Plush You Seattle 10.08.10

Is it okay if I get mushy? well, okay, allow me a little mush. I feel really, really fortunate to not only have been accepted once, but twice to Plush You in Seattle. *sniffle*, sigh. My bambina was still crawling about, still formulating her plan to take over the world. And now? well, let's just say that the old adage of children being like the sea & never turning your back on either, still rings true. Okay, so I heard it from Kindergarten Cop, it's no less true.

If you are in the Seattle area, the Plush You! Seattle show opens tonight, October 8th, with a sure to be funtimes opening party at Schmancy (1938 2nd Avenue) from 5pm to 9pm. The show will run for a month, until November 11th. Amazing plushies from over 100 artists from around the world will be on display at Fancy, Schmancy, & Nancy. Last year, my plush showed at Bluebottle Gallery, and this year, my sweet treats will be showing at Nancy, Schmancy's sister store. If you cannot make it, never fear, you can at least view my submissions HERE, on my flickr set. Though if you do find yourself there, PICTURES, Please!! I'll be your best friend, or at least I'll be that friend who doesn't post weird passive aggressive messages in her Facebook status & doesn't clog up your timeline with items about Farmville.

I wish I could be there in person, but with a wee person with a runny nose & a move on the horizon, it was a no go. Maybe one day I'll have ficticious free time & someone else's bank account to descend on Seattle & buy everything in Schmancy...and Big Fun. One can dream :)

X-posted to sweetfructose

plush you peekaboo

here's one of the plush pieces sent off to Seattle this year:

Allow me to introduce you to Hubbabubbapus

me likey the sweets


more updates & photos to come to the Sweetfructose blog as I get a chance. Jellybean is fighting a case of the sniffles and kicking its undercarriage if i do say so myself.

alfonse

alfonse
Originally uploaded by sweetfructose

furry monster coming soon to the shop :)

long time no see, right?

so where have i been? let me sum it up in a haiku:

busy as usual
new pics of new goodies soon
crafting ain't easy.

Plush You 2010 is coming up very, very soon. I was lucky enough to be selected once again, this time showing at Nancy, right next door to Schmancy! Wishing I could be there in person to see everyone's work. Mr. sugarhearts, jellybean, and I will be moving to a new place in town this month, and while we would've loved a trip to Seattle, using the $$ to hire movers this go round will make getting adjusted SO much easier.

In the time that has passed since my last post, Jellybean is now a running, climbing, talking, attempted rock-eating dynamo. I've been sketching a lot but have not had time/space to do proper sewing without curious little fingers getting a hold of things.

I did make a decision though. Most of you know me as "sweetfructose" from twitter. So I've decided to make most of my plush and other creature creations available through a new Etsy site, http://sweetfructose.etsy.com . I have some furry monsters and cephalopods x food plush to load into the shop very soon. I will be using the cinnamonsugarhearts store for some upcoming planned homegoods and other assorted cutery. yep, that's right. cutery. chalk it.

I'm also branching another blog, sweetfructose.blogspot.com, more for assorted plush & randomness, whereas this one will be more for my past works, home life, bragging about my lil jellybean, and more day to day musings. so be sure to follow me there, too!

yum-burger

mmmm...my name is franz. i'm a delicious, char-grilled cephalopod.
fresh lettuce, juicy tomatoes, melted cheese...mmm, how could you not love me?
wait..wait...that wasn't an invitation to a bite!!!

oh no!

phew, back on the plate, but still delicious.

new stuff...and things. totally.

i won't let my title sway me into a self-indulgent rant on how my impersonal grammar and speech really hasn't changed since college (i mean college, the first time around...*art school dropout, holla!* sigh. anyway.) i do realize that things should be capitalized and ellipses should not be used as often as i use them, but seriously look at this... see? didn't you think something good was coming after that? it has all the drama of an exclamation point without being showy. whoops, i'm veering off subject.

so i've decided to make a new blog, while keeping this one for craftiness, making a new one that will be more for my personal junk. Example:

this morning i realized that most of my fav kid shows are directed by Savage Steve Holland, the wonderful man who brought us Better Off Dead & One Crazy Summer, coincedentally 2 post pubescent cusack powerhouse films...etc, etc, etc.)

this way, i can rant the way i'd like when hollywood decides to make or remake films they have no business considering (i warned you all about transformers and gi joe, didn't i?) and not cloud up the area around my crafty makings. when i think of a proper name for it, i will let you know.

in other news, from the look of this blog, it seems that i have been in some dormant, plush-making slumber, but oh no, i have not. truth is, in between chasing a newly running, 1yr old jellybean

sassy.

and adapting to life & its constant curveballs, i just havent had the time to take proper pictures of all my creations. even my etsy store is stuck, frozen in time, much like the Oceanic 8, only my shop is stalled in the past holiday season and not 1977, but i digress.

new things are coming. heck, the "new things" have actually been made since new years, and were living in sketches for the past 6 months or so.(and yeah, i said heck. wanna fight about it?). my intent is to make this a proper blog, so as to satisfy myself and my self imposed new years resolutions. soon there will be pics of sketches, works in progress, finished works...yknow, the regular stuff. for now, here is a sneak peak of some cephalopod sweet treats that i will be sending over to a great new local shop, Salty Not Sweet...as soon as i can do some proper packaging of course :)
(and again, please excuse the quick pic):

note the books in the backgroud people, we're deep.

more good things are coming people, of all shapes, sizes, and flavors...[dramatic ellipses]. just be patient with me ♥ ♥

ok, now for the real resolutions

The way I figure it, here is how new year's resolutions should go:

1) write down everything you'd want to accomplish ever

2) sort that list out to things you want done in a year

3) then with that list, shorten that down to a list of things you could feasibly get done without feeling like a quitter or setting crazy standards for yourself.

They're just resolutions people. There are no new years police patrolpeople coming to get you if you don't lose 5 lbs by valentines day. No one is going to physically threaten you if you don't get organized (and if you did set something up where someone would come and harm you if you didn't get said things done by a set time, you should really consider not making resolutions anymore).

If anything, the most reasonable resolution to make , and possibly the only one necessary is:

*1 be kinder to yourself.

Don't beat yourself up by using unrealistic standards. If your loved one gave you that list of items, would you tell them they were being crazy? If the answer is yes, it's time to rethink the list. The truth is, you don't even really need to make resolutions. You could just wake up one random day and decide to make changes, and that's great too. But the new year is sort of like a clean slate, a date you can look forward to and plan for. If things don't work out by Jan 21st, it doesnt mean that on the 22nd you can't start anew! (It also doesn't hurt that after eating so many rich, sugary, delicious treats from Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all their leftovers, it's good to have a stop the madness date in mind.)

If you can't already tell, this post is more for me than for anyone else who may happen upon it, but if it helps you too, i'm glad.

So, that being said, here is my list, once again, in no particular order (with *1 above being the utmost priority)

a) Take the time to exercise & stretch more. You'll feel better in the long run. If one workout doesn't work out as planned, try another.

1) NOTE: I tried the Fit Test of the Insanity Workout today. WOW. Try to keep to the schedule. I'll keep the blog posted on my progress.

b) take time to just veg. without feeling guilty. read a book, a magazine, sketch...

c) Make more awesome plush

d) set up office to make it more crafting friendly

1) figure out a better system for fabric storage. if i don't see them i forget them.

e) write down ideas the minute you have them

f) eat healthier. just in general. use common sense. and yes, let yourself have an ultra sweet coffee thats more like a dessert than a beverage. it's the little things.

g) blog more & change the layout. dealing with html gives me a headache but i am in need of change. done!

h) be only responsible for your actions. and the negativity thing from the other post too

i) try to keep the house as tidy as possible. its easier to think in an uncluttered, cleanish home.

j)ditch old clothes, sell on ebay, get better clothes on ebay & get the thrill of the auction win.

Okay. now I'll check back in about...3 months, so early Aprilish?, to see what needs to be fine tuned or changed. Ok team? break!

resolute

Resolutions to get awesome...ok, to become more awesome, cause i'm already pretty great.

note: being humble did not quite make the cut to be on the list this new year.

I'll add more as I think of it and update it at the midway 2010 point, cause it's my list and i'll do what i want.

(in no particular order):

1. Health & Well-being

A. Move myself up on the list of people to take care of

a) INSANITY (I'll let you know how that goes-product reviews have been pretty good)

b) Remember Yoga? Yeah that thing that made you feel less crakle-y and helped your back...May come in handy when carrying around a 23 lb adorable jellybean.

c) Make time to read books that don't involve elmo or figuring out the alphabet

2. Make more awesome plush

a) finish purging old stuff from the office to set up shop in there instead of leaving a trail of glitter in the living room

b) don't get bummed if someone beats you to an idea.

c) keep a notebook in each common area of the house in case you get an idea. Don't say, oh I'll go upstairs/to the comp/wherever in a minute to write it down, cause you'll forget.

3. This kinda goes with health & well being but eat healthier, which I know is such a resolution cliche, but with the jellybean eating real food now, we have to set a good example.

a) The Gorgeously Green Diet

b) Super Baby Food

c) or just wing it and make wiser shopping choices

4. Make more time for fun, even if fun involves #2 on the list

a) blog more. i used to write my myspace one everyday. then again, i was both childless & jobless, thus had all the time in the world, but i digress. i find myself pretty amusing, and it helps clear the jumbles in my mind if i get it out on paper...um, wireless things.

5. Try to rely more on water, tea, and exercise, and less on uber sugary coffee mixtures when tired

6. Don't absorb others' negativity, insecurity, and deflection. Be a rock, not a sponge. (i know, I'm deep)

7. If older spring/summer clothes don't fit by the time the season rolls around again (or earlier), let it go. Per Stacey & Clinton, dress the body you have now --and save space

8. Invest in a pair of those dustmop slippers . Seriously, the house is all hardwood, it just makes sense. Plus, it will keep the steps from looking like a scene from an abandoned house in scooby doo.