Charcoal Designs

Free Shipping & Free Gift Boxes This Holiday!

2011-12-07T00:27:00.000-08:00

These offers end Friday Dec.16th (at midnight), so don't delay, shop today! www.charcoaldesigns.com

Resin Mustache & Zombie Brains Necklace Just Added To The Shop!

2011-11-17T18:59:00.001-08:00

Just added to the shop, handmade resin mustache necklaces and bloody zombie braaains necklaces! Enjoy!

Braaains!! Necklace Only $12.00 Available At www.charcoaldesigns.com

'The Villain' Mustache Necklace Only $10.00 Available At www.charcoaldesigns.com

Celebrate Charcoal Designs' 7th Birthday with free shipping and a free gift until the end of Nov! All orders receive FREE shipping and qualifying orders ($10+ get a free gift)! If you were to purchase one of our new necklaces you will end up paying just $10-$12, and receive FREE shipping and a free gift! Wow! Shop now, these offers end soon!

We're Turning 7! Free Shipping & A Free Gift On Us! Offer Valid Until Nov.30th 2011.

2011-11-15T03:04:00.000-08:00

It's been a long and interesting journey, and we're thrilled to be turning 7! To celebrate, enjoy FREE Shipping and A FREE gift on Us! This offer ends midnight Nov. 30th 2011, so hurry on to CharcoalDesigns.Com!

Upcoming Vendor Spots: VOODOO LOUNGE

2011-09-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

Come check out the grand opening of the VOODOO LOUNGE Saturday Sept.25th, 2011! There will be bands, booze, art and plenty of vendors. Don't forget to stop by the Charcoal Designs' booth!! All taking Place at THE AIRLINER 2419 N Broadway Los Angeles CA 90031.

www.vonbadsville.com

NEW Mustache & Bone Pins!

2011-09-05T16:16:00.000-07:00

Brand new in the shop, your choice of a mustache or shrunken head nose bone pin only $3.50 each!

The mustache fits into most human noses (which means it functions as a pin or nose ornament) however the opening for the bone pin is too small to fit in your nostrils unless your head has previously been shrunk by a professional headshrinker!

Available at my shop, www.charcoaldesigns.com

Ink 'N' Iron + Johnny Cash Festival

2011-06-23T14:29:00.002-07:00

It's been such a busy last two weekends, June 10-12th was Ink 'N' Iron at the world famous Queen Mary in Long Beach, where I shared a booth with Kustom Voodoo. We even had the pleasure of meeting Angelo Moore (lead singer of Fishbone!).

Me, Angelo Moore, Jessica (of Kustom Voodoo)

Friend/Model Angie Alamilla with my husband Mike!

Then the very next week we headed off to Ventura, CA for the Johnny Cash festival for an amazing show, I got to see some of my favorite bands The Blasters and X. Exene even sang a song with Phil Alvin, I heart my job! Thank you for all the wonderful customers and friends for visiting with us, it makes it all worth while!

The Blasters!!! Johnny Cash Festival 2011

New necklaces in stock!

2011-05-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

New jewelry in stock, including our ever popular 'Demons are a ghoul's best fiend' necklace now available in purple, fink pink and ghoul green! Come see what's new at Charcoal Designs!

Salty Seas necklaces available in blue or red, $14.99 ea.

Pearl, glitter bow necklace with glass pearl chain $27.99

Demons Are A Ghoul's Best Fiend Necklace, $18.99 ea.

Custom, now available in hot pink $15.99

Come visit the Kustom Voodoo and Charcoal Designs booth this year at the Ink 'N' Iron car and tattoo festival in Long Beach on June 10th, 11th and 12th! 280 tattoo artists from around the globe with tons of great punk, rockabilly, and psychobilly bands, you don't want to miss it! Lots of talented vendors will be there, come see our great stuff in person and take home something unforgettable!

New Mermaids & Cameo Jewelry!

2010-05-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

Lots of new jewelry in stock! Just added: Mermaid necklaces with a glass pearl beaded chain and framed cameo necklaces with skulls, skeletons and Virgin De Guadalupe!

www.charcoaldesigns.com

Available exclusively at www.charcoaldesigns.com!

New Artwork & Mermaid Necklace!

2010-04-02T17:42:00.001-07:00

Available Now At www.charcoaldesigns.com

2010-02-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

From Naughty Secretary's latest blog entry!

These are little deers Jennifer commissioned me to make for her daughters very first birthday party, I was very honored to do so and I think Jennifer did an amazing job turning them into colorful magnets for her guests!

Handmade FRIDA Halloween Costume

2009-11-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! I recently posted a Mexican paper flower 'how-to' so I decided to post some Halloween costume pictures from last night.

My Halloween costume with handmade Mexican paper flowers, hand embroidered 'sugar skull' dress, and new hand cast resin Frida necklace.

Mexican Paper Flower How-To

2009-10-30T15:02:00.001-07:00

Last year I made some paper flowers for my wedding reception centerpieces (blogged here) and I made a new batch of flowers for my Frida Kahlo 'self portrait' Halloween costume!

Paper flowers are very inexpensive to make and lots of fun, all you will need is tissue paper, pipe cleaners (or string) and a little bit of time!

Here's what you need:

1. Tissue paper or crepe paper

2. colorful pipe cleaners or yarn

(I chose yarn this time around because I want to tie them around a headband to put in my hair for my Frida costume and didn't want to worry about pipe cleaners poking me in the head) :]

3. Scissors

Start off with square pieces of tissue paper. The more pieces you use per flower, the fuller your flower will look. To make extra large flowers use full sheets of paper, for medium flowers use 1/4 of a full sheet, for small flowers (like the green one I made for this tutorial) cut the paper down even more to 1/8 the size of a full sheet.

Once you have your squares cut (I am using 9 cut squares to make one flower, but you can use more for a fuller looking flower), stack them on top of each other then fold them into an accordion shape.

Cut a triangle shape on each side of your 'accordion'.

Tie a string or wrap a pipe cleaner around the center of your flower. Make sure your knot is at the bottom of your flower (the bottom of my sample flower is dark green).

I like to trim the edges because sometimes my square pieces aren't completely square, this way your flower petals will come out more evenly on each side of your flower.

I also like to cut the tips of the 'petals' into a wavy shape (or cut triangles for a jagged look) to make the petals look more realistic, because flower petals in nature usually have pointed or rounded edges.

Fan out your flower and start to pull each 'petal' towards the center, carefully...

until you have completed a whole side. Once one side is complete, you can move onto the other side.

Once you're finished your flower will look something like this.

As you can see, I went a little crazy. I probably won't be using all of these for my costume but the left overs will be great for shrines, altars, and other craft projects!

DIY Dollar Store SKULL CENTERPIECES

2009-10-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

My 'Calavera Centerpiece' write up was also posted at: www.dollarstorecrafts.com

‘Day of the dead’ skull centerpiece How To:

What you’ll need:

Spray paint (wal-mart has paint for .96 cents a can)
Ceramic Skulls (dollar tree, craft stores, ebay)
Acetone (optional, but will help clean the surface so the paint will stick better)
Foam Florist Squares (or circles, if the kind you get is too thin, just place some crumpled newspaper under it to raise it up)
Glitter
White Glue
Paint (to paint details on the skull)
Felt Cut Outs (optional)
Faux flowers (or handmade flowers)
Newspaper (to spray paint on)
Gloves
Mask (optional)

I originally made these last year for my wedding party (our 1 year anniversary is this Halloween) but I recently went to the Dollar Store and they still have plently of these white ceramic skulls in stock, all it takes is a little bit of imagination (and a bit of glue, paint and glitter!)

1. I purchased the white ceramic skulls at dollar tree.

2. I prepped the surface first by cleaning off the skulls with acetone to help the spray paint stick better. Apply one coat of gloss color, allow to dry, apply another coat if necessary.

3. Once the paint dried I brought them inside for the fun part...decorating! I had my favorite bold colored glitters on hand and some ‘glossies’ brand paint (adheres well to most surfaces, including glossy ones), and went downtown on embellishing the eyes, mouth, nose and adding details. Tip: apply white glue to the eyes, mouth and nose sockets and then shake in some glitter (do each color separate and carefully over a paper towel or wax paper so you can salvage the remaining glitter and put it back in it’s proper container) then when slightly dry you can paint around the eyes and nose, no problem!

4. Next, when everything dried (well mostly, I have no patience) I placed a florist foam square (the cushy green stuff, also sold at most dollar tree stores) into the skull container and stuck some faux flowers in it. The black roses are from the .99 cent store but you can also make some colorful crepe/tissue paper flowers on your own for super cheap, you just need some tissue paper or crepe paper, pipe cleaners and some imagination! www.craftychica.com has a great tutorial on that, just look under her ‘projects’ page, you’ll find other inspiring stuff too!

5. I placed some super cute, bright colored felt cut-outs under the skull for cheeriness (Day of the dead is a celebration!), these were also found at dollar tree.

Halloween DIY Costume FRIDA KAHLO

2009-10-14T01:06:00.000-07:00

Although the cashier at the goodwill had no idea who Frida Kahlo is (don't we live in L.A.?), it didn't damper my spirits, or will to be a dia de los muertos version of Frida this coming Halloween. Although my embroidered goodwill dress is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this years costume (complete outfit pictures coming soon!) it took me all day to embroider and I just couldn't contain myself when it came to showing off my needle work...boy are my fingers tired!

Sugars skulls and cobwebs, it's a fiesta of colors!

It all starts with a sketch!

Needs a colorful sash or belt...

Perhaps a few more accessories...

Close up of Frida

Close up of Diego

Spiderwebs, oh my!

NEW Bang Bang Necklace!

2009-10-08T19:34:00.000-07:00

Bang bang, shot my baby down, old skool gun gag necklace!

Peace love and kitties! -L

www.charcoaldesigns.com

Ikea box project!

2009-10-01T16:02:00.001-07:00

I have been purchasing and decorating Ikea boxes for probably as long as they have been making them, something about starting with a blank canvas (unpainted wood) just gets me going.

My first box, which was about 10 years ago, was decorated with bottle caps. The next one got a bit livelier with hand written Bukowski poem excerpts and drawings. Now that I cast my own resin pieces, I decided to glue my cast offs onto the box before painting them. This process reminds me of the day of the dead shrines with the little silver colored milagros, or at least like the painted macaroni art I made for my grandpa when I was little, hey I had to start somewhere.

You basically just need the following...

1.Ikeas box (needs to be assembled)

2.Spray paint (I recommend spray paint because it really gets into the nooks and crannies with ease, and you can add extra coats quicker and easier than with a brush).

3.Embellishments to glue onto the box, (Tip: sand the back of the embellishments before gluing them for extra staying power). If you don't have any resin castings like mine, you can try buttons, charm packs and castings from www.thebuzzardbrand.com, rocks, macaroni, go crazy!

Before:

After:

Back To School Sale! One Week Only!

2009-09-10T23:34:00.000-07:00

Come join us for our back to school sale! Save up to 40% off of select items (don't worry it's all you're fav stuff!)!! Sale ends Sunday Sept.13th. So Shop It Like It's Hot!

Charcoal Designs' Back To School Sale!

New Charcoal Logo

2009-09-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

I can't decide if I like the colored cat or non color version best. Perhaps I'll use both.

www.charcoaldesigns.com

Michael Jackson Memorial July 7th 2009

2009-07-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

I will always remember, as a kid, being glued to the t.v. waiting for MTV to play a Michael Jackson video. They played his songs about once or twice an hour but as a kid that just doesn't come soon enough. If I had 'you tube' growing up I probably would have never left my room!

I love you Michael, I'll never forget you, thank you for the magic you brought to everyone!

Although I didn't get into the Staples or Nokia memorial for Michael, I went to downtown to snap some pictures of fans, look a likes and spectators. These are some of those photos.

Renegade Craft Show This Weekend! Los Angeles!!

2009-07-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

Over 200 vendors, this Saturday & Sunday! Free to get in and free validated parking at the RCF booth! Come join us for some summer fun!

Click here for more info & directions!

Hand Embroidered Michael Jackson!

2009-06-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

I have been making Rock With You and I Love Michael Jackson iPod cases since 2004-2005. I will reissue these soon to fit the iPhone (current and new models), can't wait, now is such a great time! RIP The King Of Pop!

This was my first press ever! So jazzed because Lucky Magazine is one of my all time favorite publications!

DIY 'Converter Box'

2009-06-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

Why spend time waiting for your converter box to arrive when you can still watch your favorite t.v. personalities without all the wires and waiting. Measure your screen, print out an appropriate sized newscaster, sports star or whatever and stick it on your boob tube with double sided tape! I chose Mia Lee, a popular Los Angeles area newscaster, as this was the sensible choice.

If you decide to make one, take a picture of your boob tube celebrity and send it to me at info[at]charcoaldesigns[dot]com!

Lakers Fever!

2009-06-16T12:54:00.000-07:00

Cheech and Chong came out with Basketball Jones back in the 70's, a skit about a kid who jonesed for playing basketball, now we call it Laker Fever!

FREE Shipping MONDAY JUNE 15th ONLY!

2009-06-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

Let's start summer off right, with new jewelry and artwork from Charcoal Designs! Keepin' it cute and crafty since 2004!

Now is a great time to buy, enjoy FREE shipping for 24 Hours...Free shipping lasts from Midnight Sunday June 14th to Midnight Monday June 15th Only! This offer ends TONIGHT!

More good news: This offer is valid on ANY purchase amount, domestic and international orders too!

The Mummy Art Plaque (One Of A Kind) $40.00

Wolfman Art Plaque (One Of A Kind) $40.00

'Lady Sings The Blues' Gardenia Hair Clips $10 each

Swallow 'Wings Of Love' Necklace (w/hand beaded glass chain) $24.99

'Wolfblood' Necklace in White $24.00

'Love Kills' Necklace $22.49

Rubiks Cube Necklace $10.00

'Perch & Destroy' Necklace $18.00

Marie Antoinette Coffin Plaque (One Of A kind) $50.00

All This & Much Much More! Shop Now! WWW.CHARCOALDESIGNS.COM!

Etsy Roulette-Sweet Meat

2009-06-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

Etsy roulette is something I do for fun, I choose a topic...today's it just so happens to be 'Sweet Meat', type it into the search box on Etsy and see what comes up...here are my fav's for Sweet Meat!

Breakfast Favs as Vegan Soaps By Dirty Ass Soaps!

'Gorgeous Hunk Of Meat' Print by Maybe You Should Die!

And 'Pork Is Nice Sweet Meat' Print by Spread The Love!

If you play 'Etsy Roulette' too, drop me a line with your favs!

Owl Pincushion Winner Is...

2009-06-12T23:48:00.000-07:00

The winning name is HOOTERS!

Thank you everyone who entered! It was so hard to decide on a winner because the entries were all so good! In the end I decided to go for a name that was short, precise and can be taken out of context, which I love!

Close runners up were *even an owl needs a day job , *how many pricks, and *owl that hurts, well really the list goes on and on, they were all brilliant! Thanks again everyone, until we meet again at the next contest!

Check out my Flickr page to view all the entries! Thanks for playing Tamara! Check out her Etsy shop for some amazing (+ super creative!) faux bois jewelry!

Owl Pincushion Contest!

2009-06-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

Owl Pincushion Contest! Name that product!

CONTEST: Help me come up with a cute, kitschy, campy, clever name for this new product and you could win one owl of your choice! A winner will be chosen on Friday around 3pm, the winner will get to choose whichever owl they like best (either the lavender, white or pink owl). Only one winner will be chosen, so please come up with a great name for these owls!

Rules:

Come up with a clever name for these owl pincushions...

1. One entry per person
2. Leave a message on my Flickr page or leave a comment (below) to enter.
3. Deadline is this Friday June 12th, 2009 3pm.
4. Friends and family can vote too!

:D

BooDrivers Now Available!

2009-06-07T20:19:00.001-07:00

BooDrivers, the original monster head screwdrivers, now available at Charcoal Designs! Available in Red, Green or Purple. Custom colors by request.

So Ugly, They'e Cute!

2009-06-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

I came across these shoes via a twitter update from my pal Jennifer Perkins (of Naughty Secretary Club). There are many different designs on the same style shoes to choose from (sort of like Lesportsac bags), but I think these are my favs...

Frozen S**thole by Nikibi

Check out the other artist rendered shoes at The String Republic

Promo Swap! Anyone interested?

2009-06-06T17:58:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, Spitfire Interiors and I just had a ton of postcard printed up and our goal is to hand them all out by the end of the summer! I send out a lot of card with orders (and hand them out at shows) and I would like to include your business cards or postcards with my orders too, In turn I will send you my postcards so you can send them out with your orders.

If you are interested please email me so we can swap postcards/business cards and addresses!

My shop is more on the punk, rockabilly, cutesy, kitschy side, so I am mostly looking to swap with shops that are similar (it will work out better for both of us), if this sounds like your shop please drop me a line so we can swap!!

Btw, your shop doesn't have to be just jewelry, I'm looking to swap with t-shirt companies, artists, crafters, makers, etsy shops, etc.

Thanks!! -Laura Stokes-Estrada

P.S. Here is what our postcard looks like (double sided, front and back)...

A sample of one of our past promo packs! Send in your stuff so you can be included!...

New Jewelry In The Shop! Swallows, Guns & Monsters, Oh My!

2009-06-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

Available Only At www.charcoaldesigns.com!

Donkey Kick!

2009-05-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

I've been on a donkey kick lately and have just introduced a 'Kick the bucket' donkey necklace and donkey art plaque to the shop. 'Vaya con dios, Patches' is part of my new Pet Cemetery collection, which pays homage to non traditional pets, like the Tijuana donkey!

'Kick The Bucket Necklace' $15.00

Now available at www.charcoaldesigns.com!

BooDrivers 'The Original Monster Screwdrivers!'

2009-05-21T21:58:00.000-07:00

Coming soon, the original monster screwdrivers. They will be making their official debut at this weekend's West Coast Kustoms car show in Santa Maria, CA. They aren't on the Charcoal Designs website yet, but If you'd like to place a pre-order please leave a comment/message for me on my blog! Thanks guys and gals!

West Coast Kustoms 'Cruisin' Nationals' This Month!

2009-05-12T14:18:00.001-07:00

Come visit the Charcoal Designs/Kustom Voodoo booth May 22nd, 23rd, & 24th 2009 at the one and only Cruisin' Nationals in Santa Maria, CA!

Gardenia Hair Clips Back In Stock!

2009-05-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

Our hand embroidered Gardenia Hairclips are back in stock! These are one of the very first items I had offered in my shop way back in 2004, before I started making jewelry I was embroidering iPod case, eyeglass cases, stuffed 'good luck' dolls and Billy Holiday inspired gardenia hair clips! Now they're back and available with your choice of light or dark green leaves.

Available at www.charcoaldesigns.com!

Changeling

2009-05-07T16:54:00.000-07:00

Who else watched Changeling and fell in love with Angelina Jolie's cloche hat? I am digging her wooden acorn brooch as well. <3

Textile Fetish

2009-05-07T15:33:00.001-07:00

I recently did a craft trade with Jennifer Ramos of Textile Fetish and just received my adorable 'craft show' apron in the mail today. I love it, the pockets are roomy but not too big, perfect for manning my craft show booth, I can sort my small bills from the large bills and not have to worry about stuff falling out or looking unorganized, plus it's super cute so I don't have to feel weird wearing it around the shows if I decide to go shopping or grab a quick bite to eat! Thank you Jennifer!

Jennifer also sent me a super cool bonus gift. A skull coin purse with a pegasus lining...

Make Your Own 'Geico' Funny Money

2009-04-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

Learn how to make your own 'Geico Ad' funny money! This punk version is a gag gift for my friend's birthday coming up. It's really inexpensive to make and really easy too, I have included some things to print out so you don't have to design anything yourself in photoshop (unless you want to).

Materials:

*Rectangular paper pad (or cut your own 'money' shaped pieces)
*Faux Money Print Out (money band(s) and $5.00 bill image I've included in this post)
*Scissors
*Large googly eyes (available at Michael's and other craft shops for around 96 cents)
*Glue
*Double sided tape
*5-6" piece of wire (either from a coat hanger or a long twist tie).
*Pliers (if you are going to use a thick wire)

1. Print out the image attachment I have included (below), then cut the pieces out. You may need to edit the size of the $5.00 in photoshop if you are using your own rectangular paper pad or you can cut a stack of papers to fit the same exact size of the $5.00 image on the print out, which is approximately 6 1/8" X 2 5/8".

(Click on image to enlarge it before printing)

2. Place your $5.00 cut-out over the stack of papers, then tightly wrap the blue money band around the stack and secure it with a hidden piece of double sided tape.

3. Take your wire piece and manipulate it into a bicycle handle bar shape, the spiral shape on top gives the glue and eyes something to grab onto and the bend at the bottom will keep the whole thing from toppling over. Carefully slip it under the money band (you don't want to tear the band). Glue your eyeballs on, I used plain tacky glue (the kind that comes in the brown bottle) because the eyes are light weight an don't need a heavy duty glue.

4. For the last step you can put a funny note like 'this is the money you could be saving at ____ (said store)', etc. Then place it on a shelf in your shop, hide it in your boyfriends sock drawer, or place it on a street corner and see how many people try to steal it!

Inspiration Strikes Back!

2009-04-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

I love Flickr! So many amazing photos and fashion inspiration, it could make a girl go crazy! So instead of clicking on my 'fav' pics all the time for muse-ings I decided to make a collage of my dearest photos and pin it on my bulletin board!

I decided to group common items together and apparently I am digging Leggings, Rock 'N' Roll, Bangs, and Eye Make Up!

Inspiration Strikes!

2009-04-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

I decided late last night to make myself an inspiration board, or more of a sheet, to look at and feel inspired when I'm feeling lackluster.

Of course on this inspration 'sheet' there's lots of plastic and bakelite which I love but lately I have been thinking more about tone on tone colors and bold pieces, less pop when it comes to colors but lots of impact due to large pendants and interesting chains. Although mourning jewelry (bottom of page) can be a drag, black black black, the detail in the pendants and chains creates a big smash! Also I am re-inspired to create marbled and translucent pieces due in part to the stunning bakelite bangle photos by Galessa's Plastics!

My new artwork and it's connection to Octomom!

2009-03-06T18:01:00.000-08:00

The completion process of new art I have been working on for the past few days. Well actually I have been working on perfecting the resin frames for a few weeks now and I just made a new mold that has less 'bubbles', yes a resin casting nightmare! Anyway I'm happy with the new results and very happy with the color combos, images, resin banners, etc! Yay for resin, yay for photoshop!

Just a note: none of these are finished yet, I'm just super excited about the way they are turning out and wanted to share the completion process with my viewers!

Some will end up in the shop at www.charcoaldesigns.com and some will be sold at the Pink Parlour show at the Santa Anita Race Tracks on March 22nd and yet others will make their way to Spitfire Interiors in Whittier, CA...yes, Whittier is home to Octomom!

Button It Up! by Susan Beal

2009-03-02T23:12:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan, and collector, of vintage fabric, plastic buttons and creative crafty undertakings and Susan Beal's much anticipated new book Button It Up has all this and more!

You can even read an article I contributed to Susan's new book (on pg.15), called "Make Your Own Buttons" which is a step by step guide to resin casting!...Some of my favorite projects are...

The 'Buttony Fabric Cuff' by Amanda Blake Soule

...The 'Sew Cute Apron' by Amy Karol

...and an adorable embellished handbag by Linda Permann!

You can pick up your very own copy at Amazon.com or check out the Button It Up blog!

My quest for cool KISS stuff continues...

2009-02-27T20:34:00.001-08:00

Wow...check this out!

Available at: www.toothtunes.com

The KISS one costs about $9.99 on the Hasbro site (they even have a DEVO toothbrush too!) but if you're lucky you can find some other cool ones at the .99 cent store like my awesome new Indiana Jones one! That's right, my Indy toothbrush was only .99 cents!

Happy Hunting!

Artist Spotlight: John Miner

2009-02-15T18:01:00.000-08:00

I have admired John Miner's amazing silk screened gig posters for a long time and recently got a chance to do a short interview with the artist (it's astonishing what you will find out just by asking), this is what developed...

Q: How did you get your start as an artist?
A: I started creating gig posters for Tongue, a hard-core punk band fronted by Elizabeth McGrath, (now of Miss Derringer) in 1995.

Q: Did you go to art school or are you self taught?
A: I never had any formal training as an artist, but I learned to screen print at Pasadena City College, where I now teach screen printing. I learned about art by working as a master printer at Modern Multiples print studio, where I pulled prints for many different artists.

Q: Why silk screening?
A: I started printing in high school and found it was some thing I liked and thought it was some thing I could do rather than working at the mall. My first paid print job was a one color funeral t-shirt for the E.M.F cholo gang and I was so happy that some one paid me for some thing I loved to do.

Q: Do you silk screen full time?
A: When I am not printing, I am designing or teaching people how to print at PCC or teaching private workshops.

Q: If you weren't an artist what would you see yourself doing for a living?
A: I have been a salesman from time to time, and have done merchandising for bands as well.

Q: What art medium would you like to learn/practice but haven't had the time/money to do.
A: I would like do a film, make a trashy movie with little or no redeeming social value.

Q: Who are your favorite artists?
A: Edward Colver, Jon Van Hammersveld and Gee Vaucher

To view more of John E Miner's posters you can visit him at GigPosters.Com!

Craft Class @ Reform School

2009-01-25T19:08:00.000-08:00

I will be teaching a charm bracelet craft class on Feb.7th at Reform School in Silverlake, CA!

Interested? This special holiday class is $20 & includes all materials.

Saturday, 2/7 from 9:30am-11:30am-ish

E-mail reformschoolhomeec@gmail.com or call 323-906-8660 to sign up & get more info! Class size is limited to 12 kids, so contact us soon to reserve your space!

More class info coming soon!

Check out the entire February class lineup Here!

*Photo & Class Info courtesy of Jenny Ryan!*

Valentine's Day Sale!

2009-01-24T22:05:00.001-08:00

WWW.CHARCOALDESIGNS.COM

Taking Care Of Business

2009-01-23T18:02:00.000-08:00

If you run your own handmade business you know that making stuff is just 1/4 of the fun. Aside from being a product designer you have to be a computer wiz, photo genius skilled promoter, and master book keeper (among many other things)! This is why I like to make my 'order taking' a simple process.

Since the very beginning my method of taking down orders has remained the same. It would probably be an accountants worst nightmare but for me it has kept things simple. When I get an order I get out one of my trusted index cards and write down the following;

1.) Company (I have two businesses so I want to keep this straight, also etsy orders get a 'etsy' written over the company name)

2.) Purchase Date

3.) Item Description

4.) Item Price

5.) Payment Method/Payment Date

6.) Shipping Method (which usually comes later, I will write the item weight here when it's time to ship, and/or write the country name if it's an international order)

7. Customer's Name & Street Address & Email Address (written on the back of the card).

One more optional thing that I write down is 'Cali' at the top of orders which I received California resale tax for, this makes it easy during tax time to crunch those state tax numbers!

I purchased a custom stamp online that stamps the words 'Price', 'Payment', and 'Shipping' (spaced one line apart), this makes my life much easier.

I keep these cards in front of my computer until the item(s) are ready to ship, when they are staring me in the face I can't possibly forget an order. Once they are on their way I will put them in a card file or my new index card binder!

Index card binders (shown in the pictures) can be found at office supply stores or walmart and they fit standard index cards (you can punch the holes with a regular hole punch too). A less expensive option is a card file box (most sell for just .99 cents) but it was fun to get an index card binder and spruce it up with my own images and new plastic file separators (separate your orders by month and keep extra punched/stamped index cards in back)! It can be a bit time consuming to write down long wholesale orders though, so for this I print out the orders and place them in a full size binder.

These methods have worked for me, if you have any tips or suggestions I'd love to hear them!

Free Shipping Extension!

2009-01-05T01:02:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone, I've been under the weather and haven't had time to officially send out a notice but our FREE SHIPPING offer has been extended until JAN.9th.

This is mostly due to our website not functioning the way it has suppose to have been, especially for customers using Explorer & Safari web browsers. Thank you for being patient with orders and renovations to the site! More info soon!

Sincerely, the Charcoal team!

Free Shipping! Grab Bag Giveaway! Free Mini Pins Too!

2008-12-25T13:29:00.000-08:00

Charcoal has a new site! To celebrate the holidays and the introduction to our New website we are offering FREE shipping for one week only!

*All orders over $10 placed by Jan.2nd will receive free shipping, this includes international orders!

*PLUS: A Free woodland mini pin with each and every order (animal/style chosen at random from our woodland collection)

*Each order placed by midnight Jan.2nd will be entered to win a prize pack worth $70 bucks! Includes a crown hair clip set, crown ring, hand embroidered anchor eyeglass case, pink branch out bird necklace, goldie fawn necklace, and a pair of pink mums hairclips. One lucky customer will win it all! The winner will be announced on Jan.3rd!

Thanks to everyone for such a wonderful year and lots of luck and craftyness in 2009!!

Leslie & The Ly's

2008-12-23T00:41:00.000-08:00

This picture was taking awhile back (Nov.16th to be exact) but I just got a hold of a copy today! Thank you JJ! Felt Club was amazing and Leslie performing was the icing on the cake!

Me, Leslie, Jessica of Kustom Voodoo

there's pan dulce in my stocking...

2008-12-16T14:34:00.000-08:00

Now you can enjoy Pan Dulce all day long...no carbs no guilt! They even come in cute pink pastry boxes, sure to get your mouth watering.

www.Xochico.com

Prepare to hate me...

2008-12-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

That's right I met Nick & Gene Simmons Sat. night at the Derby Dolls L.A., wanna' fight about it? :D

How Bazaar

2008-12-12T23:03:00.000-08:00

These insanely cool Balenciaga boots (in the new Jan.2009 issue of Bazaar Magazine) remind me of something that Zolar X would wear.

Does this mean that the space look will finally be in? I guess Zolar X truly were ahead of their time. Let's hope.

BUST Craftacular News

2008-12-12T20:06:00.000-08:00

Bust just sent out an email to their mailing list with photos from the London and Los Angeles Craftacular craft shows (they were both on the same date Dec.6th). I'm scrolling along when I come across a picture of me with my ginormous Mummy ring!

Yah! Also there's a cute picture of Monica Burnett (below) with her ridiculously cute crocheted (not knitted!) headbands!

*btw, the mummy ring is not available in the shop yet but keep an eye out for it, it's coming soon!

Let's Rock 'N' Roll with KISS

2008-12-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

Wow, not only is Gene Simmons daughter going to sing the national anthem at this coming weekends Derby Dolls bout but I just found the most awesomest (yes it's a word!) Vans at Hot Topic's website dedicated to 70's Rock 'N' Roll masters K I S S!

I L U V them!

Tall Can Drinkers Unite!

2008-12-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

Tall cans in the air!

Tall can drinkers unite, you know who you are!

Sometimes you want a drink but a 40 ouncer is a bit too much, well hello 24oz can!

Keep it cool and keep it real...the tall can cozy by Emilio's Pocket. Problem solved. Period.

Kustom Voodoo @ Hot Topics

2008-12-07T16:28:00.000-08:00

Image Courtesy of Hot Topics

My good gal pal Jessica Monares of Kustom Voodoo just officially announced that KV is now for sale at the Hot Topics website! Hell to the yeah! This is big! Get your exclusive KV hair bows at Hot Topics in time for the holidays!

BUST Craftacular> Designer Spotlight

2008-12-03T23:50:00.000-08:00

As the 'BUST Craftacular' triple threat (3 shows!) soon approaches I viewed some neato designers on the BUST London-vendors page. Something caught my eye...the 'Spooky Doll Brooch' by Made By Milla...

Spooky in deed! I think me wants one!

BUST Craftacular> Artist Spotlight

2008-12-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

While clicking through the L.A. vendor page for the BUST Craftacular I came across a wonderful artist by the name of Catia Chien . Her art speaks volumes, one look and your mind races...thoughts go to better times, times when being a kid meant reading a book or daydreaming instead of spending the day in front of the t.v. or gaming.

Something about her works make me think that I've been there before, or am meant to be there. I simply love it.

2008-11-30T21:59:00.000-08:00

Charcoal is proud to be a part of this year's Bust Craftacular taking place at the Echoplex on Dec.6th in Los Angeles.

BUST will have a raffle (along with grab bags for the first 100 people through the door!) and a complete Lolliwood Sugar Shack set (necklace, ring, and hairclips) will be among one of the many great items raffled off that day!!

See You There!

www.bust.com

24 Hr FREE Shipping Special!

2008-11-28T02:54:00.000-08:00

Got the day off? Check! Coming out of your turkey coma? Check! Ready to shop? Check!!

www.charcoaldesigns.com

This offer includes overseas orders! You only have until noon on Saturday...have fun!

BUST CRAFTACULAR Dec.6th/LOS ANGELES

2008-11-25T23:24:00.000-08:00

Dj's, Drinks, Crafts!! Next Saturday at the Echoplex!

Charcoal Designs will be there and we will have a SUPER sale with $5.00 off any necklace, YES you heard right $5 bucks off, there will be necklaces as low as $7 bucks each!!

PLUS $2 off any hairclip set or brooch priced $6.99 or over.

This sale will only be available in person at the BUST craftacular show all going down on Dec.6th at the Echoplex in L.A.

Thanks for coming out!

2008-11-18T13:24:00.001-08:00

A big thank you to everyone who attended Felt Club and supported the Charcoal/Kustom Voodoo booth!

100% of the purchase price of our cute little mini pins went to the Red Cross (and a little more thrown in went to Toys For Tots!). Thank you to my wonderful customer who purchased a gang of mini pins (they sold faster than hot cakes!) your generous donations are going to two worthy causes!

Thanks and see you at the next show!

Felt Club Craft Show This Sunday!

2008-11-14T13:24:00.000-08:00

Hey Los Angeles! Come join us this Sunday!!

It's gonna' be a blast! Where else can you see DJ Lance Rock, Embroidery superstar Jenny Hart, Leslie and the Ly's (gem sweater!!) and more all in one venue!! No where else but Felt Club!

Kustom Voodoo and Charcoal Designs will be there, will you?

See ya' there!

Panty Pouch!

2008-09-02T22:40:00.000-07:00

Yes that's right and it is super cute! Etsy pick of the week is...
by Samyii

I <3 Flapjack!

2008-08-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

I was busy creating some new resin goodies in my workshop about an hour ago when I realized I was about to miss the Har Har Tharsdays lineup (as Cartoon Network puts it), which tops off with the Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack!
This amazing Newish (premiered this past June) cartoon created by cartoonist Mark "Thurop" Van Orman, is definitely my new cartoon favorite, the artwork is fresh and creative (and inspiring!!), the cheezy jokes make me giggle (or is it just Flapjack's voice and mannerisms?), and instead of guzzling down beer everyone in town noshes on candy at 'Peppermint Larry's'! I love it!!

Flapjack is on at 8:30pm on Cartoon Network, new episodes on Tharsday (said in my best pirate impression)! How adorable is Flapjack?!

The Queen Couture Collection Is Here!

2008-08-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

Victorian Inspired Rings, Necklaces and Brooches...

Available Now In the Shoppe!

Making Your Own Product Hang Tags

2008-08-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

Make your own simple no fuss header cards...while adding pizzaz to your handmade products!

1. design your header card in photoshop or other photo editing program (or hire a graphic designer to design one for you), make sure they fit into whatever downloadable template your printing company uses (it's a bear to edit it to fit later, you may have to start all over again, not fun).

2. order up some business size cards from your favorite printing company.

3. fold your new 'business card' in half and staple it around a necklace's chain, or most business cards fit perfectly folded over a 2" plastic baggie, staple away!

You can also punch a hole on top to hang your product from a display (be sure to allow room for this above your main images so you don't end up punching a hole in your logo!).

This will give your product a more polished professional look and only cost a few pennies more per item, plus it's uber fun to shift pics around in photoshop and dyo (design your own)!

New Crafty Chica Product Line!

2008-08-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

Creative Crafter Kathy Cano-Murillo, a.k.a. the Crafty Chica, just introduced her new line of glitters, altars, and dia de los muertos inspired products, available at an array of Michael's craft stores! Get inspired with her very own Crafty Chica Flickr group that showcases crafts made from Kathy's new line, and also features crafts inspired by her books and live workshops. If you're already thinking that Kathy does it all, read her bio it'll blow you away! Better yet check out the entire Crafty Chica site at www.craftychica.com!

What color is your hair?

2008-07-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

I had fun searching through this great site today called 'Beeunique' Alternative Hair Dye Photo Gallery, that features a ton of wild Manic Panic hair colors on real people (no mannequins here, no siree bob!), some of them are really creative! Rock on hair rebels!
above: some of my favorites from the site

Sailor Jerry's Jello Shooters

2008-07-19T13:59:00.000-07:00

1.) 1 package of sugar free jello

2.) add 1 cup boiling water

3.) *stir*

4.) add 1/2 cup rum or whatevah and then 1/2 cup cold water. You can add more rum or liquor if you'd like and add less cold water (as long as everything equals one cup).

basically you are just substituting the 'cold' water on the package for liquor.

note: all I had was paper cups but these work much better in small plastic ones, or grab a spoon!

From Brooch to Necklace!

2008-07-14T14:31:00.000-07:00

Tada!, I took a vintage brooch (an ebay impulse purchase) and made a silicone mold of it, the end result is a two tone horse necklace! Available now in the shop!

Oh Thank Heaven...

2008-07-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

...for 711! Today is officially Slurpee day! My friend Jessica of Kustom Voodoo messaged me today to tell me about the free slurpees at 711! 'cept my lazy butt got up too late and missed the free 7am-11am slurpee rush!! I'm bummed but happy too because I found this very funny, very cool (get it, cool!) site dedicated to the tastiest frosty treat around! At MySlurpeeCup.Com you can find bullet pointed (who doesn't love bullet points?) facts about 711, Slurpee Addiction (are you an addict?), Brainfreeze symptoms and more!

Some of my fav. addiction symptoms include:

• You cry if the 7-Eleven gets robbed, and calm yourself down with another Slurpee

• Your tongue is stained the color of your favourite Slurpee flavour

• You deliberately take your time while drawing your Slurpee from the machine and wander around a bit before going to the till, in order to "defrost" before heading back into the cold.

• You know when the "rush hours" are, and (thus) when to go for a Slurpee in order to guarantee the best possible consistencies.

• If you don't arrive at your usual 7-11 store as you usually do, they ask what happened to you the next time that you go there.

• You know when the month has changed only when you notice that the "flavor of the month" has been changed.

• You do favors for others only because you've been promised a Slurpee reward.

• You find yourself lecturing others on Slurpee Etiquette, the importance of Consistencies, and the best 7-Eleven’s around town.

• It's not uncommon for you to phone them up and ask what Slurpee flavours they have and what the consistencies are like. (That is, if you haven't been there yet that day)

• When your sister wakes you up in the middle of the night and asks if you want to come to the 7-Eleven with her, you only hesitation is whether or not you should wear a jacket.

• You dedicate a website to Slurpees.

haha. I love these, there's even some reader submitted 'addiction' symptoms that are equally as lol-able! Oddly enough, I'm craving a slurpee just about now.

Rear Window-Photoshop Fun

2008-07-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I hope you had a great 4th of July! The park near my beau's house had a fireworks show again this year (after a two year hiatus) so the good thing is that we can sit (or stand) in his backyard and see the whole show without having to fight for parking and wrestle the crowds! On top of the 'bombs bursting in air' we had a great bbq, thank you grandma Gloria and mama Alice, with hot dogs wrapped in bacon (a cholesterol watchers dream!) with steaks, potato salad, corn and beer (you didn't know that corn goes great with beer?)! It was a lot of fun!

So after a long night out I usually veg out in front of my computer the next day and that's exactly what I'm doing now. I had some pictures on my desktop, one of Drew Barrymore and one of Princess Grace Kelly (I watched Rear Window yesterday on TCM, I love G.K.'s style!) and thought I'd 'Drew Up' the Grace pic and try and recreate the antiqueness of it! So here's what I came up with:

Rear Window, Before & After:

Inspiration:

Like most photoshop stuff it wasn't that hard to do but took a little trial and error. Basically I just started off with the Grace Kelly photo and changed the opacity (in the layers palette) to around 60% and added a frame picture in the background (probably should have put it first) and lightened it and changed erased the harsh edges and then added some burns and scratches around the edges (with my selections from the brush palette) and again erased any harsh areas and spots around the subjects faces. Tada!

The burn and scratch brushes were downloaded from Deviant Art members: Lailomeiel & Chain. I *Heart* DeviantArt!

P.S. Did I mention that tomorrow is my birthday?!!

Etsy Roulette-Week #2

2008-07-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

The rules are simple:

1. Go to Etsy.com
2. Come up with a word. 'Mustache', 'Boxer', 'Dracula', etc., now enter it in the search box.
3. Click and see what comes up.
4. Look at *Everything* that comes up under that word.
5. Choose your favs and post them in your blog (give credit to Charcoal Designs for 'etsy roulette' in your blog too if you please)!
6. Yeah, it's a gamble but that's how I like it!

Etsy Favs From Week #2 "Camera":

Cute:
$16.00 Fluffington

Clever:$18 Camera Case by Librarian Barbarian

Better Wait Until Payday:$110 Lamps Reborn

I've got enough in my Paypal for that:$1.25 Loverly Ink

Love At First Sight:$13.80 Plushism

Tune in again next week as I shall spin the (etsy) roulette wheel again!

I fought a good fight...and lost.

2008-07-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

I now listen to folk music, and I love it! I guess I've been fighting it for years, my mom and pop are kinda into folky stuff (Joan Baez, Peter Paul and Mary, Bob Dylan among others) but it took me years and years to finally give in. I think the turning point was this documentary on PBS about the folk singing group The Weavers (mostly about their lead singer Pete Seeger) who were popular in the 60's until they were blacklisted for allegedly being commies! Alot of their songs are classics that many generations grew up on, let's bring 'em back, hootennany anyone!?

So yesterday my beau and I went to the library to return some books and I spotted what I never saw before, CD's! Yes, amongst the junk was a folk CD with you guessed it some songs and duos with Pete Seeger, also a full length Pete Seeger CD and a full length CD by The Weavers! Check your local library first or if you live in L.A. county you can request stuff here! Love it! So I still don't listen to Joan or PP&M but any start is a good start, now if only I can STOP listen to stuff like Hall & Oates...Nah, Never!!

Making Fiends...On Nickelodeon!

2008-06-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Good News, Nickelodeon is introducing a new show called 'Making Fiends', Since I'm already a fan of Nick shows including Jimmy Neutron, Yo Gabba Gabba (Nick Jr.), The Mighty B and iCarly (hello, she has her own web show that she and her friends promote!), I know this show is gonna' rock too! The best news is that my long time friend Ego Plum of the Ebola Music Orchestra is going to compose the music for it!! Oh happy day!

I haven't found any news about it on Nick.com but you can get a bit of info. here at: Ebola Music!

Ironic Arts

2008-06-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

We've all heard of the ironic t-shirt but there's something about this ironic art that I love. I have been to Amsterdam (luckily twice in my lifetime!) and have escaped there Delft Free, if only them made 'em like Charles Krafft does!

Charles Krafft's Disasterware: God Bless Our God

King Of Kitsch

Uzi

Crucified Mickey

Machine Gun Round

Martha Steward Prison Plate

Etsy-Russian Roulette Week #1

2008-06-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

There's a game I like to play on Etsy that I like to call 'Russian Roulette', basically you search for a certain word...like 'hobo' or 'wicker' and see what pops up! Yesterday I was flippin' for 'Tentacles' and woo did I find some doozies!

The winner of the following categories is:

Cuteness:

$9.99 www.doctorgus.etsy.com

Insane In The Membrane (Crazyness but I love it):

$60.00 www.societysedso.etsy.com

Budget Breaker:

$160.00 www.octopusme.etsy.com

Budget Buddy:

Made by Voz Perkins, $2.50 www.vozamer.etsy.com

Cleverness:

$13.00 www.oddball.etsy.com

$40.00 www.lumpkin.etsy.com

Creepiness:

$15.00 www.flushplease.etsy.com

Wanna' play Etsy Russian Roulette? Found something I might like to feature next week?, please comment and let me know!

Clever Bag Lady

2008-06-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

I totally need this bag to go with my sweater that has holes cut out where the thumbs would go. Seriously, I don't have one of those (when we were younger we'd have to cut our own holes now they have sweaters with them stitched in, la de da) but if I did this would go perfectly with it!

By: Broth giuggiole hand-made accessories / www.ilbrododigiuggiole.it

As seen on: popgloss.com

Sparkle Cameos!

2008-06-22T16:32:00.001-07:00

Today I battled the heat in my studio to create some new sparklerific cameos! I might use them for religious praying hand necklaces or maybe something else, the options are endless...as long as whatever I pick fits in a 18X13mm space!

Photoshop Brush Fun

2008-06-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

So ever since I learned how to create brushes in photoshop I've been hooked! As of late I discovered some awesome *FREE* photoshop brush downloads on www.deviantart.com. Just search for 'spider brushes', 'grunge brushes' etc. and they will pop up! Most artists ask that you link back to their D.A. page for credit (especially if you use the brushes for things you are gonna' sell) but some don't, it differs from artist to artist so read up before you download and/or use these brushes.

If you aren't familiar with brushes but do use photoshop here's a quick run down (p.s. I am using photoshop version 7):

1. Open up photoshop, find an image that you like (drawings and thick lined images work best, or images with the background cut out)
2. Edit your pic. (cut out background if necessary)
3. Click on 'Edit> Define Brush Preset'. Note: If your image is too big then 'define brush preset' will be ghosted, make your image smaller and try again.
4. When the 'Brush Name' option comes up (see photo #1) click on 'OK'
5. That's it! Now click on your brush icon (from the photoshop palette) and scroll all the way to the bottom, there's your new brush!

Note: When downloading brushes from a site like DeviantART you must first click on 'download' from the DeviantArtist's page, then while in photoshop click on your brush tool then click on your brush options. From there you will need to click on the arrow on the top right and scroll down and click on 'load brushes', (browse through your hard drive and) scroll to your recently downloaded brushes and click on the correct file (the file you just downloaded from DeviantArt) then click 'load'. Now your brushes will automatically be loaded into your brush palette! It's that easy!

A brush sort of acts like a rubber stamp of sorts and the great thing about brushes is once you've created it there's no backgrounds to cut out and you can choose whatever color you want your 'stamp' to be. Brush away!

I used some of my deviantart.com brush downloads today to create some images to use for mini pins I'm gonna' hand out at shows (for free) this summer. Cute Promos! Woo Hoo! Aside from the donkey (I created this brush myself) the cute 60's style chicks are all from punksafetypin at www.deviantart.com.

Brush Set 18 - That 70s Girls by ~punksafetypin on deviant ART

Reliving the Past With Netflix by my side!

2008-06-21T00:07:00.000-07:00

O.K. I was and still am so I'm sort of a couch potato! But I gotta tell you, shows like Nickelodeon's Pete & Pete and Comedy Centrals: Kids In The Hall, got me through the tough teenage years of my life. Knowing that there were people out there with looney ideas like mine, ironically kept me sane.

I have been looking for old Pete and Pete episodes for the last couple of years and I'm glad to see that Netflix finally has them! My guy and I have finished season one and just started season two, personally my favorite episodes were from the first season but season two rocks as well. With cameos from Steve Buscemi, Bebe Neuwerth (Frasier, Summer of Sam), Debbie Harry, Toby Huss (King of the hill, Carnivale, Reno 911) Michelle Trachtenberg (Buffy's little sis) and more, you can't go wrong!!

newbie

2006-01-09T13:57:00.000-08:00

Well this is my first blogger journal entry. I was previously using lj but posting pics. there was driving me crazy. Am I just a dummy?

I'm listening to music now and need to work on business stuff soon, like make more ipod cases.

cheers for now! -Laura