Allison Franks (Hobbit.Town Jewelry)

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Xmas, Kitties and Food!!

Hey everybody! Hope you all had a wonderful and spooky cool Christmas!


Just figured I'd update you all with everything I've been up to lately. I gotta say it's been a very exciting last couple of weeks! I had a week long art show at the Wonderland of Americas Mall in San Antonio which was interesting, but still fun. I also had a slew of custom order requests and other orders to fill for the holidays. But most importantly I had a great holiday myself!

Things were very low key this year as it was just myself, Marcus and the kitties. Honestly, it was more of a Christmas celebration for the kitties than ourselves as it was their 1st xmas and all and I wanted it to be special cause I'm a good kitty mama. (hehe).

Here's a picture of the kitties enjoying their new red and green xmas shiny toys!


Zora took an extreme liking to the new scratch post too!


I started cooking on Christmas Eve because Marcus was crazy overworked the two weeks leading up to Christmas so I made him a special 3 course meal! This is so rare for me because I never cook. Everything turned out really well though and he was pleased. Yay! I figured it was the least I could do since he'd been at work from 6am-5pm on Christmas Eve and all when I spent most of the day in my pjs. :)

Our appetizer was Bruscetta:


Our dinner was stuffed peppers:


Our dessert was lemon cake:


And our drink of choice (or at least mine) was caipirinhas!! It's this tasty Brazilian drink my friend Will taught me how to make and it's crazy strong!


For xmas itself we had a much more traditional meal (thanks to honey baked ham) that Marcus brought home from work. We had all the usual stuff: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, macaroni etc and it was really yummy too!

On Christmas itself other than stuffing our faces... Marcus and I had a very lazy day. We watched 3 movies together today all of which we enjoyed. They were Personal Velocity, The Woman in Red and Shakedown. We have like 20 movies expiring on Netflix on the 1st of the month... so we've been trying to power watch too haha! I also made up some very strong eggnog and spent the 1st half of the day finishing one of my favorite Sailor Moon seasons.

I just love Seiya so much!!


And of course there were presents! Marcus and I were both strapped for cash this year, but still manged to get each other some dope presents.

First off I got these wacky chubby Spice Girls figures. Aren't they weird?


Then I got this super cute Luna pencil case. It's from the re-launch (not vintage) but I still love it!


And the highlight of the day was this amazing David Bowie comic book that I didn't even know existed! It's like crazy hilarious. Guh. Marcus knows me so well. :)


Overall, it was a very nice Christmas this year and I'm looking forward to the New Year! Hope you all had a blast too! ;)

Thursday, December 19, 2013

My Ultimate Xmas WANT list!!

I can't believe how quick this year has flown by! It seems like I can't keep up with time any more! It's been a great year though. So many amazing things have happened for me and my business. Plus, I've had a lot of fun adventures, met some great new friends and had 3 little baby kitties change my life forever! Needless to say I've got a lot to be thankful for right now and I'm looking forward to another awesome year!

But with Christmas just around the corner... you better believe I've been searching the internet for cool things to buy. I always seem to have a "list" going... but here are a few things I really just gotta have right now. In fact, I'm surprised I don't have them already! Sigh* If only I were made of money...

1. Killer Popcorn Klown Statue By: Chuck Jarman


Oh my god I have wanted this darn thing for SO DAMN LONG!! Isn't it amazing?? This bitchin handmade popcorn clown is several feet tall and he is poseable too! GUH! I just really really need this in my life. Thankfully Chuck has assured me that he can make one for me anytime I like...but that still doesn't satisfy me! Someone please give me $150 right now!!

2. Sailor Moon & Chibi Chibi Moon Mermaid Beach Bag


This is currently the very LAST must need Sailor Moon item on my list! Crazy right? I have only seen it for sale once and missed out on the bidding like an idiot because I was at work and have NEVER been able to forgive myself! Especially since it sold for like WAY cheap. I will never give up my search though!  Someday this WILL be mine!

3. Dreamland Creations Cave Girl Squeaky Doll


UGH! Good luck finding this one! She has proven to be an extra crazy difficult toy for me to acquire. I already have her fella, but I can't seem to find this little cave girl to save my life. I swear if you find one and DON'T buy it for me I will FIND you and HUNT you down! It's so obvious I need her. Not just cause I have her cave man boyfriend but look at how cute she is! She's even holding a little baby dinosaur in her arms!

4. Sun Rubber Co. Cow Girl Squeaky Doll


Ok so this is another one of those toys I just can't seem to find! I really want her though. I have a few funky little cowboys for her to tease. She'll make' em drool, but she's one heck of a sharp shooter so they better watch out! (hehe)

5. Ideal Mini Monster Dolls


Ok so the only way I'll ever be able to afford these beauties is if I win the lottery... but a girl can dream right? I want the whole set, but Vampy (the vampire girl) is my favorite! Every time I've seen them online they are priced at something ridiculous like $500 each! So yeah... WAY out of any sane person's budget. Sigh* Maybe someday I'll win big!

6. Akira Dress By: Mandala


Ok so this dress is AMAZING! It has me drooling like crazy. Plus, this designer takes custom order requests which is like beyond cool. My friend Lesley of Pink Pandemonium actually just got a bunch of custom dresses from her and I'm so super jelly! She has several dresses by Mandala now, but it's like crazy obvious that I also need a Tales from the Crypt & a Bride of Reanimator dress!


I would also like a Toxic Avenger dress, a Sailor Mon dress, a Brock Sampson dress and a Zelda dress. And that's just off the top of my head! OI! The possibilities are endless and it's quite apparent that I need to save up for some new bitchin' dresses! ;)

7. Jeffrey Campbell Rainbow Wedges


Ok so who doesn't want groovy Rainbow Brite shoes!? If that person is you I'm sorry, but these are way too cool!! I probably couldn't walk in them so good... but oh how proudly I would wear them! If only I could find them in my size... sigh*

8. Sailor Moon Christmas Tree!


Ok... I know I said I only wanted one more Sailor Moon thing... but c'mon! Did you really believe that? This darling licensed xmas tree is like a jillion bucks, but for years and years I've told myself that I would create my own Sailor Moon xmas tree and I still haven't! UGH. Stupid me. I really want one though! I really don't like Christmas too much because it makes me sad and I don't really like the decorations or the religious shit, but nothing would get me more in the Christmas spirit than a Sailor Moon tree!! And you know that's a fact! ;)

9. Kreepsville 666 Elvira Dress


Um duh!! It's quite obvious I need this. I don't even need to give you an explanation. So there!

10. Pennywise Clown by Unraveled Crafter


Isn't this little bugger CUTE!?! I want him so badly! My friend Amber made him, but he of course is pricy. Just look at that detail! I envy her skills! And really want to play with this fellow. Some day, some day.

And that's it! Well... you know I mean there's like jillion more things I want...but I was trying to be ultra specific with this list and only put the top 10 things I want more than anything right now, which I admit was really hard to decide on! But I think my little list here pretty much sums things up. I mean... of course I want the Sailor Moon kitchen set...(what more motivation could a girl need to get in the kitchen?) heheh But yeah.. Hope you all have a great Christmas!!

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Fantasy Fiend Perfumery Etsy Shop Review

Hi everybody! Today I'd like to share with you one of my favorite etsy shops!


Fantasy Fiend Perfumery is run out of Crofton, KY by the ultra sweet Amy Malone. I happened to meet her thanks to the lovely Dark Traders team and gosh am I glad I did! Amy makes absolutely PHENOMENAL smelling perfume oils, super cute bottle cap jewelry and enticing bath salts. I gotta admit I'm kind of picky about smells, so buying perfume online seemed really strange to me. However, Amy was quick to point me in the right direction (based off my likes/dislikes) and so far I have been wowed away by each new scent I try out. And to be fair right from the bat her photos and perfume titles drew me in. I mean who doesn't want werewolf cologne? She makes scents for both ladies and gents and each one is unique in it's design/smell. I now own 5 of her perfume oils and am crazy in love with each one.

So far I've obtained...



OMG! This smells heavenly! It's like being in the center of a Bubble Yum and walking around in Candy Land all in one. I am seriously hopelessly addicted to it. So yummy!!



It's like island paradise! Scented with cantaloupe, coconut, orange, and pineapple it's like being inside a gigantic Pina Colada. MMMMMM



Watch out! This one is spicy! I will admit this scent took a little getting used to as it's VERY powerful and strong in flavor. As described by Amy, "This kitchen witch combined spicy clove bud, cinnamon, rich brown sugar, delightfully sweet apricots, and red delicious apples and poured it over a sour cream pound cake". And you know? She's right! This would make a fantastic smelling candle too!



Mmmm it doesn't get much better than this! Vanilla peach cupcakes!? Oh my! I'm in heaven. :)



Another scent that takes some getting used to, but still very nice. I mostly like that it makes me smell like a ghost. I mean how cool is that!?

I've also scored some super cute earrings from her shop as well. Gosh I love trading!! Anyways, you guys should really check out her shop if you have the chance. Her items would make great stocking stuffers and right now she is having a crazy ridiculous sale! Almost all her items are 40-70% off!! It's truly outrageous!!
www.fantasyfiendperfumes.etsy.com

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

A week of excitement ahead!

Hey everybody! The holiday sale extravaganza is now officially over, but that doesn't mean the fun has stopped. Actually over the next week I've got a lot of exciting things on the agenda!

For one I will be attending my very 1st week long event!! I'm both excited and nervous about it as I'm not quite sure how to prepare inventory wise. But hopefully it will be a huge success and a lot of fun!


Plus, an event called the Nerdtacular Holiday Bazaar is guaranteed to be awesome right?? ;) If you live in the Texas area I hope to see you there! The event will be from December 7th - 15th in the Wonderland of Americas Mall in San Antonio, TX and will be during normal mall hours. I think it's going to be a blast!

Secondly, I am going to catch a live performance of one of my all time favorite bands... THE DEAD MILKMEN this Saturday in Austin, TX!!! AHHH!! This is like beyond amazing because they NEVER tour and are only playing 3 venues on their entire 2013 tour and one of them happens to be in my neck of the woods!?!


AHHHHH!!! I just can't believe the Dead Milkmen are coming to Texas. Only 4 more days!!!

And lastly, the Rifftrax masters Mike, Bill and Kevin are back again with another outrageous live performance to.... SANTA CLAUS VS. THE MARTIANS!! How amazing does that sound???


I'm like crazy excited for this... and it's only 2 days away! I just love these guys. They rock my world. ;)

And that's it for now. I'm hoping to survive the week! Stay tuned for more awesomeness this month! I will be hosting several specials online in the shop as Christmas approaches and I'll be posting new items out the wazoo!! I've already posted 20-30 items in just the last week. So come by and check out the shop if you have the chance and see what kind of crazy little funnies I've been creating. ;)


Friday, November 29, 2013

It has begun!!


The biggest shopping weekend of the year is finally here!! That's right it's Black Friday weekend. And Cyber Monday is just around the corner! So in celebration I will be running all kinds of specials on etsy. For one almost half of my current inventory at hobbit.town jewelry is currently marked down between 30%-50% off! And now on top of that you can get an extra 10% off with the coupon BLACKFRIDAY. So there's a little bonus savings for you AND you can also use it towards my new items which aren't on sale yet. :)

Check out the details here:
www.hobbittownjewelry.etsy.com

I am also running a sale in my toy shop Sinsperations. Just use the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY for 15% off your entire purchase!
Check here for more details:
www.sinsperations.etsy.com

The sales (for both of my shops) will end Tuesday at midnight. And I will be nonstop listing items until then. Hope you stop by for some funky stocking stuffers! You are guaranteed to find something you like here. :)


Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Horrorfemme Art & Accessories Etsy Shop Review

How's everyone doing today? I can't believe Thanksgiving is tomorrow already! That really snuck up on me. Anywho with all the upcoming black friday/cyber monday madness still ahead of us I thought I'd take a moment to share one of my favorite teammate's etsy shop with you: horrorfemme.


I first came across Christy's shop on etsy a long, long time ago. I oggled her items from a far, but never broke down and bought one even though I really really wanted to. Who knows why! But it was fate that we should later meet up in one of my favorite etsy teams! I was ecstatic to get to know her online and now view Christy as one of my good friends. Yay internet! ;)

Horrorfemme features everything from jewelry to hand painted dolls.  I love that her shop primarily consists of zombie and Star Wars themed items. How cool is that?!? Almost everything in her shop is hand drawn or hand painted, even the jewelry! And she's got some cute little fabric and clay creations for sale too. I know you guys can find some good stocking stuffings here! Who doesn't want Zombie Barbie ornaments!? I mean really!

I've had the pleasure of trading with Christy twice now and can't wait to get my hands on more of her unique items. But I will say that I am BEYOND pleased with the two items I've gotten so far. They were the original two items that drew me to her shop in the first place and I consider myself very lucky to have them now. And what's even better is they stare at me while I'm in the office and provide a constant source of inspiration and happiness for me. It's awesome!

My little mummy:


My pretty little zombie girl:


Aren't they great?? I just love them! I mean after all they feature two of my favorite things in life: ghouls and dolls! ;)

Some other items in her shop that have me drooling right now are:

This cute vampirella pendant:


These amazing Star Wars ornaments!


And this darling white rabbit decoration:


I highly suggest you check out horrorfemme this holiday season! You are sure to find a little something for everyone on your list. ;)

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Starfish Stratagies Etsy Shop Review

Hey everybody! I know it's been awhile since I've done one of these and I'm sorry for that. I won't let it happen again! Promise. ;)

Today I'd like to share with you a very awesome etsy store called Starfish Stratagies.


Starfish Stratagies is run by my friend Jenn and based out of her home in Las Vegas, NV. Her work is extremely quirky, strange and fun! I just love it. She's obsessed with bright colors and toys like me and always makes truly outrageous jewelry. No joke! She's got everything from zombies to Lalaloopsy dolls blinged up with bright chunky chains and a ton of wildly unique charms! I just love it. And I seriously don't know where she finds all this stuff! It's so unusual and fun. I'd love to see her workplace. I bet it's packed with all kinds of treasures! ;)

I own several of her necklaces now (5 to be exact) and I wear them ALL the time! They are quite big and flashy, but I like them. She also makes more simplistic/less bulky necklaces too, but I like the blingin' stuff best. While necklaces take up most of her shop inventory, she has has some cute rings and trinket boxes for sale as well.

Usually she sticks to chunky chains, bright colored charms and plastic toys for supplies, but recently she's been experimenting with resin shapes and glass bottles as well. I really like all of it honestly. Every time I check out her shop I find something else I like too.

Here's a few items in her shop that I'm currently drooling over..

"A Perfectly Charming Necklace":

 

 Zombie Trinket Bottles:


"Seriously What Happened To My Head Necklace":


I could go on and on and on! I just can't get enough really. Everything in her shop is so funky and strange! You should totally check it out if you have the chance. And right now she's having a black friday sale for 20% off your purchase! You can't beat that! ;)

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

No Babies Allowed!

Well. Today was the big day for our little boy Flynn. I gotta say prior to the actual "event" I was really terrified, worried and super sad about it. Can you blame me? I've never been a pet owner before and these little ones are my world now. I don't know what life was like before them and I never want them to go. They make me smile nonstop! So yeah I was not looking forward to them being fixed. And damn have they grown fast! But in the end everything turned out just fine. And now we don't have to worry about any unwanted babies!


I still have to take care of the girls. All of them are just shy of 5 months now and apparently kitties can go into heat between 4 and 6 months. Nobody has gone into heat YET, but once I found out Flynn was fully developed and certainly curious about butts and this whole "pink thing" I didn't want to take any chances you know? So at least we've gotten that issue resolved. I swear I babied him for a whole week after setting up the appointment! I couldn't help it. Every time I saw his cute little unsuspecting face I got sad. I really thought this was going to be a HUGE ordeal for him and maybe even scar him for life? I dunno... like I said I've never had my own pet before so this is a new experience for me. Sure my mom had some pets when I was growing up, but we always adopted older pets never kittens or puppies. And in college I lived with some people with pets, but it's not the same you know? Anyways, little Flynn survived and didn't even cause a stink about it! It's like it never happened. What a champ! ;)

Flynn this morning before the "appointment". It was so cute I woke up to him cuddling in my hair and when I got up he followed me all the way to the bathroom and while I was getting ready. It's almost like he knew something was up. After all... I like never get up at 7 am. (haha)


And then of course seeing his cute little happy self following me about made me sad again...


We said goodbye to Marcus and the girls and off we went to the vet. It was so cute too because Luna and Zora were like "Where are we going? Oh wait. Where are you taking him?!?!" They were extra confused about the whole affair and gazed out at us as we drove away. :(


And then when I thought things couldn't get any worse I arrived at the vet's office only to fill out a ton of forms asking me the worst questions! Like... if something goes wrong and your cat might die do you want us to save him? And if so, how much money are you willing to spend? I really didn't know how to answer that. I mean of course I want him to be saved! But I also am not made of money. sigh* Anyways, after that ordeal I asked the doctor about 50 questions before I let her take him from me and then left slowly all unsure and worried. I was so torn up about it! But like I said everything was fine and I really really like his veterinarian. She was so sweet with me the whole time even though I'm sure I was nagging her with questions and she called me 3 times throughout the day to update me on his condition. Really like every step of the way. Which was beyond sweet! I'm so happy I found this clinic. ;)

So after hours and hours... I finally got the call to pick him up! He was pretty drowsy on the way home, but as soon as we got home he crawled out of his little carrier and gave me nonstop love for HOURS! It was so cute!

Moments after getting home..



And then after a little nap and some food Flynn was right back to his normal cute little self. He didn't seem to notice that anything was different! And that made me feel very relieved. I'm so happy he is ok!

Monday, November 18, 2013

The hobbit.town jewelry blowout sale has begun!



Hey everybody!!

I am having a HUGE sale right now in my shop in hopes of raising some $$ for new art supplies to help grow and expand my business. I hope you will help support my artistic endeavor. I'm hoping to incorporate handmade clutch bags, art boxes, frilly aprons and so much more with all the raised funds over the next few months. Everything in the shop will still be handmade by me and remain in the same creepy cute style I love so much. I just aspire to do more than jewelry and hair accessories and hope to make this dream a reality! Will you help me?

Almost ALL of the items in my shop have been reduced up to 50% off! Prices are as marked. You do not need a coupon code to take advantage of the sale. I will be running this right up until Christmas on all the shop items I am discontinuing and such in hopes of making room for all the new stuff! Can't wait to make all these ideas a reality and really hope to raise the money needed by xmas. What a great gift that would be! ;)

Please send your love and support my way if you can.

www.hobbittownjewelry.etsy.com

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Fancy Seeing You Here!

Well hi there folks! I do apologize for the disappearing act, but October was a VERY busy month for me. Between work, art shows, crazy kitties and Halloween time I was on a nonstop roller coaster of activities! But I'm proud to say that I am finally back on track, all caught up and ready for more. :)

Now I know you've all been waiting to hear about my adventures so let's do a quick recap shall we?

1. RAW Artists invited me back to participate in their Fall "Encompass" show on October 17th. I had a blast working with RAW last spring and was thrilled to hear they wanted me back and jumped on the opportunity to do so. So I once again raised the $$ to participate (thanks to awesome people like you guys) and went off to Austin for another night of fun!

Here's a photo of my booth:


I was BEYOND excited to show off my new Sailor Moon table cloth and brought a bunch of cute toys to keep me company. I even ran into some old friends of mine!  


Overall, I had a blast! I had a great spot at the venue too because when the traffic by my booth was slow I could very easily see the stage below and got to catch some fun live music performances and a wild fashion show. I barely got to do anything last time so it was nice to experience a little of the fun this time around too. I'd say it was a win win situation! You can't beat making sales AND having fun while doing so am I right?

2. RAW artists nominated me into the top 5 jewelry designers competing for the title "Accessories Designer of the Year". Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the top 3 as I'd hoped... but hey there's always next year right? I've thought about it a lot and I'm not going to let it get me down. In my own personal opinion my competition seemed to have more of the "marketability" factor in the sense that while their products were original and handmade they didn't look too different from items I see in corporate stores. And I don't really want that anyways. I just want to have fun and create the stuff I love. So if that's the type of criteria they are looking for well then I'm glad I wasn't chosen, you know?

3. I participated in my very first convention as a vendor at Alamo City Comic Con Oct 25-27!! I'm going to start out with a disclaimer for this one folks. I NEVER expected to do so well in my life! I certainly found my niche and will be touring the Texas area next year fitting in as many conventions as I possibly can! Not only was it good for paying the bills, but it instilled hope that my business actually has a future! Seriously if I can pull this off I won't have to have a boring old job anymore! My dreams of becoming a business woman might not be as far away as I'd thought after all. :)

I shared my booth space at the con with my awesome friend Elizabeth of Zombies Go Rawr and together we realized that working together was a lot of fun! So now that I have a permanent booth mate to split expenses and fees with it's going to make things even easier for both of us! Plus, I think our products mesh well with one another. She sells handmade clay items that are along the lines of my work and include everything from zombie toast to jawas. And the both of us enjoy cosplay! ;)

Here's a picture of us from the con:


Aren't we cute?? Alamo City Comic con was really a blast, but it was also very exhausting. For me it was a 40 minute drive one way and I was up at 6:30am everyday, home by 10pm and then up till about 2am making new items for the next day. OI! I think next time I'll just try to make a TON more so I don't have to rush like that during the event, but I honestly never expected to sell as much as I did. Which is awesome news!

Some other awesome things that happened...

I met Heather Langenkamp, met some very talented artists and scored some bitchin' prints of their work, found a TON of fun little toys to craft with for the cheap, got to oggle so many people's cool costumes and chatted with Maude Flanders of the Simpsons for awhile who LOVED my stuff!!

Look she even signed this fun little photo for me. :)


Seriously, I give Alamo City Comic con two thumbs up and can't wait to participate again next year. ;)


4. Halloween happened! Now because of all my other activities during the month I will admit I didn't get to watch AS many horror movies this season as I normally like to... but I still did pretty good considering. I was kind of bummed at first because I thought I would have to work on Halloween, but I ended up getting out of that. Instead, I carved my first pumpkin ever! I know kind of sad at 27... but now I can check that off my list of things to do (haha). I also painted a few mini pumpkins, drank some yummy brews and watched like 4 horror movies. I didn't dress up or go out, but I really had a blast just relaxing and catching up on movies. I couldn't have asked for anything else. ;)

Carving my first pumpkin:


Even the kitties had fun! This was their first Halloween after all. :)

My little witch Luna being cute:


Zora sniffing her first pumpkin:


Everybody gather round!


And that wraps up October folks!! Pretty exciting huh??

Since November started I've been playing the catch up game and now that I've completed all my open orders for the moment I've been taking some much needed time off and just relaxing for a bit. You know watching movies, catching up on comics, cleaning the house that kind of stuff. Boy did I need that! It's been nice to have some me time finally. :)

Also, I participated in a small country art show last weekend in Sattler, TX. It wasn't a huge success especially when compared to some of the other shows I've been doing lately, but I still had fun and made some sales. That's all that matters right? Alright and that about sums it up! And now that we are all on the same page I'm going to be picking up where I left off. So get ready for more adventures, shop reviews and general shenanigans. It's good to be back you guys! ;)