New Juice Glasses

We've been getting requests for small, everyday juice glasses for a while, and we decided to finally make some. These 5oz glasses are so cute, I just want to carry them around and use them for everything!

3.5" (9cm) tall, 2" (5cm) across the mouth, holds 5 oz (148ml) of liquid goodness

They're sandblasted by my husband and myself in our home studio. The stencils are handmade, created from my original artwork (and Mary Kelly's original Robo-Dino artwork), and applied by hand. The etched designs are permanent, and the glasses are sturdy and dishwasher-safe, initialed on the bottoms.

They're only $12 each, available in any quantity on our website and Etsy shop, with discounts for buying them in sets. Enjoy!

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Zombie Apocalypse Teacups

I've been pretty excited about these zombie teacups ever since I found them at the thrift store! I've been trying to do photoshoots with fake blood to get the flesh-eating zombie vibe down, but it's been harder than I expected. I thought our backyard would make a good backdrop for a zombiepocalypse wasteland, but it turned out looking like a teaparty in a slightly neglected garden.

I might try to redo these photos another day with some props or something, but for now I'm pretty satisfied with this photo. What do you think?

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Dinosaurs Rule the Earth

Back when Sean and I went on vacation, I finally had some time to sketch out some new design ideas. One of them is going to have a steampunk theme, one is going to be a kitten, and one is going to be a dinosaur.

The only problem with the dinosaur is choosing which one. I'm pretty sure everyone has a favorite from when they were a kid, or from reading a variety of current webcomics.

In an effort to make some of the people happy all of the time, I decided to put a poll up to find out what most people's favorite dino species is. If there isn't a clear winner when I decide to tally up the results, then I'll just have to make an assortment to sell as a set.

Vote for your favorite now, in the poll at the top of the right-hand column!

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New Mugs and Stemware

March is traditionally one of our slowest months of the year, but that just means we've got more time to make stuff! I recently bought a whole bunch of mugs, teacups with saucers and champagne flutes from the thrift store, which we sandblasted with a whole assortment of images.

I've been listing them in our Etsy shop for the past few days, and one of the champagne flute sets has already sold! I'll be shopping for more stemware and mugs soon, to try to keep them in stock all the time. Sometimes they're really hard to come by, though. Matching glassware in good condition (without a bank logo or something on it) is hard to find. Also, you'd be amazed how many chipped or broken-handled mugs end up at thrift stores. I spend HOURS carefully scrutinizing items before I buy them secondhand. But I think it's totally worth it, don't you?

Since we had to move all our furniture for the carpet installation in our house, I had the opportunity to do some reorganizing of our inventory. The exciting thing is that I found a box with 4 brand new wine glasses in it, which I didn't even know we had! I promptly put mustaches on them and listed them in our Etsy shop as well.

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Zombies and Pirates and Robo-Dinos, oh my!

We've had a whirlwind of a month so far, making tons of new things, and also trying not to overwork ourselves. We took our first day off since New Year's, and spent it hanging gutters (our house and garage came without them) and chopping down the overgrown lawn. Now it's back to photo shoots and updating our wholesale order form!

The Robo-Dino design is our first artist collaboration! Our friend, Mary, of Lollytots, is letting us use one of her most popular images for our new collection. If you're a fan of the Robo-Dino then please check out her shop. It's chock full of cuteness, bright colors and fuzzy hats that are perfect for ladies, gents and wee ones!

We've already added Zombie Apocalypse and Jolly Roger pints, double-old-fashioned glasses and soap dispensers to our Etsy shop, with shot glasses and new oil and vinegar bottles being listed throughout the week. (Shoot me an email or convo if you want something that isn't listed yet, and I'll get it online for you asap!)

If you're a current wholesale customer of ours, I'll be emailing our latest order form and line sheet to you really soon. If you'd like to become a wholesale customer of ours, please let me know you'd like to be added to the list.

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Custom Etching from Photos

We just started accepting custom orders again, after a long break that allowed us to make it through the holidays. The first project I got to work on was this set of pint glasses, based on a bunch of adorable photos. See how they're all wearing white t-shirts and black glasses?

 Most of the custom work I've done has been logos, or drawings and digital art that I've created from scratch. I don't think I've worked from photos since I was hand-engraving glass, but sandblasting creates an interesting new challenge. In order to create a workable stencil, I have to turn a photograph into a high-contrast black and white image, without losing the "soul" of the image. I like the way these look like they were taken from a gritty comic book, and I hope other people like them too!

If you'd like to order your own custom designs, contact me to get a price quote. All the ordering info is below.

We're working on releasing new products next week, like the Zombie Apocalypse design we showed off recently, and a new Jolly Roger pirate skull, plus rectangular bottles for oil and vinegar. The oil bottles were a huge hit at holiday events, and we love that they're made from recycled glass!

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Our New Rates for Custom Etching:

$40 per hour of design work, with a $20 minimum for each order.

Hours are charged in 15 min. increments.

Design work includes research, original sketches, color conversion to solid black & white, digital retouching, tracing, vectorizing and any revisions you request.

Extra fees will apply if you'd like etching over an area larger than 3 inches wide by 4 inches tall, or on both sides of an item.

Prices of actual products and shipping are not included in the custom design fee. The number of items you'd like with your custom artwork on them will have no effect on the custom design fee.

Design work fees don't include the time it takes to make the actual sandblasting stencil we'll use, or masking the items, or the sandblasting itself, or any washing, packaging or otherwise handling of your awesome customized stuff. That's all covered in the product price, so nothing else unexpected will get tacked on, we promise.
We do not manufacture glassware items ourselves, so availability of colors and quantities is limited to what we can find.

Custom Ordering FAQ's

Q. What can I get for the $20 minimum fee?

A. 1) A line or two of text added to a glass, even if I have to download a new font for you. (I recommend dafont.com if you want to browse through there in advance. Script fonts or ones with fine lines or small details may not work well, but I can help you find alternatives once I know what style you're looking for.)

2) A logo or image already in b&w vector format.

3) A b&w logo or image in another format, which doesn't have too many details or fine lines. Some color photos can work well too, if you don't mind letting me convert them to line art for you. I'll let you know how simple your image will be to work with once I see it.

Q. What if I don't have any artwork, but I have a really great idea?

A. Then the time it takes could be anywhere from one hour to 3 hours, or longer. The more information you can give me from the beginning, the faster it will be to create your perfect design.

I can usually create something from scratch within an hour or two, but it can be time-consuming to create something that's outside of my artistic style. Describe your idea as clearly as you can, and please send any sketches or images you can find online that help illustrate your concept. I'll give you an estimate before I begin, and keep you updated if it looks like I'm going to go out of your budget.

Q. How do I pay for my custom order?

A. Once I know what you want, and we've agreed on an estimate, I'll send you a Paypal invoice which will include the price of the items you'd like etched, plus shipping, and the custom order charge. I won't be able to start working on your artwork until I've received this payment. (You can use any credit or debit card to pay through Paypal, or I can send an invoice through another credit card processor if you prefer. We no longer accept checks.)

If you'd prefer to pay a 50% deposit instead of all at once, I'll send you another invoice for the balance when your order is completed. Your order will be shipped after your full payment is received.

Q. How long will all of this take?

A. Most custom projects take about 1-3 weeks from concept to shipping date, depending on how quickly you respond to emails, send payments, and how complicated the design process is.

Shipping times are usually 2-3 business days for up to 4 pint glasses. We ship Fedex Ground for larger orders, which usually takes 3-10 business days.

Q. What's the deadline for placing my order?

A. We're expecting to have plenty of time through the spring to work on your custom projects, but we may have to stop taking requests as business picks up in the summer and fall. Custom work has been a huge part of our business, but our focus may change as our original designs and collaborative projects take off.

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Zombie Apocalypse on the Horizon

As the countdown to Christmas draws near, we here in Badgerland are finally able to take a breath, collect our thoughts, and start cleaning up the chaos around our house. I'm not much for long breaks, so I've already got a huge post-holiday sale ready to start on Dec. 26th. Select items (including pint glasses!) will be Buy One Get One 1/2 Off until New Year's Day.

We're going to retire about 6 different designs, so we can make room for lots of new things for 2010! Discontinued glassware is in limited quantities, so don't hesitate to snatch up your favorites now!

Not only are we working on our own meme-themed art for the spring, but we're also collaborating with a number of local artists to bring you brand-spanking new barware and homegoods you've never seen before. Stay tuned for more details.

I wanted our newest design to be a surprise, but I just had to share it with you! We all know that the Zombie Apocalypse is just around the corner, so do yourself a favor by stocking your stronghold with shotgun shells, baseball bats, and lots of your favorite beverages. You wouldn't want to be thirsty during your final hours, would you? (This zombie design will be available in January!)

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Cyber Monday Sales!

To celebrate Cyber Monday, for today only, we're offering FREE SHIPPING on all pendants and accessories in our Etsy shop, plus FREE SHIPPING on absolutely everything in our second jewelry shop on Etsy, Silver Squirrel!

The discounted beaded jewelry at Silver Squirrel is all one-of-a-kind, and I won't be making any more like it.

Since pint glasses are our biggest sellers, and shipping is a bit expensive, we thought we should offer discounted shipping to you guys. So, for the rest of the day, you can get HALF PRICE SHIPPING to the U.S. or Canada on all pint glass sets of 2 or more. That's right--shipping is actually cheaper if you buy 2 or more pint glasses, than if you were to get just one.

Don't wait! This sale is only going on for a few more hours!

We were going to save these Musical Heart Note recycled glass corked bottles until Valetine's Day, but I thought we should release them early. For a limited time, they'll be on sale for only $6 in our Etsy shop.

Fill it with your favorite candy and give it as a gift, keep one for yourself and put colored sand inside it, or use it as a scented oil diffuser. My brother-in-law designed the graphic, and we put it on these cute little bottles for his wedding.

(Discounts and shipping prices have already been adjusted, so there's nothing you need to do to get the sale prices. The shipping calculator on our website works differently than the one on Etsy, so if you order from BreadAndBadger.com, we'll send you a refund through Paypal, or discount your order before processing your credit card, depending on your payment method.)

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A Real Mustache Mug

Can you believe this?? I scored this mug while shopping for other reclaimed mugs at the Goodwill today. It's a classic mustache mug (made in Japan), with a protective bar for keeping your mustache dry while you drink your beverage. I've heard rumors about these, but hadn't seen one until today.

Oh, and speaking of mustache mugs, I just listed a couple coffee cups and espresso demitasse cup and saucer sets in our Etsy shop, and I'm working on adding more soon. We're not taking any new wholesale orders anymore, so that should give us some time to work on filling the shop for early holiday shopping.

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There and Back Again

Boy, has it been a busy week. We just got back from our trip to Massachusetts, and I haven't quite processed the mounds of work waiting for us at home. Today is Sean's birthday, so it's a good excuse to take it easy.


Speaking of taking it easy, I hurt my back on our second day out (re-aggravating an old injury in a pretty severe manner), and I've been walking around with this awesome cane every since. Pretty great. I hate feeling crippled, but I should be back to normal in a month or so.


Portland has pretty much everything, as far as I'm concerned, except for a few foodie favorites. We made sure to each a bunch of Italian-style subs while in Boston, plus some fantastic pork and veggie burritos from Anna's Taqueria, Indian food (I had goat vindaloo for the first time!) from Punjabi Dhaba, and the obligatory Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee. If you find yourself in New England and haven't enjoyed any of these simple delights, please try them immediately.


I'm thrilled that we were able to make the wedding favors for my sister's wedding, and we spent our first afternoon filling them with candy and curling ribbons. The musical note heart design was the groom's original artwork, which we etched onto these fantastic recycled glass bottles. The M&M's and chocolate mints were a huge hit with all the guests!


We ended up making too many bottles for the number of guests that could attend, so we'll be adding these to our shop for Valentine's Day next year. They'd make great bud vases, or vials for holding decorative sand or super-mini terrariums! I think I'll have to keep a couple for myself...

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Father's Day Sale!

Everything on our website and Etsy shop is 15% off until June 14th! That includes all your Dad's Day gifts: pint glasses, fancy rocks glasses (my dad's favorite), coffee mugs, wine glasses and more! We've got 4 new designs to choose from, including the pin-up girl style Mermaids above.


Maybe you have a new dad in your life, who grew up making mixtapes. Share a smoothie with your sweetie in our Cassette Tape glass.

Is your guy perfecting an urban homestead? We know you don't live in a barn, so spruce up his kitchen with a set of Chicken and Snail tumblers!

(If you have a retail shop, you can order these wholesale now!)

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New Art

You may be wondering what I've been doing recently. Right? I'm sure you were curious.

Last week, I was creating new art for some custom orders. I made this movie reel design for a pint glass, and two chemistry-themed illustrations for some double-old-fashioneds. I'm finally getting comfortable using Adobe Illustrator, and it's taking me a little less time to do designs like these. Pretty cool!

We also got a big wholesale order from our friends at Magpie in Somerville, MA, so Sean and I have been putting that together. Magpie is one of my all-time favorite places to buy gifts, and I'm really happy to be sending them new items! They're getting a great assortment of coffee mugs, which is always fun because of all the different colors and shapes I end up using from thrift stores.

Magpie is getting shot and pint glasses too, and they're the first shop to carry one of our newest designs, the Cassette Tape. (Notice the little heart the tape makes? That's my favorite part!)


I spent all day today adding 4 new designs to our website, so you can buy them for Father's Day. I also updated the page for mugs and teacups, so you can request any design from our catalog. I still have to shop for new mugs, so it may take a week to get your ceramic cups, but at least now you can get the ball rolling!


Oh, and we carved this vase for our friend, Megan of Ta-Dah.

[Don't forget that all these designs are my original work, and are totally copyrighted and all that stuff.]

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Slide-Top Tins!

I almost couldn't contain my excitement over this new project, so I feel like I've been holding my breath until now! Months ago, I got some adorable little slide-top tins from my friend, Lea, who runs a supply shop. I'm sure you've seen these little guys around, usually with gorgeous washi paper adorning their tops.

I didn't really have a use for mine when I bought them, but I've held onto them anyway, waiting for inspiration to strike. Just last week, I thought we should try sandblasting one just to see what would happen. I'm so stunned by the result, that I had to make a little video of the tin to show you!

Not only could I use these for packaging my new earrings, but I could also customize them for other crafty-people. I could do logos, product names (for lip balms and such) or just keep doing my own designs. What do you think? :D

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Updates, Trademarks, and trying to keep up

Sean and I had a great time at the Alberta Art Hop on Saturday! We got to sit out in the sun and warm weather, relaxing and talking to friends and customers. What a great time! Check out my friend Lea's blog for some great pictures of the event. Scroll down to see her fantastic friend John with one of my mustache pint glasses!!

When I got home from the Art Hop, I discovered I had two new things. One was a nasty head cold that is still making life unpleasant, but the second thing was my official paperwork for my trademark filing for Bread and Badger®. *squeal!* See that? I get to use the ® symbol now! I'm going to be updating my website and everything else I can think of now.


I'm still working on this Press Release tutorial, and I'm hoping to have it available online by the end of the week, or at least by the end of the month (since I need some people to proof-read it for me first). Stay tuned for more info on how to win a free copy!

I loved getting feedback from everyone about how to sell my new "chiclet" fused glass jewelry pieces, and I'll be taking photos of them today. We have better earwires now (sterling silver kidney wires that close in the backs so they won't fall out!), bobby pins, and mini pendants. Expect to see them in our Etsy shop this week!

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Alberta Art Hop

Sean's parents have been visiting us from Florida for the first time this week, and we've been seeing the sights all over Oregon! We've really enjoyed showing them around our new city, plus the Gorge, the coast, Mt Hood, and a day trip down to Corvallis (to meet an author friend that's just written a book on climate change). We've been eating amazing food everywhere we go, and I don't know how we'll adjust to our normal lives once they leave!

They're heading out tomorrow, which is just as well, since we'll be attending the Alberta Art Hop. I'm excited to do this fun street fair because it's a great way to hang out with some artist friends in the beautiful weather! Come down to Alberta St and see us and a bunch of new products (we'll be at 28th).

We'll have new jewelry and bobby pins, plus unreleased pint glass designs like Cassette Love, a Snail, a Hen and a Mermaid. See them before they're online!

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Teal

I've been working on making lots of tiny little "chiclet" glass pieces (remember those little colorful pillow-squares of gum that you could get from a vending machine for 25 cents??). They're so fun! I just got this great new teal color, which I've been using a lot since I ran out of blue, green and tomato red. I'm waiting for more glass to come in, and I'm replacing the cyan blue with a slightly more rich turquoise color.

My question to all of you lovely people is--What should I do with them? I'm making them into earrings (for about $20 a pair) and adjustable rings (for $10-12). The larger pendants I've been making are kind of hefty, so I'm thinking maybe I could turn some of these little guys into mini-pendants for about $10. Would you like that? I can also put them on sturdy bobby-pin style hairclips.

I don't want to have too many new items, but variety is the spice of life. I'm putting a poll on the sidebar (to the right) so you can tell me about your favorite colorful accessories! Let me know what you want to see!

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Space Rocks My World

These were such a fun design to draw! I originally developed the Astronauts in Love for a custom cookie jar, but I heard lots of requests to put them on pint glasses. I listed one pair in our Etsy shop, but I can make more if they sell out.

There's also a new guitar design (also developed as a custom order), but I'll wait until the morning to list it. I have knitting that's calling to me! I hope you'll understand.

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