1800 ideas and counting

i've been humming with ideas this whole week. actually it started over the weekend where i began sketching three different projects and made a list for ten more. i'm pretty good at making lists. i've got post-its and little scraps of paper waiting to be transferred to a larger list or made as an official entry in the little black idea book. i'm in the process of trying to create a bunch of pieces for a little show i'll hold in a couple of months. it's about showcasing some of the old stuff and presenting a look at the new stuff. i'm also signed up to take a "Intro to Toy Design" class at F.I.T. (Fashion Institute of Technology) that will begin at the end of August. sometimes it's difficult for my mind to focus when there's so much going on and i bounce from project to project like a spastic ten year old riding a sugar rush.

i returned to an idea i started back in april that i created for my niece's 8th birthday. (my niece and nephew's (3 yrs old) birthdays always force me to be creative under the gun and I usually end up staying up late into the night creating some ridiculously elaborate card i should have begun 3 weeks ago when i placed it on some list.) i had been reading "The Code Book" by Simon Singh which is a history of cryptography through the ages and decided i'd use codes as the theme for my niece's card.

i came up with "SpyGirl" (based on an earlier sketch) and set out to create a code for her to solve.



i ended up using a simple code called the "Pigpen cipher" and scripted a little story about evil monkeys and saving Professor X's laboratory. i figured I'd have some time to await her decoding and find a super cool gift in the meantime. according to my sister, my niece figured it out instantly and 3 days later i get the decoded piece returned to me. (she also pointed out a spelling error that little smartie.)

so as i returned to SpyGirl this past week, i started to wonder who she really was and whether or not thereis something more to explore here. she's back on the list and now she's got a re-spiff-ified logo: