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*

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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!
--------------------------------------------------------
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!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Kitsch Klothing wishes Love, Laughter and Life to you and yours throughout this holiday season.

And, as a special holiday bonus, Check out:

FREE DESKTOPS for your computer in our new EXTRAS section

This season's TRENDS AND TIPS on the latest fashion ideas

A BRIEF BACKGROUND ON KITSCH and how we came to fruition, in the ABOUT section

Watch out for more extras, more ideas and definitely new products coming early in the new year!!

The Joy of Christmas Cards
By Sarita Mehra

One of the many memories I have of Christmas as a child, was of our standing card tree. We moved many times during my childhood, and wherever we ended up celebrating Christmas, you could be sure that golden card tree would be featured somewhere in view.

Christmas cards have played an intricate part in everyone's Christmas. I don't think there is a person out there that is not yet received one in their lifetime, and millions upon million of them make their way through the world's postal services every year, but have you ever wondered what started the tradition? Who does Hallmark have to thank?

~ Papery Whims ~

It was December 1843, and Sir Henry Cole, a British aristocrat wanted to do something different for Christmas. Rather than his usual boring old Christmas letter to his family and friends, he decided to commission a painting for the cover of a card. John Clacott Horsley's design of a family toasting the season became the color-lithographed design of the first ever Christmas card, that was sold by the publisher for 1shilling (roughly 10cents nowadays).

Initially they did not sell very well, with only a thousand copies sold, but the idea soon took flight and by the 1900s, the Christmas card business had grown to such levels, that the Post Office sometimes had trouble handling all the mail.

~ Early Birds Get Their Cards ~

In response to the early popularity of Christmas cards, and the eagerness to have one's card be delivered on Christmas, the postal service devised a method to entice people to mail their cards early.

A special postmark was issued:

POSTED IN ADVANCE
FOR DELIVERY ON
CHRISTMAS DAY


This ensured that all Christmas deliveries would be 'held back' for special delivery on Christmas Eve, or Day.

~ Tradition vs. E-Cards ~

With the Internet entering households across the world, a new trend has emerged: Electronic Greeting Cards, or E-Cards.

It's convenient and fast. They have been life-savers for many a relative's birthday, and a triumph on the Boss's wife's birthday. There's no postage, no handling, and usually no charge for a decent e-card that arrives a moment after you click 'submit'.

Most popular card companies have recognized the trend and now offer E-cards in their online selections as well as free cards for all occasions. There are many great e-card companies online, and I have to admit, I consider www.bluemountain.com, to be one of the best. With a huge selection for almost every holiday imaginable, their Christmas collection is humorous, sentimental and well-crafted.

I still send Christmas cards the old fashioned way, mainly to my immediate family. Albeit so my younger sister can experience the card tree. It's lost a little of it's golden hue, and some of the slots have been taped together a few times, but it's still a very special part of our Christmas.

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

I think that little article shows a nice history of how cards have come along, and why it is still so important to use the reminiscing spirit that comes along with Christmas as an excuse to send out cards to friends, loved ones and those whom we may have lost touch with, but have not forgotten.

Send out a card this year and put a smile on someone's face! Check out our small (but growing) collection of festive and cheerful Christmas Cards and Postcards at Kitsch Klothing, in the Christmas Section of the Holiday Specials!

HI guys. I'm in a bit of a pickle, but I guess the general public will benefit from it a bit!I signed up for the Toronto Gift show Months ago and was supposed to do two different weekend sales..the first one of which is supposed to take place this weekend. Instead of that happening, they have apparently cancelled all upcoming show dates for this year which leaves me majorly bummed, and with a large amount of handmade shirts, journals, buttons, gift bags, etc that I have no one to sell to!!

So I have posted some pictures (many pictures) to show you what it is I have available..

Gift Bags....


These are $6.00 each and come with an assorted button on each of them. Some buttons are one of a kind!! (Like the green lightning bolt in the photo).
If you want one with a specific design that you see below in the button section, I can probably do that. I have quite a few.


T-Shirts....

All of the below T-shirts are $20 dollars each..(They were to go for 25 at the show.) They are all nice quality white T-shirts with Transfer designs on them. The transfers are trimmed and applied correctly, so they do not look "home made" or crappy in any way! Each shirt comes with a tag with care instructions. ;) And also a way to contact me if you have Questions. I have about 7-9 of each design..


Argyle Cranky Bunny pattern..Three little bunnies in a row with purple "stitching" - Argyle Style!
Comes in Small, medium, Large.


Bedhead pattern...Very retro funky chick with crazy wild hair. Text reads "Bed Head" in a cool retro font underneath.
Comes in Small, Medium, large


"Eat the rich - the poor are tough and chewy" design. 'Nuff said.
Comes in Medium ,large, XL


"Evil Makes Me Sad" Dragon. Little blue dragon with a tear in his eye, and very cute writing underneath with the phrase "Evil Makes Me Sad". HE makes an AWESOME gift! Everyone seems to love this one, guys and girls.
Comes in Small, Medium, Large,


"Flake" design. Give it to someone who is a real flake..or at least someone who likes snow ;)
Comes in Medium, Large, XL


"This Shall Be My Greatest Performance" design. Awesome for theatre fans, shakespeare fans, and the very dramatic at-large.
Available in Medium, Large, XL

(The next three are kiddie's shirts)


Moo Dat?! A Very confused cow is featured here.
Available in Sizes 2/4 and 6/8


Poo On You Bear...well..this one is just too cute to be offensive. I'm not sure the poor teddy agrees though!
Available in sizes 2/4 and 6/8


"Evil Keeps me Young" puppy.
This little (determinedly evil) puppy totally looks like he will take over the world! Discustingly cute as well.
Available in 2/4 and 6/8

Journals...

I have only a very few of these journals. pretty much one or two of each - as I actually was going to make them tonight, but got the call that the show was cancelled. These are all made by hand and very sturdy. They are not lined paper. They'd make awesome doodle books or sketch pads as the paper is nice and thick and very bright white. If someone wants one and I am out, I can always make one up in a day or two as well. Journals are $10 each.


Candy!


Eat The Rich


Evil Keeps Me Young


Evil Makes Me Sad


Heaven


Moo Dat!?

BUTTONS

Wow, if you made it this far down I applaud you.
I'm not sure how to sell these buttons except mabye as a random grab bag.
If you see one in the photo you like I can send that..or you can just request a random one!

(sorry about the bad photo) Mini 1" buttons. $3 each or 4 for $10.


Larger 2" buttons. $4 each or 4 for $12

If you want a bunch more than that of either kind of button I'll cut you a deal.
Same with Shirts or journals.

I WILL PAY TO MAIL THIS TO YOU IN CANADA!!!

Or I can get you a Discounted rate on a courier like UPS...or just send it by normal mail.

Anyone with Questions, post here or email me at mauig@hotmail.com and THANKS!!


I have dumped a lot of my savings into these darn craft shows only to have all my plans foiled!! There goes my christmas money. All of these things are my own design/illustrations. I'm pretty proud of it all, and its all very colourful and funky. Give an item a good home this christmas!!

Hey again. The world of T-shirt design is scattered with many pitfalls. The nice people at cafepress make things relatively easy to set up shop on-line, but really, when it comes time to branch out into the real world, things are a bit more murky. (hello, run on sentence!)

I have been working on creating a small fleet of my designs to sell at craft shows this holiday season. I have two craft shows coming up, as previoulsy mentioned. I want to bring 100 shirts, and I've been trying to get them made for two months now. My supplier said "No problem! IT'll only be a week. I'll bring you the samples!" A month later, he brought the samples, none of which would work with my preferred printing method (IRon on transfers. You cannot use these on ribbed shirts, even Baby-rib shirts. Remember that when making your shirts at home!). Soooo new examples had to be found (actually, they just had to cough up samples of the original shirts I ordered.) and brought in...Now Yesterday, I got a call and basically got told they could not honour the price they quoted me, my transfers do not work and they were bringing me a sample of a pressed on transfer to show me how much I suck and how it was my fault.

"Bring it on!" I cried, "I know what I'm doing. I'm wondering what YOU have done to screw this up, mister I've-been-doing-this-for-30 years."

Sure enough, again (AGAIN!) they had used a baby-Rib T-shirt to apply the transfer onto.

In light of this craziness, I have had to change shirts, Am quite stressed out and very close to my deadline, still with no shirts. I have been assured that I will have a beautiful sample tomorrow. WE'll see.

I wanted to put together a little reference for those of you who have found yourself in similar situations. So let's start off...

CUSTOM T-SHIRT CREATION GOLDEN RULES

Rule #1 - Always use a 50/50 (or as close to that as you can get) cotton/polyester JERSEY KNIT T-shirt to apply your designs to. This goes for Silkscreen, Iron on transfers, and even Stitching.

Rule #2 - Always remember, If your design includes type, you must REVERSE THE IMAGE for your iron-on Transfer.

Rule #2 - Don't be like me. Put in your orders well in advance if going to a supplier, and make sure they make you a sample before they run all your transfers.

Rule #3 - When buying your blank T-shirts from someone who will give you a deal..always make them write down, and sign a piece of paper with the price they quoted you, what their name is and the date. These people are used to haggling, and are not afraid to jerk you around if they think they can.

Those are the cardinal rules I have learned.

I have been travelling the web in search of some good suppliers of T-shirts. Not all are good. But, be aware that many many people who Silkscreen T-shirts, are also willing to sell you blank T-shirts at a better price than you might find at old navy or walmart. (Generally you have to order quite a few though. I am ordering a cool even 100, and this is still considered a very small order.)

Here are a few of what I have found thus far...

General T-shirt Suppliers

• American Apparel (USA)
• Gildan (International)
• ShirtSpace (USA..I just found this one. It looks very promising! Despite it being from the US..so I have to pay to get it into Canada)
• Hanes Printables (USA)
• Budget T-shirt Co (Canada)
• Custom Ink (USA)

Screen Printers

• Custom Ink (USA)
• Cafepress (USA..Direct Printing)
• Fishead (USA)
• Hardboiled Inc (Canada..toronto)
• Artik (Canada..Toronto..also the ppl doing my order. Not that I'm so impressed by them.)

There are tons more. Google it. That's what I have done. Find one whose style/Price/Process appeals to you. If you find some awesome ones, pass on the link. Also, I am looking for information on any clubs or blogs that deal with T-shirt design or the T-shirt community! There are many of us out there..Where are we?! WHO Are we?! I think we have a lot to learn from eachother! I have found one interesting blog I'd like to pass on..

• T-Shirt Casserole ...Just a blog that highlights random T-shirts from cafepress that they like, but I think it's a great Idea!

Pass me on more links as well. I am very interested in getting involved in the T-shirt industry. I'm only at the beginning of this journey! I will try and help out where possible. Let's grow this community together!

Peace, love, and jersey knit Shirts.

~Anne

CHRISTMAS CRAFT SALE ANNOUNCEMENT!

Kitsch Klothing will be at the Toronto Gift Show this year! We will be selling T-shirts, Journals, Chocolates, 2" and 1" buttons. Some of these designs are special edition, not available online! Don't miss out. We will be at the December 3rd &4th Weekend Location, as well as the 17th & 18th location. Even if you can't buy, come to say hi!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat! (And so is uncle Albert..)
With Christmas, comes Christmas cards, cookies, happiness and joy. It also brings the feeling of "What the heck do I get all these people?! What can I get for my special someone? And oh god..What about Mom? She's so hard to buy for!!"
Not to worry. Kitsch Klothing is here, to help you out. If Kitsch doesn't make something perfect for your special someone, check out the Trends and tips page, and the News Blog for alternate gift ideas, gift combo ideas and links to other cool shops and sites.

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UPCOMING SALES!

I have to draw special attention to this section, because there is a great sale going on right now, and there is a great sale coming up!
November 1st to 14th - $2 off Ornaments, Wall Calendars and Greeting Cards!
Punch in the code when checking out, to cash in on this deal. Hurry though, it's done on Monday!
Coupon Code: Holiday2

NOVEMBER 15th to DECEMBER 6th...FREE SHIPPING!
Anne is pretty excited about this one. This is when she too, will do her Kitsch Shopping. FREE SUPER SAVER SHIPPING on orders over $50.00
Coupon: FREESHIP

Because this Newsletter goes out once a month, you may want to keep a watch on the main page of the site, as that is where additional sales banners will appear to let you know about the rotating sales going on, on any given day! There are always good opportunities to be found. Check them out!

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NEW DESIGNS

In the last month, quite a few new designs have made an appearance - most importantly, a few extra cool Christmas designs!

Snowman Greetings- Let these merry snowmen help you wish your friends season's greetings and celebrate your winter wonderland! Funny Snowmen in hats and scarves are always at the height of Seasonal Style!

Mooey ChrisMoose - Mooey Christmas to you! Every holiday is instantly made more festive with cows. And Roosters. And Moose (mooses?) and Sheep. You can't lose with this winning combination! It's so A-MOO-Sing!

Flake - Let this wintry image get you and your friends in the holiday season spirit! Or, Send it to an especially Flakey Friend (or ex?) and have yourself a little private holiday giggle.

As well, in the originals Section, we have a new design as well..perfect for any funky soul who wants to let their hair down... BED HEAD!

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UPCOMING APPEARANCES

Designer Anne will be taking her Kitsch Klothing to a few Christmas Crafty shows in Toronto, Ontario this season. Check her out at the Toronto Gift Show, December 3&4 and December 17 & 18th. For additional details on location, times and admission(It's free!) click HERE

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JOKE OF THE MONTH

A New Twist on an Old Tradition

One particular Christmas season a long time ago, Santa was getting ready for his annual trip ... but there were problems everywhere. Four of his elves got sick, and the trainee elves did not produce the toys as fast as the regular ones so Santa was beginning to feel the pressure of being behind schedule. Then Mrs. Claus told Santa that her mom was coming to visit. This stressed Santa even more. When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two had jumped the fence and were out, heaven knows where. More stress. Then when he began to load the sleigh one of the boards cracked and the toy bag fell to the ground and scattered the toys. Needless to say Santa wasn't in the best mood. Just then the doorbell rang and Santa went to the door expecting another problem. He opened the door and there was a little angel with a great big Christmas tree there just to cheer Santa up. The angel said, very cheerfully, "Merry Christmas Santa. Isn't it just a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Isn't it just a lovely tree? Where would you like me to stick it?" Thus began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.


HAHAHAAA!...Happy Holidays, no matter what you celebrate...
From Anne at KITSCH KLOTHING!!

Two New Designs!

So, this week I have added two new designs. One is called Flake. Let this wintry image get you and your friends in the holiday season spirit! Or, Send it to an especially Flakey Friend (or ex?) and have yourself a little private holiday giggle!

The other is called Mooey Christmas! Every holiday is instantly made more festive with cows. And Roosters. And Moose (mooses?) and Sheep. You can't lose with this winning combination! It's so A-MOO-Sing!

I hope to get a few more products up this week for Christmas, as well as get ready for the Toronto Gift Show. Huzzah! Changes, they are a happenin'.

Speaking of cows, (Which I love) here is a great gift idea...Animal accessories are hot this year, from purses to backpacks to hats! Check out this Cow Purse which is huggeably soft and awesome for Christmas for anyone. I guess I should get back to pimping my own wares, but I thought this was very cute!! ;) Couple this with one of my Greeting cards, or the Moo Dat?! T-shirt design, and you'll really knock 'em dead!

Hmph!

I am not happy with the Kitsch Klothing statistics counter...it keeps telling me that I have had no visitors, new or otherwise..for the past few weeks, despite the fact that I have made SALES. Since people bought stuff, it would suggest they were actually visiting the site!

If anyone has a better counter that they know of (Free, please) I'd be much obliged. ;)