Yep, it’s that time of year when all sorts of new merchandise becomes available just when everyone would wish things could settle down a bit for the holidays. But we can handle it.
Today’s big news is that I’ve added these swell hardshell cases to my Retropolis site. They’re Speck® cases, which have a fabric back stretched over the body of the case, and it’s on that fabric that I’ve been able to print my designs.
The fabric back – in addition to looking pretty neat – gives the back of your iPad or iPhone a much more grippable surface, or in the case of the iPad, a little more traction on your lap. That’s a practical 
observation that has nothing to do with what you were just thinking.
I forgot to mention last week that I’ve also added a bunch of hanging ornaments (or pendants) to my selection of swag at Ars Celtica. They’re ceramic ornaments that measure nearly three inches across, with designs on both sides.
And of course in the middle of all that commercial product mongering I’m trying not to lose ground on The Lair of the Clockwork Book. I’m well along with the demolished version of Lew Stone’s lab, and once that’s all done I’ll be able to turn out the next four illustrations. This is always a crazy time of year for me; but if it was easy, they’d have got someone else to do it.
