Joe Bob, get ready for some new pants!!!
Thanks to everyone who entered. You’ll note that there are 28 comments and my random generator only goes to number 26 – two of those 28 comments were duplicates due to my inability to handle html comments, apparently. Well done, Self!
Happy weekend, all!!!
Every year, I fail at blogging in July. Last year I wrote something like seven entries. Same story the year before. This year, I promised myself that I wouldn’t drop off the face of the earth.
Yeah, about that…
Anyway.
A few weeks ago, Brand About Town sent me a gorgeous faded denim jacket from The Gap. You may well be wondering why there is no photo of me sporting this fine piece of attire. The answer is simple, friends: It is FIFTY FIVE FREAKING DEGREES in San Francisco, which means that the wool coat has been taken off its two-week spot on the bench. Come September, when summer finally arrives in this fair city, you’ll see pictures. This jacket is great! The denim is soft and thin, just how summer denim should be, and the cut is spot-on. Gap apparently released an entire line of faded denim this summer. I say “apparently,” because AGAIN: FIFTY FIVE DEGREES. Ahem.
The best part of my little gift from the Gap, though, is that I once again have the pleasure of passing a little bit of the fun on to you. Sitting on my desk next to me is one final “pants certificate.” This little paper, worth well over its weight in denim, will be sent out to one lucky person. Want to be the winner? Here’s the scoop:
In the comments below, I want you to tell me your favorite thing about July. For an additional entry, submit a second comment containing a photo of your favorite July-related moment (just paste the html into the comments box). For one more entry, tweet about this giveaway including a link and the tag #bywpants, then come back here and tell me that you did it. That’s three possible entries!
You have until next Friday, July 30. And maybe, possibly, potentially, I might write another entry by then. But you know, breaking my own low-post record has its merits, too.
GET TO IT, FOLKS! And good luck!
Disclosure: I received this jacket for free, courtesy of Brand About Town. I think I said that effectively in the post, but… you know. Just in case it wasn’t clear, and someone legal is interested. It was free, yo.
Congratulations, lucky comment number 12! That’s you, Christine! I’m going to send you a separate email to get your shipping address, and then Jen’s calendar will be headed your way!
Thank you to everyone for entering! You all are the greatest!
(In other news, can someone PLEASE tell me how to get the image of my random.org result to show up in my post??? Everyone else seems capable of doing this, but I cannot figure it out to save my life. Thanks.)
Oh, Blogdom, I have a special treat for you today! And read all the way to the bottom; I promise you won’t be sorry!
Cover
A number of you have emailed me to say that, while you appreciate my undying love for Etsy, you can never find the kinds of things that I find. Well, as a proud Etsy Enabler, I’m presenting you with this opportunity to support a fabulous artist! (Look at me, making the hard sell! But trust me, you’ll hop on board this gravy train as soon as you see her work.)
My real-life friend, Jen Oaks, is a truly amazing illustrator. Jen just finished up her MFA, and is selling copies of her final project: a gorgeous GORGEOUS calendar. I’ve been stalking the images of this calendar throughout her design process, and I am so excited to see it now that it’s finished! Jen has graciously allowed me to pepper her with questions about her process, her calendar, and herself. I hope you enjoy meeting my friend! Thanks again for doing this, Jen!!!
January
With so many different art media out there, what drew (erm… HAHA) you specifically to illustration?
I think illustration is the right balance between creative and practical. I love making art for art’s sake, and my background is in super-practical graphic design and advertising, so my search for balance sort of naturally led me here. Making art to go on things people buy and use every day is exciting to me.
How do you create your illustrations? Do you use pen and paper, or do you use a computer?
I use black ink on bristol board and then scan it to add color in Photoshop. I like things to look more handmade/organic than digital, so I try to keep things pretty flat and simple.
What are five things that you absolutely love, just off the top of your head?
October
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your calendar! It was part of your Masters thesis, correct? What made you choose to do a calendar?
Thanks! Yes, this was my final project for my MFA in Illustration. I thought of doing a calendar because it allowed me to explore themes of city life as the months and seasons progress. I also thought it would be fun to include the things in an urban environment that symbolize a season change, like the flowers and veggies that start appearing at the market. And it was sort of my homage to Mucha’s Four Seasons ladies, which hung in my dorm rooms and apartments for years.
How did it feel to see your work featured on decor8?
It was super rad! Though, my calendar wasn’t even finished when the big roundup post went live back in October. Helloo, come back, website hits!
Now that you’re FINISHED with school, what are you most looking forward to?
Doing new work. And sleeping. But mostly doing new work! Getting my calendar into some local shops is a big priority right now. So is showing my portfolio around and getting some clients. Oh, and my MFA show opens March 31 at 688 Sutter Gallery in San Francisco. Lots of exciting stuff ahead.
Summer Spreads
Thanks again, Jen! Now, to all of you out there, go over and visit Jen’s etsy shop! These calendars make a great gift for the artsy gals on your list!
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
Because I love this calendar SO SO MUCH, and because I think Jen is a rockstar, I’m going to buy one calendar from her to give away to one person, chosen at random!!! This time, though, there are four ways to get your name in the hat. Here’s how to enter:
1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Link to Jen’s etsy shop from your blog or website. Come back over here, and post a link to your post in my comments.
3. Link to Jen’s etsy shop from twitter. Reference “#JenOaksCalendar” in your tweet. Come back here and let me know that you did it.
4. Buy a copy of Jen’s calendar for a someone else. Come back here and leave a comment with the last four digits of your etsy transaction ID number (found about 6 lines down in your email alert, or at the top of the invoice page after you make a purchase), and you could win one for YOURSELF!
This means that you have up to four chances to win! You have until Friday, December 18, 9 a.m. PST to enter. I’ll announce the winner by 2 p.m. on Friday, December 18. Have at it, folks!
Nancy Pearl Wannabe, get ready!
A dolphin stocking is headed your way!
YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!
(I printed out the comments from this website and from Twitter, cut them up, folded the pieces into little squares, and had HW select one out of a bag. We are extremely high tech around here… further evidenced by the fact that I attempted to take a photo of the dramatic reveal of the winner, but had no camera battery left. Just take my word for it, I guess!)
Now, a question for the rest of you: Would you be at all interested in a tutorial on how to make these stockings? I took a million photos of the process, and had planned to post instructions, but I thought it might be boring. Thoughts? Opinions? Let me know if you think it would be worthwhile, and I’ll post it. If not… meh. Either way is A-OK with me!
