Saturday Shout Outs: RepurposefulPUNK & Needle Slave Designs

Let's talk about clothes!! This week I've got two fabulous etsy clothing shops I'd like to share with you. I've purchased custom items from both of these shops and the ladies that run them are super duper sweet! I bet they'd be happy to make you something special too. All you gotta do is ask! ;)

First up is...

 

RepurposefulPUNK is run by Carmen Blake outside of AZ. She specializes in unique ladies fashion wear including everything from t-shirt dresses to Halloween costumes. And she is Star Wars crazy! Right now she's taking a brief break from etsy, but she plans to return as soon as she gets back on a normal schedule with loads of new items. And while she may not have anything current in her shop right now she's ALWAYS taking custom orders. So take a look at her back catalog sometime. She'd be happy to make you something real pretty.

So far I've only made one purchase from her, but hope to get another dress from her in the future. I originally purchased a brown star wars dress, but when it arrived it was WAY super small compared to what I'd expected and my stupid butt made it impossible to wear. I was so super sad. But Carmen was super sweet about it and let me exchange it for another dress. Since she couldn't make another one like that in my size or alter it to fit me... we worked on a new dress design together and I think it turned out amazingly well!!

The original dress..

My super fantastic custom Star Wars dress!

Isn't it awesome?? I love the black and whites, it's super soft (made from jersey t-shirt material) and very comfortable! Plus, it shapes the body well too. I couldn't be happier really. ;)

Next up is... Needle Slave Designs!

This was one of my more recent purchases and I know you are probably wondering.. what the heck is she doing buying a hoodie in the spring, but I just couldn't help myself!! Seriously, when you see it you'll know why. Anyways, the ultra sweet Nicole of Needle Slave Designs is based out of Missouri and makes horror themed custom clothing & accessories. I'm really in love with this Munster's halter dress she made awhile back..

But as soon as I saw this They Live hoodie I just knew it had to be mine!! Seriously this is the coolest thing ever and I can't wait for it to get cold again so I can wear the shit out of it. Nicole was super sweet to get this custom made just for me in the nick of time before she went on vacation and I was bursting with joy when it arrived! It's very soft, nice and warn, super creepy cute and just amazing! Even my boyfriend wants to wear it! And she made it girly fitting and all... haha! I just might have to get him one too. ;)

Here's me showing off my super rad hoodie in the crazy Texas heat. OI! When is it going to get cold again!

I know you're jealous!!

Morbid Midget's World Etsy Shop Review

Today I'd like to talk to you about a very special person. Her name is Tricia Martin and I'm so happy to have met her. She is the sweetest, wackiest and wild person I know. Which is amazing! We're seriously linked by some very wonky brain waves. I can't wait to frolic with her around Norfolk later this year. ;)

Tricia makes her own living art and has recently started selling it on etsy. She LOVES to make stuff with moving parts! And everything she touches turns into one of her crazy evil minions. It's pure magic. She makes wonderfully creepy baby dolls, funky little animals, amazingly strange doodles and so much more. I seriously like everything this woman has EVER created. No joke! And I wish I had her awesome brain magic! I don't know where she finds the inspiration for these things!

This is one of my favorite dolly's from her. I was really hoping to buy it... but sadly someone beat me to it. That's ok though! Because right now Tricia is working on a very special dolly just for me!! And I know it's going to blow this one right out of the water!

Here's the dolly I wanted..

And here's a photo of the amazing dolly I discovered and then sent to Tricia to "fuckerize" for me. That's her own word for it too and I love it! Seriously I am just SO crazy excited to see the final product. She was already so strangely creepy when I found her! ;)

Another baby doll I sent to Tricia was this pretty little fella. This little baby is actually how we met too! She bought him from my toy shop Sinsperations and then we got to chatting and then! it was like super happy friendship time. (haha)

He looks harmless right? Well not after Tricia got to him! I didn't think he'd ever be able to walk again either, but she fixed him right up. Now he's a walking nightmare! Just watch this video and see for yourself!

 
Here's another fun video of her showing you the mechanics behind her peeing zombie baby! Whoever got this one is a lucky duck!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuWR8pC8TuM

She's actually got a lot of funny videos of herself and her work up on youtube. You should totally check them out. She's quite the character and really talented with film production and stuff too! It's the other half of what she does for a living after all.

I could talk about the awesomeness of Tricia all day long... but I think you'd all get bored and hate me for rambling on and on and on. I seriously want ALL of her art though! It's amazing. And a few months back we did a trade and I scored this utterly FANTASTIC little lion and I'm so happy!! She's the cutest little thing ever and I named her "Lucy". Funny thing about that is.... she was already named Lucy! I just didn't know it. Apparently when Tricia found her she had the name Lucy written on her tag. She never told me though until now, because I've been taking "Lucy" on fun adventures with me around town and she picked up on the name and we were both like WHOA! Funny how shit like that happens sometimes huh? She was just born to be a Lucy. And to me she is the cutest little creature ever. She kind of reminds me of the devil dogs in Willow (my favorite movie FYI) too.

Here's Lucy and I hanging out in Austin:

So far Lucy and I have gone on many adventures together and I can't wait to take her on many many more!

Here's Lucy in her natural habitat. She loves trees!

Oh and did I mention that Lucy met Indiana Jones?? They're best friends now. ;)

Expect to see a lot of Lucy soon. We're having so much fun together these days!! And while you are at it check out Tricia's awesome etsy shop and get your own wacky little creature friend. ;)
Morbid Midget's World

Saturday Shout Outs: Giacomo Designs & Mole Street Studio

Guess what day it is! It's Saturday! Woo hoo! Which means... I've got some more funky etsy shops for you to check out. Today I'd like to talk to you about two unique shops both owned by a few of my fellow teammates (thanks again Dark Traders!!).

First up is...

Giacomo Designs specializes in unique nerdy handmade crafts for the home. She uses a wide variety of materials including felt, perler beads and duct tape to make everything from wallets to hair bows. And not too long ago she opened up a new shop called Pretty Meat Stuff to specifically showcase her perler bead jewelry items!

I had the pleasure of trading with Giacomo Designs a long time ago. I really enjoy her nerdy items and she has a real talent with perler beads too. ;)

I scored this awesome Voodoo Doll pin cushion which now sits completely stabbed to bits next to my sewing machine. Isn't he a cutie??

I also couldn't resist this fantastic Michelangelo TMNT necklace!! I love the design and he's always been my favorite.. so it was love as first sight. ;) She's made the other turtles as well and she's happy to customize them for you into brooches, key chains etc. if you don't wish to rock it as a necklace.

Honestly, she's got some really cute stuff for sale so you should check it out if you have the chance. I'm in love with what I got and hope to trade with her again in the future.

Next up is...

Valerie of Mole Street Studio is such a sweet person! Her shop features her collage art, handmade jewelry and some funky supplies. I really dig her style. My favorite of her designs is Harriett the little bat girl. She's gone on many adventures now and each one is cuter than the last.

This is Harriett watching television..

And this is Harriett just hanging out..

Isn't she fun?? All of Valerie's designs are strange and kooky like this so it's no wonder that I'm in love with them all. We traded awhile back for some supplies which I had a blast crafting with, but I hope to own some of her funky art someday as well.

Here's another one of my favorite's by Valerie. This one is on wood.

Check her out if you have the chance. You won't be disappointed. ;)

Lttle Shop of Horrors Etsy Shop Review

Yahoo!! This week we have another awesome etsy shop review of the lovely Jennifer Vera's shop: Lttle Shop of Horrors. I met Jenn thanks to my two favorite etsy trading teams (Wear if you Dare & Dark Traders). Bet you didn't see that one coming! (haha) But yeah... I really can't praise these two teams enough. I've met so many awesome people thanks to them; many of which I now consider to be good friends. Jenn is a really sweet person and she makes the best custom stuff! Her shop is filled with funky horror themed rockabilly style designs. Her style is simple yet defined and she can use any image you like to create some fantastic bottle cap jewelry and accessories. She has everything from hair flowers to earrings available for a VERY good price and all with her signature style attached. :)

I've had the pleasure of trading with Jenn on several occasions now and every time I've been giddy with satisfaction. Oh and did I mention Jenn is a trading machine?? Seriously, when we do trade events she's always amongst the final contenders! So... considering we both have good taste I know we'll continue to trade our little hearts out. Also, something I will never forget is Jenn was one of the few people that helped donate to my RAW Austin fund which I thought was super duper sweet of her! You rock girl. ;)

Ok... so this is my Lttle Shop of Horrors collection so far. As you can see I got some pretty bitchin' earrings including a custom pair of Gogol Bordello ones!, Pennywise the clown, Tales from the Crypt!, Tough Bitch bull dog earrings and Bride of Frankenstein. I also scored these mystical eyeball hair barrettes the last time we traded. Aren't they gorgeous??

I've also gotten a couple cool bracelets from her too! One features a bunch of modern horror characters and the other features kitschy halloween images! I simply LOVE these. They are so wicked cool!

If you know what's good for you you'll check out this shop! Trust me you won't be disappointed. ;)

Let's talk comics!

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of posts this past week, but I have been so super sick. It's been NO FUN at all! Especially since I had to work through most of the week too. :(

Anyways, I've finally started to feel a little bit better today and decided to come chat your heads off about one of my favorite past times comic books!

I've been an avid reader throughout my entire life, but it wasn't really until I got older than I became OBSESSED with comic books. Now I say obsessed, because I spend a crazy amount on these things every month, eagerly await new issues and constantly search for more titles to add to my list. Working at a comic book store for almost 8 years didn't help my obsession any either. That really just made it even easier to delve into the world of comics even further. Plus, who doesn't love a good employee discount?

I'm not really sure why I wasn't into comics more as a kid. I suppose it could be because my mom only ever bought me two and they were both pretty lame. I guess as a kid I thought if you've read one comic you've read 'em all. What a laugh! But can you blame me? I mean she did buy me Casper The Friendly Ghost and Pocahontas! Nobody wants to read that trash. Am I right?

I first got into comics around 12 when I was beyond crazy obsessed with Sailor Moon (still am!). Of course that led to manga and all other sorts of things too and by the time middle school was over I was a weekly subscriber. I've read all sorts of things over the years, but I've always enjoyed indie titles the most. I think it's because they have more of a diverse selection and aren't strictly focused on your average super hero adventure. But I enjoy those sometimes too.

So let's talk about a few of my favorite titles right now shall we? Ok. So for the last few months everything going on in the Bat universe has been INTENSE. Seriously, Death in the Family was kind of a let down... but they've been making a HUGE comeback since then. I will say I'm still pretty pissed about Damian Wayne's death... but I keep trying to shrug it off. Because seriously... Lazarus pit anyone?? I'm just counting the days. And seriously that better fucking happen! Or I will really not be a happy camper. But yeah if you haven't been keeping up you need to fucking read this shit. Between Barbara Gordon's emotional breakdown, Damian Wayne's death, and the Mad Hatter's Rampage against Gotham it's been one wild ride after another. Oh and I guess there was that Emperor Penguin shit.. but um it's ok if you missed that one. (haha)

Some other really good titles out right now are the new Tank Girl: Solid State. First off the art is fantastically strange and there's the usual amount of cute girls, guns and gore (who doesn't love that!) but this time there's a new twist. The girls get stuck inside Booga's scrotum? Come on you know you want to read that!

I've also really been enjoying the independent series Nowhere Men. When science fails us and time travel becomes reality who will stop the Nowhere Men? This mind blowing series is filled with really clever writing, awesome art and a wild sci-fi adventure that I'm so eager to read until it's end. Only one more issue! EEK!

 Man, there's really just SO many good titles out right now you guys! I think your best option is to head over to your nearest comic book store and quick. Besides it's new comic book day tomorrow! ;)

Saturday Shout Outs: Tatting For Spirit & House of Wonderland

Ok! So... I'm a day late on this, but I'm still going to call it "Saturday Shout Outs". And you can just deal with it! (haha) I do apologize for the delay. I've just been working a lot at my new job so these blog posts have been getting a little harder for me to keep up with! Hope you aren't too mad with me. ;)

Anyways, today's shout outs are about two very unique etsy shops I had the pleasure of trading with earlier on this year.

First up is...

Tatting for Spirit! This unique shop run by the super sweet Karen showcases her needle tatting designs made from hand-spun yarns. Each piece is one of a kind and carries a little bit of the artist inside it. She makes everything from jewelry to clothing too!

When I saw these I just knew I had to get them for my mom. She really adores them and wears them all the time too. I love all the tiny details in each stitch too. So pretty! Plus, the little beads are a nice touch.

Karen has a lot of other really pretty items for sale. I hope to grab some earrings for myself soon. She makes these GORGEOUS hummingbirds!

And I'm also a huge fan of these pretty little pumpkins. A must have come Halloween time. :)

Next up is House of Wonderland; home to some very cute rockabilly and pin up jewelry/accessories. I just can't get enough of this shop! Everything is just SO darn cute!! So when we hooked up for a trade in January I was thrilled!

I scored two pairs of tiny stud earrings. She makes these out of acrylic and the picture quality is really good.
Of course I got these Sailor Moon lockets... because well it's Sailor Moon! (haha) And as far as I'm concerned you can never have too much Sailor Moon stuff!

One of my favorite animals is the panda so when I saw these cute Mad Hatter pandas it was fate! A MUST HAVE for sure.

When I received these in the mail they came on the same cute little card too. And the characters shown on the bottom here are just a few examples of some of her cute little creations. I seriously can't get enough!

Janis Logsdon Etsy Shop Owner Review

Today I'd like to talk to you about one of my good friends Janis. We met thanks to the Dark Traders team. I'm telling you that team is FULL of amazing people! Janis actually owns and operates 3 stores on etsy. How crazy is that?? I've had the please of trading with her a few times now for some really cute stuff. All of her shops are uniquely different, but also individually showcase her love of skulls, bats and other spooky cute things.

Here's the list:
Jans Beads - Day of the Dead, Steampunk, Gothic Jewelry
Janis Logsdon Gems - Fine Gemstone Jewelry and Small Vintage Treasures 
Janis Supplies - Jewelry Making Supplies

Alright! Well now that we've gotten all of that out of the way. Let's talk about Janis' cool stuff! Ok so the first time we traded I scored a few random jewelry making supplies.

I got this really cute baby doll pendant made of resin which I used to make a pretty rad necklace for myself.  I just love how funky this little guy is! ;)

I also got some really rad naughty mermaid beads. I have yet to do anything with these beauties, but I know when I do the final product will be awesome. Plus, how could I say no to boobies like that?? (haha)

I actually loved those mermaid beads so much that I had to trade another time for these equally cool mermaid siren pendants. These are made of different material and a lot larger than the previous set. I haven't done anything with them either... but I swear I'm going to soon!

And lastly, I scored these amazing devil earrings from her jewelry shop! I'm usually a big earring girl... but I had to have these cuties. I wear them all the time. ;)

You should really check out Janis's work sometime if you have the chance. There's something rad to be found for everyone! Seriously, I like almost everything she's got in all of her shops. Plus, Janis is a real sweetie too. I'm glad I got the opportunity to connect with such a fun person. She always finds a way to make me smile.

hobbit.town jewelry just went viral bitches!!!

So as many of you know already a few months back I was very lucky to participate in the RAW Artists Austin art show. Don't know what I'm talking about?? Check out my review of the event here:

RAW Artists Austin Presents Marvel in Retrospect

I've been patiently waiting now for almost two months to check out this video interview... and guess what! It's finally been posted to youtube! Wee!!

I'm happy with how it turned out although they always say you are your own biggest critic. That's for sure! I'll be honest I was super nervous about this because I've never talked about myself on camera before. Or really ever BEEN on camera before! Minus a few home movies as a kid... Plus, this was shot moments before the show itself began and I had a million and one things on my mind. All that aside, I gotta say I did pretty good job of hiding all that though. What do you think??

Saturday Shout Outs: UrbnPop & Custom Creations

Hey everybody!
Got another awesome bunch of etsy shops I'd like to introduce to you today. And this time it's not about stuff I bought for myself! That's right. Today's shout outs are all about lovely gifts I've gotten for my special fella. And boy does he love 'em. ;)

First up is UrbnPop! Marcus and I first came across the fantastic art of Chris Hamer at Dragon Con last summer. And never seeing his work before we naturally both freaked out about it. I swear everything this guy does is amazing! No joke. He is crazy talented. I like everything from his iconic monster friend Byron (the wacky one eyed fella) to his pop culture & comic book themed stuff.

Couldn't pass up this bitchin' Earthworm Jim at the con. He had to be mine! :

Anyways, when he's not on the road he runs a little etsy shop UrbnPop where he sells both original and digital art work. Plus, he's always looking to do custom stuff too! And that's where Marcus comes in. For his birthday this past April I had Chris put together two FANTASTIC prints for him. I've never been disappointed with any of his work so all I did was give him the subject matter and then Chris just ran with it! And holy shit! I was beyond amazed with the final product and so was Marcus. Both prints are hand-drawn and one of a kind. I decided on that option vs. the digital because well I wanted them to be really unique, you know? Plus, I think they look really cool in pen and marker. ;)

Here's a close up picture of the Aqua Bats print I commissioned him to do for Marcus:

Omg isn't this rad??? And the Gambit one he did for Marcus is really bitchin too!
Here's Marcus sexy posing with his new treasures:

I really can't say enough good things about Chris Hamer you guys. And when we met him at Dragon Con he was just this really nice down to earth guy. I seriously hope he reaches crazy levels of fame. He deserves it! And perhaps when I have more accessible cash I can snag a few more things for myself. ;)

In the meantime you should check out this cool video on youtube of him introducing himself:


Next up is a very new etsy shop called Custom Creations. It's just about to celebrate it's first year in business in a couple of days actually! Gregory Beltz is the creator of Custom Creations and draws inspiration from pop culture and horror films. He specializes in unique book ends, but also does custom clothing as well. I'll be honest, I've always thought book ends were kind of silly, but Gregory really makes me want more of them in my life.

So when I came across his shop a few months back I just new I had to snag up these bitchin Rambo bookends for Marcus:

It's funny (and this just goes to show how much of a dork he is..), but when Marcus opened these he had kind of an "odd" look on his face. I asked him why and he was like "I really like these, but it should say Rambo First Blood Part II" and not just "Rambo". It made me laugh so hard!! He still really likes them though. He even reorganized his entire book shelf just to display them. ;)

If you have the chance do yourself a favor and check out this shop. It's a lot of fun. Perhaps you'll come to realize how important book ends can be like I did.

I swear these WILL be mine some day!