March is Almost Over

Already! How time flies!
In that vein, check out my new widget at the right sidebar. Now you can all know how much quality time you are wasting spending reading my most interesting little blog. You can get your own clock right here and there are a few styles to choose from, so go ahead, time's a wastin'!

While you are at it, have a peek into my Etsy shop. I have updated with a few brand new items that are completely different; some uber cool banners for fellow Etsians.
Have a look and tell me what you think.

Looking for Some Neato Stuff?

Well, look no further!!!

Through the most excellent resource Indiepublic, I found a really cool site that features really cool stuff. Like their website states, at the aptly named NeatStuff.com, they really do know about neat stuff for him, for her, for kid and baby.

Okay, this post is not entirely selfless of me I admit. When you visit NeatoStuff you will notice something special indeed. If you don't know what I am talking about, here is a little heads up;

Yes, there on the right, check out the really neat navy shirt! Yep, that is a Tum Tum Tree shirt, eco fashions for boys who are neat. (Well as much as that is possible anywho...!)

Anonymous Art Show

Well I guess it isn't very anonymous if I am posting about it on here, is it?

A while ago I was in our local art supply shop, and came across a flyer for an event that is a fundraiser for the Arts Council of the North Okanagan art programming. This is it's first annual art show and sale and it is very exciting for me to be involved.

I submitted my expression of interest and got my application by email already so now all I have to do is pick up my canvas which I am going to do tomorrow when we make a trip up to Vernon (45 minute drive for us) to visit the Science Centre there.

I have to say that the big draw for me was the very long time they give for execution of works; they are due on Friday November 21st, 2008. That gives me LOTS of time to procrastinate work on my little pieces. Another plus for me is the small scale - all the canvasses are 8"x8". Small is beautiful!

There is a reception in December and works go on sale, splitting the proceeds 50/50 between artist and venue which is yet another draw for me personally (potential Christmas bonus for artists!!! Gotta love that!) You can find more details on the "News" page of the Vernon Arts Council website.

Counting the Hours - Earth Hour

In honour of Earth Hour which is only a few days away, I give you my green flora and fauna set from Polyvore.

Please go to the Earth Hour site and see the difference you can make on the 29th of March with only 60 minutes of your time. Sign up and join the cause because this really is the only Earth that we have and it is worth it.

Get Paid to Blog

Do you ever wonder how people get to blog for money? Well I can answer that right here for you.
Companies looking to advertise on blogs take the opportunity to use the blogosphere network through third party service providers like Smorty.
Smorty is a service that connects advertisers with bloggers. There are many such services available on the net but I have recently discovered the Smorty network and it is working well for other bloggers so I thought I should give it a try.

It is looking great so far. Opportunities are emailed to bloggers so the framework is all in place for both bloggers and advertisers to get what they want out of the working relationship. There is even a forum that serves bloggers who get paid to blog and might have a few questions as well as support in the form of Q & A. I think it is a great way both for me to get paid for blogging as well as for companies to get some great exposure in blog advertising.

If you are interested in making some extra cash for something that you might already be doing (blogging) then you should check into Smorty. You will be glad you did!

Here is an Interesting Image Tool

I found this new tool great for blogging images called Polyvore.
There is quite an assortment of images in the archives so there are many applications that I can think of using this for.

It is quick to sign up and the image sets you create are all saved on the site server so it very handy for bloggers without using up personal hard drive space. This image I made only took about 10 minutes, including the sign-up process! Polyvore is bookmarked on my computer now.

Feature Spot on Indie-Pendence Blog Today!

Well here I was lamenting about what to post about today when I got an email from the lovely Mary Ann over at the Indie-pendence blog. Check it out! I made the feature page for today!

The Indie-pendence is all about what else - all kinds of indie shopping and handcrafted goodies. Mary Ann also runs the amazing Etsy shop, Magpie Mary which is filled with the most unusual vintage finds and fab stamping fun supplies. I am drooling over the 1964 alphabet cards she has. I totally remember playing that Probe game as a kid (though secretly the name scared me.) Seriously, where does she ever find all that stuff?

Aynywho, go on, check out the feature article and browse around the Indie-pendence site. It's chock full of indie goods.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

You have been awarded an Arte Blog Award!!! Please forward this award on to 5 more deserving blogs that you would like to share the bloggie love with! BUT please only do so if you feel like it, this award comes with no absolute obligations to it!

This Arte Award originated with a Spanish language blog, so I do not really know the details in full as my Spanish is limited at best. Please do visit the Arte y Pico blog for more details (in Spanish of course.)

As far as I know the award did not come with any badge so I took the liberty of creating one. If you bestow this award on any lovely blogs, please feel free to use this code when you alert your intended recipients. Copy and paste it into the email message you will send to let your recipients in on the Arte Award. (Post the code in your blog where you like but please do not alter code, the image is copyright to me and I would like to track where it goes.)

<a href="http://psilology.blogspot.com/2008/03/congratulations.html"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2329/2464383961_6193d70aea.jpg?v=0"alt="ArteAward"></a>

Happy Blogging!!!

Check out the Carnival of the Green

Just a heads up to all you green-types about the Carnival of the Green, a weekly eco-carnival put on by the uber-eco Treehugger. This week is hosted by none other than my virtual acquaintance Victoria Everman. She hosts the COTG on her own website this week(an excellent resource for all things green) while staying very busy I am sure co-authoring the Crafting a Green World blog(self explanatory title) among other things.


For some great green posts, head on over and check the action. You will notice how busy Victoria is with her writing, environmentalism, modeling and even crafting. Somehow she even manages to fit yoga into her busy schedule. I'm glad she does all that she does and you can rest assured that the week's postings will be very resourceful.

Illustration Friday - pet peeves

"Spot wants fresh water when his owners are out."

**It occurred to me post drawing that this was only the second dog I had drawn since grade school. You should see the before sketches - scary and oddly duck-like at the same time.

Good Friday Post

Here is an Easter inspiration post. Check out my Flickr faves to see more.

The Laptop Case

My sketches from last week turned into reality. I think it turned out beautifully, especially considering that I really had no pattern.



This is the front showing the vintage button with elastic closure. The envelope style is perfect for laptop protection without being too fussy.

Detail above of the two vintage buttons I used from my HUGE collection. (I'll post about that another day!)


Inside pocket detail. I am very happy with how this looks. I just hope the inside pocket is big enough for the clients needs but she was confident that it would be.

So that was my first Alchemy project and I can say that I enjoyed the whole process. It was nice working with someone who knew what they wanted for a custom project. This is going into the mail on Saturday as tomorrow is Good Friday and there is no mail service. I hope the client is happy with her purchase and somehow I just know she will be pleasantly surprised.

Screen shot

As seen in Small Magazine. This is my favourite shot showing the lavender halter dress. Very cute.

In Local News;

An acquaintance whom I recently had the pleasure of meeting at a local arts event has been named Artist in Residence at a local contemporary gallery.

I met Mia Rushton when she was selling her wares at the Cake Walk recently and we later went for coffee. Mia has a successful Etsy shop and is an established artist having studied printmaking and fibre arts at Alberta College of Art and Design.

Today is supposed to be the opening day so I think we will head down there and check it out. I haven't been to the Alternator Gallery in quite a while. It is located in the Rotary Centre for the Arts downtown.
For more information go here.

More Green Love

I finally figured out how to do a screenshot and here is my current Flickr faves from that process. I wish there were a better way to do it as this does not allow me to credit any of the artists by clicking into their Flickr accounts which would be great.
(If any of you reading know a better way, please let me in on it. Thanks!)

Happy Green Day!!!

Saint Patrick's Day, the greenest day of all and certainly my favourite!
I think there is a Flickr group dedicated to the big event that showcases all things green, so head on over there and see.

Oh and a Happy Birthday to my good friends who were born on the luckiest day of all, Kim and James. Hope you both have a great day!

A Day at the Beach

The day was nice enough for us to have a weeny roast on the beach at my parent's place. If it weren't for the bonfire we had going, we would have all been popsicles - it is VERY cold down by the lake still!

I took some photos of these very strange looking moss and fungi that were tossed off of the old roof of their cabana. The growths were actually quite interesting to look at.


These lovelies have been hanging around my parent's yard lately, much to Dad's dismay. They eat everything!

Look What I won!!!

I am feeling soooo special today, I won something! I commented on Laurajean's lovely magazine blog and won her giveaway! What a sweet print, I love it and can't wait to get it as it will go perfectly in my room (black and white theme.)


Laurajean is a very talented artist and her work is beautiful. Visit Laurajean's Magazine to see more of her work as well as some fashion, foodie and decorating tidbits.

Again, THANK YOU so much Laurajean.

Illustration Friday - Heavy

I had this drawn out for a week and finally inked it in for Illustration Friday.

Pink is the New Green

Oh Yeah and so is Green! At the right is the ivy green version of my halter dress and it is lookin' fine and all ready for spring shows where I will be selling. Also just in time for the greenest day of all, Saint Patty's Day!


Here is the dress in the lovely pink that would be such a great little Easter dress for some special eco-fashionistas. They are available of course in my online shop for anyone interested, so go have a peek.

Laptop Sleeve Sketch - W.I.P.

So here is a quick sketch of the laptop pocket that I am making for my Etsy client. Please excuse the ultra simplicity and untidy look to it, it is a scan direct from my sketchbook.

Feedback? Anyone?....(Buehler....?)

Etsy Redeems itself with Alchemy Magic

Just a quick post today as I am busy busy doing some sewing.

Anyone who has been reading my blog has probably noticed that I express a bit of dismay at the systemic flaws that are the Etsy machine. Well yesterday I discovered something that changed my outlook about Etsy. It may well have redeemed itself in my eyes with this new feature they have implemented over there.

*ALCHEMY*

If you haven't heard of it and you are an Etsian, you MUST go check it out.
It is a reverse bidding system whereby buyers list what they want at the price they are willing to pay with details and sellers send in bids to win the job.

It seems great so far but I have to warn people, it moves pretty fast so you have to have your ducks in a row when you either list or bid.

I have already won a bid to make a custom laptop sleeve for someone and I am super stoked to be doing it. Laptop sleeves were something I was considering doing anyways and this just put a fire under my butt to do it, AND the item is already sold so its a "WIN-WIN" as they say.

Now this is a brand new feature and I am sure it will be flooded in no time with craziness so I say strike while the iron is hot. It's a great way for sellers who don't have many actual sales (like me and my ONE sale) to get their name out there to potential clients, even if they don't win a bid. And if you do win a bid then WOOHOO! add one more sale to the list.

Anywho, off I go to work on a custom laptop sleeve which I will post about as it progresses.

Now you, fellow Etsians, OFF YOU GO to Alchemy to work some magic! (But don't spend all day on there either! Consider yourselves forewarned!)

Bamboo: A Murky Shade of Green

Ever since I first saw bamboo fabric I have had questions, so many questions.

Yes, the fibre spun into textiles is ohhh so soft and luxurious, almost seductively so. But how does that happen? Are we dancing with environmental danger if we choose bamboo for clothing?

Bamboo is a tree after all and it just boggles my mind that manufacturers can get a tough stalk like that made into a super soft fabric like they do.

Well, I came across this informative article today over at Wearing the Future and it turns out my wariness of bamboo for textiles was right on. Click for a very good read, found initially via Eco Geek.

Technorati

So I keep meaning to sign on to Technorati, so here it is, all done today.

Technorati Profile

Yay!

More About Online Markets

Today I would like to look further into the online market phenomenon.

Way back when that Ebay thing started to pick up steam I had wondered if I should get myself an online shop. Before I looked into it I read some book about marketing and it pointed out a simple flaw in the whole spectrum of having an online shop along with ___(insert huge number here) sellers.



The basic premise is this;

• You have shop with great stuff at great prices.
  
• You work hard to make quality items for your shop.
  
• You also work hard at marketing your product elsewhere either online or in real life.

Unfortunately, there are also X number of sellers right there with you especially when buyers execute search on items that they are interested in; the competition is all right up there with you in the resulting pages. (Unless of course you totally have the market cornered on the widgets you are selling.)

So all of your hard work getting someone to YOUR online shop is instantly undermined as soon as your potential shoppers utilize the search option on said market sites. As well as these online markets work in that they have their own SEO strategies in place for all of the items up for grabs, these same strategies become a double edged sword for sellers as buyers can always look for widgets in a different colour, style or price range thereby canceling any sale for the original widget seller they were looking at buying from.

And let's be honest, how many times have we all looked around and been aggravated at the discovery of another seller who has something similar listed at say a lower price (..Grrr..) or a different fabric or whatever. BUT it is significantly different, I can't lower my prices because I need to actually PAY MYSELF (is it just me or do some sellers not include their own wages in their prices?...) and my sustainable fabrics cost about 4 times more than regular old cotton.

If you are still with me so far, I'll let you all in on why Big Cartel is my personal favorite online selling tool.

The shop that I have set up is basically treated as an extension of my website, it even has my own URL at www.tumtumtreedesigns.com/shop so it looks like its mine, all mine. The easy set up is incredible and they definitely have options for subscribers. The big benefit in my opinion is that even if you are searching on the main Big Cartel site, you have to basically know what it is you are looking for because there are only 4 categories of shops, no searching by product/tags. Big Cartel is no Ebay and they don't want to be the next Etsy either.

Essentially this is why I stayed away from Ebay and why my Etsy shop is not a huge priority in the big scheme of things. I love that Etsy has really helped to make craft cool again but it seems there are way too many sellers vying for dollars from the same group of buyers, and the number of shops is growing every day (unlike Ebay apparently.)

Anywho, hope this is some help to readers.

Lazy is the New Chic, Dirty is the New Cool

Or be glam and reduce ozone by NOT washing your hair!
Seriously, quit washing the locks and you will be both fashionable and environmentally responsible at the same time.

Who knew that two seemingly opposing interests could be satisfied with only one lifestyle change.

According to a study filed at the University of Missourri, unwashed hair absorbs up to eight times more ozone that the clean stuff. This means that there is less ozone available for you to breathe in so good news for the lungs. (Thanks for the tips, Hippy Shopper and Weird Science!)

The bonus being of course that you will also be fashionable according to a New York Times article. I guess it is a simple case of killing two dirty birds without a big shampoo bottle. This also means that I am sooooo hip and cool.

Illustration Friday - Garden

I have been wanting to submit something to Illustration Friday for some time now but haven't. Mainly that is because I don't have all the fancy programs that the pro illustrators use so I fudge my way through my meager digital drawings using MS Paint program. Anywho, the above project would be better if I had more time to block out the white areas but it's not bad for a few minutes work. I had drawn this last week in my sketchbook, then just scanned and coloured it as it happens to go with this week's garden theme. I think if I just stuck with my pen & ink drawings I might be more successful. I will have to give more thought to that for next week.

Trunkt Accepted my Portfolio

Yes, I am very excited today to be announcing that my Trunkt Portfolio got accepted!
I have read so many stories online in the blogosphere from people who got rejected, I was a little nervous to say the least. I haven't filled it all out completely but you can take a look here and see it.

Anywho, just a quick update today as I am having some major internet connection problems. Yesterday my Dad installed a router which took (ahem) a little longer than expected. I was trying to help out for a little bit but I have to say that it was a case of the blind leading the blind. Eventually he got it all working fine, or so we thought. Later on of course after he left,....nothing. Nada, Zip. I tried my darndest to get it up and running again to no avail (like I said,...blind in this particular area...)

So today, at least the modem is working but I updated Explorer which for some reason has disabled my Firefox web browser......hmmmm.

Tum Tum Tree Makes the Cover of Small Magazine!

Spring is finally here and that means the spring issue of Small Magazine. You are invited to check out the newest edition of Small, the ever growing design mag that is all about independent designers who cater to the little people of the world. Celebrating its first year in publication, the online only mag delivers up a scenic cornucopia of fresh goods and services for and all about kids.

Tum Tum Tree Designs is privileged to be a part of it all this issue, which certainly is true to its enchanting form. Two colourways of the very popular halter dress are featured in the impeccably styled shoots within the virtual pages of Small. We are in good company as there are interviews with Amy Karol of Angry Chicken and Stephanie Scarpulla of Bluebird among other fab finds.



Special thanks go out to Olivia and Christine, the editors of Small Magazine as well as hats off to all of the wonderful contributors who help make the magic happen. A job well done indeed.

So what are you waiting for? Click on the links and see for yourself!

Belated Congrats to Tilda Swinton

I don't have cable so I get my limited pop-culture info from the internet (where else!)
When I heard that the utterly amazing Tilda Swinton won the Oscar for Best Female Actor I was very happy to say the least. I have been a fan of Tilda Swinton since I saw Orlando way back when. (I think I rented it in '94 or somewhere thereabouts.) At the time I knew nothing about the movie and I had never heard of Tilda Swinton.

For the first half of the movie, I actually thought that Tilda was a young man(!) though that Quentin Crisp did not have me fooled for a second as Queen Elizabeth I. The movie was absolutely amazing and I have been a fan ever since.



It is also a shame that Ms. Swinton's Oscar win has become shadowed with scrutiny of her unconventional lifestyle arrangement. The fact that she attended the Oscar ceremony with her (much younger) artist boyfriend while the father of her children (also an artist, much older) stayed home in Scotland in the house they all live in seems to be quite a hot topic on the net.

If you ask me, what people do in their own private lives is just that, their own private lives. The arrangement appears to be working for all involved and really, what else could one expect from a household full of "artistes" after all?

Anywho, now that Tilda has won an Oscar, I suppose that I should really get it together and go see that movie. If I could only find out the name of it....(Thanks goodness for Google!)

PS, Photo shamelessly lifted from Nick's Flick Picks who also gives a great write up of Orlando.

Some Shameless Self Promotion

A little while ago Kelly Malouf was looking for artisan interviewees and I got to be one of them. Kelly has some fabulous work of her own on her website and she also features different artisans daily on her blog. She has quite a selection of artists and designers already featured and with a post everyday(!) the list is quickly growing.

You can see my interview here. I hope you all enjoy it and take a look at Kelly's great work. With jewelry, clothing and accessories available, Kelly is a very busy woman indeed.