Craft Fair Season....

A few announcements:

1.  Thanks to all of my many Lucky Kat customers lately for giving me such fun and unique kustom projects to work on.  Jewelry boxes, toilet seats, dresses.... I will be doing a bigger update with more photos to the Kustom Gallery on flickr in a few weeks of all of the cool projects from the last 6 months or so.  Keep 'em coming!

2.  I am proud to announce officially that I will be debuting a new product line soon: Blue Diamond Stamps.  It is a line of clear polymer art stamps that are handmade by yours truly from my own artwork and other found imagery.  It is still a work in progress and eventually I will have an online store and will be offering custom services where customers can upload their own image to made made into a stamp.     

For a preview: http://www.bluediamondstamps.com

3.  Craftin' Outlaws in Columbus, OH is coming up in a couple of weeks on the 17th.  This is the fifth installment of the annual alternative craft fair I founded way back in 2005.  Thanks to the help of some wonderful local ladies, the craft fair has continued and prospered since my move to Seattle.  I will be heading back to town and will be debuting the stamp line at the show.  Lucky Kat products have always done well there but it is just too much to get together and ship out inventory, displays, etc so I am just going to be selling the stamps which are easier to transport.  Hope to see all my central Ohio peeps at the show!

4.  I was recently accepted as a vendor at the fifth annual Urban Craft Uprising craft fair here in Seattle on December 5 and 6.  I will be selling the stamp line there as well.  I have attended this show a couple of times as a shopper and am really excited to be involved.  

5.  Lucky Kat is still kickin' and most clothing items are in stock and ready to ship.  Stay tuned for some major sales once the holiday season begins its approach :)

Spring is here.....

The change of seasons means changing weather (well, depending upon where you live exactly)... and I invite you to fill out your spring wardrobe with Lucky Kat.  Halter tops, t-shirts, button-ups, miniskirts, flirty circle skirts, halter dresses, comfy tshirt dresses and more!  

http://www.luckykat.net

In other news, I have added a new steed to the stable.... a 1962 Honda SuperCub.  It is adorable and I love it!  It still needs a bit of work to run properly... and I am chomping at the bit to get out on it.  It is very nice though to be dating a fantastic mechanic who can work wonders with these things ;)   So it looks like I'll be selling the Vespa.... if anyone in the Seattle area is interested.

busy busy busy!

Spent most of the evening doing updates to the site including:

1.  Moved the Kustom Gallery over to Flickr- this is a much better solution for organizing all of these photos!  Plus, I added some new projects I have completed more recently.  My favorite is the Mummy Jewelry Box shown to the left. 

2.  Added some cool new clocks made with dice to the site- available in 4 different dice colors:

3.  Added three new purses to the purses that are available for kustom painted orders.

4.  Added three new retailers officially to the list of shops that carry Lucky Kat around the world!  B Unique Clothing in New Jersey, Kanella's in Arizona, and hopefully within the month items will be making their way to the Czech Republic for the Nosferatu shop.

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The weather has been great the past couple days- which means we are probably due for some chilly rain any day now.... but I have been trying to get out when I can and do more outside than usual.  Josh and I walked today the 10 blocks or so down to Fremont's main strip- originally going to get gelato but they were defrosting their freezer thing.  So we ended up with cupcakes from Peet's coffee.  Pretty tasty!  I wasn't ready to go in quite yet after the walk back so I hopped on the scooter for a ride around the neighborhood.  As spring approaches and the days are longer and skies are bluer, I find it more and more difficult to be indoors as much as I am.  I need to somehow get my sewing machine set up on the rooftop patio.....  

Holiday Shopping?

Still shopping for the holidays?  Well, you're in luck... here at Lucky Kat central there are over 75 unique gals and guys clothing, accessories, and houseware items ready to ship with almost all sizes in stock!  Deadline for holiday orders: Monday, December 15th!

Please note the order deadline for international orders and the "tagged" made to order items has passed for holiday shipping. 

Ho ho ho!

Wow- can't believe it is already the second week of December! Time is flying.

Here are some updates:
The more I get familiar with Seattle, the more I really enjoy living here. Of course I miss friends and family back in Ohio, but Seattle does have a lot to offer. 

Just bought my Washington state license plates today ($130!)- the car is now official- we no longer appear to be out-of-towners (well riding in the car atleast...). Thanks to the fantastic talents of Josh- my Vespa P200 is up and running (pictured above- currently nicknamed "patches")- although I have been too busy lately to get out on it.  The picture below is what it looked like when I got it last year.... Someday she will also get a paint job- but I am still kinda digging its current mismatched "rough and tumble" look.

We went out to Urban Craft Uprising this past weekend- a large annual indie craft fair at the Seattle Center- similar to my beloved Craftin' Outlaws- but twice as many vendors! Bought some cool stuff for friends. I had considered being a vendor but I knew I would be too busy to prepare for it- maybe next year ;)

I will be heading back to Ohio for the holidays- leaving on the 17th- and will be gone for 10 days. I will spend that first weekend in Columbus hanging with my girls- and spend the rest of the week in Sandusky hanging with family. The 18th is my birthday- and probably the first time in ten years that I have been able to spend it with family! Any orders placed through the site from the 16th and on will be put on hold until after the 28th.

I also completed my first quarter of graduate school- don't know if I have mentioned that so far in the blog. That was the main reason for coming out here to Seattle- to attend school at UW. I am studying Museology (a program on museum studies) and have had some pretty interesting courses so far! Keeping up with running Lucky Kat and going to grad school fulltime has been a little difficult at times- but things have remained pretty caught up most of the time. I have no plans to end Lucky Kat and do love what I do!

Website Updates- with more coming soon!

Well- things have been getting pretty busy over here- which could explain my lack of blogging recently.  First off- the new items just added to the site:  The two that I am most excited about are the Tattoo Cardigan and the Sacred Heart Hoody.  They rock!  

Also added is a Grey Western Top that is priced to move.  I originally made these for another project and have decided to let them go for a steal on the website.  There are some minor imperfections- but nothing too noteworthy and you can't beat the price.  There is also now another circle skirt option- this one in a cute Skull and Heart cotton print and polkadot fabric options for the Curvy Corset Skirt and the popular Piped Halter Dress. 

Also- thanks to Ruby Hardt (the lovely blonde in the photo) and her photographer Dave Ward for the new pics.  I will be adding more soon.  Also- coming soon are more new items for the holidays including a sexy sailor style dress and hair accessories.  So stay tuned for more!

And finally- 2 new retail stores will soon be added to the Lucky Kat list of retailers.  First, is that Kitten Koffin Zombies- everyone's favorite pin-up contest- has added Lucky Kat clothing to the Shop on their website. Also, be sure to check out Kanella's in Tucson, AZ in the next month or so for a fine selection of Lucky Kat clothing.    

Get what you want!

Just finished updating the site:

Get exactly what you want:

A new kustomizing option is now available- let's not let the guys have all the fun with the western style shirts. Now Kustomizable Yoke Tops are available for the ladies- choose your shirt and piping color, yoke print, and sleeve length. Nowhere else but Lucky Kat could you find such a unique shirt!

Get yours now:   Restocked the popular Cherries Boatneck Tees and Sugar Skull Tops and the Black Super Spy Dresses and Black Betty Boleros are available for order now and will ship out next week.

Get a one-of-a-kind:

Be sure to check out the 3 new unique Clock designs, Butterfly Girl Case, and Swallow Belt Buckles. I made each of these with a new technique that involves a combination of tissue paper, gold leafing, and paint! I only made one of each design- so you can be sure it is an original but you may need to grab it fast!

Get a great deal:

And finally, select items have been put on sale- check out the deals on the Sales page.

Finally a bit settled....

We have now been officially in Seattle for 4 weeks tomorrow!  Time has been flying and the studio is back up and running- seemingly even more organized than before.  So place your orders now- and those on the west coast will finally see even faster and slightly cheaper shipping due to the move.  

I will update further soon about how the move went and what we've been up to in Seattle thus far... including photos!

The website was been updated with a more seasonal look today..... enjoy:

New Stuff Added!

I just finished adding some new handpainted functional art to the website- a few clocks, a cute pink case, and a couple belt buckles.  These are all one-of-a-kind- so once they are gone... they are gone!

http://www.luckykat.net

Craftin' Outlaws was a success- a ton of shoppers (some arrived over an hour early to get in line to be the first in the door), amazing vendors, yummy food, entertaining deathmatch (I got to be a judge!), and a beautiful venue.  I am also running around all day- making sure everything is running smooth, volunteers are showing up, etc so I actually don't spend too much time behind my booth.  Which is unfortunate because I think that would've helped sales... but I am certainly not complaining!  I hired Gretchen (my Lucky Kat photographer) to document the event- so soon I should have some photos from the day.

In anticipation for the move next Saturday, I have gone through my closet and have listed over 43 items for sale on eBay.  A lot of great clothing- if you like the Lucky Kat style... then you would probably like my personal style.  Also other fun stuff such as a Fisher Price PXL 2000 camcorder (rare and collectible), lifesize Elvis cardboard cutout, Soap Box Derby Car kit (build your own racer), bunch of crafty/DIY supplies, and even a "Steady As She Goes" handpainted Lucky Kat bowling pin.  

Here is a link to the auctions- (some starting at 99 cents!)

 

Craftin' Outlaws this weekend....

So it's been awhile since my last post- a lot has been going on.

Back in stock are the panther polos and dot halter tops.  Fun casual shirts that can match with just about any bottoms- now available in all sizes.   

There is also of course Craftin' Outlaws this Saturday- so I have been busy not only organizing it but also making some inventory to stock my booth.  Some new items that will debut this weekend are clocks, suitcases, belt buckles, and more.  What doesn't sell out this weekend I will list on the website and etsy next week- since these items are one-of-a-kind snatch them when you can!

I was also on the radio this morning (CD101) to promote the fair.  It was pretty cool- never did anything like that before!  An article comes out today in the Columbus Alive that I also look forward to reading.  

Due to the relocation to Seattle happening very soon- just a heads up that at the end of next week I will be posting that there will be a delay on processing and shipping for orders placed between the Aug 22nd and Sept 8th.  All of my inventory, fabric, sewing machines, etc will be on a truck making its way across the country!  So get an order in soon- before the delay!  

Big update to the Craftin' Outlaws website- vendor list and sponsors posted!

Check it out here: http://www.craftinoutlaws.com

We receive A TON of applications (a lot at the last minute) and it is sooo hard to make cuts as pretty much everything was fantastic quality-wise. Mostly had to base the selections on the type of item and then the style, etc- to make sure to get a varied amount of item types, price ranges, etc. Jewelry, handbags, and paper goods are certainly the most popular application- so competition is crazy to get one of the booths we reserve for those types of items. But I think the final list turned out well and I am pretty pumped.

We also received a lot of sponsorship support this year- allowing us to double our advertising budget- which is never a bad thing ;)

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I am leaving in a few hours to make a road trip with Josh to the Outer Banks in North Carolina (12 hour drive?) to meet up with my family who is currently on vacation there and will be returning late Sunday. We are looking forward to a little relaxing vacation before leaving again a little over a week later to fly out to Seattle for a few days to find our new digs there. Followed by a few weeks later, Craftin' Outlaws, and then a week or so later our big move across the country!

Big Lucky Kat update-

Woot! Just finished updating the website with a ton of new stuff-

Other good news- Jack, my cat that ran away, has been found! Just took him to the vet today for a checkup and despite being kinda skinny he seems fine.

Shows

I've seen a couple of good shows recently. That makes me really happy because it seems rare that bands make a stop in Ohio and if they do it is usually Cleveland or Cincinnati. It has gotten worse in the past year or so as one of the best venues in the city to hold medium sized shows shut down (RIP Little Brothers)...



Anyways- Back on May 18 I saw X play at the Newport. We got the total hook up at this show because a friend works there. The night included drinks at the 'Dube to get the evening started, free tix, beers in a cup as big as a bucket, and a great show by a great band. They sounded right on. Afterwards I got a screenprinted tour poster signed by the band and a pic with Billy Zoom. Uh... camera phone picture.... which means it will probably never make its way off the phone and into cyberland...
What a great way to spend a Sunday evening.




Fastforward to this past Tuesday evening- again at the Newport- with Gogol Bordello. This was a really fun show! The opening band was super boring- and Gogol didn't go on for a really long time. But they played a crazy long set. I have the newest album and it seems like most of the songs were from there. So much energy- and the crowd was really into it. They finished up their set and then came out for an encore that was almost as long as the regular set! I think this was their first show on the tour and I could tell they were pumped from the crowd reaction- so they just kept playing. Go see them if they are coming near you!




This Saturday is the Zombie Walk. Missed it last year. Not sure if I can get anything together to participate as one of the undead but I do want to atleast watch and try to take a ton of pictures.

Whiskey

Why do I love this song so much? Not sure, but today I listened to it on a loop for quite awhile while working on the computer.

In other news, Super Spy Dresses are back in stock! Get your order in before they sell out again...
Amongst sewing for orders, I am also working on a new dress design. Hoping to have the long awaited photo shoot by the end of the month to add to the site all of the new designs I have completed over the past few months.

I will have a booth at Comfest here in Columbus again the weekend of the 27th through the 29th. Slowly and surely building inventory and I will be making my popular journals and sketchbooks made from old record covers again which sold pretty well last year. It will probably be another long, hot, and sticky weekend sitting for three days straight behind a booth... but with friends hanging out with me in shifts... its not too bad at all ;)

Craftin' Outlaws planning is what I spent most of today on- putting together sponsorship information. I will be putting vendor applications up on Tuesday....it's always exciting to start looking over applications and see what kind of things that people make. Most of it is pretty cool and tough decisions always have to be made because again we can only fit 60 vendors in the new venue.

I had a fun Friday night- a party for Susan's birthday. Roasting weenies over a fire, drinking Dr. Feelgoods (vanilla vodka and Dr Pepper), and a lot of cookies. Meghan and I went together on a gift for Susan- a bottle of Jim Beam. But not just any bottle of whiskey... we spray painted it then decorated it- each taking a side.

My side:

Her side:

Haha, they should hire us to redesign their bottles!!

I lost my cat :(

So my big ole' beloved cat escaped out an open window earlier this week.... and I am super sad about it. If anyone who reads this is local to this part of town... help me find him!!

Lost : 5/5/2008
Cat- Male
Name: Jack

Specific Location: corner of 4th St and Arcadia in South Clintonville
Breed: Maine Coon
Weight: 25 lbs?
Color: browns and tans- lighter tan on belly
Coat: long haired , Smooth
Age: 4
Collar: not wearing a collar
Features: neutered, long hair coming out of ears and in-between toes. Big cat... very affectionate.

Comments: He is in an indoor cat and has never been outside before. He is extremely friendly and affectionate. Please help me find him!

New Dress Design and Riffe Gallery exhibit

Finished another dress design last night- Red Gingham Plaid Summer Dress. Lightweight, comfortable, and classic. Like the previously posted Leopard Dress- it is currently only available for sale through my etsy shop. Once I get a photoshoot for all the new items, they will be posted on the main website. Be one of the first to own it and go order it here: http://luckykat.etsy.com

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Gallery Opening- So I have been working the past 8 months with Charles Kleibacker from the Columbus Museum of Art to put together an exhibit that is opening on Thursday May 8 at the Riffe Gallery downtown. It is about his career as a New York couture fashion designer and about the exhibits on fashion he has curated in Ohio since 1986. It has been quite the experience working with him and pretty amazing to see it all finally come together. He will be giving a tour of the exhibition from 5-6p and it will then be followed by a reception from 6-8p. I will most certainly be there to brag about all of the headwraps I put together on the bald mannequins last week ;)

If you are local and interested in fashion- come check it out!  More info

Craftin' Outlaws and Seattle?

Craftin' Outlaws News-

I just finished updating the Craftin' Outlaws website with some details for this year's event. It will take place on August 16, noon until 7, at a new location! BoMA, the big historic church turned nightclub on Broad St downtown. I think it will be a great big space for it and it will be fantastic to contain all of the vendors in one room... and inside! No more worrying about tents or the weather.

Vendor applications will be available on the website starting June 3 and will be due July 3. I am currently recruiting helpers to plan this years events- so if you are local and have any interest and/or experience in areas such as marketing, obtaining sponsorships, creative event ideas, etc. let me know (send email to craftinoutlaws@luckykat.net ) and I will forward info to you about meetings, etc.

Also, if interested, I will be at the Craft Cotillion meeting on Monday April 28th at 8p in the backroom of Surly Girl to talk about C.O. and you can talk to me there. Also, you can meet a lovely and friendly group of crafty local folks as well!

Lucky Kat News-

Due to some price restructuring, all Lucky Kat brand clothing and purses have been lowered in price permanently. I will for the most part not be offering wholesale to retailers anymore, so the restructuring and resulting savings have been passed along to my lovely and loyal website customers.

The Columbus City Sampler that I had mentioned making drink coasters for in a previous post has been on sale on the Sampler Website and has gotten some local press as well. The Columbus Alive did an article that came out Thursday that had a photo of some of the samples including my coasters right on top!


Liz News-

I have been doing some really fun things recently, including an Occupational Costume themed Dance Party last weekend and a fun picnic in the park on Wednesday. Of course I have photos but haven't gotten around to posting them yet. I love my friends and will miss them terribly when....

I ... move ... to.... Seattle at the end of the summer!!

It's official- me (and the handsome Josh) will be moving out from the Midwest to the Northwest sometime in late August. Yeah, it's kinda a big deal.

Most people who know me- know that I have trouble sleeping most nights. No real problem falling asleep... but always waking up a couple hours later and I end up watching MadTV reruns on comedy central downstairs on the couch the rest of the morning. Too many days in a row started like this on a few hours sleep... it begins to take its toll.

After a rare Saturday night in watching a rented movie and chuggin a half of a bottle of NyQuil, I woke up this morning feeling so good and rested it is unbelievable. Granted, yes I did still wake up a few hours after laying down last night and moved downstairs as to not wake my man sleeping gently beside me thinking it would be another typical very early morning... but I ended up returning to sleep there for another 5 or 6 hours. I feel fantastic!

So... in honor of feeling awake and motivated- I present to you a 10% off coupon code- good for 10% off your order on the website. So go place your order and put me to work ;)
{ enter code: SPRING10 during checkout at http://www.luckykat.net }

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Also- have you checked out the etsy store lately? http://luckykat.etsy.com
If you don't have an account there to buy- it is super quick and simple to sign up!
Choice items on sale- possibly something you've had your eye on....Drawstring Tunic Dress, Dark Leopard Skirt, etc.
The new Leopard Print dress (currently exclusive to etsy) with tulle ruffle lining with a limited time low price.....

Hurry now to take advantage of these feel-good sales!!

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Remember the Lucky Kat Charms eBay store? Cool pewter charms in the shapes of skulls, cherries, pirates, guns, horseshoes, etc? Well- I have opened a storefront on etsy to start selling them again. I will be adding about 5 new charms everyday- so check it out and bookmark it to easily check back to see the latest additions.
http://luckykatcharms.etsy.com

Update...

I have been working on new clothing designs recently and forgot how enjoyable that is. Sometimes it is hard to maintain the balance of keeping up with orders for the same items I need to make again and again to that of being creative and making new things. The business is a little more streamlined with the new website that I can afford to take the time to begin creating again. I will be waiting until all of my design samples are ready and do a photoshoot for everything all at once instead of here and there as items are created. That is hard for me because once I finish something I want it to be out and available instantly!

So to compromise with myself- I have taken photos of one of the new dress designs on a dress form (shown at left) and have added it available for sale in the etsy store. I am really happy with how it turned out and it is very customizable as well- from piping colors, straps, etc. Go here to order one for yourself now before it is available on the regular website!
http://luckykat.etsy.com

As I finish up other items I may add them to the etsy store as well before I get them all professionally photographed for the main site. So keep an eye open....

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Two weekends ago I went to the scooter rally in Cincinnati. Had a good time! Pictures are up in my flickr page. Me above with my eyes wide shut for the camera!

So I have this leather jacket that I bought off of eBay a couple months ago (I am wearing it in most of those pictures). I had to reconstruct it a bit (take out some ugly shoulder pads, shorten the shoulders, etc -- yes, it was probably from the 80s) and really like how it turned out.

Unfortunately, because it is vintage and has been stored who-knows-where.... it smells. It's got that thrift store, moth balls, stale old smell to it that I hoped would go away after a few wearings. Well.... it didn't. It is almost to the point where it is unbearable to wear for long periods of time. Well, I brought it with me to the rally and wore it on the long ride on Saturday- hoping that being outside and in the wind would air it out. I guess it did slightly- and I was able to wear it just about all that day without gagging- but I can still smell it from about a foot away. I do realize that I could do something to it- spray it more with something, use some leather care on it, etc.... I just figured it should fade on its own. Still not sure if it is the leather, lining, or stuffing in between that is holding it. Any suggestions?!

New!

Website is finally done and live! A few orders have been placed already so I am pretty sure all of the kinks have been worked out with the shopping cart. It is nice to have it finished so I can start focusing on other things that need some attention- current pending orders and some new clothing designs.

In celebration of the new site, I am offering a free gift to the first 10 orders placed through the new website.

I had a photoshoot with Gretchen again on Thursday for two new dress designs from nice face. that I just got in stock. Pictured in the photo above- they are very cute, comfortable, and perfect for spring!

This week will be very busy- and I'll be heading to Cincinnati again this weekend, this time for a scooter rally. I hope it will be good weather and I am looking forward to a good time.