tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008408203449454982024-03-13T23:42:47.654-04:00Magnolia Fern StudiosMagnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-28380086325265731012011-06-20T14:41:00.002-04:002011-06-20T14:44:41.414-04:00I promised some fans at AMA that I'd update my blog, so here it is!<br /><br />Tomorrow is my, and my boyfriend's birthday so we're hitting Busch Garden's with all of our friends, it should be a blast. Until then, I've got a mountain of work to do on the business, picked up a few small commissions, tons of new websites to check out from fellow artists who came across my table, and I have to post the Orangutan for sale in the etsy store!<br /><br />That's right he's done! He'll be posted in a couple of hours today with better pictures probably to come later once my roommate with the fancy camera finds some free time.<br /><br />When he's posted I'll tell his whole story here. See you all in a bit!Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-45271440442297004582010-12-29T08:36:00.002-05:002010-12-29T09:10:27.326-05:00What ever happened to FancifulForm?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_08u4h4T1Zws/Sd_0YEURjxI/AAAAAAAAAIA/M9FINV2l398/s200/ffbrightpinklotus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 188px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_08u4h4T1Zws/Sd_0YEURjxI/AAAAAAAAAIA/M9FINV2l398/s200/ffbrightpinklotus.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It must've been a couple of years ago when I read the "Quit Your Day Job" article on etsy.com about the artisan FancifulForm. There were a lot of striking parallels between her situation and where I wanted to be business-wise. She was young, about 22 if I recall, she sold polymer clay floral sculptures and jewelry, and the business was supporting her and her schooling.<br /><br />Being the silly shallow person I was I filled with jealousy, and poured over the article and her store for clues to the magical path of success. I was trying to decipher the qualities that made her products sell themselves at art-appropiate prices, since I find it inethical to outright copy another artist's creations for profit.<br /><br />Every few weeks I'd hunt down the article and her shop and scour them all over again. I refined a lot about my business because I had that shining example of what it takes to be successful to study. Most of the "Quit Your Day Job" articles don't necessarily apply to my medium because of the differences that come from working with polymer clay.<br /><br />Then one day, her shining customer service rating took a nose dive, and the 3 most recent pages of feedback were negative, angry comments. "Never delievered", "shipping wrong item", "never responded to convos", etc. It was very shocking.<br /><br />And not too long after that. The shop and the article disappeared.<br /><br />They were erased like she never existed. Of course shop owners have the right to end their store at anytime, and maybe she moved on to bigger and brighter things. But a quick search of her company name reveals nothing but a random blogpost from an etsy fan congratulating her and another estian on making it to the front page.<br /><br />The fact that the article is gone is a little confusing to me. Etsy seems to want to mull over the fact that one of their shining examples metaphorically went down in a ball of flames. I feel like they should follow up and post why it went wrong. Much like their offshoot from the "Quit Your Day Job" articles that focus on artisans still working towards that dream.<br /><br />I would really like to be able to reference that article now. With my skills finally developing to a level that I'm proud of, I have to spend more time gauging what an appropiate price point is, and the easiest way to determine that is to compare to other items available. (Keep in mind I'm referring to what the market will bear, I have little interest in charging more than the market will bear for my work)<br /><br />And the untold story of FancifulForm would be an excellent reminder to the rest of us struggling for financial indepedence. It will always take work. Hard work. Long Hours. Relentless application of our best work. What better oppurtunity to be reminded of the very real chance of failure than to examine the causes of a real world case from a seller that seemed so promising and untouchable.<br /><br />Anyway, I wish I had that article to reference. Even though it displayed the same tried and true advice from all of the other sources on the site. Photography is paramount, have perfect customer service, and a wide variety of pieces. It's still nice to be able to reference how those principals apply to a polymer clay artist like myself trying to make it in this massive marketplace we're a part of.Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-15495633373838727842010-08-15T23:49:00.003-04:002010-08-15T23:54:21.540-04:00I just stopped in to tell you there is a new love in my life, I've never met him but he wrote a tutorial on the US Federal Tax code geared at Etsy sellers. He wrote it in plain english, with example formulas, and common sense. Anyone who has come to grips with these forms without help can understand the frustration of it.<br /><br />If you haven't, go wrestle a grizzly bear with an arm tied behind your back, that's what it's like for someone trying to understand the US tax code for the self employeed crafty small business owner.<br /><br />So to all my fellow etsians who are so clever to do everything they do but desperately want a cheat sheet. Run over to http://www.etsy.com/shop/JJMFinance<br /><br />I bought the whole tamale package of all of his tutorials and I feel more relaxed and in command than l have since I tackled the forms!Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-22189083233400293392010-08-11T09:56:00.002-04:002010-08-11T10:05:46.975-04:00I need to develop cheap and easy earrings to go with my rose pendants, l can't stand making the rose earrings and they're too expensive for casual earrings, and they never match enough to be earrings in my standards.<br /><br />Would a simple fish hook earring with a large bead of the same clay as the rose interest people? I'd probably let it go for 10-15 bucks a pair, with quality hardware (maybe sterling silver?)<br /><br />Any other ideas? I hate not offering matching earrings to my customers, and I fear that will hinder my attempts at craft shows.<br /><br />In other news I've developed more Iris pieces for a fabulous jewelry designer in Alexandria Virginia, I would link her website but she doesn't have one. Take a look at the one of a kind pieces she ordered!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/TGKuEfR2yRI/AAAAAAAAAFA/MInfjyj8xM4/s1600/IMG_3523.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 420px; height: 420px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/TGKuEfR2yRI/AAAAAAAAAFA/MInfjyj8xM4/s200/IMG_3523.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504153086739269906" border="0" /></a>Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-45789970648110434432010-08-08T19:08:00.002-04:002010-08-08T19:16:40.400-04:00Still stockpiling for my future harrassing of local businesses to carry my roses!<br /><br />My mother and younger sister geeked out at me when I asked how to tell a spreadsheet program to make a graph for me. They are borderline experts at running the software and the next hour was dedicated to pouring over a giant textbook on the program, and them showing me every isngle trick I would never need to know.<br /><br />Thanks to that I have several glorious spreadsheets and histograms staring back at me filled with data on the number of roses I have ready to go right now. I have 128 roses ready to ship that are not dedicated to the shop (that number is 30) so just imagine my workspace! I have 128 rose pendants that are not even in my etsy store right now!<br /><br />I'm tackling a craft show this November 6th, if not sooner. And it feels good to get a deadline set up for me. I'm ordering myself to get in at least one local shop by the end of this month as the holiday season will pick up soon. I always hated how early stores got ready for the holidays until I became a seller. Now I can see why all the fuss, it's almost as if stores are kept open year round just to maintain their name in the public eye, because every ounce of profit comes out of those few months at the end of the year.<br /><br />Just thinking about it makes me want to run back and keep sculpting more and more roses! Oh question, other sellers have suggested that my wide variety of necklaces will help me in a craft fair when I hadn't even considered bringing the non rose necklaces along. Do you think the nonrose pendants would be a success? SHould I bring them along?Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-57961122004647550632010-03-27T20:13:00.005-04:002010-03-27T20:24:06.264-04:00My poor car. I was lucky enough to be given my grandmother's old car when I was still in highschool. A white '93 Mazda 626. She was promptly named Betty Blast after a little old lady in a play that opened a roller skate resturant, but needed a push to get going anywhere in her own skates. You clever readers will notice that Betty is getting on up in years.<br /> She just got back from state inspection. Luckily she passed with minimal repairs, but after borrowing my little sisters much younger car, I've been spoiled. The way Betty throws me around and shakes with every pebble in the road I think I'm going to keep my eyes open for any cars for sale in the next year. Even if she makes it to 18 years, I don't think I could ride in her anymore!<br /><br />Now to get back to resining. Anyone see the new bird pendant in the shop? I'm very, VERY proud of how this one turned out. And it's one of 3!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.132224185.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 439px; height: 439px;" src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.132224185.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-90711349768219185632010-03-26T18:17:00.006-04:002010-03-26T18:25:14.963-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/S60y9jmCAkI/AAAAAAAAAEg/8QcamqMwHg0/s1600/IMG_2493.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/S60y9jmCAkI/AAAAAAAAAEg/8QcamqMwHg0/s200/IMG_2493.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453070756923703874" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Cherry Blossom Pendants!<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"> In my latest attempt at developing a new unique pendant, I've created a batch of Cherry Blossom Pendants. The branches themselve are stamped into the clay, which has been marbled to create depth like the sky or forest. Then the blossoms have been painted on by hand. The entire pendant is glazed then posted to the shop. Let me know what you think and any color requests.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/S60zhQITo8I/AAAAAAAAAEo/qwyOzKO43QY/s1600/IMG_2540.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/S60zhQITo8I/AAAAAAAAAEo/qwyOzKO43QY/s200/IMG_2540.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453071370174047170" border="0" /></a>A small sized pendant.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/S60zzOg_LSI/AAAAAAAAAEw/9LF-KtXg58Y/s1600/IMG_2507.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/S60zzOg_LSI/AAAAAAAAAEw/9LF-KtXg58Y/s200/IMG_2507.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453071678978338082" border="0" /></a>And now in purple!<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/S60z9OaRD5I/AAAAAAAAAE4/VrJxHuC7oAI/s1600/IMG_2539.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/S60z9OaRD5I/AAAAAAAAAE4/VrJxHuC7oAI/s200/IMG_2539.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453071850748841874" border="0" /></a></div>Pink!<br /></div>Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-48304317663629249192010-02-10T10:26:00.002-05:002010-02-10T10:30:27.858-05:00The etsy gods have spoken! Feedback has been corrected and I couldn't be happier!<br /><br />I'm knee deep in show and therefore I'm knee deep in sculpting! Wish me luck as I bash my way through more attempts at sculpting the human face (I swear I'll get the hang of it one of these days!!!!)<br /><br />Everyone stay safe in the snow, and have a happy valentine's day whether you're basking in the love of a significant other or just the love of your friendsMagnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-7998277863117060232010-01-26T09:55:00.003-05:002010-01-26T10:33:54.677-05:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/S18D3n6P1NI/AAAAAAAAADw/4oyRO2-xjKU/s1600-h/IMG_2075.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/S18D3n6P1NI/AAAAAAAAADw/4oyRO2-xjKU/s200/IMG_2075.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431063929773085906" border="0" /></a><br />Well, like many of my favorite etsians, I've finally fallen victim to the crazy customer. Crazy customer is fine, but this one broke my perfect 100% feedback rating. Don't worry I've filed with the proper etsy channels to have the feedback removed, but the good people at Etsy are currently swimming in emails and it'll be a few days before I get a response.<br /><br />For those who are curious, the story goes like this: An etsy customer ordered my pink rose pendant, a lovely choice. They however did not pay at checkout. After a day I sent them a friendly reminder that the item wont ship until payment clears, and that I haven't received any payment yet.<br /><br />This happens sometimes, people forget, they get distracted, real life gets in the way, so I wasn't expecting anything to be different about this case. I said I'd wait a week for a response, if I didn't get any word I'd cancel the sale and leave negative feedback stating that the person is a non-paying customer.<br /><br />Yet again standard etsy fare, by posting that they are a non-payer in their feedback page, it alerts other etsians (those who might be newer and very, very excited about an order) not to get their hopes up if the payment is not included at the time of purchase. I know my heart goes all a flutter when a sale comes in, especially when it's for my roses, which I am very proud about developing.<br /><br />Well another day or so goes by, and I get a convo from the customer stating that they changed their mind. I was more than a little peeved about this, as all of my pieces are one of a kind, it's not a simple case of renewing an item if one sells. I have to clear off the workspace of what I'm doing, and make another one or there's a big gaping hole in my storefront. They also remove all of the hearts and veiws that the item had, and get my hopes up about selling another rose.<br /><br />For those who haven't shopped at etsy, when you purchase an item, there is a big "Commit to Buy" button that you must click. That means you are committing to pay for the item, as by clicking that button, it gets removed from the store, the seller gets an email, and a little happy dance ensues at the sellers home.<br /><br />This seller clicked that big magically button, then ignored payment, taking up my time, and the time of some poor etsy support staffer who has to go through the case and remove the item from our transactions, credit me back the amount, and delete the history of the item.<br /><br />So I send a quick response, that the commit to buy button is purchasing the item, and that it is considered nonpaying to ignore the sale, and that it is frowned upon on etsy to be a nonpayer. I explained all of this because ther person seemed to be very new to etsy, with only a few purchases under her belt.<br /><br />The customer must've been looking for a fight because she responded that I needed to check my emotions before repsonding to convos. I have written several emotional papers in my day, but this is my business. I don't let emotions in when dealing with a case like this. I apologise and say that I was not emotional when I wrote the convo. She replies that I should not contact her again. So I don't.<br /><br />I delete the convo and go about the business of filing the "cancel a sale" form on etsy, relisting the item, and leave the customer feedback stating that she is a nonpaying customer.<br /><br />She responds by leaving negative feedback about the quality of my item being lacking and named another seller to go to for better pieces. Not only is it impossible for her to know the quality of my items since it never shipped, it is also strictly prohibited to advertise other shops in feedback.<br /><br />(I've checked out the store, it's a lovely new store, with lovely items, and the roses are sculpted in a more realistic fashion than mine are, but mine are meant to be simplier and more fantastical, they're mine! So if you are the shop owner of that store know that I hold no hard feelings and wish you many, many sales!:)<br /><br />So there is a non customer who is criticizing my craftsmanship, advertising another shop in my feeback, and ruining my perfect 100% feedback score. You can guess that I'm not too happy about that, here's hoping the etsy gods move swiftly to restore my name.<br /><br />In the mean time, the pink rose is back on the market, as are rose pendants that are all the colors of the rainbow!Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-50072833144081061622010-01-08T13:17:00.002-05:002010-01-08T13:21:14.170-05:00Behold the new face of my shop! Take a look at the new rainbow of colors available as rose pendants, also notie the destash and clearance categories, both of these are at ridiculous prices to get them gone! I hate waste, if I didn't I've probably chuck them outright since I have no more room for the fabric, bottle caps, old projects and rikrak piling up. (Not actual rikrak for those crafters waiting in baited breath, I just love the term.)<br /><br />Please buy all the clearance and destash, deals offered for anyone who emails/convos me about buying in bulk!Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-80822763557449076112009-11-25T19:39:00.004-05:002009-11-25T20:17:01.189-05:00Life is busy right now, I picked up my first wholesale customer, I just got home from an anime convention with some of my favorite people in the world, tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and the day after that I will face my first Black Friday as a retail associate. WOW.<br /><br />The convention was an amazing time but I missed most if the formal events, staying with friends from 3 states away will sap away the weekend quickly. Luckily I'll see most of them in a month at my favorite convention of all time, MAGfest! MAGfest is a small nerdy music and game festival that is like a giant room party. Concerts 24/7, friends as far as the eye can see, and a very understanding welcoming hotel staff. If you are on the east coast and are a fan of video game music then you should definately check it out. It's Jan 1-4th, in Northern VA.<br /><br />Must go back to family for the Holiday, I will be out of town until Friday but considering that it is a post office holiday anyway I have left the shop open for business.<br /><br /><br />Remember! The Rose Pendants are selling out as fast as I post them! The oly way to secure one in the color you want is to email me at Dragonkuh@aol.com or to convo me as user Magnoliafern on etsy.com, about a custom listing. I am more than happy to reserve a pendant for you, and you will have a say in it's general size and a specific color.<br /><br />There is no extra cost for this, and I will create the rose so you can approve it before you purchase the listing. Email today!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/Sw3WkKAIwMI/AAAAAAAAADo/-U5_-ekc9qI/s1600/IMG_1119.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 423px; height: 423px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/Sw3WkKAIwMI/AAAAAAAAADo/-U5_-ekc9qI/s200/IMG_1119.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408214644190396610" border="0" /></a>Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-37282507419918176802009-11-10T18:41:00.002-05:002009-11-10T19:10:14.386-05:00Oh the Horror of Bad MoviesA favorite past time of mine is to watch absolutely awful movies. I blame this nasty habit on my childhood veiwings of Mystery Science Theater 3000. My good friend and I have braved many terrible movies, often with a couple of drinks for courage in the face of poor storytelling and terrible acting.<br /><br />Before he and I sat down to absorb and relish in the utter failure of these movies I was certain I had seen the worst movie ever. It was in the DVD collection released by good old MST3K (Mystery Science Theater 300) "Manos the Hands of Fate." Those of you will notice that "manos" is Spanish for "hands", so it translates to "Hands the Hands of Fate". This movie is awful, it was written directed and starred a fertilizer salesman from the Southwest, the story vaguely focuses on a family getting trapped at a strange lodge, with a strange bellman (who has the best theme music of all time), and fighting off the demonic Manos and his horde of barely dressed wives.<br /><br />This movie is watchable only because of the jokes the beloved MST3K robots and human make throughout the duration. The plot is so senseless and bizarre that it will leave you laughing.<br /><br />I was so certain that this was the worst movie ever. Oh how I wish I had been right!<br /><br />More bad movie stories tmwMagnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-32914519709204998542009-11-03T17:57:00.003-05:002009-11-03T18:15:04.379-05:00A few weeks ago I was asked how I cure my polymer clay things without burning them, since this was a big problem for me in the beginning I wrote the person all of my tips, and I decided to post them for you here.<br /><br />"A lot of polymer sellers would tell you to get an independant oven thermometor so that you can make sure your oven isn't lying to you. I just experimented and found that if I cooked items at 265 F in my oven they would cure just fine without the risk of scorching. I also cook them for small periods of time, if I think it'll take 10 minutes in the oven, I cook it for 5, then let it cool and test it and then send it back in the oven.<br /><br />For the roses and tiny minis I use a handheld heat gun, they're too small to justify turning on an oven anyway!"<br /><br />How do my fellow polymer artists cure their projects?Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-90049682342526932412009-10-24T22:06:00.002-04:002009-10-24T22:14:58.906-04:00Lentil Focal Beads are all on sale in my shop, these are closeout prices, get them out of my store!<br /><br /><br />Currently I'm sculpting away rose earrings, building up inventory in the hopes that I will make it into Chop Suey Bookstore<span style="font-size:100%;">'s </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Bizarre Market. Any richmond locals know Chop Suey Bookstore, they are a nifty second hand and new bookstore in a very fun corner of the city, right across from an ancient opera house that shows movies now, the famous Byrd Theater.<br /><br />Anyway, the bookstore opens up a room for local artisans to get an amazing amount of foot traffic from clientele you readily pay more for quality and local ownership. This is a juried show and I hope my roses will get in, as I feel that Richmond would love them!<br /><br />They announce who made it into the show in November so be sure to snatch up any roses that you'd been saving before then, as they may get put in the market.<br /><br /><br />Also I've ordered some supplies for new projects, stay tuned to see what crafty mischief will come about!<br /></span>Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-49695181760632473322009-10-21T20:31:00.002-04:002009-10-21T20:49:58.233-04:00Yet another Halloween, and another reason I can't make it to the Richmond Zombie Walk. Every year it's the same! I recently got a new job behind the jewelry counter of very nice department store. This very nice store has me scheduled to work while the zombie walk is commencing, I swear one of these years I'll learn the date early enough to put in a day off.<br /><br />In other news, I'm preparing for Halloween, I have no costume yet but I'll hit the patterns and see what jumps out at me. I'm thinking I'll dig into the Japanese trend of Elegant Gothic Aristocrat, basically victorian costume in black with a hint of ghoulishness. This appeals to me because I can rewear the costume at conventions, and I have a large amount of black fabric stashed in the wall of craft upstairs. Lots of ruffles, and tailoring, it should be fun :)<br /><br /><br />Anyone interested in Halloween themed goodies in my shop should hurry up and buy them as they will be deactivated and stashed away until next year after Halloween. I feel that my shop has a few too many items in it so I'm looking forward to clearing out the kinck knacks and bringing in new lines.<br /><br />I'm off to work on custom rose earrings orders! Email me with any and all questions at Dragonkuh@aol.com<br /><br /><br />Thanks for reading!Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-79070489754979800772009-10-13T19:44:00.002-04:002009-10-13T19:58:22.656-04:00<div style="text-align: center;">The new rose themed jewelry is officially a hit!<br /><br />I've sold several pairs of earrings of the rose sculpts, and everyone loves them, I even got the highest praise with a pair of blue rose earrings. Danilatham of etsy said this about them: "These are exquisite. I am SO happy I found them; they are exactly what I was looking for. I will be wearing these on my wedding day! Thank you so much!"<br /><br />Each pair of earrings are different, so the ones in the picture are exactly what are available for purchase. I look forward to when my handiwork becomes more uniform so this becomes less necessary.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.91116411.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 418px; height: 418px;" src="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.91116411.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Also in a few weeks check my shop for a new line of stamped pendants I'll be producing. I received many wonderful tips from <a href="http://missficklemediacom.blogspot.com/">MissFickleMedia</a> on how to produce top notch pendants, and I'm currently waiting for the proper materials to ship in so they will have the perfect glazes and bails. Expect many Fern, Rose, and Flower themes in the stamps themselves. <br /><br />I can't wait to see how they'll turn out!<br /></div>Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-73288328161288515672009-07-11T03:47:00.002-04:002009-07-11T04:13:35.857-04:00Ah, real life, so real, so life-y,<br /><br />currently I'm wrestling with a number of computer viruses on my sister's computer, it's 3:40am and my computer guru has long since gone home. So it's just me, my sense of logic and the simplicity of tril by error. Oh boy are we in trouble!<br /><br /><br />I could go on about my strategy and attempts, but we've all been there, and we all realise halfway through the epic virus battle that our story is not interesting in the slightest to anyone else. So I will save you and speak on other matters while the poor computer's antivirus software runs on overdrive.<br /><br /><br /><br />Next week I will be at Otakon, for those of you who aren't anime fans on the east coast of the US, Otakon is an anime convention that has somewhere between 25,000 and 30,000 people visit every year. Basically all of Baltimore will be a playground for anime fans, dressed as their favorite characters.<br /><br />I am really excited about seeing the voice actors there, one I've hung out with after another convention, one I've met before and one I've been dying to meet and talk with as she directed the english dub of my favorite anime show.<br /><br />I will be wearing a costume (or cosplay) of a character from that show, imagine a bridal gown made of liliac satin draped with sashes that trail feet behind the train, and a light green wig which is 48 inches long. Oh yeah, this is one serious cosplay!<br /><br />The costume is the character Harmona from the anime show Wolf's Rain. I wouldn't reccommend it for everyone as it is a serious drama with an odd morbid fantasy twist. The entire show focuses on a pack of wolves hunting for paradise that will be opened by wolves at the end of the world. The entire show is bathed in snow and everyday people are feeling something drawing closer, and the few who have read the banned book "The Book of the Moon" can see the signs for the end of time. The Wolf will seek out the Flower, a Lily white supple maiden made from lunar flowers, and the appears the wretched beast.<br /><br />The first time I saw the show in bits and pieces on tv, I didn't think much of it until I saw one episode. The youngest of the pack of wolves, had spent most of the journey falling behind and generally being useless. The pack are attacked by a giant walrus as they were crossing a frozen sea, and something in the youngest wolf snapped. He charged in and latched onto the walrus's eye, and held even as the walrus shook all of the other, stronger wolves off and dragged the the young wolf through enough frozen underwater terrain that the walrus actually caused his own demise.<br /><br />The change in character caught my eye, and the closer I look at this series, the more rewards it has given me. If you like to turn over shows in your mind for months after you've seen them, then this is the show for you. To say anything more would ruin it for you :)<br /><br /><br />I've rambled enough about my show, I'll post again soon.Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-70289649064389215022009-07-06T20:41:00.003-04:002009-07-06T20:49:06.257-04:00Buisness tip was a fluke, the person never paid so I had to cancel the sale. So my little watermelon slices continue to receive no love. Oh well.<br /><br />Things are quiet in my world right now, I'm bashing through thousands of unfinished projects that have been literally sitting around for months. Fixing seams of clothing for friends, sorting and storing seasonal goods that noone will be interested in until winter, and desperately trying to complete the commissions.<br /><br />Had some friends over for a classic gaming night Sunday, and we got farther in the classical Castlevania game than we ever had before (for those nongamers, the game is for a console that came out in 1985, a true classic) and the house is obsessed with classics. My sister is playing through a 10 year old zelda game, and screaming and enjoying it as much as when we first got it.<br /><br />Now I'm running back to work, just wanted to update the blog quickly!Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-24753153688963870122009-06-28T16:51:00.002-04:002009-06-28T17:00:05.910-04:00Yay!I was swimming through all of the business tips threads on etsy.com, and one suggested that you convert everything to free shipping. Apparently a woman had trouble selling a very nice vase at $20 with $10 shipping. She changed it to a $30 vase with free shipping and it jumped into someone's cart immediately.<br /><br />Since I offer international shipping, I carefully added "in usa" to free shipping, but I started converting the items in my shop accordingly. Starting with all of my miniatures, and I am happy to say that I've sold some of my favorite mini foods because of it! Remember the allow for the 3.5% that etsy takes of a sale if you're going to insert shipping into the actual price. Besides that I can't think of a reason to not do this with smaller items.<br /><br />The watermelon slices were one of the first things I made that were fit to sell, and anyone who saw them in person swooned over them, but not a single slice sold online. Until today! I'm so happy to be shipping some out finally. The watermelon batch was a large one so if you're interested the listing has been renewed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.77573450.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 381px; height: 379px;" src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.77573450.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So if you're having trouble selling, try the free shipping method! I'll keep you all posted if it keeps working for me!<br /><br />I'm off to work on my commission :)Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-11229512466788604542009-06-26T00:17:00.005-04:002009-06-26T00:36:46.427-04:00Adventures in crafting!This week we find our beautiful heroine hacking through the jungle of unsorted craft supplies. Only those who have dredged through the jungle truely know how dangerous the trek can be! But hark! What is that beautiful thing standing up out of the darkness? Ancient ruins? A monolith left by aliens? Pocky? No! It's a 5 shelf, adjustable, chrome plated shelving unit!!! It will bring peace and civility to the jungle that is the craft space. Or at least it will allow me to reach my clothes in th emonring without stepping blindly into forgotten scissors land. Check out this awesome birthday present I got to make me more productive than ever!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs055.snc1/4494_92479772342_682962342_2381571_1373924_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 453px; height: 604px;" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs055.snc1/4494_92479772342_682962342_2381571_1373924_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />And don't be silly of course we got the bacardi box from the liquor store, (that's a great resource for boxes for all of your the run out of packing boxes so quickly!)<br /><br />The Hop Devil, Victory Brewery box on the other hand.... yeah, we drank that.<br /><br />Hey look! In the top right hand corner of the picture you can see my pumpkin drawing! And on the left side you can see all of the torsos of the Gobbleskat plushes I made for <a href="http://x-strikestudios.com/">X-Strike Studios</a><br /><br /><br />All silliness aside, I'm doing a horrible job of attempting to get back on a normal sleeping schedule, and should hit the sack soon. But I wanted to show the results of me playing with my embossing materials (the ones I scored at a yardsale for 10% of their value!) I love the outcome, but when I look at the pictures I see all the errors and smudges I ignored at first.<br /><br />So they may not be ready for retail, but I think they're a darn good step in the right direction and I love how two of them turned out, the first one I'm putting up in the etsy <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6106193">shop</a> the second I'm keeping for myself. The rest I haven't decided what to do with. Maybe I'll offer one as a prize to the first person who shows me how to add pictures to a blog without having to drag them through the entire document!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SkRP2kyx4RI/AAAAAAAAADY/NMduZqnKVi0/s1600-h/IMG_0008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SkRP2kyx4RI/AAAAAAAAADY/NMduZqnKVi0/s200/IMG_0008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351490056231182610" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SkRP6OrUeCI/AAAAAAAAADg/tJ6Rj5_f1yg/s1600-h/IMG_0006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SkRP6OrUeCI/AAAAAAAAADg/tJ6Rj5_f1yg/s200/IMG_0006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351490119013791778" border="0" /></a><br /><br />G'night!Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-21460265696178787212009-06-25T13:59:00.002-04:002009-06-25T14:41:20.727-04:00There is a Japanese Graphic Novel Series (or Manga for those in the know) that I have fallen madly in love with, a few years after they stopped printing it. So now I've been crawling all over anime convention dealer rooms asking about this fairly obscure manga that noone has.<br /><br />Pet Shop of Horrors, it's a very episodic story, featuring stories of customers who buy from this strange pet store in Chinatown in NYC. Most of the stories feature either a mythical animal being given as a pet, or a normal enough animal that appears human to the customer. The stories range from tragic, to frightening, to romantic. Sometimes it's dependent on the customer not following 3 specific rules they agreed to when they purchased the animal (Gremlins anyone?), other times the customer was marked for death the moment they caught the animals attention. I being the awful romantic that I am, fall head over heels for the love stories. And I love the idea of animals being more active in the decision of where they live. The owner of the pet store doesn't sell an animal unless the animal approves of the customer.<br /><br />So long story short I have 4 of a 10 volume series, and anyone who has the other 6 issues aren't selling! Oh woe is me! The worst part is my volumes are from random points in the series so I know some characters who havne't been introduced yet. I desperately want to hear the backstory of the little "lap ram" as I call him, who eats human flesh. He's adorable, about the size of a house cat, and constantly threatens to eat the customers, who wouldn't want to know that story?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.geocities.com/lrochester98/tetsu.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 293px;" src="http://www.geocities.com/lrochester98/tetsu.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />So if anyone has copies and they're looking to sell, let me know! I love the twilight zone feel of these stories, and the ornately dressed and comic animals. Spread the word around! Maybe we can even work out a trade, a sculpt of your favorite animal from the series for the issues I don't have? Oh I'll stop my begging, until then please take a look at the item I'm most proud of in my shop.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SkPEepf3_QI/AAAAAAAAADQ/ByWO6lHbcos/s1600-h/IMG_4286.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SkPEepf3_QI/AAAAAAAAADQ/ByWO6lHbcos/s200/IMG_4286.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351336813060947202" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24583394">Pink Feather Earrings</a><br /></div>Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-85093916398549646882009-06-24T23:27:00.005-04:002009-06-24T23:50:26.603-04:00GreetingsI refuse to look at when I last updated this blog! I refuse!<br /><br />Moving on, I've come quite a long way since then, but I have a lot further to go if I want to be successful. Since my last post I picked up two large clients; <a href="http://x-strikestudios.com/">X-Strike Studios</a> and <a href="http://www.blueandblond.com/">Blue and Blond</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SkLxCdwYXpI/AAAAAAAAADA/A4UcmIgPNDc/s1600-h/IMG_4297.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 102px; height: 137px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SkLxCdwYXpI/AAAAAAAAADA/A4UcmIgPNDc/s320/IMG_4297.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351104331919154834" border="0" /></a>For X-Strike Studios, an independent movie studio outside of Buffalo NY, I created 20 plushies of their favorite monster. The monster shows up in most of thier movies in one form or the other, resembles a turkey with a gas mask for a head, and two giant claws, one on each arm, instead of hands. The plushes were pains to make but I love how they turned out and the guys at X-Strike couldn't be sweeter about the delays in constructing such little cuddly monsters.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SkLxaJccApI/AAAAAAAAADI/5p3Z5axQj9A/s1600-h/IMG_3793.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 153px; height: 206px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SkLxaJccApI/AAAAAAAAADI/5p3Z5axQj9A/s320/IMG_3793.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351104738783658642" border="0" /></a>For Blue and Blond, a webcomic about goodnatured surfers, I was asked to create the tiny mascot for the comic, a surfing Guinea Pig named Ripcurl. He turned out darling and was a dream to make once I finished a prototype I liked. I created 20 little Ripcurl phone charms and can happily say they've been a huge hit with Blue and Blond's fans. So much so that some actually got swiped off of the comic's table at conventions!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Now I'm working on a few private commissions, and of course cosplays for friends. But I look forward to playing with the embossing equipment I picked up from a yardsale. ($100 dollars worth of supplies for $9.25!!) I hope that embossing make accent my disc pendants that noone else seems to like! I think these deserve at least a second look so here's hoping I figure something out. Take a look at these beauties, and let me know what you think!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.72851766.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 377px; height: 362px;" src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.72851766.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Oh man has it really been that long since I've posted?! Well I'm off to play with fabric, wish me luck!Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-54356831419745355682009-01-05T00:02:00.003-05:002009-01-05T00:35:53.237-05:00Back from MAGfest with new inspiration and energyI just back from the best convention experience of my life. Magfest 7 was like stepping into someone else's life for a weekend. The guests welcomed me like an old friend and it wasn't long before even this shy gal was laughing and playing with the best of them. I can't thank everyone at www.x-strikestudios.com and www.pbc-productions.com for making me feel like family.<br /><br />Besides the zombies and the comedy, I got some great face time with a formally invited guest at the con. A professional author's table was set up behind my table, because of the island set up we were using the same chair space. Robert Aldrich put up with kirby attacks, over the shoulder spying, and all of my other less than tolerable habits, and then took the time to give me some hard learned advice. If you want all of his sage wisdom you'll have to grab him at the next con he'll be at. I can't say enough kind things about guy, so check out his website<br /><br />http://www.teachthesky.com/<br /><br />Anyway his input along with being surrounded by happy people who are doing what they love is kicking me into gear. My aunt asked me via email what art form I wanted to focus on. The answer is all of them. I'd like to think I've got a keen eye for charcoal drawing, but I also want to keep stretching the possiblities for cosplay with limited budgets. I want to perfect a realistic human form with sculpture, but I don't want to give up my tiny miniatures either. I will follow as many paths as I like, and since I decided that I feel the veil of creative block lifting in my mind.<br /><br />I no longer will worry about if I'm working on the wrong project; if I must dedicate every last ounce of energy to one field alone. That worry was keeping me for accomplishing anything, and honestly I feel all of these can improve each other. The miniatures help me work on my detail for larger sculpts, the larger sculpts help me develop 3 dimensional cosplays from flat possibly impossible designs, and the drawing helps to understand the shades in a curve for realistic sculpting.<br /><br /><br />Now I need the work, I am burning with the hunt for the next commission, I actually sent off samples to Robert Aldrich begging to be used in a future book in his series. Here are the pictures I sent, feel free to comment below. The Tiger was drawn before my art class, everything else during.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SWGbZTG5SgI/AAAAAAAAABw/27Ujam48SVA/s1600-h/119193955_l.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SWGbZTG5SgI/AAAAAAAAABw/27Ujam48SVA/s320/119193955_l.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287678296437901826" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SWGbafKypuI/AAAAAAAAACA/BxiXFrQ5nC8/s1600-h/eyesecondshot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 254px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SWGbafKypuI/AAAAAAAAACA/BxiXFrQ5nC8/s320/eyesecondshot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287678316855338722" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SWGbarZ33WI/AAAAAAAAACI/K_OFb7sEBLo/s1600-h/mouth.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SWGbarZ33WI/AAAAAAAAACI/K_OFb7sEBLo/s320/mouth.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287678320139820386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SWGbZ_W91xI/AAAAAAAAAB4/QBmjgEj2qaM/s1600-h/collar.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 245px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SWGbZ_W91xI/AAAAAAAAAB4/QBmjgEj2qaM/s320/collar.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287678308316469010" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-56021396791044502112008-12-03T21:25:00.002-05:002008-12-03T22:09:42.727-05:00How the time flies!I haven't updated in a long while, mostly because I've been busy almost constantly! For Halloween I made two fairy costumes for little girls I know, a five year old and a 2 year old, I'm still harrassing the mother for pictures!<br /><br />I finished the 3 cosplay costumes for Nekcon, if you went to the Phoenix Wright Mock Trial then you saw my work :)<br /><br />Then I developed more merchandise, and headed down to North Carolina for housesitting.<br /><br />Now I'm preparing for Magfest in Northern Virginia. Aand the holidays of course.<br /><br />Just wanted to let everyone know I'm away because I'm busy!Magnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-900840820344945498.post-16520526102349269892008-10-14T10:48:00.000-04:002008-10-14T12:04:39.825-04:00The Saga of Kat is far from over<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SPS6izLKSnI/AAAAAAAAABI/LtW2ybsCqYI/s1600-h/IMG_4093.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SPS6izLKSnI/AAAAAAAAABI/LtW2ybsCqYI/s320/IMG_4093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257031772063550066" border="0" /></a>I just got back from AnimeUSA in Crystal City and I met some amazing fan based buisness people inspired me to keep mushing on ahead. So I thought I'd start using this blog to the full of its potential. Hurray!<br /><br />First off let me begin an online portfolio of my custom orders and personal cosplays.<br /><br />These were a custom bulk order for the anime convention Anime Mid-Atlantic LLC.<br /><br />They are a recreation of their mascot Tanuki. They were given to the voice actors, industry representatives, and other invited guests as gifts. I love them dearly and I'd like the thank smoot for lending me the first season of Battlestar Galatica to watch while I churned out all 30 of these angry little raccoon girls. :)<br /><br />Made from colored polymer clay, the tails were painted on. Email me if you want to order a bulk item like this.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SPS6jI0BKJI/AAAAAAAAABQ/jbEguU-HlOY/s1600-h/IMG_3843.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SPS6jI0BKJI/AAAAAAAAABQ/jbEguU-HlOY/s320/IMG_3843.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257031777872062610" border="0" /></a>These were made for a friend, you may recognize them as the pikmin from the nintendo game Pikmin.<br /><br /><br /><br />Aren't they cute?!! Made from polymer clay, with a wire aramature.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SPS6jMZUfzI/AAAAAAAAABY/g1B-rlsQGHA/s1600-h/IMG_3848.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SPS6jMZUfzI/AAAAAAAAABY/g1B-rlsQGHA/s320/IMG_3848.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257031778833825586" border="0" /></a>I made this for myself. I love Ghsot in the shell so much, and I wanted to test what I could do with wire armatures. I think I may remake this guy when I get some free time, since I've learned so much about building armatures since then.<br /><br />I still love this little tachkoma and it always makes me smile when I see it sitting next to my computer. So cute, I wish the picture showed that the large back section actually floats off the ground. I'll make it more obviously next time :)<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SPS6jfJUwYI/AAAAAAAAABg/v7aQTPXd2FI/s1600-h/IMG_2247.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SPS6jfJUwYI/AAAAAAAAABg/v7aQTPXd2FI/s320/IMG_2247.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257031783867007362" border="0" /></a>This was my first commission from 8thdayanime.com<br /><br />Her name is Autumn and I love her character design, because of these orders I've been able to invest in some sculpting books and materials. Keep your eye on future sculpts from them since I already see so many things I can improve upon.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SPS6j50l0zI/AAAAAAAAABo/721hRNd6czw/s1600-h/IMG_2308.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I9f_9oatXHs/SPS6j50l0zI/AAAAAAAAABo/721hRNd6czw/s320/IMG_2308.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257031791027802930" border="0" /></a>This is Alice from 8thdayanime.com You can see her original character design on their site. Check out hte cute little demon on her pigtail!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I need to get back to work but I'll post more in the next few weeks. Now I'm off to make christmas charms for the etsy store. As always any questions can be sent to me at dragonkuh@aol.comMagnolia Fern Studioshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17634327352830282213noreply@blogger.com0