I spent this last weekend taking a little time away from making things to go stay with friends in Washington. They have new chicks with names like Skunkweed and Chainsaw.

I'll be getting back to work this week and hopefully finally getting the new clothes photographed and up in the shop.

I'm also looking for easy knitting patterns for bulky and super bulky yarn, so if anyone wants to pass something along it would be much appreciated!

Success! Two singles, one with swirling barberpoles of the rust and yellow and curly overspins, one with color blocks of white, rust, and yellow, and a third skein of super slubs plied with bright yellow thread and full of beehive coils.

And in other news, I quit my job! Hooray! I'm currently looking for something low stress around 30 hours a week. Suggestions are welcomed! (I'm in SW Portland OR.)

I'm back from my vacation now. Josh and I went to Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico for just under a week. It was really lovely and ideal.
I'm working to get caught up now, printing and designing and sewing up orders in their traveling packages.

I'll be updating the Etsy shop with lots of great new things, lots of new tees too just as soon as I can wrangle in my photographer to help me.

In the mean time, check out Kraken. She made me this amazing shirt - Snail + Slug = Snug, the hybrid love mollusk! I adore it!

After a weekend of eventful printing, hoards of new shirts, wallets, and kids clothes will be ready to go just as soon as I can photograph them.

Out of stock items will return and some new things will finally make it online!

My most recent side project has been an attempt at making handspun yarn. It turned out really lovely until I had to put it in the dryer (its wet in Oregon you know, and things don't air dry very well.) Now its a little felted and looks like dreads. The color was so much nicer before too.

Well, now I know. Maybe I'll have to use a fan next time instead.

I've been working away with my new PMC3 hotpot kit. While my skills aren't quite what I wish they were, my enthusiasm almost makes up for it.

With a little more work the earrings have improved:

And just last night I finished a little Valentines Day gift:

I've also started knitting again, and have some soft and lovely cowls coming up soon. I'll post a photo or two once they're all ready to go.

Actually knitting again has brought to my attention all the amazing hand spun yarns on Etsy. As we speak (type/read) I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of "Theodore" by The Red Button Tree:

Here are some of my favorite yarns and the crafters that produced these fluffy beauties. All handspun, and many hand dyed as well!

Haptotrope's post-apocalyptic yarn Raspberries and Old Lace, made with tulle, wool, and lace:
Fey's Salmon Run with big spongy coils of bright blue!

In Hope's bright Pink Lemonade yarn with little sparkly sequins tucked in the twists: Third Floor Fiber's Worms in the Grass is one of my favorites- I'd love to knit it up and add a silk earthworm patch (like the one on the little hat I made a couple weeks ago)!
Felt Studio's Baboogie is not only hand spun and hand dyed - it also includes silk cocoons cut into little cups and spun right into the yarn:
I can't wait to finish the projects I've got waiting and get started on something new with some of these!

New silk pocket mirrors are now for sale in the Etsy shop! Two of the four designs are shown below, but all four are really lovely. The dupioni silk has a really textured sheen to it is much more brilliant in real life than in the photos.



This weekend I finally broke out my new PMC3 hotpot kit and tried it out. I made these earrings, which having not been sanded or polished much, aren't too bad for a first try at a new material. I was hoping they'd look bubblier, and less globby but all in all I'm satisfied that I didn't burn down the kitchen trying it. I can't wait to give it another shot now that I have a little better idea how things will turn out.

Among the new screens making their first, triumphant debuts is the earthworm. This earthworm is ridgy, squirmy, and full of love. The first earthworm ever is available on an awesome hat - stretchy knit with a stiff, little bill and a lovely earthworm front and center!
You can buy him from our Etsy shop.

More new lovelies coming right up!

p.s. there's a sale going on at the Etsy shop. Check it out!

I just got some photos of Handsome and Sasha wearing their little circus sideshow shirts!
Sasha has a silvery ballerina balancing on a pony, and Handsome has a muscleman with his barbell.

Thanks for sending these Ellen!

The first of the new silk and linen scarves is on Etsy.

I'm hoping to get the website updated in the next few days, and then you can see some of the new goodies there too (but new, different goodies - I don't want much overlap!)

Hello from the little work room!

Today is a big work day, I'm keeping very busy!

P.S. Kids' prototypes for sale on Etsy, here too!

I've been sick pretty much since my return to Portland, and have been less productive as a result. I'm happy to say that in the next few days the new scarves will debut, and work can begin on the next project - a whole shmorgasboard of new prints.
In the meantime, here are some photos to entertain us all.

My snowy home town:

Sozluk's curious little face:

Tweak's hungry grab-the-lettuce-and-run stance:

Tomorrow I'm flying back to Portland and regular management of the tiny empire will continue. I have a ton of ideas and exciting new creations stocked up in my head and in my notebooks that I can't wait to get started on!
In the mean time, here is a list of artists and specific goods that I think are super neat and have purchased/want to purchase/want everyone to oogle and purchase:
(in no specific order, all photos are from these fabulous artists and belong to them)

Kristen Ferrell's art work, specifically the cats and coffee image. I have these on a t-shirt, and they are adorable. In a grotesque bitey cat way.

Nicole George's Animal Friends Calender has many very cute animal drawings and a drawing of E.T. in a party hat.

Discomedusa Designs is one of my new favorite designers. She makes incredible industrial organic jewelry, including expanded earwear for the folks with big holes. The craftsmanship on these things is great, really solid and still remarkably light. Amazing work.

As-Is has a jumper available from Small Craft Advisory that I really really like. I saw it in real life at Crafty Wonderland, and it is great.

A few months ago I bought a Polarwares snow drop necklace and I wear it constantly. Its light, pretty, super high quality, and really fun to touch and play with during the day. You can buy her lovely porcelain goods from the Polarwares site or from her Etsy shop.

Small Stump makes a multitude of cute, stump like and woodland type goodies. You can buy their soft stumps from their home site, or their Etsy shop.

Danielle Maveal's jewelry has been showing up everywhere recently, as well it should, because it is lovely. I like plain silver, I like cute pictures, and I love her work. Its dainty and light, but also clever and eye catching.

I'm a sucker for slugs. Real ones, embroidered ones, stuffed ones, and printed ones. Aviary Press has included a slug in their Party Animals card series. A slug in a little party hat! Perfect!

There's dozens more artists and shops that I could list, but its getting to be that time of day where I should go venture out into the world. You too.

I'm taking some time off from both my day job and Hopeful Monsters for the holidays. Both our home site and our Etsy shop will remain open, you can browse around and even make purchases during this time. All orders will ship out just as soon as I return on Jan. 4. (Assuming there are no more crazy snow explosions and I can actually get on a plane!)

During the break I will be brainstorming and designing up hoards of great new things that I've been mulling over the last few weeks. Such little wonders may incorporate some of the following elements:

mongoose
earthworm
silk
knitted felty things
patches
stretch linen
more ocean animals
some little animals in interesting and adorable outfits
cowls
space (like the solar system that is)
printed stationary products

There has also been some talk of collaboration between Hopeful Monsters and a lovely seamstress that I adore. Nothing concrete, but I'm pretty excited.

I hope everyone is having/has a nice holiday!

p.s. look at some of the recent additions to the Etsy shop:

The holiday shipping deadline has passed. You can still have things shipped out until the 21st, but I make no promises about the day they will arrive.

I will say I'm happy the crush of holiday shipping is over. (Those of you still waiting for your custom items, I haven't forgotten! I am watching the mail like a hawk for my wholesale order to arrive, they assured me it would be very very soon!)
I had a nice relaxing morning doing a small print run for the Lewis & Clark College debate team. Then I sewed some Christmas presents for my friends, and now I'm getting ready to drive up to a good friend's house in southern Washington for the night. Hopefully the rest of the weekend will be as relaxing. There will be copious amounts of snow up at her house, so hopefully the roads aren't too bad and we can play in the snow some.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend as well!

New things and limited edition print-no-more shirts, tanktops (a little out of season, sure, but they're the last of a dying breed these tanktops!), wallets, and brand new gingko scarves are showing up all day on the Etsy shop. Go look at them! Awesome!

Also, go google the yeti crab. You'll be amazed. (Or you should be!)

Hopefully the promised updates will happen tonight!
Things have been incredibly hectic, and I'm spending a ton of time tracking down wholesale orders and stressing out about the impending Christmas deadline and my day job.

On a more interesting note, go google the Yeti Crab. Its amazing. And probably will soon join the ranks of the Hopeful Monsters.

A small printing flurry today will be followed by wallets being restocked, some kid's prototypes and men's tees appearing in our Etsy shop throughout the week, and a batch of onesies debuting at Thinker Toys in Portland, OR. *Due to a complete lack of time (free or otherwise) these brand new items won't be making their debut for a few days. Sorry! But it'll be soon, I'm just as excited as you to get them out there.

Remember, this Sunday is the Handmade Bazaar!

Limited edition, made only for The Sampler brooches will be going out with the holiday Sampler. Gingko leaves, squids, and orchids all handprinted on double thick vegan felt. Pretty sweet...


Still shopping for the holidays? (Or haven't really started, like me?) Come to the Handmade Bazaar Sunday Dec. 10! I'll be there! If you mention having seen this blog, I'll knock $5 off any clothing purchase.

Not much for news, mostly just very busy! But do enjoy these informative photos.

All Hopeful Monsters orders are sent out inside neatly stitched (yep, I sew every one) map packets. Perfect for giving to someone else right away, or sending to yourself as a little present!

I've been working on some new scarf ideas, these are silk on one side and stretch linen on the other, hand sewn and printed. They are clearly very classy.

In this photo we can see me blissfully feeding the guinea pigs. Nevermind how tired and sort of suprised I look.

P.S. to those customers who may be allergic to guinea pigs or suspect they may be - these lovely little rodents never come into contact with your clothing, the print studio, or the shipping materials. This means you should not sneeze when you receive your order.

This past Sunday was the much anticipated Portland Etsy Art & Craft Show. It was "squishalicious" as promised, but went really well. I got a really great parking spot (worth mentioning because of all my stuff to unload and the rain), got to meet Craft Couer's boyfriend who was wearing the narwhal shirt (the very first men's one at that!) and standing around talking to people about my stuff, saw a fellow who proclaimed himself to be "my biggest fan" which was much appreciated, and got to meet many fellow Etsy-iers from Portland (and the surrounding areas). All in all a good show.

In addition to Sunday being fun and all. I got guinea pigs on Friday! They're really adorable, though I'm still working on being able to pick them up without scaring both of us to death.

They are two years old, both little ladies, and need names. Just last night I moved them into the new cage I built for them, which is probably 4 times as large as the one they came in when we adopted them. I think its somewhere between 7 and 10 square feet. You can just see the black and white one in the cardboard box house in the middle.

*If you're sad you missed us this weekend, or just can't get enough and need to see us again, come to the Handmade Bazaar Dec. 10 at the Wonder Ballroom here in Portland. If you're going to shop for the holidays, why not buy handmade?