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Disco cuteness
2008-01-29 21:17:00
Sorry, but this simply must be posted:Major kudos to Objetsmart for finding it and posting it first!absolutelysmall.blogspot.com
More About: Disco , Cuteness

Working, working, working
2008-01-28 22:03:00
It seems like I've been working more or less nonstop since I stopped working the day job. Which isn't really shocking. And it isn't really a bad thing, either. For example, I created a bunch of new fellows last week. Here are a few of them:Chickenpants Grande: Rico!Sumomo, the extremely bright dog type creature.Finster the linen owl. Smug is his middle name.The first two are already in the shop. More will be popping up all the time! I like the pink one so much, I even made a little button out of him:That's all for today!absolutelysmall.blogspot.com
More About: Working

Shows!
2008-01-25 23:46:00
Just a quick postlet- you can see Absolutely Small at in two real, live shows soon.First of all, there's PLUSHED at Purdue Uni, which is already going on.They currently have all sorts of photos up on their Flickr account- so many awesome plushies there! Oh! And! All the plush in the show will be available for sale on the site Box Wonder. Yay!Secondly, The Main ARTery Gallery in Benicia, California has a few of my paintings in their upcoming Child's Play show, which runs from January 25th - April 19th. Apparently, they will have all sorts of snacky goodness at the opening reception on Feb. 2nd.(Do forgive the crummy photo of the post card- getting the scanner to work is sort of an ordeal right now!)I'll also have a few pieces up at Side Show Studios in Sacramento, CA in February. Alas, no postcard for these guys. Woot! So, if you happen to be in any of these areas, please stop by!absolutelysmall.blogspot.com

Almost Edible Gingerbread Men!
2008-01-23 04:22:00
Every year, I make gingerbread men (and women, bears, and stars) when my whole family gets together. It's one of our little traditions, right up there with staying up until 3 am and watching movies. Every year, my gingerbread men get lavishly decorated by all the cousins, bedecked with gallons of frosting and buckets of candy.And every year, they go largely uneaten.This may have something to do with their ability to chip teeth. Hmmmm.So I set out this year to find a new, better recipe than the one I'd been using. I searched high and low (online, for 20 minutes) to find the best of the best. I came back from my quest with two recipes. Only one proved to be a winner. Let me warn you right now- this is going to be a lengthy post. Before the results, let's look at the recipes themselves! And some photos!Recipe A: From Elise.com# 3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour# 3/4 teaspoon baking soda# 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature, softened)# 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar...
More About: Edible , Gingerbread

Because no small mention goes...unmentioned
2008-01-17 20:48:00
Two nice things today: Item number one: Today is my last day at my day job! My time has been served! I am now a free woman. Wooo! It still hasn't really sunk in that I'm not coming back to the beige empire. Daily Photo 1.17.08 Originally uploaded by absolutely smallAvert ye eyes! The beige, it blinds!Item number two: I was quoted in the Storque, Etsy's news blog thing. And they included my Chickenpants Limited print in their "related items" part. Nice! Thank you Etsy!We'll take this thing to the moon! Originally uploaded by absolutely smallHave a lovely weekend, everybody! Me, I'll be baking and cleaning up a storm in preparation for long anticipated and much put off family thing. Maybe this year's gingerbread cookies will be edible! Here's hoping.absolutelysmall.blogspot.com
More About: Small

I just gotta...Bark!
2008-01-16 21:14:00
Rearranging the lyrics of songs and inserting "pug" and other pug related terms is kind of a shared mental illness in my family. Lo and behold- I managed to marry a man who shared the same defect! That's love for you- shared mental illnesses. Aw. What brought on this embarrasing little blog post? Photos of French Bulldog puppies sprawled on their backs? Or was it this pretty black pug? (Variation= Pug in a tangerine hat!)Maybe it's some of the great things I've been seeing on Etsy- like this awesome paper sculpture of a terrier. Or perhaps it's the wicked awesome pug stencil painting. Maybe I just have a thing for Boston Terriers with massive underbites. Hmmm...hard to say for sure. It may just be a combination of bad Musak and all of these things. Definitely, bad Musak crept into the mix.Pug in the snow Originally uploaded by absolutely small"The world ain't right without you, pug."absolutelysmall.blogspot.com
More About: Gotta

Tutorial: How to make a rock and roll scar
2008-01-15 22:43:00
It's easy! Just follow these steps:1. Get a blackout. 2. Get little brother to bring over two guitars and a ukelele.3. Strum uselessly for awhile.4. Decide that you are cold, blackouts are stupid, and you want to watch tv instead.5. Run to car in the seriously poring rain, carry a maximum of items, almost drop all of them.6. Discover that guitar does not fit easily on lap. Wrestle with it to get door closed.7. Manage to hit husband (TIP: To be more rock and roll, use the terms old man, or old lady if it is your wife) over the head with guitar.8. Do some confused yelling.9. Shut car door- everything is now quite damp.10. Bleed profusely.And there you have it, in just 10 easy steps!absolutelysmall.blogspot.com
More About: Tutorial , Rock , Roll , Make , Rock and Roll

Podcasted!
2008-01-15 19:06:00
The Chickenpants have been mentioned in a podcast! The website IndieBizChicks.com was kind enough to give them a little love this week. You can download the podcast here. They also have a blog (naturally!), which can be checked out here.If you happen to be a crafty sort running a business, or just a regular small business owner, you should check it out. They've got some great resources to help along the way.absolutelysmall.blogspot.com

Chickenpants Limited
2008-01-11 19:56:00
There's nothing I love more than ideas making the jump from my head into tangible reality. It's been a really awesome month for that already. But! I have one more. I am really happy to be able to share with you my latest: Chickenpants Limited !Chickenpants Limited is a new print series. They'll be released every month in an edition of only 30. Each one is signed, numbered, securely packaged, kissed by a Chickenpants, and awesome. I've really enjoyed working on this new project! I hope you'll find the prints as amusing as I do.And you can find them in only two places: my shop and February's Sampler.absolutelysmall.blogspot.com

Lovely!
2008-01-10 18:29:00
Three lovely things to share today:1. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. Have you read this? You should totally read this. It's lovely.2. Absolutely Small goods are now available at Orange Button. Orange Button is a lovely online shop.3. I just sent off these guys to the PLUSHED art show. Art shows are lovely, too.Wait! Bonus fourth thing:4. The POWER came back on! Electricity is the very loveliest thing of all.Hope you are all having absolutely lovely days of your own!absolutelysmall.blogspot.com
More About: Lovely

I've been remiss!
2008-01-08 22:07:00
I've been linked to on a few lovely blogs as of late, but due to all the blackouts and whining, I haven't made a peep about it. Well, peep.Softies Central mentioned my Oak Dog softie...back on December 28th! Eep!The Plush Team was kind enough to mention my Chickenpants Grande softie on their blog.So, a big, albeit late, thank you to these lovely bloggers!absolutelysmall.blogspot.com

Whiny haiku & plushies, too
2008-01-08 19:51:00
Yeah, the power's still out. And it will likely continue on this way until late Wednesday...unless we're deemed to be difficult to get to (quite possible), in which case the power will remain out until Friday.Excuse me while I go cry under my desk.Anyway! When the going gets tough, the tough write whiny haiku:We are cold and damp.PG & E: I Hate YouBring power back now!Bring the power back.Hey! Power to the people!People meaning: me.Hey! PG & E!What’s wrong with a little rain?Apparently, much.Hey! It is so cold.My pug dog is shivering.Power outages suck.It's fun, see? Ha. Ha. Ha...As promised, I do have something nice to share: a new plush bird named Gladys! Gladys is a no-nonsense kind of creature. She does her part to keep the others in check, reminding them to keep on getting up and working. (Of course, "working" in this case means "being cute and cuddly". It is tremendously hard work, after all!) Sounds like I need her around my house! Anyway, she's in the shop now.absolute...
More About: Haiku

Greetings from a really long blackout!
2008-01-06 20:27:00
Oh, internets. How I've missed you! The power has been out at our house since Friday afternoon. The power has been out in large chunks of Northern California since then. I'm at my parent's house right now, enjoying heat and light and sweet sweet internet connections. Ahhhhhhh.It's really not that bad, but it is surreal and rather dull. Especially since a.) I just launched The Needle.org the other day, and had planned on toodling around with it this weekend and b.) We just purchased the Flight of the Conchords dvds and have been quite looking forward to watching them. We have it pretty good. One of our friends up here lost a decent sized portion of his roof during the last storm, drenching his house. Other friends had a tree crash down in their drive, taking out two of their cars.Picture from the blackout Originally uploaded by absolutely smallHere we are, drenched from trying to buy more candles and storm supplies. I was sent home from work on Friday morning because the whole bl...
More About: Long , Blackout

Launch Par-tay
2008-01-03 18:34:00
*drumroll, please*ba-da-ba-ba-da-ba-ba!Introducing:T he Needle.org! A collaborative blog for plush artists!Many of you are familiar with Sugar Frosted Goodness, Three Thumbs Up, and Monday Artday. I love these blogs, and I really love the idea behind them. A collaborative place for visual artists to post their recent work and get feedback. The format is awesome. Strength in numbers, and all that. My recent focus on plush had me thinking, though- there really isn't anywhere for plush artists to post like this. And wouldn't it be great if there was? And thus, The Needle was born! Why "The Needle"? Because no matter how you create plush creatures, sooner or later you will employ the use of a needle. It's one of the common threads we all share. (Apparently, even crochet hooks can be referred to as needles, so come on over, awesome amigurumi folks!)You've got to be a member to post, so if you're interested in joining, please email me at theneedle.org@gmail.com.Even if you're not int...
More About: Launch

Yet more reasons to love stop-motion animation and Blythe dolls...
2008-01-02 22:31:00
I know I've mentioned my love of stop motion animation before... throw Blythe dolls in there and you have probably the best combination ever. (Move on over, Komaneko!)There are a bunch on Youtube, but my favorites were all posted by BlytheTheater. Their profile is mostly Japanese, so I'm not sure if these are actual Blythe tv spots, or just fan films.New item for to-do list: procure stop motion camera.Also: procure Blythe dolls.absolutelysmall.blogspot.com
More About: Animation , Love , Stop Motion , Stop , Reasons

Brave New
2008-01-02 05:10:00
Daily Photo 12.31.07 Originally uploaded by absolutely smallI've been putting off writing a post because I have too many ideas. Once I start tackling one, another one crashes into it. Oh well.I'm looking forward to this year- I think it's going to be a really good one! I have some good things in the works, and it looks like there are some decently large changes around the bend. I do love big change.Looking back at this year, I think: Hey, alright! I started a business. I tried a lot of new things. I started to really hone my creative voice. Of course, I can also point to a lot of things I did wrong and would certainly like to change. *insert a shrug here*That's how we grow. I hope you're all in a satisfied state, and looking forward hopefully. I keep thinking of this expression I hear in Japanese movies: "Ganbaru kudasai". It means "Please do your best!", and it gets applied to a lot of different situations, generally mundane. But the sentiment is so nice- so please, do your b...

Snow! Snowing! Snowed!
2007-12-28 20:33:00
That's right: last night it snowed!***click on the photos to see them larger- i know they're tiny beyond reason! ok, back to the post and normal capitalisation***Pug in the Snow Originally uploaded by absolutely smallOh, my gosh, I love snow. It fills me with some kind of fantastic energy. Even though it was just a little snow, I could barely sleep last night on account of all the SNOW! I may hate winter, but I do love snow. Yes, it is all so very complicated in this head of mine. Chickenpants in the Snow Originally uploaded by absolutely smallEven Chickenpants like snow! I love having Pauline around as a narrator for my photos. Dan even picked out a Chickenpants of his very own:Yay!Snow!snow update: In the morning, it was almost all gone. Oh, the sadness. But! More is scheduled to fall tonight/tommorow. Joy!absolutelysmall.blogspot.com

This post brought to you by a very giant latte
2007-12-27 20:16:00
I really want to open the can of worms that is: Art vs. Craft. The knock down, drag out, nobody wins contest of definitions that alienates everyone! No, wait, I don't think I want to go there after all. Oh well, here goes:I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately about the nature of art and the nature of craft, and I really would love to hear all of your opinions.Dictionary.com lists the first definition of art as: "The quality, expression, production, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance." For Craft: "An art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill, esp. manual skill."So in other words: Craft is just the skill(s) with which we create Art.But in the common vernacular, we accept Art as certain things: Painting, sculpting, drawing, etc., and Craft as a different set of things: Doll making, woodworking, embroidery. They're all creating, they all require particular skills which have to be learned....
More About: Post , Giant , Latte

Highlights from the Absolutely Small "Business Plan"
2007-12-21 22:52:00
My chosen way of working on any writing project is to just get the ideas out there, stream of consciousness-like, and ask questions later. As you'll be able to see, that is working REALLY well for the ol' business plan.Drafting up a business plan is like digging my way out of prison with a spoon. A plastic spoon. A flimsy plastic spoon. And not a spork, either. It’s a tremendous amount of effort with very little in the way of results. But it must be done. I used to be really, really good at this sort of thing: drafting up plans, searching my navel for the answers to everything, fixing everything with well drafted words. And then, of course, I would forget all that work and all that I had discovered and I would have to write it all up again. Maybe I’m just not into that any more. Maybe it hurts my brain. Words and I don’t really speak any more. But! It! Must! Be! Done! I have this great idea that if I could put a little fence around the business, I could live my life more. If...
More About: Business , Small Business , Business Plan , Small , Highlights

What's more fun than working on a business plan?
2007-12-21 00:36:00
Making Etsy treasuries, that's what.Ta-da!Have a peek- it's titled "Ugly Babies". Yes. It's really neat.How are you? How's the weather over there? Really. Ok, fine, I'll get back to work now. Oh, but first: in other news, you can see my incredibly messy studio and my attempts at organizing it on my flickr stream right now. Also, a custom "Absolutely Small" stamp that Terbear Collectables made for me is shown in one of her listings as an example. It's pretty nifty! Anything made by someone who makes a "We need more cowbell!" stamp is good by me.Ok, fine, fine, I'm getting back to work now. Or at least getting back to trying to balance a pencil between my upper lip and nose while staring at a blank page.absolutelysmall.blogspot.com
More About: Business , Business Plan , Plan , Working

Um...a list! For you!
2007-12-18 23:10:00
I am having a horrible time writing today’s blog post. Not because of a lack of ideas, but instead, too many ideas. I am very panicked about not having enough time, and the panic leads me to running around like a headless chicken, leaving a trail of unfinished projects in my wake.Here are some things I would like to write about (but for various reasons, won’t go into any of them):1. The new Maira Kalman book. 2. Trouble. Verbalizing. Stuff.3. Art and Craft and the gulf between? Or maybe there is no gulf? They’re different, though. Those two.4. Goats!5. Black. Yellow. White. Together! Wow!6. Winter. Bleaghss.7. New buttons. 8. The Cute Manifesto by James Kochalka 9. I think I forgot how to paint.10. Mystery lumps on the dog, keep on a’lumpin. 11. Trying to sign up for Japanese classes online.12. Fast soups.13. Chickenpants photo shoot!14. Play, importance of.15. Shall I go on?16. No, really. Time panicking!17. More fun than writing actual content, this.18. Yoda, speak like, y...
More About: List , A list

The Dark Side
2007-12-14 20:37:00
Introducing the darker side of Chickenpants- Chickenpants Noir! Enhanced mystery and coolness, by way of darkness.Anyway, this particular Chickenpants is named J.J. Bighead Chickenpants. The "Bighead" middle name is obvious, but the J & J stand for Joaquin Jumprope. He is currently employed at the CIA (Chickenpants Intelligence Agency)- he just handles the paperwork in the back office.He's currently using the shop as his breakroom.absolutelysmall.blogspot.com
More About: Dark , The Dark , Side , The Dark Side

And the winner is...
2007-12-13 21:03:00
Picked out by random number generator/little brother Alex (who had no idea he was being used as a random number generator- that's how random it was!).Commenter #8, SimplyStrands, you are the winner! Congratulations to you! Expect an email from me later on for the details.I wish you all could have won. No, really- I hate letting people down. But the random number generator hath text messaged me- it's number 8. How can I argue with that?Thank you everyone for commenting! What a great way to fluff up an ego. I highly recommend it.***So, in other news: Both Cranky Yellow and Plush You have very recently blogged about Absolutely Small plush. Joy! Also, I was super super busy all last weekend making more Chickenpants- new ones are popping up in the shop almost daily right now.These three got the very very last of this special vintage fabric. That's all for now! Thank you everyone, for your support!absolutelysmall.blogspot.com
More About: Winner

There's still time...
2007-12-10 17:44:00
Best part of this house is the great views of the batteries. Originally uploaded by absolutely smallto comment and then possibly win your very own Chickenpants Baby!Remember to comment on the 250th blog post- commenting will be officially closed on Thursday. Then, after you win, you can have all sorts of fun posing your very own Chickenpants and then sending the photos to the Chickenpants Playground. The photo above was taken at Costco this weekend. They happen to have a giant, but perfectly CP proportioned doll house. It was way more than Pauline here could afford, but it was still nice to check out.*ahem*Er, what I mean to say is: It is really fun bringing a Chickenpants with you everywhere. Photo ops just leap out at you! Plus, you'll probably get more than a few strange looks- quite invigorating.absolutelysmall.blogspot.com
More About: Time

Chickenpants in Space- Chickenpants 2001
2007-11-06 22:26:00
The discovery of some awesome robot-skin looking material has spawned the Chickenpants in Space ! In space, no one can hear your pants.Today's Chickenpants is Chickenpants 2001.Long ago (1977) in a galaxy far, far away, there was this chicken. He dreamed of getting off the family farm and touring the stars, living the laid back life of a space cowboy. Being a real farmhand was hard work! Maybe if he could ditch all these cows, life would be easier.He's made from robot skin (er, pleather), vintage plaid stretchy fabric, a few beads for eyes, a bit of felt here, a bit of ribbon there, and one silvery shell button belt buckle. It's the low slung belt that gives him that 70's air, don't you think?Until the day that he can escape this rock, he's roosting in the shop. Would you mind letting a little chicken tag along with you?absolutelysmall.blogspot.com

Big Tex Chickenpants
2007-11-02 19:51:00
Big Tex works on a ranch. He'd like for you to belive that he's a cowboy, but really, he's mostly just a consultant. He's working on a new pattern for chickenwire. He's really smart- and rugged, don't forget rugged! He's made from soft fleece, vintage plaid stretchy fabric, a few beads for eyes, a bit of felt here, a bit of ribbon there, and one button belt buckle that reads "Western".p.s: If he looks a little familiar, that's probably becuase he's Big Jim's cousin!p.p.s:Anyway, here he roosts.absolutelysmall.blogspot.com

Minicomic love
2007-11-02 04:44:00
I just received this wonderful mini-comic by Laura Park in the mail. I'm not sure how to write this post without it just coming across as a sales pitch. And special apologies for the crummy photographs. I am not feeling well, and this is as together as it is going to get for the time being. Seriously though, you should buy a copy. It's really fantastic. You can't really tell, but the hand lettered envelope is amazing. Best penmanship ever! Plus, she put in a handwritten thank you note. I'm quite a sucker for little details like this.The comic itself is packed solidly with all kinds of beautiful little vignettes. The drawings are adorable, and the short short stories are lovely. I'm not sure if my favorite part is the illustrated onigiri recipe or the tiny illustration of a little girl making eucalyptus bark masks. Hop on over to her flickr site and you should be able to still snag one! It's one of the most charming things I've seen in a long time.absolutelysmall.blogspot.com
More About: Love , Nico

OMG!!!!1!!!1! Topanga and Dan are on Cute Overload!
2007-10-30 21:14:00
This is like winning the cute lottery for me.The Meg has chosen to post two of my photos!Of course, no pugs were actually this depressed during the shooting of this picture. And right afterward they were picked up and snorgled and entertianed and fed treats to within an inch of their lives. Right: so here's the link!absolutelysmall.blogspot.com
More About: Cute , Topanga , Cute Overload

Sunny Chickenpants
2007-10-30 17:24:00
Sunny Chickenpants is a proud little chicken who's not afraid to strut her stuff. She's proud of her bright yellow complexion, darn it! Sunny Chickenpants is certainly not afraid to be different. Strut, strut, strut. Chest out, leg cocked to one side - if you've got it, flaunt it, after all!She's made from soft fleece, vintage pink stretchy fabric, a few beads for eyes, a bit of felt here, a bit of ribbon there, and one button made from a shell.She's hanging out in the shop with the rest of her peeps.absolutelysmall.blogspot.com
More About: Sunny

Chickenpants the Argyle
2007-10-26 17:51:00
Chickenpants the Argyle hails from the place where everything is argyle. He's moved away from his hometown since then (all the argyle- it was just TOO MUCH!), but he likes to remember his roots. Hence the argyle belt. He's keeping it real, yo. For-shizzle?His belt buckle button, by the way reads: "CHOO CHOO". I don't know why. It's not like he has more than a passing interest in trains...Maybe he just thought it looked cool. Chickenpants the Argyle is made from vintage stretchy plaid material which I am very quickly running out of. His chickenpart (er...) is made from very soft & fuzzy fleece. He's stuffed with non-allergenic polyfill, and he's got beads for eyes. Add a ribbon and button belt ("CHOO CHOO") and you're all set to rock the chickenworld.Needless to say, he is in the shop, spreading his argyle goodness around.Up next: Sunny Chickenpantsabsolutelysmall.blogspot.com