LIFE UPDATE...oh, and maybe a monster or two

Well, I've been up in Northern California for about a month and half now, and grad school is going pretty well. I'm at the California College of the Arts in the writing program, and it really is amazing. I've made a cool group of friends, the campus itself is really neat, and I've been going out and exploring Oakland and San Francisco as much as I can manage. I've gotten to do some pretty damn cool things as well. So far the most brag-worthy were being in a Zoe Boekbinder music video, getting to be a volunteer for a Mythbusters experiment, sitting in the front row of a Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket) reading, and meeting Tim Schafer (creator of such games as Psychonauts and Brutal Legend) at APE. THE BAY AREA IS REALLY COOL, YOU GUYS.

 

My room! Or, most of it, at least.

No big deal, just the Mythbusters and I...

I'm also really excited about Joshua coming to visit next weekend. That whole Kentucky thing really didn't work out, so he's back in Wisconsin, working and hoping to be in his own apartment by next month. It's been five months since we last saw each other, which is driving me (and him) completely nuts, so I'm so happy I finally get to see him. Not ever going this long without being around him again...ugh. I'll be spending my winter break with him, too, which I'm really looking forward to (you know, except for that whole freezing-in-the-snow part...haha).

I've been trying to get some sewing done while settling in as well, and there are a couple of new things in the shop, including a monster hood and what I hope is the first in a series of "art school" monsters. In addition to my writing classes, I'm taking a textiles class called Franken Fabrics. Basically we're using unconventional methods to manipulate fabrics in interesting ways, and it's completely awesome. The first thing we learned was how to rust dye fabric, and I decided to make a monster out of some of what I had from that...

I think these were my first pieces, and they are definitely what I used to make the guy below

Rust-dyed monster!

Our first project was to make a tissue box cover...haha. He just wanted to prove that some of the weird stuff he was teaching us could have practical/commercial applications as well, so I used some rusted fabric and image transfer techniques to make this:

I'll try to get a better picture, but you get the idea

So yeah! That's a little bit of a glimpse into what's been going on with me...Hopefully I'll be updating again soon with some new monsters =)

Patches, patches, and more patches...

Lately all I feel like I've been doing is stenciling and sewing up patches. I've made them before for sure, but this whole bout of creativity started with an urge to channel all of my Portal 2 love into something. I started with a turret and an outline of Chell for myself, but my friends took an interest in them and I ended up making more:

Turret, two versions of Wheatley, two Companion Cubes, Chell, and GlaD0S!

After that, I figured it only made sense to try to get some patches into my shop, and what better way than by sketching up some monsters and stenciling them?

Currently available =)

But as great as keeping things simple and black and white is, there would have to be some color, too...

Yay, bright colors!

After that, some friends started making some special requests since they liked my Portal patches so much:

Pokemon badges, a Pokeball, and the Assassin's Creed symbol

And ALL THAT left me with a big pile of patches and designs on my desk...so I decided to make a listing in my shop for anyone who liked the things I had already made and wanted one, or who had their own idea in mind and wanted a custom patch. Now you can click here to check that out =)

So many patches...

 Oh, but even that wasn't the end...because then Joshua asked me if I would help make his dream of a patched up blazer come true. Needless to say, I obliged, and I am now little more than a band-logo-patch-making machine:

Not even all of them...

Please don't let my fabric markers run dry too soon.

<3

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale!

I should be waiting until tomorrow to do this, but WHATEVER - I'm having a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale in my shop! Starting now, just use the coupon code "BLACKFRI2010" and you'll get 35% off of your order. I'll be discounting some other things here and there, so keep an eye out and you might catch an excellent deal. I don't have sales too often, so take advantage of this!


Other than that...hmm...haha. My birthday was on the 20th - I'm 22 now, what the hell! My gift was taking a random trip to Chicago to meet up with my dad while he was on a work trip and getting to see The Dresden Dolls play a show there - it was unbelievably awesome and I almost cried a billion times because I was so overwhelmed at being there at all. The actual day-of was spent with Joshua - it was a kind of strange, rainy, day, but we ended up at the thrift store, having dinner at Black Angus with our friend Andrew, and going to see Harry Potter. Not a bad day.

Today is the first Thanksgiving where I've really been on my own - my dad had to make a last minute trip up to Northern California, so it's just Joshua and I. We're cooking since we already had everything ready to go, and so far it's going alright. It's just odd not to be going somewhere or around more people. I wish we could have gotten some friends to come over and enjoy this with us, but of course they're busy with their own families today. Oh well. Once the turkey's done, I can start doing some baking, which is always fun. I hope your Thanksgiving is going well if you celebrate it as well - otherwise, happy Thursday =)

Anyway, I of course got the idea to make monster ornaments kind of late...I'll probably still try some, but it would have been better to have already gotten some listed. Alas...been a little bit slow on making new things, but I did come up with a poor, sad, zombified creature (already claimed, but still visible in the shop) - meet Molly!

In more Etsy related news, I'm now a proud member of a few different teams! Check them out - a few are trying to organize their own Black Friday/Cyber Monday specials, so check out the members and the awesome things they make as well:

Etsy Ugly Cute
CCCOEteam
Etsy Teens and Young Adults
EtsyU
Smoke Free Sellers
Facebook Fans of Etsy Team

Help SimplyHibiscus! New plush! I get mail! Etc!

I've got lots to talk to you about!

First things first: pleaseeee help me assist a fellow plush maker on Etsy! SimplyHibiscus a.k.a. Little Felt Hearts a.k.a. Thea makes super cute little creatures that I've loved for a while now, but due to some personal issues (see her blog HERE to learn more), she has lost ALL of her supplies and ALL of her already-made plushies, and she hasn't been able to make anything new for four months.

Now, I've definitely had times where I haven't made much, but I can't imagine being absolutely unable to be creative and make things. Please, if you have any extra fabric, supplies, or have a few dollars you could send her way, do it! She hasn't set up any kind of PayPal or anything as of writing this, but if you can help in any way, leave a comment on her blog, her Facebook fan page, send her a convo on Etsy - anything to let her know that you're willing to help. I'm going to get together a care package of my own shortly here, so if you prefer to donate anonymously, you can also send something to her through me (email me at TheEmoSeal[at]gmail.com and we can set something up!). I know I don't have the biggest influence, but if you could spread the word and help Thea start making cute things again, it would be very much appreciated.

As for me, I've finally been productive lately - I made two new monsters in a row =) The first is Thelma the Giant Skullbelly, who was made from black and white fleece and a skull and crossbones design from a shirt that never fit well (I don't think I even wore it more than twice). I got the idea when I came across the shirt while going through some old stuff...I didn't think about how big it was going to end up being because of the size of the design, but it turned out pretty good in the end.

Thelma the Giant Skullbelly!

The day after I got Thelma listed, I started messing around with some of the scraps leftover from making her, and ended up deciding I wanted to make a mummy monster. The bandages are all made from scraps of white fleece that I layered on and I used some SUPER soft green fleece that I'm excited to use more of for other projects for the horns. I just listed her last night and she's already made it into a Halloween treasury, which was really exciting to see. Here is Matilda the Mummified monster!

Matilda the Mummified Monster!

Hmm...well, besides that, I've gotten some cool mail recently from two different Etsians. Both of these arrived on the same day (I think right around the day I did the last post?) and I wanted to just do a little bit of a write-up about them both. The first is a DVD from RedPanda (a.k.a. Jessica) - she posted on Facebook that she had just finished watching two documentaries and she wanted to pass them along to other people to see as well, so I claimed one and she sent it to me for free, which was AWESOME of her. I haven't sat down to watch it yet, but I'm excited to check out each of the mini-stories.

I am dumb and hold things upside down...

The second thing I received was some dry shampoo from DoctorSweetTooth, which is something I've been wanting to try out for a while now...I've seen it suggested for people who dye their hair and want to delay washing their hair to keep it from fading as quickly. So far, I've only tried it really quickly on my way out of the house, so I'm not totally sure if it's as effective as I had hoped, but I'm going to properly give it a shot once my hair seems to need it next.

Jasmine Vanilla scented, wooo

Alright, well, that's about it for now....talk to you again soon!

HALLOWEEN! + She's BATTY + Custom Order Excitement

Ahhhh, Halloween! My favorite holiday!

Furry green monster costume = SUCCESS!

Haha, so I was totally working on my costume right up until the very last second. I don't know what happened, I was being pretty consistent about getting things done for a little bit there... School perhaps? Ugh, school. Also more frequent hang-out time with my friends. Oh! And I've been visiting my friend Mike (you know, the one who is in A City Serene? you read that entry right?) in the hospital! He's got a long way to go before things approach normal again, but he's talking and joking and being a jerk, so we're all pretty hopeful =)

Here's a slightly better picture of my costume:

I hand-sewed the hood, the gloves, the fur on the shirt, and legwarmers that you obviously can't see in this picture. The blazer was a $4 thrift store find and I found the scarf abandoned on the floor after a concert a few years back...haha. Besides that, I wore purple pants and pink shoes. I've got some picture from the party I went to here where you can see things a little better - don't mind my weird friends and I =)

Yay, Halloween party! And yes, I got my monstery-blood sucked by a vampire...haha

NOW TELL ME HOW YOUR HALLOWEEN WAS! I seriously want to know, I'm still kind of hyped up about it even though it's over...haha. And in that spirit, I'd like to feature someone who seems to be even more into Halloween than me - She's Batty Designs =)

She makes some really awesome cards, as you can see - I really really like the owl one on the right. Go check out her shop - in her own words, Jamie "specializes in greeting cards, invitations and other paper products such as gift tags" and she, like me, is up for custom orders!

Speaking of custom orders...I worked on one for the lovely Poison Ivy you can see in the collage up there =) She requested two bracelets and these:

BOB-OMB EARRINGS!

I am pretty proud of them and she seemed excited, so woo! As usual, please do take these kinds of things as encouragement to request custom work from me - I'm definitely up for it =)

Alright, this took me a lot longer to put together than I meant for it to...so many pictures! Haha...I'll be writing again soon.

Random Late Night Entry: Halloween, Custom Things, ACEOs, and Me

Just feeling the need to update this...

Hmm, well, I finished the hood to my Halloween costume! I would normally post a picture, but I think I'd like to wait until it's all done to show off =) It came out a lot better than I expected - haha, I was really nervous about it, I've never attempted something like this before. The fur is glorious, the horns stay up and stick out perfectly, and the clasp I used works great. I'm really proud of it!

I have also been commissioned by a friend once again to make some things - jewelry this time. Haven't started yet, but I may tomorrow (er, later today...oh midnight, how confusing you are - personally, I have trouble considering it the next day til I've actually slept). Ordered some supplies for the project off of Etsy (of course), but I think I already have most of what I need. We'll see if I'm missing anything else... I'm excited about this! As scary and challenging as custom orders are, they're fun. I do things I wouldn't normally attempt and so far, the results have been good. I seriously encourage you to frighten me with your ideas anytime =)

I'm also slowly starting to work on the ACEOs I started drawing forever ago - I think I explained this before (with links even!) but if you don't know, they're basically just trading card sized art. I cut out the ones I finished and signed them and started to work on a couple more. Perhaps another project for tomorrow will be taking good pictures of the ones that are done and getting some of them listed. Ugh, it's going to be hard for me to part with them...I rarely give away things I draw (well, unless you count the birthday cards I make) because I get so attached to them...haha, sigh. What can I tell you, I am ridiculous. Anyway, here's a horrible tease of the finished cards:

The first eight of fifteen cards I plan to draw...just doing random things and hoping for the best =)

Besides that, I made some sales this week and I was SUPER EXCITED! It's been a while...haha. I've been more consistent about working on my shop though (and I have awesome friends), so that was pretty sweet. The only problem is now I'm itching to spend the money I just got...sigh, terrible. So far I'm resisting the urge. I'd be much better off saving for my birthday, for a Comic-Con ticket (ugh, they're $100 now, so lame), for getting my tattoo already, etc...but since when has being responsible been fun? Haha, just wish me luck.

 In other random news, today(/yesterday), I got my real live driver's license in the mail! Woo! I took my test last Wednesday and it showed up in the mail today. Pretty exciting. My dad also brought me to pick out some new glasses, which should be ready in about 5 days - this is really really REALLY awesome because my current glasses are SUPER scratched up and it's been getting harder and harder to see out of them...haha. I have no idea if this picture truly does the damage justice, but it's worth a shot:

I absolutely insist you click on this to see it bigger and truly witness the horror! You know, if you want to...

 

The new glasses really aren't the different from the ones I have now (similarly shaped plastic frame, etc - we were on a tight budget or else I might have been a bit more experimental in my choice) except that they're a nice dark red. I promise you that there will be pictures when they arrive even if you do not want them!

 

It's funny how I always think I have nothing to say in this blog, and yet when I try, I always write so much.

 

Alright, I will leave you with one final note: GO SEE WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE! As a maker of monsters and a lover of unconventional movies (who happened to catch an early screening ^^), I must insist you see it now that it's out!

 

This was all probably just an excuse to show off my awesome crown from the free screening...and my green hair! =D

GOOD NIGHT, BLOGGERS! <3

 

I'M NOT DEAD! And I've made new things!

Oh my...it has been a long time...haha.

I'm really sorry I started failing at this blog. My whole Etsy shop went into a lull for a while, really, so the blog went down with it. I've been getting better with my shop though, and I'm FINALLY going to do the same here!

So! Where to start? Uh, I've started making stuffed things, that's pretty exciting. So far, it's mostly monsters, but I've also made a whale and a bunny. I've done two custom stuffed things for friends as well - both came out pretty well and they've gotten lots of compliments, which is awesome. The first was a doll version of my friend Chris for his girlfriend...yeah...haha... He's got a handmade brown corduroy shirt with a pin that says "I Am Loved" in French attached to it and pants made from an old pair of jeans!

The Chris doll, shortly after I finished him...

 

And attending his first party with his namesake =)

The other was a character from an old computer game called Day of the Tentacle for Tien. She found a picture of a stuffed version the purple tentacle someone had made online, and after seeing the Chris doll, asked if I might be able to make her one that fit her specifications a little better.

Here he is! (click the picture to see him better)

Tien and the tentacle, being evil together.

Both were 100% hand sewn...which was horribly difficult...haha, but it makes me that much more proud of them. I actually hand sew pretty much everything I do because the only sewing machine I've got came from a bargain store and cost less than $10. It is as horrible as it sounds, but better than nothing. One day!

To see more of the stuffed things I've made, you can go to the Punk Rock Plush section in my shop and/or check out the photo albums on my Facebook fan page!

Alright, well! I have a few things in mind for future blog entries, so hopefully I'll stay on track here. One last thing though - I want to say thanks to 5erg! I won her giveaway and now I pick out $20 worth of stuff from her shop =D Still haven't decided on what I want, but it definitely made my day.

Talk to you later!