Inspiration Strikes Back!

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!

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!

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

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...

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

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

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!

WWW.CHARCOALDESIGNS.COM

Taking Care Of Business

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!

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!

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

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...

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...

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

How Bazaar

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

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

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!

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

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

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!