Lunatique's Blog

Crafts N'At 2010!!

2010-08-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

Come see me (and other awesome artists) this Sunday, August 29th, at Soldiers & Sailors Hall (Oakland) for Crafts N'At 2010!!!! There's an amazing list of vendors, found here at the Pittsburgh Craft Collective blog!

Lunatique will be re-introducing the new and improved Rock Bottoms!!! Popular several years ago, Rock Bottoms return with a better design. Now all ONE-SIZE, Rock Bottoms are still made from the coolest band tshirts I could find.

I also hope to introduce my Rad Padz this Sunday! Rad Padz are new from Lunatique this Fall....mama cloth crafted in part from recycled tshirts. Comfortable, unique, edgy and eco-friendly!

Hope to see you Sunday! :)

2010-07-26T05:06:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've updated this blog. Sorry for that, if you're a reader. Seems I can't remember all of the places I have to post, update, etc. This summer has been busy! Lunatique was at the Three Rivers Arts Festival with I Made It! Market, which was fun! Then two weekends ago, we were at the SouthSide Works Exposted market, again with I Made It! Market.

While these markets are fun, I find that they are too time consuming and not profitable at this point. When you're spending more money then you're making, it's time to do something different! So, I'm choosing to focus on my online presence and to have my items in a few local shops around Pittsburgh. This will allow me to continue with my craft, while accepting that as a busy mama of 4 I just can't get out there into the scene at this point and really make it happen. I'm cool with that!

So, look for me online: on Facebook, at my new website http://www.lunatiqueonline.com/ (which is not yet complete), and if you're local I will be found at "SoMe" (www.somepgh.com) and hopefully the "E-House" (where I was before). I'm excited to be offering my Rock Bottoms cloth diapers, again; in a new and improved style and as a one-size diaper.

Thanks for reading!

First sale of the season in 5 days!

2010-04-04T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well, the busy spring/summer season is about to begin and my sewing machine is smokin'!! I'll be at the South Side Works this Saturday, April 10, to kick it all off! I'm really excited by a bunch of new Little Lolis as well as a new pattern for bigger girls that I'll be introducing. Should be awesome!!!

Here are other sales you'll find me vending at this summer:

April 24, Pittsburgh Zoo Green Marketplace
May 8 & 22, Lawrenceville Little Flea
Mid-July, South Side Works Exposed

....and more, I hope!!!!

My focus this year is pretty much everything recycled Tshirts. I'm a little obsessed. I'm especially excited about all the little cool accessories I'm making from Tshirt scraps that will be seriously cheap and fun!

See you at the sales!!!!!! :)

Spring hasn't sprung, but Lunatique can't wait!!!!!

2010-03-06T14:21:00.001-08:00

This winter I've been working hard to create better web presence for Lunatique in the form of my own webstore. My goal is to have a SUPER FANTABULOUS SPRING GRAND OPENING!!!!

In the meantime, I've been working on new ideas, patterns, and creations; while improving and tweaking some of the old ones. I am narrowing my focus and creating mainly from recycled tshirts. As always, I will continue to strive to keep my store eco-friendly and affordable, while creating one of a kind, unique products. As part of my commitment to the earth and living beings, I will be using a green web host called Taproot Hosting. I'm really excited about this. I'm also really committed to supporting small business; my webdesigner is an awesome friend and talented woman who owns Motherwit Web Design.

All of this awesome energy combined is sure to make this Lunatique's best year ever!!! I'm glad you're along for the ride!!!!

Lunatique at I Made It! Market this weekend!!!!!

2009-12-04T04:36:00.000-08:00

getting ready......

2009-11-17T09:36:00.000-08:00

My sewing machine and fingers are smokin'! Preparations for this weekend's show continue. Here's a sneak peak! (cellphone quality pic)

Wool Treats!

2009-11-08T07:06:00.001-08:00

I'm having so much fun making wool treats for I Made It! Market Jr.!!

CUPCAKES!! (excuse the cellphone quality pic)

Lunatique at "I Made It! Junior"

2009-10-08T05:37:00.001-07:00

I'm really excited that Lunatique will be at the "I Made It! Junior" at the Children's Museum here in Pittsburgh on November 22nd. Look for me!! I'll be bringing my Little Lolies, of course, along with my dolls, wool play foods, and more!

Crafts N'At

2009-09-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

We had lots of fun at Crafts N'At at the Union Project yesterday! Sold some Little Lolies, met some arting types and got Lunatique out there. I'm really excited about the future of Lunatique and feel like I'm finally at a place where I can do some focused work and get involved. My first step in doing that is to join the Pittsburgh Craft Collective, which will be cool. I just joined this morning so that's kind of exciting.

This Fall I'm going to go to as many shows as possible and work on some new ideas. I will continue to make Little Lolies, most likely expanding my pattern to larger sizes, as well. I'm interested in doing more reconstruction and altering so we'll see what I come up with next!

Stay tuned for some pics from yesterday's show!

Namaste!

Lunatique will be a vendor here on Labor Day weekend!!!

2009-08-15T19:08:00.001-07:00

For more information visit the website: http://pghcraftcollective.com/craftsnat.html

Previews are up!!!!

2009-07-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

Go check out the store in which I am a guest tomorrow! I just put up previews of my dolls and dresses. You can buy tomorrow at 9:30pm. Check it out!!!!!

July Contest @ Lunatique

2009-07-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

begins July 11
ends August 1

The person to get me the most fans/followers on blogger, twitter, or facebook will win the item of their choice from my store!!!

rules:
1. each fan or follower must contact me telling me their name, who referred them, and whether it was on FB, twitter or blogger...so i can verify. they can email me at lunatique4@gmail.com with this info. so when you get someone to follow me or become a fan of my facebook make sure they know to contact me and tell me you referred them or you won't get credit

2. no creating emails and identities to get more referrals (i know how to find out if you did)

3. if you get a friend to do all three (fan on FB and follow on twitter and blogger) that will onlycount as one referral, not three (just have them contact me once)

For your reference:

Lunatique's FB:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Pittsburgh-PA/Lunatique/92549122347?ref=ts

Lunatique's blog: http://lunatiquesblog.blogspot.com/

Lunatique's Twitter name: LunatiqueTweets

BONUS: the first person whose referred friend buys something from my store during the contest, will receive a gift from me.

LunatiqueTweets!

2009-07-07T05:19:00.001-07:00

Lunatique has joined the world of Twitter!!! Follow me for updates and special offers! I am "LunatiqueTweets" on there. :)

What's all the buzzzz about??

2009-07-05T16:01:00.001-07:00

A Sneak Peak at what's coming
to Lunatique this month!!

Don't miss out!

I'll be a guest in another online store on July 15...check me out at
Tied Up With Strings!!

New Listings!

2009-07-02T05:31:00.000-07:00

3 New Little Lolis available at Lunatique!! Don't miss out!!

Happy Summer Solstice

2009-06-21T06:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Summer Solstice to everyone! I hope you have a blessed and prosperous season!

SHOPPE ANNOUNCEMENT:
I am making preparation to begin offering my powerful charm bags for sale in Lunatique. Everything is coming together, making this the right time for this to happen. Watch for it in the coming month!

New in Lunatique right now:
I've recently listed Dream Pillows made by a dear friend, in Lunatique. Their intention is to bring relaxation and calm through the herb and essential oil, Lavendar. Wonderful for both children and adults and with a special introductory offer; receive a matching sachet with purchase.

Updates and New Happenings

2009-06-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

Lunatique has been on hiatus for awhile, due to toddlers who don't appreciate my sitting at a sewing machine for more then 2 minutes at a time. :)

But, I'm back, and with lots of new things happening.

First, I'm excited to introduce "Little Lolies!" Little lolies are sweet, comfortable little dresses, inspired by the Lolita styles for the big girls....they are all one-of-a-kind and crafted from recycled tshirts just for your little girl! Here are some examples of what Little Lolies are in my shoppe right now:

I am also making adorable dolls that I will be stocking soon! If you go to my store (link in the title of this blog) you can see some examples of the dolls and even make a custom order for them!

I'm super excited to say I'm finally working to create herbal remedies for sale in my shoppe. I have partnered with a couple of wonderful women who will be working with me on this endeavor. We will be making salves, tinctures, oils, and more....all from organic herbs and other organic ingredients. We plan on working on this through the summer and hopefully having some up in the shoppe in the next month or so. Watch for it!

And, lastly, Lunatique will be adding to it's repetoire with some magickal items. I am currently working on charm bags which have been charged with energies and filled with ingredients and worked over for specific intentions and charms for the wearer. Look for more magical items in the months to come.

Busy busy! I'm so excited to turn my focus to Lunatique once again. I hope you'll stop by my facebook page and say hi, or drop me a note.

Blessed Be!!

The Green Tees Collection is here!!!

2008-02-20T19:00:00.000-08:00

I'm really, really excited to introduce my new line, "Green Tees," this Spring. The "Green Tees" line consists of items made from recycled tshirts. You'll fine anything, from handbags to clothing to accessories, all made exclusively from tshirts found on my many thrift shopping excursions. Some of the designs are mine, some are inspired by books and/or magazines that I've seen while browsing the shelves at my local bookseller, and some are inspired by people I see walking down the street here in Pittsburgh. All of the items are handmade with recycled materials. Just one more way to make a difference, and look great doing it!

I hope you'll stop by the Granola Chicks Ring this Thursday at 12pm to see the first items for sale from this new line. Just scroll down until you see my store....or click on the "Lunatique" link along the left hand side when you "Shop by WAHM." Tell your friends!!!!

Come see me at Granola Chicks

2007-11-06T20:36:00.001-08:00

New products for the holidays stocking this Thursday at the Granola Chicks Ring!

Custom slots for the holidays opening up this Friday at Lunatique!!

2007-10-24T16:48:00.000-07:00

STOCKING THIS FRIDAY at the FULL MOON!!! Don't miss out on all the new products! Previews are up right now!!!!

PEVA

2007-10-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty psyched because I found an environmentally friendly material to use for my wetbags. It's PEVA, which you can learn more about here. I'm pretty happy about it. I went and bought a shower curtain made from it, at IKEA, and will just cut it up for my wetbags. I'll get a BUNCH of them from one shower curtain. Yay, I'll feel so much better making products from this! I don't think it will work for my AI2 diapers, but I know I'll find something!

2007-10-12T06:43:00.000-07:00

When I first started making diapers, I really didn't know a whole lot about PUL (polyurethane laminate). I thought it was great as far as being used for diaper covers, etc. Then I thought it would be cool to put a hidden layer in so that I could use recycled tshirts with bands or cool images on them and you wouldn't have to cover them up with a diaper cover. Around the same time, I started to see suggestions that PUL wasn't an environmentally friendly material and so started reading about it. I've been struggling with it ever since. Most of my mission is to create items that are cool, unique, well-made, functional, priced for the average shopper and environmentally friendly. I use as many recycled materials as possible. When I can't use recycled materials I try to use low-impact materials. Where I use the PUL most is in my Rock Bottom diapers which have become a big hit and on which I have just completed testing and was planning on offering the new and improved versions (with a hidden layer of PUL) this month.

I read some more info on PUL the other night and I just can't balance my use of this material with all of my other values and the way I try to live. So, I'm just not going to be able to use it anymore, in good conscious. I know this may lose me sales but it's more important to me that I not contribute to the production and sales of materials like PUL.

I think this is a positive thing, and hopefully my customers will see it as positive! I am still offering my Rock Bottoms (and other recycled tee diapers), as fitted diapers....this means they will also be lower priced which is a plus for the customer! I am researching some other materials that could be used as a hidden layer, in the same capacity as the PUL, without the environmental impact. The problem is whether those materials will be cost effective. I have found a friendly material to use in my wetbags so I'm really excited about that.

I feel really good about this and I think it will be a good move for Lunatique. Thanks for your support!

2007-10-06T11:58:00.001-07:00

Want to make sure you don't miss any stockings or announcements of new products? Interested in special offers and coupons that will only be found in my newsletter? Want tips and ideas on any subject from cloth diapering to homeschooling? Lunatique now has a quarterly newsletter and the 1st edition for Autumn is ready! Click here to SUBSCRIBE!!.

2007-09-28T22:08:00.002-07:00

I'll be working hard this month to create items that will be stocked in my store on October 26th, the next Full Moon. Look for previews during the week of Oct. 22nd.

Coming next Full Moon (Oct. 26):

*More stripey recycled longies to wear by the fire this Autumn

*fitted LunaBums diapers: theme....harvest, farewell to the light, autumn

*NEW PRODUCT* Natural disinfectant spray in blue cobalt bottles w/ cloths....for all of those yucky public places that we don't want our family to touch!

*NEW PRODUCT* Mama's wetbags

*NEW PRODUCT* fitteds from non-recycled fabrics

*NEW PRODUCT* Recycled, reusable bags

*NEW PRODUCT* Stripey pants

2007-09-28T22:08:00.001-07:00

I'm finally finished with all of the orders for testers from last week! 13 diapers in all!

Every time I finish one, I think, "these are so cool!" I have several favorites, now. This one is definitely one of them. The pic doesn't do it justice, but.....

I really like how the fitted Rock Bottoms came out, too. I hadn't done them in fitteds before but am now really digging them! The one diaper is the back of a Phish tshirt. Someone else got the front of it with the actual text "Phish" on it. I thought this one was a really cool graphic, though.

So, I'm done until next stocking! Maybe I'll actually make some diapers for my own baby!!

2007-09-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

Lunatique is also a member of an awesome congo (a group of shops in one store together) on Hyenacart called THE GRANOLA CHICKS (http://www.hyenacart.com/GranolaChicks/). It's a great group of Work-At-Home-Mamas that all embrace a natural "crunchy" way of living/parenting.

The Granola Chicks can be found IRL at the Houston B.I.R.T.H. Fair (http://www.houbirth.org/) and Lunatique will be there too! Well, at least some of my items will be. I hope you Houston-area people will stop by the fair and look for the Granola Chicks booth! I will have a couple of my diapers there that will be in a drawing. Grab one of my business cards and contact me if there's anything you want/need....and, as always, be sure to visit my online store!

Have a great day!!!

2007-09-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

Hi! Welcome to the blog for the online store, Lunatique (http://hyenacart.com/Lunatique/). I'm Donna, owner and artist. Lunatique is a online store based at HyenaCart (a collection of earth friendly shops). Most of my creations have some element of recycling to them. My cloth diapers are partially made with recycled tshirts. I create wool longies and covers from recycled 100% wool sweaters. I enjoy going to the thrift stores and seeing what I can bring back home to create items for my customers. Currently, I am having lots of fun making Rock Bottoms. These are AI2 cloth diapers (meaning, no cover is required and there is a snap-in soaker). The outers of Rock Bottoms are made from recycled band tshirts. This project has been a blast. Here is an example of a Rock Bottom diaper:

Pictured here are my fitted diapers, also crafted from recycled tshirts:

Creating with recycled wool sweaters has been fun, too. I've only just started doing these and want to keep every pair myself!

So, that's what Lunatique is up to right now. I will be stocking at each Full Moon (and probably sometime in between if I have time). Please stop by my shop and look around. And keep coming back here for updates and information on new products. I will also be posting surprise discount codes from time to time. Don't miss out!!!