In with the New.

January is notoriously slow on the retail front. The holiday insanity has come to a close, and the signs of life that return with Spring are a long way off. So, with a little bit of extra time on my hands, I decided to create some new designs. It’s my favorite part of the job, and lately, I’ve just been flooded with inspiration. In the coming weeks, my hope is to debut several new designs, but today, I’ll introduce you to the first two… Continue reading »

Pitter-Patter.

Lovely mini art print, Eloise Jumps in a Puddle, by Flapper Doodle.

After a long stint of record breaking heat, the rain and cold finally returned home to Seattle this week. Even the most vitamin D deprived little face here welcomed it back with a smile. Extreme weather in either direction sends us in to hysterics, and we have, unfortunately, experienced both ends of that spectrum this year. So, needless to say, the recent wave of drizzle and the familiar pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof has put us all back in our comfort zone.  And even though my school days are long gone, that tinge of excitement for a new academic year, sweater weather, pumpkins, big bowls of soup, horror movies, and falling leaves moved in with the cloud cover. I’m ready for autumn. Continue reading »

Through the Woods.

Whimsical card, Seduction, by Hide ‘n Seek.

The past few weeks have been a hectic blur. Long hours spent preparing for the August issue of Seattle magazine (which includes a sweet little feature on Flock & Blackbird Tees) to hit shelves, and helping my boyfriend with the beginning phases of his own flourishing biz and Etsy shop.  But now, as this week slowly comes to a close, I’m ripe for an escape. Olympic National Park is calling my name, as it does every summer, and I’ve decided this is the time to answer. We’ve taken stock of all our camping gear, run every errand imaginable, and mapped our route. Bright and early Monday morning, we’ll be heading west to the lush green mountains and cool drizzle of the rainforest. Continue reading »

Come Together.

The Gathering. An original little drawing by Pretty Little Thieves. 

Occasionally, living the life of a crafter can feel extremely lonely. My average week is about 50-60 hours and probably just over half of that is spent completely alone in my print studio. And while I certainly wouldn’t trade it for anything, sometimes I forget what it’s like to be in a room full of people. Well, actually, I suppose I should clarify that. I do go to bars–primarily of the karaoke variety, and I do participate in a bootcamp workout class. So, it’s more honest to say that I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be in a room full of sober, non-sweaty, grunt-free people. Continue reading »

So, This Bird Walks into a Diner…

Print of an original gouache painting, Large Charlie Bird by Matte Stephens.

For the first time in quite a while, I’ve had a handful of afternoons off, and my favorite thing to do is to sit by one of my living room windows, coffee in hand, and listen to the wee birds that gather just outside. Right around 5pm, the same tall tree transforms into a hotbed of excitement and conversation. I can’t be absolutely certain, but from what I can tell, they look like Black-capped Chickadees. Tiny with robust round bellies and the chattiest little chirp. Continue reading »

To the Moon, Alice.

Melancholy and sweet print by BestArtStudios2, It’s Lonely Down Here.

Over the past several days, I’ve come in contact with an unusually large number of crazies, and these run-ins brought to mind the urban legend about full moons. For those that don’t know, legend has it that the rise of a full moon does something to people’s mental state. Emergency rooms report an increase in patients. There’s a higher incidence of strange behavior and bizarre crimes, etc. Continue reading »

I Scream.

Fireworks, sparklers, apple pie, cookouts, sunblock, crowds as far as the eye can see. These are all reasonable things to associate with the 4th of July. Seeing as how I’m not a fan of crowds, sunblock, heat, or screaming children, I make no such associations. For me, Independence Day conjures up fond memories of ice cream and bad movie marathons. So, to the majority of you, have fun and try not to catch anything on fire.  Know that I’m listening from afar, creamsicle in hand, and independence intact.

Flying Dreamsicle Says Hello (and in the most delightful way) by Betty Turbo. Continue reading »

Tug of War.

Original oil painting, Yes Versus No, by Secret Seed Art.

Well, I learned an important lesson this past week…for the fourth or fifth time. It’s a tough lesson to learn, which is probably why I’ve needed a few do-overs before fully trusting it as a reliable guiding principle, but this time, I think it finally stuck. Continue reading »

Your Shell is Showing.

                                                                                                                                      Ode to Lloyd Dobler by Elloh

“Just take this pen and write me.”                                                                                                                                                         -Diane Court, Say Anything

For a 32 year old, I’d say I’m pretty hip to technology. Give me a stylesheet, I can decode it. Insert some html on a webpage? I’m your girl. Process graphics, create vectors? Yeah, I’m pickin’ up what you’re puttin’ down. That said, I have an increasingly overwhelming sense that I can’t keep up. I have refused to join twitter, or engage in any manner of tweeting. Until two weeks ago, that is. And I’m starting to suspect it’s the last straw.

A tortoise by nature, I have crammed my hard, round shell into a ridiculous bunny suit. Joining Myspace, then Facebook, getting Skype, tending to photo albums on Flickr and Picasa, 4 different e-mail accounts, 4 online shops, a blog, succumbing to the Twitter tidal wave, and so on, and so on. I am drowning in status updates, text messages, links that continuously drag me here, there and everywhere. Well, my shell is busting through the seams, and I’m afraid safety pins aren’t gonna do the trick this time. Continue reading »

Muscle Memory

Thought This Would Be Easier by Michele Maule

Aside from a small handful of moments when I’ve been able to (miraculously) enjoy exercise, physical activity, by and large, remains a task to check off of my to-do list six times a week. I’ve grown to think of it the same way I think of brushing my teeth or washing my hair. It’s not up for debate. In order to be a healthy member of society and blend in, I have to do it.

And so, three mornings and three evenings each week, I strap on my well-worn, beloved sneakers and get down to business.  At times, physical goals such as weight loss, or fitting into a smaller size have motivated my rigorous schedule, but they never ultimately get me through a workout. In my opinion, a truly good workout will push you to a place where weight, size, or any other materialistic motivations cease to matter. It’s just you, a bunch of sweat, and a crucial decision. Keep going or throw in the towel? Continue reading »

Shove it, Zodiac.

Emerging from Troubled Days, by Christian Breitkreutz

Good gracious. Just shrugging my shoulders and saying “some weeks are worse than others” isn’t really cutting it for me at the moment. Why don’t we go with “some weeks blow a lot more than others?” I’m a Libra, so if you buy into the whole astrology thing, I should feel right at home with balance. Like dipping my toes into a nice, warm bath, right? Well, for the time being, balance is not my friend. Nay, dare I say it, balance is my enemy. I want the scales tipped in my favor, not level. Damn you, astrology (you can’t see it, but right now, I’m waving my fists at the sky)!

How did I get so bitter about my birth sign? Well, allow me to recap just the latest example of this unfortunate balance I speak of.  In an economy as crappy as the current one, I managed to pull the strongest month of online sales for Blackbird Tees out of who knows where. It was a glorious benchmark moment for me, especially after hemorrhaging money at the close of 2008 on renovations and startup expenses for my new boutique. Continue reading »

Upwelling

For some strange reason, this is one of the few scientific terms I actually remember from my middle school Earth Science classes.  Why, you ask, did this word stick?  Who the hell knows? But for those of you that don’t remember this term from the good old days of Bunsen burners and test tubes, I’ll give you a wee refresher:

Upwelling: the movement of nutrient rich water from the dark depths up towards the surface.  There are several different variations of upwelling, but this natural occurrence is usually related to surface winds.

Perhaps stranger than the fact that I’ve had this term zip-locked in my brain for two decades is the fact that it comes to mind almost weekly these days.  As I look around at the ripple effect of the economic crisis, witnessing the slow filtration into every facet of people’s lives, the process of upwelling takes shape on land.  The surface winds of a very real widespread struggle dislodge the foundations we all rely on, and we scramble to hold onto what little remains available…or affordable.  Boutiques are closing in every corner of Seattle.  Friends are either feeling grateful for their once shitty jobs, while others are counting the days until they get axed.  For some of them, that day was yesterday. Continue reading »

Et Tu, Douche Bag?

I suppose this type of question sort of answers itself.  Assuming someone is a douche bag, would you really ever expect much out of them?  Probably not.  Well, and you probably wouldn’t be terribly surprised when they inevitable turn on you.  At least, a reasonable person would draw these conclusions–reasonable being the operative word here.  But for the sake of argument, what if these were not the inevitable conclusions…or even the most popular? In my late teens/early twenties, reasonable was a word you associated with old losers and people that never got laid.  And I certainly wasn’t trying to befriend anyone in either of those demographics.  So, I proudly opted for stupidity instead. Continue reading »

What the Flock?

Well, I’m happy to announce that after nearly a year in business, Blackbird Tees has opened it’s first shop in the Seattle area.  It is, perhaps, the tiniest shop in all the land, but a shop all the same, and we’ve decided to call her Flock.  You can find the full collection of our illustrated apparel here, along with lots of other unique hand-crafted items. **Check out our latest write up in the August issue of Seattle magazine here!

Flock
7305 Linden Avenue N
Seattle, WA 98103
206-792-9445                                                                                                                                                                                                 For directions, click here.

Hours:
Wednesday-Saturday: 12-6pm
Come visit us on Sundays @ The Fremont Market (April-October)

In addition to our hand-printed apparel, we also carry handmade jewelry by Ruby’s Gems, Percraftination, and Crystal Fosnaugh, home decor from Half Pint Salvage, accessories from The Crafty Devils, Sophie Marie, and Hello Robertson, soaps from MyBirch, as well as cards and collectibles from Snarky Cards & Nowvember.

This Little Piggy Went to Market.

Anyone watching the news or listening to the radio this summer probably heard about the release of a new book, Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip—Confessions of a Cynical Waiter. Anthony Bourdain described it as a front-of-the-house Kitchen Confidential, and from what I’ve heard, it certainly sounds like just the kind of book that service industry veterans like myself can rejoice in. In all my years as a waitress and barista, my co-workers and I got so much satisfaction from those rare opportunities to retaliate against obnoxious customers.

This may seem childish and petty to some, but if you have ever waited on people, you can appreciate these small victories and perhaps even see them as part of a necessary system of checks and balances. But I digress. My point here is not to relish in the new-found doubts that diners and coffee drinkers will now harbor thanks to this book. In fact, in some strange way, the seemingly never-ending influx of entitled customers often provide the entertainment, adventure, and absurdity characteristic of the service industry. The one thing I miss terribly is the camaraderie that results from facing this common enemy. So much humor surfaces in kitchens, behind counters, and in stock rooms, and all precisely because the public can be so ridiculous. Continue reading »