Bleaching Skulls -or- We Make Party Favors!

My son has the audacity to turn 10 years old tomorrow.  TEN!  That is an entire decade since I gave birth to him, people, and I do not like the implications.  On the one hand, I've kept him alive all this time.  He's thrived, even.  On the other hand I am not all young and bouncy like I once was.  Instead, I am the mother of a tween.  He is almost as tall as I am, keeps his door closed a lot, is prone to moods, and has started to wear deodorant.  It is shocking.

That's my kid, the punk.

What this also means is that party planning has taken on some new twists.  Gone are the days of dinosaur excavations in the sandbox and Bob the Builder collective shouts of "YES, WE CAN!"  No, these days we play laser tag with a group of our best buds.  When asked what sort of party favor he'd like, I was told skull bandanas.

 Macabre?  Sure.  But my compulsively crafty brain immediately started spinning, and I concocted a plan to make our own bandanas with skulls bleached into them.

And guess what?  It WORKED!  Added bonuses: it was a fun activity to do with the kids, no one bleached themselves or their own clothing, and the patio got a little cleaner.   Check it out:

My patio is in rough shape.  Don't judge.

Brody did a lot of this himself.  Here he is rinsing like a washer woman.

We used blue and brown bandanas, with different results.
The brown changed really quickly, while the blue took longer and had a more ghostly effect.

Arr!  

Here's a quick how to if your nutty enough to do this yourself:
1.) Cut a stencil.  I had some sort of Martha Stewart brand stencil film that I did not love.  It kept curling up on me.  But I had it so I used it.  You could use a different kind of heavy duty plastic sheeting, a non-curling kind, or some thin, heavy duty cardboard or mat board.
2.) I framed the stencil out inside of a large piece of cardboard for stability, then I "floated" the eyes and nose using string that was anchored along the sides and strung across the skull in sort of a web-type method.
3.)  I mixed a solution of 1/2 bleach, 1/2 water in a spray bottle.
4.) We laid the stencil over the bandana, sprayed the bleach solution onto them, removed the stencil, then watched as the color changed.
5.) When we liked where the color transformation was, we quickly transferred the bandana into a tub of water we had on standby to stop the bleaching process.
6.) I rinsed them all out again and plan on giving them a go in the washing machine before tucking them into the gift bags for the party tomorrow.

And there you have it.  Bonding with the boy and getting my craft on.  Happy Friday!

A word about pricing...

Creature holding creature.

As many of you may have noticed, abbydid has been scaling back since last summer.  I had been hitting the craft show scene pretty hard, and the balance with family life was getting a bit out of whack.  It was becoming too much, I wasn't enjoying my work, and changes needed to be made.

The result was to drastically cut back on craft shows.  Today you can find abbydid plush in one of two places; my etsy shop and Fabricate, a brick and mortar shop in Northside of Cincinnati.

The next step is to raise my prices to better compensate me for my work.  This is the part of the job I hate the most.  It's difficult for me to price my work, I'm constantly under-valuing what I do.  I took a long, hard look at my price list recently and determined I needed to be more realistic about what I charge.

I've often joked I get paid in compliments.  Some of my shows I've participated because I consider it community outreach, a way to support neighborhoods I love and want to support, despite the knowledge the sales may not be very high.  After four years, however, abbydid needs to be more profitable to be sustainable.

This has had me pondering, probably for the 1,000th time, about the prices we pay for things, and how what we pay is too often unrealistic in relation to what an item actually costs to be made.  There's nothing quite like making something yourself to quickly bring home how spoiled we've become having inexpensive goods at our beck and call, not to mention the short cuts that are made to achieve these rock bottom prices.  Ethical work practices,  quality materials, workmanship, these arewhat are often sacrificed so we can save a few bucks.

In my personal life I strive to be a conscientious shopper.  I try to be a localvore.  I consider how the animals were raised when shopping for meat.  I consider the origin and growing season of the produce I'm buying.  I support handmade whenever and wherever I can.  If I'm going to talk the talk I had damn well better walk the walk.  But the reality of the situation of living outside of the city and raising kids makes this hard work.  Work worth doing, absolutely, but I'm not beyond taking a lazy shortcut here and there to keep things running smoothly.  I'm in Target at least once a week.  I know that's not ideal.  The majority of the clothes we are all wearing are mass produced over seas.  My biggest confession here - sometimes I just don't care.  Sometimes I get tired of trying to do the right thing and say to hell with it.  But this doesn't last long, I know better, and these aren't issues I can readily ignore.

Those are my personal choices.  This is how I believe my life should be led, and these are the ethics I want to pass on to my children.  The flip side of that is to be sure I'm compensated fairly, as well.  My kids need to see I value myself and my work.  I need to see that, too, honestly.

Now, I know all too well there are indie crafters out there over-charging.  Not every handmade item is an artisan, one-of-a-kind creation worth it's weight in gold.  But by and large this is not the norm, the vast majority of crafters and artists are struggling to strike a balance between making a profit and maintain a price that is attainable to their target audience.  It's tricky.  We, as a community, need to keep this in mind. Before we loudly complain at someone's booth when shopping at a craft show that this is so outrageously expensive, I challenge us all to stop and truly think about what it takes to dream up the idea, create the piece, make adjustments and perfect the design, photograph the piece, market it, list it online, haul in displays and tear them down again at a show, pay booth fees, take a 40% cut when selling through a store, shop for materials, and the zillion other things it takes to run a craft business.

Most of us are in it because of our passion for what we do.  We are crazy to do it, quite often, so it's the love of it that keeps us going.  To see a little profit at the end of the day certainly helps keep that fire stoked.

All this is to say, kittens, my prices have gone up a bit.  Thanks for your support and love.  Carry on.

Whipper Slappers, monster slap bracelets 

 

Joy-ridden, a little art show by yours truly

I've been making plush for 4 years now.  Hard to believe, isn't it?  In some regards it feels like I've done it forever, in others it feels like I just started yesterday.  It is not unlike parenting in that regard.  Oh, how time flies/crawls simultaneously!

A close-up of "Emerging," a needle-worked photograph by Abby Langdon

And as much as I love what I do, I was feeling a little burned out.  A little stagnant.  It was time to shake things up a bit and try something new.  Enter my first ever SOLO ART SHOW!

A shot of the 14 pieces in the show just before the opening.

Yes, indeed-y, my friends, I took that extra, wobbly step across the threshold, crossing officially over from Craftworld to Artworld.  And, as it turns out, it isn't such a leap after all.  I mean, I consider plush-making to be art, absolutely.  I've had plush pieces show up in galleries here and there, and it's been a thrill each and every time.  But this was different.  This was a personal challenge, an introspective journey.  Some people have New Year's Resolution?  I had an art show.  From the moment 2012 heralded in I began working on these pieces to explore my creativity, my consciousness of my path through life, and my view of the world around me.

It's been a wonderful experience.  I've learned so much about myself.  I've learned to let creativity come as it will, not to rush it or push it or enforce constraints that need not be there.  I've learned to go with the flow, and to recognize inspiration when it quietly sits down beside me.  It has been an absolute joy to create this show.

The work consists of needle-worked photography on canvas and miniature needle-worked assemblages in jars.

And so I named the show Joy-ridden, because that's exactly what I want to be - riddled with joy.  I think far too many of us know what it is to be constantly guilt-ridden and angst-ridden.  I have left that by the wayside.  I want to be joy-ridden, don't you?  So let's!  Let's be thrilled to be alive and spread that joy around.

Funky angled shot with Tree/House in the foreground.

That's what my show is about.  Looking at the things around me and seeing all of the beauty: the old, abandoned building with the out-dated stereotype painted on the side, the sleeping trees in the dead of winter, the giant robot that makes me smile every time we drive past.  None of it is mundane.

Opportune Moment and Prize Inside, two needle-worked assemblages.

The little jars are terrariums filled with the ingredients to a happy existence.  These are the things I hope to carry with me and pull out whenever I need them.  My safe place, my opportune moment, my ebb and flow, they are all part of what keep me moving in the right direction.  I hope you have those things, too.

The show opened this past Saturday, and it was wonderful.  Dear friends and family were there, as were lots of new faces.  There was so much positive feedback.  I was riding high on a cloud all night.

That's me to the left, laughing like a goon, surrounded with love.

I want to say a huge thank you to Chris and Aileen at Fabricate for this opportunity.  They've been the primary brick and mortar source of abbydid plush for the past few years, and they were gracious in their willingness to take a chance on me and my first solo show.  I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to Christina Ward Creatures who generously used her vacation time to help me hang the show (and when I say help I mean she did most of the work while I got the hell out of the way).  And lastly, I am so extraordinarily grateful to my husband Jason.  No one on this planet has a more supportive spouse, it simply isn't possible.  From hanging the show to framing to helping me determine when a piece was done to knocking out design work at my every whim, he is patient and kind and talented.

I'm sickening myself with how sappy all of this is.  I'll be back to my randy, sassy self momentarily, I promise.  Meanwhile, go see the show while it's up at Fabricate through May 6th.  You'll be glad you did, promise.  Details are available here: Joy-ridden by Abby Langdon

Hooray for presents! A guest blogger reveals her covert robin gift to me.

*Abby, here.  Today I have a GUEST BLOGGER!  Isn't that wild?  Yes, indeedy, it is.  Why you ask?  Well, because a few months ago I signed up to be part of the Covert Robin, a gift exchange between crafters on the blogosphere.  My dear, darling friend Rachael of Imagine Gnats organized it.  She's pretty rad.  And also, free stuff?  Hello!  But I digress - today Nichole shall tell you about the lovely gift she made me, which I adore and have hanging in my kitchen even as I type.  Enjoy:

Hey there abbydid readers.  My name is Nichole and I blog over at Yeung Mother Hubbard.    Back in March the lovely Rachael at imagine gnats had the awesome idea to do a handmade gift exchange.  This wasn't just any gift exchange, it was a mystery round robin gift exchange.  It was such an awesome idea that I had to participate.  

Once I received my partner and the stalking began.  I started at Abby's website, where I found her awesome plush critters!  Next I checked out her Facebook Page where I found her fabric design.   

But how could I incorporate her design into my gift? I thought about it for a long time.  And then it came to me!  A menu board!  I had recently reinvented my menu board at home and these little guys would be a perfect backdrop.  

I use my menu board all of the time, it is such a time and money saver for me!  I plan my meals on Sundays and then stock the frig with those ingredients.  When I get home from work, I just start cooking!  No more "what's for dinner" in my house!  Perfect for a busy mom, right?!

I hope that you enjoy your menu board Abby!  

This was a great experience and great idea!  Thank you to Rachael for dreaming up this great idea and thank you for having me on my blog today Abby!  

 

quarterly update

I was reminded today I have a blog.  I was all like, I do?  And then I looked, and sure enough, there it is!  A blog!  So I've dusted it off and decided to add a little something to it.

It's not that I don't have things to say.  I do.  All sorts of things.  I mostly say them in my head, however, and occasionally to actual people.  But that leaves you out, dear imaginary audience!  So let's rectify that.

First off, I have a website now.  It's really very beautiful.  You can look at it right over here: www.abbydid.com

Isn't it amazing and wonderful?  I'm so pleased.  It really helps that I sleep with the guy who made it for me.  Reeeelaaaaaax.  I'm married to him.  And before you go asking to have him make you one, too, let me just say it took me FOUR YEARS of said sleeping with to go from asking for a website to actually having a website up and kicking.  Not sure how fair a trade off that is.

Next up, GUESS WHAT?  I have my first solo show coming up this spring!  This is quite a departure for me, as it is not plush-related at all.  Well, just barely.  You'll see.  I love my creatures, and I love finding them good homes with happy folks like you, but it was time to venture off into a more introspective, explorative direction.  Mark your calendars for the opening on April 14th at Fabricate.

So, while I have been stitching away, the results have been of a very different nature.  I have butterflies in my stomach venturing out into unchartered territory like this, but it makes me happy and I really like what I'm doing, so it is my fervent hope that it will inspire similar feelings in all of you.

For an idea of what's in development, here's a piece I created for Fabricate's anniversary show last November.  It's entitled "Home Base" and it depicts one of the places I love most in my hometown of Cincinnati, the Union Terminal.

Here's a closeup.  What I do is take a photo, tweak it on the computer to amp up the colors or distort them to my liking, then print it onto fabric.  After that I back it in batting and start stitching away.  It's sort of like doodling, but muuuuch slooooower.

The plushmaking continues, as well, but not at the break-neck pace it once did.  I'm learning to balance things a bit better, not just run in all welly nelly.  Hooray for personal growth!  What this means is craft shows are out of the picture for now, but probably not forever.  Fabricate and my etsy shop are the best places to find my work, and you know if you ask nicely I'll make you something special.

One new creation in the shop is the Whipper Slapper.  I LOVE this guy, he's ridiculously fun.  He's a monster slap bracelet, and I highly recommend you snatch one up today.  Personal monster protection is all the rage for 2012, my friends!!

So that's it for now.  I love you all, my kittens, and hope your new year is off to a good start!

All Things Corduroy -or- A Little Plush From a Few of My Friends

As I mentioned in my last post, I've had the privilege to curate a corduroy plush show for the Corduroy Appreciation Club's big meeting on 11|11|11.  I am here to share with you this incredible work.  I'd like to say, it has been such a pleasure working with these 11 extraordinarily talented artists, and I'm grateful to have such wonderful friends who do such incredible work.  Work that will be available for sale November 12th at noon at the Plush Team's website.  Buy some.  

Pinwale Pin Whale by Squirrel Momma

Meet the Pinwale Pin Whale.  The Corduroy Appreciation Club’s main public symbol is the whale. The whale is a homonym of wale. Wale, or wales, is the raised portion of Corduroy fabric—its most distinctive trait and what makes Corduroy, Corduroy. Whales also possess attributes the CAC and its membership wish to exude: strength, endurance, intelligence, sociability, and mystery. The Whale should always be facing left.

About the Artist:

Squirrel Momma, who sometimes goes by the secret identity of Amy Williams, is a fiber artist living and working in West Michigan. Trained as a metalsmith, she has now turned to soft sculpture and is fascinated with bringing to life tiny creatures and making sure each and every one gets to tell the world his bizarre and amazing story.  Find more of Squirrel Momma's work at www.squirrelmomma.etsy.com.

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Cordelia by ThEm DoLLz

Meet Cordelia, a pensive lady who has spent hours upon hours reflecting upon a sense of fellowship rooted in the historic and culturally significant fabric known as Corduroy.  

About the Artist:

This piece is created by Jen Musatto of ThEm DoLLz.  Each of her dollz are handmade with love using new or recycled clean fabric, buttons, safety eyes, and new polyfil. Each one is a one-of-a-kind creation, as she does not use a pattern. Cordelia is signed by the artist on her back patch to assure authenticity.  To find more work by ThEm DoLLz visit www.themdollz.etsy.com.

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Wavy Wade by Patti Haskins

Wavy Wade is the Whale of Wales.  Wade thinks those cords are so groovy he styles them everywhere he goes.  The Corduroy Appreciation Club’s main public symbol is the whale. The whale is a homonym of wale. Wale, or wales, is the raised portion of Corduroy fabric—its most distinctive trait and what makes Corduroy, Corduroy. Whales also possess attributes the CAC and its membership wish to exude: strength, endurance, intelligence, sociability, and mystery. The Whale should always be facing left.

About the Artist:

Patti Haskins is a self-taught artist and her work reflects her love of animals and her goofy sense of humor. Whether crocheted, sewn, painted, or computer generated, chances are the subject matter she portrays will be animal. Most likely, cat or dog; but fish, bunnies, squirrels and ferrets and now a whale have been known to leap out of her studio.  See more at pattihaskins.com.

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"Waling" Banshee

"Waling" Banshee

According to Irish folklore, banshees are fairy women (or ghosts of women who died, commonly in childbirth) who wail when death is nigh. Their wails are most often heard at night near woods.

About the Artist:

Jessica Puckett, the creature creator behind Plushroom Soup, sees no reason why plush can't be a little strange, like most of us. And even though she wears corduroy at least twice per week, this is the first time she's dressed a plushie in wale.  It will not be the last.  Find more of her work at www.plushroomsoup.etsy.com.

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Dapper Whale by Chris Creatures

Dapper Whale comes with a corduroy driver cap and removable corduroy vest, making him in full compliance with the "two item rule," the Corduroy Club mandate that all members where a minimum of two items of corduroy to gain admittance to the meeting.  

About the Artist:

Chris Hwang a plush artist living in the DC Metro area.  ChrisCreatures are inspired by simplicity, humor, and hip hop.  Find more here: www.chriscreatures.etsy.com.

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Honey Badger Doesn't Give a Sh*t by Fuz Frenzy

This faux taxidermy sculpture is paying tribute to several honorable entities at once.  First, the crochet method used creates ridges, thus forming the wonder that from this day forward shall be known as CORDUROY CROCHET!  

As if that weren't enough, the subject matter the artist has chosen is that of the fearsome honey badger, the same one we all know and love for not giving one sh*t, depicted here in an eternal struggle with a cobra.  The honey badger is a favored mascot among the members of the Plush Team, primarily because of the infamous youtube video by Randall.

About the Artist:

Jennifer Clayton is the mastermind behind fuzfrenzy.  See what happens when you go to art school and end up crocheting monsters and whatnot.  www.fuzfrenzy.etsy.com

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Hipster Wholphin by Christina Ward Creatures

Introducing Hipster Wholphin.  One side smile, other side smirk, this marine mammal is wearing a scarf made of vintage Wisconsin flannels and corduroy.   He is an expert in all things indie, totally vegan, and knows way more about Wes Anderson than you do.   This hybrid combines the best qualities of the dolphin and the whale, elevating his cool factor to unfathomable heights.  His parents make an unlikely couple, having met at a gallery opening of moronic art while sipping krill-washed bourbons.  

About the artist:

Christina Ward is a stoic dilettante making ridiculous animals out of fur, fleece and yes, corduroy. She lived in the LES of NYC in the 1980's but now lives in Milwaukee; making her an ur-hipster. 


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Woody Allen, Corduroy Enthusiast by Plush Goodness

A famous lifelong Corduroy wearer and unconscious ambassador for the "everyman's fabric", you may also know of Woody Allen for his writing, directing, and sometimes acting in almost 70 feature films. Resplendent in his corduroy blazer and pinwale corduroy pants, Mr. Allen is fully compliant with the CAC's rule to wear 2 pieces of corduroy minimum.  

About the artist:

Plush Goodness (aka Leeanna Butcher) is a freelance textile artist, fabric collector, and plush-aholic living and working in Northern California. She received her degree in Character Animation, and now uses that training to make her drawings come to life in plush form. When not busily sewing new creations, she spends her time with her scruffy dog and equally scruffy artist husband.  Experience more of her work at www.plushgoodness.etsy.com.

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The Squid and the Wale by Plushinator

Amid the pod of whales we find a shining star, or rather, squid.  As everyone knows, the whale is the mascot of the Corduroy Appreciation Club, but the cephalapod is equally worthy of your adoration, sporting his baby wale in a most glorious combination of plum and pink.  Sometimes it really is preferable to stand out from the crowd, isn't it?

About the artist:

Lana Crooks loves the antique, the creepy, the cute and the mysterious. She began her artistic life as an illustrator, but became a sculptor of fabrics and found objects. She constructs all kinds of creatures (commonly those from the deepest oceans, but even the ones from under your bed).  Explore more of her work at www.plushinator.etsy.com

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Grow a Pair by Scrumptious Delight

title: "Grow a pair"

description: corduroy capsule vending machine

dimensions:20" x 10" x 10"

materials: corduroy (of course!), vinyl, capsule vending balls, felt.

the idea:  This handmade vending machine will happily dispense to you for the incredible price of .25 a capsule containing one pair of miniature corduroy flare pants.  To "grow a pair" just add water and -voila- slip into your full-sized pants.  

Becky Gould is the artist behind  Scrumptious Delight.  She is originally from Bournemouth in the UK but has roved the world, from Portugal, Spain, France and has now settled in Vancouver.  Becky has created plush since she was a child, but felt her passion for sewing really ignite after her son was born ten years ago.  Since then she has exhibited her work internationally and enjoyed recognition in various media outlets, including the cover of Stuffed magazine.  Visit her at www.scrumptiousdelight.etsy.com.

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11|11|11 by Raggy Rat

the work

a triptych, actually

comprising of - 

'the day'

'the month'

'the year'

and being three sets of paired number one plushies, all in cord.

This plush piece's title is a poem honoring the grandest of Corduroy Appreciation Club dates, 11|11|11.  Meetings of the CAC occur only on dates which resemble Corduroy, which includes 1|11 and 11|1.  Also worthy of excitement are the times 1:11 and 11:11.  I think you get the gyst.  

About the Artist:  

The Raggy Rat is a place where you will find all kinds of goings on, although not all of them are based around rats and mice!


Cat Owens enjoys working in many ways, but always come back to fabric and stitches. These days she even sticks fabric on her canvases! She enjoys private and community commissions as well as picking an idea and seeing where it takes her, and creates anything from costumes and puppets, to miniature toys.  www.raggyrat.etsy.com

What on earth have I been up to?

I've been oddly quiet for far too long, I know.  It's been a strange year that way.  Lots of covert operations going on over here, but I'm here to share some of it with you.

First off, there's a really nifty facebook app I'd like you to check out.  I can't take credit for any of the handmade plush featured in it, but let's just say I have extremely intimate knowledge of every piece in there.  One of them was replicated 100 times for promotional  purposes.  I imagine that whoever had that project must have been very busy indeed!  But, as I said, legally the artist responsible for this work cannot publicly take credit for it.  Whoever she may be.

Feel Better Friend!  An app full of handmade plush.  By someone really awesome.

What I'm pretty sure I CAN take credit for is that adorable baby girl in that photo.  I totally made her.  Isn't she gorgeous?  Okay, quit staring and go play with the app.

Next up, there's a very special date approaching.  11|11|11 is NEXT WEEK, and I've been making preparations for a few months to celebrate this grandest of dates in high style with the Corduroy Appreciation Club, a social club based in New York City that celebrates this every-man's fabric and its related items.  They hold spectacular meetings on dates that resemble corduroy, and this upcoming date of 11|11|11 is the date that most closely resembles corduroy of ALL TIME!

Not one to miss out on grand events, I will be packing the family into the minivan and trekking out to New York to attend this meeting, which is reported to be the last of its kind.  I have this on authority, as my brother and his betrothed help run the organization.  A multitude of wondrous events are planned, some of which are still being kept under wraps, but suffice it to say we have a very personal reason to attend this meeting that celebrates all things corduroy.  I wouldn't miss it for the world.  Once it's over I will regale you, not to worry!  Many, many pictures with hilarious descriptions will rain down upon you, dear reader.

The whale is the mascot of the CAC, and should always be facing left.  

 But I've had another role to play as well, that of Plush CORDinator (get it?  get it?).  I'm cultivating a small exhibit of 11 plush pieces by 11 plush artists from my beloved Plush Team.  These soft sculptures are incredible to behold, and will be displayed one night only at the CAC meeting held at the Desmond Tutu Center on 11|11|11.  Alas, the event is sold out, so if you don't have your ticket you're out of luck to see the exhibit in person.  Not to worry!  These pieces will be available for purchase on Saturday, November 12th beginning at noon at the Plush Team's etsy shop, so that you may add one of these amazing creations to your private corduroy collection.

Look at my fancy membership card!  Backed in CORDUROY!!!  Jealous?

To attend a CAC meeting you must be wearing a minimum of two items of corduroy, which for this most auspicious date has been raised to THREE items.  I've been making dresses, ties, helping with spats, scouring vintage shops, and I think we're good to go.  Jason even has a pair of cordarounds, whose horizontal wale greatly diminishes crotch friction.  Fancy!

So, while I put all the final details on our preparations, check out Plush Team's blog, where I've been celebrating 11 days of corduroy, revealing a different plush piece from the show each day.  Also peruse the CAC's blog, as they have their own 11 days of corduroy to help you get into the spirit.

A sneak peek at a special project I made for the CAC.

ALL HAIL THE WALE!!!