Treasury of Monsters!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=41555

Look at these awesome Monsters!

Thanks for including me, YaffaDreams!

NEW Clutch Purse Designs!

Ive been talking about it. And talking about it. And talking about it.
Here are the halfway done clutch purses!

I received a huge package of snaps in the mail last week that I found on Ebay for very reasonable. And now the little critters are stitched on and ready for final assembly!

I am using some vintage fabrics, some new fabrics and some upcycled bed linens I found on Etsy that are super cool! I cant wait to make more of the bedlinen ones! They are so soft!


Here is the first batch you can see I am trying to go very colorful!
















There are bunnies, crabs, foxes, owls, bears, dogs and Bats.

I am trying to put more than just owls on things this year! :)









The new and improved clutch has a curved flap that overlaps and will fasten with a snap.
The lining on this one shown I call Pandora, as the critter on the front is the protector of Pandoras box, and when opened could potentially release the evils inside....in this instance; Creepy smilie faces!

(if you arent familiar with the old mythology of Pandoras Box, visit this site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandoras_box

Eek!

Atomic Holiday Bazaar, 12/14/09



FREAKIN AWESOME!
Two Days next year?! Ooooo!

p.s. I dont have a bird, I found this on Myspace.com on one of my friends sites "Handmade Holiday Bazaar"

Unemployment, Ideas and Video Games

Confessional time:
I am hooked on the game for Xbox 360 called Fallout 3. Hooked, I tell you!

I am really hoping to finish the game soon so I can pull the plug. I dont normally get addicted to games unless it is really something special. And this one is eating up my time.
Yes, we shampoo-ed the carpet this weekend and I have been cleaning and rearranging and spiffing up the house since I have been home. Last week I painted the bedroom by myself. I have been researching, coordinating and planning my own wedding in two and a half months....
And yet...
My stock for Red Marionette hasnt been beefed up at all in the last four weeks since Christmas.
I tell myself I work in batches with things, which really is true. I cut several of an item out and then sew them. So I have a lot of pieces hanging around right now but no finished product.

I have a new clutch design that snaps shut instead of folds over and secures with elastic around a button. I have twenty of those cut out and the little animals I am currently stitching on for each one... (photos coming soon)
I have Walrus, Penguin and Crab ornaments midway through sewing. I have bunnies and cats cut out waiting for detail pieces.
I have ordered new fabrics for stockings this year as well as clutches.
I purchased a huge lot of snaps.

When I list it like that it sounds like I am doing quite a bit.

Stupid video games make me feel like im not accomplishing much.... maybe ill cut myself off by Thursday. A deadline... I do better with deadlines.
No Fallout 3 after Thursday.
Isnt the first step admitting you have a problem?

Why does that happen?

I was so sleepy before bed last night. Actually going to go to bed at a decent time. I showered and climbed into the snuggly freshly laundered sheets... and then *poof* wide awake.
I thought of all of the amazing new things I could work on today and wanted to get up and work on them immediately. It literally took me over an hour to get to sleep.
It has happened every night for a week now. Whether I go to sleep at 1:30 am or last night at 10pm... I lay awake thinking.
I hope its a phase.

I have a new design I am going to fiddle with that is a clutch but instead of folding over like my current design, they will have a flap top with a snap. A little easier to navigate. Ill make some prototypes soon and post photos.
Right now though (at least for this afternoon) I am in a snuggly robe and I am going to cut out some Octopus and Walrus ornaments. I havent worked on those since last fall, so I think its about time I make a few.

Clint

Clint is a prototype design for a new summer ornament!
I will also be making Clint with an orange body and gold claws.
What do you think?



This is Clint.
He enjoys mountain climbing as a hobby. Sometimes when the mood strikes, he tries his hand at para sailing during hurricanes.
Clint has a phobia of butter, particularly of the melted variety.

Featured on Indieparade!

http://www.indieparade.com/

Check it out! Its a great little feature as the photos are large and clear! Love it!

Thanks so much Indie Parade!

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Happy Etsy-versary to me!
I have been selling on Etsy for one year at midnight tonight! So starting NOW things are on SALE through Midnight (eastern time) January 8th. www.redmarionette.com

25% off your entire order and a free surprise gift!
I can either refund your discount through paypal or you can request a revised invoice! Thank you for your wonderful support this year!

Unprepared...

Well now that the Holiday season is officially behind us I can say:
I was unprepared.
I had no idea what the Holiday season of 2008 would bring as it was my first full year.

It was a blessing in disguise that I was laid off at that time of the year, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to keep up.
Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have a full time job, but if I was to be laid off the timing was impeccable.
That being said, I took in a whopping 102 sales for the month of December on Etsy.com (Not including the massive turnout at the Atomic Holiday Bazaar on December 14th). To me that is awesome as I started December with 136 sales, so I nearly doubled my sales in December alone. OKay well 2/3rds, I can do math.

I am absolutely not complaining, I have a full-ish store right now and another tub of items to list. BUT... (there is always a but, eh?) other than that im out.
I normally have at least three tubs of unlisted items. When I say tubs I mean the clear plastic ones that are 12"x16"x7" and 16 quart. So needless to say I am feeling a little lacking.
I am trying to job hunt as well as keep motivated enough to keep popping out items.
I find myself slightly less motivated now that I know the Holidays are over, oddly enough. I didnt think I would have that feeling this year.
Never fear! I have a plan.
Tomorrow I will be doing some cleaning and work out. I always feel better when I do those two things. I also plan to dig into the craft room/studio space and organize. CLEAN. I need to see what fabrics I have if I intend to start making cute patchwork scarves!

In keeping myself motivated now that the "new" has worn off I really hope to be more prepared this coming Holiday season. Which would make life easier if I stocked up now. Funny how logical and easy it all seems put into words.
Here's to keeping goals in 2009!

Tea Towels, You say?

Firstly, Wrinkles. It seems no matter how much I iron these darn things, once they are washed they wrinkle. Weird.


Not sure I am keen on how the eyes turned out. Should I have outlined them in brown? But then would they have looked like bunny glasses?
hm.






Wrinkles! Fie!

The purple pen you see washes away with water, I am trying to decide if they need a few fun little diamonds around the bunny. Maybe polka-dots in different colors?













I didnt take a photo of the back, but I am trying to keep it as clean as possible, nobody likes an ugly back on these sort of things.

New ideas

Now that the Holiday rush has officially slowed down I can concentrate on a few things that may change come February 10th. As you all can see I have the glaringly large widget off to the side of my blog for voting on keeping handmade alive. If you arent aware, the government is trying to put in action a blanket law that states ANY item made for children 12 and under shall have to undergo testing for lead and other hazardous chemicals before they are allowed to hit the market.
Which means the little guy (me) would have to test each design in every color to the tune of $1300.00 each.
Yeouch.
I totally support this law for the makers of the lead filled toys we brought in from China last year and in 2007, but this is too much of a blanket law to pass for the little people making things out of their homes. Something like "Manufacturers who make more than 50,000 unites per year, or manufacturers who import from overseas with no previous chemical testing." etc.
The chain stores where I get my supplies, as far as I am concerned, should be testing their products they sell to me for lead, which, in my opinion, would suffice. (Hows that for 5 commas in one sentence?!)

But I digress, I am trying to be prepared in case I do have to take all of my children related items out of my store. Which would include stuffed animals, boo-boo bags, and finger puppets. Most other items I think I could manage to keep up as they are not directly related to children 12 and under (although the law even said "Anything that may appeal to that age, not necessarily intended for them).... so it could eventually include more of my products.

So to make an already long blog post even longer...
I am looking at following through with my ideas for scarves, bright patchwork patterns and possibly embroider a character or stitch a felt creature on the end of one side. They would have a solid color soft flannel backing so they wouldnt be super heavy.

And also embroidering tea towels (the lint free dish cloths that are 30"x30") I have always called them tea towels, but they are really Flour Sack towels.
Ill hopefully whip a few together this week to show you all my ideas! :) For now, what do you think?

Me?!

Over my holiday break I had several google alerts that I had been featured here and there! I wanted to share with you all those neato little surprises!

http://totusmel.blogspot.com/2008/12/great-gift-reveal-part-4.html

http://pamperedponytails.blogspot.com/2008/12/favorites-of-week_22.html

http://www.katyelliott.com/blog/2008/12/felt-ornaments.html

Wonderful and thank you for the lovely feature!