New Mouse in the House

Perhaps you noticed my darling little mouse up there in the corner? Well I decided that I needed a professional logo for the new shop. I put a request on Etsy's Alchemy and got waaaaay too many bids! There are so many talented fine artists and graphic designers there. If you've never used Alchemy before you basically request whatever you are looking for (say a tuba cover knit in green mohair) and shop owners put in bids to do the project for you.
It was very hard to decide who to go with but I finally settled on Jade Nellans after seeing her portfolio here http://www.jadefrolics.net.

The fact that we share part of our name and an infatuation with cats kind of sealed the deal. Unfortunately I got it done just as my good friend Emily was finishing a drawing for me so I ended up with two little mice. I am going with Jade's for now because it fits in the avatar and banner space on Etsy better. I might use Em's for some packaging (thanks Emmy!). Check out Emily's portfolio too. She's been my dear friend forever and I've seen her art progress from crayons and markers to the fantastic pieces she does now. www.Moth-and-mouse.com

I discovered some other amazing artists and since I am still in the process of decorating the "new" house (we've been here for eight months!) I am going to have no problem filling some of this white wall space. Here is one of my favorites. It was so difficult to choose, let me tell you.


Another artist I fell in love with was Jenni Phillips. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5762710 shop ID LucaJenn on Etsy. Her girls are so simple but expressive, sweet, and magical- kind of what I strive for in my felties.

Somebunny I Love

This is Susie Rabbit and her doll Annabelle.  She's named after my sweet mom.  At MousePants.etsy.com now! (the rabbit, not my mom)

A Sharp Idea

Can't afford $10 to see a movie in the theater?  Putt-putt a little too pricey these days? The dollar store is a great source for free entertainment if you leave your shopping list at home and look for oddities and funny stuff instead of bargains.  Case in point: these totally affordable markers, which aren't those overpriced Sharpies- they're Skerples!  

Help Homeless Felties

While I'm in the process of moving my Etsy shop to mousepants.etsy.com I am having a 25% off sale (pre-shipping) just for my blog buddies.  If there is a piece you have had your eye on send me a convo mentioning my blog after your purchase but before paying on Etsy and I will send you an adjusted invoice.   You can shop from the old address at mjkeeton.etsy.com or the new one.  I hope this can get some of my felties into good homes!  

This Grass is Greener

Combining my love for my kitties and my love of small scale gardening I am growing hydroponic cat grass. I got the spoiled little beasts a new drinking fountain and saw that there was an attachment to sprout the seeds right in the basin. Of course I had to get it. Can't deny them anything. At least I don't spend an hour a week doing their nails anymore.

Cuckoo for Koigu and Cram Cream

I'll explain all this Koigu next time but for now suffice it to say that this is the first time I have actually owned Koigu and it is lovely yarn indeed. I have been wanting to make the Charlotte's Web shawl for years now and finally have the opportunity! Yeehaw! Additionally I decided that I needed a little more cute in my life and ordered a few rolls of Cram Cream tape to jazz up my packages, laptop, etc. These days my life is pretty much a pursuit of cuteness and I couldn't resist. On the site I got them from one was listed as "koara" which I also found maddeningly cute. Before I give you a toothache I'll go but remember, que tu es mignon! You're Cute!

Q&A

I had the opportunity to do a little interview with a fellow Etsy crafter for her blog that was published today.
While you're there you can check out her shop too (bendawndavis.etsy.com). It's great when we can help each other out like that. It's easy to put so much energy and focus into promoting yourself and your artwork that you overlook other people's. The thing that keeps me from doing that is my good old hardcore addiction to shopping. I have to remind myself on Etsy that I'm there mainly to sell and I gotta keep my head in the game. Otherwise my credit card bill would be growing like an overfed goldfish and my felties would be languishing and collecting dust.

I have had a lot on my plate recently. I am debating whether I ought to just spill my guts here or not. There are people from so many facets of my life that read this that I have to consider. I do feel that until I can put more of myself here and be honest it's really just a photo album of my art which was not the original intention. So I have to work that all out on my own. Until then I apologize for having bored you in the past few weeks. I'll go get the cats some clothes or get something pierced for your enjoyment.

I Am the Egg Man

My brain feels fried as an egg. I haven't been writing because by the end of the day lately I just want to melt into the couch. I did get my first spring flowers planted this weekend and went on a yarn expedition with some buddies. Of course, even after all the gems I added to my stash I have still been chasing one elusive catch, Lana Grossa Royal Tweed. I want to make a sweater out of this stuff but it's apparently been discontinued. Of course, if it was just a plain old worsted I would just get something else but it's got an interesting kink to it that most reminds me of Lion Homespun (much hated or adored I know). I don't want to make the sweater out of Homespun because that stuff sheds and pills like a cat in summer. How is it that you can come across 50 year old yarn for sale but not 8 balls of a yarn from 2006? I even considered ordering it from Germany but they didn't have enough of one color. In the meantime, while digging through the annals of Lana Grossa history to find out if there was a chance of finding it I came across some of their sock yarn that I promptly added to my "Much Coveted" list. I really like it knit sideways like that and I haven't been impressed by that before. Since today was crappy and I couldn't fulfill my yearning for yarn I bought two pairs of shoes. Now I just have to find the time to actually go somewhere and wear the shoes and knit something with all this yarn.

Birthday Booty

I was a lucky girl yesterday! I finally got Squiggly Squirrel all the way from Japan (remember her?)! Mum also sent me another Momiji called Rainbows and a pair of flip flop socks with little froggies on them. These were a hit with the knitting crew last night.

Then I decided I needed to just go ahead and splurge on the rest of the linens to match my comforter. While I was trying to make the bed I was opening packages and laying things out. I went to pick up one of the pillow shams and oddly it would not move. Well, guess who had moves in and made a little nest? Tanga was not happy when I dumped her out and replaced her with a pillow but quickly went to work burrowing around under the blanket as her next endeavor. So much for a fresh new bed.

Call Doll-ANON

As if I needed another thing to spend my money on or another thing to start collecting I just discovered Momiji dolls. While searching for more kokeshi I happened upon Momiji which are modeled after kokeshi but are made to appeal to a modern, younger audience rather than art collectors. Each one is a little character with a story. Check out momijishop.com to see all the little cuties and other kokeshi stuff like mugs and bags. I am not going to admit how much money I have already dropped on these. They are just too sweet to pass up. Hopefully before I end up living in an alley with a bag full of dolls people will start feeling the same way about MY little creations.

Tattooed and Confused

This is really, really, really strange. So say you don't want a tattoo or piercing but you want to decorate yourself with something a bit "edgy"? How about a ring that you roll over your skin to leave a temporary imprint in a lovely pattern? WTF is this all about? If you want to find out what all the hip people who are apparently light years ahead of the rest of us are up to go to http://www.trendhunter.com and look at the Hot Trends sidebar. I'm not entirely certain whether these things are just predicted to be popular or already have some numbers behind them but I myself do not know any fans of canned cheeseburgers.

UPDATE:
The link was working last night and then it disappeared. Don't understand all that so I just wrote it in. Now at least you can find what I was talking about. And as for the Sumerians and all, dearest Kay, yes that idea has been seen before. My first thought was of the DIY rollers that you can use to put patterns on your walls with paint. But, um, not smooshed into your face so you look like you have some odd form of designer pox! Now go check it out :)

I'm In Love

I have yet to find the perfect man but I did finally find the perfect quilt!

On the Links

You may notice a couple of nifty changes here. First, there's the gallery from my Etsy shop on the sidebar there. You can click on the pics there and link directly to my shop. Those items are currently for sale and will update automatically with what sells. Pretty clever, huh? Second is the Buy Handmade button. This is a movement being organized for the upcoming holiday season to promote handmade goods and small businesses. If you click on the button you can link up to the page and get more info. You can check out some cool indie shopping sites from there if you want to get a jump on Santa's list. What could be better than surprising everyone with gifts that you are certain no one else will be giving them that are made with care and love and support fabulous crafty people (like ME)?? I have a couple of other philanthropic gifting tips in the works that I will pass on as the season nears. I for one do not start my shopping in October despite what Martha says. XO to all.