New Website and Coupon!

Hey, remember back in June and July when I was super stressed out about having to learn all new programming languages to recreate my entire website as fast as possible because of a broken computer? No? Well good, because it was really stressful. Anyway, I did, and now I have a brand new website! I also own breadandbadger.net now, so it's almost like my website is in two places at the same time. Okay, not really.

One of the cool things about my new site is that it's powered by Wordpress, so it has its own blog built into the main page. I'll be updating that blog (which you can subscribe to) with all the latest news and updates for the business side of Bread and Badger. Y'know, like shops that carry our work, events we'll be at, new products, custom work I want to show off, sales and promotions, press features about us, etc. It's going to be great. You can also subscribe to our product feed if you'd like to know about our newest products the second they're released (this feed is different from the news feed above).

You've probably already noticed that I don't update this blog very often anyway, but I'll try to post something every now and then when I discover a really cool band or product or artist. Mostly, I post those things on Twitter when I find them, so I encourage you to follow me there if you're interested in my interests and personal goings-on.

Since I love my blog readers more than vanilla pudding, I'm also giving you a 20% off coupon which is good on your whole order from our website until next Friday, September 10th. Just put the code "phoenix" into the coupon field of the shopping cart, and it'll calculate your discount for you. (This coupon isn't applicable in our Etsy shop--sorry!) Let me know what you think of the new site, and thanks for reading!

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Recap of Awesomeness

Super Quick Recap of the past few weeks:

1. I taught a class and a workshop at the Summit of Awesome, and attended lots of super-awesome classes and workshops in turn. I got really inspired! Susan Beal is doing a bang up job detailing the Summit week on the Craftzine blog here, here and here (I was quoted a lot in the second link). There are hundreds of photos from the event on Flickr too.
2. I've been creating a whole new ecommerce site using Wordpress, but it's kind of tedious and there's a lot for me to learn. The good news is that it should go live within the next week. Yay!
3. Sean and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary with some fabulous baked brie (and more!) at The Farm Cafe. It's amazing to look back and reflect on all the great things we've done together in the past 7 years.
4. We've been clearing out old wood piles, killing blackberries and English ivy, and re-roofing our shed on sunny days. We also planned out our bathroom remodel when the medicine cabinet started dismantling itself, and we've been to every furniture store 3 times since then. We've already started re-planning our kitchen remodel, which won't happen until next spring.
5. Custom orders! We've had tons of custom designs to work on recently, from wedding favors, to baptism candles, and some collaborative work with other artists thrown in.
6. I finally got my badger tattoo! The blurry photo above doesn't really do it justice, but that's the best I could do while trying to click the shutter button with my left hand.
7. A new webcomic is in the works! We're still in the planning stages, but the amazing Kim Werker and I are putting together a fun crafty webcomic based on a concept that she's been carrying around for awhile. Despite being so busy with everything else, this is one of the most exciting things for me right now, and I can't wait to get it together.

[Tattoo by Lew Hess at Atlas Tattoo in Portland, OR

I love this so much, I can't even describe it. Just for reference, I asked Lew to base his design on this old Sailor Jerry tattoo of a panther with a snake.

I shouldn't have to say this, and I know it's weird, but I'd really appreciate it if you're considering getting a badger tattoo like this to have your tattoo artist redraw the design themselves and not just duplicate mine. Someone else found one of my original tattoos on the internet and got the exact same thing (same colors and everything) and it kinda weirds me out. Thanks.]

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Super Secret Scott Pilgrim Party!

Sometimes, I have the opportunity to work on super secret projects that I'm not allowed to talk about. My friends at New England Comics in Allston, MA (which, incidentally, is the home of The Tick, and where I used to sell my original little comic book series) have been organizing a big launch party for the release of the final volume of the Scott Pilgrim comics by Bryan Lee O'Malley.

Volume 6, "Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour" comes out July 20th, and the film based on the comics (starring Michael Cera--which will be awesome) comes out August 13th, so there's quite a bit to celebrate. Watch the trailer for the movie here. Oh, and there's also going to be an 8-bit style video game.

You can't tell, but I've been essentially bouncing with excitement over all this magical SP-goodness since I got asked to work on this project! The event seems to be getting bigger and bigger as things come together and the ever-amazing Michelle wrangles it all together.

I still can't talk details, but I can say that I'll be designing something rad based on the Scott Pilgrim comics (which you should totally read), and that I'll be wanting very badly to be in Boston this summer when the party happens. I'll post more info when I'm allowed to release it, and the NEC website will also share news when it gets closer to the date. Read some comics!

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BOGO Clearance Sale!

Buy One, Get One 1/2 Off!

All Pint Glasses & Soap Dispensers on Sale!

Get the best deals of the year during our BOGO Sale through Jan. 1st, New Year's Day. Every pint glass and soap dispenser is Buy One, Get One Half Off on our website and Etsy shop (prices are already reduced for you)--including our top-sellers like the Mustache, Bicycle and Robot!

Stock up on gifts for the rest of the year, or treat yourself to a full set of drinking glasses for under $100! Mix-and-match designs to get all your favorites, and snag the last of our retired designs before they're gone (more details below).

1 Pint Glass: $15.00

2 Pint Glasses: $22.50

4 Pint Glasses: $45.00

6 Pint Glasses: $67.50

8 Pint Glasses: $90.00

1 Recycled Glass Soap Dispenser: $25.00

2 Recycled Glass Soap Dispensers: $37.50

4 Recycled Glass Soap Dispensers: $75.00

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Out With the Old - In With the New
We hope you had a joyful and relaxing holiday! We spent the day eating, playing video games, and putting tons of items on sale in our shop. We need to make room for new designs (we're in the process of collaborating with other artists to create some really exciting art!), so a bunch of current designs are being retired and replaced.

Please say good-bye to the Dogwood Flowers, Dragonfly, Koi Fish, Seahorse, Pirate Skull, Steady Snail, Tree and Winged Heart. All these designs will be on sale until they're gone. Get yours now, before it's too late!

We plan on releasing a new series of designs (including a staggering ZOMBIE) in January, as well as starting to accept wholesale and custom orders again. We just need a little time to clear our heads and our workspace from the holiday chaos. :)

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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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1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse

I'm in a book!! It's pretty crazy to see a bunch of my products in a real live printed craft book, but it's even crazier that one of the photos actually has me in it! My fantastic mustache pint glass model, Zoe, (screenprinting helper and daughter of Salmon St. Studio owners) is also featured in the book, and I can't wait to give her a copy.

Garth Johnson's 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse book is a huge image collection of re-purposed crafty projects, products and art. There aren't any instructions for remaking anything in the book, but it's a treasure-trove of glossy, colorful inspiration.

 I would have bought this book, even if I wasn't a contributor. It's great for setting on the coffeetable (or in my case, next to my computer), ready to browse for a little creative boost. I've flipped through it a dozen times, and I'm still discovering new things I hadn't noticed before!

Check out Eye Pop Art's Recycled Record Mandala bowl on the left page here, which is in the same colors as the clock she gave me!

I love that this book includes such a wide range of projects, from wearables to installation art. I keep getting new ideas for furniture and decor items that I want to make (or shop for--let's be realistic, now). I really love the cinder block drawers on the left page above.

This book would make a perfect gift for any crafter, hobbyist, or consumer interested in sustainable design, and looking for some eye-candy. Buy your copy on Amazon, or support our local bookstore, Powell's.

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Wholesale Updates

Last year, all I wanted in the world was to have wholesale accounts to sell to. It would be great to ship out a whole bunch of stuff at once, and then get a big check for it. For some reason, it was really hard to find stores that wanted to carry glassware at first. Over the year though, we've added quite a few awesome shops to our list!

Just this past month, we've gotten swamped with new requests from stores (and coffee shops!) across the country. I'm thrilled that there are so many brick and mortar stores supporting handmade businesses! It makes me even happier that they'd like to support mine.

The only problem is that these orders are wiping out all of our holiday inventory that we've been stocking up on. I've already hired our first independent contractor to help us out, and there may be more in our future. Even so, we've had to change our wholesale ordering policies and cut down on the products that we're able to make. We also decided not to accept any new wholesale accounts until we can reevaluate our situation in the springtime.

If you've ordered from us in the past, and would like to restock for the holidays, please download our latest order form here. If you own a shop, and want to add our products to your shelves for the first time, we'd really appreciate it if you contacted us in the spring. If you just can't wait that long, we can work out a discount for you, but we won't be able to give you our standard wholesale prices.

We'll be adjusting our wholesale policies and prices again in the new year, as soon as we're able to catch our breath!

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Workforce

It's that time of year where our "to-do" pile fills a room, and the "done" pile is very nearly as tall as I am. I took some time to clean the house for our housewarming party tomorrow, and I'm going to spend a good while baking goodies. It's a good thing we've gotten Lea to help us get some work done!

I'm about to unveil our new policies and rates for custom orders, so join our mailing list here if you'd like the scoop. Only newsletter subscribers will be able to order custom items, so don't miss out!

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Moving on

So, I'm sure I've mentioned this, but I'll say it again: We're buying a house! It's been a crazy, stressful rollercoaster ride of an experience, and it isn't quite over yet. But if everything goes as planned, then we'll be moving into our very first house in September.

What does this mean to you? Well, it means that our shipping times will be slowing down a little bit for most of next month. We'll probably be shipping orders out once a week instead of every two days. It also means that I'm unable to create custom artwork for a while, since I'm overwhelmed with all the new projects that are arising (like packing all our things, researching lots of DIY home repair stuff, actually tackling those projects once we have the place, setting up our new studio, unpacking again, etc.).

This house needs a lot of work, and a couple projects need to be completed before we can even start moving in and settling down. Our lives have already been pretty crazy for the past month or so, and it's just going to get crazier. So I thought I'd give a heads-up to all our lovely customers, so you knew we weren't just slacking.

I've been working on creating new designs for jewelry, including a new badger design! We also just got in a new bottle for oil and vinegar that we hope to release soon, amidst all the chaos.

Holiday Orders
I know it may seem super early for thinking about holiday gifts, but I thought I'd mention that I don't plan on accepting custom orders at all in November and December, and I'm not taking any until the end of September either. We're just too busy with personal things for me to devote the proper amount of time to creating beautiful artwork. :(

So, if you're thinking of getting a special design on glass for a friend or family member, you should join our mailing list now (there's a box on the top right of every page on our website for signing up). If things work out, I'm going to announce a custom ordering period in October, which may only be open to our subscribers. Or, you're welcome to put in your custom order now, and I'll make sure it's completed before the holidays. Email me to work out the deets.

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Martha Stewart in 1985

I'm always asking my neighbors to bring over their old newspaper for me to use as packing material for my boxes that I ship out, and one friend just gave me an unexpected surprise. In a big box of newspaper (some of which dated back to Mother's Day), was a paper bag stuffed with yellowing copies of the Oregonian from 1985. That's right, this newspaper is the same age as my sister who's getting married.

I just discovered the bag of antique papers tonight. Holy Mother of all things Retro. I feel guilty packing my glasses with these pieces of history, especially when they contain pictures of a young Martha Stewart, features on a "Sportsman's Thanksgiving" (a "celebration of a harvest of field and stream" with recipes for pheasant, duck, venison, and salmon), an op-ed article whining about hooking up a touch-tone phone, an informative piece on "Salsa, Mexican Ketchup", and breaking news about the trend of wine coolers.

I might just have to hang on to these relics for a time. At least until I can make the pheasant recipe that calls for Krusteaz pancake mix and a package of bacon.

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Renegade San Fransisco

We'll be at Renegade this weekend with pint glasses, soap dispensers, jewelry and more! Come say hi and pick up some birthday gifts, wedding presents, or a little something for yourself.

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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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Bazaar Bizarre at Maker Faire

We're packing up today to get ready for our long drive down to San Mateo for the Bazaar Bizarre at Maker Faire! We're leaving tomorrow, which means there's a lot of scrambling around to make sure we have everything. Luckily, only one glass broke in the process! (I accidentally dropped another pint glass inside this one from about half a foot in the air. It really takes a lot of impact to break one of these, but it makes an impressive "pop" when it happens.)

We're bringing our most popular pint glass designs, plus the new, unreleased Cassette Love design. We'll also have shot glasses, soap dispensers, hand-engraved necklaces on clearance, tons of fused glass accessories, and other tidbits of etchy goodness. This is a great opportunity to grab some Father's Day gifts and not have to pay for shipping!

The Maker Faire runs for two full days, and has tons of amazing creative things to see and interact with. I highly recommend bringing the whole family down!

If you're not lucky enough to be in the Bay area this weekend, you can still order Father's Day gifts from our website our Etsy shop, and we'll make them and ship them when we return at the beginning of June.

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Now Available...

We just found out that we've been accepted into the Renegade Craft Fair in San Fransisco this July!! This will be our second drive down the coast, since we'll also be at the Bazaar Bizarre at the Maker Fair at the end of May.

If you're not on the west coast, you can look for our glassware at the upcoming Female Art Collective shop in Louisville, KY. This is going to be a great artist collection (plus, one of the founding members has fantastic jewelry), and our first account in the south. If you're in their area, you should go to their launch party--there will be cupcakes! (Click the image below to read the details.)

Thanks to everyone who's voted on the poll for our new chiclet glass accessories! You can vote for more than one product (in the poll on the right sidebar), to give us an idea what you'd like to see us make. We love your feedback!

Visit these webpages for more info on our upcoming events, or see our Where to Buy page for other shops and events:
http://breadandbadger.com/where.html
http://renegadecraft.com/
http://www.bazaarbizarre.org/sanfrancisco/
http://www.myspace.com/femaleartcollective

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Crafty Wonderland's 3rd Birthday Bash

We've just confirmed our first show of the spring! We'll be at Crafty Wonderland on April 5th, with new pint glass designs, ceramics, and a big sale box!

Come celebrate the Crafty's 3rd birthday with us, and check out the special events they have going on: that weekend is the Portland premier of Handmade Nation, the indie craft documentary, at the Museum of Contemporary Craft! Faythe Levine (the filmmaker) will be at Crafty Wonderland to meet visitors and sign/sell copies of her book, also titled Handmade Nation. There will also be a special Handmade Nation themed DIY Table project. Some of the crafters featured in her film/book are going to be there as well!

Read more about the film here. Get tickets to see the film and find out about the other cool things happening at the museum that weekend here. I'll be at the Saturday showing of the film with my friend, Adrienne, of Mmm..Fiber!

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Video Chat is Really Cool

We were interviewed on Etsy for a "Quit Your Day Job" article, and invited to answer questions in their Virtual Labs! Sean and I got to put our webcam to good use by answering people's questions (and not having to type!). It was really cool, and I can't believe I've never checked out the Virtual Labs before (they're always full when I've tried). The platform is such an ingenius way to interact with people!

There was so much going on, it was kind of hard to tell if we were answering everyone's questions, but we did our best. I'm still blown away by how many people joined us and participated. I hope we were inspirational!

Thanks to Leah for taking the screen shot and sending it!

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Print Giveaway Winner and New Mugs

The winner of the drawing for an autographed Chilly Robot print is Jess!! Thanks to everyone who entered. There will be new drawings in the future, so subscribe to our blog so you don't miss the next one.

If you still really want a Chilly Robot print, there are two more for me to give away. They're going out to the first customers to spend $70 or more on our website or Etsy shop until the end of March (one has already found its new home!). Congratulate yourself for finishing your taxes early, or console yourself with a little something special. I feel your pain.

If you're looking for something brand-spankin' new, check out our new ceramics line! I've been scouring thrift stores for fun coffee mugs and teacups, and we're finally got some of them up in our Etsy shop. Some have been carved through the glaze, so the bold natural ceramic shows through, while others are just frosted on the surface.

Mustaches are by far the most popular design for these, but we're happy to do whatever design you like (although we're limited by the colors/styles of cups we're able to find). New mugs are being added as fast as we can make them! I came down with a cold last week, and have been drinking enormous amounts of herbal tea, making me wonder why I didn't release these ceramics earlier.

You can see more photos of them here, and check out what's for sale here. My favorite one is the little brown one in this photo, since I'm left-handed. I'm going to make more lefty mugs for the shop, because I know we left-handers need options.

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Consider yourself insured

I've decided to include insurance with all priority mail and international orders, from now on! I had to raise shipping prices by $1 to cover this benefit, but it makes all orders more secure for everyone.

I realized when I was doing this that our shipping prices might seem kinda high to some people (they seem high to me!), and I thought maybe I should explain where all your money goes.

I get all my priority mail boxes for free from the USPS. They have a variety of sizes, which are usually convenient. The USPS has some pretty outrageous prices when it comes to shipping heavy things like pint glasses, so I usually have to send them in Flat Rate boxes to get the best deals. They even charge extra based on the shipping location, so someone in MA could end of paying twice as much as someone in CA to get the same item with normal priority service. I try to average out the actual costs, so everyone pays something fair.

I've considered offering a cheaper shipping option through another carrier, but UPS and Fedex don't deal with small packages. It would actually be $80-100 to ship a pair of pint glasses! Parcel Post is the cheaper USPS option, but I'd have to buy my own boxes, so the end price would be the same as the flate rate prices for most things. I'm going to look at small boxes this week, to see if I can find something to ship shot glasses in, so they don't have to go priority mail. That could save you a few bucks! Too bad pint glasses are a little too big and heavy for that.

It's been a few months since we've had this many boxes to ship out (you may remember this photo from back in December), but it's amazing how much time it takes to pack and ship things every day, even with just one or two orders. Recycled newspaper doesn't crumple itself! We're happy to have found a source for recycled packaging now, so all orders in the future (when we run out of the bubble wrap we've already purchased) will be packed completely in recycled materials. Yay for the environment!

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Now available at Powell's

I forgot to mention this the other day, but an assortment of my pint glasses are now available for sale at Powell's Books for Home & Garden (3747 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR). Yay! It's right next to Pastaworks, if you happen to be in the neighborhood looking for cannoli shells.

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share it map it post it click it

[Glasses spotted in the Las Vegas Urban Outfitters by Erin Crane. Thanks, Erin!]

I've been on a bit of a creative streak, digitally speaking. I just created my first Google Map (which was fun and easy!) for the Urban Outfitters locations that are carrying my licensed hi-ball glasses. There are only two locations so far, but the map is open to the public, so please add your own location if you see the glasses! Or you can send me a quick email and I'll gladly add it for you.

I also created a gallery on Flickr for fans of the all-mighty Mustache. Do you have one of our mustache glasses? Send us a picture of you (or a friend) drinking out of it! Upload your favorite facial hair photos to the group, or send them to me directly, so I can share them with other fanatics.

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