{POSTULATING} for posterity

Billpaying commonfolk who know whats up, send letters to family and friends to lighten the mood of that two hour sitdown at the desk where we balance books. Postcards in particular make ease of hucking a hutch of bills and parking tickets into the mouth of that hungry blue box, because the friendly and unenveloped images stare back at us, waving toodle-doo as a reminder of how and who we love.









PENNY $PENCER postcards are available at Madam Chino's LOOK NOOK and also soon on ETSY in 4-packs or Mix-in-Match-Packs.

xoxox,
madam chino

{CARD-iology} take it to heart

I always include a cute little hand-drawn thank you note when i pay my rent, because although slightly begrudgingly relinquished is my sweaty, bloody cash; i know that not that many people probably show appreciation to those who sometimes feel like they are sucking your future into their abyssal pockets, but at the same time house your livelyhood.



Ever had a breakup, and feel like your world has been turned inside-out? If ever literally "down in the dumps" (because i got dumped) depressed, i feel like my skin isn't working. It isn't hiding anything about the way i look on the inside. And it probably isn't. This card is an expression of that momentary change when someone in your life who makes all the difference, isn't there.



Brought to you by PENNY $PENCER available now at Madam Chino's LOOK NOOK!


xoxo, madam chino

{Let's PATCH things up}

i'm really sorry. i didn't mean to be mean if you know what i mean. and even if there isn't a gaping hole in your heart, or sleeve, or pocket, or knee, or hutch; sometimes its just a good idea to put something over it preventatively.

{TAG!} you're IT!

ALAS, i've begun the fun adventure of doing a thorough inventory of the LOOK NOOK. I've never been so excited to do INVENTORY. However, organization IS one of my favorite things in fact. (you probably wouldn't guess that by looking at my hair)

These are the tags, hand cut, hole punched and corner rounded...which is totally worth it!


For inventory, i'm using the number and letter process. Each 100 is a category, such as SUMMER LADIES, and each collection is a LETTER, so T-dresses are 100A and each dress is 101A, 102A, 103A; Reconstructed dresses are 100B and each dress is 101B, 102B, 103B, etc etc.

Its nice to have a full Excel file for all your own stuff, friends.

xoxox,
madamchino

{APPLE: an iron-on} for eve, teachers, daily eaters, and people who need reminders

These iron-ons are pre-heatset, and then have an iron-on interfacing attached and cut. LOTS of ironing out the details.

{PLEASE MS. POSTLADY} bring me a dream

I found out! well, this is how i did it to save paper
1. cut a clear transparency template
2. find your images and trace them
3. cut out images on 3 sides, leave a tab to hold it when placing it
4. precut your 8.5"x11" cardstock in 1/4ths with a paper cutter
5. set up a spray booth with precut newsprint
6. lay your image upside down and gently spray with {3M super 77 spray glue}
7. place your cardstock down at the edges carefully and accurately
8. pick it up using the excess area and place it in a drying area
9. gently use a screenprint squeegee or any other straight edge and press it
10. lay down new newsprint square in the spray booth and repeat!
*i precut the squares, but if it's hard to lay them down, you could just lay two on a page or get a large tagboard and then cut them out later.

Penny Spencer INK!

One part how-to, one part visual art
Madam Chino brings you fashion instruction you can do yourself
By Cortney Heimerl
Published: March 26th, 2009 | 1:10pm

How many crafting guides can you find on your bookshelf? If your answer is many, you are in good company. Artists, crafters, and makers alike scavenge local second-hand stores to discover new techniques via vintage books – searching for the common knowledge of yesteryear that will inspire her to learn, create, and innovate a veteran’s making repertoire. If you feel like bypassing the legwork to find your inspiration, you can directly click to find Madam Chino’s YOU-torials – hand-illustrated guides on crafting techniques. She has been drawing them for the last three years and just recently began to compile them into zines and make them available online.

Vanessa Andrew, the talented lady behind the fashion design label Madam Chino and Penny Spencer Press, decided that she was going to illustrate the techniques she acquired creating her own clothing line. “I was thinking that I could take techniques that I have learned from here or there and draw them with the same DIY ethic that I use when creating clothes.” What emerged was a library of instructions that accentuates handmade: her artwork doubles as a method to spread her vision of creating with your hands.

The YOU-torials outline each step in a comic book style, moving the reader through the process with little arrows, tips to ease the work, and tiny helping hands that appear when assistance might be needed to complete the maneuver. The YOU-torials are created for the reader to take the information and build on it. She doesn’t waste time on templates that will produce the same product over and over – she gives you basic tools and information and then lets you run with it. From beginner information on sewing machine anatomy, threading, and explanations on different sewing machine feet to advanced draping techniques, smocking and closures, fabric flowers, bead rings and hats, each YOU-torial only takes up one sheet of paper making even the hardest technique completely underwhelming and very attainable.

“I think that people are transforming their way of looking at things. The DIY attitude is empowering. People are inspired to create really amazing things and come to the table with really amazing ideas themselves,” says Andrew. “The reason I am continuing to do this is because I want to be involved in something that is socially responsible.” Recycling holds a prominent place within the illustrations. They encourage you to reconstruct, reuse vintage materials, or just look in your closets and drawers for raw materials. A simple t-shirt can be reformulated into something completely unique by dealing with simple geometry, fractions, and anthropometrics – all outlined in basic terms through the YOU-torials.

Andrew emphasizes that clothing doesn’t have to be about vanity, and rich people who can afford fancy clothes aren’t the only ones who get to look good. Making things on your own is about self-expression and feeling good about yourself. “Clothing can transform you by making you look really comfortable in your body. The whole body image thing is a big topic for people who are impacted by media and I have found that wearing things that I feel good in makes me look even better.”

Although Andrew has her own clothing label that she sells at a local Milwaukee boutique called Fasten and two Etsy stores, Madam Chino’s Shop and Penny Spencer’s Shop, she still feels that sharing her secrets is as significant as selling her clothes. “I think that it is more important that people make things themselves than for them to buy my stuff, and that is why I am willing to share tricks. As far as sales go, hopefully giving away secrets will be good advertising.”

View more of Madam Chino’s YOU-torials online at flickr.com/photos/madamchino/



https://venuszine.com/articles/diy/features/5475/One_part_how_to_one_part_visual_art


xxxx,
vvvvvv

Madam Chino!
Im online!
www.madamchino.etsy.com
www.myspace.com/madamchino
www.flickr.com/photos/madamchino