Holiday Shipping Dates

The holidays are upon us so we just wanted to take a moment to share some important shipping dates.

If you would like a gift to arrive in time for the holidays (calculated as December 25) please keep the following dates in mind.

Domestic Shipping USPS

First-Class Mail December 19

Priority Mail December 20

Express Mail December 21

If you have any questions about holiday shipping don't hesitate to contact us.

A Pull Here, A Tuck There :: A Canvas Stretching Tutorial

Today we take a look at The Art of Canvas Stretching in a few simple steps.

Whether creating your own artwork or picking up finished pieces, if you consider yourself a true manly man this is a good skill to have in your arsenal. If you find yourself thinking that stretching canvas is not manly, please note that it involves a hammer, a staple gun, and that most professional canvas stretchers look like this (phenomenal photo via Matthew Rainwaters).

Preparation

As Sun Tzu reminds us, victorious warriors win first and then go to war. In other words, preparation is key so lets take a look at what we'll need:

-Hammer
-Staple Gun
-Ruler/Tape Measure
-Towel (or some other clean soft surface)
-Stretcher Bar Frame
-Canvas

While canvas stretching can be a one man job, we've found that it never hurts to have an extra set of hands for larger sized canvases.

Step One: Position the Frame

The first thing that we want to do is position the stretcher bar frame on our canvas. Positioning the frame is important because this will determine whether or not the design is centered when we finish stretching the canvas.

Place the canvas face down on your clean soft surface and use a ruler/tape measure to make sure that the frame is centered.

Step Two: Staple The Sides

Once the frame is in place, starting on the side closest to you, fold the canvas towards the center (make sure it's pulled tight) and put a staple into the center of the stretcher bar. Continue to do this until the canvas is stapled to the stretcher bar on all four sides. At this point your canvas will look like so:

Continue to add staples to each side, two at a time, working outwards from the center staple. The number of staples per side will vary depending on the size of the canvas you're stretching but once you have three to five staples per side (larger canvases will require more) you're ready to fold and staple the corners.
Tip: Don't staple too close to the corners or you won't be able to fold them

Step Three: Fold The Corners

Your canvas should now look something like this:

Note how the top two corners are sort of pinched together-this is what will naturally happen as your staples get close to the corners. To secure the corners you want fold the middle part of the corner (the part that is sticking up on the top two corners) towards the center of the canvas and place a staple as seen in the bottom left corner of the photo above.

Once the corner is secure you can fold the two sides over and add a couple more staples to get something like this:

Repeat this for the three remaining corners and you're almost done. Before flipping over the canvas to see your new masterpiece, use your hammer to make sure that none of the staples are sticking out. Once completely secured your canvas should look like so:

Depending on the thickness of your stretcher bar frame you can hang the canvas by simply resting it on nails (for thick bars) or you can use screw eyes and braided wire.

Tip: If using screw eyes and wire, place the eyes about 1/3 of the way down from the top of the canvas

Step Four: Hang and Bask in the Glory

You're done! Step back, stroke your beard, and admire the awesomeness that you have created. Happy stretching!

Senioritis at Sea Cliff Mini Mart

What do you get when you combine good weather, great food, sweet tunes, and a huge crowd? The 42nd annual Sea Cliff Mini Mart!

After checking out last year's event we were fortunate to have the opportunity to set up as a vendor at last Sunday's Mini Mart. Filled with all types of handmade goodness and enough food to keep you full all day the Mini Mart was a blast. Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth to browse and chat.

We definitely plan on returning to next year's Mini Mart and if you're within driving distance of Sea Cliff, we recommend you check it out too.

Here's a quick shot of our booth, just click to see more.

Dropping Soon: Stars of the Silver Screen Collection

What do you get when you blend famous movie lines and senioritis styling? Our newest collection of course, Stars of the Silver Screen.

Our new collection of tributes pays homage to some of the most prolific names in Hollywood history. The collection will be available in our Etsy shop in the coming weeks.

The designs are filled with Tinseltown awesomeness; but don't take our word for it, here's what some other people have to say about the collection:

"I am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your home on the day of your daughter's wedding. May her first child be a masculine child and may he have one of these prints hanging in his nursery." - Luca Brasi

"I love these prints. I once hung one in my pajamas. How it got in my pajamas, I have no idea." - Groucho Marx

"Frankly, my dear, we should all give a damn!" - Clark Gable's response to the new collection

"This collection could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship." - Humphrey Bogart

Here's a sneak peek at the first few designs:

Sticker Time!

April showers bring sticker contests! We recently got some new stickers which means time for another sticker contest. This time around we will be giving away a tshirt of our mascot Jack ;)



Rules are pretty simple:
1: Email, direct message, or send us a smoke signal with your address and we'll send you over some stickers.
2: Slap the stickers somewhere fun and creative, and snap photos.
3: Post your photos on our facebook page and if we like your photos the best we'll send you a tshirt ;)

To give people plenty of time to enter, and to make sure it's warm enough to wear a short sleeve shirt when we send you your prize, this contest will run through June. If you'd like some inspiration you can check out some sticker shots here.

Good Luck!

When In Rome

Let me start this post by saying that I am a huge oatmeal fan. I eat it fairly regularly, regardless of season, and love trying new types.

A few months ago I noticed an ad that McDonald's added oatmeal to its menu. I didn't think much of it at the time and eventually forgot all about it. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, while I was on a trip I found myself at a rest stop and saw a huge full window ad for McDonald's new oatmeal. It was time to give it a shot. I must say I was rather skeptical, I asked the person taking my order if they had ever tried the oatmeal and they told me that they had, and found it surprisingly good. That's good to hear I thought.

I got my cup of oatmeal and went on my way back to the car. When I took off the lid the first thing I noticed was a pretty good serving size, maybe not enough for a full meal but definitely enough for a snack. I took my first spoonful and was very pleasantly surprised, this oatmeal is phenomenal I thought! From what I gathered McDoanld's starts with plain oatmeal (or maybe maple & brown sugar flavored oatmeal) and adds some more maple, apples, raisins, and cranberries. The different flavors mix together wonderfully.

I was so impressed with McDonald's take on oatmeal that I wanted to recreate the taste when I got home. Before trying McDonald's oatmeal I had never even thought of adding apples. The only fruits I had ever added to my oatmeal were banana, mango, strawberries, and kiwi (not all at the same time) but when in Rome...

Senioritis Oatmeal

*For the sake of convenience I use a microwave instead of a stove to make my oatmeal. I have made it on the stove in the past and feel that using the microwave doesn't sacrifice much in the way of taste and saves a bunch of time.*



Ingredients:
1 bowl of oats
1 diced apple
1 box of raisins
2 handfuls of cranberries
1 punch of maple sugar (not to be confused with a pinch)

1. Pour yourself a healthy sized bowl of oats and add enough water so that the oats begin to float around a bit - the more water you add the creamier your oatmeal will become, remember you can always add more water later on but you can't take it away ;)
2. Microwave on high for 2 minutes - if the oatmeal comes out like concrete no worries, just add some more water and mix
3. Add apple, raisins, cranberries, and maple sugar



4. Mix, mix, mix
5. Add an apple wedge for style points, step back and admire



There you have it, Senioritis Oatmeal, Bon Appétit!

Happy President's Month!

I remember when I was a wee lad we got a day off from school every February for President’s Day. Each year our day off would be preceded by a couple weeks of studying up on various Presidents and a cool class project. Fast forward a few years and President’s Day turned in to President’s Week and we got a whole week off from school, pretty sweet!

I’m not sure if kids will ever have a full month off from school in honor of El Presidente but with a little bit of wall space our nation’s leaders can be celebrated year round. Here are a few Presidential favorites from our Famous Seniors line:









Please visit our Etsy shop to see more of our Presidential tributes. Have a favorite President that you don’t see listed? Don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll see if we can come up with something. Hail to the chief, Happy President’s Month!

Time To Give

Time has come today, well tomorrow if we're being technical. No, I'm not talking about the Chambers Brothers, I'm talking about our You Buy, We Thank, We Give program.

We would like to thank everyone who helped contribute to its awesomeness; with your support this past holiday season we have 115 tshirts to donate and tomorrow is the big day. Our shirts will be donated to the Vietnam Veterans of America.


Once again we'd like to thank everyone who helped out and we hope to run a similar program during the 2011 holiday season so stay tuned.

Streetwise Seniors Giveaway Tomorrow!

We're pleased to announce that tomorrow, to help kick off the new year, we'll be teaming up with the folks over at the a little etsy love blog to give away some Streetwise Seniors gear!



So for all of you who dig our Streetwise Seniors line here's your chance to score some items for free ;) Swing by their blog tomorrow (or click here if you like head starts) for more info and to enter.



¡Buena Suerte!

Senioritis On Goals

Is it more important to hit goals or to set goals? We have heard this question asked many times, so let's do a quick experiment (we love experiments).

Click the center of the target:



Try again:



Which was easier?

As important as it is for us to hit our goals it is more important for us to set them in the first place. As simple as that sounds and as silly as this experiment makes it seem, it's impossible to hit a target that isn't there.

We're just hours away from watching a big ball drop from the sky in Times Square, eating, kissing some loved ones, toasting to health, happiness, and success in the new year, and making some resolutions (not necessarily in that order of course). So, with that being said, in a last minute attempt to add some value to 2010 we give you our take on goals.

Goals

Far too often we find ourselves working towards fuzzy goals. We have done a bit of studying on the topic and no matter who the author or speaker is there's one common theme; goals need to be clearly defined. Experts on the subject* also recommend that goals are visible and written out several times daily.

SMAC

We like to keep things simple so when it comes to goals we like to follow the acronym smac. No, not smack like Adam West as Batman popping the Joker in the face. This smac is a bit different but when used properly can pack just as big a punch ;)



SMAC is an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, attainable, and challenging. Year after year, the most common goals and New Year's resolutions seem to center around health so let's take a quick look at how smac works using a health related goal.

Specific

I want to get in better shape in 2011.

When the clock strikes 12 and 2010 ends, millions of people will make this pledge. While better health is something we should all strive for, how specific is this goal?

If I lose 5 pounds will I be in better shape? Is it possible that I could gain 5 pounds and be in better shape (increase muscle mass and lower body fat)? While it's a great goal it lacks specificity.

A more clearly defined fitness goal could be something along the lines of: In 2011 I will lower my body fat percentage.

Measurable

As mentioned above, it is very difficult to hit a goal that lacks specificity. 'Better shape' is not necessarily easy to quantify or measure; body fat percentage on the other hand is very easy to calculate and measure. It is easy for us to figure out our starting point and set a clearly defined goal.

A clearly defined fitness goal that is also measurable could be: In 2011 I will lower my body fat percentage to 10%.

Attainable

When Tom Hopkins talks about goals he uses the approach better than your best but believable. We think that believable falls in line with the a of SMAC, attainable.

If our current body fat percentage was a great deal higher than 10%, setting this goal might not be attainable (for now); however, if our body fat percentage had been in the 10% range in the past and is now just slightly higher, this would be a great goal to shoot for.

Our clearly defined fitness goal that is measurable and attainable could be: In 2011 I will lower my body fat percentage to 10%.

Challenging

Our goals should be attainable yet still challenging. We have often heard that goals should be set so that they are hit 50% of the time. Don't you feel great when you set a challenging goal and hit it?

As a wise dude named Michelangelo once said, "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark." Thanks Michelangelo.

There we have it, our specific, measurable, attainable, challenging, fitness related goal for 2011 is: In 2011 I will lower my body fat percentage to 10%!

Celebrate!

No, there's not a double C at the end of SMAC ;) We wanted to take a quick second though to stress the importance of celebrating your goals and your progress towards them.

Break your larger goals down into smaller goals; perhaps monthly, weekly, and even daily (for the bold out there), and be sure to celebrate when you have mini-successes that bring you closer to your larger goal!


We want to wish all of our readers a happy, healthy, and successful 2011. If you've already set some goals we would love to hear about them so don't hesitate to leave us a comment. One of our goals for 2011 is to include more business related posts on our blog but we'll get to the SMAC details after the ball drops ;)

*We at senioritis are not, nor do we pretend to be, experts on the subject(or any other subject for that matter). We do not play the role of 'goal experts' on tv but we have stayed at a Holiday Inn within the last 12 months ;)

Senioritis x Stoopher & Boots Photos

We just wanted to share some photos we snapped at the Senioritis x Stoopher & Boots event on 12.16. Thanks to everyone who was able to stop by!





You can check out all of the photos here. We hope you're all having an excellent holiday season; Happy Sunday ;)

One small step for senioritis.

We are very pleased to announce that our Stars Stripes Space design has been chosen as a finalist in the NASA x Etsy Space Craft contest!

We'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who voted for our design and everyone who helped spread the word about the contest. You can check out all the sweet finalists here.

We'll keep everyone posted as we receive more info; just wanted to let you guys know that we're one step closer to making a giant leap ;) Have a great weekend!

Senioritis x Stoopher & Boots

We're excited to announce that this Thursday we will be teaming up with Stoopher & Boots to celebrate the holiday season! If you're in NYC and dig our style, or just need to do some last minute shopping, swing by and say hello ;) More event info can be seen here.

For the Benefit of All Man(be)kind

A while back we had mentioned creating a design for a NASA x Etsy Space Craft contest. Well, fast forward several weeks and we're excited to announce that our design, Stars Stripes Space, has made it into the voting round! We're very pleased to have our design among those selected and sitting alongside such cool work.

Our patriotic cmyk design pays tribute to NASA's successes and over five decades of stars, stripes, and space. If you dig our style or have dressed as an astronaut more than once on Halloween, we would love your support; so be kind and vote for us ;)



You can vote for our design here; however, you must be an Etsy member to vote. Not an Etsy member? No worries, creating an account is quick and painless and can be done here.

Thanks a bunch, we appreciate your support in helping to send senioritis to space!

Thanks + Giving = Thanksgiving

During a month centered around giving thanks we would like to pause for a moment and recognize a special day of thanks, today, Veterans Day.

We would like to extend a warm thank you to all the men and women that have served and continue to serve our great nation. Although you probably don't hear it often enough we want you to know that your actions are greatly appreciated. Thank you!



As previously mentioned, November is a month that focuses on giving thanks so we just wanted to remind all of our readers of our Thanksgiving special in case you missed it in our November newsletter.

In the month of November we will be donating 1 tshirt for each order placed in our Etsy shop. Simply put: you buy, we say thanks, and then we give ;) The month is young and we already have 19 tshirts to donate so thanks to everyone who has stopped by our shop to check out what we do, you rock!

49 Days Until Christmas :: Gift Shipping Info

We're not counting the days or anything but someone told us the holidays are right around the corner ;) Over the past few weeks we have received several inquiries about items being ordered as gifts and shipped to a different address so we just wanted to post some quick info to make sure we're all on the same page.

Yes, we will gladly ship gifts provided that the recipient's address is confirmed prior to shipping. So what does that mean? Basically it will look something like this:

1. George W. finds a sweet print in our Etsy shop that he wants to get for his friend Ben F. George purchases the print and pays via paypal.
2. We receive the order. Geroge's shipping address is in Mt. Vernon; however, he would like the print shipped directly to Ben in Philly.
3. We send a message thanking George for his order and confirming Ben's address as:
Ben F.
1776 Liberty Bell Dr.
City of Brotherly Love, PA
4. George confirms that we have the correct address for Ben.
5. We ship the print to Ben.

We will not ship the print to Ben until George has confirmed his address.

We're also working on some holiday cards so that you can have a Famous Seniors style holiday greeting to go along with your gift! Any questions just let us know.

Sketchbook Project :: Part 5

Well, things have been pretty hectic recently and truth be told we haven't made much progess on our sketchbook the last few weeks. The plus side; however, is that we started super early and have until January to complete the project ;)

With that being said, this past week we started to lay out the plot for our story. We don't have many sketches yet but the story is coming along pretty well. For those who may have missed earlier updates, our theme is 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' and we are going to create a comic inspired design!

Looking forward, this week we plan to continue working on the plot of our comic and laying out a bit of the storyboard. We'll keep everyone posted.

We'll be giving a weekly update on the project here on our blog as well as posting progress photos on our Arthouse Co-op page.

If you're participating in the Sketchbook Project please let us know as we would love to follow your progress as well!

A Very Big Week

Yesterday we had our first big show in New York City. We want to send a big thank you to the folks who organized the Crafts in Chelsea event as well as everyone who stopped by our booth. We had a blast getting to know some of our etsy friends and followers. For those of you who couldn't make it, here's a brief recap:

We started off the day optimistic, but a bit apprehensive about the weather. Winds were predicted at speeds of up to 40mph yesterday. It was our first time using our new huge, totally fantastic tent, and we had no idea how it would hold up in the wind. We definitely came prepared, though, bringing tent anchors, hoodies, and those nifty gloves without fingers. Despite the wind predictions, the hardest part wasn't keeping the tent standing, but getting it up in the first place. Where are those IKEA photo directions when you need them?

Once we were up and running, the day flew by. Our postcard-size prints were a huge hit, and we couldn't have asked for better guests in our booth. From little kids, to schoolteachers, stockbrokers, and tourists - we met all kinds of people and had a terrific time discussing our Famous Seniors and their notable quotes with everyone. Our booth was located just across the street from PS 11 and its fabulous Fall Festival. Unfortunately, we weren't able to hit the bouncy castle, but we did partake in bake sale goodies and get to see one of the most colorful murals we've encountered anywhere in Manhattan. If you haven't checked out this 50-foot mural in Chelsea, we suggest heading over there while the weather is still nice. You'll also find terrifically inspiring and vivid painting covering the outside walls of the elementary school. What a great place for a craft fair!



Some more photos of the event can be seen on Flickr.

Crafts in Chelsea was no doubt an excellent way for us to kick off the next very big week for Senioritis. You may have read about our selection in the Embracing Our Differences Exhibit. If anyone is going to be in the Long Island, New York area during the next week, we highly recommend that you stop by the exhibit and check out the billboard-sized winning designs. We guarantee you'll leave inspired.

And now, we're off to enjoy the rest of the weekend. Happy Sunday!

Sketchbook Project :: Part 4

This marks the fourth week with our moleskin sketchbook! We started preparing for a craft show that's in a couple of weeks so we didn't have a ton of time for sketching this week but we were able to draw Jack's back.

Jack has been our mascot for some time now but surprisingly enough we never drew him from the back (I guess not too many people would be interested in a tshirt or sticker of his back). The plan was basically to reflect our regular drawing of Jack vertically and then fill in his face with hair ;) Here's what we came up with:



For those of you who had a chance to check out our October newsletter, we announced that we have decided to give our sketchbook a comicbook look!

This week we hope to start coming up with the plot of our comic and laying out a bit of the storyboard. We have to continue preparing for the show as well as finish an article design before its deadline so we'll see what we can accomplish ;)

We'll be giving a weekly update on the project here on our blog as well as posting progress photos on our Arthouse Co-op page.

If you're participating in the Sketchbook Project please let us know as we would love to follow your progress as well!

Happy Sunday ;)

And the answer is...

A little earlier we asked if anyone could guess how many prints we cut today without going over:



Well, the answer is:



We didn't get many high guesses so the winner is HeatherKingPhoto! Thanks for taking a guess Heather, your bookmark will be mailed out tomorrow ;)