Thursday, December 31, 2009

I Love You Despite the Warning Signs


As a lot of you already know, Mincing Mockingbird and I got married last weekend in a surprisingly tasteful wedding at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. Well, what does that have to do with this new Valentine's Day card, you ask? This card is the first of hopefully many marriages of our creativity. After much whining about how I needed to add a new V-day card to my shop, Mincy graciously allowed me to use his writing to accompany my artwork for this card. He's ghost-written quite a few cards for me -- I often come up with a crazy image, but then have no copy for it. This is the first one, though, where we took existing wording from one of his magnets and I came up with an illustration for it. Keep your eye out for more MM/FM hybrids in 2010.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

She Was Afraid of Clowns

Even though I'm on a "break" from etsy, since it's been a bit slow at work, I decided to start the new year out with a new magnet.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

The Frantic Meerkat is Bizarre this Weekend!

This weekend the Mincing Mockingbird and Frantic Meerkat will be in San Francisco for the San Francisco Center for the Book's Holiday Fair on Friday night, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. For more info click here.

We're also having a booth at Bazaar Bizarre Saturday and Sunday, from 12-6 p.m. For more info click here. Stop by and check out Mincy's panel prints and my new pocket mirrors and comic book!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

The Mincing Mockingbird & Frantic Meerkat Visit the Windy City

So--after staying up til 1 a.m. every night this week, making 50 lbs. of magnets and printing hundreds of cards & prints, we're finally ready to hop a flight tomorrow afternoon from Bob Hope Airport in beautiful Burbank, CA (current temp 67°) bound for Chicago Midway Airport (current temp 34° with a wind chill of 24°). Tonight we're going to have a leisurely dinner and then relax by the Christmas tree reading classic literature and listening to Christmas carols, while our bags sit perfectly packed by the front door for our departure tomorrow.

Oh, who am I kidding. There are half-packed suitcases in every room of the house, unfolded cards on the love seat as well as scattered about the studio, and a stack of prints that need to be inventoried to see how many more need to be printed. We have a rain barrel that needs to be hooked up to the gutters before it starts raining all next week. Plus, I think there are containers in the fridge that may be moving.

And it's not due to poor planning, though I admit that both Mincy and I tend to be great procrastinators, but we're also great optimists and tend to think we can get so much more done in an allotted time slot than is actually humanly possible. We also had a bunch of retail stores contact us at the beginning of the week wanting cards & magnets for the holiday shopping season. I'm not blaming them...I'm just sayin'.

So despite our best intentions to not run ourselves ragged before Chicago Renegade Craft Fair, we apparently know no other way to operate. But please stop by booth #125 upstairs at the Pulaski Fieldhouse, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5 & 6. We've added new magnets, cards and prints to our already huge inventory (hence all the work). Plus I'll have my new pocket mirrors and holiday cards! And if that isn't enough incentive to stop by, we'll be wearing Santa hats, and it's not every day you get to see a meerkat and a mockingbird in Santa hats.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Frantic Meerkat in the UK!

Just got a list of shops in the UK who carry my cards. Thought I'd pass it along to all my friends across the pond.

Athena in Yeovil
Custard in Brighton
Athena in Bristol
Athena in Exeter
Athena in Plymouth
Quernstone in Stromness in the Orkney Islands ( Scotland )
Tidings in Monmouth
North Star Delicatessen in Chorlton nr Manchester
CATS in Leeds Uni
Pen To Paper in Summertown, Oxford
Token House in Nottingham
Give The Dog A Bone in York
Flux in Leith , near Edinburgh
Chain Reaction in London (NW1)
Zig Zag in Knaresborough


Monday, November 23, 2009

George Jr. has a Great Adventure!



My son is working on his senior thesis in film production and borrowed one of my paintings, George Jr., for set design. It makes me want to break out the oils again....sigh...if only I had more hours in the day.
A new magnet conceived by Mincing Mockingbird and executed by me.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Why the Top Hat?

It's after 6 -- what am I? A farmer?

A brand new magnet which will be available in my etsy shop next week (if the magnet maker arrives back from repairs as scheduled on Monday).

Monday, November 9, 2009

Patchwork in Santa Ana this Weekend!

This weekend Mincing Mockingbird and I will be at Patchwork Indie Arts & Crafts Festival Sunday, Nov. 15 from 11-5. Stop in and see us - I'll have lots of new cards and hopefully some new magnets (if the magnet maker arrives from the repair shop this week). I'll probably end up making magnets at midnight the night before, but that's the fun thing about craft shows - you can be creating up until you pack the car. Plus I'll have my new comic book available for your Christmas shopping - I'm sure everyone has someone on their list who needs a comic book of animals with relationship problems. So stop out and say hi!

Friday, November 6, 2009

Introducing: Book of Comics







I've put together a 24-page book of my animal comics just in time for gift-giving season. Not sure if there's a huge demand for it, but personally I think it would be a great addition to your coffee table, book shelf or bathroom.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Monday, October 19, 2009

Santa's Meerkat Helper

Here's my newest Christmas card. I had some people (okay, A LOT of people) stop by my booth at craft shows or email me and ask if I had anything with a meerkat on it. I tried to pass off a lemur as one, but they were wise to me. So to make everyone happy, I made a Christmas meerkat card. Of course, once the holiday's over, I'll be meerkat-less again, but until then...enjoy.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Handmade Bridage of Orange County Indie Holiday Craft Show

Mincing Mockingbird and I have a busy schedule of craft shows this holiday season. The upcoming one is the Handmade Brigade of Orange County Holiday Indie Craft Show on Sunday, Nov. 1 from 11 - 5. We're pretty excited because it'll be the first time we get to break out the pink feathered Christmas tree to hold ornaments. Now I just need to get busy as I only have six ornaments done and it's going to look a little bare. Stop by and say hi!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Isn't Every Creative Type the Black Sheep of their Family?

Just finished this card to add to my comic collection. Hopefully this holiday season I'll get a small booklet of them together.

In other news - we just put our deposit in for our National Stationery Show booth. Yes - after swearing we'd never do it again because it almost killed us, like a mother after the birth of her first child, we forget all the work and just remember the afterglow of sales. At least this year we've already worked out a lot of the kinks and just have to improve upon our booth and product. And, since that was our first trip to NY, we're a little more savvy about the location and logistics of the Javits Center. Stay tuned, and I'll try to keep this blog a little more up-to-date on the trials and tribulations of a small art and design studio.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Meerkat & Mockingbird at the Rose Bowl!

It's so sad how I've neglected my blog. So I thought I'd at least better post that Mincing Mockingbird and I are going to have a booth at the Rose Bowl Arts & Craft Show which takes place in conjunction with the Rose Bowl Flea Market this Sunday, Oct. 11 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. in Pasadena. There will be some new cards and larger prints (11 x 14). Come on out and look for something old or new that you never knew you needed, but now can't live without. For more info click here.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

My Trip to Rural Illinois






The last one is me with a young squirrel that my sister has nursed since it was very tiny (its eyes weren't even open). I wish I had that much energy. This photo we finally got because it only sat still when eating.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Get Steamrolled in San Francisco!

Back from Chicago, now Mincing Mockingbird and I are off to San Francisco this next weekend for Roadworks. It's on Rhode Island between 16th & 17th Street this Saturday, Sept. 19 from 12 - 5 p.m. There will be art, music, food and a steamroller making prints. If you're in the area, stop by and say hi!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Chicago Here We Come!

We're almost packed and magnets have been shipped. We leave tomorrow for the windy city and some family visiting time. Our setup time for the booth is 8:30-9:00 a.m. Saturday, and the current weather report is 77 and sunny for both days. Sounds like a wonderful, crafty weekend. If you're in the Chicagoland area, stop by Division and Damen, booth #112 and see the Mincing Mockingbird and me. It's free and the coolest people in town will be there, and didn't you always want to be one of the cool kids?

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Frantic/Mincy Interview on OC Weekly Blog

Here's one of the photos that accompanies the Mincing Mockingbird/Frantic Meerkat interview by Steph Calvert. There's also a giveaway of four of my cards and an 11 x 14 Mincing Mockingbird print. To read more click here.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Plane Tickets Obtained!

Okay, I got the planet tickets for the Chicago Renegade Craft Fair yesterday. The drama was that I thought I had purchased them through Expedia right before I went to lunch. When I got back I didn't have a confirmation email, so I checked Expedia which only had an unpurchased itinerary for me. Unbeknownst to me, the purchase didn't go through, even though I'd put in all the info. When I selected the purchase button, it had gone to a blank page, but as my browser's been wacky lately I thought nothing of it. Except that in the hour I was gone, the price had gone up by $200 and I hadn't completed the purchase!

After another hour frantic hour of searching different websites and checking Expedia and my credit card to make sure I didn't end up with two sets of tickets, I got two more tickets through Hotwire for only $20 more than my first tickets. Of course, I have to leave 4 hours earlier (which makes a difference since I don't have vacation time left), and then we have a layover in Houston.

Remind me why this is better than the old days when everyone used a travel agent?

Monday, August 10, 2009

Chicago in the Fall!

Yes, we haven't had enough of Renegade yet! Since we had so much fun in Los Angeles and San Francisco, we decided to take it to our home state and head back to Chicago for the Chicago Renegade Craft Fair, Saturday & Sunday, September 12 & 13, from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. This time it's an outdoor event on Division Street between Damen Ave. and Paulina St.

It should be interesting because it combines two things: an outdoor event (which we haven't done in over a year) and an out-of-state event (which we've never done unless you count the National Stationery Show, but we only had to have samples there). I'm looking into a tabletop card rack since I only have an awesome--but bulky--floor model. Plus we're trying to decide what exactly to take and how much so we don't run out, but don't end up schlepping tons of stuff home. Luckily since we have friends and family there, we're thinking about shipping a few things (mainly magnets since we don't want to be stopped at security like last time for carrying a dense magnetic item in our carry-on. At least the guy laughed after he saw them).

Friday, August 7, 2009

Fez and Wine - a Perfect Friday


This is a piece I designed for coasters, which never panned out, so I put them on note cards. But at Renegade LA & SF I had a lot of requests for it on a regular card, so I'm going to offer him on a card and probably a magnet. The magnet maker is out for repairs, but should be back next week, so I'll have them for sale then.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Let's Get Drunk and Eat Waffles


This is an animation I did a while ago, but it was silent until today. Jordan Eusebio added the sound design which makes it soooooo much better.

Friday, July 17, 2009

San Francisco Renegade - See You There!

Mincing Mockingbird and I will be in booth #82. Stop by and see all the new cards, magnets and prints we have! Plus the scary new birdhouse Mincy's debuting.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Renegade Craft Fair in Los Angeles

My half of the booth.


Mincy's half of the booth.


Close-up of my framed prints, magnets, and unframed prints (in fancy wicker baskets courtesy of Mincing Mockingbird).


Me in the booth.

The Renegade Show went well for us, with a steady flow of people, but not a crush. We took an initial inventory, but I haven't taken a final one so I'm not sure what was popular, but we seemed to sell a lot of magnets. It was our favorite layout (of our booth) ever and seemed to work very well. Hopefully we'll be able to recreate it in San Francisco this weekend at Renegade SF.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Get Your Free Magnet!


Stop by our booth 165 at Renegade Craft Fair this weekend, Saturday & Sunday from 11-7 and get a free magnet! Just mention you saw it on my blog. It's free to get into the Craft Fair and there will be over 250 booths with handmade art and crafts. I have new pill boxes and am introducing new, never-before-seen coasters that combine my gocco-printing skills with Mincing Mockingbird's art.

So get out of the heat, and into the air-conditioned fun atmosphere of an amazing craft show this weekend.