Member Favorite -- I am Dracula

Check out this wonderful watercolor from MonsterEtsy member,  primocardinalli. I really like how the colors are so bold and saturated --just like our favorite vamp.  Plus the drips make me think of trickles of blood, and give me pleasant shivers.

Artscape 2009 now Accepting DIY Applications

I already submitted mine. If you're in the Baltimore/DC area I HIGHLY recommend applying for this huge show. I did it last year and while the weather sucked, it led to some really great opportunities for me. Check it out! Applications accepted til March 31st.

Monster Lab - ArtsiBitsi

Would it be interesting to see the process of the creation of a Monster? It might surprise you to learn that it does not involve a dark tower, or stolen body parts nor even a serendipitous thunderstorm.

Here are some photographs of my studio after one of my cut-a-thons.

This is my work table where all the pinning and cutting happens.   It features a most excellent, stainless steel table with an adustable height shelf underneath for my supplies.  It fits a nook between two closets, with set of big windows that look out across the woods. My kitties like to lay on the fleece (back left corner of the shelf) and watch the birds come to the feeder.  The feeder is only a few inches from the window, so both the kitties and I get a good look at the woodpeckers and other birds.

The other important station in my studio is the sewing and pressing table.   This is not ideal space, as it's a little crowded and underlit.  And there is nothing really to look at but the material that I'm working on.   Maybe I need to put a mural on the wall. Or some mirrors.   ... Or maybe I just need to concentrate on making straight seams.  :-)

BTW, that's just an ordinary Brother i6000 sewing machine.  It has about 60 different stitches, but I hardly ever use more than three of them.

So here I am basically designing eight monster backpacks at once -- an heroic feat which has not ever been attempted before.  By me.  

Aren't these fun colors?

Every monster needs a colorful fleece skin, and a coordinating lining.  Most of these will have some sort of funkadelic cotton lining. At this point, I am already starting to think of names and personalities to give to each bag.

In addition to the skin and the lining, I also need to cut the feet and arms and straps.   There is about ten feet of strap for each bag.  Here are all the straps, cut to length, but not finished.  When I set down to sew them, it will be a few hours of ironing and sewing.  And a lot of thread.  A lot.  I'll probably have to replace the bobbin on my sewing machine three or four times.

Don't the straps look like guts?  Mwah ha ha ha.

To see some finished monster backpacks, please visit my store at ArtsiBitsi.etsy.com

The workspace of SKELETAL DROPKICK

Here is where I make my mugs and stuff. The wheel, you will notice is spotless... One of the few places that I actually make sure to keep that way. The shelves on the other hand are in a constant state of flux. They usually have some ceramics that are finished, some waiting for a glaze firing and some in various states of drying. And, yes, that is a big old fridge from the 50's back there. It doesn't work, but makes for very stylish CD storage...

Skeletal Dropkick

Craft Show Time Again!

Yes, yes, it is the first Saturday of the month which means another IndieSacramento Craft Show. This one is at the Trinity Church in Sac on Capitol avenue, February 7th, from 10am -3pm. There will be at least 35 different vendors. I totally recommend going. I will be there with stuff from both Skeletaldropkick and Ochibo. I will also have Skeletaldropkick seconds there, some only good for holding pencils and some that only have a very minor flaw for much cheaper than my normal shop prices.
Go! Go! Go!