Meta?

I made a sandwich to be proud of.

Comicon was a success! So successful that we've decided we're going to do it again next year (Memorial Day Weekend), but next time we'll get a big space instead of the small artist's table. It will cost about 3 times as much, but I think it will be worth it.

A lot of people seemed to be interested in portrait puppets, which was nice, but I kinda don't think anything will come of it. Next year I'll make less expensive monster puppets and offer those. Oh, and next year? TOTALLY going to geek out and go all steampunked.

While there I made a myriad of finger puppets, which I'll upload to my shop throughout the week (I have a terrible sore throat/ear ache, so I'm not in a hurry to list).


Oh hey, also, I was featured on the Such Cool Stuff blog. My blogging about a blog...is that meta?

Titeres Galores

DEATH awaits you all with sharp, nasty, pointy teeth!

I'm going to Comicon this week. Not the big one in San Diego, CA, no no, this is the mega-con in Mesa, Arizona. Got that stalkers? I'll be at the comicon in Mesa, AZ this week. Don't rape me or anything okay?

In preparation, I'm trying to make a lot of puppets...to be exact, a lot of really nerdy puppets. Got that nerds? I'm onto you! I know what makes you tick! It's things like Liches & Yetis! Oh yeah, I know that WOW isn't just an interjection, but a really creepy life-sucking game! I know the difference between a dwarf and a halfling! Oh yes! You shall see dorkdom at cactus-con a-plenty and it shall on be at my table! Or maybe not.

I'm actually having a bit of terribly wonderful bad luck with my shop. I can't seem to stock up my stuff. I've been making things and listing them on etsy, figuring one in the hand is worth two in the bush & in the last week I've sold 6 things on etsy! Including little pepe fleece for eyes, who has been in my shop since August of 2006! So hooray for adoption! The only downside to this is that I've got comicon coming up & am trying to get enough finger puppets for my table that I won't look ridiculous for the 4-day event with 8 puppets.

I'm going to the post office tomorrow with all of my goodies to bid them farewell. One is going to China.

So this week gives me hope. Maybe I can make it as an artist on my own-ish. I'm setting goals for myself. I'm hoping to make at least 12-14 puppets (finger) per week. I'll list at least one puppet per day & hopefully they sell. This week, so far, I've made...1, 2, 3...4, 5, 6 plus 5 is 11...plus 1 is 12....plus 3 is 15... 15! I've made fifteen puppets. I need to sell about 35 a month in order to maintain financial sanity. Well, at least financial stability.

A new beginning?

Nothing like symbolizing the birth of a new era with a creature known for the destruction of all mankind. Woohooo!

Now, I'm still working as a performing puppeteer on a daily basis until the end of January, so no panicking yet. And I had planned on making these little dorky puppets & saving them for the Phoenix Comicon (where a friend of mine & I have a table) but I figured one in the hand is worth..well, you know. So I put him up on Etsy. I'll earn as much & save as much as I can, knowing that winter is on its way.

I'm trying to stay positive about all of this. (It's difficult)
The hours I'll be working make it challenging to get another job. So I've got to make a decision: do I give up what I love entirely so I can keep the car, feed the family, keep the kiddo in the awesome school? Or do I scrape by & force my family to do the same? I could trade in the car, but at this point we've lost so much money on it by keeping it for such a short amount of time. I suppose had I known, I might have leased it instead. Can't go back. Can only go forward with ooey gooey tentacles of doooooom! (And adorable googly eyes)

Right now, the hope is that I can "make it" with Etsy, for now. We'll be thankful for the time that I've had as a performer and hope that, if the theater can afford it down the line, they'll re-hire me (which is what she had said she'd like to do). I'll still be doing the slams and things around town, so I'm not going anywhere...just...ugh. yeah. Nothing quite like hearing all of that right before you're treated to lunch at a restaurant you don't really like just after seeing someone you know at the table in across from you.

Wow, was that a whole lot of emotional-vomit?

*resisting urge to crawl under a blanket*

I'll make another puppet!

End of an era

So, I had my review today at work and was told that my hours will be cut back & that the theater can no longer pay me to do puppet shows due to nasty recession budget constraints. I understand. It hurts, but I understand. They still want me to teach for them 9 hours per week.

I'm going to have to figure some things out...

Happy New Year!

When all is said & done I've re-sized, cut, & styled wigs, I've found an amazing costume designer, discovered new eyes, done makeup, figured out which fabric I'll never use again, resorted to using a pattern for the heads, am pleased with the results, but still wish I'd not used a pattern, sculpted 10 hands (which means I've sewn 10 hands--man I hate sewing hands), Found an incredible resource for puppet eyewear---then broke that eyewear--hmm, & I haven't had access to 5 bottles of wine for more than a month. Dude, I want my wine back.

Another puppeteer asked me if I was charging enough. I said no. I got a "you know how much other people charge, right?" Yeah, I know. I don't think I fully knew before I started putting all of this together, but I think I have a better idea now. I just never before felt like I could attain that quality of workmanship. I get it now. I think can do it. I put a listing in my etsy shop that is probably still low for most puppeteers, but it's a good step for me so I feel okay about it. (By the way Andrew's puppet pricing calculator is just a dream) If it's about right, do tell.

The puppets will be on their way hopefully this week. Me breaking the eye glasses (tonight) really put a big snafoo into that one. I'll give you full back story & details on the puppets just as soon as I can. (The 4 of you that read my blog probably already know the details, but what the hey?)