been so much talk of it being phenomenal.

Spoiled and a bit soiled

2008-07-10T12:23:00.000-07:00

To honour the tradition of giving paper on the first wedding anniversary, Matt spoiled me with a three part gift, as he explained it. First, for the mind, I got 2 huge cat books and an issue of Bust magazine. There's also talk of a 2-year subscription to Bust for my birthday. I'm loving the cat books, especially this one which has tons of interesting cat facts and which I think I had recently stumbled upon online but hadn't mentioned to Matt. Some synchronicity perhaps? The other one will be great for photo references and ideas for new art, which was why Matt got it. What a sweetie!

The second part was for the body. I got a package deal for 90 minutes of soothing massage! An hour for my seemingly always aching feet and 30 minutes for the entire body. I'm looking forward to that in the near future!

And last but not least, for the soul, a Curry's gift card. The card itself is not paper, but plastic, but it's close enough. That will definitely come in handy for supplies, especially a new sketchbook.

While I would have loved to spend money on Matt, my bank account is on the lean side these days, so I honoured our anniversary with a handmade gift. I made a little book about our love story up until now, partly inspired by the one by this clever gal, which I could not resist getting.

I think the gift went over well though. My sweetie shed a few tears while reading it, and said it was the best present he's ever gotten. And I didn't even have time to really finish it... I still have to go back and ink all the drawings and lettering too. But here's a little sneak peek of one of the interior spreads.

I was quite impressed with myself that I was able to do all the drawings in one day, sans eraser too. If only I could illustrate other people's books that quickly too.

The rest of yesterday was spent cleaning up a bit around our place, as the night before we had some flooding from the big sudden storm that hit Toronto and surrounding areas. I didn't snap any photos of the soggy mess, as I was too busy cursing and mopping and trying not to cry. At least we didn't get the brunt of the damage since our unit is the third one in from the side of the building. The other two units had water all over their lower level and one of them had hardwood flooring! Yikes! This is the state of our lower level at the moment. Someone came by yesterday morning to remove our baseboards so they could dry out the walls and prevent any mold from growing, but we weren't home when they came back with the fans last night...

... we were out enjoying a dinner down the street, which was only semi-good, I'd say. The salad portion was certainly generous and I had my first Cosmo, a la Sex and the City. For some reason, I think the one they made was a lot stronger than usual, as it was much pinker than red and it only took a sip or two to feel a buzz.

Whatever the case, I had good company and that made the whole day worthwhile.

It's Friday, already?

2008-07-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

The week sort of flew by, with Canada Day being on Tuesday. And I took a pretty long blog break, without meaning to, but life got in the way of blogging. Life being spending time with the kitties and Matt, and working on shop stuff.

The Kid Icarus Craft Sale last Sunday was certainly not a big moneymaker for me, but on the positive side, I met some new crafty and friendly people, including one that I traded with, and another who I bought stuff from. I was looking to get a new wallet and since red is my favourite colour, I happily traded some of my kitty items for the one below.

Isn't the interior lovely? I forgot to get the designer's business card, but luckily her name is in the wallet in case I ever want anything else from her.

And even though I shouldn't be spending money on unnecessary things, I couldn't resist these cuties. They are silkscreened onto organic cotton on both sides, which makes them all the cuter! Made in Toronto, by one savvy mom.

I also spied a fellow etsian as well as three Idol hopefuls out and about enjoying Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market.

A, B and C

2008-06-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

A. I tend to go through creative spurts where one thing will excite me and I keep at it for several days or longer, but somehow I always seem to get sidetracked or start to feel uninspired, so stop. That's what happened last week. I added several new ACEO's - including the one above, my current favourite - to the shop and was planning on doing a lot more but... instead I spent the latter half of the week making buttons and preparing stock for an upcoming show and to restock my consignment shops. Perhaps I was a little influenced by this lady's productivity.

B. In any case, I think I have enough buttons to last for a while now.

C. Hopefully the weather will cooperate this Sunday for the craft show I'll be doing. The way the summer has started out it feels more like Spring with all the rain we've been getting. For those of you in the Kensington Market area, please come by and check out the vendors who will be at the Kid Icarus 1 year Anniversary Craft Sale! It's pedestrian Sunday so the streets will be car-free.

p.s. the title of the post refers to A for ACEO's, B for buttons and C for craft sale.

and the sun is shining in this rainy city...

2008-06-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

for now, anyways. I think it's supposed to thunderstorm yet again, this afternoon. The weather this past weekend was as fickle as my mood was the past week. My week had its share of ups and downs so I didn't really feel like posting anything. I'm still having a hard time getting my thoughts out...

See, while I would like people to believe that I have my life under control - as much as anyone can - and my business is thriving, for the past several months I've been job hunting. Much to my chagrin and as much as I don't want to have to work outside of the house again, the winter months were harsh. And well, with mortgage payments and the need to eat, getting a part-time job has become an essential part of my living equation. But for some reason or another, I can't seem to catch a break. My most recent potential job, which I had to pass a test for - which I did - got put on hold until the end of the summer. I found that out on Monday.

Come Wednesday, when I took Suki in to the vet, it was confirmed that she has asthma. So she now needs to take pills for the rest of her life to keep it under control. Just one more expense to add to my list. But of course, she is like our baby, so there's nothing I wouldn't do to make sure she's okay. Dex, too. Life just wouldn't be the same without them around. Look at face... how can you resist?

So, it was one of those weeks that I had to question "What the hell am I doing with my life?" I feel like I've accomplished certain goals that I've wanted to, but really wish that I was in a better place financially. I'm thankful that Matt has been working for a great company for nearly a year now. But I know that he would love to be in my position - save for the financial struggles - working on his own projects. Why does it have to be a tossup between a steady paycheck and doing what you love to do? I know it doesn't have to be... the real question is how do I make it our reality? Having a steady income, doing what we love. Hopefully soon, I will be able to say that is our truth.

Today's lunch was brought to you by Starbucks!

2008-06-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

Because of the sudden heatwave today and since I was out running errands, I dined on a Starbucks caramel frappucino for lunch. Yeah, I'm a healthy girl. I planned on doing aerobics when I got back but we all know that's not going to happen today. The weekend has almost begun and I'm choosing to enjoy it already, by blogging, of course.

Our black and white munchkin looks like she's ready for mischief here, but she's been coughing again for the past week, so I'm taking her back to the vet next week. It's so strange, almost like clockwork, every 2 months she will start coughing and it usually goes away on its own, but this time it's lasted longer. The doctor said she only has a mild form of asthma, if that's even what she has. I just hope it's nothing serious.

Our other furball turned 3 this past week. Not really sure when his birthday is - he was supposedly a year old when I brought him home 2 years ago at the end of May - but I was a bad kitty mommy because I didn't remember to give him birthday hugs and kisses until the end of the day that I chose as his birthday. Sorry, Dex! We love you!

Here are some shots of some t-dresses that I silkscreened for a friend this past week. I think they turned out really well and hope they sell like hotcakes for her.

Last, but not least, a new button set for the the shop. I've printed some shirts and totes as well but have to take some better photos of them before listing them.

Summer, Weddings, Sex and the Kitty

2008-06-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

It's the first day of June, which means it's the start of our Summer Promo at Fresh Baked Goods. Well, tomorrow is the official start, since that's my day at the store and I still have to paint the window telling everyone "We Love Cats!" Originally it was going to be just a month-long promo focused on cat-themed items in the store, but we've decided to extend it for all summer. There'll be freebies given out with purchases, draws for various prizes donated by the designers in the store and other fun things, such as putting your own cat portrait up on the store window! Hopefully it will get customers involved and bring out all the cat lovers in the city.

I've got two new designs finalized and just have to make the screens up now. Wonder Cat and Wonder Kitty will be adorning shirts and bags and the like very soon.

Taking the initial sketch to the final design always seems like such a long process for me. I tried to speed things up a bit with PhotoShop but it didn't work out as I'd thought it would, so in the end, the computer just serves more as an aid rather than my main medium. I always debate about whether or not to do the design with Illustrator but I find that I like the hand-drawn quality of my images. There's something about stuff that is too clean-looking that kind of turns me off. But that's just my personal taste.

Here's the finished portrait for a friend who's getting married later this year. She asked me to make magnets to put on her invites after seeing the ones Matt and I used as wedding favours for our wedding.

The magnets are nearly done. I'm just waiting on the magnet backings to arrive.

And what about the sex, you ask? Matt and I took in the Sex and the City movie last night and despite not so great reviews from the critics, we both found it entertaining. There was even a lineup to get in to our theatre, which we never had to line up for. Then again, it was the opening weekend of the movie, which we rarely make it out for. My only complaint about the movie really was that Smith Jerrod's character was not portrayed in a great light, when you compare it to the show.
The rest of the audience was entertained too, so who cares what the critics say?!

2008-05-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

My blog-run didn't last very long. I swear the stamina of my youth wanes more and more each year or should I say day, and I seem to become more ADD by the minute. No, second! Okay, not really but I would say that I can be distracted quite easily. Which brings me back to my original reason for posting today and the illustration above:

I'm feeling very sleepy. All I want to do is go back to bed. Our last night of sleeping on my double-sized mattress simply proved how badly we need a new mattress. But soon, very soon, the wait will have been worth it. In 2-5 hours, our new bed is being delivered. Oh, glorious new Clarion bed, I will enjoy resting my weary head and body on you tonight!

There! Short and sweet! Zzzzzzzz.....

I'm on a Blog-kick!

2008-05-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

If I could update my blog for as many days in a row as I've eaten cake, that would be grand! This is the fourth day in a row that I've posted... that would just mean another 8 days to match my cake eating kick. I'm not kidding, yesterday was the first day that Matt and I had not eaten cake since Mother's Day. And our mothers weren't even in the same city as us when we got the first cake! The second cake I'll blame on Matt's mom (I love you, Carol). You can see the remains of it in the photo above. The flowers look pretty but they are not that great to eat. We love you, Dufflet, but work on those flowers, will ya?

As mentioned in yesterday's post, some wip photos for you and a sneak peek of a new design or two for tees.

I may need a nap this afternoon since I was awake before 6 am and up by 7 this morning. Not my usual routine but Matt, my hard-working hubby, had an early shoot this morning. Maybe I'll make some tea.

Sw-eeeetness!

2008-05-23T11:54:00.000-07:00

I reached 700 sales today, thanks to a sweet buyer from Toronto who first found me when I sold my stuff at St. Lawrence Market! She was the lucky recipient of a free print from my shop. And upon returning home from the post office, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a timely deposit into my bank account. At least, I think that's where it's from. Now I don't feel so bad for spending more than $40 on some much needed skin cream.

Some wip photos to come this weekend.

David Who?

2008-05-22T11:17:00.001-07:00

Our American Idol finale experience
Originally uploaded by sukibaby

I admit it. One of our guilty pleasures is watching American Idol. Since Matt worked late last night, we didn't watch the finale live... instead we had pvr'ed it and this is how we saw the final few minutes. It literally cut off just as Ryan Seacrest was announcing the winner. And with both contestants being named David, we were at a loss over who won. How ridiculous is that? I was a bit livid as I suspected the pvr might not have recorded it all, but luckily there's the internet. Yay for David Cook!

And from one guilty pleasure to another, the new season of So You Think You Can Dance starts tonight! Woo hoo!

It's Hump Day... I can't think of a better title.

2008-05-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

I've neglected my blog for nearly 2 weeks now, not because I wanted to... other things just took priority. Matt's mom was visiting and stayed with us last Thursday to Sunday. Since we let her sleep on our bed, Matt and I split the couch and his old twin mattress for 3 nights. I think the whole sleep experience was a little back-breaking for all of us. All except the kitties...

Seriously though, our current mattress is the one that I bought back in my first year of College, which is about 8 years ago. It cost me all of $350, so go figure that the springs are starting to poke their way through. A slight exaggeration, but seriously, I wake up most days feeling like something has dug into my back all night. So needless to say, Matt and I are more than a little excited about the brand new bed we are getting delivered in 6 days!!! Courtesy of his parents and Sleep Country Canada, as a belated wedding gift. We had a terrific salesperson - he even knocked off $300 for us - guiding us through the various beds in the store and fell in love with one called "Clarion". I'm hoping that a full night on it is as dreamy as the five minutes we spent on it to test it out. Guess you never know until you take it home. Thankfully there's a 60-day return policy which we hopefully won't have to use.

Among the "other things" that took priority, I revamped my portfolio site this past week. I forgot that the way I formatted it meant I would have to link buttons on every page. A bit time-consuming, but I think it's pretty easy to navigate. If anyone finds any missing links, please let me know.

I feel like I had more to write, but am at a loss right now. My tummy is calling for lunch, so that's all for now. Oh, and I just liked the etsy treasury at the top of the blog post, so I took a screen capture of it the other day. Isn't it pretty? Turquoise and red make a lovely combo.

A New Addition

2008-05-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had something new to add to my shop. So you can now get your very own lucky kitty handmade by yours truly. There are only 2 available right now and I don't know how many more I'll make. I haven't sewn too many things in my lifetime, but am pretty satisfied with how these turned out. Pretty Kitty is another design that I think would work well as a stuffed doll, so those will be next.

And here are some more photos from the Clothing Show. My setup was not the greatest but since it was my first show I didn't want to invest a ton of money into it before I knew what to expect.

You can see the lucky kitty dolls in this photo:

Here's my friend, Cheryl's table:

You can't really see the jewellery that well from this photo, but her stuff is really great. She was also a sweetheart and lent me an extra table and chair as well as driving me to and from the show everyday. Thank goodness for friends with cars :)

This week has kinda flown by and Mother's Day crept up on me that I didn't even realize it was this Sunday until Wednesday. Oops! I had to ask my sister to sign a card from both of us this year. Even if I did get her a card though, she'd most likely have this reaction, typical of most Asian mothers, I think.

Home Sweet Home

2008-05-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

Today has been all about relishing the comfort of home. It's the first full day I've been at home in the past week, so I've been catching up on emails, cleaning and just enjoying the fact that I didn't have to change out of my pj's, except to go get the mail.

The cats seem to have missed me too. Suki never used to be a lap cat, but since her past few health issues and visits to the vet, she's grown accustomed to being in my lap at least once a day. Dex decided to eat some ribbon this afternoon, maybe out of spite for me not being home much this weekend. I was a second too late to grab it out of his mouth, so I hope it comes out his other end fine.

The Clothing Show this past weekend was not as successful as I'd hoped but I had good company so that made it worthwhile. Here I am with my boothmate, Cheryl, who makes really lovely jewellery.

Most other vendors who did the show seemed to say it wasn't that great overall for them either. So, personally, I look at it as more of a learning experience and a way to promote myself as well as getting feedback. It's especiallly hard to compete - as an independent designer - with vendors who are selling mass-produced items for $5 or $10. Most people who go to these shows seem to be searching for deals. The one time I went as a buyer, I admit I did the same. But if I had the money, of course I would support other indie designers.

Happily though, I sold one of my new bags which feature adjustable straps, like a messenger bag. You can see one in the photo above. And pretty kitty seemed to be a popular design. Now I know better what to expect for the Fall show, which I will most likely partake in.

I will be listing a new item in my shop later this week. Stay tuned.

The Clothing Show

2008-05-02T05:54:00.000-07:00

The time has arrived and it's my first show of the year! If you're looking for something to do this weekend, please check out the Clothing Show. It's my first time being a vendor at it and I'm hoping for a good show, despite the wet weather we seem to be in store for. It's taking place at the Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place. Hours are Friday 3-9 pm, Saturday 11-9 pm and Sunday 11-7 pm.

I didn't get around to taking any photos of my stock so no sneak peek, but I will try to remember to take some photos of my booth. I'll be sharing with this fun jewellery designer. Hope to see you there!

Arrrgh!

2008-04-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

It's a rainy day in Kittyville so far. Well, actually, I think the rain stopped a while ago but it's dampened my spirits enough today. I'm typing from my Monday hideout and I swear I better hone my selling skills quickly if I hope to close any sales at this coming weekend's event. There have been a bunch of people who have been drawn into the store by the Pirate Kitty shirt on the mannequin in the window and yet every one of them has resisted from buying it. I find I have an easier time selling other people's stuff, rather than my own. Why is that?!!!

My section is looking a tad bare now but the way things have been today, I don't think I need to worry about restocking until after the show. No sales at all so far for the store. That's Monday for you. At least grey, gloomy Mondays.

One positive note is that today is the 5-year anniversary of Matt's and my first date. He says that now we'll only celebrate our wedding anniversary (easier for him to remember... we'll see) but I like to commemmorate these special occasions anyway, even if it's just in cyberspace.

Relief

2008-04-23T07:31:00.000-07:00

This is what I felt like doing Sunday night... Dex was lucky he wasn't in my shoes that day. The majority of Sunday was spent doing Matt's and my taxes though mine took 3 times as long as his. But I'm happy to report that ours are done and mailed out a week before they're due and if I've done them correctly (hopefully!) I will actually get money back this year! Heck, if I don't get a refund, as long as I don't owe any, I am happy. One of these days, I swear, I will hire an accountant but my records and receipts are not as organized as they'd have to be to just dump them onto someone else, so it was another year of doing them on my own.

If my kitty assistants could help me out every once in a while, they'd at least be earning their keep...

That's my new white desk that Suki has plopped herself on. No white walls were painted on the weekend, as Matt said it would be a time-consuming task. So that will be for another weekend when we can devote it all to painting. But here's a sneak peek of how great white on white would look:

The rest of this week will be spent preparing for this show and also getting stock sent to here.
It'll be my first show of the year and I'm hoping it'll be better than what I've heard about it from some sources. If you're in Toronto and looking for something to do that weekend, please come by.

No Jacket Required

2008-04-17T12:31:00.001-07:00

Oh my, it's gorgeous outside. Just before leaving the house to run some errands, I checked the weather online and was amazed to see that it's 21 degrees out! It feels so different to be outside and seriously, I didn't need to don a jacket, though I did. (I tend to feel a bit naked without one, unless it is boiling hot).

So this new illustration is very fitting for a day like today. It will be making its way into my shop shortly, as a new print.

Matt has tomorrow and Monday off so we'll have a long weekend together and will hopefully be able to take advantage of the warm weather. Taxes are waiting to be done and I really want to paint the walls upstairs. We'll see how things go.

You gotta have some...

2008-04-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

Faith, that is. In the words of George Michael (the faith part) and my mom (the soup part). This is a new personal piece that I've had floating around in my head for some time now. It stems from the past several months and what I think of as "my transitional period". Since my departure from Fresh Collective I've felt like I've been struggling to stay afloat, financially and emotionally and so this piece is a reminder to myself to stay positive and trust that things will be fine. When you're having soup for lunch (practically) everyday though, it's hard to believe sometimes.

Growing up, my parents had the hardest time getting me to eat my soup at dinner time. My mom would always say "it's good for you", like that would make me want to finish it faster. So go figure that in my adult years, I'm actually digging it as a meal, 1) because it's fairly cheap and 2) because it's fast and easy to make (out of a can or box). Campbell's makes some pretty tasty soups these days.

So yesterday, after almost resigning myself to living as a starving artist for who knows how much longer, I got a couple of possible painting commissions (one c/o my sweetheart) as well as another possible children's book. They are all still up in the air a bit but it's all about having faith, right? Keep your fingers crossed for me, please.

My new Ikea desk (c/o an unused wedding gift card, thankfully) is going to be delivered shortly, so I should go.

Something New for the Shop

2008-04-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

I introduced some ACEO's into my shop last night. I've always been a fan of miniature things and have been trying to create some new illustrations both personally and professionally, so these were a great way to get the creative juices flowing. The one above is sort of a portrait of Dex, and probably my favorite of the bunch, but in real life Dex is usually much more chipper.

Here are all of them together:

While I don't usually like to make one-offs, I'm only offering these in the original form. So no prints will be made of them and well, they are a pretty affordable piece of original art.

Raining Cats

2008-04-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

After a fitful night of sleep - I blame Dex, pictured above - it's nice to wake up and read something pleasant about yourself. Especially after being a bit unpleasant to said sleep disturber. I think he was acting up because of the rain, which is quite horrible today.

"It's a good day to stay inside", as Matt just said but unfortunately (or fortunately) I have to make a trip to the post office. He'll have to go in to work soon too, though a bit later than usual. It's moving day for them.

One good thing about not sleeping that well: I was busy brainstorming new illustration ideas, so look for new art in the shop in the next few weeks.

On the Catwalk...

2008-04-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

A new print is in my shop.

And in honour of Spring Cleaning, I'm having an Art Sale to clear out original paintings that have been collecting dust in boxes since we moved in. I will be parting with some much loved artwork but then again, if I love it so much, why isn't it up on our walls yet?
So hopefully my art will find many new homes where it will be more appreciated.

Our little Birthday Girl

2008-04-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

Our sun worshipper, Suki, turns four today. A fire sign indeed. Too bad it's actually kind of grey out this April morning... the photo above was taken several years ago in the first apartment Suki knew as home. I lived in a one bedroom/bachelor apartment back then and Suki certainly helped me get through some semi-scary nights when I heard strange noises and couldn't get to sleep. Life would certainly not be the same without our black and white munchkin. She has given us some scares in her brief time with us so far, but I'm hoping she's around for many more years to come.

After all, she is my main muse:

It's about time!

2008-04-06T13:17:00.001-07:00

Spring seems to have sprung finally and that means I will be bringing my bike out of hiding very soon. All efforts to find our little bike pump today were futile though, and there are no gas stations with air close to us (at least according to Matt the last time he was out in search of one), so we're spending Sunday indoors.

We did enjoy the beautiful weather yesterday as we were given free tickets to the National Home Show by our very generous real estate agent. Unfortunately since we went on a Saturday, the place was a bit overcrowded to our liking and not really what we expected, though we both weren't sure what to expect there. Basically it was a lot of different vendors there trying to get you to spend money on their products. Great if you have a disposable income, but right now we don't. So it was more about generating ideas for us.

***Edit: I forgot to mention that the highlight of the trip for Matt was his 5 minutes in a $3400 massage chair. He couldn't stop talking about it after we left. I didn't want to sit in it for fear of what I'd be missing later on... and I'm sure the chair was very soothing, but if we ever spent that much on a chair it'd have to look darn good too. And well, massage chairs to me are an eyesore not a design piece ***

Lately I've been obsessing over my home office space as well as dreaming up ways of decorating our place. When we first moved in I was more than happy to stick with the colours the previous owners had painted the walls upstairs.

But I think with the new season, I'm ready for a new look, especially since my office faces the kitchen. I'm leaning towards white walls or at least brighter ones in my workspace. It would make it easier to photograph items for my shop too.

And I would really love to get this desk but it's a little out of my budget at the moment. So I will likely just make my own from the different table tops and legs that Ikea carries. It's amazing how much more they charge for adding a few drawers to a table.

Quick, someone hurry up and buy something!

2008-04-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

I reached 666 items sold today! It was a moment I was sort of dreading though as that number has certain connotations associated with it. But really, I'm happy to have sold that many items on etsy.

I've sort of been in a creative funk of late and blame it on my less-than-perfect home office setup. So the past week has had me moving stuff around several times and I'm still not satisfied... so no photos yet. Other than that I've been putting together consignment shipments for a few new places and have been brainstorming ideas for new illustrations, etc, but no finished things to show off right now.

My stomach is calling for lunch. Soup's on!

Catching Up

2008-03-26T07:10:00.000-07:00

I'm getting back into the swing of things here, now that the One of a Kind Spring Show is over. An awesome fellow clothing designer asked me to help her out for the 5-day event and seeing as how I had not been to a show in ages, I thought it would be a great chance to see all the great stuff they have there. Plus, the extra cash didn't hurt.

The first day was alright though there were a few issues with the lighting in our booth. Luckily those issues were resolved and the rest of the day went smoothly. It wasn't too too busy since the show started on a Thursday...

Friday was MAYHEM though. I wish I had a picture to show how busy it was, not only at our booth, but pretty much in all the aisles. Photos were generally not allowed though, plus I didn't have much time to eat or sit down, let alone take a picture that day. I think it was the best sales day ever for a lot of the designers who are a part of the Collective. This is kind of how I felt for much of the day I was there:

A bit frazzled to say the least.

But after Friday, things were pretty much a breeze the rest of the show. I was able to trade for these two cute cups and saucers by ketto design who are from Montreal.

I'd been longing for some more generous sized cups for tea and hot chocolate for some time now and had picked up another piece by them years ago, at the first One of a Kind show I went to. So these were purrfect!

Candice was also gracious enough to give me one of her beautiful new tops (no picture as of yet as it is in need of washing) and a pair of her rather famous undies. It's very true, they ARE "super cute and seriously comfortable!" I had bought Matt a few of these before but had never treated myself. The undies were such a show-stopper that they even managed to get on tv. You can catch a glimpse of me too in the background in the first few seconds of the clip.

Other things of note during the show:
- I met one of my blog readers though I didn't get her name. Sorry (if you're reading this). I guess I was surprised to find out that other people besides a few friends and family read this. I feel like a relative newbie in the blog world and am flattered to know that I do have a readership too. There are some great blogs out there, so thank you to anyone who takes the time to read mine :)

- I also ran into a college peer and chatted for a bit about what's been going on since then. Ah, the college days. Feels like only yesterday, but at the same time it doesn't. How time flies.

And speaking of which, I best get a start on catching up with work. I'll finish the post with a photo of Suki and Dex from earlier today:

Get your Indie Fixx!

2008-03-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

You can now find a few of my kitty items in the Indie Fixx Shop. I love the photos that Jen took. They make my things look kind of dreamy.

A New Lucky Kitty?

2008-03-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

Although St. Patty's Day is almost over and Matt and I don't really celebrate it, I happened to unveil a new design at Fresh Baked Goods today. So I just wanted to share a bit of green here. Plus, I must say "Pretty Kitty" is becoming a new favorite of mine. I will list some shirts and other things featuring her in my shop soon, though I may not get around to it this week. We'll see.

Poor kitties...

2008-03-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

Today was errand day, so I didn't get any work done here. And now I'm procrastinating by blogging. I swear, though, the streetcars crawl along even slower when I'm in a hurry to get back home. Murphy's Law or something. And when I got back to our place, I found Dex huddled in the corner behind one of the wooden beams. He looked very scared and I had to coax him out. It was only after I made my lunch and was heading downstairs to eat it that I discovered the reason behind his hiding. The stupid fire alarm was being tested in our building. Again! They tested it several weeks ago and at least warned us of it. Today there were no signs saying this would be happening.

I'm lucky enough to be able to wear earplugs, but the cats have to suffer. Our poor kitties. They'll probably go deaf several years sooner now.

Tea and Things

2008-03-13T08:53:00.001-07:00

It's rather grey and gloomy outside, and normally I'd feel lethargic with this weather but I'm surprisingly energetic and can see myself being productive today. Maybe it was the almost black cup of tea I just enjoyed. Normally I take my tea with milk, but we ran out yesterday and I forgot to pick some more up at the store. Tea without milk definitely has more bite and I love the richness of colour.

Or perhaps I'm feeling inspired by the brilliant music from this brilliant movie that we watched last night. I happened upon a copy of it at my local library and I can see why it won the Oscar for "Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song". All the songs are amazing and I will definitely be buying the soundtrack. I haven't bought a cd in years but this would be well worth the money. And the lead actor is pretty cute, though redheads are not usually my cup of tea... he reminds me a bit of Hugh Laurie who I've come to love as Dr. House.

The past week has been spent printing more shirts to send to various shops I consign with and also experimenting a bit with printing multiple images on one shirt.

That has also given me ideas for sewn projects and after a few years of storing this baby away, it finally saw the light again last night:

Matt constructed a makeshift sewing table for me - so I could of course sew something for him first - out of Ikea shelves. It's not the sturdiest thing, as it still needs some proper legs on the bottom to stabilize it, but it works. And Matt taped one side of it to our shared worktable, so that'll do for now. I will be sure to post some wip photos as well as finished projects photos in the next week or so.

Wishful Thinking and Exercise

2008-03-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

The snow just doesn't want to stop falling yet. Toronto is under another storm watch and once again I will have to venture out into it tomorrow. As long as the ttc keeps running smoothly, I'll be happy.

But I'm still longing for warmer days and pretty flowers...

Maybe when it warms up, I will take up running again. Or perhaps I will stick with working up a sweat indoors with Kathy Smith. I exercised for the first time in years - or what feels like years - this afternoon and feel like a new woman. I always forget how good it can feel after a good workout. Endorphins are a wonderful thing.

Of course, that's not going to stop me from baking chocolate chip cookies later on. Mmmm, cookies!

Oh and I was also pleasantly surprised (well, sort of, as I already knew the post was coming) to be featured here. Angie has been a sweetheart to work with so far and I look forward to selling in her and Tyson's shop.

On a Day like Yesterday...

2008-03-06T10:16:00.000-08:00

I sure could have used a pair of these sassy boots:

Instead I trudged through the snow and slush with my now extremely weathered winter hiking boots:

They've got paint drips on them and there's a hole in the back of the left one, so it's not exactly the warmest footwear. Even though Toronto doesn't really get that cold, this winter has had its share of large snowfalls and I didn't expect more white stuff so soon after the last storm. I'm hoping for Spring weather soon!

March is here...

2008-03-04T11:39:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was my first day working at Fresh Baked Goods and Mondays are sure slow for retail compared to Saturdays, the day I used to work at Fresh Collective. But with Spring around the corner, hopefully more shoppers will soon be out and about looking to buy some new duds and accessories. Look at all the great stuff in the shop:

Today I am enjoying being in the comfort of our home. I've been out and about everyday since Friday and for me that gets to be a bit much, especially when travel time seems to take up half the day sometimes.

On Friday, Matt and I ttc'ed it to Pearson Airport to lunch with my sister, who had an 8 hour stopever on her way to South Africa. I was really happy that we got to see each other again and spend a few hours together - the last time we saw one another was when she was here for our wedding in July. But seriously, getting to and from the airport took about the same amount of time that we actually spent together. And my suggestion to dine at the Sheraton for lunch? Wow! I had no idea they would charge an arm and a leg for a sandwich. It was $5 for a cup of coffee and $6 for a pot of tea. At least Matt and I could only eat half the amount of food they gave us, so we got two meals each out of our entrees.

Still, seeing my sister again, well that's priceless. Especially after feeling a little homesick this past month. I haven't been back to Saskatoon in a few years now and even though I know I could never move back there, it'd be nice to visit more often.

Saturday I completed another portrait, this time of six subjects - two people and their four cats:

The painting is a birthday present for the man in the painting, commissioned by his wife. They are both music lovers and cat lovers, hence being surrounded by the things they love.

Sunday I picked up a shift working at my former haunt and got to see quite a few of the designers who happened to stop by that day. As much as I would love to not have to work outside of the home, I've had to start the job hunt again, after several years of avoiding it.

I enjoyed listening to the podcast between these two the other day. I didn't get through the whole thing, but can certainly identify with the stuff that I did hear from both of them. Both are inspiring artists and I hope to achieve successes similar to theirs one day soon.

A Fresh Start!

2008-02-26T08:22:00.000-08:00

Hello! I've started a new blog. With a new year, I'm trying new things and while I liked my old blog, it doesn't offer as many possibilities as I would like. I love all the features you can add in this blog format, like the etsy mini, links to other sites and lots more. If you could do that in livejournal, I never figured it out.

This blog will be devoted to Cathy's Sweet Shop whether it's new items added to my shop, new things in the works, special promos, etc. I will of course intersperse details about my ever-exciting life when I get the chance... life with our cats and yummy food and the latest movies we've watched. You know, THAT exciting life :) Plus, whatever tickles my fancy at the moment. There are so many great blogs out there and amazing creations by other indie artists and designers that inspire me that it's about time I start writing about them.

These days I divide my time between etsying, finding new retailers and restocking current ones, painting portraits and coming up with new ideas for things to make and sell. I wish there was more time in the day to do everything I want to do, but I also do my best to spend time with loved ones. It's tough running a business solo, but I know I have to be thankful that I am able to do what I love to do for now while Matt works his buns off outside of the home. Hopefully I will be able to grow my business enough this year, so I'm able to hire employees soon. That would make me one spoiled kitty.

Saturday, I move into Fresh Baked Goods in Toronto's Kensington Market. For those of you in Toronto, please pop on by. I will be working Mondays at the store and I will have new things available for sale.