9.28.2009

fresh from the Makery: Britney Spears ornaments

The Makery is back!  And how fitting that I should choose to use up some mysteriously acquired Britney Spears stickers for my comeback project, no?



As often happens lately, I'm not 100% satisfied with the final product.  I think in order for these to work as ornaments, they should perhaps be round.  As is they look more like bookmarks, which was my original idea but later decided Christmas tree ornaments made way more sense.  Rounder and shinier.  But as is, in addition to stickers of Brit on the front and back, they include a hand-embroiderd heart outline around her face:



...and a red gemstone used to dot the "i":



The stickers I discovered during our recent cross-country move (the primary reason for the Makery's several months long hiatus).  I can't recall if I bought these myself or if they were some sort of gag gift (I remember Neal sent me the CD of her second album while I was participating in a work exchange program one summer in France...I swore it was a gag gift but secretly listened to that CD all summer), but either way they seemed fitting material to use for the Makery's comeback project.  Britney is making a comeback, right?

I have enough stickers to make ten of these and may continue tweaking them.  But for the time being, I'll be giving one away here, and the rest will be available for purchase in my other Etsy shop.  Need to add a little Britney to your Christmas tree? Leave me a comment on this post and I'll add your name to the drawing at the end of the week.

C'mon, you know you want to.

9.24.2009

Mother's Cookies are back!

See what happens when I create a separate blog for the only thing I've been blogging about lately? But I've been thinking about blogging about all sorts of stuff.  If only I could blog directly from my brain, you know? Like on the way home from Target today, I could have blogged about the Mother's Cookies frosted circus animal cookies I was sampling right there in the car.  I'd heard rumors that Kellogg's had indeed resumed making the tasty little critters but had yet to spy them in any stores.  Despite a ridiculous sweet tooth, I guess I don't actually wander down the cookie aisle all that frequently.  But lo and behold, there they were.  You can read more about how learning about the company's demise last year led me first to make these cards for the Makery, which I shortly thereafter redesigned for sale in my Etsy shop, which I eventually tweaked a third time and that's the version I offer now.



I forget how I landed on this blog, but I like her comparison, especially the response of her 3 year old daughter (she happened to have a bag of the Halloween version, produced by the Oakland-based company before they went out of business...seeing the Halloween version, which was not, sadly, for sale at Target today, inspired these cards...okay, no more plugs, promise!). 



I agree that the new cookie seems crunchier, but otherwise I enjoyed them as much as I remember enjoying the old version.  On the one hand, I don't have a bag of the original cookies to compare.  On the other hand, maybe I'm just not as picky as Mary Cooks and her crew and/or maybe they weren't addicted to these cookies in the first place.  That said, I probably shouldn't plan on buying/eating this new version too often.  But I'm happy to have the option!

9.17.2009

Mother's Cookies Notecards - Halloween Edition

With the four Halloween items added to my shop during the last couple of weeks of August, I thought I was all set for the official start to the holiday season...until I remembered that Mother's Cookies always produced a Halloween version of their irresistible frosted circus animals around this time each year. Since I had some orange felt on hand, I decide to make a Halloween version of my "homage to Mother's Cookies" folded notecards:



And of course, you can still find the classic pink and white version here. I'm working on a custom order of five of these little notes (and five of the embroidered felt donut cards) for a friend. I don't know what it is about those embroidered French knots - I never get tired of making them! After polishing off a dozen donuts from Peterson's Donut Corner with my husband over the last couple of days (picked up on our way home from a short visit to Escondido), I figure making felt versions of cookies and donuts is a huge improvement for my diet!

9.03.2009

early bird Halloween weekend deal

For the Labor Day holiday weekend only, now through Monday, September 7th, I'm offering 20% off all Halloween items - stock up early!  I have two items in the shop now with a couple more on the way today and tomorrow.  First up is a set of 5 "trick or treat" mini notes in green, purple, and black, with a black cat motif - use them as calling cards at that Halloween bash or as gift enclosures:


Also on sale are these candy corn cards, part of the Knotty French series (using felt and embroidered French knots to create a diet-friendly version of the classic Halloween treat that you can send to a friend):


Enter "weekend deal" in your message to seller upon checkout and the discount will be refunded to you via PayPal.  And check back here for updates on additional Halloween items on sale over the next couple of days!