Monica Lee Studios

My new little spot on the internet....

I've moved, I've moved, I've moved. Argh! Always a tough decision. The gypsy  business woman in me wanted my blog hosted on my website so now I can be found at  http://monicaleestudios.com/blog/

Come check it out!!

Oh Darling, I have moved!

Here is my new blog home! http://monicaleestudios.com/blog/ 
I promised to cross post for at least a week...and I am promise type of girl....

So….as long as I am talking about Where Women Create, (check out giveaway on post below)  I thought I would tell you about how excited I was to pick up the Spring issue of Where Women Create and find my neck and hair in it! I was having a book signed by Kaari Meng of French General in this little photo.  I held up the magazine to my husband and said, “I think this may be me, my hairdresser taught me how to make this messy bun, is that my red hair?” He replied, ” Yeah, it’s you. Well, you said you dreamt of being in that magazine.”  Long pause. Wait. I think the dream was to be  a feature in the magazine.  If I channel Ellen Degeneres maybe I can be on the cover.

I had to buy this issue because…one of the artists wrote the greatest inspirational advice and I have to type it out for you. She is young and I just thought it was a lot of wisdom to come out of a young woman. Her name is Magda Trzaski and she very much marches to the beat of her own drummer and it works. Her advice reads

Never give up. Always believe you can do it.

Be brave in creating what speaks to you alone. There will always be someone that will understand what comes from your heart. Those who appreciate your work may have the same experiences, the same hopes, or the same fears: your work will matter to them most.

If you want to sell your work, choose your exhibition (business) partners wisely. Your work tells a story: you want it to read well and be told to an audience in a language they can understand.

New Blog home and Inspirational Give Away!

Good Morning! If you are reading my blog today on one of your bookmarks or  a "reader" like google reader, blogfrog, or bloglovin then I have news!! I have a new blog home! The link has been replaced on my website (click on blog) But if you have saved the link, pretty please can you change it? 
I think the new blog is super cute! Violette helped me put it all together, she runs a stationery business AND helps custom design blogs. She is also a saint because no sooner did she have it up and running that I went digging around and deleted a bunch of the "pretty" that she created and she had to do it again. I walked around with a giant L on my head all morning.  
I will cross post here at this home for about a week and then post only over on the new home. To entice you to make the leap to my new home I am giving away this inspirational book...BUT you have to comment on the NEW BLOG to enter to win! Hop on over and ENTER!!! More info about the book at the new place!

What I bought and how crazy I am....Japanese Sewing Books

So here is what I got completely distracted  obsessed with in New York City. I went to Kinokunya Bookstore, a Japanese bookstore with about 3 floors of books including a huge craft/sewing section. I was in heaven! Although...I am certain HEAVEN has plenty of books in english. The first book I picked out was this one. I originally picked up the book for styling ideas for my drawings but after I studied it a bit more thoroughly I lost my mind decided that the patterns where pretty straight forward and that I might attempt one of these  dresses myself. Well, my "one of these" turned into more...because when I returned from Mood fabrics I had fabric for 5 dresses to try to stuff into my small suitcase. I felt like I was stepping back in time. These are the type of dresses that my mother and I used to make. They are not complicated but you really need the right fabric for the right drape so you don't look like you are wearing a housecoat. You can see by the directions there are not a whole lot of pieces to cut out. Actually, cutting the pattern out might prove to be the trickiest part. I found a great blog post with tips here. I basically have to trace them onto pattern paper and add seam allowance and all the pattern lines overlap. I can't have any distraction during that process.      

One of the reasons that I just jumped in with my eyes closed  committed to the idea of making a couple of these dresses was that I was in NY and  at Mood  they actually has a HUGE amount of garment sewing fabric. As I wait for the strike offs for my new quilting weight fabric to arrive, I can try my hand at these. I DID look through a couple of other books and got THE CUTEST idea for a  project for my Now We're Goin' Places collection.

So am I crazy? Let's take a vote. For the record, my mother does not think so...I did have a moment of panic where I called her and told her that Luke and I were coming for a 2 week visit when school was out so I could camp out in her completely outfitted sewing room to brush up my skills.  When I told her I wanted to come out, She asked..."So I can sew for you?"  And like a child trying to tie their shoe I replied, "NO! I want to do this myself!" but just having her near will make feel better.

I do have this etsy shop listed as one of my favorites...they sell a lot of books like this. I actually found the book I bought and it only had a $1 mark up but they are shipped from from overseas so the shipping is high BUT oh what fun.....!

Bloomers in NYC!

I just got back from a fun weekend in NYC where I visited the NY Gift Show and I tromped around the city picking up unique items of inspiration to bring back to my studio! First, I met up with my girlfriend at Chelsea  Market for dinner, we had dinner inside a clothing store, funky and yummy! And the inside scoop is that the Anthropologie in the Market is a good one! Of course, I bought a big stack of books from Anthro, I think their picks are terrific, so don't always head right to the clothes! The next morning I met up with Rachel, she owns Pins and Needles, before we headed over to the Show. She told me that her  new sewing/stitching store got featured on Daily Candy! and that she now offers all sorts of classes, in fact she is offering a  fun  class whipping up these bloomers on  this Wed. Evening! Perfect for Valentines Day! Give her a call for other class times. We brain stormed together and came up with all sorts of projects for my new fabric line with Timeless Treasures. She currently puts together really really cute kits for sewing and embroidery that she sells in her  store and with her "luxury goods" background she  gets it right  and has got the perfect blend of  darling going on. Here are some pics of her bloomers (ha!ha!) And as sweet pillow she stitched up, it turns out she has a lot of tween clients interested in sewing! I am taking this as a good sign for todays youth! It offers creativity and a break from all things electronic. OK, this is a long post for me..so let me throw out a teaser about what else I will share with you this week. I  will tell  you what trends I saw at the Gift Show AND  that I went to a Japanese Bookstore in the city! OMIGOSH! The craft and sewing books did me in! I also managed to get to Mood Fabrics, ack! I may have spent my son's college education on books and fabrics!

 Lastly, I am FINALLY switching my blog host over so I am doing a  GIVEAWAY to debut it! So check back this week!

BIG NEWS! Monica Lee signs with Timeless Treasures!

I have been sitting on this news WAY to long!  I have fabric line coming out! I have practically told every single person I have met, at the grocery store, at my hairdressers, if you have a pulse I am sure I have fit it into a conversation. I am just so  so excited about designing fabrics! And I am thrilled to get to know all the girls at Timeless Treasures. I traveled to NYC last month and meet the staff in person and we spread out all the designs for my debut line due out in May! So exciting! I should have strike offs in a couple weeks and then I can show you photos of the entire line! Even though the process from start to finish can be a lengthy one, I have to stop and relish it all because I am girl who loves a textile and I simply could not be happier to be on this path! 

This line is based a bit on my travels (although you will not see ANY airplanes!) It is everything you take to get you somewhere fun! As I designed it I saw it stitched up for  mommies and babies or teens or even high school seniors! I love it because "Now I am goin' places!" woo-hoo!

No Problem...let me get my wand.

So this is my latest installment into Monica Land. I came up with this illustration one day when I was being juggling a lot of jobs at once  running a business, being a mom, being a wife...taking care of  animals (no, actual animals..not my family)...I remember thinking if I just had a WAND and poof! all deadlines are met, dinner was made, everyone is happy! There is no complaining!

I have printed my new fairy assistant out and she is hanging in my office. Now I plan to point to her when someone asks me for something! This might even make a good button. What do you think, would she be a good addition to my imaginary Etsy Shop?  It will be a Real Etsy Shop soon...I just have to get my wand fixed.

Good Monday Freezing Morning!

Ok, I want all you Californians to comment and list something bad about living in California. That goes for you readers in Florida too! Tell me how bad the traffic is, the smog, the local government. Oh wait! I am making a list myself, aren't I? I need to feel better about living in  climate where the low is 6 degrees and the high will be a lovely cool 13 degrees today! Yuck and yuck. I am running off to my sewing class. I knew the only way to carve out time to rekindle my skills was to take a class. I am loving what I am making...here is a hint...it involves cutting up a vintage tablecloth! Cute, fun...don't worry, it was stained already. Anyhoo, gotta scoot.

Here is another card I did fro Tiny Prints...I need my heart warmed today!

Pie the New Cupcake?

Here is another card that I created for TinyPrints.com. I read somewhere that "pie" is the new "cupcake". The article said the cupcakes where out-out-out and and that the new trend was leaning towards pie. I, myself, love pie and feel oddly healthier went I eat pie instead of cake. Remember, I have to eat gluten free and gluten free pie crust is tricky...I don't bother making it from scratch but Whole Foods makes a good frozen one. If I were to believe the article then I believe design wise and merchandising wise, it is a little sad to say good bye to cupcakes because you can decorate them in such lovely way in real life AND on paper. This is my attempt at making pie as cute as a cupcake. What is it for you, cupcakes or pie? Do you  really think pie is the next big thing?

Tiny Prints and Monica Lee Do Valentine's Day!

Happy Tuesday! More snow for us! ack! Enough already!  I wanted to tell you about one of my licensing deals. I was very busy with creating Valentine's Day cards for Tiny prints over the holidays. I noticed that they went 'live" couple days ago and I thought I would post some  of them for you. I created about 30 cards for them so I will trickle them in for you. You don't know how excited I am to show you new art! It is so hard to keep mum when I have created something that makes me happy...I want to post it right away! I got to create all sorts of romantic cards...right up my alley and I got to draw some new girlies! fun! These have to sweetest greetings. I like the girl snuggled the chair, that is me today..all the way down to the top knot. Instead of chocolates, I had apple crisp for breakfast...ugh! Lots of sugar in my tummy so early...but I HAD to finish it off! ANYWAY, Tiny Prints does an absolutely lovely job personalizing cards, nice paper quality. You should take a peek through their huge selection or if you just want to see what what I did for them look here. Now you have no excuse for not sending a card out to a girlfriend, niece, sister or loved one.

I have news for you...one is that I have finally made the decision to move my blog host from typepad to wordpress. This was a tough call, I think it should happen this week, stay tuned!