Successor to the Toast.

Toast is coming to a close. No really, it is. I’m taking down the purchase buttons right this second, only a few moments post the schedule. The water shed for embroidered toast was not as high as embroidered bacon, but still went further than i had dared to hope. It amazes me that now the fate of all this toast is in my hands, it should be an interesting weekend after I get the blanks. Hey, I have to order blanks!

But when the current king falls, the successor must be chosen, or there is an in-between period that can range from uncomfortable to dire. I’m working on it, as usual, and the usual is that I’m trying to do three new things at once, and the synchronization of learning and performing these dancing bear routines at the same time results in photographs such as the one accompanying this post.

What is it? What indeed. Another lob at internet and shirt memes, with my own Tiny Run spin. There are only three or four more elements of this design that need to be attempted to have a final, working, and hopefully beautiful prototype. This one will probably be vaguely masochistic to reproduce depending on demand, but we’ll see what the internet holds. More soon.

Omni-Directional Love Machine.

Office Tiny Run has been blessed by some very kind words recently. Deep vibrato thank you to both Olga and Jason. if you’ve come from either fabulist or preshrunk, hello!

I also recently sent out two packs of shirts. Both customers had ordered a shirt from the store, and I sent them the one they ordered, but also every other shirt style I had in their particular size. That is, they both got two free shirts.

I have derived the highest level of joy from this. And by way of explanation to the recipients I simply wrote ‘bonus’ on the mailer. I don’t know what the deal is, I just up and did it.

There is so much love in the air, it’s like spring all over again.

Not Purple Enough.

I’ve been reading the marketing blogs again. Seth Godin has a idea, and book, called the Purple Cow. Basically, he’s talking about how the purple cow stands out. Get’s remembered. Etc.

I remember the first time i heard Morphine. I hope the dementia never sets in deeply enough to rob me of that memory.

Just beautiful. Dude playing two sax at once, and another dude with a bass guitar and only two strings, identically tuned. Did i mention his voice? The whole band: all deep, all bass all the time. The simplicity and complication of that is still mind blowing. And the way the music physically hits you in the chest isn’t too shabby either. But take two other dudes and have them wield the same instruments and maybe even a similar voice and would it still be as good?

If the tiny run designs up till now were as a whole viewed as tracks on the first tiny run album, how would it stand up? The embroidered bacon is certainly a hit single. Already a remix ep of buttons only a few months in? I just shake my head no and feel disappointed.

I think the problem partially lies in me being a producer as well as a performer. I’m not purpling it up as much as I should in either role. Splitting the atom doesn’t yield two equal halves, you just get a big ol mess.

Tiny run is one design at a time, new one every two weeks (or so). The simplicity and the complication is there. It’s right there.

But something is still missing.

It might just be a little further over there…somewhere in the edges.

TOAST – as you like it.

TOAST – as you like it
Michael Cianfrani
design run of 09/01/2008 through 09/21/2008

An embroidered toast shirt: options of crust/dough colors, sparkly cinnamon swirl and glow-in-the-dark pad of butter.

MY WORK HERE IS DONE

Good Good Things (good good toast).

Good things don’t just happen. Good things come to those who wait.

Screw that. Good things come to those who kick ass.

I’ve been a little distant recently. Apologies, to my few loyal visitors. You are few but you are strong, and I hope to do right by you. I hope to do toast by you.

I’ve spent some time now, locked in Tiny Run Labs, watching this one design progress ever. so. very. slowly toward fruition. But here is the next step in my embroidered breakfast item conquest. I give you this sneak peek at the next, ever-so-very-delayed design:

TOAST: as you like it!

This is just a basic test stitch-out, checking the lay of the land, or stitches, whatever. It’s a proto-proto-type. The final version will feature three varieties of toast done-ness colored shirts, an undetermined variety of crust color options, a pad of glow-in-the-dark butter, and an as of yet untested cinnamon swirl! Layers of layers of goodness. I just had to share; it’s too exciting.

TOAST is going to be the best thing ever. Promise. I’ll have it done soon, I just need a little more time. Hold on, good things are coming.

The Big Three.

The day i wore my 3 shirt to work someone commented that they thought it was a vintage Lucky Charms shirt.

While the vintage issue is result of the shirt style combined with the pseudo-distressed nature of the graphic, it wasn’t really my intent. I wanted to reproduce the 3 as I saw it. But fine. Vintage. Ok.

But Lucky Charms? Weird. I would think the Lucky Charms shirt would be some kind of 7. But then, there were balloon marshmallows weren’t there? Why not threes.

I love the proof of concept support he offered though. Multiple interpretations or directions from one shirt. It was a weird comment, sure, but also a nice pat on the back.

gone fishin’ (for submission).

Tiny Run was never meant to be the ‘Mostly Just Hilesh and Michael Show’. Even if that can be an exciting marathon trial of Create Create Create. And even though just recently, we had two artists step up and put it on the line, I’m still looking to expand the party. I’m itching to see what everyone might like to bring to the potluck.

So I have reposted the ‘submissions‘ page with the hope that people want to come out and play.

So, who’s feeling playful?