The "Wee Clone" Fever is Contagious in NYC!

The "wee clone" business in New York City is going strong ~ thanks to Stephanie of Stoopher & Boots on the Upper West Side (385 Amsterdam Ave.)!  A few months ago Stephanie asked if I could design a "wee clone" of her constant companion, store mascot and neighborhood rock star (a King Charles Spaniel), Scout.  I was honored to be asked and happy to oblige with my impressionistic version.

Stephanie has been a fabulous promoter for "wee clones" in the Big Apple.  Meet Guy, the golden retriever puppy

And my impressionistic version of Guy and his enormous paws ~ Whoopsy Daisy.  :)

Next up?  Albert.  Who I just want to smoosh ~ he looks like Paddington Bear!  {Stay tuned.}

Scout 2.0

Meet the new and improved Scout 2.0!

On the heels of some wonderful publicity Scout and his Wee "clone" received recently in the Manhattan press, the Wee Scouts have become quite the popular item at Stoopher and Boots!  So we took another look at Scout and his likeness and decided Wee Scout needed a little updating. We found the perfect fabric to make some curly ears like the real Scout.

A few of the revised versions are on their way to New York City as we speak (or write.  or read...) and are available exclusively at Stoopher & Boots, 385 Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and on the Stoopher & Boots website.

Meet Scout ~ the Star of the Upper West Side!

Little did I know when opened my Etsy shop where this little adventure would take me.  It took a few months to find my focus and when I settled on designing things for kids - with my original designs - I knew I had found my niche.  And once I discovered the Etsy forums and started posting and interacting with fellow Etsians, my business began to pick up.

One day while perusing the forums I came across a post from a gal in New York City who was about to open a gift shop and she was asking if anyone was interested in selling their goods in New York City.  Hmmmm... I thought about it for awhile, ran it past my husband and my son and we all agreed ~ why not?  So I requested more information and the rest is history. In April of 2010 I signed a contract with Stephanie and voila! I'm selling in New York City!

Stephanie owns the charming Stoopher and Boots (located at 385 Amsterdam Ave.). Well, she thinks she owns it... Actually it is owned by her constant companion here, Scout.

As you can see, he is the main attraction in the shop.  So much so that Stephanie came up with a fabulous idea.  She carries a lot of my Wee Ones in her store, so she sent me a note one day asking if I could design a Wee Dog to resemble Scout.  She thought that might be a big seller ~ seeing as how he's the most popular and beloved dog on the Upper West Side and all.  I said I'd give it a shot.

I have since lost track of how many Wee Scouts I have created and sent to her ~ and they are sold exclusively in her New York City shop.  Scout doesn't seem too impressed with his Wee Clone, but apparently the kids in the neighborhood think differently!

So Scout (and - oh yes, Stephanie, too) have inspired a new project for cmh design ~ Wee Clones of your pet.

With the success of the Wee Scouts, I'm tip-toeing into the land of creating impressionistic versions of people's pets.  (With the emphasis on impressionistic!)  So, if you are interested drop me a line (cindi@cindimh.com) and we'll chat.

If you would like to follow Scout (and - oh yes, Stephanie, too) on Facebook here ya' go!

(Photos courtesy of Stephanie - and of course, Scout!)  :)

And The BC Awareness Beat Goes On!

I love to gather ideas - ideas and inspiration from people, places, experiences... I am basically a shy person and many years behind a camera lens taught me the power of observation.

The idea I am writing about today was inspired by Stephanie, the owner of Stoopher & Boots in New York City. In late August I asked Stephanie if she would be interested in carrying a few of my little BC Buddies (a variety of pink BC Awareness inspired Wee Ones) ~ with 10% of each sale going to Susan G. Komen for the Cure ~ she enthusiastically said, "Yes! How soon can you send them?"

In the past I had only run my BC Awareness Campaign during the month of October. The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in New York City took place in early September so I extended my campaign to two months. At the end of October I asked Stephanie if she would like to pull the BC Buddies from the shelf until next year. She responded,"I'd like to keep them ~it is always a good time to support such a good cause!"

So thank you, Stephanie! You inspired me to keep the BC Buddies in my Etsy shop year 'round. Because I totally agree ~ it is always a good time to support a good cause! Thinking about it, I realized women (and men!) don't just get breast cancer in September or October. It is estimated that in 2010 about 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women* ~ and that's just women. That is day after day after day after day...

And proof positive of that ~ I have sold three BC Buddies in the last two days. I am thinking they will make dandy Hanukkah and Christmas pressies...

Yay!

*American Cancer Society

Now on Both Coasts. :)

I have been quite remiss in posting lately, but with good reason. Not only did Stoopher & Boots in New York City come calling, but so did Modern Mouse in the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda)! I am so happy to be doing consignment with them both! So now they've got both coasts covered and I'll hold down the Rocky Mountain Region here

The Wee Ones are the main focus now, but I'm looking forward to some new original designs ~ as soon as I have time to start sketching! :) Stay tuned...

Hello New York!!!!

You just never know what The Universe is going to send your way, so more than ever I am keeping my eyes open and practicing saying "yes." There's a lot to be gained and very little to lose by nodding your head and taking a chance.

The timing of my latest nod couldn't have been more perfect. In the last month I (as "freckles") have decided to develop a line of my own original "friends." The Wee Ones are now original concepts and designs ~ and let me tell ya' ~ the ideas never stop. (Especially when my friends start chiming in! ha!) The six developed so far you see here ~ Esmeralda the Cat, Randy Dawg, Honey Bear, Georgette the Monkey, Simon Owl and Pipin the Bunny.

At about the same time these guys were being created, I came to know wonderful Stephanie of Stoopher & Boots. Stephanie is opening a gift shop in New York City on May 1 and has invited a few of my Wee Ones (as well as some photographs but that is a story for another blog *wink*) to join her shop! I'm so excited and extremely grateful for the opportunity!

This week will be a busy one, running final designs and thoughts past Stephanie and getting them all ready to ship off to the Big Apple!

Thinking back a few months to the beginning of the year, I had an undeniable feeling - a very strong feeling - that 2010 was going to be a very, very good year. I'm here to say ~ trust your intuition!!!