Chicken Rhythm

Tickle that funny bone!

2012-02-02T16:56:00.000+01:00

The ladies over at Chicken Rhythm have a good sense of humor. Devising iron-on patches that make people smile while doing the job they're made for is what keeps them ticking. Their latest creation deserves a smile for sure: Bones by illustrator Sam De Buysscher. In the Chicken Rhythm webshop you'll find a Big Bone and a Little Bone, for 5€ or 6.50€.

And if you're really into Sam De Buysscher you might want to buy a "SamTex": a Ghettoblaster t-shirt with two Bones for the nice price of 25€. Take a look at the Chicken Mixes for more options.

Promo Packs

2012-01-25T16:09:00.003+01:00

Onze promo packs al eens goed bekeken eigenlijk? Dat levert je massa's korting voor veel leuke strijkapp's. En je hoeft niet eens te kiezen! Ideaal.
Je kunt kiezen uit: 4 insecten van Pieter Gaudesaboos, 4 Winterbloemen van Hen House Horse, 4 Retro Circles van diezelfde Hen House Horse, een First Aid Kit van Jan Werkt en de als zoete broodjes verkopende 5 Zomerbloemen van Hen House Horse (vreemde naam eigenlijk). En met de code HAPPY2012 wordt de hele handel nog goedkoper! Deze code geeft je tot bestelling 2012 recht op 10% korting. Heb je toevallig bestelnummer 2012, dan krijg je je hele order, tot 100 euries gratis, ex verzendkosten. Leuker kunnen we het niet maken!

Crocodile Boy Rocks!

2012-01-18T17:31:00.000+01:00

Chicken Rhythm has some pretty enthusiastic fans. This boy's mother is one of such fans. Not only did she lavishly compliment the Chicas for the outstanding quality of the t-shirts (thanks!), she also made matching crocodile pants to go with it. And these are the pictures she proudly sent us. How cool can you get?

Da Zippa, finally!

2012-01-09T18:07:00.000+01:00

As you may or may not know, it takes several months from sketch to final product. Even something apparently simple as an iron-on. Almost a year ago to date, illustrator Jan Werkt was at the Chicas' headquarters to discuss at the production samples. First the colors, then the sizes, then the proportions...something kept going wrong.

But today the Chicas pronounce Da Zippa available for sale, finally! With Jan Werkt's beaming approval. Zip off to the webshop to buy some at 5€ apiece.

Onverwachte foto

2011-12-26T20:03:00.000+01:00

Onlangs ontdekte Malvina een folder van Stad Antwerpen in samenwerking met VDAB. Op de folder staat een foto. Op de foto staan kinderen waaronder een meisje met een Chicken Rhythm t-shirt! Het is niet echt toeval dat ze een Control Panel shirt draagt (dat is een lang verhaal) maar toch. Wat zijn de kansen dat een dat Chicken Rhythm product op een brochure van Stad Antwerpen verschijnt?

It's Christmas Time!

2011-12-21T15:36:00.000+01:00

De lieve meisjes van FedEx zijn ook leuk! Vandaag kregen wij een fijn pakket uit Verweggistan, verstuurd met FedEx. Wij sturen wel vaker met FedEx en zijn vragen ons ook wel eens een enquête in te vullen. Een van de vragen van de laatste keer was: "Droeg de FedEx-medewerker de opgelegde bedrijfskleding?"
Wel, het antwoord van vandaag zou zijn: "Helemaal toepasselijk"! Zie die muts! Colour coördinated en al! Het leuke is, die muts is geen bedrijfskleding, maar een persoonlijke keuze.

En wat bracht het Kerstmeisje van FedEx??? Hieronder een sneak peak van een paar nieuwe strijkapp's, Binnenkort in uw favoriete webshop!

Niewsblad Magazine

2011-12-13T10:11:00.002+01:00

This winter Chicken Rhythm seems to be a media fave. The other half of Flemish Belgium that doesn't (or maybe does) read the Humo, reads Het Nieuwsblad. The Chicken Rhythm webshop got picked up as a must-visit in their magazine edition of last weekend. Our heartfelt thanks to Emilie!

Chicken Rhythm? In de Humo!

2011-12-13T10:05:00.003+01:00

Half of Belgium speaks Flemish. Half of these Flemish speakers read the Humo, which is a weekly magazine with articles for smart people and tv-listings for couch potatoes. Since Christmas is coming up it seems they were looking for nifty gifts. The peeps at Humo did the right thing and mentioned the Control Panel tee designed by Sam De Buysscher for Chicken Rhythm. The Chicas pretty much screeched with joy!

Opgelapt in Knippie Magazine

2011-12-13T09:55:00.000+01:00

De opstrijkapplicaties van Chicken Rhythm zijn opstrijkbaar. Dat was misschien al duidelijk. Het is onlangs zover gekomen dat onze knielappen ook in naaimagazine Knippie zijn gespot. Dat wil zeggen dat ook de naaiende moeders (en vaders?) ze gebruiken. Zoals Aliki altijd zegt: een strijkapplicatie kan je opnaaien, een naaiapplicatie daarentegen kan je niet opstrijken. Zo wijs.

The Mule

2011-11-21T22:28:00.001+01:00

Jan Truyens is the creative genius who brought forth fishies Gust, Pierre and Wanda some time ago as patches. For however much the Chicas Malvina and Aliki love their fish, their true passion is for the infinitely endearing Mule.

It was a long process from drawing to final screen print on t-shirt and many versions were discussed.

Finally, the Chicas opted for sober black printing on grey t-shirts.

Do you love this tee as much as the Chicas do? Hop on over to the Chicken Rhythm webshop and feel free to buy it for 19,99€.

Cool Croc Rock kid

2011-11-06T17:12:00.000+01:00

This little kid struts above average coolness wearing the Croc Rock tee by Philip Paquet for Chicken Rhythm. Thanks to his proud mother for the pictures!

First Aid Kit

2011-10-24T09:58:00.002+02:00

En, Jan Werkt werkt maar door. Herinner je je nog de twee Patch Aids die we een paar maanden geleden voorstelde? Wel, die hebben er twee kleine vrienden bij: Patch Aid Tiny & Patch Aid Tiny Flap. Een kleine strijkapp, van 4 x 4 cm, voor de kleine gaatjes of een kleine applicatie, gewoon omdat ze té leuk zijn.

Maar nog leuker: als je de hele familie samen verpakt krijg je een First Aid Kit. Vier strijkapps in 1 zakje. Da's pas een cadeau.

Te koop in de Chicken Rhythm webshop voor 15€. Individuele patches ook los verkrijgbaar. Rap naar de shop voor meer info & prijzen!

A glimpse of one Chica's family

2011-10-09T12:14:00.000+02:00

During a fair in Leuven called De Winkelstraat, where Chicas Aliki and Malvina were selling their patches and tees, several people looked at Malvina and said, "I recognize you, I read about you in an interview in the paper!" To be honest, Malvina was shy about the whole affair. But after many comments and reactions from people far and near, she decided it was ok. So here it is, for those who missed it.

Wolf

2011-10-03T18:33:00.000+02:00

There's a general rule that Aliki and Malvina have regarding pictures: after a photoshoot they force themselves to select 3 to 5 really good pics (and to sort of delete all the rest). But after the Objets Trouvés t-shirt shoot, it was really tough for them. In particular the little blond kid (Aliki's boy) was just too cute to delete. So that they ended up with three pictures of little Blond Boy w/ Wolf Tee.

Judge for yourself.

First-Aid Kit

2011-09-29T16:04:00.000+02:00

Soms doen we ook echt wel wat met vragen van klanten. Zeker als ze zo bruikbaar zijn dat we er iets leuks van kunnen maken. De First-Aid Kit! En zeg nu toch zelf, dit is toch echt iets voor vaders?

De Patch-Aid en de Patch-Aid Double zijn al verkrijgbaar maar op de twee kleine vierkantjes zul je moeten wachten tot mid oktober. Die zullen dan los verkrijgbaar zijn maar ook als onderdeel van deze superleuke First-Aid Kit.

Pretty nifty artist's studio

2011-09-23T20:36:00.000+02:00

This is artist Koen Broucke's atelier. It's exactly what you would imagine an artist's studio to look like.

This is the inside of the studio, with artist. And a jury of children taking their time to pick out the animals they love the most.

Chicken Rhythm in Tanzania

2011-09-20T14:50:00.000+02:00

Dit is Els. Els is de moeder van een klasgenootje van mijn zoon. En Els is tof.

Els trok deze zomer een maand lang naar Tanzania om aldaar in een weeshuis te gaan werken.

Een project waar ze al jaren mee rondliep en waar nu de tijd voor was.

Dat steunen wij natuurlijk en stuurde Els het vliegtuig in met 20 kg meer bagage.

T-shirts!

Hadden we maar meer plaats gehad in Els' koffer want als je deze foto's ziet, gun je iedereen die het nodig heeft een t-shirt.

Dank je wel voor deze mooie kans, Els.

Lees alles over de avonturen van Els op haar blog

Art & commerce: Chicken Rhythm and Objets Trouvés

2011-09-18T18:12:00.003+02:00

The Chicas have put their children to work again, using them as models for their new t-shirts with prints by Koen Broucke of Objets Trouvés. Artist Jan Werkt offered his adorable son and his little girlfriend as models, too. It was good to have a cute couple of 2-year-olds in the house again. It made Aliki and Malvina appreciate the fact that their children are past that age. P.S. You can spot Jan Werkt's son because he's wearing his father's Patch-Aid on his knee.

New in the webshop are the limited editions of Pinguin, Wolf and Butterfly at 24,99€ each.

New egg hatched: Objets Trouvés and Koen Broucke

2011-09-18T16:57:00.000+02:00

There's a new artist's egg hatching over at Chicken Rhythm. His name is Koen Broucke.

This artist is a centipede. Not really, of course. It's a Dutch expression, meaning that Koen does many different things and does them well. He has a penchant for drawing volcanos, playing the piano and writing stories. He creates make-believe characters that do odd but realistic things. Then he films them in enigmatic settings. His paintings and drawings are internationally acclaimed in the Art (with capital "A") circuit and can be seen at expositions, in museums and sometimes in theatres (just to confuse you). He has an awesome studio where you can see his mental machinations at work. Koen Broucke is also a polar bear. He likes swimming in ice-cold water. He rides his bike and buys old books where he finds much of his inspiration. That makes him a book worm, too.

Aliki and Malvina noticed straight off that Koen has a particular liking for animals. He told them the story of the t-shirt with a lion printed on it, that his mother gave him as a kid. He felt as proud and as bold as the Lion on his chest. He's now long grown out of that shirt but has been meaning to share that Lion feeling ever since. But how? Was he going to start painting kids' tees? And since he's an established artist, how was he going to make his animals accessible to the world at large? That's where Chicken Rhythm comes into the picture.

Koen figured that he needed a place where he could showcase all the things he came up with that didn't necessarily fit into his oeuvre. With his dedicated counterpart Natalie Braine he came up with Objets Trouvés. It literally means "found objects" and it's a place where they find, rediscover and rearrange stuff. Mainly, where they can go beyond the boundaries of the art circuit. Right now it's the place where he can paint animals and have Aliki and Malvina print them on t-shirts for children.

Happy stuff for a rainy day, so says Flavourzine (NL)

2011-09-01T21:47:00.000+02:00

Nice to see that the funky little Patch-a-Robot iron-on gets mentioned as a remedy for rainy days in Flavourzine (NL).

Belgian emergency kit

2011-07-15T11:37:00.001+02:00

In the summer kids' knees get scraped what with wearing shorts all the time. The Chicas can't do much for those knees but they sure can patch up a torn pair of pants. Magazine Knack (BE) rightly spotted the humor of the single and double Patch-Aid iron-on by Jan Werkt for Chicken Rhythm.

Children and their photographers

2011-07-11T09:32:00.001+02:00

Barbara Decré is an accomplished Belgian photographer with a bustling business. She knows all the local children's apparel business owners, that's for sure. She does shoots for many of them, and she's an ace at promoting both her business and ours. In the most remarkable ways!

Take, for example, the birthday parties she photographs. She asks around for free promo material from webshops such as Chicken Rhythm. The kids get stuff for free (yippee!) and they get to wear it on the pictures that Barbara takes of them. Talk about good publicity! The Chicas @ Chicken Rhythm say merci-dankjewel-thanks Barbara!

Babyology is on a roll

2011-07-08T12:28:00.001+02:00

The ladies at Chicken Rhythm stay in touch with the ladies over at Babyology in far away Australia. Aliki and Malvina imagine them in the sunny wilderness. But maybe their winters feel like the
Belgian summers, meaning breezy, cool and fickle. If so, then the Chicken Rhythm t-shirts are perfect for over there, too. Long sleeves, sturdy stretch and fit for surviving washing machine torments. Must see to believe, and the Australians are doing alright! Blogger Elizabeth puts the Chicken Rhythm stuff in her top 5 posts of the past year. Now that is pretty spiffy. Thanks heaps!
Read the full posts here, here and one more here.

Patch Aid Give Away!

2011-06-21T09:08:00.002+02:00

De verpleegsters van Chicken Rhythm zijn er zeker van dat de Patch Aid van Jan Werkt vele broeken liefdevol zullen verzorgen. Hé, we zijn zelf moeder, wij plakken heel wat pleisters! We zijn zo liefdevol dat we er een duopakket van maken, een Patch Aid en een Patch Aid double liggen hier te wachten op een gelukkige winnaar.

Wat moet je daarvoor doen?

Laat hier een reactie achter. Vertel ons ook welke afbeelding jij graag eens verwezenlijkt wil zien in de vorm van een knielap of strijkapplicatie. Wellicht staat er een geweldig idee tussen waar we mee aan de slag gaan. Het leukste en meest haalbare idee wordt de winnaar van onze weggeefactie en later zal iedereen de door jou 'ontwikkelde' strijkapp kunnen downloaden op een kledingstuk!

Bring it on!

Vendredi Matin on a Saturday

2011-06-18T11:19:00.001+02:00

Malvina and Aliki have a soft spot for illustrator Sam De Buysscher. He's a kind and mellow fellow who designs things like Scar and Ghettoblaster for Chicken Rhythm. He's one of the driving forces behind Sketch Thursdays in Antwerp. He's stand-up comedian Alex Agnew's design man... You get the drift, he does a gazillion things. It took the chicas a while to grasp that Vendredi Matin was also one of Sam's endeavours. What is Vendredi Matin? A trio of friends with an eye for small, forgetten objects. They lather their attention, care and inspiration on them and then give then give them back to us with poetic delicacy.

Here is Sam the man himself proudly presenting a cupboard full of poetry. The best of all though, were his hot blue pants.

A long way from sketch to patch

2011-06-15T00:05:00.000+02:00

Many months have passed since the Chicas' first meeting with Jan Werkt and the final version of the Patch-Aid he has designed for Chicken Rhythm. Why did it take so long? Here's a glimpse of the patch development process.

1. The illustrator has an idea (all his own, or inspired by the Chicas) and produces a first draft. This is what Jan came up with. You can tell this guy used to work for an ad agency.

2. Aliki choses the materials, colors and sizes for the first samples. Once these have been produced, the artist is invited to the Chicken Rhythm headquarters to take a look and give his feedback.

3. Maybe the colors are off. Or the size is wrong. Or the border is too thick. Or some details need correction. Like in the first versions of the Patch-Aid:

Here the border is far too thick and too dark and the fold is missing.

Here the fold is missing.

4. It might take two or three rounds of sampling before the iron-on is exacty right. When it's perfect, the Chicas will make sure you see them!

Check out the Patch-Aid in the Chicken Rhythm webshop!

Presenting a new nest egg: Jan Werkt

2011-06-13T22:01:00.000+02:00

Malvina from Chicken Rhythm discovered artist Jan Werkt last summer, when she stood speechless in front of his paper cut-outs. It has taken many months of silent preparation to get his first iron-on patches ready, but the Chicas are almost there. Here's a short sketch of his life and works and the fabulous egg he designed for his bio page on the Chicken Rhythm website:

Jan Werkt (translated as Jan Works) has been working as an illustrator and designer for a varied assortment clients, both large and small. When Jan gets down to work with scissors and paper, he's at his happiest. He creates his own world from colored paper and recycled materials. His three-dimensional collages reveal his passion for vintage toys, old-timers and modernist architecture. After assembling his installations with angelic patience, he'll often photograph them and sometimes even photoshop them. He mixes retro with neo and new using a fine sense of humour. You can't help but smile when looking at his creative concoctions.

Recent projects include work for Kapitein Winokio, the Belgian band "A Brand" and an animation movie for the shows of Belgian stand-up comedian Alex Agnew. What both Aliki and Malvina like about Jan Werkt? The way his eyes twinkle when he talks about his work. The genuine glee he feels and transmits about his craft. If you're curious for more, take a look at his wonderful website. http://www.janwerkt.be

Fancy pantsy Kunstsuperette

2011-06-12T22:50:00.000+02:00

Kunstsuperette is an artsy crafty market held in Gent. Aliki and Malvina lugged along all their children to go take a look at illustrator Geertjan Tillman's stand. The iron-on patches he's designed for Chicken Rhythm are a favorite among children and parents alike, and it's clear that Geertjan loves Chicken Rhythm just as much because his stand was all patches. A friend asked the Chicas today, "So you gals have people working for you now at markets?" They tried to explain that it's not like that, that it is the artist himself (and his lovely wife and children) promoting the patches so spontaneously!

Interesting detail: the artist's wife is also a DIY sewing mother, just like Aliki and Malvina. Her hand-made blue jeans shoulder bag received much admiration as the perfect showcase for 4 animal patches.

Babyccino Kids and Chicken Rhythm

2011-06-08T19:40:00.003+02:00

Babyccino Kids is a blog run by three mothers based in Amsterdam, Paris and London. Together with guest writers all over the globe they keep an eye out for all things child and parenting related. Due to the gigantic success of their blog, Babyccino has now expanded to become a portal of "the best boutiques online". Now, the Chicas Aliki and Malvina try to stay modest when they can. But in this case they feel really swell when they see their business showcased on the site as follows:

When the Dutch like the Belgians

2011-06-08T12:05:00.003+02:00

There's an amazingly popular site in Holland called Flavourites. There's no way you can miss it when you go shopping online. Every month the gals there also bring forth the widely consulted Flavourzine. This month, they've zoomed in on Belgium and the hippest things going on here. Is Chicken Rhythm mentioned? You bet! It's not hard to spot Fiona the Flamingo in hot pink. She's the well-loved iron-on patch designed by Geertjan Tillmans.

Creative parents in Austria read Klein Format

2011-06-07T19:18:00.027+02:00

Klein Format is a lovely Austrian blog for creative parents. The dynamic woman who runs the site also publishes her own independent creative magazine, also in a klein (= small) format. The gals at Chicken Rhythm keep an eye onher because she's really on top of things. Even if the Chicas' German is not as perfect as it should be, most pictures speak for themselves.

And when Chicken Rhythm items are mentioned, Aliki and Malvina puff up in pride:

A heartfelt thanks to Dolores!

Chicken Rhythm is a Boyslabel

2011-06-07T07:39:00.000+02:00

Recently a new website was launched in Holland, dedicated exclusively to boys and boys' items. It's called Boyslabel and it's pretty much the place to be if you speak Dutch and are looking to shop all things boy. The Chicas at Chicken Rhythm welcome this website, being the mothers of so many boys and knowing from experience how the fashion industry tends to forget to make swell stuff for them. To welcome this brave new endeavour the Chicas have a free Chicken Rhythm T-shirt action going on at the Boyslabel website and also on Facebook. Become a fan and say something nice on their facebook wall, and if you're lucky you'll win a Control Panel Tee. For free, just because the Chicas are nice. Take a look!

Aliki and Malvina by Beeldburo

2011-06-03T06:47:00.004+02:00

Aliki and Malvina, the Chicas at Chicken Rhythm, made the best of the Petit Bazaar fair last weekend. At a neighbouring stand there stod a smiling young photographer who took portraits for a very kindly fee. Aliki was not inclined to have her picture taken. Nonetheless Malvina dragged her over to the little photo studio. The Chicas are not easy to photograph (they get silly when they're embarassed). Yet Ans from Beeldburo did a pretty fine job.

Petit Bazaar Patch Bar by Chicken Rhythm

2011-06-01T12:15:00.002+02:00

The Chicas Aliki and Malvina have gone camping with their families and dear friends. Last weekend though, they left their tents and loved ones to open a 2-day Patch Bar during the Petit Bazaar fair in Gent (BE). This fair, like De Vitrine in Bruges, is an opportunity for consumers to make live acquaintance with online shopholders. It's also a pleasurable way for the shopholders themselve (in casu Malvina and Aliki) to catch up on juicy news from other business owners. By now, all of Flemish-speaking Belgium has heard about how great Petit Bazar is, so all we'll do
here is share two Chicken Rhythm anecdotes.

Petit Bazaar andecdote #1: A girl with a scraped and bleeding knee points to the Chicken Rhythm poster on the stand wall and asks her mother, "Maybe they have band-aids here for my knee?"

This is the poster:

And although the Chicas could do nothing for the girl's scraped knee, they did offer their Patch-Aid by Jan Werkt (not available quite yet, coming soon in the webshop). The girl, understandably, was confused. The mother, amused.

Petit Bazaar anecdote #2: The neighbouring stand was the perfect combination for the colourful Patch Bar. Unknowingly, Goed Van Doen supplied the Chicas with a bright and attractive backdrop. Thanks!

Mellow Yellow by My Child Magazine Australia

2011-05-25T11:08:00.000+02:00

My Child Magazine Australia picked up the mellow yellow Lou the Lion iron-on! Amongst the gazillion inspiring items on their My Style blog you will discern a discrete yellow lion iron-on. Aussies rock!

De Vitrine - Bruges

2011-05-24T09:36:00.001+02:00

De Vitrine in Bruges last Sunday was the place to be for anyone curious to meet the real people behind a bunch of Belgian webshops. The Chicas from Chicken Rhythm attended the first edition last fall and were so pleasantly surprised that they gladly showed up for the spring edition. What's a "vitrine"? A showcase. A showcase of what? Of a variety of local webshops with either handmade, original or just plain funky products. Stuff that the peeps in the Bruges area maybe haven't seen yet. Many a visitor at the Chicken Rhythm stand enquired, "Do you have a shop?" Implying, is Chicken Rhythm a real-life shop? And when Aliki and Malvina explained that they run a webshop, the customer nodded and tried to grasp the notion. Because honestly, many people are still quite unfamiliar with webshopping. Fairs such as De Vitrine bring the concept closer to the general Belgian public.

Webshops are run by real people, too! Customer service is one of the most important aspects of business to the Chicas. With this in mind, attending such fairs provides the customer with a person behind the e-mail address (or so they hope).

Of course, lest we forget, the fairs are fun for showing off the latest products, too. Next stop? Petit Bazaar in Gent on 28-29 may.

P-A-R ®

2011-05-20T11:41:00.001+02:00

Mme Zsazsa, our fave blog-queen is featuring in the same edition of Vitaya Magazine as we are this month (see below).
Zsazsa, with her far too large garden, far too nice cooking, far too blond cute children and way too much sew talent. Her eldest son shows a home made raglan shirt, but even she needs a Chicken Rhythm iron-on to pimp it. Ha! Check out Jef's Patch-A-Robot®.
We ♥ you, Zsazsa!

Vitaya ft. Retro Circle

2011-05-20T11:33:00.001+02:00

Vitaya (BE) praises the virtues of teeny tiny retro circle iron-on hole fixers. Made by Chicken Rhythm!

Cosmopolitan patches

2011-05-19T18:32:00.000+02:00

When looking for hot (because they're heat sticky) items like iron-on patches , Cosmopolitan magazine might not be the first place you check. And yet, even glamorous and cosmopolitan woman have children with ripped pants. For this, they turn to Chicken Rhythm patches.

Chicken Rhythm on the Map of Belgium

2011-05-16T16:52:00.001+02:00

Last month an e-mail reached the Chicken Rhythm headquarters through the creative grapevine of Belgium, and it went like this:

"Here’s the story: we’re three Belgians working in creative media, and we’re beyond frustrated about the image Belgium has abroad: dull, grey, boring, filled with paedophile scandals and to top of it all off: the world record holder for a country without government. Thus: incapable of getting its act together. No way! There’s so much good stuff going on in Belgium. We want to show the world that Belgium is burning. That it has loads of talent and that nothing is going to hold it back! Here's how we're going to do it. We are going to make a remake of the Amanda Palmer video ‘Map of Tasmania’. Watch it and you’ll get the picture: http://amandapalmer.net/afp/media/videos.

In the remake we want to present Belgian talent in all areas (fashion, accessories, design, food...) by asking Belgian designers to each design their own unique Map of Belgium underwear and dress their girl flashing the underwear. We already have the official permission of Amanda Palmer to use both the song and the video concept."

Malvina and Aliki (aka the chicas) are both foreigners in this button of a country but if you ask them if they like it, they'll say "hell yeah!" They know all about Belgian talent, because oh my, there's lots of it. Belgium may appear drab and gray and boring and lame. But it's not. Really, it's not. Watch the video here, enjoy it, and look out for a pair of underpants bearing one of the most popular Chicken Rhythm iron-ons ever: Billie the Chimp by Geertjan Tillman s.

Give-away

2011-05-10T12:38:00.003+02:00

De 6 nieuwe dieren van Geertjan Tillmans zijn gearriveerd! Wij zijn vereerd u voor te stellen:

Wil je een persoonlijke Meet & Greet met al deze 6 dieren? Laat hieronder een bericht na en vertel ons wie uw favoriet is. Niet dat, als je wint, je dan maar 1 dier mag ontmoeten hoor. Nee, een onschuldige random generator zal de winnaar van een pakket met 6 opstrijklabels bepalen. Je hebt tijd tot 18 mei 2011.

Dus, laat van je horen!

P.S. Stel dat je niet wint, neem een kijkje in de webshop waar ze te koop zijn voor 6.50 euro het stuk.

Zoo giveaway!

2011-05-09T10:53:00.000+02:00

The 6 new animal iron-ons by Geertjan Tillmans have arrived! Please meet:

Curious to meet them in person? Post a comment and let us know which one is your favorite. If you win, you'll win big time. Not 1 but 6 animals will be shipped your way if a random winner choser generator picks out your name. Until May 18th 2011. Keep us posted!

P.S. Even if you don't win, take a look at the webshop where they're for sale for 6.50 euro apiece.

Blog over Petit Bazaar en win 6 x 100 euro shoptegoed!

2011-05-05T06:50:00.000+02:00

Nogal een serieuze give away , seg!

Ook zin om een mega give away te winnen?

Binnenkort is het terug Petit Bazaar in Gent. Het meest gezellige webshopevent in Vlaanderen. Daarom reiken we 6x een pakket uit van 100 euro shoptegoed aan bloggers die ons willen meehelpen.

Wat moet je hiervoor doen?

Onderstaand logo plaatsen op je blog met link naar http://www.petitbazaar.be en deze give away nog eens extra in de verf zetten met een blogberichtje, op facebook en alle kanalen die je maar kunt bereiken. Graag op facebook je link naar je blog plaatsen.

Op donderdag 26 mei om 12:00 kiezen we onder alle bloggers zes winnaars en maken we de winnaars bekend! De prijzen worden overhandigd op Petit Bazaar zelf, op zaterdag 28 mei om 16u, ICC Gent.

Pump Baby is born! And it's cute

2011-05-01T22:02:00.004+02:00

There's a lot of work behind the scenes before a T-shirt is actually ready for sale. In this case, there's the meetings with the illustrator Marijn Dionys, the printing, the photoshoot - just to mention the most prominent items. Then there's a truckload of invisible work the Chicas do, such as the technicalities of the webshop, printing and attaching hangtags to the t-shirts, making product shots, writing texts for the newsletter (and the blog) and a gazillion other things that they often forget and catch up with afterwards. But all's well that ends well. When Aliki and Malvina looked at the final pictures they beam with pride. Not only because they like the Pump Baby t-shirt, but because they like their children too. They nod in approval and think, "Yup, our kids are pretty cool".

Ladies and gents, Aliki and Malvina proudly share the pictures of Pump Baby here with you. Now for sale in the Chicken Rhythm webshop for 19,99€. Take note of the small sizes and be sure to check the size chart here.

Excerpt from the Chicken Life #6: Pump Baby photo shoot

2011-05-01T21:07:00.000+02:00

Marijn Dionys supplied the illustration. The printer took care of the printing. The Chicas Malvina and Aliki turned to their girlfriends for the styling and the location (thanks gals!) and also provided the necessary children. Again, an after-school photo shoot endeavour. Being the efficient mothers they are, they made sure everyone was home in time for dinner.

Excerpt from the Chicken Life #4: Printing the Pump Baby

2011-04-24T09:22:00.000+02:00

When the Chicas Malvina and Aliki met artist Marijn Dionys for the first time they at once fell in love with a particular illustration in his portfolio:

Although the artist had left it untitled, Malvina exclaimed "Oh! A Pump Baby!" when she saw it and the name has stuck ever since. The Chicas at first weren't sure if it would turn into an iron-on or a T-shirt. After a very unsuccessful (better yet, very ugly) attempt on Malvina's behalf at an iron-on, Aliki made clear that Pump Baby would become a T-shirt.

That was decided. Next, how would they print it? And in how many colors? As spring was approaching and the days grew longer in Belgium, the Chicas felt that the printing should be fluorescent, in celebration of spring. They talked to the friendly guys over at their local printer All-Chim who helped them out with the choice of printing technique and ink colors. They showed them around the factory, explaining to them every step of the printing process.

Together they decided on the best color combinations and with some expert searching through their ink stock the pefect tones were found.

Pump Baby is screen printed in fluo ink onto 180gr/m2 T-shirts, long raglan sleeves as always, 95% cotton and 5% elasthan for the stretchy slim-fit look that's typical of Chicken Rhythm T-shirts. Since the Chicas are highly selective about quality, the All-Chim guys invited them to go and check the start-up when theprinting started. They ascertained that everything was up to par and they were ultimately very, very satisfied with the result.

When artist Marijn got a peek at the final tee he said, in his quiet enthusiasm, "Shall I start thinking up another story with these two guys?"

A few more days and the T-shirts will be ready for sale in the Chicken Rhythm webshop.In the
meantime the Chicas are getting their young ones ready for a new and exciting series of photographs (Aw mom? ... another photoshoot? ... again?) soon available for public admiration.

A short note regarding the washing instructions. When (and if) you buy a Pump Baby T-shirt, you'll notice that the printing plate has left a square mark on the front. Worry not, it's only temporary. After a first washing (inside out and at low temperature) the marks will disappear.

Modern finds: patches rediscovered by Babyology

2011-04-19T11:59:00.000+02:00

The ladies at Babyology do a fine job of scouting all that's cool and hip and just plain awesome in the world of children and parenting. Even though they are based in far away Australia, they managed to spot the little patch of Belgian soil where the Chicas run their Patches & Tees enterprise. Their praise of the Chicken Rhythm products makes the Chicas swell up in pride. They just love true compliments!

Read the full post here:

Tiny format - very good !

2011-04-14T18:04:00.000+02:00

Klein Format is a paper magazine and also a blog for the German speakers around the globe. It's so intensely inspiring that the Chicas Malvina and Aliki felt they had to advertise with them. Aliki's German is fine (lucky her), but poor Malvina is clueless as to what's written. She just enjoys the pictures.

For an apple and a pear

2011-04-14T17:58:00.000+02:00

Spotted in Vataya (BE) Magazine by a journalist who's also a mother and thankful for the oh so practical Chicken Rhythm iron-ons.

Work in the park

2011-04-14T14:47:00.000+02:00

When the weather is fair, the Chicas bring their kids to the park. In the meantime they can carry on with their work. And sometimes the little ones help.

The good, the bad and the FAST!

2011-04-08T22:03:00.000+02:00

The Chicas were quick to join the Surprise Antwerpen pop-up venture last Monday as soon as they found out about it. Marietje and Kathleen, the duo behind Noordt, had been mulling over the idea for a while but they knew the time had come when they found the perfect empty lot in the nicest shopping mall of Antwerp. They joined efforts with Anne from Lily Balou and Veronique from Pichouline. This Belgian webshop trio did an excellent job of bringing other online shops together to create a colorful live pop-up shop. It pleases the Chicas Malvina and Aliki to be a part of it.

For 22 days, from April 9th until April 30th, the webshops involved will be doing their utter best to catch their customers' attention. Keep an eye out for what the Chicas will be offering online and off!

Express-o in the morning

2011-04-06T22:54:00.003+02:00

Some people drink espresso in the morning. Others (like the Chicas) get their shot from a blog like Express-o that spreads the Chicken T-shirt love spread throughout the world.

For more on their giveaway this week go here.

Chicken Rhythm on Mum's Market

2011-04-06T00:32:00.000+02:00

All those online mums running webshops! They're bound to bump into each other one day. So it happened that Malvina bumped into Liza from Mum's Market and discovered a sensible way of selling discounted goods. Let us explain. There are a couple of Chicken Rhythm T-shirts that have been around a tad too long. And though the quality is still perfect, it's time to get them moving. What can the Chicas do? Dump them? No way. Sell them for an apple and an egg? OK, but after that? What with the leftovers?

Liza at Mum's Market offers an excellent solution. Her webshop sells children's clothes and toys from "old" or "discarded" collections. She receives them as donations and thus saves them from a slow death in dusty warehouse corners. Here comes the best part: Liza donates the entire (yes, entire) profit from these sales to six good causes for children. She explains to her customers which causes she supports and why. And when the customer checks out, she can choose which cause she wishes her sales to support.

The Chicas find this an admirable idea. Moreover, they're flattered to donate to a webshop that also works with great brands such as 4FunkyFlavours, Petit Louie, Sprout Kingdom, Puck Unlimited and Smafolk. More info on the T-shirts soon available through Mum's Market coming shortly.

The projects that Liza supports:

Warchild (NL)
Orange Babies (NL)
Cliniclowns (NL)
Jantje Beton (NL)
Choice for Children (NL)
Stichting Mariposa Peru (NL)

A batch of Chicken Children

2011-03-29T09:57:00.001+02:00

Aliki and Malvina (aka The Chicas) are noticing how their T-shirts and iron-ons are being worn by people they don't know. First it was the family, then the friends, then the friends of the friends and so on. It's nice for them. And what's really really nice for them is when people submit a picture of their child wearing a Chicken Rhythm product. Here are some pics:

Vi Foraeldre: for Parents in Denmark

2011-03-24T17:06:00.001+01:00

The Chicas are fluent in a number a number of languages. And although Danish is not one of the languages they master, they can read enough to figure out that Vi Foraeldre, a Danish parenting magazine, likes the Chicken Rhythm iron-ons. Some pictures just speak for themselves.

The featured iron-ons are by Geertjan Tillmans and Pieter Gaudesaboos. With thanks to Marie from Revolver.

Does Mommy Love It?

2011-03-21T15:45:00.001+01:00

Guess she does! Chicken Rhythm backbacks get a good review and the Mom behind the blog concurs with the Chicas that yes, the Tees are really good quality also. Read more on www.doesmommyloveit.com

Spring is in the air! Why should I?

2011-03-17T21:24:00.001+01:00

The chicas felt the urge to promote their Control Panel T-shirt by Sam De Buysscher. "Ok guys, time for some pics in the park again", they announced. They didn't even have to change the boy's tees because they were already wearing a Control Panel. So it happened Wednesday afternoon, that Aliki & Malvina and their boys went off to the park in the mild March sun.
There are three fair-haired brothers and one much loved brown-haired best friend. He's wearing the Control Panel he colored himself, especially for the picture session. (More about the coloring page later.) The little guys had much fun, as always.

Prettier picture

2011-03-14T20:52:00.002+01:00

While Aliki and Malvina had fun with the freaky eyes, their children created much more appealing pictures such as these:

Not a pretty picture (gone spotty)

2011-03-12T20:39:00.003+01:00

Aliki and Malvina really are like little children. Not only are they excited when stuff comes in but they do some pretty odd things with the goods they sell. Like here. Need we say more?

Retro Circle inspiration

2011-03-11T20:56:00.000+01:00

When Aliki and Malvina decided that there was an absolute need for small iron-ons to patch up the tiny holes in clothes that are too good to throw out, they knew at once that they were going to find thier inspiration in retro color combinations. Pictures of interior designs from the Seventies really hit the spot.

Just spotted

2011-03-10T19:58:00.001+01:00

Aliki and Malvina are like little kids, they love it when stuff comes in. This time, it's a delivery of petite circle patches. And oh! so cute, the old-fashioned striped Air Mail envelope used for the invoice.

February impressions

2011-02-25T16:31:00.002+01:00

The blog Bloesem is seriously inspiring, as is the related Bloesem Kids. It's pleasant to read the Chicken Rhythm sponsor's spotlight there, gives them a proud, warm feeling during the chilly february days.

And though it's still barren and gray, spring is on it's way. Libelle Mama (BE) spotted the budding flowers on the Flower Dwarf T-shirt by Pieter Gaudesaboos.

Give it away!

2011-02-22T09:29:00.001+01:00

We ordered 150 pairs of large empty knee patches in denim blue (JM-238). By mistake the factory sent denim gray (JM-239). Great color actually, and usable too! But the difference between denim blue and denim gray is just too small. Aliki photoshopped her ass off to show the difference and it's just not working. In fairness, you can hardly see the subtle distinction on your screen.

So the Chicas thought, "Ah, you know what? Let's just have the people come and get them for free so they can see this great color in real life. We got them for free too, so why not give them away?"

There are two things to do to receive this great giveaway:

Post a comment on this blog to say how great the Chicas are, how much you ♥ what they do or how funky their products are.
Send an e-mail with your name, address and other relevant stuff for shipping off these denim gray (or shall we just say Dray?) iron-ons.

And yes, we'll be checking to see if you have ♥'d on the blog! Not just e-mails, people! Come and get it!

Check out the facebook-patch album to see how they look on your kid's pair of jeans.

Pierre Le Fisch and Co.

2011-02-15T21:50:00.002+01:00

Three little fish have joined the utterly irresistible range of Chicken Rhythm iron-ons. Born of illustrator Jan Truyens' intriguing imagination, these fishies have names:

Pierre Le Fisch

Gust

Wanda

Originally, there were only Pierre Le Fisch and his trusted friend Gunther Frosch:

But Gunther ended up skipping town. His colors weren't quite right right and honestly, the Chicken Rhythm ladies were wondering if he would be an adequate iron-on anyway. He just didn't have the surface necessary to cover up a hole. The Chicas talked Pierre into inviting some other friends. Hence appeared Gust and Wanda. The three fish get along mighty swell, even though they differ in color. Wanda, as a female, tends to have a different point of view. Luckily they have a main trait in common: a well-groomed moustache.

Enough imaginary storytelling. These iron-ons, for real, are on sale in the Chicken Rhythm webshop for 5€ each.

Gunther Frosch

2011-02-14T10:53:00.000+01:00

This is the little guy that didn't make it. Gunther Frosch, aka Pierre Le Fisch's good friend. Designed by Jan Truyens.

Excerpt from the Chicken Life #3: nothing fishy

2011-02-13T19:59:00.002+01:00

Another glimpse of the daily workings of Chicken Rhythm. Today a word about the sample production procedure.

Say there's a new design in the pipeline, by a new artist. Aliki and Malvina have already talked with him/her and everybody is on the same wavelength. Prices have been discussed and agreed upon. After this, the artist gets down to work, usually in a frenzy of enthusiastic creativity. Either he/she draws on commission or adapts an existing design for Chicken Rhythm. The design pops into the chicas' mailbox within a week after signing the licence agreement. This is where the Chicken work begins: choosing size of the iron-on, the fabric type, the fabric colors, the thread colors, the embroidery type, the border style.

It's amazing how, despite the amount of available thread colors, it's often hard to find just the right shade that corresponds to the original digital design. Sometimes a choice is made swiftly and a production sample can be ordered. But other times the opinions of the two Chicas are so divergent that they each choose their own version and have to have two samples produced. After a month or so the samples get delivered to the headquarter's doorstep. Every single sample delivery begets the same amount of anticipation and excitement. While Malvina opens the envelope Aliki hurries to find the original color file. Then the ultra-technological and highly sophisticated color verification procedure occurs as follows:

Aliki holds the sample up to her screen and together with Malvina she ascertains that it looks good. In this case, it looks perfect! No revision necessary for this fish by Jan Truyens. More about this coming up soon.

New egg hatching: Jan Truyens a.k.a. Sjarcuterie

2011-02-06T23:33:00.002+01:00

From time to time a new illustrator joins the Chicken Rhythm merriment. It's been a couple of months since the Chicas Aliki and Malvina boasted a new acquisition. Now they're back to show off their new begotten egg by Jan Truyens a.k.a. Sjarcuterie.

How did they find this guy? He's the friend of an aunt of a niece who’s brother they know, met him in the park one day. This was at the beginning of the Chicken Rhythm adventure in 2009. The brother of the niece of the aunt said, "Hey, did you know that Jan's an illustrator?" And so it happened that the Chicas discovered Jan Truyens' portfolio as showcased on his site Sjarcuterie. Thus Malvina, Aliki and Jan got together to talk art and shop and collaboration ensued.

Who is Jan Truyens? We'll use the man's own words: "He's an illustrator and comic artist. He's an artist, clearly. He works in a restaurant, understandably. Sometimes he draws on commission. He does this for money. In between he draws for himself. That's when he lets his imagination guide him, without restraints. Jan's style is diverse and depends on his mood. The sources of his inspiration vary similarly and go from Dave McKean, Chris Ware, Jean Pierre Jeunet over Terry Gilliam, Gustav Klimt and Spongebob to Frank Zappa. Key elements in his work are humor, playfulness and peculiar details. They apparently contradict the gloom and horror that are equally characteristic. Jan's true calling is to show the world the underestimated aesthetic dimension of meat. "Meat is beautiful."

What do Aliki and Malvina like about his art? Firstly, the sheer heterogeneity of his style. He trots from the absolutely adorable to the wholly horrific, lacing every image with the most subtle of Flemish humour. Secondly, there's no risk of Jan's figures slipping into crass cuteness. The dignified poise he gives his characters and the superb style that denotes him make the Chicas artistic hearts skip a beat.

P.S. If you were wondering what "sjarcuterie" means, the artist elucidates the complete definition of the word here.

Impressed

2011-01-24T17:04:00.002+01:00

The ladies at Chicken Rhythm are doing alright. Quite a few publications are imPRESSed (what a pun!) with what they've been up to lately. And a couple of blogs, too.

Babyology (Australia)

Fine Little Day (Sweden)

I'm With Leia (Denmark)

Linda (Netherlands)

Anorak Magazine (UK)

Knack Radar (Belgium)

Bambino Goodies (UK)

"Who says I can't wear flowers in the winter?"

2011-01-12T07:22:00.003+01:00

The snow has melted for now in Belgium. That means no more sledding fun for Malvina and Aliki at Chicken Rhythm. The cheer of the holidays is ebbing, too, now the new year has started. The days grow longer by a fraction but it's yet a long way to spring. When light and sun are abundant, it's easy for the chicas to feel fabulously floral. Keeping up their spirits in the January chill is another story.

"Who says I can't wear flowers in the winter?", Aliki muttered one day.

Resourceful as she is, she decided that she's entitled to wearing flowers regardless of the season. The results of her decision? A new batch of iron-on flowers, in colors designed to match her winter wardrobe.

These flowers are iron-ons and cost 5€ per piece, or 15€ for 4. Available in a Chicken Rhythm webshop near you.

When there was snow

2011-01-08T19:43:00.001+01:00

New season wishes

2010-12-30T13:20:00.000+01:00

Aliki and Malvina at Chicken Rhythm work with a kind and funny young woman at the iron-on patch company. Her name is Ellie. She shares the Chicken Rhythm sense of humor and eye for details, which makes business correspondence so much more fun.

On the first day of winter (December 21st) Ellie told the chicas that DON-CHI had started according the the Chinese Lunar calendar. DON means 'winter', CHI means 'arrive': winter had arrived! She celebrates the start of the new season by eating TANG-YUAN. TANG means 'soup' and YUAN means 'round': white, round dumplings in the soup. This is the picture she sent:

Aliki and Malvina were charmed on the spot by this e-mail. It goes to show how women everywhere like chitchatting about the small details in life, even when talking shop.

Jan Werkt: it works for the Chicas

2010-12-24T09:56:00.000+01:00

Malvina was in the renowned book and comic store Mekanik in Antwerp one day last fall. She wandered through the exhibit on the second floor and was struck wordless by this:

These papercut collages were made by a man who calls himself Jan Werkt, which translates as Jan Works. Malvina studied and admired the quality of the details for a very long time. The bookshop owner told her more about him. How he worked on these collages while on vacation in France, skimming the French supermarkets for the right color paper. How he produced the cutouts at the poolside while his family enjoyed a swim. Malvina surfed to his website, found him on Facebook and told Aliki that they needed to keep an eye on this guy.

Then November's Sketch Thursday in Antwerp came around. And Jan Werkt was in the lineup. By the time Malvina ambled in late in the evening, Aliki had already discerned Jan, bought his drawing on the spot and discovered what an amiable character he is. What both Aliki and Malvina like about Jan Werkt? The way his eyes twinkle when he talks about his work. The genuine glee he feels and transmits about his craft. After that night, the Chicas were sure they would be teaming up with him for a new Chicken Rhythm creation. And sure enough, he was at the Chicken table shortly thereafter to talk business. But more about that later, for talking shop does not befit the Christmas spirit.

The drawing Aliki bought from Jan Werkt suits the season. It has been christened as "De Voze Kerststal", freely translated as the Cheesy Nativity.

Were you wondering what the bowl is in the top right-hand corner?

The afterbirth.

Do-It-Yourself Colors

2010-12-20T10:25:00.000+01:00

Malvina and Aliki @ ChickRit (that's what they call their company) each have their own specialties and skills. Malvina, for example, is great at naming colors. For Aliki everything that looks somewhat green, is green. Malvina doesn't know any green. She knows grass green alright, or Keen Green, or Perrier green, or moss green. But no plain green.

Then the petrol empty patches xs arrived in the Chicken Rhythm webshop yesterday. Aliki was wondering, "Are they green or are they blue?" Malvina assured her that they were neither one. "They're Petrol", she said. Aliki typed in the words "color petrol" in Google and this is what she got:

She had to admit that Malvina was right (again).

Do It Yourself
Aliki did it herself. She made this handsome pair of brown trousers, with lining and all, for her youngest son. When you have such lovely petrol knee patches in the house, you feel compelled to show the world what the result can be. You like?

Bruges the quaint, old Flanders town? Not after this showcase

2010-12-14T06:14:00.006+01:00

"Vitrine" is Flemish word for showcase. Organized by Lies, a woman who runs a family, a household and a webshop , De Vitrine is a fair that may rightly be called a showcase. When people think of Bruges, images of medieval buildings and canals spontaneously come to mind. Even Belgians tend to think of Bruges as a quaint and provincial town of the Flemish Far West. Malvina an Aliki of Chicken Rhythm have revised their opinion, thanks to De Vitrine. Lies has done an impressive job of bringing together a solid bunch of captivating shops and designers from Bruges and elsewhere. To the Chicas' great satisfaction, many locals enjoyed the novelty of the fair as much as they did.

De Vitrine Memoir #1:
The Chicas socialize with their neighbours, as befits polite women. One of the nearby stands was Floyzzz, printed clothing bearing a quirky red-haired figure. After taking a second look at Floyzzz' red-haired father, the Chicas noticed a striking resemblance to the red-haired Chicken Rhythm Colonel. The Colonel is Aliki's son on the poster. Aliki never met this man, yet it kind of made Malvina wonder... Take a look for yourself.

De Vitrine Memoir #2:

At one point Malvina spotted two girls wearing hoodies with striking printed designs. Curious as they are, they asked the mother where they had bought them. "Printed them ourselves! Designs made by artists!", she answered proudly. Now Malvina was very, very curious. It sounded similar to what Chicken Rhythm does. She learned that Pastem, a family-run, local printing company works with artists (friends of theirs) to apply designs to T-shirts, hoodies e.a. So that makes them colleagues, in a way. Or maybe competitors, who knows? While Malvina and the Pastem woman carried on, the littlest girl rearranged the Chicken Rhythm patch bar. It had never been that tidy.

De Vitrine Memoir #3:

A boy walked by the stand, pointed to the Bull backpack and exclaimed, "Hey, that looks like a picture from Sunjata!" Malvina (in awe) said, "Right on. This backpack is designed by Sabien Clement, who also illustrated the book Sunjata." His mother, needless to say, was struck dumb by her son's hidden eye for art.

The artist, his wife, the patch and the chickens

2010-12-09T13:56:00.001+01:00

The artist who drew Patch-a-Robot for us, Marijn Dionys, has a lovely wife whom we've met a couple of times. She not only loves sewing and knitting, she also loves her husband and his designs. It becomes a good wife to speak well of her dear spouse's achievements, and she did so on her blog Naai-s. And we get the best advertisement on earth thanks to their children wearing our Patch-a-Robot. Thanks for that!

Patch-a-Robot® goes to the people

2010-12-01T13:05:00.004+01:00

If the people don't go to the patch, then the patch goes to the people. A couple of weeks ago Malvina and Aliki of Chicken Rhythm showed a sneaky little peak of their new iron-on patch. They finally showcased the Patch-a-Robot in it's entirety at the Petit Bazar (BE) fair they attended Sunday before last. Oddly enough, nobody paid the poor little robot much attention, and this made Patch-a-Robot sad. The Chicas love their little robot, how could this be? So they concluded that the concept of the iron-on wasn't clear. So here it goes: the Patch-a-Robot® is made of six separate pieces. Embroidered on red felt and with glue backing. You can iron them on whichever way you fancy. Here's Robot striking some poses:

Maybe you're thinking it's hard to use this iron-on to patch up a hole. Perhaps it is, but it makes for mighty fun deco on a boring T-shirt.

Patch-a-Robot ® designed by Marijn Dionys available in the Chicken Rhythm webshop for 12.50€

(6 pieces in a bag)

Mean Lean T-shirt Selling Machine

2010-11-30T09:16:00.015+01:00

Lest one forgets, behind the mean lean T-shirt selling machine at Chicken Rhythm, there are still two women and their trusted sewing machines.

Last minute logo-sewing

What have Malvina and Aliki been up to lately? What's this big red crest for? Sunday before last, the Chicken Rhythm ladies went to Petit Bazar, a fine little fair in Gent (BE). It brought together 57 Belgian (actually, Flemish) webshops specialized in children's items. It was fruitful because A & M got to meet other webshop owners, colleagues as it were, in this tiny Flemland. Moreover, customers met the real faces behind the online shops. In the case of Chicken Rhythm, that's an opportunity you don't want to miss. Meeting Malvina and Aliki live is, trust me, hard to forget.

Petit Bazar Memoir #1: A little girl spotted the iron-on patches from afar, walked staight up to the table and with two little hands tried four flowers for look and size. She clearly knew what she was doing.

Petit Bazar Memoir #2: Because Aliki's children are boys, and two of Malvina's children are boys too, these two mothers are always on the lookout for boy's items. The family-run Ally Shop knows what most boys like and thus sticks to the three simple basics of boys' toys: Meccano, racetracks, and Kapla blocks.

Petit Bazar Memoir #3: Another woman with sons produces boys' trousers and button-down shirts from vintage fabric, scouted in men's suits factories. De Melkbrigade's focus is clear, the clothes are seriously funky and fab quality. And clearly designed for boys only.

Petit Bazar thank you: The fair is well-organized, warm, welcoming and just plain good. The three women who have accomplished this should be mighty proud. Thanks to the gals behind Koekepeertje, Pepatino and Whoost!

Laying an Egg

2010-11-12T05:58:00.010+01:00

Malvina and Aliki, at the Chicken Rhythm headquarters, are getting ready for the many fairs and markets that take place in the weeks before Christmas. Petit Bazaar (Gent) is the next stop. To arouse curiosity the chicas have planned to introduce a novel item exclusively during that fair. They will leak no information whatsoever beforehand about what it looks like. All they can say is that it's designed by Marijn Dionys (BE).

When a new artist draws for Chicken Rhythm there are a number of practical things to take care of. One of them is laying the egg. Before you ask, let us explain. On the website each artist has a bio page. On that page is a header. In that header is an egg. In that egg there's an illustration. Personally fabricated by the artist especially for the Chicken Rhythm website.

Aliki, who is always (and we mean always) on time, had asked Marijn to lay an egg quite a while ago. After a couple of weeks she delicately reminded Malvina to remind Marijn. (Why Aliki didn't remind him herself not clear, but it's ok by Malvina because she likes Marijn). Malvina had to egg Marijn on, he was slow in answering and admittedly, the ladies were a tad worried. Then yesterday, Marijn finally laid his egg and this is what it looks like:

One of the most inspiring aspects of Aliki and Malvina's work is exactly this. Opening their mailbox in the morning and seeing an illustration like the Chicken Robot pop up on their screens. To quote Marijn, "Glad you received the mechanical chicken. I figured, if I make the ladies wait so long I better come back with something good" Good is an understatement! The Chicken Robot made their day.

So who is this Marijn Dionys? He studied furniture and interior design and has actually even worked as a carpenter and cabinetmaker. He expanded his competences to the domain of comic book drawing and illustration. When not working full-time as a carpenter (to be able to build his own house, for example), he has time for his freelance projects for illustrations, cartoons, comics and photographs. Marijn's imagination flows so rich that there's no need for him to make the same thing twice. Music and music media are a strong current in his images, like in The Invention of Scratchin'. Through photographs Marijn unveils his kinky side, like in Bananaphone and Deejay. In illustrations such as The Artist in his Basement, or The Uterus, if you look very carefully you'll find references to the furniture he designs.

Marijn illustrates for publications such as Gonzo Circus, Rekto:Verso, Plots, Parcifal and Focus Knack.

What appeals to Malvina and Aliki? The way he says so much with apparantly so little. The more you look, the more you see. When you think you're ready to move on to the next image, you're compelled to look again and that's you discover more. Marijn says a lot, but very quietly.

Though shy to admit it, robots are Marijn's secret passion. He'll whip out a robot when you least expect it. Like this Chicken.

Working the Belgian Scene: Sketch Thursdays

2010-11-06T14:19:00.000+01:00

Malvina hangs out at the gym in her free time ("free" meaning time taken away from other activities such as cooking, cleaning or shopping). That's where she met cartoonist Sacha Eckes. One day they chatted. First about the gym, then about kids, men, divorce and whatnot. Then they found out, amazingly, that they both went to the same elementary school in California. What an odd coincidence. Moreover, they discovered that they had a more local acquaintance in common: Sam De Buysscher from Toy Factory. Sam has been working with Chicken Rhythm for over a year, designing iron-ons and t-shirts. What a small world!

Sam and Sacha started Sketch Thursday in Antwerp last month. This is an informal gathering set in a café where artists draw live and the public admires, drinks, talks and acquires the drawings at prices that are democratic, to say the least.

Sam (left) and Sacha (far right) at last month's Sketch Thursday

Aliki and Malvina attended, as to be expected. They were pleasantly surprised to discover that Philip Paquet (who has also drawn for Chicken Rhythm) was also in the artist line-up. It was nice to see him again!

Aliki was enchanted with his drawings and ended up buying this Catwoman from Philip. We don't know yet, but she might end up on one of our items at some point.

Malvina preferred investing in Sam's work and bought this bear, for the stunning price of 2 €.

On a side note, Malvina noticed an interesting detail that night. Ever since she met Sam she had noticed a recurring detail: many of his figures wear striped sneakers. On Sketch Thursday she happened to peak under the table and, lo and behold! what was Sam wearing? Yes ma'am, striped sneakers.

Excerpt from the Chicken Life #2: taking pictures

2010-11-03T07:51:00.015+01:00

Sometimes daily life is so busy that we lose sight of the bigger picture. So it came that we realized that we needed a lot more pictures of our T-shirts. Aliki says to Malvina last week: "Girl, get your stuff ready. We're coming to your house after school tomorrow for some pictures". Malvina, compliant as always (yeah right), rearranges the furniture in her living room to make room for an empty wall. And the children are happy to hang out in front of the camera again.

The following pictures illustrate the challenges we face:

1. Older children: how to get rid of the attitude?

2. Younger children: how to keep them in the picture?

3. Groups: how to get them all on there?!

We had fun, as always.

Were you maybe wondering how many children we have? Many. Aliki has three, Malvina has three, and our friends have lots of offsping as well. We're thankful (really, we are) that our friends' kids are so willing to work with us. I guess they like us.

Product info: T-shirts with designs by Sam de Buysscher and Philip Paquet available in our webshop for 19.99€

Fresh fall fruit

2010-10-21T06:07:00.003+02:00

The real fruit patches arrived fresh on our doorstep this morning. The package was a wee little bit wet, due to the rain we've been having the past few days. (Rain in Belgium? Really?) We had sneaked a peek 2 weeks ago and unbelievably, the real fruit looks even better.

Designed by Geertjan Tillmans whom we admire for the immediate appeal of the simple shapes and colors he applies. We've named these iron-ons Apple, Orange and Pear. In case you have a hard time figuring out which is which, feel free to order all three of them. We'll deliver them to your doorstep in a convenient little basket.

Iron-ons are now for sale on our website www.chickenrhythm.com for 5€ apiece, or 12.50€ for all three in a basket.

Vitamins in Autumn

2010-10-07T08:30:00.006+02:00

The gals at Chicken Rhythm look at the bright side of life. No wait, Aliki reminds Malvina to look at the bright side of things. When autumn comes around, days grow shorter and the weather turns drizzly in Belgium. There's no rainy season in this country, it's drizzle all year round. Malvina has Italian blood flowing through her veins and quietly suffers from lack of sun. Aliki on the other hand, comes from Holland, metereologically similar to Belgium. She whips Malvina into shape and says, "Girl stop pouting! If you're tired, go to bed. If you're down, take some vitamins. Don't complain."

Vitamins? Now that's an idea. We're sure there are many others out there who are also getting the rainy blues, slowly but surely. Remember what we learned as children, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"? Fruit is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals and actually, we all should eat at least 5 pieces a day. Since we care about our and your health and we know that everybody leads a busy life, we've found an easy solution: patch yourself up with some fruit patches!

Last spring Geertjan Tillmans designed three animals for Chicken Rhythm. These designs are light, bright and very successful. Now we present a sneak preview of the fruit he drew to keep our spirits high this autumn. The names we've chosen for these patches are very original: Apple, Orange and Pear. Surprising, huh?

These iron-ons will be available starting October 20th. Stay tuned for more! Regards to all!

Excerpt from the real Chicken life

2010-09-20T19:52:00.008+02:00

A glimpse behind the scenes of how we work. Every morning Aliki brings her children to school. If there are a lot of orders to be shipped, they have to sit in cramped quarters. After dropping the beloved kids off at school, Aliki bikes over to the local Post office to send all the packages out. Do we do everything by bicycle? Yes ma'am, just about. We're considering a Chicken Rhythm logo for the bikes. A couple of rooster crests will be whizzing through Antwerp City soon.

New T-shirts hit the spot!

2010-09-08T20:11:00.008+02:00

We say “Chicken Rhythm”, and you probably think “iron-on labels”. This time we'd like to introduce our new T-shirts. Iron-ons and T-shirts? I hear you thinking, “That's an odd combination.” We've always had a few t-shirts, 4 designs in limited editions in three sizes and two colors. Some time ago we decided to broaden our assortment, but where to start and where to finish? We made a checklist of crucial characteristics:

Size range expanded!

We were desperate for larger sizes. Our oldest children were complaining that they had no Chicken Rhythm T-shirt to show off at school. Sizes up to age 6 were just not big enough for a strapping boy of 10 or a pre-teen girl of 12. We decided on sizes up to age 12/14 (164-170 cm), because after that, kids tend to be too picky with clothing to have their parents tell them what to like.

Croc revisited

The Croc by Philip Paquet (Belgium), we knew, was a stayer. A great many people (parents mainly, but they're people, too) said to us “If only you had larger sizes! This Croc rocks!”. So we met up with Philip who changed a couple of details for us, like the star on Croc's T-shirt, the guitar chords and the shoelaces, for better printing quality. Thus, the Croc was ready for his second edition.

Here's the Old and the New Croc:

Old and New Croc

What about new drawings?
One day we were in comic store Mekanik (Antwerp, Belgium) and the owner talked to us about a young guy who had recently started printed t-shirts of his own and if maybe we'd be interested in checking him out? So it happened that Sam De Buysscher (Toy Factory, Belgium) and Chicken Rhythm fell in love (it is love, right Sam?). He was delighted to find a company who wanted to produce t-shirts with his designs, without him having to worry about tech specs, sampling, financing, production, shipment and delivery. And we were delighted with theControl Panel and the Ghettoblaster that he designed for Chicken Rhythm.

Control Panel & Ghettoblaster

5 flashy new colors!

We like colors, there's no doubt about that. Thus, we also like colorful T-shirts for children. We decided to expand the color palette but we were uncertain about future trends and color forecasts. We discussed the pros and cons of fashion forecasts for a full five minutes. It was clear that we had to go the Chicken Rhythm way and choose the colors that we enjoy. We happily present to you five new colors! After Mando Blue and Bing Brown, T-shirts are now available in Abel Violet, Susie Gray, Merlin Yellow, Keen Green, Michael Blue. Were you wondering where we get the names from? As you might have guessed, from our children's names and our friends' children's names.

Abel Violet - Merlin Yellow - Michael Blue - Keen Green - Susie Gray

Style

We are satisfied with the solid quality, cotton/elasthan, long-sleeved, raglan T-shirt that is typically Chicken Rhythm. We like the retro look and feel of the style and we think that both boys and girls look hip with a slim-fit t-shirt. Designs, colors and style suit both sexes, and that's how we like it.

Would you like to have a T-shirt of your own? Visit our shop: www.chickenrhythm.com

Patching our way back to school

2010-09-03T11:47:00.016+02:00

It's september, school's starting again, up here in Northern Europe the air is getting nippy and our children wear long pants again. As to be expected, they've outgrown some after the summer but luckily, other pants still fit. A quick patch here and there to mend the holes and off the kids go. The idea of mending clothes by applying iron-ons has been picked up by a couple of magazines. Perfect timing!

Groter Groeien (NL) & Billie the Chimp by Geertjan Tillman

Sewing World (GB)

Back in town and back to work

2010-08-24T07:48:00.006+02:00

The summer holiday is just about over, we've had our share of vacation and the chickens are back at work. Aliki and I have only one thing on our minds: t-shirts! It seems like we've been waiting for these t-shirts for ages. Excited about them ever since the photoshoot last January, we managed to keep our lips sealed until now. Finally, we expect them delivered at our doorstep this Friday.

Linda Magazine (NL) has wisely decided to publicize the new t-shirts just in time.

In this picture, our boys wear the New Croc designed by Philip Paquet, a Belgian illustrator, comic artist, painter and musician. The t-shirts are available in 7 colors and in sizes 98 tot 170 (ca. ages 2 to 14). Mando Blue, Merlin Yellow and Keen Green are the colors seen here. If you feel the need for a Croc of your own, order in our shop: Chicken Rhythm.

Good tips travel far

2010-07-22T08:28:00.005+02:00

In January this year we had a stand at Kleine Fabriek, a children's fashion trade show in Amsterdam, Netherlands. We had carefully prepared our press kit and decided to put it everything in a backpack as a catchy giveaway. We hoped, thus, to attract some attention. A couple of days after the show, we were contacted by Dolores Wally from Germany. She used our backpack as a giveaway for the readers of her Klein Format Magazin. Apparently, quite a few people keep their eye on Dolores' lovely blog. Before we knew it, somebody from NIDO Magazine, also German, requested a backpack to use in one of their photo productions. We were flattered, and proud, and happy. We had (kind of) forgotten about it, until earlier this month a copy of NIDO dropped into the Chicken Rhythm Headquarters Mailbox. We assumed our backpack was in there somewhere, and it took some solid searching to find it. Lo and behold: our Tiger Rock Backpack by Philip Paquet (cartoon artist, Belgium). This is the entire photo sequence, enjoy looking for the Chicken Rhythm backpack somewhere among the dozens of items (as in real life, travelling light with children is a near impossibility).

Snail mail is good mail

2010-07-21T20:15:00.005+02:00

We don't often receive snail mail. Usually it's bills and more bills. A while ago, though, we sent some papers to our new artist Marijn Dionys (www.dionys.be) and he sent them back to us in a plain brown envelope. Or at least, that's what I thought until I turned it over.

Thanks Marijn for the smile it brought to my face. Details like these make life good! And for those of you who are wondering what this artist will be drawing for us, this is a sneak preview.

Pirate Patch: the photo shoot

2010-06-30T10:20:00.018+02:00

A while ago we realized that we didn't have enough pictures of our iron-on patches. Plenty of product shots, but not much else. So we called our good friend and styling guru, Muriel Delvigne, to help us make some interesting pictures of people with iron-ons. June is a busy month, especially for working women with children. At the end of the school year we're between ecstacic and hectic. It took some keen planning to find a day that suited everybody, including the models we had chosen. It was a sunny saturday morning a couple of weeks ago, bright and early at 9 am on location. The chicas, the camera, the stylist, a couple of their men, the models, and of course the siblings of the models. Things went so smoothly that we had fun! The kids were fantastic. It's amusing to see how much certain small people enjoy posing for the camera. Their siblings looked on. I am sure that next time, they'll be asking if they can model for us, too.

We like the result.

This is the Pirate and this is as mean as he gets. We were hoping for a big bad bully pirate but we now found out that this man is so sweet, he can't even pretend to be evil.

[iron-ons: Mouse Skull by Philip Paquet, Scar by Sam De Buysscher , Dino is an in-house design soon availale in our webshop]

This is the Colonel. He's old and has weathered many a battle. He's earned many medals for his outstanding courage. He is not afraid, ever.

[iron-ons: Insects by Pieter Guadesaboos]

Inspired by the daisy chains we make when sprawled lazily on the grass in the summer. The necklace our flower girl wears is an iron-on-label-flower-chain.

[all the flowers are in-house designs]

Scraped kids' knees? A bandage for the knee and an iron-on for the pants is what we suggest. What if she's not wearing pants? What if you're out of bandages? Apply the patch straight onto the kid's knee. It works (for the picture).

[iron-on: Billie the Chimp by GeertJan Tillmans]

Products: Chicken Rhythm

Styling: Muriel Delvigne

Photography: Malvina Buonocore
Catering: Aliki Visser
Child care: Roel De Meester
Models: Michael, Keijen & Parel

Chickens bring you a summer bouquet

2010-06-23T14:26:00.008+02:00

Today is a perfect summer day! The sun is shining, it's nice and hot, school's almost out, it's wednesday and we're picknicking in the park. It really is, finally, summer! When we say "summertime" you think "flowers"! When we say "flowers" you think "iron-on patches"! And when we say "iron-ons" you think "CHICKEN RHYTHM!"

We are so glad with the fine weather that we've created gay flower patches for this occasion. If there were to be a gray day this summer (in Belgium? never!), worry not because these flowers will keep you in a good mood. To be totally honest, though, we also made these iron-ons for all the mothers that had begged us to make "something really girly". So ladies and girls, we present to you: the Chicken Rhythm summer bouquet!

Daisy Round, Daisy Cut, Aster, 70's Sunflower and the Dutch Tulip.

We also tend to like tacky things, as you'll notice looking at the 80's Rollerskater Heart.

We were thrilled with Petit Bazaar

2010-06-21T09:25:00.015+02:00

Yesterday was Sunday. Early in the morning we loaded the car with our Chicken Rhythm gear, a couple of assorted kids, a thermos of coffee and our shining good moods. We headed west for Gent, where the Petit Bazaar fair was taking place. Our stand was ready in jiffy, after hanging up the pictures and positioning the logos in strategic spots. So there was time for a last, quiet coffee before the doors opened to the public. Once opened, the people swarmed in. Amazing! We were on our feet all day, forget the coffee breaks! We can proudly announce that our iron-ons were a huge success.We had also brought along a few samples of the new t-shirts (arriving next month), to whet everyone's appetite. The fans who were hoping to take home a t-shirt will have to wait a couple more weeks. But more about that later.

What a great event! Petit Bazaar is a fair open to the public. It's the place where 56 Belgian online children's stores presented and sold their wares. Just imagine a concentrated shopping event for people with children. Petit Bazaar started three years ago, by three Belgian webshops: Pepatino, Whoost and Koekepeertje. Each of these shops is, like ours, run by women who combine business & motherhood. We were impressed by the smooth organization and clear communication, and working with Nathalie, Valerie and Nele was a true pleasure.

Our new artist Marijn Dionys surprised us with a visit, too. He showed up with his amiable wife Eva and their two little girls. We like Marijn (we've said that before) and we like his family, too! Sharing wavelengths with new people gives us a kick.

On a less jolly note, the boys we had dragged along were less than enthusiastic. But, after seeing the incredible success of our patches, they asked us if they could design an iron-on for us, too.

Marijn Dionys: what a name!

2010-06-20T07:41:00.001+02:00

We are faithful followers of Madame Zsa Zsa's blog. Madame Zsa Zsa inspires many Belgian/Flemish women with her ideas and way of life. When, one day, she mentioned Marijn Dionys as a source of inspiration for herself, we were curious to find out more. We invited Marijn for a chat at our headquarters one evening last week and we liked him instantly. At first we were afraid we might be too much for him (double-dutch high speed talking), because after just one hour he was showing signs of fatigue. He reassured us that no, it wasn't a problem at all even though yes, we were a tad fast for him, but he just needed all his energy to pay careful attention to what were saying. We discoverd that he likes us, too, and we're glad. A new artist has joined our club! Keep an eye out for what Mr. Dionys is planning for Chicken Rhythm.

www.dionys.be

Patches by Geertjan Tillmans were hot at the Kunstsuperette

2010-06-07T09:30:00.009+02:00

At the latest Kunstsuperette (Gent), Geertjan Tillmans proudly presented all his items, among which the 3 new patches he designed fo Chicken Rhythm. We highly recommend this craft & design market if you're looking to buy original products or if you're in need of creative inspiration.

Kunstsuperette on Facebook

Geertjan Tillmans designs for Chicken Rhythm

2010-05-31T09:17:00.011+02:00

Last april, on a sunny day at the Chicken Rhythm headquarters, we received an e-mail from a Belgian illustrator with whom we were not acquainted. We went straight to his website to check out his portfolio: www.geertjan.be.

It was love at first sight (we sounded like "Wow! Oh my this is good!"). We're frank and honest: we think Geertjan Tilmmans is an outstanding illustrator/animator. His work is colorful and clear, humourous and subtle. We are unabashedly proud of the iron-ons he designed for Chicken Rhythm. Other work by Geertjan? Illstrations for the Gallo-Roman Museum (Tongeren, Belgium) and for children's books by publishing houses Davidsfonds/Infodok and Averbode.

Ladies and gentlemen, may we present to you, our 3 new iron-on patches by Geertjan Tillmans: Billy the Chimp, Frankie the Frog and Olmo the Owl.

Ontmoet ons live op Petit Bazaar 3

2010-05-19T11:16:00.015+02:00

Als trotse webwinkeliers zijn we blij om deel te nemen aan de enige markt voor kinderwebwinkeliers in België! Zie het voor u: 50 kinderwebshops onder 1 dak. Zoek de grote rode kam...

Petit Bazaar 3 | 20 juni 2010 | 10u - 18u | ICC Gent
www.petitbazaar.be
(bancontact aanwezig)

Dit is het moment om eindelijk met de mensen achter de webwinkel een babbeltje te doen. Kom ons een bezoekje brengen! We staan op Petit Bazaar 3 met alles wat we in ons assortiment te koop hebben. We gaan ook honderduit vertellen over wat er straks nieuw komt voor de wintercollectie. We lichten daarbij vol spanning een tipje van de sluier. Ook vertellen we naar goede gewoonte over de enthousiaste tekenaars die met ons samenwerken (Sam de Buysscher, Geertjan Tilmans, Jan Truyens, Pieter Gaudesaboos,

Sabien Clement, Reinardus, Reinardus, Inge Rylant...)

Mrs. Chicken on da bike

2010-05-19T11:11:00.004+02:00

Chicken Children around town

2010-05-19T10:43:00.019+02:00

Last Sunday Malvina was a happy person when I saw other people's children wearing spiffy Chicken Rhythm stuff. First a little Mrs. Chicken by Gaudesaboos on a bike (please note the use of helmets and follow suit!).Then little boy blue with a Scar patch by Sam De Buysscher.

New designer!

2010-04-21T10:54:00.002+02:00

We were contacted last week by Geertjan Tilmans (a Dutchman in Gent, Belgium) to see if we might want to work with him on some patches. Yes, of course!! He designed 3 animals for us, an owl, a chimp and a frog. Here's the sneak preview of the owl.
Curious to see more of Geertjan's work? www.geertjan.be

Follow us on facebook for more info and news!

CR Basic Patches

2010-04-21T10:44:00.002+02:00

After the large patches, our in-house designer started to do some flower patches. Here is one example, 4 more to follow. Also soon to expect: dino patches!

CR in Germany

2010-02-23T17:15:00.003+01:00

Germany (Klein Format) mentioned us on a blog. We had prepared an tidy press kit for the Kleine Fabriek and even in Germany they were pleased. Who would not be happy with this fabulous backpack?