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If you are following Pickledog on Twitter, you may remember a Tweet about my Top Secret Robot Project. If you’re not following PD on Twitter (shame on you) see what you’re missing? I came across a company online named Spoonflower. Spoonflower is a manufacturer of custom printed fabric, and the best part is - you provide the artwork. Yes, that’s right you design it, they print it by the yard!

The web site
The Spoonflower web site is still Beta, I imagine new features will make their way to the site over time, but it is pretty sweet as is right now. Signing up to the web site is simple, except if you are one of the unlucky people (like me) whose email blocks the Spoonflower conformation email. Fortunately Spoonflower is already equipped with helpful tech support for just such an occasion, and they had me up and running fairly soon.

If you’ve never set up a repeating print before, there is a bit of a learning curve to creating the artwork, and setting up the correct color profiles. Spoonflower’s web site is loaded with helpful “how to” information for all of that as well. For safety, I recommend at least reading through Spoonflower’s file requirements before getting too far into creating your print.

Pricing, and Placing Orders
Prices range from “$18-$32 US per yard” to have your work printed on “quilting-weight, and upholster-weight cottons” according to the Spoonflower web site. If colour matching is super important you can also order custom colour swatches for $5 each. I found that uploading my artwork to their site was easy (read the instructions though.) Filling out the online shipping, and payment forms was also a simple process, and once completed a receipt was emailed to me right away confirming the order.

Now for the Robots
That super secret robot project I mentioned earlier is a fun robot print design!

For the pattern I went with a 9×9″ simple repeat. Drawing each robot first, then assembling the layout. Because of a time constraint I chose not to order a colour swatch ahead of time, but I feel confident that the final fabric will closely match my artwork. Once the fabric arrives I will post a follow up with the results, and reveal exactly what this project is for.

Pickledog’s profile on Spoonflower

I made this one relatively quickly, but I’m happy as a red hen with how it turned out. 

Tune in next week for:

The Egg-cellent Eggs-travaganza

-or-

Take a Henny Leave a Penny

He may not be a leprechaun, but he is small and green. Happy Saint Pats!

Here at Pickledog headquarters we have been keepin’ it real, and maintaining a daily connection to the blogosphere only through timely, and insightful Tweets. (I think that’s how the early pioneers survived the harsh winters.) Can you believe that we’re halfway through February already.. it’s time for another drawing! 

I’m not sure what this Cuckoo bird is up to? Maybe he’s just impatient, and can’t wait for the clock to strike Twelve, or perhaps it’s all part of his cuckoo master plan..

It’s that time of year again. You know.. the time of year when you need to shovel the driveway every hour, and you can walk out your second-story windows onto the snowbanks (I don’t mean the kind that Frosty keeps his monies in either.) It’s also a time for family and friends to get together and celebrate.

Wishing everyone a very safe, and happy holiday season.

Cheers,
Pickledog

Octoberfest is on ’til the break of dawn, but on these warm autumn days the local squirrels are busy gathering nuts, and seeds for Squirrelfest. What is Squirrelfest? My friends, Squirrelfest is wunderbar.

In other non-squirrel related news.. as a new feature, Twitter updates have been added to Go Pickledog Go. If you have a Twitter account you can follow Pickledog’s Tweets, and receive instant updates on important news like, I’m raking leaves, or I have a tummy ache from eating too much ice-cream.

In the future robot children will visit robot museums to learn about early robot life. What a glorious future it will be.

Mr. Dressup was my favorite TV show as a kid, and it most likely my first artistic inspiration. Mr. Dressup was played by the late Ernie Combs. Along with Mr. Dressup is Casey and his dog Finnegan, who were brought to life by puppeteer Judith Lawrence.

The Mr. Dressup show was fantastic! He would tell stories, sing, and of course dress-up in silly costumes and put on plays. My absolute favorite part of Mr. Dressup was when he would draw, and I dreamed that one day I would be able to draw just like him.

One of my pet peeves - one that I am also very guilty of - is when people say “thingie” or some other nonsensical word to ask where something is. Like “honey where’s the thingie that opens the thing?!”

The thingie is a multi-tool made up of mostly kitchen type items. It measures, cuts, opens both bottles and cans. The thingie is a beater, flipper, timer, temperature gauge, and your house keys all rolled into one. It’s simply incredible.. now if you could only remember where you used it last.

I am very happy to have been given the “You Make My Day” award from the very talented Kelly Medina!
Thank you Kelly. : )

“You make my day-Award” works like this:
1. Write a post with links to 5 blogs that make me think and/or make my day.
2. Acknowledge the post of the award giver.
3. Display the “You Make my Day Award” logo with a link to the post that I wrote. (Optional)
4. Tell the award winners that they have won by commenting on their blogs with the news.

The 5 people that have made my day recently are:

Jeff Brame

Holly DeWolf

ShakyMouse

Mike R Baker

Tofusquirrel