the playful object | ssǝɔoɹd lnɟʎɐld ǝɥʇ

Hey y'all! I'll be teaching a workshop called the playful object | ssǝɔoɹd lnɟʎɐld ǝɥʇ at my alma mater Oregon College of Art and Craft at the end of the month. There are still a few spots left in this jam-packed weekend of play exploration!

Course description: A broad-based arsenal of materials and processes can be vital to any artist working in any medium. Join Hilary for an enjoyable weekend investigating improvisational processes and creating extraordinary objects, discovering new ways to use old methods of art making. The class will cover aspects of exploring from and shape as well as developing the use of surface techniques such as flocking, metallic leaf and paint. Though there will be opportunity to discuss ideas for each individual to incorporate into their current artwork come prepared to share and participate in discovery as group. Artists from all fine art and craft disciplines are encouraged to take part in this opportunity to learn from each other.

February 25-28, 2011
Friday 6pm-9pm
Saturday and Sunday 9am-4pm.

Click here to sign yourself up!

wouldn't it be luverly?

another new batch of cake toppers - this time it's lovebirds on fruits. Available on my Etsy site while supplies last!

pretty kitties

I just unleashed a posse of new wedding cake toppers, seeing how many ways I could paint a cat. Here's a sneak preview but click here for the real deal.

life before Bunny with a Toolbelt

(Thanks to Rev. Steve at A Beautiful Ceremony NW for this great photo!)

Another Florida Gators commission!

I seem to be amassing quite a few fans down in Florida - here's the latest in the series of wedding cake toppers for what must be the most enthusiastic sports fans on the planet! What's that...you didn't see the others? Look in the Bunny with a Toolbelt online photo album of wedding custom cake topper commissions for the sports section!

happy Chinese new year!

It's the year of the rabbit! Woo hoo! Whether you're a good bunny or a bad bunny, here are some videos for you to help you get your bunny on! Enjoy!

last day to enter the dog contest!

It's been a year since I made my first stop action movie For the Love of Dog. This year my goal is to make a 26-part stop action alphabet movie with corresponding book! We'll see if I can make it happen, but it's an exciting prospect and I've been making lists of my favorite words and using this book for inspiration.

Speaking of dogs, it's the last day to enter the dog-a-licious contest over at Jill Heupel Photography! Entering is soooooo easy, it will leave you plenty of time to read this and show some love to your real dog (or cat.)

for the love of DOG from Hilary Pfeifer on Vimeo.

sock it to me!

I loves me a good knee sock, and was inspired to tell you about the almighty Sock it To Me when I saw this very cool photo on their Facebook fan page of the groomsmen in an Australian wedding wearing their Superhero design. Cool, huh?

I treated myself to a few pairs last fall at my neighborhood store Frock where you can get three pairs for $20. Wow! Which designs did the bunny get? This one and this one and this one. And I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you about the award-winning design made by Peggy, the very same gal who I work with to make your Bunny with a Toolbelt wedding cake toppers into personalized invitations, thank you cards, etc.

Big Doggie Giveaway!

I'm excited to be included in a fantastic prize package from Jill Heupel Photography, who has gathered together a posse of dog-loving Etsy artists to make two lucky people very very happy! I'll let Jill tell you all the details, but here are the basics:

There are two prize packages, each with about ten dog-themed prizes including cute collars, collapsible water bowl, t-shirts for humans who love dogs, outfits, and a photography session if you live in Jill's neck of the woods. (Edwardsville, Illinois) Package one includes a free custom dog sculpture made by yours truly.

To be eligible, it can be as simple as leaving one little comment on her blog entry about which item you want to win most and why, but she has more ways you can enter to increase your chances of winning. Click here for full contest information.



If you're not feeling particularly lucky, but like the idea of having your own custom pooch or other pet, click here for the custom pets link on my Etsy site! I am also in the process of creating a great photo database of all the custom animals I've made in the past--click here to enter Bunny with a Toolbelt's wild kingdom.

Contest ends January 19th, folks! Good luck!!!!

Happy New Year - did you say Rabbit eleven times?

So many couples become engaged this time of year...and I will soon be working on lots of new designs for my Etsy shop. In the meantime, I put together a slide show of almost 300 images of past pieces for your viewing pleasure!



And when you're done with that, check out this fantastic wedding invitation I found on pinterest! (click on the image to make it bigger)

festivus!

Hello Beautiful Person! I just wanted to send out a last minute reminder about shipping. My last day for shipping anything in 2010 via Priority Mail within the U.S. is Monday, December 20. The sweet gal at the post office yesterday said that overseas packages pretty much need to travel by express mail if you want it by Christmas, so please contact me if you see something in my Etsy site that needs to go across the pond and we can make it happen! Any custom orders will be discussed and scheduled for January!

There are still plenty of items in my Etsy shops if you missed me at the One of a Kind Show or Crafty Wonderland! Here's a little taste of what's happening in the Bunny With a Toolbelt Etsy shop!


And don't forget--all brooches from my recent show The Beauty of Life are available in my other Etsy shop! Click here and ye will magically transported into the parallel universe of my oeuvre.



Thanks everyone for a magical year! I am really happy with all I accomplished and I couldn't do it without your support! I have big plans for 2011 so I'll touch base sometime next year to let you know what's happening.

Be safe and have a happy new year!

Hilary

One of a Kind Show Chicago

I'm halfway through the One of a Kind Show in Chicago. It's great being in the special Etsy section featuring 30 other Etsians plus a DIY area--a really nice group of talented people, plus the area is a lot more spacious than most of the Merchandise Mart allotments, since our booths are half the depth as a normal booth and without side partitions. My corner booth (#2015) is decked out with a mini winter wonderland. Come say hi if you're in the Chicago area! (Here's my picketing Rabbi who is up on the local politics.) weekend hours: Saturday, December 4 10 am – 7 pm and Sunday, December 5 10 am – 5 pm.

Hellooooooooo Chicago!

I haven't quite finished the booth setup yet, but promise to take pictures. The plan: I'm creating an eight foot long winter wonderland scene, complete with leafy trees, reindeer, snow people, penguins galore, picketing Santas and Rabbis, and other martini-imbibing beasts.


Are you nearby? Will you come say hi? I am in booth 8-2015 and can't wait to meet some of my old and new customers! Show starts at noon today and runs through Sunday afternoon. See you there! Click here for more info. I'm holding court in the Etsy Pavillion where they have some excellent props to fancy up their section like a white faux polar bear rug, a freestanding cardboard fireplace, etc. They also will have all kinds of fun crafty things to do and every purchase you make at one of the 30 booths in this section gives you a chance to win a gift certificate and other amazing raffle prizes!

what's your sign?

Yay! My animation is finally done! Enjoy!

What's Your Sign? from Hilary Pfeifer on Vimeo.

speak softly (but carry a huge picket sign!)

I'm finally ready to announce the winners of my "What's your Sign?" contest! As you know, faithful Bunny with a Toolbelt fans, I had about fifty entries in the contest to choose from....and four winners emerged from the pile! Let me introduce you to them!

First off, I just want to say that I leaned most heavily towards entries that followed the general idea of playing on a traditional picket sign or general political rallying slogan. (Sometimes more common on a t-shirt or bumper sticker or button.) This is the original idea behind these pieces, so that's where my heart remains. Aside from that, filling gaps I didn't already hit and humor were big factors.  So now...the winners: I chose Nan Emmet of Spirited Earth Studios, for this slogan: "More Gingerbread, Less Fruitcake"

Next up was one of my wedding cake topper customers Wendy, who did another riff on the classic with "We're Fat, We're Jolly, Get used to it!"

Merlyn's entry was slightly different, but I couldn't believe I missed hot buttered rum on a sign! My parents made this for many a party when I was a kid, and even though it doesn't sound that appealing for my tastes, it remains a Christmas classic in my mind. 

And finally, I chose three slogans from Janet, who helped get the ball rolling on my new picketing Rabbis! 

 I'm working on a brand new mini-button design and would like to reward everyone who entered with one, so I"ll be in touch soon to get your contact info. Meanwhile, I'm finishing up the final details on the group for this weekend's big shoot. Here's the penguins enjoying the craft services table, and their other friends queuing up for their Hollywood moments. Stay tuned for the release next week.

thanks everyone!

Wow--I got almost fifty entries in the Bunny with a Toolbelt "What's Your Sign?" Contest! I haven't had a contest since last summer and it was nice to be back in the fold of communication with all you lovely people.

I am going to sit on these entries today as I finish up the characters for my movie and see which starring roles fit into the regular ensemble cast. I'll announce the winners in the middle of the week.

Thanks again folks!

a light hearted protest

The contest is afoot--have you submitted your idea for a new sign logo for a picketing Santa, elf, Mrs. Santa, Rabbi, or (I just thought of this yesterday) Angel? Anyone whose idea I use for my upcoming stop action movie featuring all these characters and more will receive the piece I make with your motto!

You can see past entries in the comments of my last blog post (click here) or on the Bunny with a Toolbelt Facebook page!

Here's a few more entries that snuck their way in through my inbox:

Janet said:  For the rabbi, how about, “I’m pro latke and I vote,” “deck the halls with matzo balls,” and “Another rabbi for latkes.”  And, of course, “Make latkes, not war.”

Dannie said: "Love that you can vote!"

Merlyn offered:
Mrs. Claus :
1.Irritable spouse syndrome
2. At the end of the season, I AM the fruitcake

Santa:
1. I'm getting too old for this
2. Eat, drink & be ho, ho, ho
3. Sleighbells ring, anyone listening?
4. Invincible to Global Warming

Elves:
1. Make more snuggies????
2. Recycle gift wrap
3. Rudolph needs an energy bulb.
4. Clink! Clink! Cheers to the egg nog.
5. Clink! Clink! Cheers to the hot buttered rum.

and Wendy thought this would be on her Santa's sign:
"We're Fat
We're Jolly
Get used to it!"

Contest ends at 11:11PM Pacific Time tonight! Quick--what's your sign?

Quickie Contest! Ends Sunday night, October 24!

Okay folks...I'm throwing down the gauntlet! I need some ideas for signs for picketing Santas, Mrs. Santas, Elves, and Rabbis for my new stop action movie to be filmed next week! Look at my album of last year's designs and suggest your own here on my Facebook page or on my blog--if I use your suggestion, I'll give you ...the piece I make for the movie! Such a deal!!!! All entries must come in by Sunday, October 24 at 11:11PM Pacific Standard Time. Good luck!!

(ps. sorry but Blogger won't let me add an image right now--click here to see the album of last year's Picketing Santas on Facebook!)

blogging about beauty

I will be focusing the blogging about the production on my upcoming installation The Beauty of Life on my other blog, which you can read by clicking here. I usually keep the content between my two blogs separate, but this project definitely crosses over. I'll do a weekly update here, but most of the writing and images will be there.

Also, a big thanks to Marthe at Lark Crafts for featuring my Kickstarter project on their blog today! Click here to read it.

the next big thing

Hey folks! I been working hard on a super secret project which I'll be able to reveal next month, but I'm also looking ahead to October when I'll mount a big installation here in my home town of Portland, OR. I launched a fundraising campaign through Kickstarter to raise some capital for the pre-production phase. I hope you'll consider supporting this project by purchasing one of the many brooches, tie tacks, or neckpieces that will make up this living wallpaper tribute to William Morris. Thank you!