That's a wrap!

Santa and I at the TEST Christmas Marketplace.

Yesterday was my last show of 2015. I didn't do too many shows this year and the ones I did do were small and intimate, where I got a chance to meet and chat with all sorts of fun and interesting folk. Next to seeing my creations come to life there is no better feeling than watching people reacting to them. I have so many great memories of watching people flip through the Midsummer book and then hearing the feedback from people who've read or even better read it to their kids. The few who connected with the subtle imagery in the Good vs. Evil calendar illustration that was pulled from the original Grimms story (not that silly Disney version) Sometimes it's not about the sale, it's about the connection. And some of my best memories from this past year were the great conversations about one of my products, that didn't end in a sale. At least not at the show ;)


But one story that is leaving a sweet note on the end of my year... I have this friend Pam. She's a potter who makes gorgeous potted pieces under the name Curious Bird pottery. Not only is she one of my favourite people, she has two 3 year old twin boys who are the most adorable things. And she bought one of the Midsummer books for them at the Made in Canada show. Since then, every time I see her she tells me a different story about the boys and the story. I love hearing all the little things they like about the book and how they have embraced some of the graphic details as well. Like the stripe stripe dot dot on the trees. They are going to be very clever Troll hunters when they get a bit bigger! Now this is all awesome, but it must also be noted that Pam is a teacher. If I had written a bad story, no teacher would let their kids near that book. Thank you Pam.

As I wrap up the show calendar my favourite season is quickly approaching. Winter. It's quite sad here in Toronto, we have no signs of winter weather coming anytime soon. And I can only handle so much grey dreary weather in December. It should be sunny and WHITE! Why else would I have moved back here? And with the Winter solstice comes the launch of the next Illustration in the Good vs Evil collection. One that is most appropriate for the coming of the frozen season. It also happens to be inspired by my all-time favourite fairy tale. I can't wait to share it.

PS. If you notice anything odd on the blog in the next few weeks, I'm updating the template and there will most definitely be hiccups! 

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I spent the weekend in the park

This past weekend was one of my favourite outdoor events of the year. No, I take that back. It IS my favourite. I live in the East end of Toronto, just off the Danforth (remember the Taste of Danforth madness?) and a bit farther east from my place is East Lynn Park. Home to the East Lynn Farmers Market, which I learned is put on by the very same folks who put on the Danforth East Arts Fair.

Outdoor shows have always made me uneasy. Rain and dampness are the arch nemesis of paper goods (and I don't really like them either) But DEAF, in the 5 years it's been running, has always been blessed with good weather. Have I said how much I love this show already? Anyhow, this year was my second year participating, I had some great expectations, but I was also looking forward to hanging out with some of my crafty buddies and getting some facetime with my giggling customers. It was a long summer of creating and packaging and plotting, not enough socializing. 

it's amazing what you can fit into a Mazda3 - into a 10x10 tent - what treats you can hide behind your display!

This weekend was well worth the wait. Eastenders are extremely engaged shoppers. They're always interested in you and your story, the story behind the products. That's golden for a creator. You know whatever it is you are selling is going on to a good home. And they have the sense of humour to hang in the thunderpeep tent (although listening to a mom explain the new Marriage card to her 10 year old son was a bit awkward, until she just said "one day you'll have a wife and understand" - loved them!)

hello baby goodbye sleep card is in the show now! Catnip ball is available at Lynn's Lids shop

Saturday was gorgeous and sunny (although a bit chilly in the shade of my tent) and tons of locals came out to play in the park and browse all the awesome vendors. it was a perfect day in the East End. Sunday was a bit more overcast, but it was still warm and a surprising number of dogs in the park. It was a fun break from all the cute babies the day before. The East End is really family oriented, not a surprise then that the new Hello Baby card (in Lavendar) was the big seller of the weekend. Do I know my Eastenders or what?!

high fives for this best t-shirt of the weekend! Goodies from Heart's Haven & LureArts Pottery!

I didn't get a chance to do a whole lot of shopping unfortunately. I did wander a bit when the moment arose, and ordered myself a new iphone case (custom made too) from the super fun Dolalee and picked up a felted catnip ball for the critters upstairs, from my booth neighbour Lynn's Lids.

Now the focus is all on the Holiday rush and One of a Kind Show. I'm also starting a newsletter (shocking I know) I wanted to do an actual mailout one, but no one wants to give me their address. Weird, right? If you want in on the email version you can email me your email address and I'll add you in, first one is due out beginning of November. If you want me to mail you a physical copy... I'm still game ;)

How was your weekend?

Now, it's Monday you know. So I'm obliged to provide a soundtrack to your day. There's no particular theme, I wish I could have gotten some video of one of the musicians playing in the park this weekend. But that didn't happen so you get some Smashing Pumpkins since they are currently playing at Casa Peeps at the moment! Happy Monday peeps :)

To note.... I just discovered that one of my friends has one of those fun little video cameras that are so popular these days. Perhaps so silly thunderpeep videos to come?

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time flies when you're having.... fun?

Well, it's been kind of a gong show over here in thunderpeep-land. Some good, some bad, all of just nuts. There are many times in my day to day where I wish I could just go back to kindergarten, when all I had to worry about was.... sandbox or paint station, sandbox or paint station???!!!
The One of a Kind show was a huge blur. After all that prep, it went by unbelievably fast. Poof. Done. Over. Now what?
It was the most unreal 5 days. Long days, but luckily I was surrounded by some super fun and super inspiring ladies who kept the long, long days filled with giggles and chats and bathroom breaks. I'm going to feature each one of them in posts soon (no really I promise;)
What did I learn over those 5 crazy days? I learned one thing I already suspected. I am beyond awkward in most social settings, but trying to be a salesperson in the midst of that awkwardness is 10 times more difficult. I had a really hard time finding my groove in terms of potential customers. And you have to get out of your comfort zone in a place like the One of a Kind show, where shoppers are under constant push and pull from all of the amazing talent at each booth. I found, like most shows, I get a lot of people spying one of the more popular cards and bursting out in giggles, and these are the customers that are the easiest to approach. So I made sure those cards were the first things people saw when passing my booth. Find your "in" and work it.
I also learned that less is more. Yes, it's no secret I'm a fan of white space and minimalist design, but when it comes to my lines I need to learn to scale it back and maybe focus more on some collections instead of a ton of single cards. In the words of the wise Pam of LureArts "it's time to up your game". So I've been taking the past few weeks since the show to absorb everything I learned and to just relax and focus on the creative side of the business (hence the radio silence) and really clean up thunderpeep. It's been hard to keep the balance in the lead up to the show and I think I got lost in all the chaos. It's been hard to climb out of that.

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all ready to go!

I'm finally all set up and ready for the show to start. If you're in the Toronto area, stop by the One of a Kind show at the Direct Energy Centre, running from March 27th to 31st.

Even better click here to purchase online discounted tickets :}

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well... here it is!

It's been 9 months since I found out I was going to be in the One of a Kind Spring Show this week. That's a lot of time, right? Well I pretty much didn't REALLY start prepping until after Christmas. So, no, it didn't work out quite like I thought it would.

It's been a struggle to stay motivated & focused, a struggle to stay positive.
It's been a struggle to not let the self-doubt take over.

Now, as I sit here staring at my display and product, all packed up and ready for tomorrows move-in, I can finally look back at the whole process, and see where I am now, compared to where I was 9 months ago. I'm really excited {nervous} for the show to get underway and to meet all sorts of new customers and old friends. I'm even more excited for all the things coming for thunderpeep. Stay tuned, you won't want to be missing out on all the fun ;}

some of the new products launching at the One of a Kind show this week. Stop by and check them out!

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