shortbird

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

I can’t stop drawing birds. But birds with patterns in them this time.

outsoledesign

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

I recently designed some outsoles for one of our brands. The circle’s are recessed and the finished prototype looks pretty good! We needed to create a design that could carry over from season to season, nothing to summer-y or fall-ish, and had to go with a variety of themes. So we designed a fairly neutral circular pattern. I also designed a version for a pump construction. This drawing is what is directly emailed to the factory in China, in order to create the mold that the outsole is made from. The physical sample of the shoes are in Vegas, so when they return I will photograph them and share. After the WSA Shoe Show in Vegas, we’ll find out which shoes will make it to market. Out of a fairly large line Spring 07 line, perhaps around 50+ styles, usually only about 10 make it through to the actual shelf in a store near you. Buyers decide what they want in their stores, and the rest of the designs quietly die, rarely do the rejects ever recycle over to another season. I have also worked on a variety of sock lining details for the line, click on this photo to see those sketches. Not the most thrilling pieces of work, but hey, it’s a day in the life of my design world! And each day I get paid to draw and be some level of creative, I am reminded that I am lucky to be paid to use my art experience!

nyc_wildlife

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

How cute. Two pigeons and a squirrel hanging out together in Union Square. When I first visited NYC a few years ago I took loads of photos of squirrels in Central Park. They were the gray variety and they just looked so different than West Coast squirrels. But this one looks pretty average, your reddish variety. I suppose it’s just natural to stop seeing contrast in things once you’ve been in one place for a while. Nothing like that child-like, wide-eyed wonder when you first show up to a new place and see everything as new and different and exciting. Anyways. I’m heading to Boston and Rhode Island for the weekend. More photos and updates when I get back!

rose_kittens

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

Rose told us about a dream she had with a bunch of kittens standing on two legs following her around meowing. We told her that the kittens represented us, the design assistants, following her around asking for help. The other night we walked past a corner market and saw this silly poster with kittens on the door of the market. Doesn’t the photo look insane? It’s blurry, and dream-like, and the kittens are gigantic and leering at her. It’s hilarious. She also has dreams with goldfish with sharp teeth that hang out in her bathtub. These scorching summers can induce bizarre dreams. Or is it life in NYC? Or both? Anyhow. A co-worker just said to me next to the water cooler in the most innocent way, “Sarah, has anybody ever told you that you look like a Greek Goddess?” Isn’t that a nice compliment? Especially coming out of a week of cold showers and constant sweating… Everybody’s ego deserves a boost after the most recent living conditions, none of which made anyone feel particularly clean and lovely!

sarah_sal_nyc

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

In between all my updates about the ridiculous powerless life I’ve been living, I forgot to mention that Salvi is on the East Coast visiting from the UK! I went to Boston to visit him 2 weekends ago and then he spent 3 days with me in NYC, in our lovely sweltering conditions! By the way, we have power now! Yeah! It’s only temporary power from a generator, so let’s hope it lasts until the real power comes back someday!

walkhome

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

It’s day 7 of no power! Some people in the area have had their power restored, not us. The NY Metro reported that over 60 tons of trash has been removed since Friday from our area, outside of normal trash pick-up. See, I told you it stunk! The super of our apartment building said that ConEdison, the power company is going to pay $5,000/day for a generator for us until we have power restored. Hope things will improve. It helped to stay with Rose this weekend and take many hot showers and sleep next to air conditioning, and plug things in. It was a luxury, not to mention we had a fun weekend. Just what I needed.

walkhome2

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

It’s hot here. And I’m tired. Because of the extreme heat and overtaxed power usage, Queens suffered a power outage on Monday and we’ve had no power ever since. No elevator, no air conditioning, no lights, no hot water. The fridge is full of rotting food, and I haven’t slept well all week and have taken a dozen or more cold showers, trying to stay cool and keep clean! At the apartment building, you need a flashlight to navigate down the long, pitch-black hallway and up and down the 5 flights of. The neighborhood is completely dark at night… And the 15 minute walk to the subway shows me just how desperate everyone is. It’s not trash day, but there are mounds of garbage bags full of rotting refrigerator contents lining the street. Don’t know how long it will sit there, but it smells and makes me depressed! Neighborhood restaurants and stores are dark, and serving or selling very little. We are completely dependent on power, it’s true. Even the simple things I am used to in order to get through the day; like power to use an alarm clock, to charge a cell phone and ipod, to use a computer to check email (haven’t checked it all week, since work blocks access to personal email.) We can’t turn on the TV or radio to hear what is happening with our situation or check the weather, so a newspaper on the way to work at grand central has been my link to the news. And I understand, there are definitely worse things going in on other parts of the world, but isn’t suffering relative?I read something about perhaps having power again on Sunday? Mayor Bloomberg has been around the area to show compassion and hand out water and ice along with ConEdison, but really, does that help you sleep at night? A week without power? Can you imagine it? Can you imagine it in the middle of summer in New York? I am exhausted. What’s the saying… What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?

rose_lydia_sarah

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

After a rather trying work week, last Friday we worked in the city, had a good meeting regarding a line we had to redesign (90 shoes) and got out early and headed down the street to Bryant Park to have a few drinks.. Lydia and I are pointing at Rose’s booty however the irony is it didn’t make it in the photo! Whatever! It was a big release to what has been a pretty stressful time at work. Don’t we make it look easy to have fun though?

amish_subway

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

Rose is a really great cartoonist! She often amuses us during the day and or on the long train ride home drawing up everyone we shout at her to draw. Last week she told us she saw an Amish couple, like straight outta the movie witness, waiting for her same subway in the Upper West Side on 96th street. She said they were fully clothed in this sweltering, 95 degree humidity, and that the wife was very small and looked frigthened. I wonder if they were interested in the cell phones and ipods all around, but mostly, I wonder what their trip to the big city was all about? I wish I had been there to see them myself! But alas, I bring you this drawing from Rose Jones.

Japanese Indulgence

Originally uploaded by FunCupcake.

Tara and I went to the Kinokuniya Japanese Bookstore when I visited Portland, and along with some cute folders and stationary and a stuffed animal pattern book, I had to purchase this pencil case. I picked it up, put it down and went back to it again, because I could not resist a pink sparkly pencil box covered in graphic images of puppies and sweets. And my drawing supplies are always needing a home, a proper toolbox I guess. I know that I am not 5 years old anymore, but something about this whole thing just really makes me happy. It says on the box “The cute gesture is a favorite” and “i love sweets.” I agree!