Goats

Goats are not minions of the devil. I like goats, and I like drawing goats. Maybe it's because of their cephalopod-like pupils (which I have chosen not to depict in this instance), because as I mentioned earlier, I also like cephalopods. :)

Mahi Mahi for Dinner

No, it's not the Loch Ness Monster!

A Little More Than A Coincidence?

I've received more than a few requests from customers who want me to send stamps out as a gift to a friend or relative. Unfortunately for them, all I have are the plain plastic baggies that I send my regular orders in. So boring! :P I was thinking it would be nice if I could find a way to spruce up gift packages for my customers so I turned to the supply section of etsy to do a little browsing. I did a search for "cute gift bags" and was surprised to come across this:

The dark owl and doppel "gäng"

I love to see customers selling beautiful and creative items using my stamps. My policy regarding the use of these stamps is simply that any item to be sold must be hand stamped (no mechanical reproductions). That's it! I don't even ask to be credited, although it is always nice when someone feels kind enough to do so. :)

So anyway, you may be wondering why I was so caught off guard when I came across this cute little zippy bag with what looked like the "dark owl" design stamped all over it? Well, that dark owl was not hand-stamped by an indie/crafty customer, but instead it has been mechanically copied and mass produced by some Korean company called Rollercoaster. (Btw, I have no problem with the etsy shop I spotted this in. The vendor simply sells cute stationery supplies from Korea.)

Crazy huh?

From Rollercoaster's catalog . . .

The page from my sketchbook where I was trying to figure out my final owl design. Even though I love Bubo, I'm so glad I didn't choose to give the owl a clockwork eye! Ugh! What was I thinking?

I've decided to shorten this post because I feel really bad for ranting on and on earlier! I've even decided that I'm semi-flattered that a big company actually liked my design enough to copy me. :) I'm just a little bummed that someone might come to the conclusion that I was the copycat in this situation, and not the other way around. I found a video on TED related to this whole issue. It's about copycats in creative industries and the lessons we can learn. Okay then. Sorry about all that. Done ranting now. Cheers! :)

Sunfish Synchronicity?

Look what I came across while stocking up on some paint at the local craft store. It was in a bin near the check out counter. A mola mola eraser?! No Way! =)

It's An Invasion!!

My brother just told me about another UFO seen recently in Hawaii. This time it's in Ewa Beach. I was all like, "Oh noes! It's an invasion!" I think I'll just stick to the idea that the strange light being filmed is actually a remote control toy of some sort or a kite with a light stuck to it...not a craft from another planet. Otherwise, how will I sleep at night?

:o)

Christopher Walken and A UFO On Saddle Road?

I know it sounds ridiculous but my number one phobia is . . .aliens. I think it all started after I watched the movie "Communion" when I was a kid. To this day I'm still a little afraid of Christopher Walken (he's the main character) because of it. I was going to post a picture of the movie poster but I decided not to because then I'd be too afraid to look at my own blog!

Even though I'm afraid of aliens, I got so excited when a friend from class told me she knew someone who saw a ufo and that she even had a picture of it (don't ask me how we even got into a conversation about ufos...haha). I couldn't believe it but she forwarded this photo to me. They were even thinking of sending it to a news station here. She said her brother's friend saw a ufo while driving on Saddle Road right here on the Big Island and snapped this picture. Maybe it has something to do with the military because they have a huge training base up there. I know it's just a FOAF (friend-of-a-friend) story and maybe the picture does look a little fishy...but I guess anything is possible!

The Hoboville Files

It's the first of October and that makes me really excited. It means that Halloween is not very far away...and Halloween is one of my all time favorite holidays!! :o) Of course I love the candy and the dressing up part, but I think I just like the sort of 'spooky' atmosphere that goes with it all. :o)

I've mentioned before that I love anything strange and unusual and I'm always up for a good ghost story. I really like when I learn little historical details and folklore in the process and I enjoy the way that many of these stories actually connect the past with the present...in an entertaining way! Umm...and I also just like getting creeped out!!

I'm most interested in these paranormal sorts of things because I can honestly say that about 80% of the people I've come across in my life have told me first hand that they have experienced or seen something 'strange'. And most of these people (to the best of my knowledge ;o) are completely normal and sane. I've heard stories from teachers, supervisors, co-workers, family & friends. It's hard to understand when I've never had an experience like that myself.

So, I keep my own little 'X-Files' sort of journal. Whenever I hear a first hand account from someone, I like to write down their name and experience so I don't get it all muddled in my head later. So...if you know me and you've ever told me a story...you can bet your name is in there!! hehe.

P.S.
I don't just make rubber stamps. My favorite medium is actually charcoal and pencil. :o)

Six Six Six

I'm always interested in hearing strange and unusual stories...so here's a small contribution of my own. I had a freaky little incident concerning my etsy shop last week. I woke up one morning to check my page and found that I had 666 favorites, 66 items left in the shop, and three $6.00 sales in a row (666) making my paypal account add up to exactly...$666.99! I'm not very superstitious but I thought that was just a really strange coincidence!! My boyfriend was like "Hey, 666 is the devil's number! Maybe he visited your shop!" Well, maybe even the devil likes to shop handmade! ;o)