Showing posts with label stuff I've made. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stuff I've made. Show all posts

September 3, 2010

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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May 11, 2010

Scottish Bagpiper Glasses

I've been working hard to get the new dinosaur designs into production (in case you missed the poll, we're going to be making T-Rex and Brontosaurus glasses very soon!), but there are a lot of custom projects that have been keeping me busy as well.

A lot of personalized wedding glasses have just been mailed out, and I just finished a Father's Day request for a set of Scottish bagpiper pint glasses. This isn't a design I would have come up with on my own, but it was really fun to turn this concept into my own creation. I also had the pleasure to work with a fabulous customer who really gave me the freedom to work in my own style. It's one of those things that make this the best job ever!

I also got to use my new Wacom drawing tablet (another early birthday present from my dad--thanks, Dad!!). I don't know how I ever worked without it. I used to sketch on paper, using tracing paper, filling things in with markers or calligraphy pens, and then scanning it into Photoshop to spend hours "fixing" and smoothing all the lines. Now, I can create my artwork directly in Illustrator, with my left hand, no less! Excellent.

We charge custom design orders by the hour now, and this has significantly sped up the process for me, which makes everyone happy. I still went over the initial estimate I gave the customer (by about half), but I didn't charge her for it, and I feel really good about the results.

Custom orders are the soul of our business, and this new tablet just makes it so much more enjoyable for me. I still like drawing with "real" tools, but I'm all about embracing technology like this. If you're an artist who works digitally a lot, you should consider getting a drawing tablet. They take a little getting used to, but it's so much faster!

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May 6, 2010

Tea Time

Community is sometimes hard to find, so I know how lucky I am to have friends in the crafty community here in Portland, whom I see pretty regularly. I'm hosting a PDX Etsy team Tea Time at our house next Wednesday, May 12th, from 11am-3pm, so we can all catch up now that the big Crafty Wonderland Spring Sale is over.

If you're a member of the PDX Etsy team, check the Tea Time thread in our message board to get directions to my new address. If you're not a member of the team, then why not host your own tea time to gather some friends for an afternoon of gossip and bonding? Taking time out of our busy schedules is absolutely necessary for making those personal connections that often spur on a bout of inspiration!

The photo above was taken at the last PDX Etsy Tea Time, at Mary Kelly's house. Check out the little yellow cream pitcher that Sean and I made her as a housewarming present! Her Robo-Dino artwork looks great on all our products, and I knew we had to make give her something special with that little guy on it.

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April 20, 2010

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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April 5, 2010

Not Amused

Right now, we're working on a custom order of shot glasses for a memorial party that's happening this Friday, so we're rushing them out! Sean drew guidelines on the glasses with a gold paint marker so he can line up the text properly when applying the stencils.

After he'd drawn all the lines, he said, "I'm sitting in front of a table full of shot glasses that are clearly not amused with me." I had to sit down to see what he was talking about, but he was right!

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January 27, 2010

Homegrown Mushrooms


Sean's mom sent him three different mushroom growing kits for his birthday last fall, and we've been doing our best to care for them. It looks like we're only going to get one shiitake from this batch, but it's been expanding like mad the past few days. The picture above shows it 4 days ago, and the one below is from this morning.


We have a bucket full of "Espresso" button mushrooms (which required a couple lbs. of spent coffee grounds to grow), which are multiplying, but still don't really have caps yet.

The third mushroom is for making tea, but I forget what it's called. I love that it's growing straight through the side of the plastic bag it came in!

You can buy your own mushroom growing kits from Fungi Perfecti, which is where ours came from. If you want to see more pictures of our mushrooms, I put them up on Flickr.

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January 25, 2010

Rediscovering the Drill


My friend, Leah, makes beautiful fused glass mobiles as indoor and outdoor kinetic art. A while ago, we collaborated on a couple of mobiles with my hand-engraved artwork on them. One of these sold almost immediately (it was all different shades of green, and had trees drawn on each glass piece), but the ocean critter mobile has been sitting around for awhile without love.

This one-of-a-kind project has finally found it's home! The customer wanted to swap out the shark and turtle designs that I'd already made, with an orca whale and starfish. Last weekend, I dusted off the trusty dental drill and got to drawing.

It's been a really long time since I hand-engraved something, and it was really fun to get back to my etching roots. Using the drill is definitely not efficient for production work, but it's incredibly satisfying to draw something right onto the glass.

Leah and I have decided to sell the shark and turtle pieces as suncatchers, on their own. I don't know what our next collaboration might be, but I'm kind of excited about doing more one-of-a-kind items by hand. What do you think about a new line of glass suncatchers?

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January 8, 2010

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!



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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December 22, 2009

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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November 5, 2009

Motivation


My favorite way to get inspired is to talk to new people. I have a lot of friends who run small crafty businesses, but it's nice to get a new perspective by bouncing ideas around with people in a different field.


Today, we had lunch with Rich Stevens and Meredith Gran, who are both self-employed webcomic artists. (If you're not reading their comics--Diesel Sweeties and Octopus Pie, respectively--then you should be. Also, buy some of their stuff while you're at it.)

It was really refreshing to hear what other artists are doing to expand their businesses. There are a lot of opportunities for merchandising, cross-promoting and collaborating. Rich is a fountain of ideas, and I came away feeling excited about creating new products (as opposed to feeling overwhelmed and stupified by my options, as I have been).

I feel guilty that I haven't released new designs this fall, like I'd wanted to, but too many things came up this year that effected my plans. I'm storing up energy this winter like a fat, hibernating bear, only without the restful part. The holidays are going to kick ass, and I'm hoping to be revitalized come springtime.


I've been focused on keeping my business really specialized, and I'd like to expand into some new projects. Exciting new projects. Projects that involve other people, new art and whole new product lines. I hope next year can live up to my expectations.

[I mentioned recently that I was working on a secret art project, and this robot pint glass was it. I stole Rich's Clango artwork from his website, and turned it into a sandblasting stencil to make this gift for him. I plan to make more gifts like this for other people that I admire. All in due time.]

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October 16, 2009

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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September 2, 2009

Hands On Handmade


I asked everyone if they thought it was important to have handmade products signed, dated, initialed or otherwise marked by their maker, and the results came back with a resounding "yes". After I read the first few responses, I came to agree wholeheartedly.

I was tired of putting in the work when I didn't think it was being noticed, but the problem was just that I wasn't hearing the feedback about that tiny detail. I've always tried to keep my creations separate from the soulless mass-produced stuff that you see on most shelves, and this is one of the most important ways to do that.

If I could mark each one with my logo, or business name, or write a friendly note on each one, I would in a heartbeat. But until I find an economical way to do it, I'll just be signing my initials on each glass (and ceramic) thing we make. And I'm really glad to hear that it's appreciated! <3

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August 29, 2009

Adventures in Stamp Carving

I've always wanted to try linocutting or woodblock printing, but I never wanted to drop the money for all the little carving tools and paint roller and such. I saw a tutorial a couple years ago for carving your own stamps from rubber erasers, and I was immediately intrigued. I could do that!

I got a really basic carving tool for fine detail work, since my designs were going to have to be pretty small. I bought a Magic Rub eraser at the craft store and made my first "Fragile Glass" stamp, which I've been using for about a year and a half to mark all my postal boxes. I was never really happy with that stamp though, and I really wanted to make something more fun.

I was having an especially inspired day last week, and I finally pulled out the extra erasers I got at SCRAP months ago. I made a second "Fragile" stamp, which looks a lot nicer than the first. It was so fun!

I've been working on this badger design for awhile, and I thought I'd just test it out for carving. I'm so pleased with the results! I don't know what I'll use it for, but I'm just thrilled that I can put that toothy badger face on pretty much anything I want to. Now all I want to do is pick up more rubber to carve into little stamps...

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August 27, 2009

Wedding Planning

My little sister's getting married! I just got my invitation in the mail today, and I'm completely taken by it's simple beauty. My favorite part of the whole package is that the stamp on the reply envelope matches the color scheme perfectly. I hadn't seen these queen of hearts stamps before, but now I want to run out and get some!

Another tiny detail that I love is the option to request a vegetarian meal for the reception. I haven't been to many weddings, but I do know the stress of finding something to eat at a plated dinner when you can't eat the main dish. My sister and brother-in-law-to-be were very concerned about the food being good at their celebration, so I'm sure either option will be good.


Sean and I are etching corked bottles (made from recycled glass!) as favors for their guests, with a cute heart musical note design that the groom drew up. They look weird in this picture because they're halfway done--the stencil has been applied, the bottle has been masked, but they haven't been sandblasted yet. I think they're going to fill them with red candies before setting them on the tables. So fun!

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August 20, 2009

Badger Fierceness


I've wanted to create a new badger design for awhile now, since the Bread and Badger logo I created originally is overly stylized and sugary cute. I'm all for the cuteness, but the main reason I love badgers so much is that they're fearless. They inspire me to face situations head-on, instead of cowering or scurrying. I needed a new design that embodied those qualities, and I've been sketching things out for a few days now.

I just finished this one a few minutes ago, so I'm still deciding how I feel about it. Is it too angry? Not fierce enough? Maybe I just need to step back for a little bit. I'd love to hear what you think!

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July 31, 2009

No Soap, Radio #30

June 24, 2005
Sometimes music can be inspiring. Sometimes it can be annoying. Other times, it can give you a good idea that gets ruined because it lacks beer.

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July 29, 2009

No Soap, Radio #19

You guys seemed to enjoy the comic, so I thought I'd skip ahead and find one that's more appropriate for this heat wave we're having. I'm ashamed to be missing Dunkin' Donuts right now.

April 8, 2005
True story. The cream almost killed me. I passed the test though, and there was much celebrating when it was over. I'd also like to point out that I truly and deeply love coffee, but there's just something about drinking from a plastic cup the size of your head which is halfway filled with dairy products that is unappealling to me. Maybe I should switch back to espresso...

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July 26, 2009

I Can't Dance


So, I used to want to be a comic artist. Wait, let me try again: I used to be a webcomic artist.

Before I quit my job selling shoes, I drew comic strips and published them online, as an outlet for my frustrations with the daily ritual. Before that, I printed comic zines and sold them to my local comic shop (the New England Comics on Harvard Ave in Allston--go there!!) about four kids on a roadtrip, loosely based on my own cross-country journey fresh from of high school. I even talked at a workshop for comic book artists and writers, and was interviewed for the Boston Phoenix. Pretty cool.

One reason I wanted to move to Portland was because a bunch of indie comic book publishers are here. Being a comic artist was sort of my back-up career, which is hilarious, since I think it's a lot harder to break into the comic biz than to start your own online shop. It's still in the back of my mind though, and I terribly regret that my schedule hasn't permitted me to draw comics in many a year.

For the sake of reminding myself why I love art in the first place (and to give you something to look at while I get my life sorted out), I thought I'd share some of my old No Soap, Radio comic strips. You'll probably need to click on the image to view it at full size.

Here's the original text that went with the strip:

November 19, 2004
This is the first comic in the No Soap, Radio series. Thanks to the mighty Phil Collins for inspiration. I would like to take the time now to point out that the characters in my strips do not represent real people, even if they may look like me, my friends, or people that you know. Also, I don't dance like this, and I certainly wouldn't sing into a can of Pledge.

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July 15, 2009

Recycled Cardboard Cat Scratcher


Design*Sponge has a great tutorial on creating a cute round scratching pad for you cat out of recycled cardboard. I saw this when it was first published, and I immediately made one out of all the cardboard boxes I had laying around from the glassware we purchase.

Rupert loved it right away, but it was a lot of work to cut down some of the box parts to all be the same height. Also, I used duct tape, which just didn't stick to the cardboard very well.

Pint glasses come in a case of 24, and have these great dividers between them inside the box. After the first scratching pad project, I decided to save all the dividers to make a new one, which wouldn't require any cutting since all the pieces would start out the same height. I also used wide masking tape this time, which worked perfectly!

The d*s tutorial tells you to wrap the finished scratcher with decorative paper, but I'm just not fancy enough to have decorative paper laying around my house. I suppose I might have some holiday wrapping paper in a closet somewhere, but that just isn't my thing. Rupert gets the rustic look, and he seems to like it just fine.

This is a great afternoon project, and an inventive way to recycle some cardboard. Try it yourself!

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June 9, 2009

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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