Spring Makers Fair

Yesterday I attended the Texas Avenue Makers Fair in downtown Shreveport, and it turned out to be the biggest and best yet! Huge crowds, a great variety of talented vendors & performers...and a surprising amount of hula hoop action throughout the day.

Always proud to be a part of this event and I love to see the local (and ever-growing) art community get together. Below are some photos I snapped when I got to sneak away from my table!

A quick shot of the TOOMASOOBA booth. I try to vary my setup and offerings a little
bit for each show I attend...gotta keep it fresh.

Twang Darkly playing a set on Saturday afternoon. Gotta love that upright bass.

Some prints and such by Lesley John...I dig the figures she painted up for the Fair!

The always-rad Art Punch representing for America.

Danielle Griffith and her killer illustrations. Needle-felting, too!

I have no rhythm at all, but I was mesmerized by Paul King's Index Drums.

Boomabot Plush

In late 2010, I collaborated with my good pal Samantha Krause to produce a series of limited-edition handmade (and oh-so-cute) Boomabot plush. They turned out amazing...and sold like gangbusters! I recently ran across some pics and, since the little guys were completed in the pre-blog days, thought I'd show off a few photos below.

Samantha has a new venture these days called POKEY!!! -- check it out and buy some handmade awesomeness from her. We plan to work together again this summer on some TOOMASOOBA creations, so stay tuned for glimpses at what gets cooked up!

The Boomabot Army.

Enjoying a healthy snack.

Totally Tote!

Little known fact: Boomabots love musicals.

Sock Sighting

My good friends Dave and Barb took a trip to San Francisco last weekend and texted me a couple of photos that really brightened my day. They'd run across some designs of mine at SF Sock Market on Pier 39 and made sure to let me know about it...sweetness.

Some of my creations are available on the Sock It To Me website, of course, and I always have plenty on hand at the shows I attend, but to see 'em in a real live retail store really knocks my socks off! No pun intended...okay, yeah, pun intended.

My association with SITM has been a great one (read the backstory here) and I've even had a design or two sell out (collector's items, yo)...you can snag remaining socks for your very own here and here. See below for SF pics!

Berenstain Bears

Jan Berenstain, who created the Berenstain Bears books with her husband Stan, passed away on Friday. As a kid, the Berenstain Bears (along with Mercer Mayer's Little Critter) were a huge inspiration to me and made a fantastic impression on my imagination and artwork — and it's an inspiration that continues to this day. Thank you, Jan and Stan, for the creativity and storytelling you shared with each other and with us.

Below is a look at one my earliest works of art created in Mrs. Ruth's preschool class circa 1984...the Berenstain family treehouse. Good times, good memories.

Sweets & Treats

Hey, you should totally stop by Lilah's Bakery and Deli before March 3rd to see Sweets & Treats, a group show featuring local artists' take on, um, well...sweets. And treats. Below is a peek at Kid Cupcake, who is currently adorning the walls on Olive Street.

Oh, and be sure take a look at the making of my buddy Jeff's piece called "Fresh from the Oven"...dude's got skills!

Louisiana Tourism Industry Summit

Along with a handful of talented local artists, I was asked to participate in last week's Louisiana Tourism Industry Summit held this year in downtown Shreveport...and I said "yes", of course! While a business conference isn't usually the ideal locale for some TOOMASOOBA action, I'd have to say it went pretty well.

I moved some shirts and prints, made some great connections with people around the state, ate a free lunch and even got to haul in my setup via loading docks and freight elevators like a Van Halen roadie. Oh yeah, and a guy from Belgium bought a shirt and some prints...international, baby. All in all, a good time.

Below are some photos from the day's adventures...take a look!

TOOMASOOBA table photo against part of the Shreveport skyline.

Strange little scribble from the day's downtime.

My official lanyard. I've never had an official lanyard before.

I have my table break-down to a science. And I also have very ripped mannequins.

How Very Puzzling...

I'm always on the lookout for creative and cool new ways to feature my stable of characters...so to that end, I'd like to unveil the first official TOOMASOOBA puzzle featuring Byron the Boy Robot. Yep, that's right...a puzzle!

This dude is 48 pieces and measures 6 inches by 8 inches...it's a lot of fun (and a little more challenging than it looks). You can pick one up right here in my Etsy shop if you'd like to test your problem-solving skills. The puzzle comes packaged in a protective sleeve with a print of the image as well (bonus!).

By the way, the record for assembly among my group of friends so far is 11 minutes and 35 seconds. Think you can beat that? Remember...start with the corners. That's the key.

A look at an assembled (and unassembled) puzzle!