Pounce!

Etsy has this cool new feature called Pounce. It jumps on shops that have recently sold items and shows you what's left in the shop so you can pounce on it. I sold a ladies yeti tee a while ago and pounced until I found me. Is that kinda like doing a Google search for yourself?

Yay! Front page Etsy . . .

Sometime in the middle of the night, this treasury list that I didn't even know I was in, got picked for the front page. It's really beautiful with two of my favorite colors. It's so nice when you get a little surprise like that.

XL yeti tee anyone?

I promise to report on the Bust Craftacular as soon as I get the pics off the camera. We got home late last evening and it was enough to get the items back in the shop before crashing out early.

Just a quick announcement: If you are the guy from the Bust Craftacular who later in the day wanted an XL yeti tee after I had sold out, please email me. I had one at home and I'm saving it for you.

Lesson learned: get an email address next time!

Bust Craftacular this weekend!

Find me Saturday at the Bust Craftacular. Booth 15 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan.

More info here.

You decide

I am currently in the best treasury ever. It's up to you to decide who would win in a fight: the yeti or the one in the parka. I put all bets on the yeti but agree with another commenter that the parkas wouldn't go down without a good fight.

Check it out here while it lasts.

As seen in Parents Magazine...

I've known about this little secret for a while now but since the issue is FINALLY out on the stands, it's time to share.

The Lemon Cadet baby line is featured on page 28 of the December 2007 issue of Parents Magazine. They did a little story on Etsy.com and chose one of my onesies as the main photo. What's even better is that they put the onesie on the world's cutest child for the shoot.

I subscribed to the magazine and while ago and got the November issue in the mail but I'm still waiting for December. Hmmm... Waiting for December. That'd make a good band name.

Handmade Arcade

It's been over a week since Handmade Arcade but I've been sick. I wish I could have posted a review sooner but it just wasn't happening. The show itself was amazing. It was very well organized and we got great communication involving setup and directions. I was impressed. They even had volunteers lined up to help us unload our cars the first morning. Wow.



The crowd was super enthusiastic and really there to shop and support us makers. They had to be! It was freezing in there. I was layered up like I was off to seek out yetis in the frozen tundra. For me, it was nice to be so close to home. It takes just over an hour to get there from here and I was able to stay with a good friend where I felt comfortable.

I'll definitely apply to do the show again next year and I hope to get accepted. But I do hope they find a venue that's a little cleaner or at least provides some heat.

I had my friend Dorsey make up a new batch of yeti tees, I got busy making a whole bunch of bean dolls and a nice stack of the Lemon Cadet baby and toddler line including some furry yetis. The table was about 8 feet wide, a whole 2 feet wider than my little tables. The space was great but my tablecloths (designed to fit a variety of table sizes) were too small! Oops! So I took my decorative linens and layered them on the sides where my cloth was too short. I like the way it looks but you can bet I'll be sewing up a couple more for BUST.

I made the Etsy homepage!

One of my Etsy friends, iSew, and I made the Etsy homepage yesterday. The people over at EtsyLabs have been making all these Christmas gift buying guides for The Storque. This one was for boys ages 3 - 7. There was some pretty great stuff on the list and it was the first time I got a product featured there.

Ginny, the mastermind behind iSew, does these amazing sock monkey gadget cozies. Since our future baby's room will be all sock monkeys, we might be talking to her about a little something something someday soon.

Rare Bird Finds Holiday Gift Guide is back

I posted about this last year when they did this and they're at it again. Rare Bird Finds is a cool blog featuring interesting products. They've got a very thorough holiday gift guide again with all sorts of suggestions for those people in your life who are really hard to buy for.

Check it out here or click the blinking icon over there on the left. I really like that this blog has a subscribing service. I get an email every day with all their latest picks so I don't forget to look.

Handmade Arcade!

Please come visit me this weekend at Pittsburgh's own amazing indie craft fair, Handmade Arcade. It's held every year at Construction Junction. This year there will be over 100 vendors including a few people selling food and snacks.

Here's a list of the demos:

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10

11:15am - 12:00pm “Beaded Beads” Carrie Nardini, I Made It!

12:00pm - 1:00pm Book Binding Ian Short, Artists Image Resource

1:30pm - 2:30pm Yarn Dying Stacey Wettstein, Knit One

3:00pm - 4:30pm Illustrated Storytelling and Drawing Workshop For Children Joe Wos, sponsored by the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh

4:45pm - 7:00pm Copper Bracelets & Olive Oil Soap Adina DeRoy & Adriane Pacella, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11

11:15am - 12:00pm “Beaded Beads” Carrie Nardini, I Made It!

12:00pm - 1:00pm Book Binding Ian Short, Artists Image Resource

1:15pm- 2:15pm Glass Bead Blowing Kim Hergert, Sweetgrass Beads

2:30pm – 5:00pm Copper Bracelets & Olive Oil Soap Adina DeRoy & Adriane Pacella, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts

**Plus screenprinting make 'n take with Artists Image Resource AND create**

**Zipper pull with Pat Catan's.**

And get this: A free crafty swag bag to the first 100 visitors each day.

I've got a great spot right in the middle across from my friend Emily of DisCARDS. I'm really looking forward to this. It's so nice to go to an event that's pretty close to home in a town I know like the back of my hand. I get to stay with a good friend, take care of errands on Friday evening, and head home with an easy drive on Sunday. Yay!

There are directions on the website. Hours are from 11 - 7 on Saturday and from 11 - 5 on Sunday AND, it's about a mile from Trader Joe's so you can stock up on your Double Dark coffee beans on your way home.

Good news and bad news...

I was cleaning up my blog links earlier today and accidentally deleted the whole page element! Terrible news.

So luckily I had a window open with my blog that had the original list so I quickly cut and pasted the column into Word which (hooray!!) pasted the imbedded links as well.

It's going to take me hours to get the thing formatted again so I will not be doing that today. Blog links: Coming Soon.

That's Koko signing frown from this website.

Softies Central -- Go Vote!

Obviously, I'm not a finalist in the Let it Snow! Category but that bunny up there by my new friend over at Etsy is! Astulbee is going to be at the Bust Craftacular in Dec. with me.

Check out the finalists and do some voting over at the Softies Central blog.

Buy Handmade!

I took the Handmade Pledge this year and so should you! It doesn't mean that you have to buy ONLY handmade items but it means that you're making an effort. I'm about halfway finished with my holiday shopping and most of it has been off Etsy. I'm so glad these guys got together and organized this online event. It's really cool.

I'll be selling my stuff at two major shows in the upcoming weeks (Handmade Arcade and the Bust Craftacular, links to left). I always buy stuff at these types of events, even though I'm always rushing to see all the stuff from the other vendors. I love Etsy but it's really cool to meet the makers in person sometimes too.

Softies Central Holiday Softie Awards

I mustered up the courage to enter this year's Holiday Softie Awards sponsored by the amazing folks over at Softies Central. I've mentioned this blog before. They feature plush -- all day, almost everyday, on their blog.

I don't remember how I found out about them -- just clicking links, I think. Every year they have cool contest categories so I entered this bean into the Let It Snow category.

You can view all the entries in the flickr pool and more pics of my bean here. There's some really really really great stuff so I'm not expecting to win but it sure would be cool to get a mention, huh?

The front of the bean is the same amazingly soft faux fur that makes my yetis. The back is some super soft fleece that I picked up just for this. As always, he has a little Lemon Cadet label on the back. The rules for the category specify that the item had to be mostly white but you could use some color for accent. My favorite holiday colors are white and silver and metallic blue so when I saw the category, this is what came to mind. You know I gotta sport my Jewish heritage every now and then.

In a week, they will be announcing the top 5 in each category and I'll let you know when you can vote.

I'll post the winners as soon as I hear. And I'm sure you'll hear my shouts of joy if I'm one of them!

Wow!

Today I reached a huge milestone: 3,500 hits to the blog. Thanks so much for reading! What's really cool, is that the little number way down there on the left sidebar shows how many visits I've had. That means people are actually spending some time here.

I've had over 6,000 page views. Those are the quickies. I'd rather keep track of the real deal and 3,500 means a lot to me.

Above is a picture of the Dunleary Pier in Ireland. I went there on a visit to Dublin with a friend when I was a Freshman in college. I took a picture of this huge white rock on the side of the pier and said, "I'm going to tell everyone that this is the famous rock at Dunleary Pier." You know, 'cause once you're home, all your photos tend to look the same to the people you show them to and what harm would it really do.

When I was searching Google for an image of a milestone, I remembered that. Thanks to the people over at Reclaim the Sea for letting me use this awesome image that has absolutely nothing to do with my now over 3,500 page views nor does it depict that rock I once took a picture of. But I think that somehow it might give you some insight into where my designs come from...

What I want for Christmas... a holiday gift guide

clearly so........original aceo by Tim's Sally.


Every Christmas, my family demands to know what I want under the tree or in my stocking (Yes. I'm 33. Yes. We still do stockings. And I hope we do stockings until I'm 66). So instead of making a boring list of links to items on Etsy, I thought I'd create a little gift guide of sorts. These are some awesome things I have found and I think they would make excellent gifts. And if you're my mom, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, or husband (who bought my Christmas presents from Etsy last year ON Christmas day), you can take this post as a major hint hint.

An Etsy shopping tip: If someone sends you a link to something they want and it says it has been SOLD, just look in the shop. Many artists and crafters make multiple copies of their pieces or have something very similar. If there's nothing listed, feel free to send a convo. Most Etsy sellers are super nice and are more than happy to accomodate requests -- as long as you give them plenty of time before the holiday.

Above is a little ACEO by a shop I ran across the other day in the Time Machine 2. She has some amazing little items in her shop and they are very well priced. I also like Now Can I print and this larger original Onlooking guide although I love the idea of hanging tiny little works of art around my studio as inspiration.

Yeti shadow puppet by Owly Shadow Puppets.
As you may know, I'm obsessed with yetis. What better to give a yeti lover than a shadow puppet that she can play with in the evening hours to her hearts content. Imagine large looming yetis all over the walls... Heaven.


division by 2 by cori d, another great shop I recently discovered.


Zanzibar Girfkin by the talented odkins.
See my post on the Yeti Loves Seamonster blog for more on this craziness.


one of these from nectar.
I am a big fan of handmade jewelry. Nectar is a great shop. My favorite of this bunch for color and style is the middle one. But you couldn't give someone a fabulous necklace without matching earrings, could you? Well, of course you could but if you wanted to give a set, then go with either style of dot earrings in a matching color.


metropolitan earrings by siren jewels.
Cute huh? Hip and retro without being too pretentious.


Round but Square ... Sterling Silver Earrings by Lunasa Designs.
These are nice for the person who likes geometric shapes but pines for the organic as well.


poppy earrings by nikole sarvay designs.
Nikole is new to Etsy but no newcomer to jewelry making. This earrings rock my world. I love red. I love coral (as long as it's sustainably harvested).


Simplicity Pendant from Block Party Press.
Isn't this just lovely? They have such nice things. Their items are all made from polymer clay so they won't weigh you down or break up your pocketbook like precious metals do.


yuzu soap by you stink soap.
I bought some of this shortly after joining Etsy. It's amazing. Really amazing. You must try it. We are out and have been jonesing for more.


squall jointed paper doll set by Wool & Water.
What words do I have for these paper dolls that they aren't already speaking themselves? If I got these, I would either cut them out and assemble them right away to hang next to the wolf I already have hanging from my studio shelf OR love them love them love them so much that I couldn't bear to chop them up.


Chairry. I want a Chairry doll from Pee Wee Herman's Playhouse. It may seem ridiculous but I do. I don't care if it's used. I don't need it to be in a box. I just want the doll. And I don't want him to be dirty. My chair from Blue's Clues is lonely. Sometimes on eBay you can get them cheap if someone has called it "Chairy" instead of "Chairry."


Craft Magazine is amazing. Perhaps you'd like to renew a loved one's subscription. $34.95 (I think -- it may be cheaper to renew).


And a gift certificate from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble is always a good gift -- especially if the person in your life needs some sort of business/craft book and can't decide which one is best. I prefer Border's but there isn't one near us.

I desperately need a new pair of fabric scissors.


I should have gotten a scarlet spoon rest from Fiestaland for my birthday this year but we've been so busy we didn't take our annual trip up there. They are available here or order one from Elder Beerman.

This list has gotten longer than expected and I will probably add items to it as Christmas draws nearer. When I was in Jr. High, one Christmas I remember making an elaborate collage of all the things I wanted using pictures I cut out of magazines. Yes. It did contain a picture of a Caboodles. I won't lie. A blog is a little more time consuming but not as messy.

Beans and brooches

A few of the new bean dolls are finally in the shop. I also decided to list the brooches. Instead of listing them individually, I just made one listing and you can choose the color stitching on the face. This one is pink.

I've finally been able to get back to working on new stuff. I have a nice stack of bean dolls ready to stitch. I have more of the Asian print brocade that sold out at Crafty Bastards, some new stripeys, a couple from the Joel Dewberry bud print, and even a couple out of that cool black and white fabric that I used to make some guys a while back. I didn't realize until just the other day that it was designed by Alexander Henry. Go figure! I was buying his amazing work before I even knew who he was.

Neglected but not forgotten...

It's been a crazy time around here for Lemon Cadet. Since Crafty Bastards, there's been a lot of catching up, taking new photos of the goods, and filling custom orders.

I have 5 bean dolls to add to the shop and a few new shirts. The sizes are mostly for toddlers but include some super thick awesome quality sweatshirts (even a couple of hoodies, size 4). Please forgive me. I love you.

Handmade Arcade is also coming very soon. And as promised, we'll have something new. I'm thinking yeti. I'm thinking plush.

The Mustache Show

The Mustache Show at Wild Zero Studios was a huge success. I didn't sell any panties but we all had a great time. There were mustache cupcakes, mustache cookies, a dude singing about mustaches, and even a mustacioed fire department official checking for maximum capacity.


That's the gang up there in full regalia. It's crazy how good Brian looks with the mustache. His 'stache looks more real than the one on Eric or Mr. Lemon. Setph [team lemon] is really rockin' with The Rogue. Everyone who didn't come wearing a mustache had to put one on at the door. Eric is selling prints of the framed mustache pics on his myspace. Click here.

More pics on flickr. Click here.

New at My My

How cute! See the original photo on Taryn's flickr page.

Crafty Bastards 2007!

I know it's been almost a week but there has been a lot to catch up on around here. Since I put everything on hold while getting prepared for the show, I've been taking care of old business.

So I'm sure you've heard that Crafty Bastards was amazing. There were thousands of people there. I sold lots of stuff and even bought a couple of things. I think Team Lemon singlehandedly (or two fistedly) emptied Sticky Fingers of their vegan treats.

The first photo shows most of the booth at the very end of the day with two very tired team members, Steph Lemon (aka Sister In Law or Sister to my Husband, Mr. Lemon) and Mr. Lemon. Both are sporting items from the Lemon Cadet line. I think Mr. Lemon looks hot in that yeti tee. Soon the facial hair will disappear as he shaves for tonight's Mustache Show at Wild Zero studios. My friend Jen stopped by and she snapped this photo of me (if you're dying to see me hot and sweaty and holding a bean).


That's Ingrid of Team Lemon who not only let us stay at her house, but also helped out for most of the day. She was a madman with wrapping up items in tissue and making everything sparkle.


The beans were a huge success. I didn't bring home very many of them and I'll be adding those to the shop next week. They also got featured on the My Aim is True blog.

The new yeti screenprinted tees were also a hit. I still have lots of sizes for kids and ladies in stock and I'll be ordering more of the men's sizes later this week. I want to have more ready for Handmade Arcade. I'm not sure if they'll make it to the Etsy shop since I didn't print them myself. So if you want one, let me know.

For more pictures of the event, check out the Crafty Bastards 2007 flickr pool.

Indie Path Interview

Lemon Cadet was asked to do an "Indieview" for the relatively new blog, The Indie Path. I enjoyed answering these questions more than any other interview so far because she asked me really specific things. That was cool.

Plus she said you need to kick back with a cup of chai before reading and that's my favorite drink!

I got the pictures from Crafty Bastards off the camera so if time allows, there will be more on that tomorrow.

Lemon Cadet on Indie Fixx!

Last week when I was preparing for Crafty Bastards, I got featured on Indie Fixx for their reader fixx! Indie Fixx is a great blog with a huge readership so this is a big deal.

I was chosen by Alicia of Eternal Sunshine. She loves my bean plushie that's on consignment over at My My. It's a good thing because I don't have a single bean left in my shop.

I'll be adding what's left from Crafty Bastards next week. I have to wait until the weekend to get some good sunny photos of those beans. They are really tricky to shoot!

And yes, I will be dishing the dirt on Crafty Bastards as soon as I get the photos out of the camera. And yes, it was amazing.

It's time for Crafty Bastards

I know you've been wondering why it's so quiet around here. I've been super busy making stuff for Crafty Bastards. It's this weekend! Sunday, Sept. 30 from 10 - 5 at the Marie Reed Learning Center on 18th and Wyoming in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C.


They sent us all interview questions for their site. My interview is up right now on the blog.

What's new for Lemon Cadet: a whole bunch of bean softies in lots of different fabrics, of course those fabulous yeti tees I wrote about here, and finally, some long-sleeved t-shirts and onesies perfect for Fall and Winter.

Find directions and all the info you'll need to stalk me on their website. I'll be in spot 28 right next to Ms. Tina Seamonster.

I hope to see those of you within a reasonable driving/walking distance sometime on Sunday. It's not just all shopping. They've got some great entertainment planned, some cool crafting workshops, and food.

A crafter's list

I made a big trip to JoAnn's last weekend to stock up on supplies for all the stuff I'm making for the shop and Crafty Bastards. I either have to drive 30 - 45 minutes south to the town where my parents live to shop at one or drive 1 1/2 hours up to Pittsburgh for a really big JoAnn's. Our house always needs a lot from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's so if I can get Mr. Lemon to come along, we head North.

I always make lists like this for my shopping trips. I take scrap pieces of paper (whatever is closest to me when I think of the first thing I need) and go crazy. There are always swatches of fabric stapled or taped here and there, my weird names for things, and ideas -- where I know what I need but I don't know what it is yet. If you're a crafter, you know what I'm talking about: I need something beige-ish and cotton and about 1/2" wide but....

My list was particularly nuts this week so I thought I'd share it with you. I support my local quilt shop whenever I can but they don't have the faux fur.

Journal Modiste Designer of the Week

Lemon Cadet is the designer of the week at Journal Modiste, an online guide to children's couture and handmade clothing. It's a great site that gets loads of hits so it's wonderful have been chosen.

There are a lot of unique shops featured and it's a very informative site with lots of links and interviews.

Read my interview here.

The Yetis have invaded!!!

Finally, after weeks and months of drawing and revising and drafting and revising again, I have finished the Yeti drawing.

I'm really happy with the way the little beast turned out. And despite some harrassment from the Vets at my friend Dorsey's print shop, The Locker Room, here in Morgantown, I DO NOT think it looks a boy in a chicken suit.

I'm thinking of putting them on the shirts like this:


I ordered mostly toddler and kids sizes in black, cardinal, kelly, and jade. I also ordered a few ladies shirts (Bella brand) in chocolate. The yeti will be white. I can't wait to premiere them!

An Etsy Stalker

So people find you on MySpace all the time. Or they do a google search and somehow get your email address. Or a long lost friend sends a bulk email to everyone they know and someone you haven't heard from in years contacts you.

But how often does someone you've lost touch with find you on Etsy? This is a first for me. A couple of days ago a very good friend of mine sends me and email saying, "I found you on Etsy!" I was like, "How did you know it was me?" She writes back, "You live in Morgantown and your shop is full of beans. Plus you have that bit ...always smoke free."

Go figure.

She has a pretty cool blog. She has an MFA in Creative Writing and although I don't like reading books of poetry, her taste in literature is impeccable. Take her up on any reading suggestion.

This is a screenshot of the post she wrote where she talks about how rad Lemon Cadet is.