Moo and improved!

New & Old...

My new Moo cards have finally arrived. I'm ecstatic.

The newly re-designed 'G' works very well. It means business. The font is easier to read and the overall look is cleaner. The back is simple with lots of space on top to allow for product description labels. I think it's a winner.

I have a tendency to be over perfectionist. For the first time, in memory, I'm 100% satisfy on how well the card design turned out. Most of the background pattern remains the same but, of course, I added a few more.

20 Moo cards...

Richard and I are working hard for the upcoming Make it show. Products need labels and we're busy tagging them all. I'm working on more wallets & Scoula, too.

One thing, as the fast approaching show is upcoming, it's always hard to determine how much stock you need. So, I'm making sure to that we have enough stock available.

Moo cards allow me to exploit my creativity to the max. Thumbs up to Moo!

Richard hard at ... MOO!

Talkin' Turkey & Inner Tubes

What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day than talking turkey and Inner Tubes. It's the long weekend and we're sharing it with Turkey and busy producing winter cycling caps & wallets/pouches.

For many years in the past, I was a vegetarian. I always felt there was something missing, the tradition of Autumn the harvest season. Without the smells of roasting turkey it was not quite the same. Most often, we make a 15 pound turkey and we have plenty of leftovers. But, the most important factor is to share it and we do and that's where it counts. In my case, I'm far away from my Quebec family and I try to create my own tradition with friends.

Richard cut about 150 tubes and they're destine to become wallets. In fact, we're getting excited for our first craft show. We figure it's better to make more than be stuck with not having enough. There's been a huge demand for our winter cap's and I anticipate an even bigger success at the show. No one else makes this type of winter cap. With the weather cooling down I'm sure every cyclist will appreciate one of them.

Adieu! Textile Clearance House.

Today, is a sad day for me. I'm back from one of my favorite fabric suppliers and learned that they are closing for good by the end of December. I talked to one of the nice ladies that cut fabric and she said that after 35 years, Textile Clearance House, will be closing their doors. I was in shock.

What was I going to do? Where was I going to go for discounted fabrics and notions? I thought where would all the women go for decently priced fabrics? For a big city like Vancouver, we don't have many choices. Only one left, Dressew, that deals only with cash. Not always good for a small business.

I'm already considering checking online. But, obviously if I can't find affordable material I might have to charge more for my caps. On the other hand, this may allow me to find other suppliers with more choice. In the long run it might prove beneficial, so I remain optimistic!

Finding the artist... within

This phrase touches me...

from Lisa Barbero.

I'm inspired by the article by Scoutiegirl, "You are already an artist". It hit home. This reaffirms that I am an artist and that I create everyday.

As a young girl I was always making things. In college, I took my first art class thinking it would be an extrordinary experience. The teacher was someone I looked up to, a  recognized sculptor/drawer. But, during midway through the semester, she told me that if I wasn't serious about learning the basics of drawing I wouldn't go far in art. She was trying to teach us the 'perfect' proportion in drawing a human face. I wanted to discover how to draw from a live model. She was too technical for me. So I quit, thinking that I would never have what it takes to become an artist. I was young and lacking self-confidence I took what she said to heart. So, I change my major to business administration.

Later on, I was bored working for too many years in the special events industry. I started to question my career choice. One of my friends, convinced me to redirect my career path into art. I thought she was over the top so I decided to take a class called, introduction to art. It sparked me, I was blown away. Afterwards, I realize that my place was in an art school environment. So I enrolled and for four years I learned what it is to be an artist.

I'm touched with that phrase, "A beautiful thing is never perfect." Perfection for me use to be black and white. How boring is that? Nothing is more varied than quirkiness. In life, we are surrounded with beauty. It does not need to be perfect you just need to appreciate it for the pleasure it gives you.

Today, I don't ask myself anymore whether I'm an artist or not. Because the important thing that matters most is to go out and create. Because... to create is to be!

This Winter: Most Wanted Scarfs!

I sew everyday. But, I also knit. It's a need for relaxation & fun. And, knitting allows me to showcase my one-of-a-kind pieces on my Etsy shop.

Last year I place my knitwear for sale and almost sold out. By December most of my knitwear sold so I got back into it aiming for twenty scarfs. I'm constantly surprise when I finish a project put it away and forget them only to rediscover them later. It's a fun moment. Some of them I haven't seen in eight months. Due to time constraints & the fact that I'm currently knitting more socks than scarfs, I won't be able to reach it but I'm knitting away and bound to have a few more scarfs soon.

Scarfs are great knitting projects. They're small enough to keep costs down, quick to finish and allow me to explore with different stitches. I enjoy it and for the simple fact that it allows me to zen out. Sometimes, I find inspiration from books. But most of the time I don't follow it and end up using different size needles & yarn sizes just to see how far I can push the design. It's exciting how a stitch can look so different just by changing the needle & yarn.

I present my six dazzling scarfs (above) for sale now in my Galstudio Etsy Shop!

RUBBER SALE!

Ok, I guess everyone was out this Labor Day weekend. No one participated in my free scuola pouch contest.

Well, now I have a Rubber Sale. A what sale you may ask? On Galstudio's Etsy Site I have the sale on my handy little wallets, piccola & scuola pouches. Take advantage of this huge sale... for a limited time!

Fun with Belts

The Pac Man Inner Tube Belt.

Bicycle inner tubes are so fun to work with. A short while ago I was approached to make a inner tube belt for a birthday present. I was supplied with a very fun Pac Man buckle (above). I've never attempted to make a belt before and I looked forward to the challenge.

It's always challenging to make something new. But, that's what is so fun about it. It showed me how versatile rubber is and that there's still plenty of room to learn & explore. It was fun sewing the overstitch and picking out the vibrant orange fabric. Very colorful & electric. I think it turned out very well and the customer was extremely happy.

As soon as this one was done, my old friend Joey wanted one made. Well as you can see it's more in a classic style. He hasn't seen it yet. I won't see him for a few weeks as he's on vacation. I think he'll be pleasantly surprised!

The Plaid Inner Tube Belt.