New crafty blog

Since August, I'm taking online classes from the UK about surface design (to create fabrics, but also wallpapers, stationary, ...). Therefor I've been pretty busy, which may explain the lack of news on the blog. But the result is worth it, I love the classes (almost done) and the ton of homework which comes with it. I also completely redid my crafty blog to accomodate for future job research.

So, HERE, it's the home of the new blog (all the old posts have been imported), and it's easier to remember the address: www.theLazyGiraffe.com.

 

 

 

 

 

And should you be interested in what I've been doing with my little fingers, here's an example of a very early exercise, where we had to go out scout for geometric patterns. The exercise is on the left, and I liked the idea so much that I took it a few steps further last week.

Pumpkins and elephants

Visit at the Oakland zoo after Thanksgiving. The first stop was at the elephants, who seemed to really enjoy the pumpkins. And for the rest of the tour, we heard Anastasia begging to go back to the elephants to sketch.

News from the Giraffe

A few weeks ago, I submitted 8 designs of children clothing to a startup which, through contests, produces and sells the most successful submissions. Out of the 8 designs, 4 got selected, and now it's time to vote. This week, you can vote for bottoms (leggings, shorts, skirts), until August 28th. The tops will come next week.

So, if you're interested in supporting The Lazy Giraffe, you can vote through your facebook account. To vote, follow HERE, sign up with your facebook account, and click on the little heart on the design you like (you can vote for as many submissions as you like). You can also click on Follow and therefor will receive all my future submissions.

The theme is "Urban Garden", for little girls 2-6, Spring '13. And if you'd like to see the other submissions, it's HERE.

Thanks a bunch...

While in Switzerland, I went, as usual, take a look at fabric stores. Seems like the selection is shrinking every year, but I still found a few fun prints. Kyan had his heart set on this fabric with sheep, a thick cotton in which I made him a pair of cropped pants, and a short skirt for Anastasia with the leftover. I also found a cute fabric with cows, I just couldn't resist making a very suiting little dress. While I'm working on my own cow pattern, that is...

Latest creations

Way too much work at ILM at the moment and not enough time to gather nice pictures, but I'm staying put (I spotted a couple of lemurs in underpants at home last night, I'm hoping they will come out again tonight...). Meanwhile, here are a few of my latest creations: a mariniere with crabs for Kyan, a purple kimono with big flowers for Anastasia, and a little Summer dress cut in one of my latest fabrics. I designed the print based on one of our friends' dog, Charly, who's a great model.

Can you recognize them?

For Christmas, I designed... Kyan and Anastasia... chibi style, to stick on a sweater for Michael. The chibis are these japanese illustrations of cut characters with big heads.

Dino-socks

I continued my sock stories with dragons/dinosaurs... My favorites are the ones cut in Halloween socks, they have bats and witch's hats, it makes it look all the more real...

A coat for... a princess

But we won't tell her...  I just finished this little coat in finely ribbed velvet, lined with cozy polar fleece, for Anastasia. And with pockets, mind you...

A charming lady fox

My friend Delphine and I entered another printing contest, which required to fit a plushie on a fat quarter. We chose to make a little lady fox and her skirt, I worked on the pattern and the testing, she did the illustration. At the end, we didn't win, but it was a wonderful experience to work together (she from Los Angeles, me from up North), and we can't wait to start again. And we're really proud of our little foxy lady...

Goat and Sheep

Must be the season of the competitions: I designed this pattern for a fabric printing contest with the theme "fabric for baby boys". Sadly I didn't get picked in the finalists, but I'm sure someone at home will enjoy my print... All these horns could make a fun comforter cover...

Clic clic clic

No pictures of the kids today, Michael and I having to work way too much at the moment (Michael being on a movie about cars turning into robots, or vice versa, and I'm on a show with pirates and sardines...). I'm also trying to stock up my online shop to enter a big craft fair in July, and the deadline for the submissions is today. So, here's what I did last weekend, a couple of little Summer dresses and a pair of pants, some of them cut in prints you may remember from previous posts...

As for the kids, impossible to forget them, they're hyper active at the moment. More pictures of them soon...

New prints

Quick look of my latest designs printed on fabric. Kokeshis, pandas, bamboos... Must be the travelling bug hitching...

Important things to do

I offered my help to Anastasia's daycare to decorate the class for a contest. I was asked to design... a giraffe... Could not have been better... But a ten feet tall giraffe, and pretty skinny so it would fit on the pillar and leave enough room for its friends the Sheep...

The favorite animal

At daycare, children bring something to share with the class every week. The theme this week is "Bring a picture of your favorite animal". And Kyan's favorite animal is... the famous Rainbow Goat with Pink Head. It must be a distant relative of the Saskatch as it's awfully difficult to find a picture of the creature...

Pandas and umbrellas

The weekly contest of my fabric printing company is "kawaii", which translates into anything cute in japanese style. I realize that I went slightly off by choosing pandas and bamboos since neither are truly japanese, but it should still be within the idea (I've seen some crocodiles on other fabrics... Japanese? Not sure...). Tough competition, though. If you want see the other submissions, and vote, it's HERE. Be patient, there are twelve pages of designs...

Eskimos...

First print from my sketches done while in Canada (and no, even in Canada, I didn't meet any Eskimos, it has nothing to do with it...). Soon to come on super soft hats, sweaters and fleece scarves...

Busy busy...

A few more steps in the adventures of my little business, The Lazy Giraffe. More contacts with boutiques where I'm starting to have more precise requests. Among others, owls and little dresses for next Spring, and soft hats in organic cotton for babies for the Winter. So far, I've made a few hats with whatever material I had laying around, but it's slowly taking shape.