Katy Verga » Seek Connect Love apparel

NieNie Day!

Katy — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:40:50 +0000

Happy NieNie Day, everyone!

Here are the specs of our auction:

We will be auctioning two items in this post. Please specify which item you are bidding on when you make your bid.
I will start the first bid for each item in the comments section below.
Bidding for each item ends on Sunday the 31st at 10pm PST.
Increments by at least $1 please.

First up for auction: A Pair of Wishes

Send your wishes to the Nielson family & wear them too.

This auction is for a set of our women & men’s Dandy tees. Screen-printed by hand on American Apparel shirts.

The women’s tee features a light gray dandelion on a lapis blue tee. Available in sizes XXS – XL.

The men’s tee features a black dandelion over white & ash stripes. Available in sizes XS – XL.

Each shirt is unisex & suitable for both men & women alike. The blue tee is slightly more tailored, thus we refer to it as “women’s.” We will print on any size you choose. I will email the size charts to the winning bidder so the appropriate sizes can be ordered.

Again, if you win this auction, you will receive both shirts! If you’d like to bid on this shirt set, please leave a comment on this post, including a way for us to get in contact with you once the auction is over (in case you win!). The winning bidder will send their money directly to the Stephanie Nielson Fund via PayPal, using the donation button below.

Next up for auction: Grace Kismet

This plush was lovingly constructed for this auction. The body is made out of a repurposed soft chenille blanket & the face is jute with embroidered eyes. A dove applique is featured on the front & the back is adorned with a chenille flower.

If you’d like to bid on this Kismet plush, please leave a comment on this post, including a way for us to get in contact with you once the auction is over (in case you win!). The winning bidder will send their money directly to the Stephanie Nielson Fund via PayPal, using this donation button.

**Once money has been transferred, the winning bidder should email us their donation confirmation/receipt & we will send the shirts & plush off in the right direction. Postage will be provided by us.**

It has been officially dubbed “NieNie Day!” Please send your thoughts & prayers to the Nielsons & their families. Again, I’ve added a donation button to the bottom of my sidebar if you are interested in helping financially.

Feel like doing some more shopping? Peruse this fine long list & see what other supporters are offering up for auction! Now I am off to do some bidding!

Make a Wish Treasury

Katy — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:40:39 +0000

We got word that we were featured in another treasury this past week!

It was full of beautiful dandelion goods, wasn’t it? I am especially excited about that dandelion decal there in the middle. Ella’s walls are set to have faint dandies painted on them, but if I can’t get the results I’m hoping for, I know where to get a nice big wish-maker for her.

Happy Tuesday, make a wish!

Up, Up & Away!

Katy — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:08:40 +0000

Our newest baby apparel to hit the shop.

Who wouldn’t want to take a ride in a rocket?

We’ve got a couple of variations on this item/print coming soon, so keep in touch! It will be exciting!

Happy Friday!

For your wee ones!

Katy — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:00:43 +0000

Just a quick note to let you know the Dandy onesie is in the shop now! I’m so excited to introduce our line of baby goods. Is it too tawdry that I want to dress Chickpea in this & wear my grown-up version when we go for a stroll in the park?

We’ve got a few more designs set to make their way online very soon, so please stay tuned!

What I’ve (not so much) been doing…

Katy — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:50:48 +0000

Hello lovelies! Just a quick note to check in…I’ve been meaning to sit down & write a blog for a few days now. Sadly all I’ve really been doing is the sitting part. Exhaustion all the time. I was looking forward to the second trimester & the boost of energy I hear so much of. According to the internets & other mothers, now is the time I am supposed to be feeling back up to par, feeling my mental & physical spirits lift, & experiencing the twinkles of a home freshly cleaned, brought on by my instantaneous bouts of nesting. This last part is what I looked forward to the most. I think I’ve always been a nester of sorts…I’ve always preferred staying in & making things cozy…crafting & creating. I was hoping that washing-the-walls bit would kick in. My home probably wishes this, too. I’ve come to realize that perhaps the reason my second trimester has not brought a huge relief is because my first trimester was not all that bad. I had evening sickness, queasiness, but not once did I actually get sick enough to expel anything. I didn’t really (& haven’t as of yet) experienced any aversions to food or smells. Tiredness was pretty much my worst company. And so she has decided to prolong her stay, it seems. I think I should prepare myself to be tired from here on out. I shared this consciousness with a friend the other day, a fresh new mother of one year, & she replied, in a rather positive tone, “Yes, but there will be times when you won’t feel as tired.” I think this is the honest-to-goodness truth.
Although my nesting efforts have been a bit sparse, I did manage to squeak out a tiny dress last week. I used this pattern & cut it to fit a 1 to 3 month old.

Yes, I taped it to the wall. I need to buy some of those teeny tiny hangers for infant threads. I think they excite me more than they should. I can’t wait to acquire several teeny tiny accessories.
Anyhow, the dress turned out very cute, I think. I was pleased with my ability to sew an actual wearable garment. I’ve only sewn one shirt for myself as an adult, & it was very simple. I remember my sewing ambitions sprouting during my pre-teen summers. My mom would take my sister & I to the fabric store & let us pick out a pattern for a simple top or pajama pants…we were supposed to find something we liked enough to hold our interest & encourage us to sew up ourselves. Without fail, I’d feel all gung-ho about it, then as soon as I hit a snag, my mother would find herself seated at the sewing machine to finish (& pretty much start) things off.
I find myself quite intimidated by patterns. I just don’t understand them for some reason. I see one & I shut down. This tiny dress did not make me work from that dreaded brown tissue. Nice simple directions & an easy to follow diagram…that’s my kind of model. I have plans for several more dresses, some jumpers, & pinafores. And I want to make them reversible! Oh the ambition. Hopefully I can muster the energy.

In other news, more businessy-like, we set our first record for Seek Connect Love! We sold 5 shirts last week! Five in one week! That’s a lot for us at this point, as we’ve been making about a sale every 2 or 3 weeks. It was very inspiring & we’re set to list our new line of baby apparel very soon. I will update as soon as we can muster a date. I think part of our sales are attributed to this:
The treasury was aptly titled “Men in Trees.”

We were in a treasury & apparently it made the front page of Etsy! I missed the spectacle, but excitement abounds regardless. We’re so grateful to our customers…it’s an amazing feeling to make something with your own hands, especially to create it with someone you love who genuinely shares your interest, & have a positive response from people around the world.
Speaking of around the world, we are thinking of launching a group on Flickr dedicated to those buyers who’d like to sport their new apparel for others to see. Sort of a ‘happy customers’ spot. And we’re also working to get together a mailing list for interested peeps.

Things are a bit stand-still on the Kismet doll-making front. I’ve taken an overly extended break from them, pretty inappropriate & very sad in my opinion. Not for lack of interest in them, I just haven’t had much of that e-word & when I do, I find myself focusing on other things. I’m set to get back to sewing them up now, & I hope to have an update on those soon as well. Their shop debut is long overdue.

I suppose that is all for now…my quick note turned into quite an entry. Have a wonderful day, & please send me some positive vibes so I can start getting things accomplished again!

We’re Sprung!

Katy — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:45:29 +0000

It’s the first day of Spring!! As I pulled into the parking lot at work this morning I noticed a tree that I’d been neglecting for so long throughout winter. I hadn’t realized I’d been ignoring it, it must have been a subconscious avoidance since its branches had turned to empty twigs. But this morning it is alive. Bright, flashy green leaves stretching out & up to the sun…so nice. It inspired me, made me want to turn around & go home to my dollies even more. I told myself it was finally time, in honor of Spring if nothing else, to sit down & catch up with this space. I can’t believe I haven’t updated since our First Fridays venture. I can believe it, actually, & that is sad. I really want to be better about this. Anyway, I’d written a bit about the experience back when the feelings were fresh, although the excitement of the evening is still with me:
We headed out to downtown Phoenix Friday afternoon for our first official first-hand selling experience. We’ve had our shop for some time now, but this is completely different. It was amazing. So much fun! We set up on 3rd Street, just south of Roosevelt. When we pulled up to the area at 4:30 the streets were already lined with vendors & the spot I’d hoped for was still vacant, so we promptly threw our table down & set up shoppe.

It was so nice to receive direct, immediate feedback on our tees. Now I can’t believe we haven’t given ourselves more of those experiences. We’ll be setting up again in April, but sadly that will probably be it as the galleries along the Art Walk are upset by all the vendors & traffic they’ve brought to the scene. Starting in May, officials will start handing out citations & fines, so I think we’ll be far away by that point.

So April, we are looking forward to your arrival. New tees are in the works & we’re planning on introducing a few items from our baby line as well. Those pieces really tickle my fancy. I love tiny onesies! So we’re in for some very busy evenings over the next two weeks.
In other news, I am working my fingers to nubs trying to crank out new dollies. This is the first time I’ve found a pattern that I want to stick with for a while. I’ve realized I like pattern-making almost as much, if not equally, to actually constructing the dolls. I love to see how I can change the pieces to make something new. This time, though, I must’ve hit on a keeper because I haven’t strayed for weeks. I have plans for a male counterpart, but all I want to do is make the little girls. Here’s a peek.

I am really going to try to be better about logging my thoughts & crafty progress. I’ve been a bit preoccupied lately with another little project Anthony & I have been brewing up, but things should be getting back to semi-normal soon. More on that later. Enjoy your first day of Spring…be sure you go out & bask in the warmth for at least just a minute or two today.