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Desktop Art for Christmas
I'm a serious WB junkie. I just made this simple desktop art called 'ornamints' while watching Felicity. Yes, Felicity. I wanted to see how she got the horse. Anyway, my mom just gave me a 1962 edition of a Readers Digest with a pretty hardcover that was my great grandmother's, which was the inspiration for this picture. Look close - there are little white snowflakes on it.
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Still in Cleveland
Well folks, Gerdy and I are still in Cleveland (and it's really smelling like onions from my mom's kitchen for some reason! Ack!) We're staying longer b/c I found a $53 flight back to New York from Akron on Wednesday, and with David stranding me to visit his family in Columbus (kidding!), I was left without car. Work was nice enough to alow me to work from home/Cleveland on these days, so here I sit. The new website for work launches January 9th, so I'm all tangled up in my to-do list for it, as different priorities pull me in different directions.
As for my katie james website, I've taken my Nana's Christmas money and bought me some ecommerce! Bless the indie community that likes to work with creative people to get their visions up and running for reasonable prices. I'll tell you who is setting it up once it's live, which also should be in the new year. This means that you'll be able to buy jewelry pouches and checkbook covers with just a little mista click!
On the home front, my other grandmother, who's mother Gerdy is named after (Gertrude Dean), is in a very neat home for Alzheimer’s victims. The home is designed to let them wander the hallways, but the doors to the outsid are locked. There are park benches, a beauty parlor, a restaruant and a few other little things to make it feel like a real home. Pets are aloud, so there is my grandmother's black cat, a beagle and a black chow chow. I say victims because that is exactly what they are. Bodies walking around as ghosts of themselves. This disease is the most terrible anyone could ever get, as it takes your life while you are living it. Unlike cancer, which is a terrible disease, Alzheimer’s wipes out your memories and your ability to talk. You may say: "I want the potato" when you really want the wine glass during Thanksgiving dinner. And although alcohol is very bad for you at this stage, you don't even really want it. You just want what you somehow know is supposed to be there. Wine glasses are always to the right of a dinner plate, and they are to be drunk from. Too bad for my Grandy that we didn't fill it with water or iced tea first. Once she saw what should be there, she stuck with it and drank it like water.
The best thing, I think, you can ever do for a person inflicted with Alzheimer’s is to listen to them. And they won't make any sense at face value. They may say: "Shut off the light" when they really mean: "Please close the door." Or: "My kitty, bring her here...she gets so hot" when she really means: "Please feed the cat." Sometimes there are moments of perfect speech, like when she's talking to my mom and is a little agitated, the same old commands will come out of her mouth. And those should be celebrated! Because not only did she just speak perfectly, but she spoke! Right now, she's grappling, we think, with getting her daughter, my mom, through the fourth grade because a man down the hall used to teach fourth grade, so that's what they talk about. We'll see how long she lingers there. But I implore you: listen to people, not just with your ears but with your brain. Think like a dyslexic person, because that's basically what Alzheimer’s does, as far as I've seen. It creates a moth eaten brain, the synapses for which flit around and try to use the remaining parts. A husband will become a father, brother, son and sweatheart all within the course of the day. And all you can do is smile and agree with whatever she says. A person afflicted with Alzheimer’s is trying to communicate with you, and even if you don't understand, you can smile and nod, and even be a little engaging about something, and the conversation will go on just swimmingly. If you're lucky, you might catch a word or two that mean that what they are. But try to listen and appear to understand, and you may ease their frustration. If you're lucky, sometimes you will understand/decode! And that is just glorious.
In the words of my Grandy: "And I don't mean MAYBE!"
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As for my katie james website, I've taken my Nana's Christmas money and bought me some ecommerce! Bless the indie community that likes to work with creative people to get their visions up and running for reasonable prices. I'll tell you who is setting it up once it's live, which also should be in the new year. This means that you'll be able to buy jewelry pouches and checkbook covers with just a little mista click!
On the home front, my other grandmother, who's mother Gerdy is named after (Gertrude Dean), is in a very neat home for Alzheimer’s victims. The home is designed to let them wander the hallways, but the doors to the outsid are locked. There are park benches, a beauty parlor, a restaruant and a few other little things to make it feel like a real home. Pets are aloud, so there is my grandmother's black cat, a beagle and a black chow chow. I say victims because that is exactly what they are. Bodies walking around as ghosts of themselves. This disease is the most terrible anyone could ever get, as it takes your life while you are living it. Unlike cancer, which is a terrible disease, Alzheimer’s wipes out your memories and your ability to talk. You may say: "I want the potato" when you really want the wine glass during Thanksgiving dinner. And although alcohol is very bad for you at this stage, you don't even really want it. You just want what you somehow know is supposed to be there. Wine glasses are always to the right of a dinner plate, and they are to be drunk from. Too bad for my Grandy that we didn't fill it with water or iced tea first. Once she saw what should be there, she stuck with it and drank it like water.
The best thing, I think, you can ever do for a person inflicted with Alzheimer’s is to listen to them. And they won't make any sense at face value. They may say: "Shut off the light" when they really mean: "Please close the door." Or: "My kitty, bring her here...she gets so hot" when she really means: "Please feed the cat." Sometimes there are moments of perfect speech, like when she's talking to my mom and is a little agitated, the same old commands will come out of her mouth. And those should be celebrated! Because not only did she just speak perfectly, but she spoke! Right now, she's grappling, we think, with getting her daughter, my mom, through the fourth grade because a man down the hall used to teach fourth grade, so that's what they talk about. We'll see how long she lingers there. But I implore you: listen to people, not just with your ears but with your brain. Think like a dyslexic person, because that's basically what Alzheimer’s does, as far as I've seen. It creates a moth eaten brain, the synapses for which flit around and try to use the remaining parts. A husband will become a father, brother, son and sweatheart all within the course of the day. And all you can do is smile and agree with whatever she says. A person afflicted with Alzheimer’s is trying to communicate with you, and even if you don't understand, you can smile and nod, and even be a little engaging about something, and the conversation will go on just swimmingly. If you're lucky, you might catch a word or two that mean that what they are. But try to listen and appear to understand, and you may ease their frustration. If you're lucky, sometimes you will understand/decode! And that is just glorious.
In the words of my Grandy: "And I don't mean MAYBE!"
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Last Minute Bikini and...
Mira Nair, director of Monsoon Wedding and now the next Harry Potter (!!) is a client of the woman who gives me my bikini wax! Isn't that exciting. That means that the next Harry Potter is going to be super colorful and just plain visually spectacular. By the way, do we all remember how to get a great bikini wax, which should always include a hot water bed and hot towel? If not, click here.
Otherwise, we're getting ready to leave for Thanksgiving in Ohio, where they lost power already this morning. The painter has finished painting the front hall purple which looks awesome (I don't think David ever thought he'd live in a place that has a purple front hall). Gerdy is so ready to go in the car, and now I'm finishing my dinner and we're going to get started.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Otherwise, we're getting ready to leave for Thanksgiving in Ohio, where they lost power already this morning. The painter has finished painting the front hall purple which looks awesome (I don't think David ever thought he'd live in a place that has a purple front hall). Gerdy is so ready to go in the car, and now I'm finishing my dinner and we're going to get started.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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OnlineShoes.com
My shoes - they came! You didn't know this, but I've stopped jogging because my Saucony's are two years old and have died. I've been getting fatter by the minute, especially on rainy days when I eat blueberry pancakes for breakfast. I've been coding my butt off today, so the inner Nike Girl is just dying to break out into some awesome, Gatorade induced workout.
But I wanted to tell you that if you want affordable running shoes, and you know the brand you like and trust, then OnlineShoes.com is a great way to buy last year's model for less (although they did take a little while to get here)! You all may know of even cheaper ways - do you? Maybe Zappos? Care to share...?
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But I wanted to tell you that if you want affordable running shoes, and you know the brand you like and trust, then OnlineShoes.com is a great way to buy last year's model for less (although they did take a little while to get here)! You all may know of even cheaper ways - do you? Maybe Zappos? Care to share...?
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Harry Potter's Getting a Good Body
So I saw it at 11:59pm on Thursday night. It so wiped me out, that I could only bring you the interview with One Good Bumblebee, and then recover from the night and the week this weekend. First of all, I went all by myself (boyfriend was working, and for some reason, all close friends don't read Harry Potter - vie them!), but was surrounded by lots of screaming teanage girls and their boy tagalongs. Wasn't expecting this extension of a high school lunchroom!
The movie itself was really scary. And really dark and all that. However, as with the last movie, The Prisoner of Azkaban, I'm glad I had just finished re-reading the books leading up to it, because these directors and writers seem to only include about 30% of the details. So as scary as the movie was (scary dragons, Voldemort, merpeople) it was kind of like drinking skim milk when you could have had a nice half-caff vanilla latte with whole milk.
But I came out of the movie happy. And taxi drivers got an unexpected rush of people at 3am in a normally dead area of town. And now I must run because Gerdy and Dinah would really like to be fed, and Dinah just tipped over Gerdy's bowl of water to get my attention, and it worked.
Oh, and, Go Bucks!!
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The movie itself was really scary. And really dark and all that. However, as with the last movie, The Prisoner of Azkaban, I'm glad I had just finished re-reading the books leading up to it, because these directors and writers seem to only include about 30% of the details. So as scary as the movie was (scary dragons, Voldemort, merpeople) it was kind of like drinking skim milk when you could have had a nice half-caff vanilla latte with whole milk.
But I came out of the movie happy. And taxi drivers got an unexpected rush of people at 3am in a normally dead area of town. And now I must run because Gerdy and Dinah would really like to be fed, and Dinah just tipped over Gerdy's bowl of water to get my attention, and it worked.
Oh, and, Go Bucks!!
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Conversation with One Good Bumble Bee
Katey Nicosia of One Good Bumblebee is a queen bee of the indie designer world. She has emerged as a designer by day, designer by night (and blogger on the side), and makes each and every thing that she sells.That includes paper things, piles of paper, jewelry, bags, cards, she's pretty much unstoppable, which means that she has enough variety to create her own little store online. Plus, she's an online sleuth when it comes to showing off other designers and finding a wide range of resources tucked away in the corners of the Internet.
To my delight, Katey agreed to share her story of how she emerged as a designer, how she gave up what she thought she wanted for something else she wanted more, and the most frightening part of all: the USPS.
Is One Good Bumble Bee a one-woman show? Who is One Good Bumble Bee, and where did the name come from?
Yes, it’s a one woman show. I do everything. The name, One Good Bumblebee, comes from a James Tate poem entitled “Head of a White Woman Walking.”
Do you have a day job? If so, how do you manage to work two jobs? If you don’t, how did you manage to quit to focus on your business full time?
I was the nanny of 2-year-old twin boys when I started OGB. And as I started to focus more and more on my designs and the business, the more I realized that I wanted it to be my full-time job. So I quit nannying and ever since I’ve sort of been cruising along, maneuvering my way through rent, bills, and everything else. I have extremely creative and supportive parents, and of course that helps too. Not to mention my boyfriend who generously helps with finances, as well. A “real” job with regular hours and cubicles is just not for me. I’m very independent and like to do things my way, and I’m sort of a homebody so working at home by myself is perfect and quite wonderful.
Are you an “indie designer”? If so, how do you define “indie designer”?
When I think of “indie”, I think small, intimate and focused. When I say focused I mean, money isn’t the goal, art is. At least that’s how I think of it. Of course I think of myself as an Indie designer, or business owner, because it’s just me doing everything, and because my goal is to create and provide, not to be rich and famous, although rich would be nice. I see it like this: If for some reason OGB makes it on Oprah, I probably won’t be very Indie anymore. Being an Indie designer also makes me closer with my customers. I feel approachable and friendly, something you don’t often find in big corporations. It also means I hand write thank you notes to every customer and I treat every packaged order like a gift to a friend.
How long have you been in business? Are you at the point where it’s paying the bills? If so, was the day you broke even the happiest day ever?
I think it will be a year in February 2006. I’m not exactly able to pay all the bills all by myself, but I am definitely making a profit, that profit just isn’t big enough yet.
Did you need start up capital? If so, how much?
When I first decided I wanted to start OGB, I called my dad and told him I needed some money. Haha! I think it all started with like $500, and that lasted about 10 minutes. So, no, no real capital to start out with. I can be very resourceful when I need to.
Did/do you have outside investors? How did you approach them?
Nope. None.
In what kind of stores is One Good Bumble Bee available? How do you approach stores to sell your products?
One Good Bumblebee is in all kinds of stores, but mostly independent places like Rare Device in Brooklyn, for instance. I’m very excited about having my things in actual brick and mortar stores. I love doing wholesale and consignment. It sort of reinforces for me the fact that I actually do have my own business, and that’s fun. I have honestly never approached a store and offered my things. Every place that sells OGB items has approached me. I do, however, plan on approaching stores soon. But I’m still just trying to get off the ground, and I’ll approach stores when I’m ready, but for now, I let them come to me, and fortunately they do! Yay!
You’re based in Texas, which proves that you don’t have to be located in New York to create and sell adorable things. How is that working for you? Do you ever feel like you want to be in New York to have little fabric and trimming shops just a few subway stops away?
I really do not like living in Dallas, just because it’s so not an “indie” friendly place. It’s all about big businesses and the like. However, I also don’t think I’d like to be in New York, where I’d have more competition. And about being able to walk to a fabric store…I don’t need that…that’s what the internet is for. Thank god for the internet!
Do you order a lot of your fabrics, trimmings and hardware online, or do you travel for it, or both? Care to reveal some of your sources?
I get almost everything online. My number one resource right now is Ebay, and that’s all I’m saying. :) Sometimes however my boyfriend and I will travel to some really great flea markets in Texas and that’s where I’ll pick up vintage fabrics and paper.
How do you handle your online orders?
When I get an order, I immediately print out the invoice and put it in my “new order” file. Then I package everything up and send it on its way. Pretty basic.
About how much time per week do you spend fulfilling orders?
Crazily enough, fulfilling orders is one of my favorite things to do. I’m one of those girls that adores wrapping gifts, so packaging orders is exciting and makes me happy. However, it does take a lot more time than I thought it ever would. It also takes a lot of supplies…tissue paper, labels, tape, stamps, etc. I’d say I spend about 2 hours a week packaging orders, give or take.
You are so versatile – building websites, painting, sewing, carving – and I know you built your own website. Is/’was there ever a point where you could or wanted to step back and let someone else build or manage it, or at least some components of it?
Of course! In fact, I did hire someone to fix it up for me, so that there’s an actual “cart” system available which is much much easier for me to manage and easier for my customers.
Sales-wise, what came first – selling directly from your website or selling through boutiques (be them online or on land)?
Online came first.
Which generates more sales: your website or other outlets that carry your designs?
My website, definitely.
What advice do you have for designers selling their products directly from their websites?
Simplicity! I think a simple, easy to navigate website is crucial. So is aesthetics and good photographs. A good photograph of an item can make a world of difference. I’m still learning how to take the perfect photo, with the right lighting, background, etc. It’s a lot more difficult than it looks. Sometimes I take up to 50 photographs of one item and still don’t get a good enough shot. But yes, I’d say as long as the website is well designed and your photos are clear and of good quality, you’re good to go. But then again, nothing beats a great product. If it’s good, it’ll sell no matter what.
What shopping cart do you use?
Zen Cart
What bookkeeping software do you use (if any)? Or are you an Excel wizard?
I do it all by hand in a ledger paper spiral. Really.
Eleanor Roosevelt said “Do one thing every day that scares you.” What’s been a pretty scary thing that you’ve done, that’s lead to a great result?
Well, to make a long story short, before OGB even started, I had been planning on attending graduate school for creative writing and poetry. In fact, I had been accepted into the greatest writing programs in the country, but I don’t know what happened…all of a sudden, I sort of forgot about poetry and started creating things and really getting into design. And in the end, I had to make a decision…go back to school and get a creative writing degree, or pursue my life-long love of being a crafty girl. It was very scary. I know I let a lot of people down by not going to school, but I had to think of me and what would make me happiest, and besides I’m making way more money now than I ever would as a poet. I have no regrets and no doubts that I made the right decision. I love what I do.
Sometimes the USPS can be pretty scary too. I always worry that orders weren’t delivered or that perhaps the mailman bent a “DO NOT BEND” envelope. Scary!
Do you have any advice or mantra for emerging designers?
Have fun. If there’s one crucial aspect of being a creative person, you have to remember to relax and lose yourself in your creation. Worrying too much about what others will think is the worst thing a creative person can do. It’s crucial to remember to play when you create.
"I love you more than ice cream" - cards
"Ice cream purse"
"Vintage fabric buttons" - who knew you needed these until right now!? love these
"Pile of Paper" - yes, a pile of paper...I have one and can't wait to cut it up to make the illustrated story of how I lost Dinah my kitty, and how she found me again...
One Good Bumblebee
More Conversations With Emerging Designers
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Self-Portrait Day
Everyone: The kind people of Self-Portrait Day have graciously accepted my smiling face from now until whenever! Go check them out - very cute site and interesting portraits. My first one is my lovely Mista Mouse:
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Ekologic - Duh!
Did everyone check their Daily Candy this morning? The feature was of ecologic, a company based in New York that finds wonderful but discarded clothes made of delicious fabric (yes, cashmere) and remakes them into sweaters, hats and other little inventions (like my favorite, the cuff and collar). Their products are sold all over the world and on their website. I'd show some pictures, but I can't get to them. Guess you'll have to toodle on over there yourself! But trust me, it's worth the click.
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Cards and Updates
So let's talk about these cards from BUST that can come with musak of rock music. They are so fun, and I'm growing quite addicted to them. In fact, I think I'll send my sister one right after this.
As for updates, well, I haven't been much for sharing what's beeing going on in the world of katie james. As feared, the business plan and Fashion Designer's Survival Guide did put my brain on the fritz in terms of believing that I can make the katie jamesness happen. It just made everything overwhelming, when I'm very good at ignoring most signs that point to overwhelming in order to just move forward. However, it did make me carve out what makes katie james katie james, and that is a good, strengthening thing.
But of late, life has been overwhelming everywhere, but in a creep on you sort of way. The website at work launches in January, and the list to make it 90% error free keeps growing. My brain is feeling very stretched in order to keep all the plates spinning. My neighbor, as we know, is crazier than ever, poor thing (I'm listening to her now shut and re shut her door to make sure it locks...today she told the police who had come to her apartment to allow the super to come in to deal with leaks coming from her apartment that her tiny mut was trained by Secret Service), and the ceiling is getting repaired from the leak damage back when NY saw some of the most rain it had seen in 100 years (but this apartment has seen many leaks, so it really didn't matter). I launched a big campaign to move, however the apartments of which I looked, unfortunately for my broker (hi Matt!), reminded me that our current apartment is wonderful - especially for the money (sorry, Matt! but tonight's were the best so far...I think I just want to buy or stay put). So the search is off for now. David is working and working on a film, and I almost forgot he was my boyfriend last week, but then he re-introduced himself, so I remembered who he was.
Business and money planning for myself is much harder than doing it for other people. So my friend who works in finance agreed to meet with me so that I can go over my katie james budget in order to see like what I need to spend on production, what are fixed costs, etc. This was a good push, as it made me really look at my Excel spreadsheet from her eyes, knowing that it had to make sense for her.
Otherwise, many ideas are bubbling for products, and as soon as I get the budget squared away, I will focus on getting fabric for new things! The chow chow is going to go through a small re-deisgn, and I'm dying to make my Pocket Purse because I really need one for the weekend. And, I've contacted someone about re-building my website in PHP so that I can use all the free stuff out there like email programs and so forth, so that's exciting. Oh, and most importantly, a shopping cart! I'm going to re-design it, so think French menus. I'm excited, but now must finish this post, finish my glass of wine, send a BUST card to my sister, and maybe call it a night. On with tomorrow!
Oh, and wanna know what makes me really happy? This on my desktop. Love it:
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As for updates, well, I haven't been much for sharing what's beeing going on in the world of katie james. As feared, the business plan and Fashion Designer's Survival Guide did put my brain on the fritz in terms of believing that I can make the katie jamesness happen. It just made everything overwhelming, when I'm very good at ignoring most signs that point to overwhelming in order to just move forward. However, it did make me carve out what makes katie james katie james, and that is a good, strengthening thing.
But of late, life has been overwhelming everywhere, but in a creep on you sort of way. The website at work launches in January, and the list to make it 90% error free keeps growing. My brain is feeling very stretched in order to keep all the plates spinning. My neighbor, as we know, is crazier than ever, poor thing (I'm listening to her now shut and re shut her door to make sure it locks...today she told the police who had come to her apartment to allow the super to come in to deal with leaks coming from her apartment that her tiny mut was trained by Secret Service), and the ceiling is getting repaired from the leak damage back when NY saw some of the most rain it had seen in 100 years (but this apartment has seen many leaks, so it really didn't matter). I launched a big campaign to move, however the apartments of which I looked, unfortunately for my broker (hi Matt!), reminded me that our current apartment is wonderful - especially for the money (sorry, Matt! but tonight's were the best so far...I think I just want to buy or stay put). So the search is off for now. David is working and working on a film, and I almost forgot he was my boyfriend last week, but then he re-introduced himself, so I remembered who he was.
Business and money planning for myself is much harder than doing it for other people. So my friend who works in finance agreed to meet with me so that I can go over my katie james budget in order to see like what I need to spend on production, what are fixed costs, etc. This was a good push, as it made me really look at my Excel spreadsheet from her eyes, knowing that it had to make sense for her.
Otherwise, many ideas are bubbling for products, and as soon as I get the budget squared away, I will focus on getting fabric for new things! The chow chow is going to go through a small re-deisgn, and I'm dying to make my Pocket Purse because I really need one for the weekend. And, I've contacted someone about re-building my website in PHP so that I can use all the free stuff out there like email programs and so forth, so that's exciting. Oh, and most importantly, a shopping cart! I'm going to re-design it, so think French menus. I'm excited, but now must finish this post, finish my glass of wine, send a BUST card to my sister, and maybe call it a night. On with tomorrow!
Oh, and wanna know what makes me really happy? This on my desktop. Love it:
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Google! I love you!
Google just pulled the fee for Urchin (great site stat program) and is giving it away for free!! When Google bought Urchin, they were selling it for $199/month. There are plenty of free site stat services out there, but lots are sketchy and many are weak. I use StatCounter.com and like it for it's presentation of stats, but now I will use both.
Check out an article here:
http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2005/0,4814,106198,00.html
And straight from the horse's mouth:
http://www.google.com/analytics/
Google's strategy is amazing! They are crushing competitors by offering major things for free. This may have a trickle down effect, as I'm already free now to move hosting companies for my website. I am paying $24.99 to a hosting company to host my site only because they offer Urchin. But now that I can get it for free, I'm free as a bird to pay $10 or less to a company that does not provide Urchin as part of their hosting package!
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Check out an article here:
http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2005/0,4814,106198,00.html
And straight from the horse's mouth:
http://www.google.com/analytics/
Google's strategy is amazing! They are crushing competitors by offering major things for free. This may have a trickle down effect, as I'm already free now to move hosting companies for my website. I am paying $24.99 to a hosting company to host my site only because they offer Urchin. But now that I can get it for free, I'm free as a bird to pay $10 or less to a company that does not provide Urchin as part of their hosting package!
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Desktop Art - Katie James Style
I was supposed to be working on the business plan, but then I starting tinkering with rendering fabric on the computer. Yes, I've been tossing around the idea of making desktop art, and then met this great illustrator who does it for a living, and then combined with David's brilliant suggestion of making desktop art of fabric used at katie james, I went to town.
So go check 'em out! More are to come.
Oh boy, reruns of Gilmore Girls is on...must go watch.
But here's a peek of some of them:
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So go check 'em out! More are to come.
Oh boy, reruns of Gilmore Girls is on...must go watch.
But here's a peek of some of them:
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Shoes and a Leather Bag...
I've made a big to-do list today, but of course got side-tracked online while in my room that is cozy from the wonderful heat that's on (David's watching Saturday football again)! I couldn't resist sharing with you these shoes I found while online at BUST from John Fluevog - if you ever wanted to look like a cartoon, here's your opportunity! It is soo hard to restrain taking out my credit card right now...oh, and I found what might be the perfect leather bag that a reader from long ago requested!
Hope
Mindy
Jennifer
Cecily
Tennessee
Audrey
Honey
Minstrel Tote
and it's $209!
Peacemaker Daytrip bag
still within the $200-$300 range at $239
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Hope
Mindy
Jennifer
Cecily
Tennessee
Audrey
Honey
Minstrel Tote
and it's $209!
Peacemaker Daytrip bag
still within the $200-$300 range at $239
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Celandine Paper - It Came!
My Celandine Paper has arrived and is so cute! I got a little 'thank you' package for the post featuring how they've emerged as emerging designers, and it couldn't be cuter. Very on point, they sent me a K for katie james, and a batch of different Thank You cards. I just sent a thank you note the other day and can't wait for the excuse to write another one!
Letter of the Alphabet:
Thank You:
details...
Letter of the Alphabet:
Thank You:
details...
Nightlights
After spooking the living daylights out of myself, I have succesfully preformed my first very indepth search for the perfect nightlight. I knew this would tucker me out and totally distract me, so I now present you with some grownup nightlights in case you need them. It's amazing how many gingerbread house nightlights there are out there.
The I Love Lucy Nightlight:
The Egg Nightlight (after you click on this image, scroll way down to get to the product):
The Glowing Bubble Lights (my favorite):
First of all, I really like UncommonGoods, and second of all, you just squeeze and the light goes on. Guess that wouldn't help if you woke up in the middle of the night and the light had dimmed out after 4 hours. Hmm.
and The Toaster
ok, so it's not a nightlight, but I really like it if I were making toast. i have no idea where to buy it.
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The I Love Lucy Nightlight:
The Egg Nightlight (after you click on this image, scroll way down to get to the product):
The Glowing Bubble Lights (my favorite):
First of all, I really like UncommonGoods, and second of all, you just squeeze and the light goes on. Guess that wouldn't help if you woke up in the middle of the night and the light had dimmed out after 4 hours. Hmm.
and The Toaster
ok, so it's not a nightlight, but I really like it if I were making toast. i have no idea where to buy it.
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Ghosts
Just woke up from a scary vision, and I can't get back to sleep and everything I look at is scaring me. Even this computer! I feel like my brother when he used to get scared at night. How horrible to be afraid of the dark. I've never been afraid of the dark. But now I can't even read Harry Potter book 4 to calm my nerves and arms, which are shot with adrenalin.
Tonight, our crazy neighbor, Deborah, was in her prime, screaming at our neighbors across the hall. Deborah, who does not like them for some reason, has taken to screaming at them: "surveillance! Surveillance! Security! Activated! Activated! Activated!" It's unnerving. She has lived next door for the past almost 2 years now, and claims there is FBI protecting her. She claims they have helicopters circling the building. She claims that years ago, she got in bed with the wrong man (she's always very graphic with us - she's around 60-70) who know wants her dead. She has 3 cats, and got a little dog named Chicho, but never takes it outside, for fear that "they will get to me by getting to him."
So we ignore this, but lately it's been getting worse. At least as far as I can tell. My poor neighbors share a wall with her, and can hear her barking out her window. I always hear her screaming bloody murder at her dog. I can actually hear her voice recede as she chases her little dog down her hallway, bellowing. She and I have before not spoken, as I seem to do things that set her off. But then she snaps out of it and appears to not have noticed that she would stare at me in the hallway like a deer in headlines. When she started to speak to me again, she'd just say: "Your hair has gotten so long! It's been so long since we've seen eachother."
David is the best with her. Or she is the best with him. I think she likes having him around, and he's the only one she'll respond to. She used to butter me up with gifts from the whole foods store or random paintings from her apartment. She would butter me up, or so I thought, because I have a dog, and she was dying for our dogs to be friends. Well, my dog can't stand her dog unfortunately, as the little thing just goes ecstatic whenever he sees my dog, since he's never seen any other dog before. But as I was saying, David has always been the bridge back to normalcy with her. She started bringing him gifts: sun screen when she found out he had a patch of skin removed from his face, lotion for his face, a pint glass, danishes when his mother came to town. We never eat any of it. Just bury it in the trash.
Tonight, however, I've reached my wits end. She let her dog out in the foyer outside our doors. He was barking loudly, something he does not often do when out there. She may have been barking with him earlier, and our neighbors asked her to be quiet. This set her off. She came out screaming. I had just settled in after a dose of Harry Potter when I heard the noise from outside our front door. I woke David up (who's been working super long hours on a movie) and he offered to stick his head out there as peace-maker [queue harps]. He stuck his head out there in the foyer, and mainly addressed Chicho, a safe approach. Deborah was yelling. It was terrible. A guy from another floor had come up, insisting she be quiet. She told David that it was not her causing the commotion, and took her dog back inside.
Meanwhile, the police had been called. They came, but could do nothing. I mean, what can you do? They pounded on her door, but no answer, of course. All had ended, or so I thought. I crawled back into bed and eventually fell asleep until suddenly, David was yelling "Get out! Get out!" and leaping out of bed. I followed, blind as a bat in the pitch black with no glasses, to see what was the matter. David reached our own hallway to the front door, and just stopped. I collapsed on the couch, waiting to hear what was the matter.
David said I had screamed, which caused him to jump out of bed. I looked at him like he was crazy, but then I remembered a face looking in at us from the window above our bed. It was looking in between the crack of the end of the blinds, which don't go all the way down, and the fan that is resting against the closed window. It was gray and it was looking at us. David said I screamed "Somebody's in here! Somebody's in here!" and then he leapt out of bed defending us. I had no recollection until he told me I had screamed, and then I could remember hearing myself. That was the most scary part.
Now I'm scared all over again. I don't know what to do! I hate that face and need to block it out. I think I need a night-light. Oh dear.
PS: Since typing this, I have since completed a study in nightlights to combat the image. Staring a computer screen to find nightlights has successfully dulled my brain into a hopeful mellow slumber.
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Tonight, our crazy neighbor, Deborah, was in her prime, screaming at our neighbors across the hall. Deborah, who does not like them for some reason, has taken to screaming at them: "surveillance! Surveillance! Security! Activated! Activated! Activated!" It's unnerving. She has lived next door for the past almost 2 years now, and claims there is FBI protecting her. She claims they have helicopters circling the building. She claims that years ago, she got in bed with the wrong man (she's always very graphic with us - she's around 60-70) who know wants her dead. She has 3 cats, and got a little dog named Chicho, but never takes it outside, for fear that "they will get to me by getting to him."
So we ignore this, but lately it's been getting worse. At least as far as I can tell. My poor neighbors share a wall with her, and can hear her barking out her window. I always hear her screaming bloody murder at her dog. I can actually hear her voice recede as she chases her little dog down her hallway, bellowing. She and I have before not spoken, as I seem to do things that set her off. But then she snaps out of it and appears to not have noticed that she would stare at me in the hallway like a deer in headlines. When she started to speak to me again, she'd just say: "Your hair has gotten so long! It's been so long since we've seen eachother."
David is the best with her. Or she is the best with him. I think she likes having him around, and he's the only one she'll respond to. She used to butter me up with gifts from the whole foods store or random paintings from her apartment. She would butter me up, or so I thought, because I have a dog, and she was dying for our dogs to be friends. Well, my dog can't stand her dog unfortunately, as the little thing just goes ecstatic whenever he sees my dog, since he's never seen any other dog before. But as I was saying, David has always been the bridge back to normalcy with her. She started bringing him gifts: sun screen when she found out he had a patch of skin removed from his face, lotion for his face, a pint glass, danishes when his mother came to town. We never eat any of it. Just bury it in the trash.
Tonight, however, I've reached my wits end. She let her dog out in the foyer outside our doors. He was barking loudly, something he does not often do when out there. She may have been barking with him earlier, and our neighbors asked her to be quiet. This set her off. She came out screaming. I had just settled in after a dose of Harry Potter when I heard the noise from outside our front door. I woke David up (who's been working super long hours on a movie) and he offered to stick his head out there as peace-maker [queue harps]. He stuck his head out there in the foyer, and mainly addressed Chicho, a safe approach. Deborah was yelling. It was terrible. A guy from another floor had come up, insisting she be quiet. She told David that it was not her causing the commotion, and took her dog back inside.
Meanwhile, the police had been called. They came, but could do nothing. I mean, what can you do? They pounded on her door, but no answer, of course. All had ended, or so I thought. I crawled back into bed and eventually fell asleep until suddenly, David was yelling "Get out! Get out!" and leaping out of bed. I followed, blind as a bat in the pitch black with no glasses, to see what was the matter. David reached our own hallway to the front door, and just stopped. I collapsed on the couch, waiting to hear what was the matter.
David said I had screamed, which caused him to jump out of bed. I looked at him like he was crazy, but then I remembered a face looking in at us from the window above our bed. It was looking in between the crack of the end of the blinds, which don't go all the way down, and the fan that is resting against the closed window. It was gray and it was looking at us. David said I screamed "Somebody's in here! Somebody's in here!" and then he leapt out of bed defending us. I had no recollection until he told me I had screamed, and then I could remember hearing myself. That was the most scary part.
Now I'm scared all over again. I don't know what to do! I hate that face and need to block it out. I think I need a night-light. Oh dear.
PS: Since typing this, I have since completed a study in nightlights to combat the image. Staring a computer screen to find nightlights has successfully dulled my brain into a hopeful mellow slumber.
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Really Cute Turkey Day Card...
My mom sent it to me...
http://www.msn.americangreetings.com/view.pd?i=382219626&m=1652&rr=y&sou
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http://www.msn.americangreetings.com/view.pd?i=382219626&m=1652&rr=y&sou
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Handbag Making Supplies
Just when you thought you'd never leave the house do run that handbag errand, now you don't have to! You can order magnetic snaps, handles, closures, feet, buckles and more all from Tall Poppy. I can't write much else, as I want ot go back to re-reading Harry Potter book 4, but click on the pictures and links to explore for yourself!
What first attracted me:
Good to know about:
Purse frames:
Cute, 'eh?
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What first attracted me:
Good to know about:
Purse frames:
Cute, 'eh?
Permalink.
Working From Home Day 5
The cool thing about working from home after a soul food party is that you get to warm up left over artichoke dip and a 3-cheese mac and cheese, all the while sporting a very punk hairdo. And you get brownies and icecream for dessert.
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Conversation with Celandine Paper
If only I was getting married or having a baby, I could use Celandine Paper (as featured on Daily Candy) printed on letterpress cards! Who prints on letterpress cards? In fact, what are letterpress cards? Letterpress is a form of printing, where a press coated with ink actually presses into the paper leaving behind a unique impression, unlike regular laser printing and offset printing (for mass production). Very cool and very specialized, making Celandine Paper cards special treasures.What's more, they agreed to answer all of my questions as to how they got started, as we all know I'm making my own Business Plan for Katie James and must soak up as much information as I can.
Here's how they did it:
Is Celandine Paper a one-woman show? If not, who is Celandine Paper, and where did the name come from?
Celandine Paper is the newest part of a 3 year old design firm, Celandine Inc., founded by Samantha Baker and Kimberley Sanderson-Hutfilz in 2002. Celandine itself is a type of flower indigenous to Great Britain, where Kimberley’s family is from. It translates to “joys to come” in Celtic, which we thought was a nice sentiment for a company that specializes in weddings, baby announcements and beautiful stationery.
How did you decide to partner or work together?
We first worked together years ago at another design firm and became close friends. Inspired by our love of great design, we decided to start the business – we already knew that we worked well together so we didn’t ever question what it would be like to go into business with a friend.
How long have you been in business?
Since May 2002.
Where are you located?
NYC
Is this location ideal for your business?
New York is a wonderful place to live and work – we are constantly inspired by what is around us – great architecture, art, fashion – the best of everything is here!
How much start up capital did you need?
We started the business with just our laptops and our energy and focus- we didn’t even buy new equipment at first! We were quite conservative – as we made money, we continued to grow our expenditures accordingly.
Did/do you have outside investors? How did you approach them?
No.
Do you have a day job? If so, how do you manage to work two jobs? If you don’t, how did you manage to quit to take your business on full time?
We left our jobs about three months after we started Celandine – it just meant we had to work harder!
What was the biggest snafu that you’ve had with a manufacturer so far and how did you handle it?
We have had a few issues along the way – but you always learn from them. We have definitely learned to pad deadlines!
How do you handle your online orders?
We had a great web programmer who worked with us to translate our design into proper code – and we use paypal for the check-out process and collecting money from customers online. They have great security credentials.
Sales-wise, what came first – selling directly from your website or selling through boutiques?
Simultaneously.
Which generates more sales: your website or stores with a street addresses (not an IP address)?
We are still figuring this out – as our products are just getting into stores now!
What advice do you have for designers selling their products directly from their websites?
Hire a programmer you trust and go for it.
What shopping cart do you use (if you know)?
Paypal
What bookkeeping software do you use (if any)? Or are you an Excel wizard?
We use Quicken and Excel.
Eleanor Roosevelt said “Do one thing every day that scares you.” What’s the scariest thing you’ve done so far, career-wise, and how did it turn out?
Leaving our other jobs to start Celandine – but it’s been great. Every day is an adventure!
Do you have any advice or mantra for emerging designers?
If you believe you have a great product, and you believe in your ability to sell it, everything will happen in good time.
My favorite, for Valentine's Day, although they are sold out (but I had to show you anyway)! My heart breaks...
details...
All of the letters of the alphabet...here's my favorite...K...for katie james:
For Baby
details...
For Weddings
details...
Can these be any more precious? You can buy them online or in stores.
Calendine Paper
More Conversations With Emerging Designers
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