2010 Holiday Cards

I recycled some old unused but out-of-date postcards (hubby's old band lineup) into Holiday Cards! They're fairly quick if you need some last minute cards/stocking stuffers and have some old postcards/cards laying around.

I searched for "christmas ornaments vector", found some I liked and arranged 4 of them in Photoshop. I then printed the 4 ornaments on colored construction paper, cut them about a 1/4" smaller than the post card (giving an 1/8" border) and used Modge Podge & a small foam brush to glue them in place over the front of the post cards. Stick them under a heavy book while they dry so they wouldn't curl up. If you don't weigh them down they will curl, as I learned the hard way with my first batch :p

The Holly is a removable pin! Which I found the directions for on marthastewart.com: directions & template

I used a single jingle bell (special ones have a Holly Spider too!) and tried different types of ribbon. Keep in mind double sided ribbon is easier to make the bows from than single sided. For the bows I used a 1.5" template I made out of  cardboard scrap. Directions to make your own templates and a chart for multiple sizes here.

Once your cards are dry and your pins are done, on the cards about a 1/2" above the top of the printed ornament mark 2 dots horizontally an inch apart. If you don't have a hole punch that can reach, like moi, make a small 'x' with an Xacto blade and then gently poke a knitting needle (I used a size 9, 5.25mm), or something similar, through the 'x' to make the holes for the pin to go through.

Write your message on the back and you're done!

xx ~Static

Cloud 9 Is Made of Stripey Socks

Two more packages arrived the other day. These...

... because my friend and old roomy doesn't want me darning my holey old socks. But, but they're stripey and still have a *little* life left in them :'( Love you, Donna, thanks! All the sock pics are from SockDreams.com because my digicam batteries are still charging. They like to torture me. SockDreams has the best stock of stripey footy-leggy goodness. Evah.

And, the other package had a Voodoo Dude magnet (damn that's a strong little magnet!), a swirly black & red bat plaque, a black bat pin & and black cat tie tack pin. All thanks to a swap with the adorable Jinn aka DreadfulDesigns!

Again, this is Jinn's pic because my digicam is on strike. You'll just have to imagine the cuteness of the other items. Believe me, they are.

Aaaaaaand, there's still one more package that arrived yesterday! It is definitely awesome but I'll save it for another post. I'm sleepy and it going to be a part of a whole other kind of awesomeness. My digicam better be behaving by then!

Rock On, BellaLili

I was lucky enough to win BellaLili's Ocotober giveaway and received this gorgeous bracelet!

 

That's BellaLili's pic & more views can be seen on the linked listing. I can't do it justice with my camera and crappy lighting. Did I mention it's gorgeous? And, let me tell you, there is not a drop of glue on this beauty. It is all solidly soldered together. Which is perfection because I'm a tad rough on my jewelry. But I promise to take good care of this lovely!

Thank you, BellaLili!

Black Friday to Cyber Monday 2010 Sale!

Bookmark this post and get ready to kick off your holiday shopping!

Between Friday Nov. 26th and Monday Nov. 29th, I'll be having a 20% off sale in both shops, 11/26 to 11/29, only. No promo code needed, all prices will be marked down 20% on the morning of the 26th!
Discount applies to purchase price only and does not apply to tax (TN only), custom, or postage.

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SWStitchery 20% off all items

StaticWhite 20% off all items

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And for more great Black Friday to Cyber Monday deals check out the post over on the EtsyDarkTeam's blog:

You Asked, He Answered

After bugging Scott at the very least 4 times today about answering the questions inquiring and twisted minds wanted to know (from my Badger Scot post and FB replies), here they are! And, thanks again to Erin of OhHonestlyErin! This was fun! And, here's to hoping he doesn't return the favor :p

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Darien - Dear Scott, name the three worst things you could imagine having shoved in your pants?

Scott - 1) an actively running chainsaw, 2) a riled up hive an angry hornets, and 3) only *one* hand from someone else. Anything less than two is just a tease.

 

Sheila - Ok, I gotta know the answer to the zorro cape thing.

(It's like Jeopardy, in the form of a question please LOL So you mean, "Does Scott really run naked with a Zorro cape when he thinks no one is looking?")

Scott- Absolutely I do. Though even though I think no one is looking, I'm secretly hoping that they are.

 

Blacknick - Okay I'm going to badger Scott with two questions:

1) What music/muscians influenced Scott early in his career?

Scott - Very early on, my folks' collection of LP's from the 60's and 70's (Beatles, Steppenwolf, Creedence, Dr. Hook), lots of "oldies" radio when I was kid with Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, things passed to me from my big brother (Pink Floyd, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Guns N Roses) and bits I went out and found on my own (Stone Temple Pilots, The Clash, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains). And as far as playing bass goes, mountains of Robert DeLeo, Jeff Ament, Duck Dunn and Patrick Dahlheimer. There is of course far, far more - but that was just the starting point.

2) Who does Scott think had the better vocal talent Elvis or Roy Orbison?

Scott - Roy was the better vocalist. Elvis was the better entertainer.

 

Darien -  Have you ever considered learning to play the bouzouki?

Scott - It's a pretty fascinating instrument. Never crossed my mind to take it up. Would be cool to pick up if things got to the point where all we were doing for a living was music, so there'd be time and resources to do it. Plus, it's just fun to say. "Bouzouki". Like a rocket launcher, but cooler. And more Greek.

Does the Flowbee give you nightmares?

Scott - Years of therapy and expensive pyschopharmacological treatment can't undo the damage that Flowbiephobia has done to me. Thanks a lot for bringing that up. Jerk.

Can I braid your hair into Viking pigtails?

Scott - Absolutely. Can I carry around a big Viking axe and raid coastal villages after you do?

 

David White - What are you hiding behind your hand?

Scott - A Mona Lisa smile. But without, you know, the charm or the class.

 

FaerydustPixy - Dear Scott, What would Maya say is your most annoying habit?

Scott - Tapping / playing drums on anything and everything, all the time, usually subconsciously. Yes, even in my sleep.

(Yes! Even to songs he doesn't like! The weird part though is that sometimes he'll keep time by rubbing his big toes against the "index" toes. He does it in his sleep too. That shit used to wake me up in the middle of the night. I'm used to it now.)

Do you sleepwalk?

Scott - I think I did once when I was like five years old. I'm way too light of a sleeper to sleepwalk these days. I do sometimes sleep-kitty-punt though, if the little fuzzy critters are camping out too close to my kickin' foot in bed.

Who is sexier: Freddy Mercury or David Bowie?

Scott - The Thin White Duke. Eight days out of the week. The man drips charisma all over the floor and leaves a trail of it behind him. Sure Freddy is awesome and had an amazing voice. But Bowie was Jareth. I mean, c'mon. Labyrinth fer Pete's sake!

 

ForeverFall - Dear Scott, What I want to know is this... What would you do if werewolves were real?

Scott - Teach them to hunt sparkly vampires.

 

MrsEvils - hmmm...Scott, what is your favorite thing about Nashville?

Scott - The fact I have a ton of great friends here. And fried pickles.

 

EJPcreations - Scott does the impending doom of the robot uprising trouble your dreams?

Scott - Not in the least. I, for one, welcome our new mechanical overlords with open arms and a can of oil.

 

Nitebyrd - Zorro? Don't you think a Dracula cape would be more classy?

Scott - Dude, no way! That high-neck cape just doesn't sit right on me. Besides, if I do something completely hurr-derr in a Zorro cape I don't feel so bad. I'd really hate to besmirch the name of Vlad Dracula though.

(Besides, the Dracula cape is mine.)

 

Erin - Scott, if Maya were to make a plush version of you, what would be the signature touch that would really make it scream, "This is a plushie of SCOTT BOWEN, and not nobody else, fool!"? 

Scott - Probably the long hair with the undercut. And the smarmy bastard smirk.

(Smarmy bastard. Yes.)

One more!

Scott, how do you like your ideal grilled cheese to be made? (i.e. bread type, cheese, etc. - I'm an enthusiast of the grilled cheeses and need to know for a fake research paper I'm writing on a slice of Velveeta.)

Scott - Grilled cheese must absolutely be cooked just a *bit* too long so it's blackened ever so slightly (okay, lightly burned!), and this is the important part coming up. Seriously important. If you forget this part, you can just go home now and not bother. I mean it. Don't forget it. SERVE WITH HOT TOMATO SOUP! Grilled cheese + a bowl of tomato soup is nothing short of pure and utter win.

It's badger Scott time!

Okay so I saw Erin's post on her blog, OhHonestlyErin, entitled Harangue Henry (the replies are here) and back tracked through a few other blogs. Pretty funny stuff. Basically, people got to ask her man anything and he had to answer. No, really, you don't say "No" to Erin. So, I thought it would be fun to try it on my blog. See this guy?...

Yeah, him, that's my hubby (Ooh, serious face).

This is one of his more usual looks (far right)...

It's either that look or an "innocent" who-me? look. Mhmm. Who needs the Comedy channel when I've got him? Sigh.

Anywho, ask him something. Anything. He'll answer. Just like Henry can't resist the gentle caress of Erin's pillow over his face neither can my Scott refuse the smoldering eyes of his beloved Stabberican gypsy (Me. With pointy objects).

Do you have a question for Scott? Want to know what it’s like living with me? What’s it like being a drummer/guitarist now bassist/singer? Why he replaces words in songs to make them about squirrels & himself? What's with all the dead hooker jokes? Does he run around naked in a Zorro cape when he thinks no one's looking? You can ask him band stuff, geek stuff, movie stuff, anything really. You'd be surprised (or frightened) by what he holds in that big head of his.

Go for it, he doesn't know I'm doing this! At least not until this post feeds over to Facebook >:) If I don't get enough questions there won't be a follow up post and, well, I'll be sad. And then Scott will be miserable because no one likes me moody. Not that I get moody. Much. Often. Oh hell, if you love me, you love me! If you don't, it's your loss. It not about me, it's about Scott, so ask already!

xx

Friends don't let friends be mooches

Just a friendly holiday reminder.

Friend ≠ free stuff

Just saying. That symbol (≠) means does NOT equal just so we're all on the same page here. Granted sometimes it does if that creative friend is feeling generous, can afford it and so on. But, to just expect, or worse demand, freebies from your creative friends is just plain tacky. Musicians, artists, seamstrix, etc work hard at what they create and deserve to get paid for it too. Support them, love them, tell your other friends how awesome they are. They are your friend after all, right?

I haven't had it happen to me recently because, well, I'm a hermit and I also know how to tell people "No". Although I am seeing quite a bit of it going around (thank you FB).'Tis the season to be greedy? I've seen demands for free CDs from musicians. I've seen whining for free plushies, jewelry and accessories from those who make them. Yeah, yeah, all in "jest" I'm sure. How about instead of being "funny" you buy that item? If you really want it and don't have the funds at least offer to trade something in return for it. That'll get taken a lot better than just demanding a freebie because you're supposedly friends. Or worse, vague acquaintances. We all like free stuff, and maybe your creative friends will offer up freebies when they can afford to give things away, but your friends have to eat and pay bills too.

Creative types, if you see your friends pulling this sort of thing smack 'em. Or give 'em a good falcon punch/ monkey-steals-the-peach. Which ever is most appropriate or needed.

Friends don't let friends be mooches.

Astaire, the Hypno-Bunny

Astaire likes to smile. A lot. And, stare... and stare and stare and stare until it's enemies fall hopelessly into those neon pink eyes and onto that wicked carrot blade. So, obviously, it's best to be friends with this cute little black bunny. Take Astaire home and give lots of love that way you'll always have someone watching your back.

♦ Astaire is approx 9.5" (24.13cm) tall from head to toe, not including those big adorable ears!

Astaire comes with the hand cut, sewn & painted carrot knife at his feet and can be found in my main shop, SWStitchery.

xx ~Static

2nd Annual EDT Halloween Scavenger Hunt

Come join the Etsy Dark Team in the 2nd Annual EDT Halloween Scavenger Hunt. One item, from our deliciously dark prizes, will go randomly to each of the first 13 people who complete the Hunt!

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WHEN: Sunday October 10th @ 10am EST (7am PST, 9am CST)

WHERE: Start your hunt at http://SWStitchery.etsy.com

HOW TO PLAY:

• Look through the shops item listings for this image:

• You'll find the link to the next shop to hunt through when you find the image!
• Compile a list of all the links to the items you find with the above image hidden in it, in order, starting with http://SWStitchery.Etsy.com .
• When you reach the end, convo your complete list of links to Room3Designs, or email her at: tiffwestlund[at]hotmail[dot]com .

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This will run until the goodies are gone. Prizes include items such as jewelry, cocktail hats, pillows, art prints, ornaments, gift certificates, and more! I'll be contributing a Custom Batling Ornament.

Good luck & have a spooky good time!

xx ~Static

EDT Halloween Stalker Swap

I friggin' love my team's swaps!

The most recent one being the EDT Halloween Stalker Swap. I was given Shadovnia as my 'victim'. I created this little beauty of an apron, Bat on a Starry Night, as the main gift...

Shadovnia has a new kitchen in year round Halloween decor so I hope she likes it! I also sent candy (of course), monster paper dolls & a purple with black bat print Chinese lantern.

Can't wait to see who my 'stalker' is and what they made for me! ~Static

EDT Year Long Bday Swap Gifts Pt 3

My third Bday Swap Gift arrived in a ginormous box and I couldn't even imagine what it could be. I peeked at the return address to see that it was from the lovely CauldronCraftMinis, the fine purveyor of miniatures, herbs & oddities. Ooh. So I grabbed up my nearest scissors and quickly cut through the tape to find...

A herb smothered candle taper, an elegantly witchy little broom, pony fall, herbs, herbs and more herbs, bats to hang from my ceiling, a lovely steampunk necklace, a coffin box complete with vampire bat and stuffed with the aptly named Graveyard Dirt oatmeal facial scrub. Wowza! Oh and the toe tag card is just hilarious. Apparently I died in a sewing machine accident! Maybe I should look into that little electrical issue my one machine has after all?

Thank you, CauldronCraftMinis! Hopefully I'll be able to luxuriate and feel like a fairy princess soon. ♥ ~Static

Part of a weird dream I had the other night...

There were 5 or 6 tabby kittens in the bathtub, water dripping from the faucet. I went to find the mama cat and found her in the next room. By the time I brought her back into the bathroom somehow the drain had shut and the tub was half full with yellowish water. And, instead of kittens there were now mewling blue eyed, balloon-like baby heads. Most had flung themselves out of the tub and into the sink or onto the counter across the narrow bathroom. Two were left in the tub. One managed to fling itself out as I moved forward to get them, the other just sank. So I rushed over and scooped it out, plopping it into the sink. The mama cat jumped up to check on them as if it was perfectly normal for her kittens to have turned into blue eyed balloon baby heads about the size of grapefruits.

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Kittens and baby heads... what the hell does that mean? Sigh. Par for the course really. I have the strangest damn dreams. My hubby hardly ever remembers his so he finds mine fascinating. And, no, I am not under the influence of anything. My dreams really are this strange sometimes all on their own. I guess it's all a part of being a creative type? ;D

EDT Year Long Bday Swap Gifts Pt 2

Yesterday I just had a feeling I had better check my mail and I'm happy I did! There was a brown paper wrapped box waiting for me from ForeverFall. It was sealed with some seriously industrial tape but with a little "help" from my kitties I got it open. Yes, I'm one of those people that undoes the tape on wrapping paper. Hey, it's all about recycling. Anyway, while the kitties decided who would get nesting rights in the paper I sawed away at more tape on the box. Which, I might add, was conveniently labeled as to which side to open. Of course it was in my lap upside down.

Within the mounds of black tissue paper I found this...

 

Isn't she lovely? She even has crazy hair like mine! Her name is Sideshow Siouxsie and her little buddies in her hair are Trilla & Trixie, on the left, and Mr. Obselete: the Man With No Arms, on the right.

Thank you, ForeverFall! You really have a talent and should have a whole slue of awesome sideshow dollies & hair sculptures in your shop! ~Static

EDT Year Long Bday Swap Gifts Pt 1

My birthday is the 23rd of this month. I'll be, um... 29 (again). The ever so awesome AgonysDecay organized a Year Long Bday Swap for our team which of course I couldn't pass up. Each of us sends out 3 gifts throughout the year and then when our bday rolls around we receive 3 gifts. It's a secret swap so you never know what you're going to get or from whom! But of course they're always awesome because they're from EtsyDarkTeam members so you can't go wrong.

In my last post you got to see what I sent out this month, now you get to see what I received. My first birthday gift (of three) arrived the other day from CoffinCritters!

A Cemetery Rose scented soy candle (that didn't make it into the pic in my excitement) with moss, a ghostly kaleidoscope, bubbles, a handmade skull jar with cemetery dust for luck (and boy could I use some!), an off-white round lidded box painted with black stripes on the lid and embellished with a skull key, a voodoo dude bottle cap charm and a small purple painted box with black stripes and stitches!

I'm going to have to find a good spot in my livingroom to display all my birthday goodies. It already smells delish in here thanks to the Cemetery Roses candle and it's not even lit! Be sure to check out the awesomeness of CoffinCritters for yourself at her shop. Now to freak out the kitties with bubbles *muhuhahaha* Thank you, CoffinCritters!

I'll be posting about my 2nd gift shortly! ~Static

EDT Year Long Bday Swap: Ebil Bun Bunnee

 

Ebil Bun Bunnee stalks behind dust ruffles and under couches seeking out those dirty little wannabe bunnies made of dust with it's sharp little claws and wicked carrot blade. Though you might want to watch your ankles. Ebil Bun Bunnee gets a little overzealous at times.

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Ebil Bun Bunnee was created as part of the EtsyDarkTeam's Year Long Birthday Swap and now lives with Nitebyrd far away where he can't poke and tease my other critters. This naughty bunny has issues with authority but should behave well enough as long as there is an ample stash of carrots laying about.

Can't wait to share my presents shortly!

Devious Kitten and Ebil Pumpkin

A kitten padded through the pumpkin patch unseen except for the occasional glow of his neon green eyes. The vines thicken until a pumpkin almost the size of Kitten's head blocked the way. He figured the easiest way around would be over so he hunkered down, gave his booty a little wiggle and executed a most graceful little hop to clear it. At least he thought he was being graceful until his paw caught in a vine. As undignified as a face-plant in the vine tangled dirt can be he managed to bounce up like he meant to land like that. That's when he heard a rustling snicker behind him. The kitten immediately spun about and made himself look as big as possible. There was nothing there but the pumpkin. Deciding the snickering was really only the wind the kitten proceeds to kick dirt on the offending gourd.

"Hey! Do you mind? You got dirt in my eyehole!"

"A-a-a talking pumpkin?!", the kitten hissed.

"Well aren't you just Captain Obvious. I could say the same, you know. A-a-a talking kitten?!", the pumpkin teased while flicking dirt out of it's eyehole with a long twisted vine.

The kitten glared at the pumpkin and decided now was a good time to clean and straighten his back fur.

"Look, sorry for tripping you but I've no one to talk with in this dank patch. I mean look around, they all just sit there like a bunch of lumps studiously ignoring one another. I mean, what's the point of being able to talk if you just go about ignoring everyone and thing?"

"So...", the kitten mushroomed and then settled ramrod straight, "All the veggies here can talk?"

"No just the pumpkins. At least here in this patch. Something to do with a curse. Or something silly like that. And technically we're fruit not veggies. Anyway, it doesn't matter. They", the chatty gourd waves a vine around, "won't say a word. Not even a good day or howdedo. Eyes shut and mouths closed, we're just plain old pumpkins here. Lazy lumpkins more like."

"Well at least some know when they should be quiet." the kitten sniffed looking about.

"Oh come on. Don't be like that. I said I was sorry. I'm just bored is all. Maybe we could work something out? You get me out of here and I'll make it up to you."

"Pff, what can you do? Can you turn yourself into a pie? A nice warm pie with a saucer of milk would be great right about now."

"Alright, enough of that. " The pumpkin scratches where his chin would have been if he had one in thought. "First off I'm Ebil Pumpkin. The others named me that though I don't see why. Just because I get up to mischief now again." Ebil Pumpkin paused dreamily for a moment before shaking himself out of his reverie. "You can just call me Ee. You know like "eek" but with out the 'k'." Chuckling at his lame joke, "And you are...?"

"Devious. Devious Kitten. But you can call me Dee."

"Well, Dee... Dee & Ee, I like that. Well, Dee, you do look like the sneaky sort", which Dee immediately harumphed at but didn't put much heart behind, "so I suppose I could serve as a lookout, and I am good at tangling up feet as you might have noticed."

"You're not helping yourself, you know. You're lucky I'm bored too or I'd be so out of here. Cans to dump, dogs to spook and all that."

"Mmhmm. I can be good company.", hurrying to continue past the slit eyed glared Dee shot him, "I know, I know. I can be a tad chatty but I can be quiet when needed. Really I can."

It was Dee's turn to say, "Mmhmm."

"I can, uh, scowl with the best of them. See? Grr." Dee sighs heavily "Ok, fine. I'm lonely, alright. Happy now? Please just get me out of here. I'm losing my mind to sheer and utter boredom of it all. I need to get out and see the world before I wither away to nothing. I can tell you all sorts of stories and we could be friends. Everyone needs a friend now again right? Oh and you can hide things in me. Look at all the space." Ee opens his mouth wide for Dee to peer in and it does seem to go on forever.

After a good long thoughtful stare Dee sighs, "I'm so going to regret this.", and hefts the surprising light Ee onto his back. As Ee wraps his vines around to keep himself steady Dee wobbles a bit. "Not around the middle! Don't you know anything about cats? Sheesh."

"Oh right, sorry." says Ee as he resettles himself like a backpack. Dee shakes his head, as he takes off into the night, at the thought of a kitten toting around talking pumpkin but there are stranger things. Stranger things by far.

 

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Devious Kitten & Ebil Pumpkin Plush can be found in my Etsy shop!

xx ~Static

MrsEvils Rocks Your Head & Eats Your Brains

MrsEvils sends me some of the best goodies! Not only do I have a couple of her awesome hair flowers (Spider Flower below), a crossstitch kit (which sadly I've yet to find time to try) and a Stabby magnet among other things, but she sent me a sample of her new zombie eyeshadow line. A beautiful dark green eyeshadow named after me! Static!

"Static" is a dark shimmering green that reminds me of the darkest metallic green of a beetle.

 

My photography skills just don't do it justice. I used it a bit sparingly, being the first time I was trying it out. That and, well, I couldn't find my applicators and used a q-tip instead. I was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly it went on and how easy it was to blend. It goes great with a dark gold eyeshadow, as you can see! Also, no allergic reaction. My skin is fairly sensitive and my allergies act up if even so much as think of something I'm allergic to so this is a big deal to me.

When I asked her why green, she told me my photoshop self portrait was her inspiration... *blush*

Thank you MrsEvils! I am beyond flattered and love, love, love it ♥ ~Static

My zombies, they are taking over!

Rommie the Not-Sock Zombie Monkey now lives on the US East Coast, another Not-So-Fresh Zombie is nibbling his way through the UK & a Lil Zombie Jibber is biting toes in Australia!

If you look real close you can see Lil Zombie Jibber (bottom right) has got himself a little soul patch (wee goatee) & a labret like his larger human counterpart! He's also missing his foot which was apparently gnawed off in his attempted escape from the other zombies. Didn't do him much good did it?

xx ~Static

Mr. McGillicutty

Here's another custom request based on the customer's drawing!

Isn't he adorable? There are detail & back views on my Flickr if you're interested.

I may even be inspired to create a few more anime style dolls but that's all I'm saying for now ;)

xx ~Static

August is custom month?

It's seems that August is indeed a custom requests month. Not that I'm complaining! Here's a look at some of what I've been up to:

TriColor Maneki Neko Ornament - Hand stitched felt, bell & satin ribbon...

Steampunk Wedding Garter - Striped silk/rayon, cluney lace, satin ribbon & a screwhead/bolt button...

And, two more applique similar to the one above - Satin brocade, jacquard & a whole lot of stitching. No embroidery machine used, this was all done on a 50+yr old Pfaff sewing machine.

I've got a couple others items in the works right now but they're a secret. For now. I'll share them as soon as I can though!

xx ~Static

Random vent: Responsible = screwed

No one need read this. I'm just venting.

I am beyond fed up. My Etsy shops sales have trickled to literally nothing. I thought about closing them but they're my only possibility for income right now. I thankfully got signed up for legit online surveys, which pop up 2-4 a month, just to be sure to cover my fees there. This economy has really put a huge damper on the job market, add in the May Day flooding that thrashed Nashville's  businesses and homes, and well, I think you get the picture. Of what feels like a bazillion resume/applications that I've sent out I've had one phone interview and less than a handful of "resume received" emails. I'm either overqualified (yes, I know, not legal but it still happens), qualified but don't have some expensive course's certificate, or I'm possibly to much of a "city slicker" with my resume being chockfull of jobs in NY & CA. I even applied for a bunch of FEMA jobs, among others, through the local gov't job bank and never heard a peep back. After the song and dance they make you do (search online, go in person to the office, talk to a couple different people then they take and forward your resume) I thought surely I'd get some work now. I came prepared, dressed nice, slapped on the smile, had a nice big list of job numbers. Nothing. Thankfully my hubby finally found something a couple weeks ago thanks to a good friend of ours. We were seriously days away from packing up the kitties and moving into our van. His finally finding a job is good because it keeps us from falling further behind in bills, etc but it's unfortunately not helping us get ahead. Ergo, I need a job or one of us needs to become famous. Famous rock star (he) or seamstrix (me) would be really nice but I'll settle for a decent job.

This is where responsible = screwed. A part of why we moved down here for the better cost of living so we could save (apartments are half as much and twice, or more, the size of NY/CA apartments), buy a nice little house and finally friggin have kids. You know, so our kids wouldn't have to grow up in a little box of an apartment, ride the subway alone at 10yrs old or worry about getting mugged/stabbed/shot by school kids.

So back to the present, with jobs being mighty scarce I looked into the possibility of getting gov't help as our last resort. I keep hearing, "it's out there, you just gotta look", so I did. Well apparently since my hubby and I want to work (*gasp* I know) and he at least managed to find something, and we have no kids because we're trying to be responsible adults, we don't qualify for jack diddly worth of anything. But if I turn into a baby factory tomorrow then we could get the help. What the hell? My self-sufficient mentality made it hard enough to look into help from anyone but then to see it wasn't even available... Maybe I missed something but have you ever had to wade through gov't websites? It made my brain hurt and my eyes cross but I did it. I filled out so many questionnaires and read FAQs galore to no avail.

I've just got to keep on keeping on, I guess, and hope I'm not a senior citizen before I see the simplest of my dreams come true. Presently I've just got to deal with my vicious cycle of getting stressed out over all this nonsense which shuts down my creativity which stresses me out even more. This of course is no good since, like I said, my Etsy shops are currently my only job. Other than cleaning up after two furballs and a husband ;) It's getting harder and harder to keep the shops going with zero budget but I'll do it as long as I can because, everything else aside, it's what I love doing. Just like my hubby and his music.

Well I've got 21 multi-colored Batling bodies in front of me just squeaking to be completed. I don't know why it's 21, that's just what came about the other day along with a handful of Neko bits. Better get to stitching!

And the winner....

... of all these loverly little items...

...is...

-:¦:-·:*'"*:·.-:¦:-·*PILI*·-:¦:-·:*'''*:·-:¦:-

Please email me at swstitchery [at] yahoo. Your package will go out on my PO run day which is Saturday.

Thanks so much to absolutely everyone who joined in and hope to see you all at the next giveaway!

♥♥♥~Static

1k+ EDT Fans Giveaway!

I am in a fluttering frenzy in my belfry over all the love for the EtsyDarkTeam! We've flown past 1000 fans! So to celebrate I am having a giveaway because I am now the proud mama bat of the team! There is also a slowly growing master list of EDT celebratory giveaways & sales here. Be sure to check that often because I'll be updating as info rolls in!

Now onto MY giveaway! You could receive...

Your choice of the Dark Love Monkey (shown above, click for closer look) ~OR~ the sweeter Love Monkey ornament from my SWStitchery shop

~PLUS~ a small assortment of goodies from my StaticWhite shop (my choice!)

~PLUS~ the debut Rock album from The Redding Shift and a smattering of promo goodies from my friends & team mates! Delicious.

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Requirements to enter:

• Have a blog that I can contact you through by clicking the username in your reply post(s) ~or~ leave me an email with each entry.
• Visit  SWStitchery, come back here, and leave a comment about your favorite item. (=entry #1)

This giveaway is open to the US, Canada, Australia, the EU and Japan.

This giveaway ends on July 20th at noon CST. The winner will be announced shortly thereafter.

 

For extra entries in this giveaway, you can do one or more of the following. A separate comment for each is not required but leave an "Enter" key space or two between each action/link so I can be sure to count them!:

• +2 entries each (for a total of six max) - Write about this giveaway on your blog, Myspace or LiveJournal. Include the URL to each post in your comment for it to count.
• +1 entry (1 per day & a comment for each) - Twitter the following message: RT @SWStitchery Visit staticwhite.blogspot.com to enter their 1k+ EDT Fans giveaway!
• +1 entry - Be or become a follower on Twitter of @SWStitchery
• +1 entry - Be or become a follower on Twitter of @EtsysDarkSide 
• +1 entry - Be or become a fan of the Static White's Stitchery's Facebook page
• +1 entry - Be or become a fan of the Etsy Dark Team's Facebook page
• +1 entry - Be or become a Follower of this blog

 

Much luck! ♥ ~Static, The Redding Shift & the EtsyDarkTeam

 

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Please note:

• Due to Facebook's current ToU, Facebook posts can NOT be used as an entry for giveaways. However, become a fan/liking a page and "sharing" links to blog posts, such as this one, is okay *nudgenudgewinkwink*
• If the blog linked to your username is private then we can not contact you, so leave an email. If you do not leave an email... you guessed it, we can not contact you. If we can not contact you, your entry can not be counted, can it? Nope.
• Do not mush all you entries into one continuous sentence. Leave an "Enter" key space or two between each entry/action!
• Any comments or links not relevant to this giveaway will be deleted. Please do not make our lives difficult. Don't make me send an angry horde of incendiary-poo-flinging flying monkeys at you.
• All entries are put into a list and then randomized and numbered with the help of random.org. Then, a random number is chosen, also via random.org, and we have our name out of the e-hat, so to speak!
• Did you read all of this? You're awesome. +1 entry if you write "monkey" at the end of your comment.

June Update!

I know, I know, I've not been very chatty lately but with the flooding and job hunting and other craziness I've been just a wee bit distracted. So, here are a couple updates.

I was interviewed by CustomZombie! Check it out here:

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Also, if you'd like a chance at receiving a present from me (my choice) head on over to my shop's Facebook page... "Like" my page and leave me a weird, wondrous or creepy comment on the Note here:

I'm over there fairly often so if you'd like to chat, ask a question or just say "Hi!" Facebook is the place to find me!

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And last but not least, not only are there new destash/supplies over at my supply shop there will be some new critters making their way to the main shop! Here a sneak peek:

These little guys are called Grumble Stars. Grr  is on the bottom left in black (she's the boss of this trio), Meh is bottom right in grey & Hmph is at the top there in green. They are approximately 7" tall, squishy, fleecey, and full of cranky adorableness. The perfect size for beaning your loved ones upside the head when they tick you off. Or, just for the fun of it ;)

These 3 won't be available though. They now live with AgonysDecay. Hmph was singled out and adopted by her special kitty. Hmph is now resigned to his fate of being carried around, snuggled and loved.

Other Stars will be available! If you'd like to see a specific expression let me know! I currently can make them in white, light grey, charcoal, light pink, hot pink, and purple.

xx ~Static

Featured in the Undead Bazaar

I'm featured in Zombies & Toys' The Undead Bazaar! See my feature here or click the image below to see all the awesome features and contests so far.

 There will be more to come so be sure to follow Zombies & Toys' blog and check back for more delicious ghoulishness! xx ~Static

Flood my soul a coffee dreg - supersize

Sorry I've been gone so long! First there was the job hunting, then the flooding and now I'm still job hunting.

Okay so since a lot people have asked, I'm posting about the "May Day Flood" and the rains since. Firstly, we're okay! We were without electricity for two days but the water stayed on, thankfully, even though one of the water treatment plants flooded. Also we couldn't leave our place for an entire day because we were literally an island. Every exit out of our complex was flooded. Our surrounding area and other parts of Nashville were not so lucky.

Here's a picture of what happens when it pours down on us, the retaining wall in our parking lot turns into a waterfall...

Pretty isn't it? Oh and here's the swimmin' hole (aka the sewer-drain-that-couldn't)...

Notice how it goes out into the middle of the road on the right? Glad we're up high because this was just after about maybe 15 minutes of rain. There's a hill to the left under the "swimmin' hole" so the street could only fill so much before making a nice little river down the hill.

I didn't personally get video --I'm not that crazy to go out there!-- but there are plenty on youtube like the building that meandered down the I24. Which just so happens to have started it's floating journey from a church school just down the street from me!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XyRNt2Uur8  And,  I don't know what's with the creepy chime music but here's my neighborhood over the May 1st & 2nd weekend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3c7tdXWbJk
This is just over a little bridge from us: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SCbPZeIomY&feature=related

We've still having heavy thunderstorms on and off but so far nothing like the beginning of the month. Whatever happened to "April showers bring May flowers"? Apparently it's now "April, nice and warm, brings May thunderstorms"!

So as I said, I am mundane job hunting but I'm still stitching. Granted I can't seem to finish anything lately, but I am working on whittling down the pile of 1/2 done stitchings. Really I am.

Well I'm off to get a drop of sun before it decides to hide behind storm clouds again. Yes, I can go in the sun! For a minute or two ;) Then back to scouring the job boards and maybe some more stitching.

xx ~Static

Bats Day Black Market 2010

If you are in the Anaheim CA area, or can get there, you can not miss The Bats Day™ Black Market!

>>>Admission is FREE to this event<<<

From BatsDay.net:
"Looking for that extra-spooky thing for that spooky thing in your life? Over 50 vendors will help you find what you are looking for. From clothing, music, artwork, books, collectibles, and toys, to other original items."

Plus, you'll get to meet some EtsyDarkTeam members and buy their deliciously dark wares first hand. And be sure to be on the look out for freebies and raffles!

May 1st 2010 
2pm - 10pm
Located @ DoubleTree Guest Suites Anaheim
2085 South Harbor Blvd Anaheim CA, 92802

For more info on Bats Day™ events check out http://www.batsday.net

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Sadly, I can not be there in person but... some freebies and an awesome new ornament will be!! Be sure to look for KitCameo's table to have a chance at winning my raffle goodie bag among others!

Here's a peek at what you'll be able to find at KitCameo's table from Static White's Stitchery:

Grab a postcard for a coupon code or a skull & bones sticker packet to stick on your friends. The Lil Vamp Ornament, SWS Keyring/Bottle Opener and Smiley Bat Cellphone Charm (bottom L to R) will be raffled off by the lovely KitCameo so be sure to find her for details!

Bloomers!

I just finished these lovely custom Cotton Velvet Bloomers for the wickedly wonderful MrsEvils. I don't have enough yardage left to remake these so she is definitely one lucky lady that just so happens to have a Capelet to match.

 

And, I finally got around to listing these two below. Huzzah!

My usual design (left) and a pair in the style of the Civil War era (right). The fabric and stitching are not to period on the Civil War styled ones though or it would have taken forever and a day to make them. Never you mind that it took that long to list them. Also they are completely, um, vented *teehee*. See the listing for a full description if you don't know what that means.

 

These two pairs of Bloomers are some of the last of my 1" black & white striped fabric so you won't be seeing others like these unless I get lucky and hunt some more down at a reasonable price! If you are interested in either of these please read the measurements given in the listings carefully. They are final sale, no returns, being undergarments and all.

Off to de-velvet-fluff my workroom! ;)