the Sock Boutique

I was approached by the Sock Boutique to do drop-shipping this holiday season! (drop-shipping involves a retailer advertising your product, but I keep them and handle the shipment, etc.)

so... since they are in the business of socks and I am in the business of cutting socks up, it seemed a natural pairing! I got a package full of socks in the mail and started working my way thru them. here are two critters that I did on Sunday:

turquoise socktopus

lovey sock monkey

*available exclusively thru the Sock Boutique

Turtles, Ssockvark & Elephants oh my!

TurtleMack laptop cozy

Lacey the Elephant, she is made from an awesome pair of socks that I found in Las Vegas of all places. I just love her eyes, I bought them from a fellow etsian enamieyes. they are hand-painted with colorful polka dots. reminded me of confetti cupcakes. yum!

I had a million requests to make an Aardvark from socks. well, maybe not 1 million requests, but you know what I mean... this is a close-up of the face, you can see more photos here. she sold in one day and I kind of miss her...

Zero loves his Sock Monkey

he brings me pure joy. and this picture is a guaranteed smile. :)

new stuff

here's a peak at some new thingies I've pushed thru the shop. I feel like I'm in a tornado! everything is happening so fast and I haven't even started on my Halloween stuff! (this means I am WAY behind schedule, and will be making Christmas ornaments in Nov when I should be selling them...) anyway, I've been front-loaded w/ custom orders. and when I finally can take some time off from work and get onto other things in the shop... I'll start on the holiday items and kick this puppy into gear!

Pink Skulls and Lace laptop cozy

mmmm... cupcakes! laptop cozy

Rainbows Cupcake and Crossbones messenger bag

I started working with felt and used it on both cupcake bags. I realized that felt is not to be underestimated! there's so so so so so so so much you can do with it! the possibilities are endless... oh my.

what's new?

I took the day off from my "real" job today. I had great intentions to get other things done, but instead I relished in the fact that I had time off and took it pretty easy. the day isn't over yet, and I suppose there is still hope that I may tackle parts of my list before I turn into a pumpkin a midnite.

until then- feast your eyes on 2 things that I DID accomplish today:

Baby Blue Sock Hippo

hair clips for my Halloween costume "Gargoyle Fairy"

Lindsey's wedding

I was asked by my good friend, Lindsey, to shoot her wedding for her. I was so excited and honored that she asked me to take on this task! I feel like you owe it to the bride to do everything perfectly well for them on that day. good thing she is an absolute joy to work with and doesn't take things to seriously (as I tend to do).

our scene took place in Yachats, Oregon- it was a spectacular day. and a great one for a wedding!

this is my favorite shot from the day. which, of course, took no set up at all and I didn't even have my camera settings ready. but I looked up and saw her standing there and I knew. I just felt it in the pit of my belly that this was my shot.

she is breathtaking.

*I own all rights to this photograph.

where have you been?!

busy. that's where.

Summer has really caught up to me. is it still Summer, right? I know it's September, and it feels like Fall. things like turning on my pellet stove the last 2 days make me feel that change is a'comin and I'm ready for it!

here are some pics of what I've been up to lately:

Pink Skulls laptop cozy

Paul Sockley~ the Starchild, KISS

Pink Butterflies slouch bag

I'm planning to take some time off from my day job in October in order to get caught up and get a head-start on the holiday season.

Shoot Camp

I went to a shoot camp today, hosted by Stacy Jacobsen. she taught us about lighting and how to photograph in a clients home. she also spent some time explaining the process of post-production with us and mastering the devil that is Photoshop...

these are a couple of my favorite shots from the day.

Jericho



Matilda

Custom Sock Hippo

I just love getting fan photos. they make me smile. this one is from Ariela. she had a Custom Sock Hippo made for her mom, but I guess her pup took a liking to it...

Hummingbird handbag

my friend asked me to make a handbag for her mom. she loves Hummingbirds.

originally, I was supposed to get Hummingbird print fabric for the lining, with brown as the neutral on the outside. well, to no avail, did I locate fabric with Hummingbirds on it. (I know, I know, unbelievable, right?!) BUT I did find this awesome colorful fabric with umbrellas on it that I thought would do the trick!

this is the finished product

close up of the Hummingbird applique- hand drawn by yours truly.

this, by far, might be my favorite item I have made!!!

Crimson & Clover... running?

these are my goats. they are awesome. (you don't need volume, I don't know what the annoying clicking sound is.) that's my Boxer, EmJay running after them at the end. don't worry- that's how they play...

Owl Messenger bag

a friend requested a diaper bag for her new baby. only she didn't want it to be a diaper bag, she wanted it to be a "bag I can carry around at all times and not look like a diaper bag, but with lots of pockets."
her requests: purple, orange & green fabric, owls & mushrooms, lots of pockets.

this is the outcome. there are 7 pockets total.

detail of the fabric

their daughter's middle name is Clementine, I made this citrus applique as an homage to her.

Butterfly Buttons slouch bag

one of my best friends from childhood found me on Facebook. I haven't talked to her in 6 years... we fell right into our same old banter and she realized I made bags!!! she collects buttons and asked if I could make a bag for her using all of her favorite buttons. I said "sure!" but had no idea what I was getting into.this is my favorite butterfly.

she gave me artistic liberty to design the buttons as I wanted- I decided to make them resemble butterflies. I am in love with the outcome!!!

Kraken Attacken

so I had this great idea swimming around in my head for 2 days... why not make an iPod cozy w/ a squid applique, only have it's fin wrap around the top and act as the "closure" for it...

viola! I made it come into fruition this evening! I found the fabric I wanted last nite. which couldn't have been more perfect for this project. there was this blue swirl fabric which reminded me of Starry Night by Van Gogh... then I found a bright orange fabric that has bubbles and a slight pattern that resemebles coral on it... it was too good to be true! I love using Complimentary colors on the color wheel and couldn't wait to make this happen!

I sewed buttons on to give this little guy eyes and offered reinforcements around all the edges and corners, velcro, and to the applique.

you can see more pictures here.

Crimson & Clover

my husband and I brought our new Pygmy Goat girls home today! they are a Mama & baby duo and are cute as all get-out!

Crimson is 5, she's the black one, Clover is 2, she's the grey one (agouti).

Crimson & Clover is one of my all-time favorite songs, it seemed fitting for their names. you can buy/download/hear the song here.

I can NOT contain my excitement!!! (I will post better pics, but unfortunately, Pacific NW weather will always guarantee rain...)

Butterfly Slouch Bag

yay! I can use patterns!!!! who knew?

I had a custom order request for a "slouchy, hippie-type bag with greens, browns, oranges and yellows, butterflies and peace signs ok." this is what she got (and loved it, I might add):

Blue Quaker Parrot sock critter

I finished half of a custom order I received from Suzie tonite!

she requested a Blue Quaker Parrot... which, again, I had to google to figure out what it was, or at least looked like. (I am familiar with what parrots are!!!)

Blue Quaker Parrots have 3 distinct colors to them (blue, grey & green), Suzie decided that the blue was the most important color to her so we went on to capture that! she also suggested using a plush sock, in hopes that it would "create feathers" and I have to admit, she was definitely RIGHT! it was one of the best client-suggestions I have recieved during a collaboration.

I wanted to achieve what she was going for, I made the tail really long, found the most-perfect-button-beak, and acquired the most amazing eyes for him!!!

you can view all of the pictures here.

Dugong Custom Sock Critter!

I had a request recently for a Dugong Sock Critter. mind you, I find myself to be decently educated on most oceanic creatures and have never heard of such things, I definitely had to google it to see the magnificence that was, in fact, a Dugong...

my first impression was that it looks just like a Manatee... only with a fork-like tail. sort of like a Dolphin and a Manatee made a baby?

their requests: very colorful, safety eyes; and free range for my artists interpretation (I sometimes hate this freedom.)

voila! I made a Sock Dugong! and they loved it!!! YAY!

family

ok, so I can just say that I love my family?! and I'm not even going to go there with the typical "my family is the best ever" or that "I am blessed."

what I am saying here is that I absolutely adore my family. they melt me, and my soft-chewy insides.

we're having a mini-family reunion on Friday and I can not wait! this was all so last minute, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to sleep tonite. I get to see my mom, who just brings me to my knees every time I am with her. my step dad will be there, and his 2 boys- I can't even remember the last time the 3 of us were together last! must have been 14 years ago... I haven't seen them in 4-6 years, so this is just an awesome time!!!

I also get to see my fave Aunt & Uncle (who also happens to be my mom's fave brother)... and meet my new neice. and see my BFF, Aubrey, whom I also haven't seen in 4 yrs (MOH in wedding)... she has a 2 1/2 yr old now... I'll also get to have awesome Sushi House dinner w/ Mark. all good things come from this.

I CAN NOT WAIT! whee!

Peter Pan

I found a Peter Pan book last weekend in a used book store in Seattle, I had it when I was 6 years old. I remember reading it all of the time and had to own it again!

favorite quotes:
"Pan... you're pink."

"Do you tell stories?"
"Yes."
"Then you're perfect."

"I wasn't crying for mothers. I was crying because I can't get this shadow to stick. And I wasn't crying."

"Second star to the right, and straight on till morning!"

"That's very simple, all you've got to do is fly."

"This is not a Nurse. This... is a dog."

*note. these quotes are not from this book. these are just my favorite quotes from Peter Pan's various avenues. owning this book again has just sparked fond memories.

Featured Sponsor Ad

I was involved in a little bit of Friendly Competition last week that pit one of my Sock Monkeys another ladies' Sock Monkey. I WON!! my prize? free advertising on www.cafehandmade.com!!! this is a link to my "ad".

yay!

one of my customers sent me the cutest picture EVER! she bought two Sock Monkeys from me for her kids' Easter Baskets, this is Matthew with both of them. super cute!

I also got my new banner and avatar designs done by Yellow Magpie, she's awesome, I love her!!!

Hearts and Anchors Socktopus

this is a custom order for one of my friends, Kristen. she is obsessed with sea creatures and all things pirate. it was a perfect fit!

happy Easter!

I still love to dye eggs. I just can't help myself.

tentacley goodness!

okay. I am seriously in love w/ my new bundt pan!!! (I made Pineapple Upside-Down cake, which is why it looks like his brains are coming out.)

it was very delicious.

I bought this treasure from Pirates Plunder, located on the Seattle waterfront. it's, by far, one of my favorite shops! :)

orders

as promised, this is my list of orders:

Vic- Snail Laptop Cozy

Amber- Pirate iPod Cozy & Hippie Slouch bag

Erin- diaper bag

Kristen- Socktopus

Suzie- Parrot

Angel- Robot Tote

Rockin & Ridin for Autism- 3 Sock Monkeys

(one is a gift for someone that shall remain under wraps)

*update (4.13): Kristen's Socktopus is complete, and 1 Sock Monkey down for RaRFA!

meanwhile, I just wanted to share some pics I shot yesterday while in the garden playing w/ my new Lensbaby:

what's in a blog?

hi everyone! it's late (for some reason 9:17 feels late to me) and I am tired and trying to figure all of this out. not good for my lack of patience with the headache brewing. which also means that my growling tummy is indicating I forgot to eat dinner. again. this means many things: 1. my 45 minute nap really turned into a 3 hour nap, 2. I woke up about 7:45, so clearly I slept thru "dinner", 3. I am too lazy rightaboutnow to get up and eat something. besides, the dogs are keeping me company and I'm cozy. we can deal with my belly later...

so- why a blog? I am the sole proprietor of my little sock empire! I make little sock critters, well not little, some are down-right HUGE, but you get me? I started off making sock monkeys because my friend, Angel, handmade one for me 2 Christmas' ago. after some research, books, and lots trial and error- I began to sell them. this venture was purely out of necessity since they started taking over my house and the EmJay* was drooling over them waiting for one to fall off of the mantle... (alas, I won!) and after much urging (mostly from Angel again, a diehard etsian) I opened my shop in October and started selling! this was probably one of the most nerve-wracking things I have ever put myself thru since you never know how the world will perceive you, or how they will take your interpretations of "art", or if they will redicule... lots of stress. however... I had tons of encouragement and was even invited to participate in a couple of local art shows at Lowell Art Works in Everett, Washington. I participated in two themed shows: The Bone Show and Things That Go Bump in the Night. as you can tell, they both were monster-themed. the first show was a hit! I sold 3 of the 5 critters I put in the show... the second show was not so fair- as I had my first lessons in compromising my artistic integrity- and upped the anty on my pricing. and though I recieved great praise for how "cute" my designs were, none of the sold at the show (until I got home and had an email from someone that they wanted Zombie Socktopus- and I was NOT to sell him to anyone else!). so... the monsters hit my shop, at a lower price and all but 2 have new homes. I still don't understand how the Headless Horsesock has not adorned someone's bookshelf?

from participating in these 2 shows I realized that I love THEMES! oh man, you can really go off when you have a good basis to work from! an upcoming theme I have in mind: the Fable series, to include: Pegasus, Hydra, Centaur, Dragon, Unicorn...

my shop is fairly sparse right now. I am working on a long list of Custom Orders (to be posted at a later date) right now and have not had the opportunity to make something new that I can list. (but trust me, I have thoughts and ideas a'brewin!)

at any rate, I'm going to wrap this up. because I realize I am clearly rambling, and my blog is nothing intersting to look at right now, since I have no pics or anything awesome to peep. (I am working on this...)

goodnite everyone!
~pam

*EmJay is my Boxer