Gothcupcake

Win Some Twinkie Chan Goodies!

2012-01-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

Twinkie Chan is doing a giveaway for a bunch of sweet accessories! Check out her blog post on how to enter! It's super easy, it would be silly not to! Just click on the link *HERE* to enter!

You're welcome for the tip!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Happy New Year!

2012-01-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I decided to start off the new year with a new look, embracing lovely jet black gothy hair goodness again as well as a choppy new cut. I have a list of goals taped to the wall beside a quote from John Lennon reminding me to strive to be happy in life. Building myself as a better person and building my business as a better brand are the main goals for this year.

I need to share more of my life too! Sharing is caring afterall! I would love to share more posts with you all, more recipes, and more of my random creations, creative notions, happenings, crazy snack finds, etc.

This is also the year when I will finally have something up on gothcupcake.com! (Finally!) After years of simply linking to my etsy shop the website will now have some content. At least in the form of a main hub that links all my awesomeness in one place.

How were your holidays? What are your plans for the new year? Resolutions? Goals?

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Cupcake Book Giveaway!

2011-07-12T17:20:00.001-07:00

Twinkie Chan is having a giveaway on her blog for this adorable book by Joyce Wan entitled "You are my cupcake" for (ages 4-8) is coming out this August. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on Twinkies Blog post HERE.

You can earn additional entries by linking to Twinkie's giveaway on Twitter or on your blog, and you must put either of those links in separate comments, since she will just use the number of blog comments to determine the winners. If you leave a comment with two links in that same comment, that’s just going to count as the same entry!

Twinkie will run the giveaway for a week, and will use Random.Org to choose the 3 winners on Tuesday, July 19!

If you have a wee one who is just learning to read, or you need to get a present for a friend with a kiddo, “You Are My Cupcake” will be a yummy surprise!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Teal Hat Project-Mini Knitting Class

2011-07-11T22:04:00.000-07:00

My friend Nic wanted to donate hats for the Teal Hat Project, but wasn't sure where to start. Yesterday we hung out and I showed her how to make a hat with a knitting hoop.

(Sneak peek at my new violet hair!)

We watched some Wallace and Gromit while we worked.

Nic caught on quickly!

Nic's first hat!

My chunky hat!

All in all it was fun and we made cool hats for a cause! :D

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Purple Rain

2011-07-09T19:55:00.000-07:00

My lovely prize of 2 purple swirl hair bows arrived in the mail this week from Tuck N Roll Kustoms! I won them in a facebook contest on their page! Perfect timing as well as I just dyed my hair purple today! Thank you Krissy!!

The bus driver before the heart-shaped glasses bus driver had nicknames for me based on my ever-changing hair colors. When I had my bright red hair I was simply "Red" then when I went purple he would call me "Purple Rain" then the purple faded to pink and the pink faded to blond and then I was "Sunshine" :) So now I guess I am Purple Rain again.

I left my peek-a-boo streak of magenta in my hair though, so perhaps it smacks a bit of Stocking from Panty and Stocking with Garter Belt. Which is fine by me!

Do you have any favorite purple-haired characters? Feel free to share!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Teal Hat Project NOCC Walk Fundraiser

2011-06-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

Click Here to Donate

Since I am unable to make the Rhode Island chapter NOCC walk, I will be taking part in the Valley of the Sun Chapter's NOCC walk here in Tempe, AZ on September 17th! If you would like to donate to our cause, or join our team, please visit our Team Page!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Teal Hat Project

2011-06-19T21:54:00.001-07:00

Most of you have probably seen my posts on Facebook, AttackoftheCraft.com and Twitter in regards to this, but for those who have not: I started a project.

My cousin is the President of the Rhode Island Chapter of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition and posted a few months ago that they were looking for donations for the upcoming NOCC walk in September. I was inspired to step up to the plate and donate for a good cause. I wasn't sure what I would donate when I offered to, but I knew I could come up with any number of things. Donna mentioned that many of the Ovarian Cancer survivors who attend the walk are going through chemo therapy and said they tend to like hair wraps, scarves or hats to wear. This got me to thinking. What would be better than home made hats with love in every stitch? Thus, The Teal Hat Project was born. My goal is to make and collect a total of 100 homemade hats by August 1st to be sorted and shipped to Donna in Rhode Island in time for the NOCC's walk in September.

If you are interested in donating or simply in supporting the cause, please visit and "Like" our Facebook page and help spread the word!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

The Extreme Unicorns

2011-06-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

My friend Lex of Smarmy Clothes is also in an awesome band where she sings and plays bass and made this awesome video. Go check it out! I've already listened to this song twice tonight :D

I hope you all are having a great week!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Male Birth Control

2011-06-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

Check out this article I read on Bust magazine's website this morning... pretty interesting: Male Birth Control.

Newspaper Nails With A Twist!

2011-06-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

I found a few tutorials on-line for the ever popular newspaper nail look, but not being a huge fan of beige or white nail polish I opted to give the look and upgrade.

What you will need:

-A nail polish color that black text would show up on easily (I opted for orange)

-Newspaper cut into 1"x1" squares (I used scraps from a Japanese newspaper my Japanese bowl was wrapped in when I went on my trip to Los Angeles)

-A small bowl, cup, or a shot glass with 1/2"-1" of vodka, everclear or rubbing alcohol

-A shimmer nail polish (optional)

-Nail jewels (optional)

-A clear nail polish

1. Paint your nails with your light/bright nail color. Let dry in between coats to avoid air bubbles.

2. Let nails dry completely.

3. Dip one of your fingers into the alcohol and let sit for 10-20 seconds. Dab excess alcohol off of finger with a tissue--but do not remove any from the nail!

4. Take one of your newspaper squares and place on wet nail, holding down for about 10 seconds or until paper is saturated. Do your best not to move the paper around or else the text will smudge. If you notice any light spots (i.e. spots where the nail wasn't wet enough for the paper to stick) put a drop of alcohol on the back of the paper and press down.

5. Gently peel off the newspaper. You should have text on your nail!

6. Repeat with your remaining nails.

7. Apply a thin coat of shimmer nail polish if you wish to add some pizzazz, but brush it on lightly to avoid smudging your text! Let the shimmer coat dry to avoid air bubbles.

8. Apply nail jewels if using.

9. Apply a coat of clear nail polish to set nail jewels and further protect your sweet new nails!

This blog was one of the better tutorials for doing the newspaper nails look if you would like step-by-step images click HERE! :D

I hope you enjoyed my brief tutorial! I would love to see pictures of your newspaper nails!

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

Teaser alert!

2011-06-06T17:49:00.000-07:00

Find out tomorrow at http://www.veganbeautyreview.com/!

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

Results of Personal Arse Kicking: Part I

2011-06-02T22:21:00.001-07:00

Literally after writing my blog post last night I got down to it and mixed some color ideas that have been in my head since around Christmas! In the process I ended up creating Zombify's first collection EVER!!! The Goth Collection :)

It is currently up for grabs in my Etsy shop. I am really excited about how these colors came out and cannot wait to try out some looks with them.

I still owe you pictures from my trip last weekend as well as my full review of Violent Lips! Stay tuned!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Inspiring Kick in the Arse

2011-06-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I look at the success of other people and it makes me feel bad for not putting forth more effort in my own endeavors. I try not to compare myself to others, because I know that their situation and my situation are different. However, sometimes seeing the success of others is a good kick in the rear for me. I think these past few months I have been in a creative funk and perhaps making excuses as to why this or that cannot be completed. Physically I do have materials to make things work, mentally and emotionally I have not felt compelled to create. This only makes my shop and my creative side suffer. Some say that art is suffering, but when I am not making art it is just plain silliness. My trip to California this past weekend was an inspiring one. Seeing one of my favorite artists, Tim Burton's, work up close and having that gratifying moment of seeing him as a human really was incredible. Being able to be close enough to see every stitch and brush stroke on Colleen Atwood's costumes was amazing as well. The cape that she made for Sleepy Hollow was breathtaking. I literally stood looking at it in awe for at least 10 minutes. Truly amazing.

It made me realize that I have a lot of potential, a lot of opportunities for me to prove myself as an artist, to create all of the crazy thoughts, beautiful dreams, horrible creations that pop into my head.

The thing of it is, that when I'm creating, I am happy too. It is time to stop making excuses and to start making something!

I hope you all are having inspirational weeks. Thanks to those of you who still read my blog despite my lack of input in it at times.

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Must-Have Products of Season 8 - The Ellen DeGeneres Show

2011-05-31T10:10:00.001-07:00

I laughed so hard I cried watching this. I love Ellen.

Must-Have Products of Season 8 - The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Opportunity for Free Beauty Violence!

2011-05-22T08:39:00.001-07:00

Violent Lips that is! If you haven't heard of these yet, they are basically like temporary tattoos for your lips, allowing you to achieve crazy lip designs that you have never even dreamed of, and saving you the time of painstakingly painting tiny designs on your lips :P

Right now Violent Lips is having a contest on their blog giving samples of their lip tattoos to 100 lucky girls across the country to try out and hand out to friends and those who ask about their wild lips! Click HERE for details.

I sent in my info yesterday as soon as I saw the post and got a response almost right away! I am lucky enough to be going to L.A. Memorial Day weekend, so I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunities to rock the crazy lip tattoos and hand them out!

I'll be sure to post on my Facebook and Twitter pages photos wearing them!

It was an exciting start to my weekend. I hope you all are enjoying your weekends!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

MTcoffinz Cosmetics Review!

2011-05-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

My friend Jinx of MTCoffinz has her own professional lab brand of cosmetics. She has the say in colors, names, ingredients and packaging and her first batch of colors are not only paraben free and cruelty-free, but are vegan too!

I couldn't resist trying out her "Wicked" pressed eyeshadow and "Under the Rainbow" vegan eye primer! The color was slightly bluer than what I saw on the website (which is most likely due to every monitor being different!) but the color is crazy beautiful and goes great with my current blue hair!

Today was day 3 of testing out the color. I didn't bother posting my first 2 days of testing, as they were trial and error getting used to the primer. Every eye primer I have ever used has varied in texture, packaging, and how much or how little you need to apply to make the eyeshadow stick, so usually the first few tries are to figure it out. Day 1 I applied the Under the Rainbow primer and eyeshadow whilst in the car in transit to see a movie and I used too much primer and had creases almost instantly (I have oily lids). Day 2 I went too sparse and got creases a few hours later because there was barely any primer on. Today though, I got closer, I think I just need to blend it further up on my lid.

Above photo right after doing my makeup this morning. Under the Rainbow eye primer and Wicked eyeshadow (sparkle liner and mascara not by MTcoffinz).

Picture above taken about 10 hours later--without touchups. The eyeshadow compacts have a secret eyeshadow sponge brush BUILT-IN for touchups throughout the day. Had I packed it with me to work I would have had a flawless look all day long and saved room in my makeup bag! :D

Overall I am really impressed with this line of products and can't wait to try more colors! MTcoffinz is about to release 3 new colors so be sure to keep an eye out (har har) on their website and facebook fan page for cosmetic updates, news and other great MTcoffinz creations!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Scary Photo Op!

2011-05-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

I took this picture late at night after the RAW:PHX fashion show, and I felt like being silly since my hair reminded me a little of Edward Scissorhands. I took the image into Picasa and played around with it until this happened. I might have to do more with this in other media :D

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Recycled Toilet Paper Wrist Cuff!

2011-05-09T22:04:00.000-07:00

How To Make A Cuff Bracelet From A Recycled Toilet Paper Roll Tube

This post is a tutorial for today's Simon Says task on AttackoftheCraft.com In one of the previous challenges I made a set of Wonder Woman wrist cuffs and wore them to work for Earth Day, so since I am on a recycled jewelry kick, this tutorial is how you can make your own pair!

To start you will need:

A toilet paper roll tube, a pair of scissors, a scrap of aluminum foil (this one is left over from me dying my hair Saturday), and some tape (I prefer electrical tape, but most should work just fine).

Use your scissors to cut a vertical slice up one side of the toilet paper tube.

Open tube into a rectangle and cut a slice horizontally across the rectangle.

Place one half of the tube in the center of a piece of aluminum foil.

Fold the aluminum foil over the shorter sides of the cardboard.

Then fold the top and bottom portions of aluminum foil over the cardboard and overlapping slightly in the center.

Your tube should look like this.

Cut a piece of tape the length of your rectangle and use your tape to cover the rough edges where the foil overlaps.

Reshape your tube so it's rounded again. Repeat above steps with your remaining materials for a second cuff.

Rock your new recycled wrist cuffs!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Monster Hiking

2011-05-08T09:01:00.001-07:00

A couple weekends ago Scott and I went hiking at Lost Dutchman Park. We had a picnic lunch and enjoyed the beautiful weather and crazy winds while we hiked! I was compelled to bring Draculaura along for the journey...

Here is Scott at the entrance to the park taking a picture of me taking his picture :P
Draculaura strapped in for the journey!

Scott and I being silly.

Pretty wild flowers :)

My arse, and Draculaura. Now, before you think me cruel for subjecting a vampire to a day in the desert sun, keep in mind she uses spf 666.

Draculaura striking a pose...
...and enjoying the view below.
On our way out of the park we saw the Ghost Town and mining areas. There were a few crazy little shops and this one seemed like a cool place to stop. Brian Pulido or Rob Zombie need to use this in one of their next horror films, I mean, you didn't even see the inside. Retro soda machines out front and a toilet seat sign, can't beat that ;P

All in all it was a pretty sweet day, and I can't wait to go on more hiking adventures in new locales.

I hope everyone is enjoying their Mother's Day and weekend.

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

Zombie Cupcakes!

2011-05-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by the shirt I picked up from shirt.woot.com a week or so ago, to bake a batch of vegan "zombie" cupcakes.

For those who missed that shirt post, here's a pic of the shirt image:

And here are the cupcakes:

This was them before going into the oven...

Close up of the green zombie ooze batter! These were a basic vanilla vegan cupcake recipe, made with white rice flour to make them gluten-free and with a little coconut extract for subtle flavor as well as mini chocolate chips simply because I love chocolate. :)

Finished product (the lazy version, next time I will pipe that frosting on!) complete with spider sprinkles:
If I can get my cupcake tower mailed to me I will attempt to recreate the zombie cupcake tower image from the shirt :D I think it would be super fun!

I hope you all had a great week and have an even better weekend!

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

Trash to Treasure- Size Sticker Hair Flowers

2011-05-05T07:12:00.000-07:00

When I'm getting my Clark Kent on, by day I work in retail. I work all over the store, but generally I spend most of my time working in the clothing department. When new product comes in, old product is removed from tables and is unfolded and hung to be moved onto racks. Before folded shirts can be hung, all of the size stickers down the fronts of the shirts have to be removed. Typically we can have anywhere from 15-200 shirts to hang at any given time, so the piles of stickers can really grow if you have a lot of shirts to hang. Everytime I see the piles of size stickers I wish I could make something with them, since it seems such a waste to throw them away. So, this week I collected the stickers as I hung shirts and brought them home with me to recycle them and get crafty. For this craft all I needed were the shirt size stickers, a pair of scissors and a hot glue gun.

My coworker Alison asked me if I knew what I was going to make with them, and I told her I had a lot of ideas but hadn't picked one just yet. Then she suggested I make flowers out of them. The first thing that came to mind were those zipper flowers! I hopped on YouTube and searched for some ribbon flower tutorials and after playing around until close to midnight last night, finally got the hang of this one...
The tutorials all use ribbon, so I had to take the size stickers and attach them end to end in a long strip, roughly 24" long. However, since these are stickers I made 2 strips 24" long and then stuck them together, so that I had a design on both sides. Essentially making my own size sticker ribbon. I then used the scissors to clean up the ends and edges. I wrapped the strips into flowers and used some light weight cardboard from my recycling bin as a base to glue the hair clip on.
I picked this one out for myself. Here, I used the tail of the size strip to make leaves. Some of the hot glue popped out since the size stickers don't absorb the glue like ribbon would, but I'll just say the little glue globs are "dew" haha I made a couple for my coworkers and still have strips leftover if I get any requests. Now I want to try making these with other recycled materials!

Stay crafty and Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

Vegans!

2011-05-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

Update, finally! Well, Scott and I are happy to be making friends with another vegan couple. I feel like such a dork for being excited about it, but it's awesome. Tracy and her husband James are the vegan couple I'm talking about and we were able to meet up with them this past weekend for lunch at Pita Jungle. I had no idea they had a brunch menu and had never had the opportunity to try it, so I had to take advantage of vegan pancakes, especially since they were highly recommended by Tracy :)

Three lovely protein pancakes served with blueberry sauce, bananas and strawberries. They also don't skimp on the strawberries--look to the right of the plate, they even included the top of the strawberry. I guess you have to put some greens in there somewhere.
Here are James and Tracy, super cute! Look at the AMAZING mound of yumminess that Tracy has in front of her! I forget the name of the menu item off-hand but it's a salad of sorts. Scott is camera shy so I wasn't able to get a shot of him with his falafel wrap, but Tracy shot me eating my yummy pancakes...
Please take this opportunity to note the painting in the above left corner of the photo, we were trying to figure out what the subjects were doing, it can actually be interpreted in quite a few different ways.

Anywho, it was a lovely brunch with lots of witty banter, enough laughter to make my cheeks hurt and plans for a forthcoming vegan pizza tv night :D

All in all it was a great experience and I can't wait to hang out with our new friends again!

Stay tuned for my forthcoming zombie cupcake post!!

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

Zombie Cupcakes!

2011-04-23T07:11:00.001-07:00

My friend Nic just sent me the link to this t-shirt, and it was enough to get me out of bed and order one! Now I'm contemplating ordering another... just to be safe. Sick On Sin has really great cupcake-themed tees as well, I think this may start a collection...

Hope everyone is having a great start to their Saturday morning! Now time for breakfast and cartoons!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Tim Burton Exhibit at LACMA

2011-04-20T06:52:00.000-07:00

I was on the search for the perfect dress to wear to Tim Burton's exhibit, but then I realized it would probably be cooler if I made my own. An idea popped into my head that I had had a long time ago for a beetlejuice-inspired dress. I might just give it a go. I want it to be something that, while I'm at the event will look like I am dressed for it, however, if we do other things in L.A. before the event I won't look too overdone...that part might be tricky, but we'll see. I think I'm going to sketch out a few ideas and then go through my patterns and see if I have one I can work with.

I hope you all are having a great start to your week! Today in 1841 Edgar Allen Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue was published and in 1912 Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, died.

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Attack of the Craft Family

2011-04-19T06:05:00.000-07:00

Since I first started my Etsy shop back in 2007 I have been a part of a magnificent group of men and women who all share a love of handmade. Whether they prefer the handmade lifestyle or because they make amazing things themselves, this on-line community may have moved over time to different on-line addresses, but I have come to consider them like my internet family. The most recent form of this group is located at AttackoftheCraft.com, and I talk about "the craft forum" or "my friend ________ from the craft forum" at least once a day, if not more to my significant other, family and coworkers.

The forum has been a great place to meet people from around the world with similar interests, a place to learn new skills, hone old ones, a place for creativity, fun, and even a place to vent your frustrations. There is always someone there to listen and offer advice, whether it be how to insert a zipper into that vintage dress you picked up, or how to prepare vegan meals, or deal with a less-than-friendly neighbor.

It is amazing to be able to have a place where I can go for anything and everything, and I usually do. If you aren't already a member stop by the forum and sign up, poke around a bit, it's a great opportunity to meet new people, learn new things and maybe even build lasting friendships. Stop by and say "Hi" to me while you're there!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Creator's Block?

2011-04-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

I have so many things I want to make and I can't focus on just one and so now I've made one bunny-ish looking thing and I'm frustrated and ready for bed. :/ I'm going to give things another go in the morning and see what I can come up with. I thought I was still in the mood for sewing, but maybe I need to switch modes and try something else.

I do have a new formula for eyeshadow that I may try in different colors since the first color was quite successful. I'm hoping to have at least 5 new colors to bring with me to Coffee, Cookies and Crafts 4 this weekend along with some bath bombs, maybe some bath salts and some fun accessories or pins or hair clips or all of the above! I guess whatever I can motivate myself to make!

I did get a big kick in the bum today to work on some new items, I got home a little late from work today though since I had a lot of errands to run and time just got away from me tonight so I'm hoping to make tomorrow more productive. I need to pick out my cookie recipes for Saturday too!

I made a handy little to-do list today and did a good job of getting most everything complete--hooray!

Kalliope Kreations had me for our monthly swap on Attack of the Craft.com for the "Fill an Easter Basket" craft swap! Here is some of my loot :D

I hope you all are having a good week.

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Coffee, Cookies and Crafts 4!

2011-04-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media contact: Kate Benjamin 480-203-6523 coffeecookiesandcrafts@gmail.com www.facebook.com/CoffeeCookiesCrafts

"COFFEE, COOKIES & CRAFTS 4" AT BRAGG’S PIE FACTORY, SATURDAY, APRIL 16 WITH SPECIAL EGG DECORATING CRAFT CHALLENGE

Phoenix, AZ (April 5, 2011) – Announcing the fourth "Coffee, Cookies & Crafts" independent craft event to be held at Bragg’s Pie Factory in downtown Phoenix on Saturday, April 16 from noon to 5:00 pm. The afternoon will offer a variety of activities including local vendors selling handmade goods, crafting demos, and a craft supply swap. Attendees will get to enjoy a pop-up lounge with free coffee from Jobot Coffee Shop and sweets from local bakeries.

The free craft supply swap is open to everyone. Attendees are invited to bring old craft supplies and swap with others. Tables will be provided for the craft swap. Crafting demos will be scheduled throughout the day.

Egg Decorating Craft Challenge Everyone’s invited to participate in a free egg decorating craft challenge! We provide the supplies and you provide the craftiness!

Local vendors will include annieWHERE, Bella & Bruiser, Chain Theory, Classy Chica, Elysian Art, Finley and Oliver, Gothcupcake, Hazel & Violet Ink, Lepoo, Liz Rose, Lovely Day Design, Madalyn Nault Designs, Mermade Jewelry, Moderncat Studio, Molly Phoenix Glassworks, Mon Bijouels, Owlette Wear, Patty Lewis Glass Artist, Pretty In Peace, Safety Third, Sebastien Millon, Silk Blessings, Space Cadet, Starving Artist Bazaar, Sticker Club Girl, Strawberry Hedgehog, Studio Artology, The Peculiar Palette, Tiny Shiny Ones, Vintage Rose Wraps, and more.

"Coffee, Cookies & Crafts" at Bragg’s Pie Factory is presented by Moderncat Studio, lucky15creative, and Sticker Club Girl and is being sponsored by MADE Art Boutique, Kooky Krafts Shop, Blueberry Deluxe Boutique, Practical Art, Beads & Findings International, Halo Piercing, and Jobot Coffee Shop.

Bragg’s Pie Factory is located at 1301 W Grand Avenue in downtown Phoenix. Free parking is available in the parking lot at Grand and McKinley. For more information, please email coffeecookiesandcrafts@gmail.com or find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/CoffeeCookiesCrafts

Pass it along!!!

Baggies: Check, Jars: Check!

2011-03-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

I just got my shipment of jars in yesterday and my brand spanking new labels in today! I'm just waiting on a few extra ingredients and I'll be back in business for relaunch! Don't mind the vampire sleeping in the jars, that's a secret ingredient... Stay Spooky, Gothcupcake

2011-03-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry! I know I fell off the blogging wagon. I was in a bit of a funk for a little while, but now that the ball is rolling again and I finally have supplies on the way, I've a smile on my face, a bounce in my step and I'm all sprinkly and gothy again! So, first off I stopped trying to grow out my hair (sort of silly to grow out my hair when it will be triple digits here soon...yikes!) and had my friend Kathie chop it off for me. It's the shortest I've had it in a very long time! I got lots of chunky layers too: The next step was to finally go teal! I had wanted to go teal before the holidays so that I could have a new look for Christmas, but alas, the purple dye was hiding massive pinkness and teal was not to be... until now! I've been rocking the teal for going on 3 weeks now and I'm loving it! I'm slowly but surely revamping my wardrobe and home along with my Gothcupcake shop and Zombify makeup line. I have SO many ideas that I can't wait to put into motion! I've already started experimenting with some new products for the Zombify line and the battle in the lab continues... I've also been working on some big plans for Saboten Con this year which I hope to be the biggest and best anime con I've done. I want to bring the big guns this year! I'm starting early and gearing up with new products, old favorites and LOTS of surprises! So buckle up and stay tuned! It's going to be a wild ride! Stay Spooky, Gothcupcake

Heart-Shaped Glasses

2011-02-25T18:08:00.000-08:00

So in the morning on my way to work the sun is coming up, so I usually have on my heart-shaped sunglasses that I picked up while in Little Tokyo in LA. They are one of my favorite pairs of sunglasses for their instant cute power. They also usually get me a lot of attention--even at Ren Fest one of the gate keepers started singing Marilyn Manson's "Heart Shaped Glasses" to me and asked if I was a MM fan :P

My usual morning bus driver gets a kick out of my heart sunglasses, and he told me earlier this week that he has a pair himself--green ones. He then told me he'd wear them the following day. Yesterday the bus pulls up and this is what greets me...

He totally is rocking the heart-shaped glasses! I've inspired a trend. When I asked to take his picture, because I was sure no one would believe me otherwise, he said "Make sure you post it on that site everyone uses--facebook--maybe someone will recognize me and say 'Hey you're the guy with the glasses!'"

You cannot deny I have the coolest bus driver ever. Now I need to buy more heart-shaped glasses!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

The New Zombify

2011-02-20T19:09:00.001-08:00

To those of you that have been with me and Zombify since the outbreak thank you for all of your continued support and encouragement with the line. I never expected Zombify to be as successful as it has been. Thank you to everyone for sticking with it through the highs and the lows. I'm looking forward to the relaunch as being another high for the line.

After the recall I decided that I was going to use only unblended ingredients. My original formulations were all orginal mixtures, but the base ingredients were blends of micas, oxides, and chemical preservatives or additives. While all of these blends were vegan-friendly and cosmetic grade, I didn't feel comfortable with some of their ratings on Skin Deep and other sources. I vowed to make the line better, safer, more pure.

I have since found new suppliers (my main supplier being one that is all natural and vegan!) The cosmetics for the relaunch will be Zombify's signature fresh and bold colors, but they will no longer use blends that contain fillers, additives or FDC colors. This poses a bit of a challenge for me to find new ways to create the same bold colors as my competition, but I enjoy a good challenge and I love getting creative.

The few test colors I've mixed have received positive reviews. The price of each eyeshadow however will reflect this ingredient change. Raw ingredients actually cost twice the amount of the watered down blends I used to buy. Those of you that have visited my shop may have noticed this new price reflected in my preview sale of the yet-to-be-named Midnight Blue. The original 5g jar size will now sell for $8.

However, in order to ensure that my original goal for Gothcupcake products to be both cute, goth and affordable stays true, I have decided to offer more ways for Zombify cosmetics to be purchased. With the new all-natural ingredients will also come the options to buy Zombify in sample bag form, affordable 3g jars and in the original 5g jar size. This way, no matter what your budget you can still afford to be Zombified.

I look forward to this new chapter for Zombify cosmetics and I hope you all stay on board for the ride! I have a lot of new and exciting things in the works for the line as well as for Zombify's soon-to-be-announced sister line of cosmetics.

Love and Brains,
Gothcupcake and Zoe Zombie

Brief Hiatus

2011-02-07T16:37:00.000-08:00

I'll be taking a brief break from the 365 until I feel better. I've been trying to do too much lately (mostly because I can't stand sitting in one place for too long, I get antsy!) and I think I just need to focus on resting and getting better. I have some events coming up that I need to be healthy and cupcake-y for! I will be sure to post sketches to make up for the days I'll be missing.

I hope everyone is having a great start to their week!

If any of you are in the Arizona area please stop by and check out this great Coffee, Cookies and Crafts event! I will be there with my vegan baked goods and maybe a glimpse at Zombify's sister line :)

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

365 Project 24, 25, 26

2011-02-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

Thankfully sketching can be done lying down, from the comfort of my couch. I feel really icky today, but found some energy to draw in between naps.
This first picture (Day 26) is a reworking of the "zombify" logo from the makeup jar sketch from the other day. I can't decide if I like 2 eyeballs in the gooey words or not.

This second sketch (Day 25) is for yesterday, since I didn't feel up to drawing. It's a zombie punk girl eating the heart of her date. Just in time for Valentine's Day.

This final sketch is Day 24's. I drew it on the 2nd but didn't have the energy to take a picture and post it. She sort of looks like Draculaura from the Monster High series, but it wasn't my initial intention.

To keep my fluids up Frankie Stein lended a hand in making me some raspberry vegan jell-o...

And now I think I'll take another nap.

Hope you all are enjoying your week!

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

Forgive Me

2011-02-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

I'm a little behind on posting my pictures, but not to worry I am still doing them! I've been feeling a bit under the weather and I'm officially sick again! Sore throat, the sniffles, light headed. Blech! I'm drinking plenty of fluids and hoping to get to bed at a decent time tonight to catch up on sleep.

It's been very cold for Phoenix these past few days and I took a few pictures of the ice yesterday and today that I will post along with my sketches in an upcoming post (once I track down my memory card...).

I hope you all are enjoying your week! Anyone have plans for this weekend? If you're getting buried with snow, what are some of your favorite indoor activities?

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

365 Project Day 22 and 23

2011-02-01T21:06:00.000-08:00

Despite the fact that I drew hundreds of tiny skulls on each label for the $2 eyeshadows in my shop yesterday I felt like I needed to do a real sketch. So I'm posting 2 today. :)

The first sketch is another Frankenstein variation, a greaser Frankenstein :P Partially inspired by the greaser dude and his cute girlfriend and their kickass car at Green the other day. This Frankenstein doesn't look like the guy, but he's got the hair. I think he doesn't look spooky enough though, so I'll need to work on that in future drawings.

The second image is an idea for a zombify logo and ad. More imagery to play around with!

I also just ordered some new ingredients to play around with in the lab for the makeup :D I will spill the brains with the results if things work out well!

I'm off to bed.

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

21/365

2011-01-30T21:38:00.001-08:00

Today has been a long day. I had a big sale (that is still going on) in my Etsy shop, selling off the last of my old formula stock of Zombify eyeshadows in preparation for my relaunch. The sale went over much better than I thought it would! So now I'm getting ready for bed, but wanted to do a sketch for my project first.

Today's sketch is a character I created back in the 4th or 5th grade. His name is Zip!, complete with exclamation point. He was derived from a number 8 which makes up his eyes. I still like to draw Zip! on occasion along with some of the other weird characters I had come up with such as the Maniacle Monacle.

I may do a few more throwback sketches in the future. We'll see :)

Ah Nostalgia!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

365 Project Day 20

2011-01-29T22:29:00.000-08:00

Day 20 of my 365 project I actually drew a nudie vampire girl, but I'd like to keep this blog safe for work so I drew some Frankenstein variations too. I might play around more with Frankenstein imagery, simply because it was a lot of fun to draw and I have so many more ideas! I may start doing whole scenes soon as well, I'd really like to draw cars :) Speaking of cars...

Saw this beauty today, it pulled up right in front of Nic and I while we were eating lunch outside of Green! I love classic cars!!!

Here's me considering a Tsoynami, Nic and I ended up splitting a Betterfinger Tsoynami after lunch, which we ate after bumping into Tracy of Strawberry Hedgehog! It was great having lunch and catching up with Tracy :)

Nic and I both got the special at Green today for lunch. It was Sante Fe Chicken with vegan bacon, vegan mayo, vegan mock chicken, melted vegan cheese, jalepanos (you can see mine in a nice pile beside my ketchup) and guacamole on a poboy bun! I had thyme fries on the side and a bottle of Jones Berry Lemonade soda to wash it down, yum! Nic tried the sweet potato puffs (which I've had before and recommend because they are so tasty!).

We did some thrift store hopping in an attempt to have a craft day, but neither one of us found what we needed for our crafts. I picked up a couple books for my dad, a sweet 24 cup mini cupcake pan for $2 (!) and a secret item which I might end up putting in the Etsy shop once I finish upcycling it!!

All in all it was a super funtastic day! How was your Saturday?

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

365 Project Day 19 and more...

2011-01-28T21:09:00.000-08:00

Today's 365 image is my rendering of Ghoulia Yelps from the Monster High series. In this picture Ghoulia is day dreaming about eating brains by scooping them out of her victim's skull with a spoon like a bowl of cereal. I think it's funny that this character is a zombie and is also supposed to be the smartest in Monster High... get it, a "brainy" zombie? har har har...

I drew her today because I purchased my very own Ghoulia doll! She has been very hard to find of late and now that more stores are carrying her she is selling out quickly. I was lucky enough to get my hands on one for a friend's daughter and one for myself :)

With my recent up close experience with a wild owl, I'm also loving that Ghoulia comes with her own pet owl. Monster High dolls have been a recent obesession and my latest collection. The little 1 minute 40 second cartoons on the Monster High website also highly amuse me. Mattel had me with their creation of Draculaura, a vegan vampire who enjoys baking cupcakes and has pink streaks in her hair. It was almost as if the doll was marketed to me!

Anywho, I wish they would have had such spooky fun dolls when I was little, but then I wouldn't have had all the fun I had painting Barbie's nails black, giving her black lipstick, tattoos and piercing her nose :)

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Sewing Kitty!

2011-01-28T05:41:00.000-08:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I need to start sewing again, I have a few sewing project ideas, including some fan requests for items they would like to see in the shop...I may even have something for the gents!

Yesterday and today I've been working with clay on some new ooky spooky items I hope to finish a few in time for the Valentine's Day shoppers!

Happy Friday everyone!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

365 Project Day 18

2011-01-27T20:34:00.000-08:00

I was again inspired by tentacles. I really like how this came out and would like to work with this imagery some more. It might be another idea for the shop :) I'm not really happy with the heel in the background, it sort of looks like a metamorphosis, but to be honest I couldn't decide if it should have been a regular heel or another tentacle. I think if the other shoe had a regular heel it would add to the strangeness of the tentacle heel and trail of water.

Perhaps I will reveal a little about my latest obsession in my next post...

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Indian Food and 365 Project day 17

2011-01-26T20:07:00.001-08:00

Dinner tonight consisted of samosas, Aloo Gobi and naan! It was very yummy!

I had a request for bunnies for an upcoming 365 sketch, so here is Bondage Bunny and friend :D

I hope everyone is having a creeptacular week!

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

365 Project Day 16

2011-01-25T21:27:00.001-08:00

In a fetishy superhero/villain type of mood today I guess. Again, no pencil, no erasing, and no do over! Straight out of the pen.

Tomorrow if I'm not too wiped out afterwork I might start on the new items for my shop :)

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

365 Day 15

2011-01-24T20:39:00.001-08:00

I think this is my favorite sketch so far. Again, no pencils, just straight out of the pen. I was inspired by a pinup photo for the pose and I just ran with it from there.

I sliced my pinkie finger with a pair of scissors cutting a neat "V" shape into my skin today, but I will survive!

I might use this image for Zombify... hmm...

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

365 Day 13 and 14

2011-01-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

I've been keeping up with a sketch a day as promised for my 365, but I couldn't post my sketch for yesterday because it was a birthday card for my bf's birthday today and I didn't want him to see it until I gave it to him. There was actually a drawing on the front of the card and inside so I will post both of those for yesterday's sketches and then today's sketch as well!

Homer on the front of the card and Marge on the inside :)

"I ain't sayin' she's a grave digga/But she ain't messin' with no live, live..."

My spooky grave digging ghoul. :) I've been doing all of these sketches without any pencil or preparations really, just getting out my markers and drawing whatever comes to mind (aside from the frog, which was inspired by the marker and the birthday card which was inspired by my boyfriend's love of The Simpsons). Most of them are imperfect, but I like the way they sort of have their own style when I don't think about the process as much. I never thought I had a style, but I can see something emerging from these and I find that interesting.

More to come throughout the week!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

365 Day 11 and 12

2011-01-21T20:51:00.000-08:00

So the first image was my sketch from yesterday (Day 11), not spooky like the rest of my images, but it was inspired by a mini magic marker I found in my pencil cup at work. The color was "Tiny Toad Brown" so of course, I had to draw a toad. Or a frog, not sure what the difference is in appearance between the two...I've been a little under the weather this week so I completely spaced posting yesterday!
Today's image (Day 12) is back on theme, I've for some reason been inspired by beheaded beauties lately and may do a series of these.

My dreams last night all contained symbols indicating that my self expression is being suppressed so I may start doing more art forms. I will buy some paints soon and canvas :)

So much I want to cram into this weekend, we'll see how much I get accomplished!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

365 Day 10

2011-01-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

So today's sketch is actually an idea I have for a new piece in the Gothcupcake line. I'm giving you an inside look at how my mind works. It's supposed to look like a brain, it might look a bit abstract since it's black and white line work, but let me know if it looks brainy :P

I think I might start sharing pictures of my gothy toy collection too haha.

Our kitty Boo wants attention, so perhaps I will play with her before hopping in the shower.

My shipment of pots for the reformulated eyeshadows should be coming soon, which means eyeshadows will be back up for grabs soon too!

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

SFX Makeup and 365 Day 9

2011-01-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

So I had fun playing around with some colors I'd mixed up quick to create this bruised look. The quick project I used it for didn't turn out as I had envisioned,

but at least you got to see the work I was proud of :) Day 9 for my 365 sketch-a-day image project. I drew partially over a defunct sketch that was on the page, but that's why these are only sketches! I do plan on turning a few of these into something more at some point. Bride of Frankenstein vampire with a spider spinning from one of her eyelashes.

I hope everyone is having a great start to their week!

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

365 Day 8

2011-01-17T19:07:00.001-08:00

I actually did 2 sketches today, but the first sketch is for something top secret, and might scare away the few readers I have :P hahaha So here is the second sketch I did today.

I'm going to start playing in "the lab" soon on some new items for the shop! :)

I hope everyone is having a creeperific start to their week!

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

365 Day 7

2011-01-16T20:49:00.000-08:00

This is a character I created one day on break at work. I kept doodling her in cemeteries, flying in the night sky... I need to draw more of her :)

Today was a great day. Went out grocery shopping, saw The Green Hornet with the s/o, had yummy lettuce wraps at home for lunch, then went on a hunt for a photograph of a live owl for the Attack of the Craft scavenger hunt! It was great fun. :)

I hope everyone had a spooktacular weekend!

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

365 Day 6 and Sewing!

2011-01-15T21:42:00.001-08:00

Good evening everybody! I'm sorry for the late post tonight! Here is my sketch for day 6!

Today my friend Eleonora came over with her sewing machine for some girl talk and a few sewing pointers. It was so funny when she uncovered her sewing machine because we have the same exact one! This made the sewing lesson much easier :)
I showed Eleonora how to thread the machine, insert a zipper and she sewed a cute little kitty zipper pouch! Great for cosmetics, change, and other little things!

(Please excuse my goofy face, haha!) It was a lot of fun having a craft day! I can't wait until we can have another!

I hope everyone else is enjoying their weekend!

Night and Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

365 Day 5 and Muffins!

2011-01-14T19:21:00.001-08:00

Scott and I went to Green, this great vegan restaurant in Tempe, for dinner tonight. I got the Buffalo Wings and Thyme Fries with an Oogave soda and Scott had the Secret BBQ Poboy and Thyme Fries and an Oogave soda. It was sooo yummy! I couldn't resist finally buying a Cherry Bombin' wrap bracelet while we were there too :) It's made from recycled bicycle tubes!

I was feeling a bit tired tonight so my sketch is sort of lazy, but at least I did one! Have to stay focused! :)

As promised my vegan blueberry muffin recipe! Feel free to substitute your favorite Gluten-free flours for the wheat flour in this recipe (coconut or brown rice flour, or a mix of the 2 would be great!)

Vegan Blueberry Muffin Recipe

2 cups flour (I used whole wheat)

1/2 tsp sea salt

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 c. granulated sugar

*egg replacer (to equal 2 eggs)

1/4 cup oil

1 c. non-dairy milk mixed with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (let sit while you gather your ingredients so that it can curdle)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1 c. blueberries

Large crystal sugar (optional)

*For the egg replacer in a small bowl or measuring cup put 4 tsp baking powder and then stir in 4 Tbs of water, let it fizz and bubble, add to the mixture above in place of eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and baking powder.

2. Add the sugar, egg replacer mixture, oil, sour non-dairy milk, vanilla, cinnamon and blueberries.

3. Stir together until just mixed and no large flour lumps remain. Scoop batter into lightly oiled muffin pan and sprinkle the tops of batter with large crystal sugar, if using.

4. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into t he center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Makes 6 large muffins or 12 cupcake-sized muffins.

I hope you are all having a good start to your weekend!

Stay Spooky,

Mary

365 Day 4 and Vegan Sneakers!

2011-01-13T20:53:00.001-08:00

My Gothmas gift from the s/o came in the mail today! My vegan sneakers from MooShoes. I'm really chuffed that this particular pair of Macbeth's even say "vegan" right on the sneaker!

I also love that these ones are all black and have super cushion-y insoles (and song lyrics printed under the insoles!!) I can't wait to wear these tomorrow ^_^

For day 4 of my 365 project I'm really having great fun drawing these spooky lasses! I'm also really digging the silhouette in this sketch and the cute little bat!

It's late and I'm too tired to post the muffin recipe tonight, but I will be sure to post it soon...promise!

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

P.S. Yes, those are khaki pants, I was too excited to change out of my normie work uniform before taking a picture of my awesome new sneakers :P

365 Project Day 3

2011-01-12T18:30:00.000-08:00

I'm really happy with the image for today. I was inspired by a Bride of Frankenstein necklace I saw on Etsy and decided to draw my own bride. Though, with a twist...she's holding a bloody heart in her hand!

Perhaps a muffin recipe tomorrow :)

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

365 Day 2 PLUS Cupcake Recipe!!!!

2011-01-11T16:56:00.000-08:00

Here is my sketch for day 2 of my 365 project. I like drawing tentacles and I saw this great picture of a woman with an octopus on her head that inspired me to draw a woman with tentacles for hair. I may play with this idea further as I also think it ties in nicely with my cthulhu women.

Many of you asked for it on facebook, and after bringing them into work I got many requests for the recipe from coworkers too! So here is the recipe for Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes! Tweaked slightly from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's wonderful book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World.

Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe

Ingredients

1 c. non-dairy milk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar (white vinegar works too)

1 1/4 c. wheat flour

1 c. granulated sugar

2 Tbs cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder (I was out so I subbed 1/8th tsp baking soda+1/4 tsp cream of tartar)

1/2 tsp baking soda (If you use the baking powder substitute still add this too!)

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 c. olive oil (or Canola oil or pretty much any vegetable oil so long as it isn't flavored)

20 drops red food coloring (I actually substituted purple)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line cupcake pan with liners.

2. Whisk together the non-dairy milk and vinegar. Set aside to curdle.

3. Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa and baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl.

4. Add the olive oil, food coloring, almond extract and vanilla extact to the curdled non-dairy milk. Whisk to combine. Gently fold in and mix wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until there are no large lumps.

5. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full to give room for the cupcakes to rise. Place in your preheated oven and bake 18 to 20 minutes checking with a toothpick for doneness.

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Ingredients

1/4 nonhydrogented margarine, softened (NOT melted)

1/4 c. vegan cream cheese, softened (Tofutti is vegan and tastes great!)

2 c. confectioners' sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

*2 Tbs water (This is optional, and only used if your frosting turns out a bit too dry)

Directions

1. Cream together margarine and cream cheese until just combined.

2. Add confectioners sugar in 1/2 c. batches. (This step is easier with a handheld mixer, but I just mixed by hand with a wooden spoon!)

3. Mix until smooth and creamy, then mix in the vanilla extract. Keep tightly covered and refrigerated until ready to put on your cooled red velvet cupcakes!

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

365 Project!

2011-01-10T06:18:00.000-08:00

Hello neglected readers,

I have decided that a good way for me to keep up with this blog and jump start my art again would be with a 365 project! So here is day one!!! I just did this little sketch of a punk-goth-mummy-fairy this morning. I plan on doing at least one sketch/drawing a day preferably of gothy-type creature girls :) I would like to go back to my cthulhu women too...

Also, as I promised on Facebook I will soon be posting my vegan red velvet cupcake recipe (and the vegan cream cheese frosting recipe too) along with a recipe for the blueberry muffins I made this week for breakfast!

I look forward to putting some life back into this blog and I hope you come along for the ride!

Bugs and Kisses,

Gothcupcake

Reevaluating Life

2010-12-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

After a spell of some serious home-sickness Christmas evening I came up with a list of things I am unhappy with in my life. Here is what I scrawled down:

Miss my family
Not content at work
Money
Little time for "me"
Always in a rush to complete something
Miss RI

So the first and last items of course I think were very much due to the homesickness, however, I think there is a lot to be said about everything on this list. I am definitely going to take it to heart to improve my life.

I started thinking about where I am and where I want to be. What am I doing? Where do I want to see myself in the next year? 5 years?

How can I improve my business? If I improve my business, that could lead to more money, and travel which could solve my money, job and homesickness problems. But I also need to make sure I am taking time to take care of myself. This weekend I used a little money that I had received for Christmas to buy myself some clothes. I haven't bought myself any clothes other than my Target uniform in at least 3 years or more. I don't do little things like take the time to do my nails or to spend a little time doing something not related to bettering my business. I love my business, it is my dream and livlihood, but sometimes between working full time and trying to run a business I find that I don't have anytime to take care of me!

I'm hoping to create a plan that will help me find balance in my life. To find happiness and direction. This isn't a New Years Resolution, it's a manifesto. I will make my life better and I'm letting you all know it!!

Anyone else going through similar thoughts/feelings?

Being Thrifty and Creative

2010-12-12T20:48:00.000-08:00

In this time of the holiday shopping season, many are facing hard times. Money is tight and what little we have is usually spent on gifts for friends and loved ones this time of year. Myself, I find that a little creativity can go a long way in helping to save money but still keep you with a full belly!

For example this morning I made pancakes. I am but one Vegan lady, but I made 6 pancakes. I had some flour (which I always try to have on hand, usually you can buy it under a dollar a pound, so a 5 pound bag can go along way--even gluten-free flour isn't that bad if you look for it on sale!), some dried cranberries (places like Walgreens sell dried cranberries for a $1 a box, sometimes 2 for $1!), and some chocolate chips. I made all different flavors of pancakes, some chocolate chip, some cranberry, a gingerbread one, even a candy cane pancake! I had one pancake for breakfast and wrapped the others up and put them in the freezer for a quick breakfast each morning before work this week. Since I used all items that I already had on hand in the kitchen, I didn't have to buy anything for breakfast this week at the supermarket.

I also made pizza for dinner tonight (again, that flour comes in handy!) while one handmade crust was in the oven I made 5 mini pizza crusts and baked the mini crusts while putting the toppings on the large crust fresh out of the oven. I used artichoke hearts, black olives, Daiya cheese, and Light Life pepperoni to make 5 mini pizzas in different combinations of toppings. Once they came out of the oven I let them cool on the counter and after dinner wrapped the mini pizzas and put them in the freezer to bring to lunch with me each day.

I plan on baking some energy bars in the morning to bring with me in place of granola bars this week for work, and for snacks I bought a bag of sugar snap peas at Trader Joes for less than $3.

I don't always have the time or the energy to make all of my meals for the week ahead of time, but I find that if I make the time to do it, not only do I enjoy it--because I'm making something special for me that will also make my life easier during the busy week--but I find that it forces me to be creative and save money at the same time.

What are some of your favorite money-saving ideas or tips?

Zombify Me Facebook Contest Rules!

2010-11-15T20:40:00.000-08:00

Facebook Contest Time: Zombify Me - Round One!

Get out your makeup and show me what you've got! Whether you apply your makeup with a severed thumb, professional brush or a Q-Tip we want to see what looks you can come up with! Send pictures of your best eye shadow look to gothcupcake@gmail.com . One entry per person.

Rules:

1. You must become a friend of the Zombify ZoeZombie facebook page to enter! (If you already are, enter away!)

2. One entry per person. You can e-mail your entry pictures to gothcupcake@gmail.com . Make sure you have a sign with 'Zombify Me 2010' in the picture and you're done! Winner will be chosen by facebook members. Voting will start Saturday, 11/20/10 and run until 11/30/10.

3. When e-mailing your photos please include your first name and/or facebook username with entry! You are allowed to use cosmetics other than Zombify in your Round One entry photo.

Entry photos will be posted in an album on the Zombify ZoeZombie facebook page for people to vote on. Three contestants will be chosen from the photos with the most votes to move on to Round Two of the Zombify Me contest! Round One Finalists will be announced December 1st.

All finalists who pass on to Round Two will each recieve a mystery pot of Zombify eyeshadow by mail. Each contestant must use this mystery color to create their own unique makeup style. Winner will be chosen by me and wins a Grand Prize of 5 FREE Zombify eyeshadows!!

Rules for Round Two will be posted once Round One Finalists are announced!

I'm back from my vacation!

2010-10-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

I spent the last two weeks visiting my home state of Rhode Island! I haven't had a vacation in years so it was great to see my family, friends and relatives again and to just relax, have fun and soak it all in! I took way too many pictures while I was there (or perhaps, not enough) so I will sift through them and eventually post them here!

You can check out my cat's back in RI by visiting Tharn Photography's album here on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tharnphotography#!/album.php?aid=536828&id=193994015573

Now that I'm back in AZ that means I will be working on new items again! I have lots of new ideas and new colors for Zombify to mix up! Also, I will be having a contest soon for all of my Gothcupcake facebook fans since we've reached (and surpassed!) the 300 mark! Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive of Gothcupcake and all of our new endeavors over the years! If you aren't a fan of our facebook page and would like to be on board for the contest, head on over here and "Like" our page! http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/?act=38528690#!/GothcupcakeFans

I'll be updating again soon!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

My Trip to L.A. and Sweet Streets 2!

2010-10-07T19:51:00.001-07:00

I had an amazing long weekend trip to L.A. for the Sweet Streets 2 opening night and got to spend some quality time with my awesome West Coast family in California :) I had never been to Los Angeles before, only San Diego, so our first stop was Little Tokyo, where I saw this awesome cream puff sign.
I also picked up these sweet heart shaped glasses while we were in Little Tokyo too!
Next we were hungry, so we stopped by this sushi restaurant since it was near the gallery where Sweet Streets was opening. Watch out it's craaazzy!
We were amused to find an elevator to 'De Club' inside before the entrance to the sushi place. This only added to my amusement when our waiter dropped off the menu with his name scrolled at the bottom as Heavy "D". Of course, inspiration struck and I ended up writing a mini rap song.

My name is Heavy "D", I'm your Emcee
When we in De Club we get Crazy
I use my wok, to make you rolls
These rhymes so hot, they come in bowls!

My cousin Lolita and I couldn't resist, we had to pretend like we were checking out Ladies Night at De Club before we left.
Next up was gallery nucleus for Sweet Streets 2 and the 6% Doki Doki fashion show!
I spotted Twinkie Chan and chatted with her a bit, it's strange meeting people in person that you only talk to on-line! I realized how much of a spazz I am in social situations, but hopefully I'll get better! (It was also a million degrees inside the gallery, I have no idea why I wore a hoodie!)
I also got to meet Amy of Shrinkle in person after communicating with her since the start of Gothcupcake. I was chuffed that she remembered me by name, also yay for hugs.
This girl had the *coolest* goth unicorn outfit on ever. I never thought a unicorn could be bad ass, but this girl pulled it off! She had skulls on her shoulders and 7" heels that she sawed the heels off of to look like she had fetishy hooves!
Of course, there was the fashion show. Which included local girls as models (shown here) and 2 6% Doki Doki shop girls! The models hopped and danced down the runway.
Here are the shop girl models, dancing down the runway with their neon teddy bears.
Then the runway models started pulling up people from the audience to dance on the runway with them...I got pulled up (see me in the back there...)
There was, of course, a man dressed as a giant unicorn who joined in the ruckus.
Me shaking my groove thing.
The runway. The next day was the 6% Doki Doki Talk Show with designer, Sebastian Masuda.
My cousin Loli and I were ready to have fun at the Talk Show before heading off to see Linkin Park play for the VMA's!
It was *very* interesting listing to Sebastian talk about the history of Harajuku and how the street fashion it is known for started out. He equated the kawaii fashion movement to the hippie and punk movements as a way for youth to rebel against war and authority. It was really enlightening!
There I am behind the blond guy, soaking it all in.
The shop girls wearing shirts from the world tour and of course, decked out in 6% Doki Doki accessories!
After the talk show I played Rock, Paper, Scissors with the shop girl models (and lost *pouts*) and then bought some 6% Doki Doki cuteness! Here is me having my picture taken by a photographer at the event XD I was less spazz-y this day.

I don't have photos from the Linkin Park concert because they didn't allow us to bring in cell phones or cameras (though some people still managed to get them in), but you can watch the video, we got to see the concert from the roof top of the observatory, so look for a flash of pink hair half way through the video on the roof! :P I'm a tiny dot, but that's me!
Linkin Park - The Catalyst (Live)

I'm gearing up now for a 2 week vacation back to my home state, Rhode Island. I'm excited to get to see a *real* Fall season again, and more importantly, excited to see my family that I haven't seen in over 2 years! I leave Saturday, and promise to post more when I get back! Pinky swear!!

I may even invest in a web cam...gasp!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

SWEET STREETS 2 in CA!

2010-09-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

Hey Spooksters! This weekend I will be in California visiting my awesome West Coast family and attending the opening party for the Sweet Streets 2 event! I'm very excited and hope to take lots of pictures during the event! I've been so busy lately that I still haven't packed!!

I'll be sure to return with lots of pictures from the mini trip!

I hope to see you there! XD

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Introducing Zombify Cosmetics!!

2010-08-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

I've been hard at work getting these together and finally I have listed 13 eye shadows in my Etsy shop! The makeup line is Zombify by Zoe Zombie and is a line of vegan eyeshadows in bright colors with lots of shimmer.

If you haven't discovered it already, friend our Zombify cosmetics facebook page for exclusive contests, giveaways, makeup tutorials, reviews, photos and more!

I hope you boils and ghouls have been fangtastic, and now that I've gotten the makeup line launched I hope to have more time to post! Lots of exciting trips and projects to share with you!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

First Friday Florals

2010-08-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

The beginning of this month I went out with my awesome Uncle Paul and his friend Ray to Community Florist to kick off First Friday after an awesome dinner at Ray's house, complete with quinoa and a veggie burger!

Every First Friday Community Florist offers floral arrangement classes. I had a lot of fun picking out colors and learning techniques from Paul and Ray (who once upon a time had a very successful flower shop together in Hawaii!).

The image above of my arrangement was taken on the work table at Community Florist shortly after I finished it.

This image was taken on my patio, from above so you can see all the prettiness.

A close up of the gorgeous flowers.

A back view of the arrangement so that you can see the gorgeous orange flowers too!

I hope everyone is having a spooktacular week!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Model Offer

2010-08-18T07:04:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this entry by saying that I have been dabbling in modeling here and there, and thusly some months ago started an account on Model Mayhem. Having an account on Model Mayhem I sometimes get model inquiries e-mailed to me from supposed agents or agencies in foreign countries offering me money to come here to shoot photos of me. It is usually pretty easy to tell just by the e-mail subject lines that these e-mails are scams. The subject of the e-mail below, which I woke up to this morning, was Model Job Offer With Good Payment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, any respectable modeling agency would have a bit more professionalism I would think, and perhaps not exclaim so much as if it were a Craigslist ad.

I would also like to point out that I have my name on my Model Mayhem account, so the opening to this e-mail was awesome.

Hello Vegan,

My name is Joy Dav my friend use to call me JAYDEE . Am The Secretary to the ( Beautiful World ) Printing house, which based in the Malaysia and has branches in AFRICA.I saw your profile and pictures at www.modelmayhem.com while searching in the internet, I appreciate it and I would like us to do some works together. Our company presently have good offer for you. I want to know if you are interested in modeling because we need pictures of a good looking person who will be on the magazine cover of some of our clients Company. Please let me know if you are interested in the deal. So $400 for a shoot and the shoot will take at your place. Let me know if you are interested in my offer and I would give you further details
Secretary
JAYDEE

Interview in MarySew Blog

2010-08-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

The awesome Trish of MarySew.com featured Gothcupcake in her sweet blog! Check out the interview by clicking below and enter the coffin pouch giveaway! Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

New Skelly Hand Hair Clips!

2010-08-11T20:02:00.000-07:00

Just listed 2 new skelly hand hair clips in the Gothcupcake Etsy shop tonight!

The pink one is a style I debuted at Animeland TuCon earlier this month, it's a lolita style skelly hand with painted nails and Gothcupcake ribbon!

The lime green one is similar to the lolita style clip, but with the added bonus of some serious zombie bling!

Tomorrow is TNT: Thursday Night Temptation and I will be giving away very special goodie bags packed with Gothcupcake samples with every order!

Reserve your sample bag with sneak peeks of new Gothcupcake products when you purchase something spooky and sweet tomorrow night!

Tuck N Roll Kustoms Giveaway Winner!

2010-08-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

A *BIG* thanks to everyone who checked out the interview with Krissy and commented with your favorite items! It seems Krissy's pencil skirts are a big hit!

I wrote each person's name on a slip of paper and had my boyfriend pick a name from the box and the winner was.... Smarmy!

Congratulations Smarmy you are the winner of this awesome Tuck N Roll Kustoms hair bow and an exclusive sample of a soon to be released Gothcupcake product!

Thanks again everyone and stay tuned as there will be more exciting interviews and giveaways soon! :)

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Tuck N Roll Kustoms Interview!!!

2010-08-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

Gothcupcake recently had the opportunity to interview the beautiful and talented Krissy of Tuck N Roll Kustoms about her line, classic cars, and cupcakes!

When did you start your business?
I started the concept for Tuck N Roll Kustoms in August 2009, opened an Etsy store in February 2010 and started listing items in March 2010.

How did you get started?

This is what I wanted to do when I started crafting. I started out by making jewelry, sending it to my mom in Texas and having her sell it down there. Then I opened a store called Absidy's Boutique, but I didn't enjoy what I was selling. It wasn't me. I told my husband that I had been wanting to make clothing, hair flowers and everything Rockabilly/1950's related. He asked me why I hadn't started already. I got my first sewing machine and gave it a shot. I took a few trips to LA and started my fabric habit. I started playing around with different ideas for patterns and lengths. I made some REALLY wonky stuff starting out, haha. He helped me buy my serger and coordinated with my parents to surprise me with a new and better sewing machine for Christmas. It's so nice to have so many people supporting me.

Your line, Tuck N Roll Kustoms, is "Retro Inspired", do you have a personal vintage collection?

If so, what types of items do you collect?
I used to collect a ton of things like 1950's toasters, V8 car emblems, vintage suitcases... etc, but now that fabric and sewing machines take up my sewing room, I've had to get rid of a lot of things to keep up with that habit.

I noticed on your websites, http://www.TuckNRollKustoms.com/ and http://www.TuckNRollKustoms.Etsy.com/, that you pose with classic cars alot for your listings, do you own any classic cars?
The main car in my pictures is my Husband's 1930 Model A Coupe. That thing is wicked! It'll rattle your brains. The other truck in my pictures is my father-in-law's 1952 Ford Pickup. My husband is in the process of giving it a new paint job and a new motor. For our wedding, our friend Dave gave me a 1955 Ford Ranch Wagon!

What inspires your creations?
I fall into sewing slumps sometimes, so I make some time to head out to search for new fabrics. When I find new stuff, I can't wait to rush home to construct my next design.

Have you had any famous/memorable clients?
No one famous, but I try to treat every customer like a rockstar.

Do you ever sell at conventions or local events?
I'm in the Marine Corps right now, so my time is pretty limited. I try to atleast attend a lot of SoCal car shows to pass out business cards and free hair bows/flowers. After I get out, I plan on doing way more shows.

Future plans for Tuck N Roll Kustoms?
I have so many plans! I plan on doing a ton of shows and expanding my product line to dresses, vintage style bathing suits, more hair accessories, elaborate hair fascinators, and any idea that pops in my head.

Favorite product from your line?
I'm going to have to go with my skirts. They're so comfy and there are so many ways you can pick to have your skirt made. There is a design for everyone.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I wish I had free time. If I'm not at work, I'm sewing, at a car show or online promoting.

Favorite film?
Hands down, my favorite movie is Crybaby with Johnny Depp. I have other favorites as well, such as, Grease, American Graffiti, and (random) Arthur.

Favorite cupcake flavor?
Key lime flavored cake and cream cheese frosting. mmmmmmmmm.

You can follow Krissy and keep up on all the latest Tuck N Roll Kustoms news on these sites:

Twitter- www.twitter.com/TRKustoms

Facebook- www.Facebook.com/TuckNRollKustoms

Etsy- www.etsy.com/shop/tucknrollkustoms

***CONTEST TIME!!!***
To be entered into a contest to win one of Krissy's super sweet polka dot hair bows from Tuck N Roll Kustoms, simply visit the Tuck N Roll Kustoms on-line shop, http://www.tucknrollkustoms.com/index.html, and pick out your favorite item. Once you've picked out your favorite item, come back here and comment with your favorite Tuck N Roll Kustoms item and why it's your fave (please be sure to include your e-mail address!) and you'll be entered into a drawing for a Tuck N roll Kustoms hair bow! For bonus entries tweet about this blog interview and giveaway with @gothcupcake in the tweet! You can also post about it on facebook and comment with a link to your facebook page! Contest will end August 8th!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

GothcupcakeWrecks

2010-07-18T20:26:00.001-07:00

So the lovely folks that bring you Cake Wrecks stopped by Changing Hands in Tempe AZ on their book tour recently and my friend Nic and I went!
We were so excited!!! There were some cool slide shows of some of the worst/best cakewrecks:

There was also a mini cake-wrecks contest being held for some pretty sweet prizes, including the ever elusive carrot jockey necklace! Nic and I baked and decorated to recreate some of our favorite wrecks from the blog. Here are Nic's entries:

And my entry:

There were so many great cake wreck entries:
Here was the winner with her awesome little wreck:
And there were cakes for all of us Wreckerators to enjoy too! They even had vegan cake ^_^
That suitcase is a CAKE!!! Amazing.
Nic braved the crowd and grabbed us some slices of *vegan* cake!! (Which ended up being my dinner that night, hooray for cake for dinner!)

My slice of vegan cake YUM!!!

All in all it was a great time, even if our cake wrecks didn't win, and as a bonus, my mini wreck was featured in the CakeWrecks blog!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Songs Stuck in My Head Today

2010-07-01T17:35:00.000-07:00

So, the other day I was at work humming a song, and a coworker asked me what I was humming and I told her that I had a song stuck in my head... and that I tend to get lots of songs stuck in my head throughout the course of a day. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I nearly ALWAYS have some sort of music playing in my head, and it can be completely random, but it is MUCH funnier when the music is specific to the situation that I'm in. So, for poops and giggles I decided to write down a song whenever one popped into my head today. From the time I woke up until I came home from work. I don't listen to music in the morning or at work, they don't play music on the bus or in the store where I work, so all of these songs are just populated by my mind.

Here is the list in the order they were in my head:

"State of the Union" Rise Against
"I Need Love" N*Sync
"First Drop" Rise Against
"Bath Water" No Doubt
"Artificial Sweetener" No Doubt
"Summer Breeze" Seals and Croft
"Partyline (555 Online)" Five
"Until the Time is Through" Five
"Devilicious" Angelspit
"100%" Angelspit
"All I Have To Do Is Dream" The Everly Brothers
"Summertime Girls" LFO
"Tangerine Speedo" Caviar
"Psycho Killer" The Talking Heads
"Poker Face" Lady Gaga
"Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle" Dethklok
"Bad Things" Jace Everett (True Blood theme song)
"Boom Boom Boom" The Outhere Brothers
"Smooth Criminal" Alien Ant Farm

I think it's pretty interesting, so I might start carrying a notebook with me all the time to jot down all the random songs that pop into my head to see if there is some sort of pattern :P haha

Buy something cute AND help save animals!

2010-06-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

I'm a member of the CraftAnon Street Team on etsy, and our charity shop is currently donating 100% of sales to:

Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research
http://www.tristatebird.org/

The mission of Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research is to achieve excellence in the rehabilitation of injured, orphaned, and oiled native wild birds, with the goal of returning healthy birds to their natural environment. They do this through compassionate care, humane research, and education.

Experts from Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research are leading the wildlife rescue efforts following the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico. Tri-State's oil spill response team has been on the Gulf Coast since the last week in April and is working with their West Coast colleagues, International Bird Rescue Research Center, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to manage the rehabilitation of oiled wildlife.

Donate now by purchasing an item from the shop or simply by spreading the word about the Charity shop!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Arizona Etsy Meetup Party!

2010-06-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

So many adventures lately, I'm having trouble keeping up with uploading all of the pictures and posting them!

Last Friday my friend Nic and I went to an Etsy Meetup Party! The first venue selected for the meetup was closed unexpectedly for Summer, but thanks to Nic's Droid phone we were able to check the website on-line for the new meeting place! The first venue was a cafe, which with thought would be a fitting setting for the group craft--crochet necklaces. The backup place ended up being a sports bar named Hail Mary's. Hilarious, but what the hey!
Here is the welcome committee table, complete with free samples of tea, name badges, a sign-in sheet, free Etsy stickers, Etsy.com buttons, Pabst (yes, the beer) buttons and Pabst toothbrushes! Once I saw the Pabst gear, I was convinced that a sports bar was indeed a much better location for the event!

Craft party table! :D

We got our name badge stickers and found ourselves a seat with two great crafters, Kathie and Gabrielle.
Kathie and Gabrielle were super nice and very patient with Nic and I as they showed us how to tie a loop on our crochet needles, how to crochet a chain and how to add the beads! Nic and I both picked it up rather quickly and it was a ton of fun! We munched on 99 cent specials from the Happy Hour menu while we crafted, chatted and laughed.
There's Nic taking a picture of me taking a picture of her, Gabrielle and Kathie (hidden in the back!)
Nic and I milled about to check out the other crafters and their creations, this table had some really beautiful necklaces:
Then Nic suggested we get a group shot of everyone's necklaces together:

Nic's necklace is the one on the far left under the "H" in Handmade with the really awesome reddish orange O-beads. My necklace is the one in the upper left corner next to the birds wing.

Nic also got a waitress to take a group shot of all of the crafters together wearing our creations, but the picture is on her camera so I will just edit this entry when she uploads it :)

Here's all of my free swag, receipt, craft supplies, finished necklace and business cards from fellow Etsians!
My name badge. Nic's said "And I (heart)Squid and Dinos."

Pabst toothbrush, receipt, Pabst button, Etsy button, a detail of my crochet necklace.

All in all it was a super fun night, it was nice meeting you all and if we all do it again, I'm in!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Eric Pigors Toxic Toons Interview!

2010-06-16T20:42:00.001-07:00

I had the pleasure of conversing via Ouija board with ookie spookie Eric "Unkle" Pigors, creator and artist of Toxic Toons this weekend. Here's what the creator of creepy had to say!

What inspired you to start your ghoulish business?

Well in 2002 I was let go from WALT DISNEYS STUDIOS after working for them for 15 years .They had pretty much given up on hand drawn films and sent us all to the unemployment line pink slips in hand. So I thought what am I going to do now? I had saved all my money and decided it was time to invest in what I truly enjoyed....drawing my creepy TOXICTOONS ART. So I self published my 1st art book with art I had collected for 10 years. Then a few shirts.

How did you get started?

Pretty much just had that book and those few shirts I self published with my own savings and found some shows I thought I could sell my work at and went for it!

Sometimes I felt weird being one of the only artists at these shows, but now a days you have lots of artists doing it which is good to see!

Do you have a favorite character from all the spooky creatures you have created through the years?

Man that’s tough, I have so many and try to draw new characters all the time. But Frankenstein’s monster and my VAMPS & Miss Cery character would be what most people know my art for. She and a few of my more gruesome characters where turned into a toy set in 2005 thru MEZCO TOYZ. The set is now sold out but I do see it on ebay under TOXIC TOONS.

Do you ever collaborate with other artists on products?

Well I am working with TRICK OR TREAT STUDIOS on Halloween masks based on my art like this one of one of my Frankenstein drawings. But I am a 1 man machine. Could use a 2nd head or Siamese twin at times.

On your website, ToxicToons.com, I see you've done artwork for many clients, were there any projects that you found particularly memorable?

Well most have been lots of fun otherwise I don’t really take the job on. Life is to short. But I really have enjoyed working with all the bands I have done shirts or cds.

Murderdolls and GHASTLY ONES are 2 of my favorite bands to do art for. They are spooky themed so its lots of fun thinking stuff up for them. Also Metallica, 69 Eyes, Psychocharger, Scum of the earth, Genitorturers, Bill “CHOP TOP” Moseley’s bands, as well as haunted houses and fx companies.

Future plans for ToxicToons?

Hopefully to keep making new merch like the stuff I sell on my website www.toxictoons.com and hopefully getting my HALLOWEEN SPECIAL done one day before I keel over.

If you could have any horror character as your best fiend who would it be?

Frankenstein’s monster definitely!

He don’t talk much but i can have him help me fill orders, go to the post office, stare out the front door window and scare the Jehovah Witness's when they come to pester me and also he could pose for new art.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Breathe....spend time with my beautiful wife Denise and 2 cats. Watch movies, listen to music.

Favorite cupcake flavor?

Chocolate with a hint of Formaldehyde!

Final words?

Be sure to come check out all my creepy art and merchandise I sell, like signed art books, stickers, shirts, Ouija boards, dvds, and necklaces at www.toxictoons.com

Thanks so much for the horrific interview Eric!

You can stalk Mr. Pigors and find news on all the spine tingling sales and more here:

Toxic Toons My Space

Eric's Facebook

Toxic Twitter

Stay Spooky,

Gothcupcake

Sizzlin' Summer Fashion Show Mesa, AZ

2010-06-13T19:18:00.000-07:00

So, this Friday I was in a Sizzlin' Summer Fashion Show at the OneOhOne Gallery in Mesa, AZ. I worked on outfits for my models and saved mine for last. It was a bit of a challenge because I didn't have my models with me to try items on as I made them, so I just had to go with measurements and instinct! Since I've now done 2 fashion shows in 3 weeks, I've decided that now I'm addicted to sewing and creating my own fashions, and I *NEED* a serger to be my next business investment.

Anywho, here is what I created for the event.

My friend Armand was excited after my first fashion show at the Phoenix Comicon 2 weeks ago and started collaborating with me on some ideas he had for men's fashions. The shirt and belt scarves are inspired by his sketches.

Colleen's dress was sort of punk prom. Colleen's dress turned out to be a bit of a challenge, but the dress turned out fitting her well, and she loved it. I think it got the most compliments from attendees as well and she rocked it!

Colleen is also rocking the custom Storm Trooper hair clips I made her.

I ended up making my outfit when I got home from work at 12:30 Friday afternoon!!! I put together a pleather shrug, and a dominatrix/geisha type of outfit, using borrowed elements from Armand's and Colleen's pieces to make the set cohesive.

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 532x720.

I think the women behind me in that last picture were making faces at my boots... little did they know that a few designers behind me were some more hooker boots and heels just like them!

I learned some things from doing this show, like to always have a mix of runway music at the ready and to always have a generic script for the MC. We ended up walking to some cornball music (despite the majority of designers being alternative!), but this show went much more smoothly than the JFashion Trunk Show, so I'm sure my next show will be even better.

Hope that didn't sound pretentious! -_-;

Big thanks to Armand and Colleen for modeling my fashions and a big thanks to Scott of Tharn Photography for taking pictures of the event!

Stay tuned for an interview with my friend and fellow designer Nic of Ghotibone!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Buttonhead Interview!

2010-06-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to make my blog something worth reading as well as help promote my fellow artists, here is the first of what I hope to be a more regular feature. This month I interviewed Ali of Buttonhead! Ali is creative, fun and full of awesome. I admire her guts and her goods and after this interview I hope you do too!

When did you start your business?

Hi Mary! I started Buttonhead in 2007. Primarily, I make buttons, magnets, mirrors, and temporary tattoos for custom and retail sale. In my spare time, I develop creative content for the web. It all melts together into this thing I call Buttonhead. Partly business, partly artistic.

How did you get started?

I took the plunge! In 2007, I was working full-time for a medical education firm in Chicago. I had a comfortable lifestyle, but my artistic skills were completely repressed. So, I got the idea for Buttonhead, quit my job, cashed in my 401k, sold most of my personal stuff, moved out of Chicago, and committed to launching a business. I’ve been working for myself full-time ever since.

Do you have a personal button collection? If so, how big is it?

You know what? I have buckets of buttons, but I never wear them. Isn’t that weird? I love making them, and I’m so happy to see other people enjoying them, but I just never wear accessories. I don’t even have a watch! I guess it says something about my personality. I like to travel light.

I noticed on your website, buttonhead.org, that you have a Bachelor of Art as well as an Associate in Fine Arts, do you find you use your skills from both degrees when creating your products?

Oh yes! I use my academic and business skills every day. I have a creative job, but I also have a lot of responsibilities. It’s challenging to know when to be the artist and when to be business-minded. I just try to stay focused, so that my creative skills can have a stage to shine on.

What inspires your creations?

Everything inspires me. You inspire me! I feel very grateful to be part of a creative community. Without it, my individual contributions would be lonely.

Have you had any famous/memorable clients?

I’ve had a lot of memorable clients. One of my favorites is a woman who writes erotica. She likes to give away dirty buttons to her readers. Scandalous!

Do you ever sell at conventions or local events?

No. 2010/2011 is all about web development for me. By 2012, I plan to take it to the streets!

Future plans for Buttonhead?

Web development, new business, and creative content. My end goal is a successful manufacturing shop with an indie media platform on top. When my business is steady and my voice is being heard, maybe then I’ll be satisfied.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I talk to myself. A lot.

Favorite film?

Here are 21 of my favorite films: Manhattan, Leap of Faith, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, To Wong Foo, The War of the Roses, The Big Lebowski, Dog Day Afternoon, Rocky, My Blue Heaven, Death Becomes Her, Pauly Shore is Dead, Airplane!, Citizen Kane, Taxi Driver, Stuart Saves His Family, Clue, Spaceballs, Home for the Holidays, Sin City, The Wizard of Oz.

Favorite quote?

“Quote me on this!”

Favorite cupcake flavor?

Vanilla.

For DIYers and lovers of handmade, Buttonhead offers a wide range of custom and premade products. A personal favorite of mine are her whimsical "I Tinkle" and "I Poop" magnets.

You can stalk Buttonhead at all these places!

Button Head Site

Etsy Shop

Twitter

My Space Page
Facebook Page

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

First Friday Girls Night Out!

2010-06-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

Friday night I went out with the girlz for some fun! Because all work and no play makes Goth a dull cupcake...

Nic, Jennette, Erin and I met up at Sens where our friend Serena waitresses to get things started!

I really dig the atmosphere at Sens, it has an artsy quality to it. Here's a view of Sens (and Nic).
I really dig the lotus blossom lamps above the bar :)
Serena, who I couldn't seem to get a non-blurry pic of all night. My photography skills are rusty!
Jennette and Nic and a bottle of wine. I think they went with the Pinot Gris.
Nic's spicy tofu dish.
My Citron Tofu... well some of it, I'd eaten most of it by this point. Erin ordered the sesame tofu too and we shared sauces, I'll have to get the sesame tofu next time!
Nic and I were practicing our modeling throughout the evening since we have our upcoming fashion show June 11th. Here is Nic looking fierce with some chopsticks and tofu.
Jennette and Erin chatting while grilling their dinner.
Erin chowing down on her Tofu curry. Apparently during our dining a photographer came over to our table and took our picture. The couple at the table next to us told us and asked us why. To be completely honest, none of us had really noticed. Erin and Nic tossed their hair and said "Because we're famous." haha

After Sens we decided to catch up with Jen, who was at The Roosevelt Tavern. The Roosevelt Tavern is a dimly lit bar that feels like you're at a house party. Some rooms are lit by candlelight others by beautiful chandeliers. We didn't find Jen, but I couldn't resist taking a picture of a few of the patrons before we left.
It was pretty dark in there, but I liked this shot through a doorway illuminated by the candle light.

After The Roosevelt we wandered about the fair a bit and saw fireworks from the ball game.
I missed taking pictures of the finale, but you get the idea.
Next up was Pasta Bar where Serena met up with us after her shift ended at Sens.
Pasta Bar had a cozier feel to it and the chairs gave it a vintage vibe.
Speaking of Vintage, Nic was sporting some great vintage pieces that night. Here she is posing with her vintage bling and her fantastic vintage clutch--original mirror still included!
I couldn't resist a close-up of the bag. Circa 1940s.
I really liked the rustic feel of the bar.
There was subtle artwork and a great big mirror. Here Erin is enjoying a glass of their special red of the evening (which none of us could pronounce!) and Jennette is sampling one of their signature infusion martinis.
Sharing some laughs.
Erin getting spooky with a candle.
Candid of Nic as the night was winding down.
From left to right: Jennette, Erin, Serena, Me, Nic. We set the timer on the camera and crouched down at the end of the table for a group pic. I'm pretty sure the waitress thought we were crazy and the table behind us got a great view of our bums!

It was fun to get dressed up and have a ghouls night out :D

Preview Picture!

2010-06-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a preview picture from Pheonix Comicon! We all look like we weren't quite sure if she'd taken the picture or not yet, but no matter! From Left to Right: My friend Nic, wearing her own designs which consisted of a braille tank (hint: it says "whore") and a bad ass rag tutu; Nic's neice Alyssha wearing one of my deconstructed/upcycled dresses and a matching top hat (she's usually preppy!); Myself sporting the first dress I ever made which I spruced up with some trim and a matching lolita headband :)

There is a fourth ensemble that was featured in the fashion show that I will have here soon...I'm currently working in the evil lab mixing up new items for the Etsy shop :D

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Phoenix Comicon 2010 JFashion Trunk Show

2010-05-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

I will have a post and pictures from the fashion show up soon! It was a bit hectic, but we did it and we made the most of it. In the very least it was a great learning experience and gave me lots of things to improve upon for future fashion shows!

Thanks to everyone who came to the show and a big "Hello!" to all of my fellow designers/friends that I met at PCC!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Phoenix Comicon 2010

2010-05-23T21:52:00.000-07:00

If you're wondering why I haven't updated in a little while, it's because Gothcupcake will be at the Pheonix Comicon May 27th-30th! I won't have an exhibitor's table this time around, but I will be showing off Gothcupcake clothing designs for the JFashion Trunk Show on Saturday the 29th from 3 to 5:30pm! Come to the show to see Japanese Street Fashions exclusively from local designers and have the opportunity to purchase a few items from the designers after the show!

I joined in last minute and my friend Nic is lending me a few of her friends to model at the show as well as collaborating on some ensembles! I will be modeling as well as showing off my designs and maybe even taking part in a little Q&A! My photographer will be there to shoot pictures during the event, feel free to stop by and take a picture with me! Come join in the fun and see Gothcupcake's first ever fashion show this coming weekend!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

What's in a name?

2010-05-18T19:03:00.001-07:00

So, in my retail experience I've noticed that people from different parts of the country (and world!) have different names for the above shopping necessity. Where are you from and what do you call it?!

Margarita Cupcake Recipe!

2010-05-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking "Finally!" I got this recipe from the awesome cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.
Cupcake Ingredients:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
1 cup soy milk or rice milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons tequila (100% agave, no worm!)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Icing Ingredients:

1/4 cup margarine, softened
1 tablespoon soy milk or rice milk
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon tequila (since I made these for work, I omitted the tequila)
tiniest drop of green food color you can manage (optional)
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
generous pinch to 1/8 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt (optional)

Cupcake Directions:

Preheat over to 350F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, beat together lime juice, zest, soy milk , canola oil, tequila, vanilla and sugar. Sift in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until batter is smooth.
Fill liners three-quarters of the way full and bake 20 to 22 minutes until a toothpick inserted through the center of one comes out clean.
Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting; allowing cupcakes to set for an hour or two helps the flavor to develop fully.

Frosting Directions:

Blend margarine with a fork until soft and fluffy, then stir in soy milk, lime juice, tequila, and food coloring if using (the effect is just to give the icing a very pale green tint, even lighter than "mint" green).
Sift in 2 cups confectioners' sugar and blend (if you have an electric mixer, using it on low speed helps), until creamy and smooth.
If frosting is a little too liquidy for your taste, sift in the remaining confectioners' sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until a thick but spreadable consistency is reached. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To Assemble:

Spread icing on cupcakes, spreading all the way to the edges, then roll just the outer edges of cupcake in sugar crystals or sprinkle them on the edges by hand.
I topped mine with gummy worms as a joke since bad (and non-vegan) tequila sometimes has a worm in the bottom of the bottle! Surfsweets makes vegan-friendly gummies that would be perfect for this :D

It works best if you have large grain sugar, but I just had the regular stuff, and the frosting absorbed most of it :P The frosting also thickens up to create a nice glaze. The only complaint I got about these cupcakes was that they needed more tequila!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Cotton Candy Necklace!

2010-05-12T22:42:00.001-07:00

New model and new cotton candy necklace posted on Etsy!
Thanks to PinkiePie! of PinkiePieXO on etsy for modeling!

Super sweet necklace looks good enough to eat!

I have some spookiness on the way too don't worry! It's not all frosting and sprinkles! :D And I still have to post that margarita cupcake recipe...

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Soups On!

2010-05-11T17:36:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite movies is Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands. There is a scene where they are grilling shish-kebab on Edward's scissors instead of on skewers and the father says "Soups on!" when they kabobs are fully cooked. Edward looks at him confusedly and says, with a mouth full of food, "I thought this was shish-kebab?"

Anywho, I made kebabs for dinner last night and I know I've done well with dinner when my boyfriend takes out his camera to take a picture of it before we eat :P Here are the shots I took before digging in so that I could share with you guys!

The kebabs featured seitan, zucchini, tomatoes and red bell pepper (stuff we had around the house!) and I put a few cloves of garlic on my bf's. Ideally I would have served these with rice, but we're out so I made red potato wedges instead :P

I marinated the seitan and veggies in a blend of Bragg's Amino Acids, liquid smoke, vegan Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, hot sauce, agave nectar, and spices! I skewered everything and then put it on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet and baked it all in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 F. Turning every 5 minutes and brushing on more marinade :) I might try kebabs with marinated tofu sometime too. These were tasty!

I hope you're all having a great week, I'm finishing up a few more pieces to post in the Etsy shop and have embarked on a super sekret project! I'll keep you updated ^_^

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Margarita Cupcakes, Zombies and Tees Oh My!

2010-05-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

For Cinco de Mayo, I baked Margarita cupcakes to bring with me to work! A yummy blend of cake, lime, and a bit of tequila for one unique dessert experience! Recipe coming soon!

I also had fun with my new sticker maker Friday, despite my trip to the dentist and made some pretty sweet stickers featuring the beautifully decaying Zöe Zombie! To kick things off I gave a few away to some lucky tweeters on twitter and now they are available in the Etsy shop!

Speaking of listing new items, this Gothcupcake Goth Girl tee was just listed today in sizes S to XL! Hand screen printed by yours truly it's a comfy tee more on the sprinkly side.

Call me jelly cuz I'm on a roll! More new items, news, pictures and recipes coming your way!

Stay Tuned and Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Horror Clips!

2010-05-05T22:26:00.001-07:00

Just listed on Etsy! Bride of Frankenstein Horror Hair Clips! Sparkly white iridescent lightning bolts that resemble the iconic Bride of Frankenstein hair! I'm so excited about these that I need to make myself a pair! You can get yours by clicking here.

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Marshmallow Bows!

2010-05-03T06:33:00.001-07:00

Just posted two new hair bows to the Etsy shop! The pink one is the Sparkly Marshmallow Bow and the black one is the Evil Marshmallow Bow! Unique because they're like little plushies for your hair, but the pleather gives it a little bit of an edge.

A big thank you to the super cute and super sweet TwinkieChan for modeling them for me!

More new stuff is on the way to the shop finally, so stay tuned!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Chocolate+PeanutButter+Cupcake= Love

2010-05-02T08:40:00.001-07:00

I made vegan chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting last week and forgot to share pictures! It's been a long time since I've baked, and I really need to do it again! My next day off might have to be a spooky cupcake day :)

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Ducks crossing!

2010-04-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

This has to be the biggest group of ducks and other assorted birds that we've ever had cross in front of our car! I was so happy I got my camera out in time to snap a picture before they ran off :D

Hope everyone is having a ducky week!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Weekend Fun Photos!

2010-04-27T18:14:00.001-07:00

This weekend I hung out with my friend Nic to search for Jesus (in a literal way, not religious), craft, and eat lasagna. Nic is vegetarian so I made a veganized version of my mother's lasagna recipe for lunch!

Nic has a much more fun kitchen/apartment than I do, so it was fun taking cooking pictures while there :D For example, I do not have a bearded lady painting of Abraham Lincoln in my kitchen, but Nic does:The bowl there in front of Miss (?) Lincoln is TVP soaking up some water and sauce. I like to soak my Textured Vegetable Protein with a little sauce and seasonings to give it more flavor when making lasagna. I also prefer organic noodles:
While the noodles are boiling, I slice up the sausage and grate the mozzerella. Nic has a super cute cheese grater that looks like a mouse!:
Then I layer everything up in a pan and bake it in the oven and it comes out looking like this:

Nic's kitties were curious while I was cooking, but were well behaved for the most part, here is a picture of Pigeon (the black kitty) and Walrus (the one near the flip flops!):
It was such a nice day out that Nic and I decided to eat lunch out on her patio:

It was beautiful out and this beautiful tree kept us from overheating and gave us a glorious view from her patio:

Despite not finding Jesus, I did find 2 great pairs of shoes while we were out. The crafting wasn't so successful either, but we shall try again!

How was your weekend?

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Pandamonium!

2010-04-23T18:45:00.001-07:00

I have been alluding to and talking about secrets and I've finally gotten one finished and posted for you!

A super kawaii panda necklace that I got the idea for while I was at work. What started out as a doodle ended up as this:

Let me know what you think! More exciting new items coming soon!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcucpake

Modeling Pic

2010-04-18T20:55:00.001-07:00

There were two photographer's at Con-Nichiwa's photobooth. The first guy, DragonLenz, sent me a message on Model Mayhem with a link to the second photographer, MistrsEvilKitten's, pictures. I thought I'd share one with you guys:

Not my best picture, but I'm still fairly new to modeling and I couldn't find my lipstick ;PWhat I'm wearing:

The hair bow is one of my own, soon to be available in the Gothcupcake Etsy Shop!
Fishnet shrug by Lip Service
Vegan-friendly pyramid cuff by Deviant
Pleather corset by BlackSunshine
Fishnet tank (worn under corset) second-hand
Skirt (sorta hidden) by Liane Marguerite
Sugarpill pressed eyeshadow in Bulletproof
Pink hair color Special Effects (SFX if you're cool) in Atomic Pink

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Aloha and Mahalo!

2010-04-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

I've been on a coconut kick lately (if you couldn't tell from the macroons post...), so today I decided to try the Go Max Go Foods Mahalo candy bar. If you like coconut, chocolate and almonds, this candy bar is pure lust!

It's got the look of an Almond Joy, almonds tucked under a blanket of chocolate:

And yummy yummy sweet melt-in-your-mouth coconut in the middle:
All in all an amazing candy bar, maybe even better than an Almond Joy... if sometimes you feel like a nut and a vegan...

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Ahoy Buccaneers!

2010-04-14T20:40:00.001-07:00

I tried the Buccaneer candy bar from Go Max Go Foods and I have to say, it was a reasonable facsimile to a Three Muskateers bar! The nougat looks different, and has a slightly different texture, but the taste is pretty close, and still YUMMY! I took a few pictures of me eating the candy bar, but I look hideous so I will save you from the scariness and just share the candy! [Note: mine got a little squished on the way home from the super market!]
It has also been *AGES* since the last time I baked, so I finally whipped up another recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. I was craving some coconut, so I baked a batch of Macaroon cookies the other morning before heading to work. They are SOOO yummy!!!
Lastly, today I was having an icky hair day, my hair was limp and I needed to make it look decent before work, so I threw it up in a pony tail, grabbed some bobby pins and the new super kawaii hair flower I picked up from the Mesa swap meet this weekend and ended up getting TONS of compliments at work on how cute my hair looked! Yay for turning a bad hair day into a cute hair day! I think it helps that the hair clip matches my hair.

I almost walked away from this hair clip, and knew I would regret it if I did. The woman at the booth said her friend makes them for her kids all the time and that she talked her friend into trying to sell them. I wish she had a business card so I could tell her how awesome it is!

I apologize in advance for the blurriness!
I will have to get a shot of just the hair clip by itself so you can see all the layers of awesomeness to fully appreciate it :P

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Vegan Candy Bars!

2010-04-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

I had read about Go Max Go Foods' vegan candy bars in the advertisement section of VegNews magazine about a year ago. The company has made veganized versions of popular candy bars and given them snazzy new names :)

The four bars they currently offer are:

Jokerz (think Snickers): caramel, peanuts, nougat, rice milk chocolatey coating
Twilight (think Milky Way): caramel, chocolately nougat, rice milk chocolatey coating
Buccaneer (think Three Muskateers): chocolately nougat, rice milk chocolatey coating
Mahalo (think Almond Joy): coconut, almonds, rice milk chocolatey coating

I was thrilled to discover them at my local Whole Foods today when my boyfriend and I were grocery shopping! Look for them at your local market!

I bought one of each variety and plan on posting a review of each candy bar, so stay tuned!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Starving Artist

2010-04-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

This is the apron my friend Katie got me for my birthday last year. I like to wear it when I'm working on my ghoulish creations. It says: "Someday I'll be the artist formally known as starving"... so true... (I hope!):
As you can see behind me I'm working on some new skelly hand hair clips :) There they are with a fresh coat of primer!

They end up looking like this:

These hair clips were really popular at Con-Nichiwa (I sold out!), so I think they will be a new regular in the Gothcupcake Etsy shop!

I hope you all are having a horrendous weekend!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Falafel for Dinner!

2010-04-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

Tonight I wasn't sure what to make for dinner, so I turned to my fat stack of vegan cookbooks to flip through for inspiration. Sometimes I discover recipes I never even knew I had! Tonight I found a pretty sweet recipe for Falafel from scratch! So I made wraps ^_^

The recipe is altered slightly from the Sonia's Falafels recipe found in The Garden of Vegan by Tanya Barnard & Sarah Kramer

You will need:

1 15 oz. can chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans)
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1/2 cup firm tofu (or 1/4 package)
1 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

In a blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients and blend until well mixed.
Roll mixture with wet hands into balls/patties.
In a medium frying pan, saute balls/patties on medium-high heat in oil until browned on all sides.
Once brown on all sides, remove balls/patties from pan and place on paper towels or a brown paper bag to absorb some of the excess oil.
Serve on tortillas. To prepare the tortilla: Place one tablespoon of hummus or Baba Ghannouj in the center of the tortilla and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Top with salad greens, grape tomatoes and finally with falafel balls/patties. Roll up and enjoy!

The original yield for this recipe was 10 large or 18 small balls/patties. I ended up with 12 patties, roughly 2 inches across, and half an inch thick.

If you give this one a try, feel free to share your experience!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

It's Official!

2010-04-07T19:37:00.001-07:00

Gothcupcake officially has it's own business checking account now!
I'm such a dork, I got so excited writing out my first check today as Gothcupcake! :D

'Scary Mary, quite contrary, how does your graveyard garden grow? With funeral bells, all nine hells and pretty little graves all in a row'

My cherry tomatoes have sprouted! ^_^ Nothing else in the other pots, but I'm still hopeful. Our tomato plants always seemed to be the first to sprout up when we grew our own back home too, so I'm not surprised.

I've also been playing with spraypaint and clay tonight. maybe I'll share some pictures of those pieces tomorrow :)

I hope everyone is having a frightful day!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Coffin Catch Alls!

2010-04-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

Just listed! New coffin pouches. The pattern for these was in my sketchbook for months before I actually put the pieces together and made my dreams a reality. Making their debut at Con-Nichiwa in March, these little babies were a hit! Now they're available in my Etsy shop!

I promised more items and now I'm delivering! :)

Enjoy and Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Coming Soon!

2010-03-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

The convention in Tuscon was a little disappointing but a lot of fun. I met a lot of really great artists and connected with some repeat customers, and made a few friends!

My photographer is working on editing all of the pictures from the event, so expect a picture update soon!

Also, I have some new products in the works as well as some new ideas for revamping the Scream Team and creating future contests for the mailing list!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth and thank you for all of your support!

Stay Spooky,
Gothcupcake

Am I pre-owned or new?

2010-03-19T07:23:00.001-07:00

I was checking my e-mail this morning and opened up an e-mail from CareerBuilder.com. The first job listing title struck me as funny... not sure if I would say I'm a pre-owned sales associate or a new sales associate on my resume...