New Line of Men's Keychains/Luggage Tags

With Father's Day just around the corner, I've got all new ribbons just perfect for dads!

Is he a superhero?  A sports nut?  How about just a little punky?  There's one for every man in the bunch.

 

These can be put on any color backing and a name or sports number can be added as well.

They are large enough to fit over a man's wrist.  I asked Jeffrey to model one and, of course, Abigail couldn't be left out of the fun.

Licensed keychains are $7.50 and unlicensed ones are $6.  Embroidery is an additional $2.

You can pick yours up at Fusion in Chesterfield mall (Wed.&Thurs.-12-7, Fri.&Sat.-12-9, Sun. 12-4) or email us at handmadefamily@redherringillustration.com. Or you can just leave a comment below with your contact info.

I Am What I Am on Main Street Grand Opening

Mrs. Handmade mentioned the other day that she is excited and kind of amazed about all the new friends we have made since starting to work together on Handmade Family. It's like a whole new culture has opened up to her. One of the great things about this community, is that it really IS a community. Maybe I'm wrong about this, but it really seems to me that the sense of belonging to something that's bigger than us (whether that's sports, church, facebook... whatever) is something that we're all looking for.

One of our new friends, Jessi Gisburne from I Am What I Am is celebrating (celebrating? is that the word I'm actually looking for? I just checked her blog, and she says "3 days of celebration", so that's what I'm going to go with too! :) the grand opening of her new shop on Main Street, St Charles. We went in to see her yesterday, and are very excited about the new space she shares with Bliss Eleven, a local photography studio. Stop by and see for yourself, this coming Friday, April 15th - Sunday, April 17 they are kicking off the new storefront with prizes, giveaways, face painting, free food and wine.


Other artists featured in the shop include:
-Bella Due
-The Crafty Geek
-Dana's Creations
-Letters by Landmark
-Pink Seven Design
-RHD Missouri
-Villa Design

So much super-cool, handmade art in one place, and awesome people to share it with! Hope to see you all there!

Crafty Memories

So I'm offering a few art projects for the Fusion Arty Parties.  When working through what and how I wanted to do, it made me think back on lots of crafting memories.  My mom has always been crafty, so it's kinda "in me" i guess.  The only problem was that she really couldn't teach me any of her crafts 'cause we butted heads too much.  Sorry about that, mom, but if you're reading this know that you were my first (and continuing) influence.

If you've ever been to my house and used the restroom you've seen one of my earliest attempts at cross-stitching.  It's a little bear holding a bunch of balloons that says 'love lifted me.'  It's horrible.  Seriously.  I can't even begin to tell you how many things are wrong with it, starting with the fact that there are no strings on the balloons, so he's not even attached to them.  But I don't care about all of that.  I was in 4th grade and I was so proud of it.  Hence, it has lived in every bathroom since I moved out of my parents' house.

We did a lot of crafts in Girl Scouts, which I was a part of from kindergarten until twelfth grade.  I had some awesome troop leaders (again, if you're reading, know that your influence is appreciated, as well) and got to learn some neat stuff and experiment with lots of different media.  I remember making turkey table ornaments for senior citizen homes, organic face masks (I can't believe I put oatmeal on my face!), and my favorite of all time...the latrine buddy.  We did a lot of camping, so we used a bath towel to make an apron that had pockets for all of our bath items.  I loved making it and using it.  Man, now I'm wishing that I still had it.

Another vivid picture that came to my mind revolves around the year my school began a student council.  Stupidly I decided to run for class president, ignoring the fact that I was literally a pariah.  Anyway, bright posters with puffy paint were appearing all over the school.  I don't remember if I wanted to be different or that my parents were already poor from hockey so i didn't want to ask them to buy me supplies, but I found a piece of burlap and proceeded to stitch out "Vote for Amy, She's not Lame-y" or some such stupidness.  I remember stitching a border of some kind and probably a few flowers; in the end I must say that I was pretty darn proud of it.  I recall excitedly posting it on the bulletin board, while at the same time beginning to hear the negative comments.  Those were generally hard times, but I do remember sitting in class and looking up at that sign.  I knew I didn't have a chance of being elected, but I was really proud of it, and I guess I still am.

So anyway, I have decided to offer tie dying t-shirts and a minimal-sew felt jewelry roll (pictured here).  Jeffrey is offering a Japanese-style hand-bound journal.  There are lots of other options offered by other Fusion artists, too.  Can't wait to do the first party!  If you are looking for a cool artsy experience for a birthday party or such, check it out!


Till next time,
Amy

Happy St. Pat's Day!!!! Abigail was a SUPER leprechaun!

Jeffrey and I had been throwing the idea around about going to the big St. Pat's parade this year. I'm usually not off if it's during the week, but spring break gave me the option to go. The forecast was beautiful, and we knew Abby would love a parade. So in true Amy fashion, we made the decision late last night to actually do it, and at midnight I had a brainstorm. We needed shamrock capes! Three hours later I've got a cape and mask for Abigail, and an extra set for her to share with her friends.

Even superheroes need a lift sometimes.

Watching the parade and protecting the citizens of Shamrock City.

No, Alex is not picking her nose. She's adjusting her mask.

She was super excited to see it this morning and wore it from the time we left the house at 11am to around 6pm when we were eating dinner with Nana and Papa Jim. The house that we watched the parade at was absolutely PERFECT. It was on the parade route, fenced in, and had a climber for the kids to play on. No 'keeping super-leprechaun on a short leash so she doesn't get squashed by people' for this mommy! She had a blast playing with all of the other kids (I brought extra masks, too, so they could all be supers). Olivia had her first crawling through the grass experience; no sensory issues for that little one! She went everywhere, and even climbed up the little slide over and over and over again. It was a great and exhausting day, and I'm very excited about the possibility of crawling into bed very soon.

The privacy fence was just in front of the climber, so the kids could still see the parade when they were up there. Just to the left in the pic is a chain link fence.

Olivia is becoming quite the 'super' herself.

Missy & Abby holding hands after the parade

Local Artists Shout Out

Wow! Two posts in two days?! Am I crazy, or do I just have work piling up on my table that I'm putting off? Actually, it's neither. Just wanted to give a shout out to some local artists getting ready to open up a new shop on main street in old town, St. Charles...Just down the road from us, and in a REALLY good location to get a lot of shopping traffic.

I Am What I Am on Main Street is a local artisan handmade marketplace where you'll find one of a kind and completely unique items handcrafted by local artists including clothing, jewelry, accessories, gifts, sculptures, and so much more.

Pocket Full of Poseys Handmade hair accessories, bags and hats. A lot of really cute stuff for your daughter or girlfriend.
Kaylee Bug Design Really wonderful design work from logos to business cards and brochures. It looks like she does both custom work, as well as pre-made, stock designs.
I Am What I Am really cool and cute jewelry and buttons with stamped sayings. My daughter has been eyeing them at the Fusion shop lately.
Bliss Eleven portrait, senior, kids, wedding and commercial photography. I really like the high key color in the children's portraits, it gave the pictures the feel of a crisp spring day after a rain.
Posh Principessa Super cute clothes and accessories for little girls. I noticed that there is also a boys section, but since I have two daughters I didn't really look too hard at it.

In the spirit of full disclosure, they're also running a facebook fan page contest, which seems like a great way to get more people looking at their stuff, which is all beautiful. So go check it out!

Until next time, take care and be good!
Handmade Family

Handmade Family: Daily Life

Hey everybody! I'm kicking off a new project that's going to cross over between here and my Red Herring Illustration blog. This is a double post, but I promise not to make it a habit. I like the idea of keeping mostly photos of what we've made, and us using them here, and illustrations and drawings mostly over there.

We've had super heroes on the brain here lately...Last week, Handmade Family set up our space in the Fusion Art Co-op in the mall (you can check out the post here). Amy's making capes, and has started finishing up the hero costumes with masks and cuffs to go along with them. Abby is super-cute. She tried on the mask for the first time last night, and was running around in her jammies, pointing up and declaring, "To the rescue!!!". It's funny watching her costume combinations, too. This afternoon, she'd added a Halloween pumpkin lantern, and tonite when we were getting ready for bed, she said she need super-hero pajamas...NOT, her dog pajamas. Okay, Superman it is. Ha-ha-ha!

So, where am I going with this? My plan is to do a cross-over between here and the Red Herring Illustration blog, with illustrations and photos and downloadable goodies that will be available on my website, chronicling our daily, handmade lives. Activities, books and movies, snack-time and of course Daily Life illustrations and comics. All of this will be compiled into a small, themed book. If all goes as planned (and to be honest, I'm nervous about that part), then I will be able to release my little 'zine every two months. The theme for issue one is Super-Heroes, and I hope that you all will join me for a little fun.

That's it for now. Until next time, take care and be good!
Your friend,
Jeffrey

Handmade Family at Fusion

Big news for the beginning of March! A couple of weeks ago, we applied to be vendors at Fusion, an artist co-op whose main purpose is to offer a unique blend of art, crafts, local music, and classes to the St. Louis area. Located on the second floor of Chesterfield Mall, by Sears, the location is awesome, and we're so excited about the opportunity!


The last couple of weeks have been SUPER busy. Between, deciding on our mission and settling some branding issues, getting all our signs and graphics together, and then finding displays that both fit our image of who we are but also would fit in with the artists already in the shop... it's surprising that we had time for anything else. We went in last night to set up our display space, and get our contract and orientation taken care of...

Amy did a great job of getting plenty of product together to fill the shelves. Bean-bag games, baby blankets, neck wraps and key chains. Not to mention the super hero capes! On top of that, I brought in some paintings and prints to round out our selection. Not too shabby of a start! Our business cards came in today, and I have some more artwork to add, so we'll definitely be back in the next couple of days. We'll also be working four days a month, so come on down to see us!

And finally, our little family keeps growing up before our eyes. I remember when Abby was just a little baby, and now she's so big and reading to her baby sister...I tell you what, the days just fly by.