steppie workshop: part one.

Oh, how I've ignored you.

It wasn't intentional;
It never is.
I promise.

I'm currently gearing up for a week-long vendor fair at UC San Diego. Aside from getting myself physically and mentally prepared for a show much longer than I'm used to, I'm also in the works of busting out a whole new product line of STEPPIE TEES (all screen printed by hand by me!). So, you can only imagine how frantic things have become around here lately. On top of all that, there's been a lot of family stuff going on, and while I still don't feel like talking about it publicly, let's just say my mind is definitely elsewhere.

I've been trying my best to stay focused as much as possible, and it started a couple days ago when I finally got my hands on my new Gocco machine (thanks Jackie!). I mentioned in earlier posts that I had a big monster machine coming in (aka the Yudu), but I purchased the Gocco on a whim thinking it would be a nice baby machine next to the big one. And with my experience with it this past week, I definitely don't regret the purchase at all. While the machine is discontinued (definitely a big hit to the crafter community), with a little bit of research and a lot of stocking up on supplies, this is definitely an investment I am already enjoying.

{ mr. gocco -- all shiny and new! }

My first Gocco project:
Creating size + price tags for my new tees!


{ preparing the gocco for exposure! }



I wish I took more photos of the actual process,
but to see more about how the screen is burned and
how easy it is to ink the screens, our awesome peeps in the
Etsy labs made a video on the Gocco last year:




{ alyssa doing all the work for me }

My niece was home on a school day that morning due to
an eye infection, so not only did my Gocco-ing serve as a distraction
from her discomfort, but frankly, she was having so much fun
she refused to let me touch the machine.


{ this is only the beginning of it }

We literally made about 200 tags in one sitting!
Could've made more but the niece was restless and hungry, lol.


{ one last touch }

The tags aren't done just yet:
The shirt size will be punched inside the "{ }" area;
and the price of the tee will be punched onto the side.

Yes -- punched! I grabbed an alphabet and number craft punch
set last week. Yay for Michael's 50% off coupons!
I'll be posting photos of that soon.

Also being posted soon (hopefully) are updates of the rest of my "hell week" before the SD show; hence, the title of my blog post: "steppie workshop: part one." The rest will include my experimentation with the Yudu machine, and of course, the progess of my tees! I can't make any promises as I'm expecting to become very busy, but even if you don't hear from me for another two weeks (since I'll be in San Diego next week!), I promise to keep you all posted once I get the chance!

I've already started on my tees actually, and...

"...my bedroom has turned into a full-blown factory. My dad walked in earlier today and asked if I was hiring.

-- Steppie via Facebook/Twitter

I like how I quote myself like I think I'm important or something.
Honestly... I just like how it looks.
/nerd status

On a side note -- if you have any t-shirt design suggestions, throw them my way! I won't be able to include them in this batch, but it may help stir up some new designs for the future!

xo,
Steppie
http://steppie.etsy.com