T-minus 17 hours to Heroescon!

Because Heroescon is an “out-of-town” show (i.e., I don’t have friends/family living there, where I can ship things over early and crash in their guest room), I tend to get much more stressed out than other shows.  Plus, as a comic book nerd, being able to hob-nob with my favorite artists and writers ratchets up the anxiety and the need to be perfect.

Fortunately, I have a very understanding husband, and although the weather was just *perfection* this past weekend, he quietly left me alone, so I could work on prepping as much as I can for Heroescon.

Yes, I put the husband to work...it was very "Oliver Twist"

It’s been 4 days, and the thumbs on both hands are still so weak and sore that I can barely pick up my water glass, I have so many burns and blisters on my hands that they’ve looked like they’ve been tortured, and I had been hunched over so much, that I can’t walk without a limp.

I like to call this my Terra Cotta Warriors of Hair Accessories

Still…totally worth it.  Less than 24 hours before Paigey and I hit the road for Heroescon…

(and I totally plan on sewing bags – by hand – the entire drive down)

Holy crap I’ve been busy!

Holy crap I’ve been busy.

I know, I know...everyone is busy.  But seriously, this past year has been ridiculously busy…in the best possible way.

I love the Sweatshop but unfortunately it’s not my full-time job.  I have an awesome day job/career that I love, but can get pretty busy.  In just February, there were two weeks where I logged about 100 hours at work.  Then I come home, head into my workshop and continue to create things for the Sweatshop.  I know that the schedule is pretty insane, and honestly, I don’t think I could have kept up the pace if it wasn’t for my awesome husband and my super amazing BFF that supported me when I needed support, and left me the hell alone when I needed quiet to get everything I needed to get done, done.

My friends (and many family) constantly question my sanity and ask me why I do it.  My day-job pays well, and by nature I’m kind of a slug (which still makes me seem more active than I am).  So why do I work my high-paced demanding day job and then come home to work on the Sweatshop?

I could give the simple, but trite answer: passion.

I could give the answer I give my parents: because I’m Asian and this is how you raised me.

I could give you the beauty pageant interview answer: because I have a need to create, and I have the drive to live out a dream that I’ve harbored since I was in high school, and that the Sweatshop is an outlet to express myself.

And all of these answers are true, but the real reason I will work 100 hour day-job weeks, and still dedicate time to the Sweatshop is this: I can’t stop myself.

It’s funny.  When I first started the Sweatshop, my primary concern was finding the time to be able to dedicate to the Sweatshop. I had a jammed-packed schedule of parties and events and what-nots (plus, you know, that day-job).  But then, around the third or fourth month I was working on the Sweatshop, I noticed that the problem wasn’t finding the time to dedicate to the Sweatshop…but finding the time to pull myself away from the Sweatshop to go hang out with people.  There is something soothing and zen-like about creating something.  And at the risk of sounding completely corny, it was something I’ve been missing.  All my life, I’ve loved making things and doing little arts and crafts projects, however, the problem with doing arts and crafts projects is that unless there is a distribution plan (i.e., giving them away as gifts), your house quickly starts to look like a Martha Stewart Hoarders episode.  Plus, as an adult (and a slug) there are so many obligations and things that you feel that you need to do, that taking the time to sit down and create something is always on the bottom of the priority list.  So by having the Sweatshop, I allow myself time to create. 

And all this creating stuff? It’s AWESOME.  Despite the crazy hours, and the late nights trying to complete rush orders, it’s actually ridiculously fun and relaxes me better than a full body massage.  I love it, and I can’t imagine stopping this crazy ride!  And I owe a huge thank you to all my fans and customers that allow me to have this time to create something amazing.  Because it’s a wonderfully addictive feeling.

So, the TL;DR version of all of this: I’ve been super busy this past year…and a huge thank you fans for letting me be this busy!  

How to Throw a Kickass DIY Wedding

My BFF recently just got married in Vegas, in a wedding that was uniquely them...and arguably one of the quirkiest, funnest, and *happiest* weddings I've ever had the luck to attend!

Want to throw your own kick assed DIY wedding? Here's how to do it in 10 easy steps:

1) "Elope" to Vegas on Dia de Muertos with your entire families and 25 of your closest buddies (it helps if your parents are pretty kickassed themselves...with a great sense of humor).

2) Instead of traditional engagement photos, go for a retro/pinup themed photoshoot (courtesy of Atomic Cheesecake Studios).


Fez hat optional!

 3) Design your own wedding invitations using those awesome pics (bonus points if you make the dress code "appropriate for Vincent Price's funeral").

OK, it helps if both the bride and groom are also professional artists

4) Put together your own wedding dress by purchasing your dress from Vivien of Halloway, a corset from Louise Black (of ProjRun fame), and "jazz it up" by adding a little lace and rhinestones!

5) Have an awesome kickass Sweatshop BFF (like...me!) who will happily make 30+ hair flowers for you to use as party favors.



All of those...in one afternoon!


6) Have that self same BFF team up with your uber creative (and ex-seamstress) mom to design the perfect wedding bouquet and matching boutineers.



With our powers combined, Mrs P & I are unstoppable!



7) When the custom cake topper doesn't arrive on time (an issue I'm still fighting with the artisian on), instead of freaking out, calmly borrow the bride and groom sugar skull figurines that you had gifted to your grandmother, and have your mother paint them (bonus points if it's with glitter paint) to match your wedding outfits, and use those as your cake topper.



It was the "something borrowed"

 8) Get married by a rockin' Elvis (we're huge fans of Viva Las Vegas) with webcast so friends and family that couldn't make can watch the wedding live!

That's me on the left...let's face it, *I* was the real star!

9) Instead of a traditional (and costly) reception in a ballroom, have a fun, yet sumptuous dinner at any of Vegas' amazing restaurants (Michael Mina's Nobhill in MGM was classy, delicious and had great service).

10) Post wedding, get some extra milage out of all the work you put into your dress and bouquet by having a Trash the Dress photo shoot at the Neon Boneyard (bonus points if your maid of honor BFF gifts that to you as a wedding present...yes, I'm tooting my own horn).



 Seriously, without any exaggeration, this was one of the best weddings I've ever been to.  Everything was fun, low-stress (well, as low stress as a wedding can be), and incredibly fun to be involved in!

Art by The Art of Paigey!

Thank you BCC 2011!

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A HUGE thank you to everyone for being so incredibly awesome!  We had such a great reception and so many great people stop by that I just don't even know where to being...so I'm going to just say...WOW!!!

Baltimore Comic Con (BCC) was held up in Charm City this past weekend, August 20 - 21, and I don't think I've ever gotten such a warm fuzzy glow from so many perfect strangers...that didn't quite seem like strangers by the time they left our table.  It's odd...I'm an old pro at conventions (oh cosplay), but the overwhelming welcome that we received from everyone this past weekend far outdoes any convention experience I've ever had.  I'm just so excited that everyone was so excited by our stuff (yes, that's a lot of excitement going on!)!

My BFF Paigey, was kind enough to share some of her table space in Artist Alley with me, so that I could sell my hair flowers.  Since the great reception from Psychobilly Luau, I was hopeful...but not really expecting too much.

Paigey also made the signage...heh...I <3 her so!

Saturday morning, I was running a little behind and arrived at Paigey's table at 11:15.  By 11:20, I had already sold two flowers!  Then all day long and for the rest of the weekend, people were walking past my table saying "WOW!  Look at those flowers!"!  All the positive vibes and compliments had my head spinning!

And it wasn't just my flowers!  Paigey's table was also going bonkers!  Heeheehee...although this was a comic book convention (which is dominated by guys), we definitely had the advantage over all the other artists and booths by having the "WAGs" (Wives And Girlfriends) table full of sparkly girly (yet comic and pin-up art related) stuff.  It seemed that every girl at the convention must have stopped by our table at least once...a few of them several times!  

The colors! The sparkly!  The cute!

I especially loved the one girl who came and bought one of Aniline's (another friend whom Paigey was vending for) "Cupcake Eating Batman"...then dragged her boyfriend back to our table ten minutes later so that he could buy her the matching bracelet.  

We may have publicly shamed a few boyfriends into buying prezzies for their uber cute girlfriends...

Surprisingly (at least, to me!), all my manga and comic book hair flowers sold out halfway through Saturday!  So instead of hanging out and grabbing dinner with Paigey after Saturday's show...I rushed home (an hour away from the convention site), to earn my Sweatshop moniker by staying up and whipping out more flowers.  And those also sold out halfway through Sunday!  Lesson learned for next year...make a metric butt-load of comic book and manga hair flowers for the convention!  Holy schmoolies!


I originally wanted to do a quick shout out and super thanks to all the wonderful friends who came by to say hi...but the weekend has quickly turned into a blur and I don't want to forget anyone.  So instead, I'm going to just give a big, huge, loud THANK YOU to *everyone*...friends and fans, old and new.  Thank you for being so supportive and so wonderful.  Just...thank you!

See you next year BCC!!!

Thank you Paigey!

In case it was ever in doubt...I love my BFF (and fellow crafter) Paigey.  I mean, I hate her for being so talented, and gorgeous and funny and fabulous, but she's always been infinitely patient with my crazy butt and she always happily drags me in her wake of awesimitude!


Take for example, the Psychobilly Luau.  This annual three day event, held in Brooklyn, is the premier gathering spot on the East for a melding of punk and rockabilly and all things cool.  Paigey was slated to vend at this event, and she very kindly offered to sell some of my hand made hair flowers. 

Luck Be a Lady tonight!

I quickly packaged up all the flowers I had in my Sweatshop and Priority mailed them to her, feeling a little guilty that I was adding to her already heavy load of stuff that she would need to transport to and from the event. 


Not only did she lug my box of flowers to and from the event...but she also prominately displayed them...and proceeded to text me all through the weekend with updates on the (considerable) sales that she made for me! 


On top of that...she then proceeds to give me major shout out on her blog!


Quite honestly, she constantly blows me away by her unfailing generosity...but also for her bloodhound nose for cool.  Heh.


So in short - I love my BFF.  And I'm so lucky to have her as my best friend.  She's awesome, talented, and just fun to be around!  If you haven't already - go check out her Etsy store and her blog!

The Art of the Ever Fabulous Paigey!

Psychobilly Luau (Brooklyn)

My awesome artist (and fellow artisan) BFF Paigey is vending this weekend at the 5th Annual Psychobilly Luau in Brooklyn...and she's been kind enough to also sell my poker flowers and other hair accessories at her table!

Be sure to stop on by, say hi and check out her fantastic artwork on adorable necklaces, bracelets, magnets and, of course, my hair flowers!

The Garden of Awesome

Sometimes, it's incredibly annoying to have a BFF who is gorgeous, stylish, and a pin-up/comic book artist of note.

But then sometimes, it's the MOST AMAZING THING IN THE WHOLE WORLD.

Take for example, my poker flowers. I was so excited when I came up with the idea. I was more excited when I was able to get these flowers to look the way I saw them in my head. My excited little heart was on the verge of bursting when I texted pictures of my flowers to my BFF.

As a good BFF, she properly "ooh'd" and "ahh'd" over them with just the right amount of enthusiasm and awe. I sent her directions and my template on how to make these flowers for herself...

...when she PROMPTLY BLEW MY MIND AWAY by coming up with new mediums for me to use! I didn't think past the poker cards (sometimes I have the most awful tunnel vision), and I couldn't wrap my mind around changing my process which took forever to figure out, but after a flurry of text messages (thank you $5 unlimited text messaging, you made no money on us that day) that lasted nearly 3 hours...BAM! I present to you my garden of *AWESOME*!

The Garden of Awesome - brought to you by the letters: B, F and F.

And that's not all! Now that I've mastered how to make roses, I'm now toying with other designs and flowers! Not all of them are turning out *quite* the way I see them in my mind, but that's part of the "fun" (and angst) of the creative process...right?

Comic Book Daisy - for superheros who loves me...loves me not...loves me...loves me not...loves me!

Extra Lucky Lotus Flower made with Chinese Hong Baos!

A Comic Book Zinna - kryptonite sold seperately!

For more awesomeness, head to my Etsy Shop!