More Love for 2015

Hopefully, the post-holiday quiet has left everyone filled with a little more love for the new year. I have been focusing my energy on doing just that for 2015, and here are 4 new cards to help you spread some tasty tasty affection to those around you (obviously brought to you by my inner fat kid).

        

As the rest of 2015 toils on, remember the fresh, open feeling of a new year and hopefully that will help bring you all love and adventurous spirit that helps make getting another year older much more bearable.

Awkward's aPOPcathery

Halloween is next week (!) and though I might be a little behind on my own costume, I have been working hard revamping my booth setup for Awk's next show. Black Market SF has titled this event "Night of the Living," so that is clearly a sign to go weird and halloween-y (right?). Awkward Affections may be a little thematically disjointed (bright pop cynicism thrown in with old vintage styles and packaged in hot pink and gold). I have never been great about sticking with a branded theme (call it art kid defiance) but I am making this booth costume tie everything together. I am calling it "aPOPcathery," hoping to blend the vintage weirdness of a witchy/apothecary with (pop) bright colors and bubbly letters. Part of this process is making props that are odd but also fun: there will be hot pink pumpkins, cloche jars containing illustrated oddities and some vials filled with the anatomical remains from my studies (unicorn hairs, phoenix tears, etc).

Here is a quick peek at how I am turning my portfolio books into creepy old leather bound props! I enjoyed this process if you want to learn more.

I used cardboard and measured out the front, back and spine from the book I was covering. You might want to give yourself a extra little room to be sure. This is a ghetto bookbinding shortcut here.

use a strip of paper to bind the pieces together (allowing room for the book to close)

Then crumple brown paper to get a crinkled, leather look

Cover your cardboard entirely with glue and press the crinkled paper down. On the inside you can fold the corners like a present. 

Paint the paper with acrylics: I used purples, reds, burnt sienna and umber

Once the paint is dry, seal with Mod Podge (or another finish)

I added flaps on the inside to slip my Itoya portfolio in and not ruin the actual book

And voila! (ooo)

Monday Musings

Awkward Affections is a little over a year old now. There is no official anniversary, so I give a mental high five about three times a year:  Etsy opening date (January 2012), registration as a business with the BOE (August 2012- more of a "pay your taxes slap" than a high five. Incidentally that is still under kaz by kaz) and my first time as a vendor (October 2012). The business stuff may not be solid yet (I like to think of it in pudding stasis), hell I am still finding my old logos all over the office, but last week I finally came full circle on an old design. Lameasaur2012 was, well lame, but not in the way it was supposed to be. So much has changed in a year, and the lamea-rehash is my own personal commemoration.

ANCIENT HISTORY

Speakeasy Recap

 First off, I would like to thank all of the superstars for coming out to Speakeasy on Sunday! We cant do it without you highly motivated and adventurous patrons. Besides, can my awkwardness exit without anyone there to see it? (Yes, actually, but alone it lacks my internal flood of horror).

Let me just say, I love Speakeasy. I had half a mind to abandon my table and hang out in their new taproom, but Pancake gave me that magical yet patronizing glare, so I succumbed to responsibility.

For once, I had extra time after setup so I was able to take pictures before the event began. Now you can enjoy my creepy-stalker-cellphone-pictures.

Pretend I am standing in that center void...

Sometime during the event (about 2 beers in) I saw a little fur ball weave through the crowd. Being (responsibly) tethered to my table, I waited, foamed at the mouth and Jedi willed the owner to wander in my vicinity. Eventually, it worked.

I present Dostoevsky the Bunny (and Pancake's ass):

This is not the rabbit you are looking for...

Luckily, I resisted the urge to hide Dostoevsky in my purse and flee (I blame Pancake).

The only other fur ball was a tenacious black cat who wandered the brewery and stole chairs from vendors. As my phone camera is an underachiever, and the cat was black, the only image I have is rather underwhelming. But she was cute and her belly swung when she walked. You'll just have to believe me.

All in all, the day was a success! With nothing else to say, here are the last blurry show pictures:

inside

  outside

 sign

Toodles!

Countdown! Kaz & Awkward Affections vs. THE PUBLIC

The countdown to APE is here! In only 6 days I will be lost among an ocean of humans, tables and talent, frantically vying for attention (while consequently suppressing the urge to claw my way under the table and shake). I cant wait to see it this year- I just hope you like me SF!

I've been playing around with the table setup...I'm pretty sure what actually happens will look nothing like this: