HO HO HO!!
Hope everyone has a safe and happy christmas :)I will be hanging out in Ottawa until january 8th ish..at which time I will be beaten and dragged back to work. Boo hiss.
Happily, I got a good haul for christmas...
- ST:TNG Season 6 & 7
- Playstation 2 "Singstar Rocks!"
- Raggeddy Ann doll
- Raggeddy Ann Mug (SO CUTE)
- Imadoki! Volume 5 (which is the final volume. I didn't know that o.O)
- $10 movie card
- Socks
- Christmas Tea Towels? (mom thinks I'm domestic aparently..haa haa haa..)
- And some other assorted oddities.I'm actually back in Toronto for today and tomorrow visiting and Christmassing at my Aunts house, and then we go back home. Exciting! Exciting!

Currently we are playing Wii Sports Baseball and eating way too much junk food as we wait for supper.

In other un-christmas related news, I saw Eragon and basically say: DON'T BOTHER. (unfortunately). I was hoping it would be good. But it's really..not. And since I basically like almost every movie ever made, I think this might be taken as harsh criticism. Definitely a renter, if you bother at all.

On to the other plethora of movies I hope to pack in during the next few weeks!
I want to see:
-The Holiday
-Night at the Museum
-Santa Claus 3
-James Bond (maybe)
-I secretly want to see Beauty and the Beast which is playing at the IMAX right now.

And also of course I plan to watch every holiday movie ever made. So far we've watched:
-A Christmas Story
-Ernest Saves Christmas
-White Christmas
-Holiday Inn

Still to go is:
-The Ref
-Miracle on 34th Street
-The Santa Clause
-Muppets Christmas Movie
-Muppets Christmas Carol
-Muppet ...something else christmas.
-Sesame Street Christmas (YEs, I am that lame.)
And more!

See you all soon :)

Artsy Fartsy Holiday Crafty Shows

So in the last few weeks I have gone to ...4 craft shows. Some good, some bad, some ugly.

Let's start off with the One Of A Kind Show

This one was at exhibition here in Toronto..and it's huge. I went with some friends and it took us about 4.5 hours to get through the entire show.
The food featured at this show is amazing. The clothing is usually very nice, but very.."out there" I would say. A lot of Earth-mother types and retro/babydoll/emo kid types probably get a lot of their signature pieces here, if they can afford it.

The accessories are great - The purses at one of a kind tend to be very varied, nicely made and there really is something for everyone.
The hats are mostly knitted or sewn (There are some true miliners here..) and are very cool too - if you're a hat person(I'm not,really). This show IS the only place I've seen that you can get a toque with like, monster ears and horns and things ;)
The jewlery is a bit pricey, but there are some very neat things to be found here.
I ended up buying a metal pendant with a bunny on it from a person called Stick-Man. He has no website though, so I cannot show you all.

I also found there was a lot of baby stuff this year. One place I particularily remember was Mally Bibs - Leather baby bibs ...SUCH A CUTE IDEA! And SO practical. My hat is off to this young woman.

By the end of the show I was tired, but happy. I purchased an awesome acid green suede business card book from "Tigo Enterprises" (No website either)
and I marveled over the nice design of Kanvas ink who does some great wedding invitations and greeting cards.

So my overall rating of one of a kind:
Size: GINORMOUS! Variety: (on a scale of 1 to ten) 10+ Price Range: $$$$$ Will I go back? Heck Yes I will!

The "Yule" Craft Show - Ottawa, Ontario

This show was not very noteworthy other than the fact that I had some friends selling there, and it was raising funds for the humane society. It was very small, cramped and was poorly advertised. (I actually only knew of it through a friend, who knows the organizer somehow). We got lost trying to find it once we were in the building (No big signs, only a couple of photocopies telling us to go up to the second floor). Basically the show consisted of people selling beaded jewlery, crystals and some rather unexciting artwork. *Dodges any bullets that might fly her way after that comment*

Happily, my friends had the nicest jewelry - and I bought my sister a necklace. The show was rather pagan themed, And as such my good friend found something nice to add to her altar. Not being pagan myself, I didn't have much interest in those wares. We did get a free fortune-telling fish, though. (Anyone remember these???)
So...

Size: Tiny, but this is it's first year I believe. Variety: 5 Price Range: $$ Will I go back? Meh. Probably not.

Next up (same day) was Ladyfest's Not Your Grandma's Holiday CraftSale! Ottawa, Ontario

THIS one I enjoyed much more than the Yule Craft show. There was a lot of variety and interesting, quality merchandise for such a small show. I believe there were 40 vendors in all. There was baking, soaps, clothing, accessories, toys, Very neat lamps, and even a girl selling Vintage art on toilet covers and switchplates! (Very cool, but they had none for the newer style "fat" light switches...so I was DeNiEd!)
My very favourite person here (and the only one to pry money from my cold dead hands) was The Grunge Papers. This man is very talented. He makes his own paper and then prints on it using a letterpress. The poems he picked to print, while all a bit morbid (most about death) were beautifully typeset...as well, the one I bought had a lithograph at the bottom. I like it, and can only imagine the time that went into making it. He doesn't charge enough!
My inner design geek is pouring out love to this particular vendor. Go you, paper man!!

So. The Verdict on Ladyfest's little shindig?
Size: Middling. Variety: 9 Price Range: $$$ Will I go back? If I get the chance, I'd love to go back..or even be a vendor!

The final show I have to comment on is the Speakeasy Holiday Sale which I participated in this last Thursday. It takes place at the Gladstone Hotel here in Toronto.

Again this show had about 40ish vendors..perhaps a bit more (I'm not sure). The venue was very nice and unlike most craft shows it ran at night..from 8pm until midnight, actually. It was also a bit different in that it took place in a bunch of rooms, 3 or 4 vendors per room.
From what I managed to see, the large part of the show was jewelry vendors.
Some nice girls that I got to talk to were Allison of Papersnake Jewellery (There are too many ways to spell that word) who does beautiful silver necklaces..the scissors being my favourite.
I also talked to Relle of Goblin & Crumb who had really neat little monster toys...all will little poems to go with them. They were mostly selling hair accessories and such.

Another favourite was Banjo Puppets who make very muppet-esque puppets. Gunther was my favourite..and if I had the money I would have brought him home with me!!!!
Kitsch did quite well at this show, and no one had a product even remotely close to what I do - which is always nice. :) This one is a keeper as far as I'm concerned. And a big thanks to my friend Chris for driving me to and from, for getting me a table..and for keeping me company all night! What a guy. ;)

So. Speakeasy Holiday sale?
Size: Middling. Variety: 7ish. Loooots of jewelry though. Price Range: $$$-$$$$ Would I go back? Definitely. I would love to participate in this show again.!

So that's it for my Kitsch craft show reports. Phew! What a post this is, compared to my usual ones!

P.s., I saw Happy Feet. My toes are still Tappin' !!!!

SMILE, It's Christmas!


We have a new breakaway best seller for this christmas!



Smile, Everyone Loves a Moron Is climbing up the Kitsch Ladder...

It has a ways to go before it knocks Evil Makes Me Sad off it's throne!

We shall see...!

Merry D'OH!

So my lovely greeting cards I sent out to all you lovely people? They all got returned as needing more postage.
Now, I fully measured them and such to make sure they DIDn't need more postage, but I am just one person and I can't take on the mail system. And I need to get these things out.

So I will be re-sending all the Kitsch Kristmas Kards early next week. Stay tuned!

@_@

OKAYSO.

Inspiration has sort of struck. And wrestlessness to attack the Christmas season (with gusto!)...which means good things for the website.
This weekend I intend to:

• Add new shirt ideas (incl. one especially for doggies)
• Create my christmas mailing for all those happy Kitsch mailing list peeps.
• Complete round one of my custom illustration request tees.
• Map out a plan of attack for a complete overhaul of the kitschklothing.com website. Y'see, I'm "old school" and only really know basic HTML. My plans extend beyond the magical powers of such things. So, it will be a "learning experience." It could be really good. Or really fustrating. Probably both.

I have added four new shirts today...Please check them out, tell me whatcha think!

Dotties Drycleaning - Drop your pants here!

Save a mouse - Ride a nerd (!!)

Smile, everyone loves a moron

A Day without sunshine is like, night.

HO HO HO! :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Okay it's a half hour early...but still. It would be midnight now if not for daylight savings time...

So in honour of my favourite holiday, I have a good joke for you all:

THE TOP TEN REASONS WHY TRICK OR TREATING IS BETTER THAN SEX: (It's pg-13 I swear..)

10. Guaranteed to get at least a little something in the sack.
9. If you get tired, wait 10 minutes and go at it again.
8. The uglier you look, the easier it is to get some.
7. You don't have to compliment the person who gave you candy.
6. It's OK when the person you're with fantasizes you're someone
else, because you ARE someone else.
5. 40 years from now, you'll still enjoy candy.
4. If you don't get what you want, you can always go next door.
3. Doesn't matter if kids hear you moaning and groaning.
2. Less guilt the next morning.
And the Number 1 Reason Trick-Or-Treating is Better Than Sex...

1. You can "do" the whole neighborhood!!!

har har har...

Also exciting: please check out my halloween costume!!

The makeup is a little rough...but it's like, only my second time using clown face paint. So I did okay. I am wearing this to work tomorrow too...WOOHOO!

Kitschy GEISHA!

What is everyone else going as?

Halloween is here, so check out some of our creepy shirts..they're not just for halloween! (I especially like the eat a little piece of my heart one..it's my fave)

• Eat a Little Piece of My Heart
• Evil Keeps Me Young
• This Shall Be My Greatest Performance
• Pumpkin Pizzazz
• And of course... CANDY!

HoHoHo..Merry-er...HALLOWEEN!

Hmmmmmm.......

Somewhere out there, someone likes me. And yet, I don't know who! lol

On Tuesday and Wednesday, my visitor count jumped exponentially.

Insanity! Does someone know if I was highlighted on a site somewhere? I'd love to give credit where credit is due...

I'M SO CURIOUS! >_<

BUTTONFEST

THURSDAY OCT 19TH Kitsch Klothing will be at ButtonFest selling all our special fancy buttons!!

The event is being held at The Rhino which is at 1249 Queen W (416) 535-8089 in Toronto.

It runs from 6pm to 10 pm in the upstairs part of the restaurant.

Admission is $2 per person which seems to be well worth it, because there will be draws and button giveaways all night it seems. Including some of my buttons as well :)

I hope to see you there - come by and say hi!

Here is a map to the Rhino...



And don't forget about the Custom T-Shirt Offer I noted below...EXCITING!

^_~

NEWSFLASH

Anne is poor.
Anne and her poor bunny will be tossed out on the street..how will they survive?!
(well no really..it's not that bad. But I do need to make some extra money to cover some unexpected expenses..)

SO. WHAT IS SHE GONNA DO ABOUT IT?

*dum dum dum*

...I'm gonna open myself to taking "Commissions" for custom T-shirt Packages!

Now, this could turn out to be a really exciting idea!


HEre's how it's all gonna go down...

Christmas is coming. You need presents for people who really, already have all the cool things the world has to offer.

So now what?

I'll tell you what.

For $50.00 I will Design a custom illustration

for your shirt in the general style of the illustrations featured on KITSCH KLOTHING. I will Make your illustration into

- One White T-shirt (you choose size..sm,m,L,XL..or larger)
- One 2.25" button, full colour.
- One 1.25" button, full colour.

For $35.00 I will make you a custom TYPE ONLY T-shirt

(I.e., you want a shirt that says "I'm with stupid" or "My mom says I'm cool!") with type only. Don't worry..we'll make it look really cool and give your type some "Attitude!" We will then make your design into:

- One White T-shirt (you choose size..sm,m,L,XL..or larger)
- One 2.25" button, full colour.
- One 1.25" button, full colour.

Add a journal with the same design to each of these packages for only $10.00!

I will pay the shipping to have the items to you safely in time for christmas!

I can't say fairer than that.

So what do you think? To order, please comment here or email me at mauig@hotmail.com

=:B

Being a designer is one of those jobs that sometimes never seems to end.

So now it's like 12:30 at night and I've been designing since this morning at 10 /o_O
I went to work and my list just kept growing and growing and growing...I have a mini daytimer thing..it's like 5.5x8.5" and the page is full of lines for each half an hour...I don't generally pay attention to the actual time slots, I just write my list of stuff to do. I might usually list like...6-8 things that have to be printed or designed.
Today I almost used the entire page. HOLY CRAP!
So I worked from 10 AM until 9pm at work...And then I came home...AND WORKED SOME MORE! Woo HOO!

Freelance: Where the money is, and the spare time ends.

Kitch Klothing?!

Okay so...anne is a bit bummed. Okay no really, I'm pretty bummed. Remember my great magazine début?
Well it's kind of a flop. They spelt the company name wrong..and also neglected to put the website. SIGH. I mean..come on. I spent like, $100 US sending them sample shirts which they did not use in the placement (they used flat artwork instead which also looks awesome but I mean..they could of saved me some cash) and then they spelt the company name wrong..and then they forgot the website. Way to screw me.

Oh well...I may be bitter, but I'm still getting it plaqued. Since after all..it is my first article in a magazine, crappy and misprinted or no.

I'll even be posting it on the website. IF anyone wants to email the magazine and annoy them for posting my name wrong and not showing the address where you can get such awesome stuff (They put Kitch Klothing instead of Kitsch Klothing)...kindly direct your emails to vocals@themagazine.ca

That could be kind of fun. >:}

And She said...

"He was one Dumb Bunny!"

...so really that little sentence had nothing to do with anything...but I wonder..what do people think of this design? Shirt it? or Shoot it?

:) Do comment please.

In Honour Of talk like a pirate day,
I have finished my Pirate shirt.

May I present.... I Am A Pirate, Show Me Your Booty!

Show off your true pirate spirit with this Arrrrtistic design! Watch all the wenches and cabin boys swoon with desire as you flash this arrrrticulate saying their way. Demand with confidence they show you their booty - or walk the plank!

And don't forget my other latest edition...
Purple Monkey Dishwasher

Purple Monkey Dishwasher is the height of Cool. Purple Monkey Dishwasher ain't no fool. Purple Monkey Dishwasher is yoour tool to climb your way to the height of cool! Let this grape coloured ape lead you into a whole new level of wardrobe malfunction!

Phew. And I'm spent! :)

Well well well.

Time for a little bit of exciting updating!

Tonight I sort of cleaned up the site, Adding a BRAND NEW DESIGN
called PURPLE MONKEY DISHWASHER

(I know it's not from the voting list...this one was more of a lightning bolt of random inspiration...but the ones from the list are coming...!)

Hopefully you will enjoy the new design, and rediscover some of the old/overlooked ones, which I had hiding in sections before. I'm gonna leave them on the main page now instead. They were lonely. *Sniff*

Soon to come...a new Kitsch Kraft..and two new designs...and a peek at Kitsch's mention in The Magazine (not for Adults) @_@!!!!!!

~Anne/Kitsch

*random*
Darn you Jake_24 from vancouver, come back! ;)

*Random*

Last nightI dreamed of designing a magazine layout for a foot doctor. What the hell is up with that?

I also dreamed of other random design things..all night long. I completely developed the front cover for this, as well as two inside spreads for this fictional magazine thingy.

This is a sign I have been working too much. WAY too much. I do, however have a long weekend this weekend which I am quite looking forward to! I am going to a wedding, so I get to dress up fancy which is kind of nice. I'll take some photos for sure.

I also will get a chance to actually sleep at some point, so that should be good.


PLEASE answer the poll posted below from yesterday...I'm not even going to tell you what they mean, just vote for whichever sems interesting!

Free Web Poll from CWT

So. Borrowed from an old post on James Gunn's blog (see Kool Kats for link)
I'm going to do a top 100 post... (or two..)

TOP 100 THINGS I LOVE(in no particular order)

1.Chocolate ice cream.
2. kraft dinner, drowning in ketchup
3. the animated disney version of Robin Hood
4. The book Watership down
5. My bunny, Smudge

6. long eyelashes
7. music with the kind of beat that you just HAVE to dance to.
8. The scene in "In & Out" where he has to try and NOT dance to "Macho Man"..and he just can't do it!!
9. Drag queens. Frickin' hilarious.
10. Great Big Sea - but not their first album, which was a bit boring.
11. Riding bicycles.
12. the smell after it rains.
13. Adobe illustrator.
14. the anime Fushigi Yuugi
15. Tasuki from FY..he is the best.
16. And Ryoko from Tenchi Muyo! With her original english voice.
17. Shopping. In all forms.
18. The feeling of going to trade shows and people walking away, with my stuff clutched in their hands like it's precious precious treasure. (because it is to me!)
19. Swing music.
20. Walt Disney World. I loff it.
21. Gargoyles


22. The show firefly.
23.The fact that william Shatner sings, even though he sucks really bad.
24. Performing in front of an audience.
25. Especially when they actually think I'm any good.
26. My career as a graphic designer.
27. Diet coke.
28. Finding songs that can uplift you in the first 2 seconds they come on.
29. Suede.
30. Cute and fuzzy things. Like Totoros.
31. Computers. And the internet. Sweet sweet technology.
32. All movies made by Pixar. Yes, even chicken little.
33. The feeling you get when you think about upcoming holidays and seeing your family.
34. Waking up christmas morning to new snow and lots and lots of PRESENTS!
35. The smell of coffee.
36. Making lists like these, as long as they're interesting.
37. Ruthlessly killing off newbs who are annoying chatters in my home chatroom.
38. Being a nerd. Embrace your inner geek. :)
39. The fanfic Shadowplay by Dylan P. Blacquiere
40. The Harry Potter books. In hardcover, so I can read them a million times.
41. The Lord of the rings movies, so I never have to read the d@mn books.
42. Horses.
43. Star Trek The Next Generation
44. Jonathan Frakes playing Will Riker. Hottest. Man. Ever.
45. Harrison ford. The only old man who is still hot. WE LOVE YOU, HAN SOLO!
46. Cows.
47. Watching the christmas tree with it's lights on late at night when most people are gone to bed. Double points if there is still music on.
48. Swimming in outdoor pools that are not full of strangers.
49. Losing 5 pounds.
50. Eating out. (Which is why the above point is ever so rare.)
51. Putting on musicals, and knowing all the words, so you can sing along!
52. Judy Garland.


53. Looking really good in certain outfits.
54. The fact that my hair does pretty much whatever it wants to.
55. The colour red.
56. Clay Aiken, even though he did not win, and is slightly creepy.
57. Airwalk Skater shoes.
58. Dancing like EVERYONE is watching!
59. Going on long drives
60. When little kids want ME to help them instead of YOU!
61. The world needs more cowbell!
62. Big goofy dogs.


63. My star trek teddy bear.
64. Having friends.
65. Dance dance revolution. And the fact that I'm okay at it doesn't hurt!
66. Elves. The wispier, the better. Dance my pretties! Dance!
67. Robin hood, Men in Tights. (Tight! Tights!)
68. South Park - This show is genius, screw you Chef! (no seriously..come back Chef! We love you!)
69. Rollercoasters...The more loops the better! AAAAHHH!!!
70. Tim Hortons English Toffee Cappuccino (may it rest in peace...*Sniff*)


71. All movies that are made off of Jane Austen's books and the like. i.e., Sense and Sensibility..Mansfield Park.
72. MSN Messnger.
73. Retro music of all sorts and styles.
74. Female superheroes who actually have depth, and yet still kick ass!
75. When the main hero gets hurt, and stays hurt past the scene in which he is hurt. (For example, Raphael from the Ninja Turtles movie)
76. The orignal Power Rangers.


77. Hawaiian Pizza. The more pineapple, the better!
78. The invention of Rolaids.
79. Taking baths in my new tub, where I can fill it all the way to the top!
80. Living on my own in my own place.
81. Designing on the fly.
82. T-shirts with funny slogans on them.


83. Messenger bags and mini backpacks.
84. Carnation instant hot chocolate.
85. Payday!
86. Finding money in my winter coat when I explore the pockets looking for something.
87. Going to the movies.
88. Stickers, of all shapes and descriptions. The shinier, the better.
89. My little Ponies. They were the best, and always will be!
90. The talent of writers/composers in the 80's to write the catchiest, coolest cartoon theme songs EVER!
91.Kaluha.
92. Dogs that are so hideous they are cute.


93. Good hair days.
94. Sleeping in until noon after staying up way too late.
95. Fonts. Really Good Fonts.
96. Calculators. THANK THE LORD!
97. LAs Vegas. It was cool. I'd like to go back.
98. My Family, my friends, and my life.
99. My Boobs.
100. Poutine!

Stay tuned for the things I hate......RAR!

ooh. And for your patience, how about a little teaser? What do you think about this shirt idea?

This has nothing to do with kitsch BUT...



Contrary to everything holy, I REALLY REALLY LIKED SNAKES ON A PLANE...!!!

It is scary, yet HILARIOUS all at once!!!

And wow, it was just made so much better by having an audience who was totally into the movie and was cheering and clapping and screaming at all the appropriate parts. That usually is a bad thing (because you're like.."Damnit! Shut up!") but it works SO WELL for this movie.

GO!! GO NOW!!!

I'm like..so tempted to go again with rubber snakes and fling them at the audience at random intervals..but then, I'd like to live to see tomorrow, so. ;)

Hisssss.

YAAAAYYYY! Just like the title says, my blog is now SUPER COOL!

A big thanks to my bestiest bud Mishky:



Who got the code to work *since I don't really know CSS code*
And now we are set to rock and/or roll.

:)

Down for maintenance!

Kitsch's shop engine, cafepress, is down for maintenance. I'm not sure for how long, but I'm sure it will be up again within an hour or two.

Sorry for the inconvenience!!!

@_@

TOP 10 Things Anne learned from Anthrofest 2006

10 - The Dealer's room always smelled like an aquarium.

9 - Anne cannot dance to trance music, no matter how hard she tries.

8 - It has been confirmed that primarily, girls are Kitsch Klothing's target audience.

7 - There were no girls at Anthrofest 2006.

6 - Fursuits are less scary than Anne thought.

5 - People like to randomly break into song. Especially Lavose Darkwolf. (Anne received a total of 3 serenades and 1 lovely dance. woot.)

4 - In the furry fandom, sexual exploitation is an equal opportunity venture. :)

3 - At conventions, no matter how much you drink or eat or sleep, you feel tired the whole time. (yet hyper! rar!)

2 - Some people look better when they're not in costume. Some people look better when they ARE in costume.

1 - Wearing a collar can be strangely fun, but Man! It's so hard to coordinate with one's outfit!

Kitsch Awards will follow! =^_^=

Top 10 Pet Peeves of Graphic Designers

10. Business cards or other corporate applications that include the font "Comic Sans" or "Courier".

9. The people who bring in the corporate applications mentioned previously in No. 10

8. The notion that the more fonts you use, the cooler it looks!

7. Clients who insist they "get you" like no one else does, because they too are a "creative spirit"..."why don't the normal people understand how we operate?!" ;)

6. Any situation involving math.

5. Clients who already know what they want, for better or for worse. And every time you try and deviate from their grand vision, they smack you back into line...even if what they want is a purple monkey dishwasher.

4. "Can't you just..." something. Those words always spell trouble for yours truly.

3. People who show up Fridays at 10 minutes until closing time, in a huge "emergency" rush for business cards for their big trade show that starts at 9 AM saturday morning. GUESS WHAT. You opted to attend this conference MONTHS ago, so why are you only here now, and you have "Absolutely no cards!!" !?!?!?!?! I don't understand these people (@_@)

2. People who haggle with the price. Especially when it's really, really fair. More than fair. If it's not worth that much, and if you could do the same thing for less time and money, WHY DIDN'T YOU?

1. "When you asked me to proof it...I didn't actually think I had to READ IT!!"

AaAaAAaAagh...*Muppet flail*

---------------------------------------

In other news, I have decided to delve into the world of jewlery to a very very limited extent. At Anthrofest I will have custom dog collar necklaces with charms and my artwork in bottlecap charms, which will not be available anywhere else!!!

Photos to follow if all goes well. If disaster strikes, well. I'll quietly hush it up. ;)

I am also going to make bottle cap magnets and the like..keychains as well eventually, so watch out for those! I have some from a friend, and I am completely in love, and inspired by them. ;)

Meow ;)

Well, Welcome to the July Kitsch Kraft...it's a bit late (HElloooo Anne, it's like, the end of Jullyyy....) but, oh well.

It's something exciting to keep busy with.

This month's Kraft is.....

FABULOUS FLIP FLOPS!

So here's what we will need for our flip flops:

• A pair of flip flops..which are pretty much sold at every store on the planet. And since it's almost august, many places will have them on sale. You want the kind with the plastic thong on top.
• Lots of buttons, Sparkles, fake glue on gemstones, FEATHERS, or even pebbles from a fish tank! (Also cool: those glass coloured marbles they sell for putting in vases). Anything that could be used to embellish your fancy footwear. TIP: A great place to find things would be the scrapbook department of Wal Mart! or Dollarama!
• Plain white craft glue, or a high tack glue, but NOT crazy glue or a heat gun glue stick because the glue cracks off.
• A small, cheap paint brush to help you spread the glue on the back of some of your smaller decorations!

HERE is what you do...it's so simple I could spit! You take your plastic flippy floppies and you glue everything under the sun to them. A great way to create custom footwear for a certain outfit for a wedding, or for the first day of school!

Some themed Fabulous Flip Flops:

Diva-Rama: Take some of those gemstones I was talking about earlier, and glue them all along the sandal thongs with even spaces in between. If you have more than one colour or shape, make a pattern! Then, take your paintbrush and glue and put a good amount of glue on all the parts that still need decoration. (that is, in between the big gemstones). Then grab some sequins or normal sparkles and shake them all over! Wherever they hit the glue, they will stick! (you should probably put some newsprint down before you do this so you can recycle your sparkles afterwards)

Feather Flippies: Get some of those super fluffy feathers and paste them in alternating directions along the thong of the flip flop (i.e., one facting away from your toes, and one towards your toes). Don't worry that you can see the stick part of the feather, but if your feathers have long stems, you might want to snip the ends a bit. Once this is done and the glue has dried, Take out your little beads, sequins, sparkles, etc. Apply a liberal amount of glue ontop of the sandal thong and ontop of the ends of the feathers. Then you can stick buttons, gemstones, etc. along the middle of the feathers to cover their stems! The ultimate fancy footwear for a special night out!

Button Bonanza: Apply a liberal amount of glue along the sandal thong, and then pop on a plethora of different buttons to create a bonny bohemian look! (Man, I love alitteration!) The ultimate cool: Alternate between larger and smaller buttons, maybe even adding in a sequin or two for some extra sparkle!

(Not exactly a flip flop but you get the idea)

Flower Frenzy: Now this one is for the fashion forward...And may involve more work! Go forth and raid the dollar store for fake flowers...oh yes, I said fake flowers. Roses, posies, daisies, all of them! Now I think for this you may need some of the super glue I told you to use..but be careful! don't glue yourself to...yourself! Pick out some varying blooms...I would alternate between two different flowers, or the same flower in two different shades. Then, go forth and glue all along the band! You could use some piping used for sewing to cover the edges..just make sure the glue for the flowers is dry before you go in under them and start gluing on the piping.

That's it for this month!

Catch Kitsch at Anthrofest August 11th to 13th in Montreal, Québec!

~Kitsch

THE INTERNET!!! It's alive! ALIIIVE! yaaayyyy!

That means...new shirts and updates REALLY SOON. (As soon as I can set up my computer, at my desk which is taking up my entire middle of my room right now...assembled, but not exactly placed in it's optimal position, I would say.)...I should take some photos of my house. I love it so.

This weekend I bought furniture. I also bought a t-shirt tagger (ooh, t-shirt news).

well, gtg. byebye!

So, this is attempt number three we're going for here, writing this blog post.

I get interrupted at work a lot, so even though I made a great start on it yesterday, my post window got closed before I published the post!

So obviously I have been in non internet land for some time now...I dont have it at home so I haven't been a surf-a-holic since oh...february. It's weird, and at the same time I have more "free time"...or rather more time to slack off in other ways instead :)

SO on June 24th I moved into my new condo. Finally, after all the drama and dissapointment and changes, it's ALL MINE. I don't have much FURNITURE yet...but still. That will come in time. :) I have a livingroom (tiny), a bedroom (Fairly tiny) a kitchen (small but good..attached to the tiny livingroom) and a bathroom (actually pretty large..huge tub). Thank God I have the best parents in the world, who made this possible. I have pretty special parents whom I'll never be able to thank enough, ever. :)

I love the floors, I love the finishes..even the bathroom tiles (which I didn't get to pick) are growing on me, now that I found coordinating bathroom things. Also, I get hooked up for internet, cable and phone on monday morning...an expense I DID NOT miss, but a necessary set of evils :) So that's great as well!

In other news, Kitsch Klothing is just running along very well. It's been in a bit of neglected limbo since I started this whole shebang of moving and buying. I DID manage to get to Anime North (I know I've posted about that before) and did really well, which has encouraged me a lot. I think in a year or two if I focus I could be doing Kitsch Full time.
My next step(s) are to approach some stores about having my merchandise in their store...though I feel I need to get some screenprinted before I go take that step!!! I want to show off my best stuff. There is an idea called lazer patch which might work well..I will have to go down and look at samples, but I have not had time as of yet.

I'm also pretty busy at work. We're doing the main stuff, as well as organizing the party for my friend Amanda who had a brain aneurysm...that party takes place on July 21st. If anyone in toronto reads this and wants to come, ticketds are $30.00 and include buffet dinner..it's a great time to meet new people, and win some great prizes! (We have even got some signed maple leafs stuff donated..:)

In the interests of people who are wondering what I will be up to this summer, I plan to update my blog and carry it on in a new format...instead of being an announcement board I'm going to be sort of showing the progress I go through on my quest to make kitsch work :) my livejournal will still be the same. I may be attending anthrocon in Montreal..I'm going to have to make up my mind pretty quick since it's in august, but we'll see how that goes. I'd also like to do the clothing show, and like I said..get a press release and some packages out to local toronto stores and let people know about my stuff! IT should be a busy, exciting and fun summer.

In between I'm going to visit with family, try and find furntiure to fit my tiny new house :)I hope you all don't forget me if I am not around as much..I think of my internet family often ;p :) In only the best of ways, of course! In any case I WILL be around more as of next week, which is exciting!

I hope to see and meet some of you at the upcoming conventions this summer, and some of you will definitely see me next year at the gathering. I seem to do okay with the every-second-year attendance plan. :)

Woo hoo! Post is done. I will be back soon, with more news flashes!

ANIME NORTH UPDATE!

Hello hello! Anime north just "happened" this last weekend, and I was there!
It was love!
I had such a great time, Met some pretty nifty people and managed to man my table all three days by myself! I honestly did not see much of the convention as I had no one to relieve me from table duty. I did manage to sneak into the dealer's room long enough to buy the coolest hat ever, though!

Sales were good. We almost sold out of many many things! I went home with only a handful of buttons, journals and a much depleted T-shirt supply. The big sellers of the event were Eat The Rich, Poo On You and Evil Makes Me Sad Hurray :)

I also took ballots in for a CONTEST DRAW for a free T-shirt, Journal and buttons! Check back here soon for the winner's name! Woo!
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And now, Some photos!

Saturday my sister came to the con, so she was able to take some photos of me and the table.



I look a bit weird here, but the table looks good!



"Please buy things! Purr!"



Gratuitous Product Shot. Shirts are Sexxxxy. :)




Random Sniper Photo of someone wearing the Nice Kitty shirt! Lookin' Good!


And now, presenting me and my sister Valerie in...FUNNY HATS!



Phew. :) My sister also got her photo taken with a VGCATS special guest.



Which was pretty cool, I must say.


So, All in all, I had a GREAT time, and WILL be going back next year. I will also be making an appearance at C-Ace this year (unless my condo move gets in the way)
and I'm looking into going to CN Anime and Anthrofest.

Needless to say, it will be a busy summer!

I also cooked up some GREAT new T-shirt ideas during the con, so watch out for those soon!


~Kitsch~

Welcome boys and girls!(And bunnies)....to the first Kitsch Kraft 'O the Month!
Once a month I'm going to post a funky craft for everyone to take part in, if you want. Let us say, it will be a small smackerel sampling of kitschy Krafts that are available from ye 'ole internet (or some other sources)!

And so, we will get on with the show...

Our first craft shall be...TYE DYE T-SHIRTS! *fanfare*

This is a simple technique for doing Tie Dyeing, but adult supervision is recommended if kiddies are involved.

What You Need

• Tie dye (Hot water dye is the best because it won't run out. It is purchased from most chemists and specialty stores from $3.00 to $5.00.)
• T-shirt, handkerchief, shorts, almost anything that might be of interest dying (If you get a kitsch shirt which is printed with Direct printing, this should work fine too! Ooh. New possibilities.
• Large Metal Pot
• Water
• Spoon to stir around with
• Tongs
• Rubber bands
• A Drying Rack (Plastic or metal..or a hanger to hang your shirt outside from a tree - we don't want to hang it where the dye can drip onto something and stain it!)

How To Make It

Take article of clothing, gather up a bundle of the t-shirt (like the sleeve..squish a part together) and wrap Rubber bands tightly all over the area, leaving random spaces. Do this in numerous spots all over the article so that circles will turn up everywhere you want.
Think of it this way: The lighter tye-dyed spots are where the rubber bands are, and the parts where they are NOT are where the dye will dry darker. Don't worry - you can't really screw this up no matter what you do, as long as you make sure the bands are tight.

Boil some water in a large pot and when boiling, tip dye in (sometimes you don't even need to use the whole package of dye).

Add your t-shirt/boxers/whatever you're tye dying and stir for around 30 minutes on high.

When finished, take out with tongs and run under cold water to make sure all extra dye runs out.

Dry your t-shirt on the drying rack or on a hanger with newspapers on it to protect the floor from the excess dripping dye.

Once the shirt is PRETTY dry (This might take some time since the bands are keeping the shirt all bunched up...), take off the rubber bands, iron and your shirt is ready to wear!!

Note: Tie dyeing can be messy. Be sure to wear old clothes, and you may want to use rubber gloves.

EXTRA FUN OPTION:

If you want to have a multi coloured tye dye shirt, pick two colours of dye than can blend together to make secondary colours. Example, Yellow and blue..or Pink and blue..or Yellow and red.

The thing to do is dye your shirt once with one colour (you could even add some rubber bands on it, so you will have a real multi coloured shirt!! But those bands better be VERY TIGHT!) and follow the dye instructions as above. Once your shirt has dried from the first colour, Mix up the second colour of dye, add more rubber bands to the shirt (again, I can't say "Tight" enough..If they are loose the colour creeps in underneath and your tye dye rings turn out a bit lame) and then dye it again for a second time!

Once it is as dry as it seems like it will get after the second dyeing, take off all the rubber bands and iron as stated above.

I would reccommend washing your shirt in COLD WATER the first few washes, and DEFINITELY wash it by itself. DEFINITELY!!! Otherwise you'll get one of those fun loads where it all comes out the same colour at the end...

Anyways, That's it for this time! Enjoy!

~Kitsch

IMPORTANT UPDATE!

Today on the way to work I saw 47 white cube minivans with no windows in the back.
That is all.


~This has been another useless fact ~

:)

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN???

Yes yes. I, miss keeper of the kitsch have been very VERY M.I.A.

I hear your cries. "WHY?!" you wail, "WHERE are our NEW shirt designs to oogle?? And where are the new WALLPAPERS? And Thingamibobs?!"

Well my children, never fear. I have been working on those very things!
I just don't have very much time to update lately as my internet is ALSO M.I.A.

Very soon I'm going to have some exciting happenings on the site: NEW wallpapers, a NEW article, and of course..NEW DESIGNS!

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NEWS & UPDATES:

• All those who have filled out the free button survey this far - your buttons are in the mail! *yaaaay!* Those of you who haven't done so yet - Cruise on over to my survey page and fill it out and I'll send you a free button by mail pronto!

• I will be selling kitsch merchandise at ANIME NORTH in Toronto, ON from May 26th to 28th and C-ACE in Ottawa, ON from June 23-25th. Please stop by these cons if you're in the area - they are awesome!!

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PERSONAL NEWS

Well, I'm moving. I'm very excited, and I'm moving. (I just realized my moving date conflicts with C-ACE, but we'll figure that out later.) I am moving from an apartment into a condo!!! YESSS! I am buying a very small Condo!!!! 406 sq feet in fact. If anyone wants to see some photos, they can be found here: http://www.anne-mcdonald.com/crap/condo/

Exciting? I think so. All-time consuming?? I also think so. I've been working on buying this condo since February. Now everything is finalized. I am also living on my own for the first time. I have moved into a month-by month apartment until I move, where I have no internet or phone (What would be the point, really?) which is why there has been a large lack of updates.

I am trying, though. And I am cooking up some good ideas. Soon, my pets, soon.

On a much more sad note, one of my very dear friends suffered a brain aneurism on saturday. She survived (which seems to be step one with these things) but is looking at a long and difficult recovery process over the next year. Please keep my dear friend Amanda in your prayers!!

Other than that, I wish everyone a very Happy Mother's Day! Remember sons and daughters *but especially sons*, do something wonderful for your mommies on Sunday!!!! :)

"Nobody knows of the work it makes
To keep the home together.
Nobody knows of the steps it takes,
Nobody knows-but Mother."
-Anonymous

UBER QUICK UPDATE

Just to let you guys know, Kitsch will be a bit slow to update for a month or two. This is because I'm in a series of moving from an apartment to an apartment to a condo (which I'm buying! wee!) and I don't wanna get the net.

I have to go now, more details to come!

Kitsch Klothing is mentioned on www.torontoist.com !

Thanks very much to the keepers of this website for featuring Kitsch Klothing's Etsy Website! (We're even the picture that goes with the article blurb..! weee. ;)

Soon we will have even more fun stuff to add to our Kitsch Etsy Site and anne-mcdonald.com, so stay tuned!

(I don't have internet at home right now, so updating is a bit slower than usual.)

Also keep in mind that Kitsch Klothing will have a full table in the artists alley at Anime North this year! Anime North runs May 26 - 28th, 2006. Come and say hi!

Belated Thank you!

A very VERY belated thank you to T-Shirt Casserole for featuring one of our designs in November, 2005. I just came across this by accident! Lucky thing too! This is a great site to check out when you're bored or looking for your next great shirty-joy!

I must be going for a posting record! Woo hoo!

HOLY UPDATING, BATMAN!

As well as yesterday's new design...I have a VERY EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT! We are now hosting a FREE BUTTON GIVEAWAY!
All you have to do is fill out the short survey and send it in, for your completely free Kitsch Button! I need opinions and feedback, and you need cool free crap.

It works every way you look at it! Woo hoo!

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE BUTTON TODAY!

New DESIGN!

Check it out, a grumpy little design has emerged!
I had scribbled a little sheep in my notebook months ago with some other ideas. Tonight I was looking through old notebooks and it caught my eye. So, for the last...rediculous amount of hours, I have been creating this cranky sheep and putting him on the various projects I thought he might decorate nicely.

Check it out, SCREW EWE!

Would you people participate in a little survey thing (to be located on my site for easy access) if at the end you can give me your address to mail you a _FREE_ kitsch button for your trouble?

Are goodies good? Hmmm? hmmmm?????

I soooo need to go to bed, but am soooo awake. :)

NEW ITEMS!!!

Check out Kitsch Klothing's ETSY shop now, for new original hand made journals, buttons and shirts! Grumpy bunny buttons, moo dat journals, Eat the Rich Buttons AND journals...and so much more!

See you soon!
~Kitsch

FEEDBACK WANTED!

Hello again boys, girls, and assorted oddities!

I have a very important question for you all, you lurkers on this blog, you customers, potential customers, and you random passers-by as well.

I have been reviewing my product line, and want to ask a few questions, and I'm hoping (pleading) you will take a second to answer them or leave a comment, as it will help me out IMMENSLY! I promise to make more wallpapers in recompense for your time!!

Please answer the following, keeping in mind not only my shop, but cafepress shops in general:

- When you have ordered from cafepress, do your orders come in a timely manner, and are they complete? Are pieces of the order ever missing?
- If this happened (That your order was wrong) would you ever shop at that shop again, or would you be very upset and boycott the whole damn site?
-What do you think of the quality of products offered in our shop?
-If you have ordered from our shop, what did you think of the PRINT quality?
-Do you have a preference - Transfer or Direct print? IF so, Why??
-What products are your favourites? Are you wishing I had a certain product?
-What other aspects do you like from the kitsch site? Do you like freebies, or the articles, or this blog?

I REALLY appreciate anyone who answers these questions, they help me out a lot. Huzzah Huzzah! Input is good! ;)

NEW VALENTINES SHIRTS AVAILABLE!

Hey guys,

Check out the new (and very fun) valentines shirts available in our store!

For those of you who are perhaps a poor single bastard (Such as myself), we have "Eat a little piece of my heart"

And for those of you a bit less jaded, and also ESPECIALLY for cat lovers, we have "You are Purr-fect for me". I like this Kitty. He looks very manic. ;)

Don't forget, From now until TOMORROW! (The 19th) you get $2 off $20 (code JAN2) and $5 off $40 (code JAN5)

...I just took advantage and bought 3 shirts of my own..(including the eat a piece of my heart one..because as I said, I am a singleton. ;)

Talk to you soon!!! ~Kitsch

Pardon Our Dust!!!

This weekend I am reorganizing the site, adding a whole bunch of new designs, taking out some old ones....And pretty much getting everything ready for the new season that is upon us. It's going to take a bit of patience, because I can only sit at the computer so long before my back and bum go numb o.O!

I put up some new icons today, and added the anti valentines design last night..which is REALLY COOL. EAT YOUR HEART OUT, people!

That should keep you "full" until I put up the other new ones...Tee hee. I'm so excited, I hope you are too!

Talk to you soon. Ohh. And I put up a new photo of me on the main page. Now I am a "naughty Secretary". Hahahah!
~Kitsch

I hope everyone had a very merry holiday season!

I am very sad it is over - I am a complete christmas lover. I sent out my snowman cards to all my friends, and they went over quite well, which is great!

In completely unrelated news, I have opened a little shop on etsy.com so that you canadian types (and of course, anyone else) can have access to some of my wares without having to pay the duties caused by customs, when ordering on the main kitsch site!
I will ship internationally, so all are welcome! paypal, cheques and money orders accepted.

Now this is also exciting, because it gives people access to my hand made journals, which are infintely superior to the ones I can offer through my cafepress site. They ARE a different size, however. My hand made journals are 5x7, with plastic spines and about 100 blank pages as opposed to the mabye 50 pages in the cafepress ones.

While on the subject of etsy, I would like to point out the site of someone I came across in my browsing...this guy makes hand painted records and I just think they are AWESOME! check them out!

Keep checking back..within the next week or two there will be new t-shirt designs and more!!

HAPPY NEW YEARS!