Customer Appreciation Week . preempted

As you can probably tell, customer appreciation week was viciously interrupted by my obsession with the quilt along (and I'm already pretty far behind in that -- they are just speeding right past me).

Anyway, since I don't like leaving anybody hanging...

Here is one of the cutest kids I have ever seen and she is wearing a Lemon Cadet bun bun polo tee and carrying around her new bean. This is Shannon's daughter. In addition to heading up EtsyKids, she runs a delicious Etsy shop called The Clever Kitty. She bought the shirt a little big so there will be plenty of time to wear it! Check out her blog. It's very nice.

It absolutely kills me to see stuff this cute. Just when I feel like tossing my applique foot into the trash and giving up, someone sends me something like this.

BOGO sale continues

Due to some success, I have decided to continue the BOGO sale in my Etsy shop until Feb. 14.

Here's the deal:

Buy any one item at regular cost and get ANY item of equal or lesser cost for FREE! Please shop as you normally would adding both items to your cart, but do NOT pay, wait for an updated invoice reflecting your sale prices. ALL items qualify for the sale, even bean dolls and yetis, panties and rompers.

Let me know if you have any questions.

BOGO

I'm having a huge sale in my shop for the next week. I'm in the middle of a huge life change (no, I'm way too young for menopause). I'm just rethinking a few things around here so I decided to have a sale. Plus one of my YetiLovesSeamonster peeps, Tiddlywinks, was having a sale and I had a lot of fun choosing a bunny for Zadie so I thought it would be a good idea.

So it's Buy any item in the shop and Get One free. That's right. As much as I hate that acronym, I'm using it now.

So just buy what you want but don't pay. Wait for me to send you a revised invoice and pay then.

And no, this is not in response to the CPSIA CPSC craziness (I'm sure that will all get worked out). It's just me.

And no, I'm not doing any custom orders right now. (Unless you are JessT or the other yeti lover who I will not name -- yours are both almost done, I swear).

Oh, and Anda is sending me some things from a consignment shop in Brooklyn that was only open for like a week so I might have a couple of sizes in a few items not listed so ask.

Off to Crafty Bastards!

Team Lemon is all packed up and just about ready to go. The Trader Joe's bag on the left is full of all the new yeti ringer onesies, the top bag has the new yeti plush (with the long luscious fur), there are new rompers below the yetis, and a bunch of screenprinted yeti tees hot off the press. The big bin contains lots of lemon candies and loads of one-of-a-kind pieces while the two big space bags are absolutely stuffed with bean softies. This is how we travel.

In the basement, the tent is in its bag and the silver bins are stocked with all the table display stuff. For outdoor shows we also have to bring our own tables and chairs. This time, we have to get Baby Lemon read too. That's another blog post altogether.

I uploaded sneaky peeks of all the newest beans to my flickr. Because Crafty Bastards is doing a lot of promo for the show via Twitter, I've been spending some time there too. It's addictive. You have no idea (actually, I think a few of you do). If I can figure out how to send messages with my cell phone, I'm going to have a special sale on Sunday.

OK. Hope to see you all in Washington, D.C. for best Crafty Bastards show ever this Sunday, September 28 from 10 - 5 at the Marie Reed Learning Center in the Adams Morgan neighborhood.

Find Team Lemon at booth 10 right next to local furniture peeps Miss Pixie's.

The beans are ready to eat

After simmering in my studio for quite some time, the beans are soft enough to head out into the world via Etsy. I had a few in the shop before and they sold so I made a bunch more.

I would have had them up sooner but it really takes a certain kind of day for perfect lighting. It needs to be very bright but overcast. Even then, my camera still sometimes does a hack job with a couple of the brighter colors. I'll be getting a new camera soon but until then, I gotta work with what I got.

Since Baby Lemon is first priority, I won't ever have a big enough chunk of time to put these all up at once so look for these throughout the week. I've got one of the Joel Dewberry fabric that was featured in the onesie in Parents Magazine. It has a bright yellow dotted swiss back. I have a few of this gorgeous red satin brocade Asian print fabric with teal backs. There are striped beans and corduroy number print beans and kitty alphabet beans one last green woodgrain bean from that amazing Alexander Henry fabric that I love so much.

Storque feature

I was recently featured in Etsy's Storque. It's like an online newsletter/blog where they highlight issues in the world of craft.

My work was discussed as part of the Handmade Kids series they are doing right now. I'm also going to enter the Handmade Kids contest. I'm thinking one of the new rompers...

New goods.

After many a sneak peek and a bunch of hints, it's time for the grand unveiling. I listed the first of the new line this afternoon and I have to say I absolutely love it.

The seersucker fabric was wonderful to work with; it's just such good quality. I also love the new blanks. They're a brand called Rabbit Skins and the cotton is nice and sturdy and won't shrink much at all.

There are 4 different rompers: aqua with a reproduction quilt fabric, lime green with a coral/orange seersucker, yellow with a green seersucker and bright orange stitching for amazing contrast, hot pink with the popular bird bean flannel (that gorgeous cherry blossom print) and two ringer tees. One is an aqua with pink trim and pink seersucker while the other is orange with blue trim and a blue seersucker. Most of these are unisex -- something I try to always have since so many people buy my items for baby shower gifts.

I'll be carrying the rompers in 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months. The ringer tees are sizes 2 and 4 for toddlers. I'll be happy to do custom orders for larger sizes but as usual, the sizes and colors are going to vary depending on what I can get.

I plan to list one in my Etsy shop each day this week. For now, check out my flickr for more photos.

Washington City Paper strikes again!

I was chosen to be the Craftiest Bastard of the Week once again by the Washington City Paper in Washington, D.C. These folks are the fabulous sponsors of the best craft show ever, Crafty Bastards.

I just got an email with the good news.

That's one of my designs up there featuring that amazing numbers print from Alexander Henry.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

My My!!

On our way home from the Brooklyn Indie Market, my trusty assistant and I stopped by the fabulous shop, My My, run by the charming Taryn. It was super easy to find (once we realized that New Jersey had two Interstates 95 (why? why NJ? why? the reason roads have unique numbers is so that people can get to places easily and without confusion).


I have some items there and since I had just spent weeks preparing for the craft show, I had lots of new loot for her to choose from. So up there is a picture of my onesies hanging out with all their new friends. Just above is my stuffed beans with their new friends including that adorable little creature from Cornflake Girl. From what I understand, My My has hired a new employee to be Plush Department Manager so things will really start looking nice.

Taryn is super sweet a runs a nice shop. The colors are perfect and she has a great selection of indie goods including zines. There is a picture of Lemon Cadet with personal assistant here on flickr.

In recent My My news, Taryn's sister Jennifer and her daughter Annabelle caught some crazy virus and both were sick for days. Jennifer was even in the hospital. Now they have tons of bills. If you'd like to help out, read this blog post. They are working on an Etsy shop to raise some money.

The beans are famous!

After struggling for months on what to make for promo items, I developed the bean stickers (that you all know and love so well). They are little bean guys made out of felt, run through the xyron sticker maker, cut out, and then finally stuck to a postcard with a nice big glob of purple gluestick.

I love the little beans and have grown fond of making them. My friend Sandi has become a good felt bean cutter while my mother in law has gotten quite proficient in helping glue them onto the cards (she makes cards that she sells in her Etsy shop so she came well-trained).

Thanks to Tina Seamonster for giving them a little nod in her piece for the Washington City Paper Crafty Blog. That one there on her cell phone is looking a bit nappy. Time for an upgrade!

My My

I sent out a big order to Taryn of MY MY. She just opened up a brand new storefront selling all the amazing stuff from her website and a lot of newly acquired handmade goods. The shop's in Hatboro, PA. There are six pairs of panties and six baby/toddler items.


She made me that snazzy little button there on the left to add to my growing "Retail" section. Taryn also has a great online Indie Craft Fair Guide. I'm thrilled to have my stuff at a *real* store, especially one as cool as My My.

Lancaster, PA and the Eastern Market

It was a beautiful drive to Lancaster. We hardly had any traffic and it was a little overcast so I didn't have to wear sunglasses all day. Mom and I ate lunch at a crazy diner and then got to our hotel room with the evening to spare.


The Eastern Market was really cool. I got to hang out with some amazing Etsy sellers. Actually most of the vendors there are Etsy sellers. But seriously, how much better can it get than to drive up, get out of the car, and get a hug from someone you've been "talking" to online for months? That's one of the reasons why I love Etsy. It is such an amazing community. I have made so many friends and the network has allowed me to meet a lot of them in person.



One of those sellers is Steph of Stephanie Gibson Designs (above). Her jewelry is really exquisite. I was so impressed by the quality of her craftsmanship. My mom got a very nice necklace and some matching earrings. I bought a lot of soap and a lip balm from The Professor's Wife. She's not on Etsy yet but we're trying to talk her into it. I can't even list all of the other artisans who were selling their work that day because there are just too many of them. I was pretty happy with the way my table turned out. I've been adding new types of products (like the bean dolls) and it was a struggle to figure out where to put everything. I'll keep working on that one.


Lancaster and its surrounding towns are incredible. Mom and I had a great time doing some touristy stuff like visiting the emergency room (seriously), shopping for crafts and antiques, checking out the outlet mall, eating at gargantuan country buffets, and buying miniature pies. It's a wonderful place for a family vacation (as long as you check out the Eastern Market!). That's a cool llama that I met.

For more pictures of the Eastern Market, check out Frost Imaging's flickr site. Alissa of DivaDea also wrote this nice blog post about the market.

Plushie Softie Stuffie Pillow Bean Love

So finally I added my brand new bean dolls to the Etsy shop! I've had a couple finished for a while now but I wasn't ready to part with them.

Yesterday I shot a bunch of photos and got the images all ready to go. These beans are really big. They're about 14" tall and super stuffed. I'll start making some smaller ones after the Eastern Market.


I also made two striped bean dolls but with new stuffing. The new stuffing is all lumpy and I don't like it so I'm going to pull it all out and fill them up with the same kind of stuffing as the first two guys.

Soon, I'll have a listing for a matching set (onesie or tee). I think that will be really awesome -- a bean doll to match your kid! I'll be able to make the bean dolls in almost all of the fabrics that I have (and I got some great new prints last weekend). In the meantime, if you want a matching set -- or if you have a onesie and you want a bean to match, just send me an email and I'll get started.

A little note: Since these beans have no removable parts (i.e. no button eyes or other loose appendages), I would let my baby play with one if I had one (a baby, that is -- I have beans). That said, these bean dolls aren't designed to be used with babies or as children's toys. And never, ever, ever put your baby down next to a pillow or in a crib with a pillow because babies can get suffocated. So be careful.