Progress on the Shop Banner

Over the weekend I spent some time making a physical banner to photograph and turn into the virtual banner for my shop, Dear Reader. I've been reading the Etsy forums to learn more about the details that make a shop more professional and distinctive. One important suggestion that comes up repeatedly is to make sure your shop banner and avatar feature your product and speak to your aesthetic, because it will draw in more views of your shop while removing an extra click to get there. If you represent your style with your avatar and banner, it is the first impression that will intrigue shoppers and fellow Etsy sellers to check out your work. Also, being married to a graphic designer I am now much more aware of the value a good first impression makes through logos and typography.

My plan with Dear Reader is to always feature one photograph of each item listed with my card catalog in the background. I like the consistency it will bring and it will hopefully be something memorable that people associate with the Dear Reader shop. I knew I wanted the card catalog in my banner, and then I had the idea to cut out smaller versions of the Cavendish shield shape and iron on the letters Dear Reader. Pennants and banners in numerous permutations have been all over the crafting and blog world, and this version is my own take on the trend.

I work with iron-on adhesive when making my tote bags; it has a paper surface on one side for tracing and drawing patterns, which I find easy to cut out. I especially like the clean, smooth finish it brings when putting felt shapes together. However, there are two key things to remember when working with iron-on adhesive: First, your image will be reversed when you iron it on. And second, if you are working with patterned fabric, you have to iron your adhesive to the wrong side. Thinking in reverse can still get confusing when you are working with a new pattern, as I was with my lettering. Initially I forgot about reversing the letters until I started cutting the first one, but I've since sorted it all out. A few final steps to go and I will soon be photographing the new felt banner to show off. A sneak preview of the progress is all I have time for until I get back from vacation next week.

It's Fantastic!

This week is shaping up to be excellent in the entertainment department. The swoon- inducing sweet movie The Fantastic Mr. Fox was released on DVD. I can't wait to watch the extras as Mr. Anderson never disappoints. The visuals in his films are so inspiring and layered with details that make me so happy. Last night I caught Amy Sedaris on the tee-vee (on The Middle), plus for Savannah it is the biggest music week of the year with the Savannah Music Festival. And lucky for me, we have tickets to see both Wilco and She & Him. Plus! The new movie Hot Tub Time Machine opens, and I never feel like I've had a proper weekend unless I've gone to the movies. Though I am dubious at best about time travel, exceptions will be made for John Cusack. In between all of this fun, I will be working on a low-tech banner for the Dear Reader shop which will keep my hands happily working with the wool felt. I hope everyone else has some good plans lined up too!

TV Dinner

So the other morning, I went to put my delicious Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake lunch in the freezer at work. Business as usual, until I noticed that someone else had also deposited a Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake in the freezer already.

Because office kitchens operate under an entirely different set of parameters than home kitchens (and knowing the habits of some of my co-workers), I had no guarantee that the other frozen meal hadn’t been subjected to questionable activities. Perhaps it sat in someone’s car for four hours. Or maybe they have a cat that prowls in their grocery bags and had DONE SOMETHING to that frozen meal.

All possibilities being unacceptable, I wanted to avoid confusion and make sure I ate MY frozen meal and the twin meal matched up with it’s original owner. When you know for a fact that certain people don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom, it’s best to avoid contact with any food items they have touched. The best I could come up with was wrapping my lunch in a plastic bag, and I emailed the predicament to my sister. She found my need to conceal my lunch to be funny, and as usual with my need to impress my little sister, I decided to take it one step further.

So here is the result: a Food Disguise. The blob at top left is mashed potatoes with gravy (and butter). To the right is a brown square. Kidding! It's a brownie, a delicious felt brownie. Then we have peas and carrots plus fried chicken rounding out the classic TV dinner.

If I ever had the chance to make something for Amy Sedaris, this TV dinner Food Disguise would totally be it. In the meantime, I may refine this prototype for the shop and the original is on it's way to my sister, from whom I sincerely hope to earn another laugh.

Getting to Know You

Welcome to the Dear Reader blog! Thanks for stopping by - I hope to share news about my Etsy shop, Dear Reader, and use this space to get to know each other. Let's kick things off with a list of things that tell you a little bit about me:

-I am from Florida but I don't like to have a tan and I prefer cool weather.
-I have a fascination with all things Mr. T related.
-Mashed potatoes are my favorite.
-Dogs are the best! If I start feeling shy at a party, I look around for a dog to hang out with.
-My husband draws the patterns for the Dear Reader shop (thanks Eric!)
-I live in Savannah, Georgia and my day job is a librarian.
-My best ideas come to me while I'm driving.
-I adore British comedy and my latest favorite is The Mighty Boosh. My all-time favorite is Absolutely Fabulous.
-I always carry a notepad around with me.
-NPR is a daily essential.
-My best Halloween costumes as an adult are a tie between a Fraggle (Wembley) and Frida Kahlo.
-I have a signature prank, which involves hiding something weird in a surprise place for someone to discover (refrigerators and showers make frequent appearances)

Stay tuned as I document my creative pursuits and amusements!