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New monsterspace and brand new monster line!

Hello friends and fans! Once again, it's been quite some time since our last post but with good reason...

Hooray for 2012!

Firstly, we made it through another hectic holiday season with most of our sanity (and hair!)! Hooray!!!  Thank you so much to all of our amazing customers who supported us for the 2012 holiday season, SO many monster goodies unwrapped and getting comfy in their new homes.

New Monsterspace!

Secondly, after 5 years of living and working in the same space where the monsters were first born... we've moved!  We were quickly outgrowing the 2 bedroom apartment where all the magic happened, the monsters and I were tripping over each other's feet on a daily basis and despite their best efforts, their fur found it's way in my coffee every morning... The monsters now have an entire 3 rooms to themselves!  I know, they're spoiled... We're no longer tripping over each other and my coffee (so far) has been fluff free!  This means we'll have more space for making magic (aka, monsters!), more space for more inventory, and room for some helping hands and/or employees!  We're super excited to have a fresh start to 2013, it's going to be a great year!  Here are a few glimpses at the new monsterspace...

And last but not least...

New Monster Line!

Meet The Grumpsters!  The brand new addition to our Cutesy line!  They're a little bit grumpy and a little bit hipster but still just as loveable as ever!

It's been so much fun picking out their little outfits with their flannel shirts, leggings, and skinny jeans!  We're really excited to be adding this new series to our line of furry friends this year!  They are available over at our Etsy shop now! Now go!

Updates from the Monster world!

We're off to an awesome start this year as the summer of monsters rolls in. We had a blast at our first and favorite local shows of the season, Art Star Craft Bazaar here in the good old City of Brotherly Love. It's always such a great time setting up in the city where both myself (monster maker) and monsters were born! The girls from Art Star put on such an amazing show and their volunteers are simply the best... the BEST! It's always so awesome to start the year out with such great customers and fellow vendors! Here are a few photos from the weekend...

Next up we joined some awesome artists in Baltimore for the Sideshows Market at the American Visionary Art Museum. It was a gorgeous day, the weather couldn't have been more perfect and we had so much fun in our home away from home in Baltimore. The American Visionary Art Museum is a great museum and I can't think of anywhere I'd rather have spent such a beautiful day hanging out with monsters and awesome people. Baltimore always leaves us feeling so loved!

We're also really excited to be a part of The Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts Alternatives Museum shop special exhibition, Featured Creatures. The monsters will have a special display up until August 1st, so if you're in the Wilmington, DE area go check it out!

Last but not least we'll be headed back into Philly for InLiquid's Art for the Cash Poor. We'll be inside both Saturday and Sunday so come by and say hi!

Don't forget to keep an eye on our tumblr monsters that walk and talk. to keep up on the monster mascot's shenanigans!

We've also got come brand new and very exciting products coming out within the next couple of weeks so be sure to follow us on twitter and facebook to keep up to date on when they'll be available and some possible sneak peeks!

Renegade Brooklyn and travel updates from the monster world

It's been a while since an update from us because we've been busy traveling the country yet again for another monster-filled season of craft shows. Handmade Arcade was the first show of the season and the people of Pittsburgh welcomed us with huge open arms. Next up was a trip back to SOWA in Boston closely followed by one of our very favorites in our home town of Philadelphia, Art Star Craft Bazaar. Philadelphia showed us some serious love but this customer was by far the best.



Then my good friends over at Fuzzy Ink and I hopped in the Fuzzy Ink van and drove out to Austin for Renegade Austin. It was my first time out in Austin and I fell in love. What a great city!



And most recently, this past weekend, was our third year back in Brooklyn for Renegade Brooklyn. It being one of the closer shows to home that we do, it was a weekend filled with incredible friends and fans who came out to both help and hang out. It was truly one of the best shows and weekends ever. If only every show could surround me with the things and people I love the most.










It's always so amazing to meet fellow plush artists who I only really know from online. This time I got to meet Megan Barbour of Green Elevator fame. How adorable is she???




And because of all the amazing friends who came out, it was one of the first shows we really got to test out the new mascot head for a long period of time. It made an appearance in Philly at Art Star but the rain limited its face time. The weather was mostly kind to us in Brooklyn and the mascot was really able to romp around as it's meant to do. The response was incredible and below is only a snippet of the amazing memories it created.



I feel like an incredibly lucky monster maker to know and to have met so many incredible people throughout my travels thus far. Thank you to everyone we've met this year and we look forward to seeing and meeting so many more people in the weeks to come!

Kickin' Back - Design for Leisure at the Philadelphia Art Alliance

The other day I finally has the opportunity to visit the show Kickin' Back - Design for Leisure at the Philadelphia Art Alliance in Rittenhouse Square where Cutesy but not Cutesy was amongst some of the finest designers in the Philadelphia area. It's so nice to be in such good company in our very own home city!

Fabric Horse makes some of the most awesome bags we've seen throughout our travels and they're based right here in Philly! We've run into them a couple of times at various craft shows but finally met them out in San Francisco for the Renegade Holiday Show. We laughed at the irony of both being from Philadelphia and finally meeting on the west coast!


These wooden toys also caught our eye by Holgate Toys based out of Pennsylvania. They've been in business since 1789 which is incredibly mind-blowing. It's hard for me to resist any vintage looking toys these days and I just fell in love with these instantly. It took me a while to wrap my brain around sharing a gallery space with a company that has been around that long!


And here's a peek at the monster display! They had the wall directly across from the entrance and staircase so their bright colors were immediate eye-catchers!




Thanks, Philadelphia, for inviting us to take part in yet another amazing show!

A furry snowy Boston weekend

As mentioned in one of the recent blog posts, Cutesy but not Cutesy was due for an adventure out to Milwaukee, WI this past weekend for the opening of the Plush Team's first group gallery show at Hot*Pop Shop Gallery and Boutique called CANDYLAND. Unfortunately, due to some unexpected (somewhat expected) weather in Boston, our flight was canceled and we couldn't book a new flight out to Milwaukee in time for the opening. We desperately tried to find a way out to the mid-west, mid-snowstorm and then diverted our minds to possibly flying someplace warm with our already-paid-for tickets in order to salvage what remained of the weekend. Despite having missed the ultimate mid-west adventure and meeting and hanging out with some of the best plush designers around in -6 degree weather, we managed to kick it in Boston in style and made the most of the weekend we had dealt to us. Below are some pictures posted from some of the people who were able to make it out for the show.




Rest assured, Milwaukee, we will see you some day.

We've also received word that the Get Stuffed show in Cleveland, OH that was up just before the holidays at the SPACES Gallery will remain up until April 1st with some new and updated pieces from some of the artists. They've also sent along some photos from the first hanging.






We're looking forward to heading over to Philly to check out the opening of the Philadelphia Art Alliance's Kickin' Back: Design for Leisure Show opening Thursday Jan 27th. Hopefully more pictures to follow!

Crazy Toys - A French Publication

I'm super excited to announce Cutesy but not Cutesy's first international publication in a hardcover book! The book is called "Crazy Toys: Les artistes créent des doudous" and is published by one of the oldest publishing companies in the world, Aubanel Publishing as part of La Martiniere. The book is a compilation of the work from plush artists all over the world with various photographs and pages for each artist. Below are some photos of Cutesy but not Cutesy's pages in the book!







The book is available for purchase on the French Amazon site or directly from Aubanel.

Being published in a book was definitely one of the biggest long term goals for Cutesy but not Cutesy and so it's extra exciting that it has happened so soon! Now it's time to mark some other things off the list!

A life in fast forward.

Where has the time gone!?

I haven't had much time to post this summer as we've been traveling all up and down the east coast finding monsters new homes and we're gearing up for a fall chock full of road trips as well. The next stop is Chicago for Renegade Chicago. We're super excited to be a part of the show this year and it feels like we've been looking forward to this show since we missed it LAST year. It'll be our (the monsters and I) first time in Chicago so it will certainly be an adventure.

I'm hoping to return with lots of stories to share but in the mean time, I've made a short video giving you a sneak peek at my process. It's an hour of work in 7 minutes and 35 seconds. Enjoy!

"So, 4 years ago or so, Cutesy but not Cutesy was living in a sandwich...

Yes, you read that right. But let me explain...

This all started last night when I was chatting with a friend about how overwhelming being a full time artist and business owner can be. Every now and then a monster maker gets overwhelmed, too. There, I said it. I'm sure I'm not alone in this and I'm sure the other artists, DIY-ers, and small business owners can attest to sometimes faltering and needing the encouraging push from a supportive friend. And this is just what I needed.

So now's where I start to explain the title of this post...

This supportive friend of mine, in the hopes that he could prove a point, asked me where Cutesy but not Cutesy was 4 or so years ago. I thought for a moment about where I was 4 years ago to the day and I chuckled to myself and responded "...in a sandwich." Not quite the response he expected, I'm sure, but it was, in fact, the truth.

Four years ago I was working in a small town in Pennsylvania at a cafe making, yes, sandwiches.



That's not all I made, I cooked up some other delicious eats under the watchful eye and expertise of my good friend and chef and I baked some pretty impressive desserts, if I do say so myself.



But, in a nutshell, and for the purposes of this post (and my friend's point), I was a sandwich artist.

I lived near the river in one of the most beautiful areas of Pennsylvania there is, with some of the best friends a recent college graduate could ask for, a wonderful boyfriend, and the world (and people's taste buds) at my finger tips. But we all know that the reality is that a life like that can't last forever and besides, I wanted so much more for myself than making sandwiches (not that there's anything wrong with that). I wanted to use my creativity that had so come to life as a fine arts major in college and I knew if I worked hard enough, someday I would do just that. Admittedly, I was always looking for a way out, thinking up new ideas for my future, new ways of creating, and becoming, and living.

This. This is when the monsters were born. Somewhere between reheating someone's lukewarm soup and making another customer's turkey, brie, and raspberry panini, I began sewing. I keep this picture of one of my very first monsters from when I was working there on my refrigerator to remind me everyday of where I started and how far I've come. (Yes, he's wearing a tie.)



Life took it's course after that (and threw in some curve balls to keep things exciting). That job and I have since parted ways and the same with the wonderful boyfriend (the friends, however, I've held on to). And that brings us to today and to the supportive friend's attempt at proving a point...

...so 4 years ago Cutesy but not Cutesy was living in a sandwich. You've gone from one small sandwich (not sure what kind) to a business built on something that you are truly passionate about. You've worked incredibly hard to make your vision a reality, which is much more than most people can say they've done with their life. I can only imagine how demanding your work is, but seeing how hard you work to be successful I can say, without a doubt, that you'll make it through this summer and beyond.

Not only did this bring a huge grin to my face and uncontrollable bouts of laughter for a long time after, but it did prove a point. It put everything into perspective for me and it reminded me of how hard I have worked to get where I am today and though it might not always be apparent in the throws of it all, some day all of this hard work will pay off. And none of this goes for just me, but for everyone who sets their mind and heart on something and dives into it with everything that they have. If you work hard and are passionate about your dreams, all of it will pay off in the end, some day, some how... no matter where that dream was born. This is something that we all need to remind ourselves from time to time.

I encourage all of you to think about where you were 4 years ago and think about how far you've come.

For me?... 4 years ago, Cutesy but not Cutesy was living in a sandwich.

Stuff This! at Rivet Gallery in Columbus, OH

It was a wonderful surprise to be invited to participate in this year's Stuff This! group show at Rivet Gallery in Columbus, OH! I had the great honor of making my first trip out to Columbus (and to Ohio, for that matter) for the Tiny Canary Indie Design Market. What a wonderful show that was and what a great energy the people of Columbus have! I had an amazing time at the show and Megan Green of Stinkybomb soap, formerly a Plush Team Member, was generous enough to offer me a comfortable place to stay and a good taste of Columbus eats each night I was there. I am looking forward to sending my work there for the Stuff This! show and only wish I could make the trek out there again to see it!

Without further adieu I bring you...

"made for each other."

Crafty Bastards Round-Up

This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to participate in Washington D.C.'s largest indie craft festival, Crafty Bastards. It was truly an amazing event and I am in awe of how well organized and incredibly well attended it was. The weather was beautiful, though there were threats of rain earlier in the week... I think we all did our best no-rain dances to fight it off together. I met a lot of really wonderful people and saw a lot of fellow craft friends that I always enjoy seeing at these events.

I made some great purchases myself. I bought an adorable ring from Figs and Ginger whose work I always love to peek at. I also took home another creature from fellow Push Team member Phil Barbato... Thorgrimm the Defeated. And my mom brought me a sweet little surprise from Lumpkin.

And now for some pictures!

I made a giant monster to hang from the top of my tent beckoning monster lovers to come in my direction...


I promptly sold said monster 3 hours into the show... but the monster lovers seemed to not need any beckoning...


There were a lot of awesome people wandering around!


A better view of my collaborative prints with my sister Robin Koss of Wind Up Bird Studios.


A monster lover caught in the act of making an adoption!


A close up of some of the handsome fellas...

The last four photos courtesy of Dots, Lines, and Polygons.

Thank you, Crafty Bastards!

Bring on the holidays!

Cutesy but not Cutesy and satisfied monster lovers

Now that Cutesy but not Cutesy has some down time between the end of the summer season and the start of the fall and holiday seasons, we finally have time to sit back and really think about all of the happy homes we've supplied with monsters this year (so far)! This is something that is sometimes easy to forget when traveling from place to place and state to state, weekend after weekend. But... sometimes these reminders show up right at our doorstep (or in our inbox) right when we need them the most...



This is a photo taken at Artscape of myself and Vanessa Petersen, of Churchton, MD, with her new monster companion. Vanessa first saw my work featured in STUFFED Magazine and was thrilled to discover them on the very streets of Artscape in Baltimore! It was a tough decision, but I think Vanessa made a good one! I think we may have a future plush designer on our hands... :)

And with that, if YOU have any photos of yourself with any members of my monster family, I'd love to see them! Please send them along!

Cutesy July round-up and other updates

As we wind down our six-show-in-a-row whirlwind tour with one show in Collingswood, NJ left to go and gear up for some much needed rest before the hectic fall and holiday season, here are a few snippets from our time on the road.

First, as mentioned in a previous post, we were at the Manayunk Fine Arts and Crafts Festival in late June. Here are some delayed pictures...

The booth


The EMS on segways


Area Chef's getting some air


One very cool customer


And the Fiber Arts Award


From Manayunk we moved on to Haddonfield, NJ where we met many wonderful people. Unfortunately, we have no photos of this show... but you just have to trust that it treated us kindly :)

The next week we made our way to Baltimore for ARTSCAPE with Wind-up Bird Studios. Three 10 hour days in a row with hundreds of thousands of people. This had to be the most exhausting show we've done but fantastic nonetheless. And we were in good company, I saw a lot of familiar fellow crafter's faces as well as met some new ones! We had the honor of sharing our tent with Chelsea of Lola Miren. She has some of the most adorable baby products I have seen! We also met some great people who attended the Mortal Plush show in DC where we have "The American Dream". What a great weekend!

Soon after getting in from Baltimore and after only a couple days of hectic stitching to restock, we headed on the road with mom to Asheville, NC for Bele Chere. Mom had never been to North Carolina, let alone West Virginia and Tennessee, both of which we had to travel through... so it would be a true adventure for all! Asheville truly is an amazing place and this festival was a great event. We had so much fun meeting people from Asheville and the surrounding areas and meeting new vendors. It was nice to be so far away from home because it meant meeting that many new people! We had a booth across from Raimbow Tree who relocated to Asheville from Alaska a few months ago. Her work is amazing and I ended up buying a skirt from her and she purchased my favorite monster, a fair trade in the end if I do say so myself! :) We also met Yvonne Miller of Atlanta who we ended up trading with for some awesome wall art, as well. Overall, the Asheville show ranks above all the rest... it had the best music, the best food, and the most amazingly appreciative and supportive vendors and customers. I think mom never wanted to leave!

We don't pump our own gas in New Jersey


Some new top-secret products?


Street performer


Day 2 exhaustion and Barley's Pizza


Another happy customer!


And that brings us to this past weekend at the Stone Harbor Arts and Crafts Festival. Despite having to wake up at 3:45am each day to drive down to the show, the drive into the sun-rise sure was a beautiful one. We had never been so close to the beach before and what an adventure for the monsters! We ran into the wonderful couple behind Clay Monster whom we first met in Manayunk. They're work is too awesome, great minds think monsters! Unfortunately, there was a huge storm on Sunday and being solo this weekend, I decided to pack up the fellas early just before the downpour and lighting showed up. The tent wasn't as lucky, as it had to be the last to go into the car. I ended up having to hold it down from the wind gusts while trying to take it down at the same time. I'm sure it wasn't a pretty site at the time, but looking back at it... it might be mildly comical. With the sopping tent finally in my car, I ran in bare feet (the shoes were too soaked to wear) to gather the rest of the goods... and the monsters and I were safely on our way home.

Everyone hiding in their tents


Stopped traffic on the drive home


And as if that's not enough to take in... we're super excited to announce that we'll be participating in this year's Crafty Bastards in October and the Luv-able and Hug-able show at Gallery Hanahou in NYC in December!

Finally, our submissions are on their way for the Plush You show at Schmancy Gallery in Seattle in October. Here are our submissions...

The Keepers of the Mountains


Summer Mountain Keeper


Winter Mountain Keeper


Spring Mountain Keeper