February 19th, 2010, written by minu in Blog.
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I finally managed to get back to some more work on the ‘awoke’ series. I plan a series of water colour paintings. For now I work on getting the colour pallet right (trying out tea and coffee ^_^) and experiment with the ink outlines… It is very different from the acrylics on wood.
Rather than using traditional water colour paper I use 100% rag heavy weight German etching paper. I like the smooth surface and the sheer thickness. I still have this heavyweight acid free recycling paper (like brown paper), I need to test the lightfastness though… and I consider getting some veneer…
I like the techniques, very intuitive, fast and without any hassle. All you need is paper and a small set of colours. There is not much room for mistakes though.
The sketch on the right is actually from January 2009. Its a bit frightening, how few things I actually managed to get done last year…
Viech {n} [ugs.] creature… so much for the dictionary.
Almost 3.5 years after the first prototype Viech actually went into production and is now for sale.
Viech is very cuddly and cute, but be aware! Viecher (pl) are not aware of their own strength, have no idea about the sharpness of their claws, are clumsy, do horrendously stupid things and afterward look at you with their black innocent eyes and start ‘but I just ….’
These handmade cuties are about 26 cm tall with another 10 cm of ear length. The fabric is a very special, fluffy and cuddly straight pile cotton, the stuffing 100% Polyfill. The little face is wool felt with machine stitched eyes.
February 5th, 2010, written by minu in Blog.
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When I started minu, one of my aims was to be sustainable – in a economical and ecological sense. I always look at ways to improve the manufacture of my little toys. Since the wool stuffing did not turn out to be feasible, I turned to the common polyester stuffing. It is washable, keeps ‘in shape’, and is easy the get and use. However it is still quite expensive and not easy to recycle.
Using your Leftovers
While cutting out parts for soft toys, a big heap of fabric scraps is left over. So rather than throwing these away (and adding to the mountains of waste), I cut the leftovers into really small pieces using a rotary cutter. These small pieces are mixed with the Polyfill and tada… Less new material, waste is recycled, money is saved!
The mixture has other advantages as well. The filling is stiffer, stays in better shape. A little weight is added as well so that the Bouses are even more cuddly and durable.
January 22nd, 2010, written by minu in Blog.
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Found on youtube today:
I love this beautifully made mechanical wind up bird. It is German-made from the 1950s! It turns its head, flaps its wings, and moves it tail up and down.
January 15th, 2010, written by minu in Blog.
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Yesterday night I finally started my MailMeArt submission. I still have to cut it to size, varnish, add stamps and air mail sticker and then it is ready to be sent to the UK.
Remember, The deadline for sending mail art 31st January 2010 (service date stamp – postmark).
Miette is taking a nap to prepare herself for the long journey around the world. She is dreaming of being save with Father Bear. She feels protected warm and cosy.
Get your prints framed by minu! The frames are 100% made in New Zealand. A New Zealand manufacturer provides me with the raw wooden frames.
I dye the frames using white water-based acrylic wash or water-based wood dyes (English walnut or brown mahogany) by Briwax and varnished with Danish Oil. The mat is cut from a picture framers mat board (warm white). The backside is finished with a picture hook and dust protective tape.
Brown mahogany (left) and English walnut colour patches
The frames come in 2 sizes
10 inch x 8 inch, depth 1 1/4 inch, including mat for $50
12 inch x 9 inch, depth 1 1/4 inch including mat for $60
The example below is a Lilu print in a white 12 inch x 9 inch.
The frames ship for $16 New Zealand wide or can be picked up in Wellington.
January 7th, 2010, written by minu in Blog.
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My new minu Moo Minicards arrived today! I love the new boxes.
For those of you not familiar with moo: Moo Minicards are a excellent alternative to standard business cards. The whole transaction is done online via moo.co.uk and Flickr.com. The cards come in 100 cards per pack and you can choose as many images for the front as you like, as well as adding text and logo to the back.
For us crafter in New Zealand: Use the moo.co.uk, even though the prices are in British Pounds, the shipping costs from the US (moo.com) are ridiculous. Sign up for the moo newsletter, they sent out free shipping vouchers on a regular basis!
December 24th, 2009, written by minu in Blog.
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Merry christmas to you all. Inspired by the latest issue of World Sweet Word this is my list of things to do this xmas ’sustainable’ and at (almost) no cost…
video skype with family in Germany
catching up with the big pile of unanswered email from friends and family
seeing friends for xmas dinner
having a nice walk on the beach
giving the garden a bit of love
reading a book (The amazing adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michale Chabon)
actually finding the time to listen what others have to say
December 7th, 2009, written by minu in Blog.
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I had a very nice day at the Thorndon Fair on Sunday! Many thanks for all of you who came by! Lucky for the stall holders – and visitors – the rain just started when we packed up.
Challenged by only one meter stall length, I decided to display my goodies vertically, using a table easel, a picture frame, a chalk board and a mdf board – all pre-used or from the second hand shop ^_^ . My prints are secured to the boards with black rubber bands so that the wind can’t blow them away! The rubber bands are very nice to display the stuffed prints, wooden boards and price tags as well, so I might use this set up for other stalls as well. Everything was secured to the table with strings and was withstanding the typical Wellingtonian wind gusts.
The only set back is that I had to stand around in front or on the side of the stall – or hide behind it – which was a bit odd…
Quote: “Exposing unique artwork, prints and creative goods from New Zealand, Minu brings it all together in a clean, well thought out, newsletter. Showcasing a few pieces of art as well as event information, this email is light-hearted in feeling and leads the reader through copious amounts of content without complication….”.
Many thanks to Campaign Monitor and to Alix for helping me to get started over a year ago!
November 28th, 2009, written by minu in Blog, News.
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After working on my website on and off since August, I finally made it! The new website includes a new showcase featuring most of my (art)work from 2006 onwards.
The site is built on the open source software WordPress. I designed the site and wrote the template code from scratch using code snippets from the wordpress default template. There are still things to improve and tweak – as on all websites ;-) – however I am sure that it is a big step in the right direction since the launch of the first site in 2008.
Highest on my to do list is an easy connection from the showcase to the online shops at etsy and felt.
And as always I am interested in your opinion, so let me know what you think. I would really like to hear if customers would be interested in a minu online shop ‘rather than’ or ‘in addition’ to buying on minu.esty.com and minu.felt.co.nz and if shops would be interested in using an online order form, as well as in whatever feedback you would like to add.
