May Madness

May 16, 2013 at 11:34 am · Filed under Other ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hi guys! Happy almost long weekend ahead! Mine is going to be pretty crazy since I’m moving on Saturday – but at least I’ll have the extra day off on Monday to get unpacked and settled :) I’m excited about the new place, but am totally going to miss my sweet retro townie. It’s all big and lonely here though, I have one bedroom entirely empty (save a spare litter box for the kitties), and a big dark empty basement full of spiders… so although the new place will be quite small in comparison, it will be cozy and adorable, still super retro (I have a pantry!) and much less lonely, since my bf will be moving in, too. We bought a mustard yellow corduroy couch last night, which got me a little too excited about decorating and scouring antique and thrift stores for some cool finds.

Anyway, I’ve been busier than usual – since I had to fit packing into the mix – plus the usual custom orders and restocking. One of the custom requests I worked on was a Dr. Who themed custom portrait pillow for a geek wedding:

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I also had a show, Art-O-Con, in Burlington on May 5th which was a blast! There were a lot of familiar faces and I made a few new con-going pals, too. Even Boba Fett stopped by to say hi, and of course to try on a mustache:

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I have to give a shout out to the incredible Lara from Jaded Dragon Studios for doing such a great job of organizing the show, and just for being generally fantastic!

The ever awesome KStew & JStew interviewed me during the con – you can have a listen here: interview. Mostly I just giggle a lot. Oops. Silly nerves.

Their adorable daughter drew me my very first piece of fan art, too! Incredibly sweet and awesome. Nerdbiskit as a pony! <3 And staches everywhere! Perfect.

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I made myself a nerdbiskit skirt for the show, with some custom made fabric printed by Spoonflower! It was pretty easy to make, nothing too fancy. Next I want to make a ‘biskit dress! :D

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Amongst the busy-ness, I managed to squeeze in a visit to High Park in Toronto to see the cherry blossoms! They were absolutely beautiful, and a friend and I had a lovely dinner picnic under one of the trees. It was sad to see so many people shaking the branches just to make the blossoms fall off, and I heard people were climbing them and breaking off branches, too. Other than this lack of respect shown by a lot of the visitors (at least the ones we encountered), the park and the trees were incredible. Can’t wait to visit them again next year!

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I also cut off my hair!!! I’ve been wanting to do it for a few years but always chicken out. I finally just had to let it go – and it was totally fine! I like it, but am still learning how to style it. It’s a lot more maintenance than my old scenester ‘do was! So far I’ve only experimented with curls and a 60′s flip … but it’s already proven to be a lot more versatile than before :)

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So many changes this month! Haircuts, moving… okay so really only two changes. But they are big ones! At least for me they are!

My next show will be Craftstock in Hamilton on Saturday, June 1st, and then Heirlooms on Saturday, June 15th. It’s going to be a lovely handmade market filled with awesome vendors, and situated in a greenhouse – so it’ll be beautiful AND fun AND crafty! A lovely way to kick off the summer show season!

Okay that’s it from me! Just as a heads up, my Etsy shop is closed until May 24, and I won’t be accepting any rush or custom orders until June – taking some time off due to the move. Thanks for your understanding!

xoxo Lisa

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Happy Spring!

April 24, 2013 at 5:55 pm · Filed under Other ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Happy Spring, everyone! I’ve been keeping tabs on when the cherry blossoms in Toronto High Park are going to bloom, and apparently the buds are ready to burst soon – this coming weekend even! I’m so excited to take a trip to see them, as I’ve lived in the GTA for almost 10 years and have still never experienced it. Anyway, that’s a sure sign that spring is FINALLY here, despite the cold weather and recent snow. I can’t wait for FLOWERS! And trees and birds and sun and WARMTH! I can’t wait to be complaining about the HEAT rather than the cold. And to whip off these stockings to wear my dresses with bare legs! SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO!

Spring is already off to a busy busy start for me, and I’ve been a bit of a craft hermit lately as I desperately try to keep up with custom orders! Pillows, cat toys, and LOTS of buttons/bottle openers/mirrors!

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One recent Friday evening – just when I thought I was finally caught up with orders – I was literally about to sit down and start some sewing and restocking of my own merch for upcoming shows,  when I received a very exciting phone call! It was from the marketing director at Copps Coliseum, Hamilton. She said that Oprah was going to be in town the following evening for a live show and requested me to make the Big O one of my custom portrait pillows!!! The idea was to present this to Oprah as a unique, handmade gift from Hamilton – as a thank you for coming to visit! I was so flattered and excited, and once I stopped squealing and jumping for joy, ran out quickly to get a few supplies for the pillow before stores closed! I only managed to squeeze in about 5 hours of sleep before I had to deliver it to Copps Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. Although I was shaking through the final stitches (in excitement!) I was happy with how it turned out – and hopefully Oprah was, too.

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They were unable to get a photo of The Big O holding it, (as you can imagine, she has quite a large entourage and crew of handlers that everything must pass through before eventually reaching her), but the gift was accepted and may or may not appear on/in something Oprah related in the future! So keep your eyes peeled, and be sure to let me know if you see it pop up! Maybe it’ll be on her favourites list! Who knows :) Either way, the directer at Copps said she might hit me up for more celeb pillows in the future, so that’s amazing too! I can’t wait to work on the next one!

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Since then, I’ve been doing the usual restocking of supplies and merch, and even got started on a new prototype…. here’s a sneak peak. It’s going to be the silliest thing I’ve ever made, and I’ve been giggling to myself as I sew it together.

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I also took an afternoon last weekend to be a shopper, rather than a vendor, at the most awesome show in Toronto, City Of Craft. My lovely lady friend Heather of Needlings and I went to the Christmas one for the first time (finally) this past December, and had our minds blown, so obviously we needed to check out the spring one, too! It was just as awesome, and we even donated our souls (a plucked piece of hair and a fingerprint) to We See Inc. Heather wrote more about it (and took plenty of photos) on her blog. We also had our photos taken at the Have & Hold photobooth with cats, mustaches, bows, and hearts – what more in life is there, really?

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Oh yeah, and I’m moving!!! From boring ol’ suburban Oakville to…. Hamilton (I wasn’t sure what words to use to describe this city, since everyone seems to have their own opinion of it.) We found an adorable place in a pretty area, close to plenty of independent stores, restaurants and coffee shops! I’m very excited/nervous/anxious and can’t wait to share photos once I’m settled. I figured it’s the best place for me anyway, since it’s where I have the most craft shows, and I want to become more involved with the art community that’s thriving in the Hammer! Who knows, maybe I’ll open up my own shop before you know it ;) There’s definitely a lot going on in that neck of the woods that I want to be a bigger part of! I’m sure going to miss my retro townie, but it’s time for a change! A good one! A great one!

On that note, I better get back to packing and sewing. (That’s a lie, I’m actually going out on a dinner date. But I promise to get some work done as soon as I get home!)

You can find me at Art-O-Con in Burlington on May 5th, or the next show after that will be Heirlooms on June 15th in Welland. (There may be an appearance at Craftstock in Hamilton in June as well, depending on how much restocking I can get done before and after the move!)

Have a good rest of your week, everyone!

xo Lisa

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Spring is… not quite in the air. But tacos are!

March 19, 2013 at 5:22 pm · Filed under Other ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hi guys! Hope everyone had a fun and safe St. Patty’s day! :) I was out of commission last week after Toronto ComiCON due to a stomach flu (it was terrible! I hope none of you get it!) so wasn’t able to get much work done. I suppose I needed a bit of a rest anyway, but could have done without the sickness part. Anyway, I recovered fairly quickly and have been back to work with lots of custom orders (bulk buttons, and portrait pillows – here’s the one I’m working on currently:)

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I decided to take April off of shows to make sure I stay on top of all this work, plus I have a ton of re-stocking to do from the con… annnnnd because of some other exciting news, but I don’t want to share just yet until it’s confirmed. My lips are sealed! At least until next time ;)

I mentioned in my last blog that I would share the podcast interview I had with Guys With Pencils, which you can have a listen to here. We talk about cats, mustaches, cons, and other fun stuff! It was a blast catching up with these guys, and their podcast is awesome… if you haven’t already, be sure to check ‘em out! They’ve been featured in the top 3 spot of iTunes “New and Noteworthy” podcasts, and even if you don’t listen to my interview, they’re got an amazing assortment of talented animators, cartoonists, illustrators, etc. to chose from.

I guess I should also fill you in on Toronto ComiCON where I was on March 9 & 10. It was a pretty typical convention, full of many familiar faces and fantastic energy! Always a fun time! I tested out a new booth set up which allowed me for some “face space” since I’m usually hidden behind my epic display. I got a lot of compliments on this one, so I think I’ll stick with it for a little while longer:

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I also got a lot of compliments on how my outfits matched my branding, which I thought was subtle but was apparently super obvious! :) I like it though. I’m going to get myself a ‘biskit patterned dress soon! Just you wait. I have also been keeping my eye out for a nerdbiskit green pencil skirt – if you see one be sure to let me know!

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I was lucky enough to have myself a lovely assistant on Saturday, thanks to Miss Jenny :) It’s always wonderful to have a companion and someone to help set up, and find tea! <3

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I took plenty of mustache photos, which can be seen in my facebook mustache fan album and acquired a few new catnip toy kitty fans, too! I sold out of catnip tacos, so will be busy stocking those up over the next few weeks.

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And my fleece tacos were a big hit, too! This was the first major show I’ve had them at, so I was pretty excited about how people were responding to them. I sold out of those too, so I guess taco making is my number 1 priority over the next month!

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My con highlight was when Ajay from InnerSPACE (via Space Channel) stopped by my booth and chose it as his favourite – mostly because of his love for tacos. Check out the video of him snuggling one of my fleece taco pillows here. You can see me lurking in the background (around 3:08)…

Next up on the show list is Art-O-Con in Burlington on Sunday, May 5th. It’ll be a new show for me this year, but will be filled with plenty of vendor pals so I’m sure it’ll be a good time. Hosted by my awesome pal Lara of Jaded Dragon Studios, who looks dashing in a mustache (below):

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Also, if anyone reading this knows someone with a shop down on James Street North in Hamilton that wouldn’t mind having me set up out front for the July & August Art Crawls, please get in touch with me! :)

One last thing before I go, if you haven’t already, head on over to Okay, Allison’s awesome blog to read a feature on yours truly, and also enter for a chance to win some mustache merch (made by me!)

Okay that’s it from me! I’m off to have tea with one of my favourite crafty ladies!

xoxoxo Lisa

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Sewing away the winter blahs…

February 28, 2013 at 8:15 pm · Filed under Other ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello lovelies! Hope everyone is keeping their spirits up and avoiding those winter blahs! I started my spring count down in January, so I’m ready for flowers and sunshine annnyyyyy day now…. even tomorrow would be great :) But if not, I can stick it out a few more weeks, if I must.

I’ve been busy stocking up for shows! I actually kicked the craft shows off early this year, with Craftstock in Hamilton earlier this month (usually I don’t start until March). It was lots of fun, and is going to be a monthly event down on James Street North, so I’ll likely be there again in the near future. There’s a fun article about it here, featuring some quotes from yours truly!

Here was my booth set up:

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I was pretty excited to wear my new nerdbiskit skirt made by one of my fave crafty pals, Heather of Needlings.

After Craftstock, I was busy with a few podcast interviews, one with Steve Likoski from Australia (click here to listen) and one with Guys With Pencils in Toronto! I think I’m getting better at that sort of thing, (you know, talking to people… haha) and I’m honoured to have been selected as a guest! (I’ll post the Guys With Pencils podcast next time, it’s not ready just yet.)

I also appeared in Hamilton Magazine, which was pretty exciting!

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(click on image to enlarge and read article)
So much media action to kick off the year! I wonder what’s next?! I can’t wait to find out! I should stock up on mustache jokes just so I’m fully prepared!

Other than that, I’ve mostly been sewing tacos, both large (for people) and small (stuffed with catnip for kitties) and working on some new display ideas. I found these cute burger trays:

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and this empty bamboo tea box works wonderfully to hold my pocket mirrors:

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I just love when things work out perfectly :)

Other than that, I’ve had several crafting/work dates with pals, including the usual crafternoon with Heather of Needlings. She worked on owls and display stuff for the One Of A Kind show where she’ll be selling her goods (March 27-31 in Toronto), and I basically just ate butter tarts, drank tea, and played with Callie the wonder dog:

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So that’s about it! Oh, I also got Vine, and have been having a lot of fun making silly cat and taco videos! Follow me if you have it: @nerdbiskit. Here’s a sample for you (I promise they’ll get better in time): Taco talk.

Speaking of tacos, I better get back to stuffing more for Toronto ComiCON IN JUST ONE WEEK! I’ll be in Artist’s Alley at booth A43 so if you’re going to be there, come say hi! Super excited since last year was a blast!

Bye for now! xoxo

Lisa

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Kickin’ off 2013!

January 21, 2013 at 6:46 pm · Filed under Other ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hi guys! Happy New Year! (I can still say that until the end of this month, right?) Hope everyone had a lovely holiday season and all that fun stuff. Mine was nice and quiet as per usual :) There were plenty of famjams and friendly visits, and I even took a bit of a break from crafting, although I still had plenty to do and restock from all of my holiday shows!

After New Year’s I got right back to work, of course! I started off with a few new button designs, “cats are my boyfriend” and Gangnam style (how could I resist). They will also be available as bottle opener keychains in my Etsy shop in the near future!

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And of course, Grumpy Cat! (He’s not on a button yet, but will be shortly):

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I also sewed plenty of mustaches, catnip kitty tacos, and a few new character tote bags as well.

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I think I’m right on track for my first show of the year, coming up in just 2 short weeks: Craftstock in Hamilton, ON on February 2nd! I’m pretty excited since shows don’t usually kick off until mid-March for me, so it’s nice to get started earlier this year!

I even had a special visitor come see me for a working afternoon this past weekend! The wonderful illustrator/comic artist Vicki Nerino. (You can read her guest blog interview here.) We did a whole lot of catching up, while also getting some things checked off our to do list! I was working on buttons for NYC Pride, while she doodled characters for some upcoming comic books for TCAF!

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It’s always nice to have some company while I work :) My usual crafternooner, Miss Heather from Needlings, and I have taken up a new venture of exploring tea rooms! Well just one so far, but we plan to visit a whole bunch more, Tea Tour 2013! This first one, Taylor’s Tea Room, in Dundas was quite lovely. We also found a nice door to pose in front of on our way home!

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And look what that lovely lady made me, my very own nerdbiskit craft show skirt!!! I’m so excited to wear it at my next show! Eee!

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After Craftstock, I will be a vendor at Toroto ComiCON on March 9th & 10th! Super excited for that as usual :)

Well I better get back to work, there are custom button orders for NYCPride to complete!

xoxoxoxo Lisa

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2012 Wrap up!

December 17, 2012 at 8:26 pm · Filed under Other ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Happy Holidays, my friends! What a busy season it’s been with custom gift requests, Etsy orders, and two back to back holiday shows! First up was the Holiday Maker’s Market on James North in Hamilton. Of course I was only a table away from the ever adorable Heather from Needlings, which makes any show extra awesome. We had a fun and festive afternoon – just look at those smiles!

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I only had a week to prepare and restock for the next holiday show, Crafternoon Delight, which was a new one added to my list this year! It was actually a pop-up shop in an old pharmacy that was gutted and decorated just for the day. Heather was there too, and plenty of other fun and talented vendors, making it a lot of fun! The ladies running it were amazing, and I was so happy to be part of it. What a lovely show to end the year!

Here was my set up for the day – the wrapping paper on the walls actually worked well with my display!

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And here is another picture of Heather and I, just smiling away as usual:
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I also worked on some bulk button orders, and some fun custom projects, including this mini plush storm trooper:

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After all my orders and shows were out of the way, I was finally able to get cracking on some new merch for next year! I finished some more tacos (big taco is a fleece pillow for people, little ones are catnip toys for kitties):

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and some new button designs, too!

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In other exciting news, my “Hot Chicks with Mustaches” mini wall calendar for 2013 was featured in the winter edition of Xalt magazine:

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And I have another feature coming up in Hamilton Magazine, which I am excited to see :D

I also made a donation to Movember again this year, and thank you to all who supported my MoBerg mustache companion campaign to help me raise money. Each new like on my Facebook page equaled $1 towards my donation! To thank everyone, I held a giveaway for some mustache merch :)

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Overall, I have to honestly say, it’s been the best year of crafting yet! This was the first year of my rebrand as nerdbiskit, and I am thrilled with how it turned out! I hope next year is just as fun and awesome! I’ll be taking a short craft break over the holidays, but will be back at it ASAP in the new year to prepare for my first show of 2013 in February.

Hope you all have a great holiday and a happy new year!

xoxo Lisa

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MOVEMBER IS HERE!

November 5, 2012 at 9:17 pm · Filed under Other ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Well folks, here I am – finally – with a long overdue nerdbiskit update! Hope everyone had a lovely autumn, and enjoyed plenty of pumpkin-y goodness. Fall is my favourite time of year. It was a good one for me, and I am bummed that winter is on it’s way – I am definitely not meant for the cold and snow… my toes are already permanently frozen until spring and it only just started getting cold!

For me, winter mostly means it is time to take care of business! I have been busy making some new plans for world takeover in 2013 (well, it might not happen next year… but slowly. One day at a time.)

First on the list was ordering supplies! I was all out of bizz cards and promos, and running low on felt and tags and pretty much everything else you can possibly think of. Since I was bringing home boxes and boxes of new stuff, a major craft room re-organization was in order!

As you can see, it is much more nerdbiskity looking now! (It didn’t stay this neat and tidy for very long, unfortunately.)
I also took a break from the usual mustache and button making, to take on a few new projects – personal and for customers!
First up was a ‘biskit decoration to hang on my craft room door:

Then I made this fancy little apron for one of my fave ladies, Heather of Needlings :)

And a prototype for some new merch -  FLEECE TACO PILLOWS! The first one sold right away but I promise to make plenty more for 2013!

I was also asked to make some custom plush, including this baby mobile:

And also this plush Elvis doll!

They were all super fun to work on, and it was nice to switch things up!

I also managed to fit in a family trip to BC to visit relatives – which was great. We were so lucky that the weather was beautiful the entire time we were there! It was a nice break before heading back to the ol’ 9-5 design world, and a wonderful way to wrap up the summer.

Of course I took my mustache companion with me. His name is MoBerg, and he is pretty awesome. Since I can’t grow my own mustache, he is helping me raise money for Movember by letting me take pictures of him on various objects. If you want to help, all you need to do is LIKE my facebook fan page, and I’ll donate $1 to Movember (for each new like.) It’s that easy! MoBerg and I thank you!


Alternatively, if you don’t already know about my Hot Chicks with Mustaches 2013 mini calendar, $3 from every purchase goes towards the cover girl’s Movember campaign! Dads and boyfriends really seem to like it so you can support Movember AND get started on your Christmas shopping! I know everyone on my list is getting one of these ;)

Anyways, I must get back to mustache sewing – it’s a busy month for me, as you can imagine. I will leave you with this, a photo of myself dressed up as a fancy gentleman for Halloween – really, just an excuse to wear a mustache.

HAPPY MOVEMBER EVERYONE!

Oh, and my last show of the year is the Holiday Maker’s Market on Saturday, December 1st on James Street in Hamilton – come on out and find yourself some handmade holiday gifts! There will be plenty of great vendors!

xoxo Lisa

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