Glitter Bitches Handmade

We Didn't Disband - WE REBRANDED!

2012-02-06T16:20:00.000-08:00

The Glitter Bitches. Six women, all DIY artisans, who met in a makeup group and thought it would be rad to do a single group giveaway in August of ... when was that? Oh yeah. August of 2010.

Fast forward a year and a half and, as we experienced quite a bit of project scope creep, some of the original members have gone different directions and new members with new ideas have come aboard. Then some of them moved on and MORE new people joined us. The makeup group that brought the O.G.B.s together no longer exists. We're still bitchy on occasion, but we brought a man on board. The name no longer fit us, what we did or our clientele.

Don't worry though, we're still a very tight-knit group of collaborating artisans. We're all dedicated to the handmade movement and have our own side-projects in addition to what we're working on our group becoming in the future. One change (aside from the name) is that we have brought all of our affiliates in as full members, so drop on by "Meet the REJECTS" and refresh your memory about us.

Please join us over at Corporate Rejects ~handmade detail, not corporate retail. We hope you relish it as much as we.

Thank you, once again, to Wenchkin
for our kick-ass awesome logo!

Love Your Skull (it's where your brain lives!)

2011-10-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

The GB Handmade Team has been busy behind the scenes cooking up a GREAT pre-holiday sale for all of you! We're calling this our Skull Appreciation Sale 'cause it's that skully time of year and, let's face it, you'd look funny without your skull (not to mention several other non-cosmetic issues you'd have).

clicky-click for larger version

Here's what will be on sale starting Monday (Halloween!) and going through Wednesday (Día de los Muertos):

Wenchkin: 25% off sugar skull masks and custom muerto portraits
Krissi's Art Studio: 30% off items with skull/skeleton/bones images (including fine art)
Brooke Van Gory Designs: 20% off custom diaper bags using prints from her Skull Appreciation Fabrics Collection with coupon code; 10% off Fundamental, Expedient, and Upsized bags using other fabrics (no code needed).
Ant Farm Studio: 30% off everything skelly or ectoskelly-themed (includes ants, scorpions and crabs)
Madd Style Cosmetics: 20% off of everything
KissZombies: 20% off all skully/skeleton-themed items

And our affiliates are all taking part in this sale too!
Scott Krichau: 25% off all Tank-O-Lanterns and Chimineas
KitCameo: 15% off large, skull-themed art bottles and 25% off all other skull-themed items
Indiscretion: 50% off everything (in both Indiscretion and Haute Indiscretion Etsy shops)
Kittycrossbones: 50% off Halloween items
Sweets N Stuff: 15% off hair accessories - AND she'll be doing a giveaway on her facebook page!

Wow. That's a LOT of stuff to remember! Well, to make your shopping experience super easy, we will have our sale information in our shop announcements AND you can click this handy little widget, which you'll find in the right side bar of each of our ArtFire shops, which will take you directly to all of our sale items (ArtFire shops only).

October 31st through November 2nd
FIRST GBH SKULL APPRECIATION SALE!
Click skully for sale items from GB Handmade Members & Affiliates
when you use coupon code BRAINCASE.
Need more info? Visit GB Handmade on Blogger!

We hope to see you on Monday (but you can click on the skully for a sneak peek at some of the sale items now).

New Affiliate Members & Program Announcement

2011-09-15T17:50:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed a little extra activity over on our Facebook page as we added some new Affiliate Members to the Glitter-Bitches team (we've been calling them The Glitterati). We are thrilled to work more closely with sculptor Scott Krichau (and his alter ego, Timmy Tehrabbit), graphics & promotions wizard AmyLynn of Kittycrossbones Custom Promotionals and our newest addition, artist Kit Cameo. We hope you will "like" their fan pages and keep your eyes peeled for fun stuff from them in the future!

As expected, our little announcements stirred the curiosity of many in the handmade community. Inquiries about the program started pouring in right away: what is it? how do you choose? how can I apply?

In short, we don't know what the program is yet - it's still in an experimental phase. Our new affiliates will be working closely with existing affiliates and members to help flesh out what the program will ultimately become.

To kickstart this program, 3-6 well-established indie businesses will be chosen by our members. Members base nominations on a combination of the nominee's experience, diversity of style/product/fan base, past collaborations with other members/affiliates and public presence.
Nominations are discussed by the members and, if approved unanimously, an invitation to join is extended.
There is no application process at this time. Believe us, our new affiliate members were as surprised as anyone when we asked them to join up with us!
We expect this stage of the affiliate program to last through the 2011-2012 winter season, and we will determine whether or not to expand the program or add a link-sharing aspect in the spring/summer of 2012.

We hope this answers everyone's questions for now! There are a couple more "nominees" already being considered. As soon as we tell them, you'll be the next to know!

Introducing Modern Rosies!

2011-09-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

Modern Rosies, "where empowered people get inspired" is the blog brainchild of Glitter Bitches member Brooke Heavey of Brooke Van Gory Designs!
She envisioned a resource that would represent all aspects of DIY, from home and garden to running a small indie business and everything in between. It's a "go-to venue for all the things that you want to know, and even stuff that you never even knew you wanted to know."

Two of the Glitter Bitches, Krissi and Wenchkin, have signed on to be "Union Riveters" (regular contributors) to the blog too, but don't worry, they're not leaving the GBH family! As a matter of fact, it's just a chance to work with MORE awesome DIY-type folks like Ranon of Rocky The Zombie clothing & art and Rebecca of PDP Exclusives graphics (also our webmistress), not to mention all of the cool people who send in posts on their specialties.

So go check out these modern chickies (and a few dudes) as they rivet together a new DIY resource for all of us! If you would like to contribute a tutorial, article, inspirational story or recipe, please contact the Rosies through their blog. pssst! There's a big "contact" button right on the top.

End Of Summer Updates and Preparing for Year 2

2011-08-21T18:45:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

We REALLY enjoyed taking the month of July off to just hang out and be friends. Sometimes the details of our days get overwhelming and it's important to take a moment and remember why we wanted to start working with each other in the first place. As a result of the time off to chill a bit, we were really able to have some fun with last week's "Dia de los Snuffy" sale to celebrate everyone's favorite imaginary friend, Snuffaluffagus. Thanks to everyone who took advantage of the event, even if it just meant cruising around in all the shops to see what was there. We had a great day!

We Are 1!

You may not know it, but August officially brings our first year as "Glitter Bitches" to a close. Therefore it seemed like a good time to think about what the Glitter Bitches want to be if we ever actually grow up (unlikely, but let's just pretend for a moment). To make sure we don't get caught up in an exhausting whirlwind of minutiae again, these are our current goals:

Continue to keep our membership small ~ we started with six original members and are now at seven full-time members with one active affiliate.
Define the Affiliate Member & Club programs (and introduce you to MORE awesome shops)
Increase collaborations between team members (and affiliate members/clubs)
Promote handmade and provide support to the DIY community (like information/tips, business help & fun stuff for our fan base)
and, most importantly,
Focus on our own individual craft, clients and followers

ArtFire Shop(s)

With that last important goal in mind, the team determined it would be best to close our group ArtFire shop. Closing the shop will alleviate both the burden of a few bucks here and there as well as the extra time our members needed to dedicate to keeping it running smoothly. We decided to continue working toward our original Teal Ribbon Fund goal of $1,500 by listing TRF items in our own shops. The Guest Artisan feature will be discontinued, but we welcome (and thank!) any DIYers interested in donating handmade items to the Teal Ribbon Fund - those interested should start by checking out our new, simple procedures.

All seemed settled. Then we were delivered a resounding "thunk" on the head....

Kim Update

A few days after we made the decision to close our joint shop, Kim learned that a new mass has developed since her surgery in early April. We were saddened by the news, but in true "Kim" fashion, she's keeping her spirits up while she awaits the biopsy results (and news of what added costs might be coming her way). No matter what the outcome of the biopsy, we will be here for Kim.

As a matter of fact, Glitter Bitches Handmade has teamed up with Sun Runner Magazine to sponsor an art show & benefit for Kim called "Drawn From The Desert." The show will run from September 24th into October and the call for artists is open until September 21st. SO GET CRACKIN' ALREADY! Just click the show title for details and if you can, please submit something to the show.

* * *

As always, thank you to all of our fellow handmade artisans, artists, friends, supporters and customers. Without you, we'd be ... well, we wouldn't be here.

Lotsa love to you and we'll see you on the Facebook Fan page!

Madd Style Blog!!!

2011-08-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

Well hello there! Madd Bitch Mo here just droppin' in real quick to let you know that I've started a Madd Style blog!! *waits for cheers and applause*

While this blog will talk a lot about MSC (upcoming products, sales and contests) it will not be the only topic. From hair/makeup tutorials, product reviews and all things beauty to craft projects, recipes, music and featured artists (along with randomness, babble and everything else that is awesome like me) this blog will give you a closer look into all the the fabulous things that make up my magestic life.

If you have any questions or ideas about what you would like to see featured on the blog, feel free to comment below! Peace out, home slice <3

June Challenge Winners!

2011-07-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

After much debate, the Bitches have picked a favorite project from last month...
Here are the project entries!

The winners are:
BITCH FAVORITE: Alexandra Murray for her "Hard Candy" lollopop hairclip
RANDOM PARTICIPATOR: Sandra "Slee" Fenton for one of her scrabble tile pendants.

Alexandra, please send an email to arjay@glitter-bitches.com to let me know whether you want the Brooke Van Gory makeup pouch or the Madd Style Cosmetics birthday collection and your mailing address.
Sandra, please send an email to arjay@glitter-bitches.com with your mailing address.

Thank you so much for participating! NOW we are finally taking the month off and will be back in August with some fun stuff for everyone!

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N in the Summertime!

2011-06-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

Everybody needs a break, especially a busy Bitch!

That is why the team is officially taking the month of July off. Yep. You heard us right. "OFF." As in "NOT here." As in "away." As in ... well, you get the idea.

While there aren't any planned trips to a tropical cabana for any of us, we can't promise there won't be some box-wine sangria being consumed on the porch. Actually, we can pretty much guarantee some box-wine sangria on the porch.

White trash drinks aside, this "vacation" is really going to be a chance for us to focus on being wives, moms, slaves to our dogs/cats/tortoises and, first and foremost, CREATIVE/CRAFTY/ARTSY people.

We hear you. You're asking "but Bitches, what does that mean for us, your loyal artsy followers???"

It means that for the entire month of July Glitter Bitches Handmade will NOT:

start any new contests
add new items to our shop or the Teal Ribbon Fund
be actively blogging.

We WILL however:

keep the Facebook page open to interaction (and check in regularly, just not on a schedule like we usually do)
allow comments on any of our blog posts and
keep the ArtFire shop open for business. Heck, we might even run a sale or two here and there.

Those of you who have been keeping track will already know that August 2011 will mark the one year anniversary of a project that started as a little giveaway by some friends and evolved into Glitter Bitches Handmade. We will have some fun stuff in store for August, we promise. New contests, updates and a new "masculine" version of the very popular "Bitch Bag" to auction off.

Until then, enjoy your summer, doing whatever it is that defines "joy" for you. Don't worry. We won't tell.

Much love, paint, glue, glitter and gem sweaters,

The Glitter Bitches Handmade Team!

The Sweet Smell of Success

2011-06-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

May was a good month for the Teal Ribbon Fund.

Although sales slowed a bit in the Glitter Bitches shop itself, our fellow member Mo brought in a quick $70 in sales from her Madd Style Cosmetics shop which, by the way, just moved to ArtFire with a brand new logo and everything!

Meanwhile, we got a thrilling surprise when Lynn Davis, a Scentsy Wickless Candles consultant, held a TRF fundraiser - she raised and donated another $150 bringing our grand total as of June 1st to $947.

As an extra added touch of awesome on top of the already awesome-ness that is Lynn, she even hand-wrote thank you cards to EVERY SINGLE PERSON who purchased an item for the Teal Ribbon Fund. Seriously. How cool is that?

THANKS LYNN! You're a real class act!
click image to enlarge

Thank you SO MUCH Mo and Lynn! Thanks to your efforts, we leapfrogged right over the half-way point and are almost 2/3 of the way to our initial goal.

We have more exiting news about the TRF for this month, too. Kat Lyons, co-mastermind behind Kreamy Soaps has donated 12 bars to the Teal Ribbon Fund efforts and we're already seeing a few fly out of the shop. Several of the girls in GBH swear by this product & you can see us gush over it on the Kreamy Soaps fan page.

And finally, congratulations to our good friend Cherry West of Sweets N Stuff and Cherry Couture as she approaches the due date of her new baby girl. Just a couple more months to go!

Cherry has asked to stay on as an affiliate shop so that she can focus on her growing family and her businesses, and each one of us is behind her on this decision. We sincerely hope that all of you will continue to support Cherry and her business ventures as much as we do. The women in Glitter Bitches Handmade are friends first and foremost, so we want our fellow Bitches to be happy, healthy and successful. We love you, Cherry!!!!

Oh yeah, and be sure to keep your eyes peeled in her shop and on her fan page for the new "Sweets of the Month" Club. She'll be offering 3-month, 6-month and annual memberships! Woo hoo!

Until next time,

Glitter Bitches Handmade

Guest Shop of the Week*

2011-06-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

Slee hails from Rockford, Illinois, the birthplace of the original Sock Monkey. Having lived in a place built on sock monkey love, it is not shocking a girl would grow up with a variety of sock monkey-inspired dreams. Slee soon grew her hobby into a business, and seeing her dreams come to fruition brought us the slightly more rebellious "Sock Punky."

Slee can make just about any monkey your heart desires. That sock monkey on the car commercial with the mom tattoo? Yeah, she could make it. She could make it even cooler to your own personal specs. She also does a LOT more then just sock punkies! Other dolls, stuffies and pedants also cycle through her shop. She actively blogs and shares things she finds both on her blog and on facebook.

Slee has both an etsy shop as well as an artfire store for you to browse for punkies still needing homes. You can also follow her on twitter.

Slee is a strong supporter of GBH (don't miss her Buster Sock Punky in our shop now!), we recognize and appreciate it and thought you should check her out!

*Guest Shop of the week is a new feature that will soon be open to all. Keep your eyes peeled in the following weeks for full info

ASK THE BITCHES: How Brooke Van Gory came to be.

2011-06-09T14:44:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago, we asked you all to ask us some questions that were burning in your brains that you wanted answered by The Bitches. We had a pretty amazing response, and we will all be tossing around answers to many of them in this "Ask The Bitches" section. This is a really cool way not only for us to share our lives with you all, but to hopefully be some inspiration for other artistic people!

One question that was asked was how we all started with DIY and crafting. We all really likes this question, because as an aspiring artist, it can be a very scary thought to actually start a shop, and have people PAY you for your creations. Thoughts come to mind like "Am I good enough?" "How do I get started?" "What if no one buys anything?" Well, maybe with me telling my story, it will give you a better insight into all of this mumbo-jumbo.

I have been sewing all of my life. I come from a very long line of crafters, artisans, and seamstresses. So me sewing in my free time was sort of a given. In 2005, I started making skirts out of old pants, sewing colorful hippie-style patchwork into them, and screening images on them. When I wore them out and about, people would stop me, and ask me where I BOUGHT them! BOUGHT THEM! I made them in my own house! Then, people started asking me to make them for sale! They were going to PAY ME TO MAKE THEM SOMETHING! How awesome! How fantastic! How UTTERLY SCARY! But I gave it a whirl, and made a few for friends, and friends of friends.

Then in about 2007, I discovered Etsy. I was a member of the now defunct DIYScene, and was running another crafting board Crafting under the Influence, as well as being an administrator for Punk Rock Domestics. I *thought* I had my skills under my belt, and knew what I was doing. But I thought that maybe my sewing skills were not what the :general public" wanted? So I started off selling magnets, hair ribbons, and jewelry. I charged what I thought people would pay, NOT what my items were worth by a longshot. My first sale on Etsy was a set of pirate hair bows!

Then a few months later, I decided to sew. I started on slouch bags, and small pouches. The pictures were horrible, and I still was not charging what my items were worth (A HUGE issue with most handmade sellers). I finally had made enough, and impressed my mom enough to get her to purchase me a serger to make my own clothes, and clothing to sell. I split my Crossbones Couture shop into the main shop, and an accessories shop, Crossbones Collateral. (YOU DO NOT need a serger to make sturdy, long-lasting clothing, but I digress....). So I started selling clothing! See the pattern here? I could not settle on one thing, I was hopping around, dipping my hands into different mediums. All I knew at this point was that I loved to sew, it was in my blood, and what my passion was.

In 2009 I gave birth to my second son, and started cloth diapering. It was around this time that I decided that I needed to re-create myself. I LOVE the alternative scene, and I totally rock a skull ANYTHING like no one's biznuss. But I am also a hippie at heart (HELLO! Patchwork skirts anyone?!?!?!) and realize that people are not all the same in their design choices. SO not only did I fold Crossbones Couture, and that "empire", but I also switched directions. I decided there was a need to be filled in the cloth diaper world for functional diaper bags that has enough room for all that fluff, and I wanted my customers to have FULL access to all their design whims! SO all of my items are totally custom.

I guess, at the end of the day, when I look back at my journey, I feel a sense of accomplishment. I know when I was IN THE MOMENT of making decisions, even little ones like pricing decisions. it seemed like a huge mountain to climb. A lot of it is scary, and daunting. But at the end of the day, I am grateful that not only do I get to do what I love to do, but I also love my boss (myself), I get to hang out with my kids while I work, I could spend all week in my pajamas if I wanted to, and I.GET.TO.CALL.THE.SHOTS. But it was a long road to where I am now. And it does not come without sacrifice. I usually work until about 2am most nights. I sometimes need to use a "television babysitter" for an hour or so to answer customer e-mails. I become overwhelmed....often. But that is the price I pay to do what I love to do!

Brooke Van Gory Designs will be two years old in September. I have created over 300 custom diaper bags in that time, and shipped to over 30 different countries world wide!

Please keep your eyes peeled for other Bitches to answer this question in the next week or so. And if you have a question of your own, ask away! Shoot it over to our e-mail and if your question is chosen, you will recieve a small gift from all the Glitter Bitches!

June 2011 Challenge!

2011-06-08T08:37:00.001-07:00

Glitter Bitches' June 2011 contest is Skittles!

Details...

Contest begins today, June 8th. Contest ends Tuesday, June 28th.

We want you to create something SMALL and colorful (you don't have to use the whole color spectrum, but please use at least a few bright colors). Of course, it doesn't have to be as small as skittle, but something that will fit in a Brooke Van Gory makeup pouch!

If you have any question as to your art or craft is an acceptable submission, please email me at arjay@glitter-bitches.com with "ATTN: Contest Question"

You can submit as many projects as you would like… as long as you yourself do them, and it is A NEW ITEM CREATED WITHIN THIS TIME FRAME.
Do not have other people create things and enter them as your own. (parents are allowed to submit for their underage dependents, so long as it’s noted!)

There are at least two winners each month. This month the prizes are going to be a little different... The Bitch Favorite project creator will get to choose between the Mix Tape/Hi-Top quilted makeup pouch from Brooke Van Gory, or the Birthday Collection from Madd Style Cosmetics. The second winner is a random participator, chosen randomly out of all of the entries, and they will be receiving the prize that the Bitch Favorite does not choose.

So, whether you are a skilled artisan, or just like to have fun, you are more than welcome to enter in to the contest.

HOW TO ENTER:

Create your entry. Take photos of it, finished!
Attach the photo in an email to arjay@glitter-bitches.com with subject line "ATTN: Contest Entry
You must include your name, or facebook handle, when emailing your submission.
Please also include your medium/technique in the email, if it is not obvious.

You MUST e-mail me your entries to arjay@glitter-bitches.com with subject line "ATTN: Contest Entry". I will upload them into a contest album on the GB facebook page for all to see and so they will be easier to track and find, as well as a post on the blog at the end of the month. When you e-mail me your entries please let me know your NAME if it is different then shown in e-mail. Entries submitted solely via the fan page or blog will not be categorized/entered.

After winners are announced, they have one week from announcement to send a mailing address to me at arjay@glitter-bitches.com with subject ATTN: Contest Winner
If we do not hear from the winners in 7 days, the Bitches will choose a new winner to receive the prize.

Any other questions feel free to ask and happy crafting!

Brooke Van Gory quilted makeup pouch (contents not included)

Madd Style Cosmetics Birthday collection

We're Almost Half Way There!

2011-05-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

When the Glitter Bitches Handmade team formed, we had no intention of becoming a charity organization. However, when one of your own is diagnosed with a nasty bit of work like cancer, it's amazing what happens.

graphic by Wenchkin - thanks Wenchie!

Since Kim's diagnosis at the end of February, she learned that the entire cost of the treatment would be in excess of $10,000! And Kim without any insurance! Luckily, however, she was able to apply for some financial help and used a county hospital to get her costs down into the "somewhat manageable" range. Kim had another stroke of good luck when she learned she won't need chemotherapy or radiation (no additional treatments means no/few additional costs)! Kim crunched the numbers and realized that there would be about $1,500 of uncovered bills she would be responsible for.

Thanks to ALL OF YOU who made cash donations, became Guest Artisans or just spread the word about the Teal Ribbon Fund, we are almost half way there!

We'll continue to update you as we approach our goal and we'll keep the "glitterometer" in the sidebar of our blog updated at least once a month.

Thank you again to everyone who donated cash or items, purchased TRF listings, helped spread the word or even just said something nice to Kim. You guys are awesome.

One of the Glitter-Bitches is having a contest.

2011-05-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

From Juli's own collection

Hi there everyone! It's Glitter-Bitch Juli, of Juli's Jewels here and I am having a logo design contest! Woo hoo!!!

I'm thinking that there are so many creative types out there that I'd be crazy not to ask for help to "rebrand" my line of unique handmade jewelry. If flattery doesn't work, maybe a small bribe will... Did I mention that the winner will receive an awesome piece of custom jewelry? Yep. I will design it specifically for this contest (minimum $50 value).

I guess you need to know a little about me and my "stuff" to get started, so....

My name is Julia Nocita. I make handmade jewelry. My style is very eclectic. Most of my pieces are one of a kind and include earrings, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, rings, pins and other odd accessories (key rings, etc.). I use a wide variety of materials like gemstones, crystals, pewter, glass & lamp work beads, bottle caps, game pieces, scrapbook papers and images. I love working with metal and my favorites are silver, copper and brass.

A "Teal Ribbon Fund" design
for the Glitter Bitches!

A friend recently wrote about my designs, "A modern alchemist of design, she melds industrial imagery and organic aesthetics together to create new and unique designs. Juli's love for asymmetrical design was immediately made apparent in her very first bead craft: a pair of mismatched earrings created when she was sixteen. ... No matter what Juli creates, her sense of humor & fun, love of the craft and sense of style come through." (Wow, really? My friends love me! They really love me!)

Some of the words that have been used to describe my design style are: industrial, romantic, vintage, fanciful, kitschy, asymmetric and distressed. Personally, my three favorite colors are purple, green and blue, but I design with all colors as I do not only make jewelry for myself.

A custom creation for one of my customers

Now that you have an idea about my designs, here is the contest info:

This contest is open to any and all folks who don’t work for Juli’s Jewels (so, umm, everyone except me).
You need to come up with a look that conveys the spirit behind my unique work AND my tag-line "Jewelry for Everyone." However you interpret those things is up to you!
The final image will need to be a square (or round) logo and should be provided in formats so that I can incorporate the design elements into a banner for my shop, business cards and jewelry materials.
The contest runs from April 10th to May 31st, 2011 and will be juried by me and 2 mystery judges.
E-mail your entry (or entries) to me at julisjewels@gmail.com before midnight on May 31st to be considered.

You may also refer to the photos of past and current designs on my Facebook fan page and my ArtFire shop for more inspiration for your design.

Thanks so much for entering and good luck!

IMPORTANT: your winning entry will be considered work-for-hire, so if your design is chosen I will own it, therefore you must use original or commercially available fonts and images.

BITCH BAG #2 Teal Ribbon Fund AUCTION: The Pretty Girl! Bag

2011-04-15T17:00:00.001-07:00

The rules are simple:

Bidding begins the second this post is published until 8:00pm Pacific Daylight Time on Friday, April 15th 2011.
PLACE YOUR BID FOR THE "PRETTY GIRL!" BITCH BAG BY COMMENTING ON THIS BLOGGER POST. Bids anywhere else will not be honored AND we'll make fun of you in public.
Be sure you are signed in or that you sign your bids - anonymous bids will be deleted.
Bidding may start at any amount and bids MUST be increased by AT LEAST $1.
There will be a minimum acceptable final bid (that is, if a bag is valued at over $40, we'd be nuts to accept $2 for it). We'll tell you when the bidding hits this "reserve" amount.
High bid wins.
The bag will be posted in our ArtFire shop for the winner (purchases by anyone else will not be honored and, again, we'll make fun of you in public).
Bag must be purchased and paid for within 24 hours of the close of bidding or it goes to the next highest bid.

Ready?

BITCH BAG #2 - the Pretty Girl! bag
(click to enlarge image)

BITCH BAG #2 (aka the "pretty girl!" bag) contains:

Sweets N Stuff lime green gerber daisy hair flower NEW!
Kisszombies hot pink pleather hair bow
Juli's Jewels pink & silver Czech glass necklace
FIVE Madd Style Cosmetics Madd Piggiez loose cosmetic pigments in (left) Sprinkle Mist NEW!, Mondo and (right) Ecto Cooler, Karma & Spirited Away NEW!
plus two F*@& Cancer recycled silicone bracelets (not shown)
Two Wenchcraft mini-magnets
Ant Farm Studio mini domino Loco Folko'd pendant NEW!
In a 9x8" Brooke Van Gory Designs purple skull & heart / multi-floral design zippered pouch

The pretty girl! Bitch Bag is valued at over $50, and several of these items are no longer available (pleather bow, necklace and Mondo pigment), limited edition (Karma pigment) or are only available as special thank you gifts (like the mini-magnets).

Did you come in late and have NO IDEA what's going on here? Don't worry - this will explain it all.

Well, what are you waiting for? BID ALREADY!

BITCH BAG #1 Teal Ribbon Fund AUCTION: The Artsy Fartsy Bag

2011-04-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

The rules are simple:

Bidding begins the second this post is published until 8:00pm Pacific Daylight Time on Friday, April 15th 2011.
PLACE YOUR BID FOR THE "ARTSY FARTSY" BITCH BAG BY COMMENTING ON THIS BLOGGER POST. Bids anywhere else will not be honored AND we'll make fun of you in public.
Be sure you are signed in or that you sign your bids - anonymous bids will be deleted.
Bidding may start at any amount and bids MUST be increased by AT LEAST $1.
There will be a minimum acceptable final bid (that is, if a bag is valued at over $40, we'd be nuts to accept $2 for it). We'll tell you when the bidding hits this "reserve" amount.
High bid wins.
The bag will be posted in our ArtFire shop for the winner (purchases by anyone else will not be honored and, again, we'll make fun of you in public).
Bag must be purchased and paid for within 24 hours of the close of bidding or it goes to the next highest bid.

Ready?

Bitch Bag #1 - The Artsy Fartsy Bag
(click image to enlarge)

Bitch Bag #1 (the "artsy fartsy" bag) contains:

Teal & green Juli's Jewels Czech glass/silver necklace
Hand milagro Krissi's Art Studio art pendant & two Krissi's Lotería cards (not available for sale!)
3 Kiss Zombies ribbon mini-clips & a pair of glittered peace symbol earrings
One large and three small Wenchcraft art magnets
Two Madd Style Cosmetics F*@% Cancer recycled silicone bracelets (not shown)
In a 9x8" Brooke Van Gory Designs Kawaii / zig-zag design zippered pouch

The artsy fartsy Bitch Bag necklaces and pouch alone are valued at over $40, and several of these items are no longer available (necklace, clips and earrings) or are only available as special thank you gifts (like the cards and mini-magnets).

Did you come in late and have NO IDEA what's going on here? Don't worry - this will explain it all.

Well, what are you waiting for? BID ALREADY!

Teal Ribbon Fund Auction: The First of the "Bitch Bags!"

2011-04-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

First things first: For those who don't already know, our friend and fellow GBH member, Kim came through her surgery with flying colors! The cancer hadn't spread into the surrounding tissues and organs, so she "just" had the full hysterectomy with removal of lymph nodes. As of Thursday, she was in the hospital and recovering well, is off her pain meds and on the road to recovery. We should have news on the pathology in about 10 days or so...

The surgery itself was estimated to be about $15,000 (*choke*), so the Glitter Bitches Teal Ribbon Fund is charging forward with new listings (including ones from Guest Artisans) and something a bit new. An AUCTION of epic awesomeness....

We call 'em "Bitch Bags" and they're just OVERFLOWING with Glittery, Bitchy goodness !

Bitch Bag #1 (the "artsy fartsy" bag) click image to view larger

Bitch Bag #1 (the "artsy fartsy" bag) contains:

Teal & green Juli's Jewels Czech glass/silver necklace
Hand milagro Krissi's Art Studio art pendant & two Krissi's Lotería cards (not available for sale!)
3 Kiss Zombies ribbon mini-clips & a pair of glittered peace symbol earrings
One large and three small Wenchcraft art magnets
Two Madd Style Cosmetics F*@% Cancer recycled silicone bracelets (not shown)
In a 9x8" Brooke Van Gory Designs Kawaii / zig-zag design zippered pouch

The artsy fartsy Bitch Bag necklaces and pouch alone are valued at over $40, and several of these items are no longer available (necklace, clips and earrings) or are only available as special thank you gifts (like the cards and mini-magnets).

Bitch Bag #2 (the "pretty girl!" bag) click image to view larger

BITCH BAG #2 (aka the "pretty girl!" bag) contains:

NEW! Sweets N Stuff lime green gerber daisy hair flower
Kisszombies hot pink pleather hair bow
Juli's Jewels pink & silver Czech glass necklace
FIVE Madd Style Cosmetics Madd Piggiez loose cosmetic pigments in (left) NEW! Sprinkle Mist, Mondo (discontinued) and (right) Ecto Cooler, Karma (Ltd. Edition./discontinued) & NEW! Spirited Away
plus two F*@& Cancer recycled silicone bracelets (not shown)
Two Wenchcraft mini-magnets
Ant Farm Studio NEW! mini domino Loco Folko'd pendant
In a 9x8" Brooke Van Gory Designs purple skull & heart / multi-floral design zippered pouch

The pretty girl! Bitch Bag is valued at over $50, and several of these items are no longer available (pleather bow, necklace and Mondo pigment) or are only available as special thank you gifts (like the mini-magnets).

THE IMPORTANT INFORMATION...

WHEN:

Friday, April 15th from 5pm PST to 8pm PST (that's 8-11 if you're on the East Coast)

WHERE:

The Glitter-Bitches official blog (glitter-bitches.blogspot.com). Bids placed on facebook or other locations will be disqualified (and people will probably laugh at you, so try to pay attention)

HOW:

There will be two posts on our blog (one for each Bitch Bag) with a description of the items and directions for bidding
When those are posted (5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern on Friday), you may begin bidding.
We will let you know when the "reserve" (lowest price we will accept) it reached. If the reserve price is not met, the bag will be removed and put up for auction again at a later date.
The last bid entered before 8pm Pacific (11pm Eastern), will be named the "winner" and a listing will be placed in our ArtFire shop.
If the item is not purchased and paid for within 24 hours of the close of the bidding (by Saturday, April 16th at 8pm PST), the next highest bidder will "win" the Bitch Bag, so don't bid unless you're ready to pay the auctioneer!

OK. That's it for now. Start stashing your pennies and be sure to save those three hours on the calendar for Friday night!

An Open letter to Cancer.

2011-04-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Cancer,

Listen. We all see what you are trying to do here, don't think we have not noticed. You try to creep your way in undetected and take the most awesome, caring, important people among us. We are not blind, nor are we dumb. We see you.

This latest venture you have undertaken, trying to screw with a Glitter Bitch? Not cool. Not cool at all. We hate to be the ones to break the bad news to you, but Kim is one person that you are NOT going to win against. Nope, you have met your match. Not only is she one of the strongest, most determined people this world has seen, but she also has seven Bitches that have her back. We know you see us, don't pretend that you don't. We also sense your surprise! We are not backing her up with the brass knuckles, switchblades, chains and steel toe boots like you might expect from The Glitter Bitches. On no. We are standing behing Kim with a more powerful weapon.

We stand with love.

We are backing her up all the love that a group of Bitches can muster, AND MORE! How, you ask? How is that possible? Because we have a huge collection of the world's most amazing crafters, artisans, performers, mothers, fathers, friends and supporters backing US up!!!!!!

HEY. CANCER. YOUR. ASS. IS. GRASS!

We realize what you are trying to do. But be warned. Kim is one Bitch that you do not want to mess with. Tomorrow, you will be removed. Like the life-sucking leech that you are, you will be yanked out and tossed away. Then we will win. Kim will win. The Glitter Bitches will win. Everyone will win. 'Cause you know what? This is one battle you do not want to fight again.

Sayonara, asshole.

The Glitter Bitches

Glitter Bitches' Inspiration Contest!

2011-03-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

Glitter Bitches' second bi-weekly contest!

Details...

Contest ends Thursday, April ~~7th.~~ 14th!! We have extended the entry deadline so get moving!

The contest this time is an open-entry contest. What does open entry mean?? Fans are allowed to submit a craft or art of their choice, whether it be crochet, wire sculpting, makeup, graphic design, etc etc.

If you have any question as to your art or craft is an acceptable submission, please email me at arjay@glitter-bitches.com with "ATTN: Contest Question"
Your job is to create something that is inspired by Krissi's "Old Growth" painting... bonus points if you incorporate Kim's Loco Folko and/or Ant Farm Studio style.
You can do as many as you like as long as you yourself do them, and this MUST BE A NEW ITEM CREATED WITHIN THIS TIME FRAME.
Do not have other people create things and enter them as your own.

Two categories for winners: Bitch Favorite and Random winner. The Bitch Favorite wins an "Old Growth" pendant, and the random participator wins a Loco Folko Pez Dispenser.

Prize for BITCH FAVORITE entry!
Twinchie pendant by Krissi's Art Studio

Winner will be chosen at random from all entries
for this awesome PEZ dispenser by Kim of Ant Farm Studio

So, whether you are a skilled artisan, or just like to have fun, you are more than welcome to enter in to the contest.

HOW TO ENTER:

Create your entry. Take photos of it, finished!
Attach the photo in an email to arjay@glitter-bitches.com with subject line "ATTN: ArJay Contest Entry
You must include your name, or facebook handle, when emailing your submission.
Please also include your medium/technique in the email, if it is not obvious.

You MUST e-mail me your entries to arjay@glitter-bitches.com with subject line "ATTN: Contest Entry." I will upload them into a contest album on the GB fanpage for all to see and so they will be easier to track and find. When you e-mail me your entries please let me know your SCREEN NAME if it is different then shown in e-mail. Entries submitted solely via the fan page will not be categorized/entered.

Any other questions feel free to ask and happy crafting!

Reference links:
"Old Growth" http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/190385_212719422078333_157747767575499_949955_57002_n.jpg
Loco Folko Pez dispenser http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/208011_212719452078330_157747767575499_949957_5585122_n.jpg

Update on Kim & The Teal Ribbon Fund

2011-03-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

We received a lot of news last week from Glitter Bitch Kim Mayhew of Ant Farm Studio on her cancer situation. She updated her facebook feed last Wednesday with this info:

For those of you wishing me well, sending energy, and generally caring, here is an update on my cancer journey. I met yesterday with my oncologist/surgeon and she is AWESOME! Unfortunately, she had some more not so great news for me. The cancer I have is rare and very aggressive and it is highly unusual to see it in a woman my age.....whew! bombshell! I've wrapped my brain around this development and am going forward. I am now awaiting my surgery date which will probably be sometime in the first week of April. The hospital is huge, beautiful, and state of the art. The other stunner, even though I shouldn't be surprised, is that the surgery will cost $15,000+! I have applied for MIS coverage(a county insurance for low income) and hope I will be approved. This would take care of part of the costs. The rest?....well.....I'll just have to wait and see.....most important to me is that I want to live a long time and I will KICK CANCER'S ASS!! Everything else is really secondary. Please keep sending the good energy my way because sometimes it's REALLY hard to stay upbeat, but I try like hell! I thank you all from the bottom of my heart and soul for the positive energy, prayers, offers of help, and the donations (the ones I have received paid for my gas for the 1½ hour drive to the hospital to meet with the oncologist)...they really help!
Thank you again
Peace

Kim

Late last week, we learned that Kim has her surgery set for April 5th, which means that she will be busy getting ready to be out of pocket for several weeks while she recovers. Of course, the hospital's billing department won't be taking any down time, so we here at Glitter Bitches are going STRONG with the Teal Ribbon Fund! Including cash donations and the sale of handmade items, we've already raised over $155 and we're just getting started (which is good - cause we're only a tiny fraction of the way to $15K!).

Our handmade donations program is up and running and will be featuring a piece donated by someone in the DIY community each Tuesday as part of our Guest Artisan program. Last week we had a soft launch with a beautiful chalcedony bracelet created by Courtney of Glamourpuss (which, by the way, is still available!). Tomorrow, keep an eye out for our first Attack of the Craft artisan, Rocky The Zombie!

Again, on behalf of Kim, we cannot thank you enough for all of your support.

Love & Glitter, the Bitches

New Sister Site: Attack Of The Craft

2011-03-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

Since the beginning of Glitter Bitches Handmade, we have been 100% handmade, 100% DIY and 100% about backing amazing artists, whether or not they are affiliated with our members. One amazing group we support is an online forum, Attack of The Craft (several of us are long-time members) and, since there is some crossover between the groups, we already have several collaborations going on! It just seemed part of the natural progression of things for Glitter Bitches Handmade and Attack of the Craft to become "sister sites!"

For Crafters, By Crafters

The owners of Attack of The Craft, Cindy of Angry Girl Gear, and Kim of Poisoned Creations, are both amazing artisans in their own right, and they also make sure that all of the AoTC artisans feel welcome and participate in the forums. AoTC holds regular contests, craft swaps, destash groups, ways to promote your shop, an Etsy street team, and even host an integrated shop feature allowing sellers to sell directly from Attack of the Craft! Team and forum members include long-time DIY shops including MTCoffinz, Smarmy Clothing, Alter Eco Clothing, Rocky The Zombie (who is our Guest Artisan this week! Look for her listing in our shop on Tuesday!), Label of Hope, Sugar Kitty Corsets,and Fabulously Fierce.

We are very excited about this partnership and know you must be wondering what this all means to you, our wonderful fans and supporters. Well, it means that Glitter Bitches will be advertising on their site, collaborating even more with AoTC members, featuring AoTC members as "Guest Artisans" in our Teal Ribbon Fund drive, linking to their forum on our blog and sites, and much more (as in, you may even see some of their goodies in future giveaways from us!).

So seriously, go check out Attack of The Craft. And, if you are a creative-type-person, sign up! It really is an amazing, welcoming forum. We are proud of our partnership with Attack of The Craft, and we hope to see many of you over in the forums!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

2011-03-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

Howdy gang, Krissi here! I know I speak for ALL of the Glitter Bitches when I say we would like to thank each and every one of you for making this team more successful than we expected (but not quite successful enough for world domination. Yet). Of course, when you grow, things change. And when things change, you've gotta adapt or suffer the consequences. Since we're a bunch of girls who aren't afraid of a little change we roll with it... Anyway, here's the new scoop:

SHOP

As you know, we recently opened a Glitter Bitches Handmade (GBH) shop on ArtFire and we figured you might have a few questions about how it works.

Every item in the shop has been donated by the artisan, therefore we ask that our customers cover shipping.
All items are 'drop shipped' from each artisan, and since we are spread across the U.S., we therefore cannot combine shipping. However, if our actual shipping varies by $1 or more, we will refund the overpayment via PayPal.
Unless marked as a Teal Ribbon Fund item, the income will be used to cover GBH's operating expenses (postage for prize mailings and business cards/buttons/stuff).
For more information about the Teal Ribbon Fund (including how we track & transfer money, or if you are interested in donating), please visit our TEAL RIBBON FUND page *points up* there at the top of the blog.

AFFILIATE PROGRAM & BANNER SWAPS

We are beginning a new "Affiliate" program/sister shop/banner swap program. If you have an active handmade/alternative blog or shop on which you sell banner ads and are interested in a swap, please let us know by contacting Brooke at gbhandmade@gmail.com. Please provide us with your shop/blog URL, the usual going price for your banner/button ads and the size requirements for graphics.

Aside from just swapping ad space on our websites, Affiliates would agree trade handmade items for blog/shop giveaways. We anticipate welcoming our first Affiliate organization very soon (we're still in the handshake stage). Fun, huh? As the program develops, we'll dedicate a page to it.

FAN FUN

Contests! ArJay of KissZombies is bringing back an old favorite with a new twist! She's coordinating creativity contests for our fans! Each theme/contest will be a little different and each one (around 2 a month) will have prizes donated from a different member. Right now, you still have time to enter the Muerto Coloring Contest a la Wenchkin over on our Facebook page and be entered to win a Muerto Portrait by Wenchie - of YOU. All the rules and "stuff"you need to enter are over there. Oh yeah, and there will be a prize awarded for skill and a prize awarded for participation, so you have no excuses!
Ask The Bitches / Ask a Bitch: Our Q&A column is in full swing and we're working on our first series of fan questions. Want to learn more about us? Check out Meet The Bitches or click on the Ask The Bitches tag. If you have something to ask us, like how Brooke got into pattern drafting or how Mo names her piggies, click on the Ask The Bitches tab at the top of our blog and drop us a line!

Whew! As you can see, we're busy little bitches! It takes a lot of work and cooperation to get this business to run smoothly (and we *like* each other!) Lots of people think we're just a "street team" like on Etsy or a "guild" like on ArtFire, but we're not. We're really just a few friends who work together and collaborate and, apparently, have a need to torture ourselves with more to do. A LOT more to do.

MEMBERSHIP

That brings us to some membership changes. With the growth and success of the group came an increase in time required of each of us. Each member has been dedicating a day or more a week lately and sometimes change comes when we're just not ready for it. Therefore, our good friends Brandy of Muddslinger Ceramics & Crafts and Christina of Scarlette Writsts have requested to change their status from "Member" to "Affiliate."

We already know we're going to hear people freaking out and asking, What does that mean? Well, it means we love them as much as we ever did and totally support their decisions. Just because their lives aren't permitting them to give as much time as the group requires at the moment doesn't change the friendship that this group was built on. It also means that their stuff may show up in fundraisers and giveaways every now and then - hoorah! So we hope you will ALL continue to support their shops and fan pages through this change and on into the future, whatever other changes it brings.

So again, thank you for all of your support! We appreciate it.

p.s.: our membership is still closed.

What's Wenchie Doing Today?

2011-03-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

Hi! It's Wenchkin here with one of the new Glitter Bitches features, "What's Wenchie Doing?" I won't post every day, but when I do, you'll get a peek into the goings on in my studio.

You may not know, but locally I host a small craft/horror movie club. We meet every other week to either watch some movies or craft or both. We are less about making serious art and more about making things purely for the enjoyment of it. Having skills are not required in as much as the want to play. I strongly believe that everyone needs a play day from time to time. This is my time to step back, stop making things, and help others do it themselves.

Glitter Bitches ArtFire Shop & The Teal Ribbon Fund

2011-03-12T14:22:00.000-08:00

We discovered that we loved doing big giveaways a couple times a year as well as giving away little stuff the rest of the time, so we put our heads together and came up with an idea. SELL STUFF to pay for shipping stuff and to buy stuff to give as free stuff! Woot! Aren't we clever?

Just hop on over to ArtFire & you'll find our shop easily. We're under (are you ready? you have a pen? this will be tough to remember...) "glitter-bitches." Yeah. JUST like our blog address. You can also search for our team tag glitterbitches to find items from all of the members' shops as well as from our team store.

Oh, and speaking of the team store, it will be regularly stocked with goodies, many of them limited edition or one of a kind. We will have Stocking & Stuffing days where new items and relists will go live in the shop, so keep your eyes peeled on the first and third Tuesdays of every month (the next Stocking & Stuffing date is Tuesday, March 15th).

You'll also notice, when you visit our shop, there are quite a few listings that are marked as the Teal Ribbon Fund and are sporting a cute little badge. Looks something like this:

All proceeds from the listings marked with this ribbon (you can search for the tag tealribbonfund) will be donated directly to our friend and fellow Glitter Bitch, Kim Mayhew of Ant Farm Studio. Kim was very recently diagnosed with uterine cancer and is preparing for her first round of treatment without any medical insurance. Kim has given so much to the art community over the years that we are proud to make a few pieces to help her out where we can. If you would like to help with Kim's medical expenses with a donation of art or new handmade items for sale, please contact us at gbhandmade@gmail.com ATTN: DONATIONS and we will place your name on a list of interested participants. If you would like to purchase Kim's art (she is currently feeling well, in good spirits and is creating), please visit her shop at http://antfarmstudio.artfire.com.

UPDATE!!! Some people have asked about donating cash, so we've made it easy for you.

Look for our DONATE button to
help Kim with her expenses as she
kicks cancer's ass.

Look for the teal ribbon with the word DONATE over on the right side-bar of our blog. When you click the ribbon, you'll be taken directly to a PayPal donation page. All donations (no matter what size) will be transferred directly to Kim to help with her living expenses. Whether you donate $2, $20 or $200, every little bit helps. We ALL thank you from the bottoms of our glittery little hearts for helping our friend Kim.

The Glitter-Bitches are also in full swing and planning lots of new features for our fans, including contests, the long-awaited Ask The Bitches (Dear Abby) column, an affiliate / sister-shop program and even a new 'day in the life of a Bitch' where we let you in on some of the processes that take place in our studios. More blog posts will be coming your way telling you about all of the fun we have in store for you!

Thanks for reading. <3 ~Krissi for Glitter-Bitches Handmade

Drumroll please....

2011-02-13T11:13:00.000-08:00

And the winning number for the Glitter Bitches' "VD Survival Kit" is....

#508!

And the 508th comment was...

And yep! Here she is as a fan on Brooke's page!

Congratulations, Jen! Please contact us by e-mail at gbhandmade[at]gmail[dot]com before 11:15am Pacific Standard Time (2pm Eastern) on Monday morning with your name and mailing address. (If we don't hear from Jen by that time, we will draw another number.)

GIVEAWAY: The Bitches' "VD Survival Kit!"

2011-02-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

**YAY!!!! THE COMMENTS ARE FIXED!!! Thank you to everyone for your patience this morning while we scrambled to figure out the problem (turned out to be a now-incompatible layout). So here is the new layout WITH COMMENTS ENABLED! And guess what? Because you were all so awesome while we figured out what happened, we're ADDING TO THE PRIZE PACK!**

Here at Glitter-Bitches Handmade, we love our fans. Yep, each and every single one of you. And what better way to celebrate our love then to give one lucky fan a huge haul of Handmade stuff? Besides, Valentine's Day isn't always all wine and roses, so we wanted to make sure you had your VD SURVIVAL KIT at the ready so that this year it WILL be!

You all probably want to know what is at stake here, right? Well, you will be entering to win some amazing items from EACH ONE of the Glitter Bitches with an estimated value, all totaled up, of well over $350 including:
♥ Pigments from Madd Style Cosmetics
♥ A handmade bag by Brooke Van Gory Designs
♥ Handmade jewelry by Juli's Jewels
♥ Wearable art from Muddslinger Ceramics and Crafts
♥ An art quilt wall hanging from Krissi's Art Studio
♥ Hair accessories from Sweets N Stuff
♥ A hand-sewn voo-doo doll from Ant Farm Studios
♥ Accessories from Scarlette Wrists and Kiss Zombies
♥ Original art from Wenchcraft

Check back in later this week for more teaser pictures!

So yeah....it is pretty major. Just cause we love all of you in a MAJOR way! Yep, this giveaway is HUGE and you will have many chances to enter! So pay very careful attention, and make sure you are following the rules, because with this much awesomeness being given away, entries WILL be checked.

Now, I know you are all waiting for us to tell you HOW you can win all of thses goodies! Well, you will have many different ways to enter STARTING ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7TH!

HOW TO ENTER:

Write a blog post about the Glitter Bitches and this giveaway and link BACK to this giveaway (5 entries - limit 1 blog post/five entries)
Become a fan of the Glitter Bitches on Facebook (1 entry - yes, you qualify if you are already a fan)
Follow @GB_handmade on Twitter (1 entry)
Make a purchase from ANY of the Glitter Bitches' shops (3 entries - no limit)
Become a fan of all of all of the Glitter Bitches' shop pages** on Facebook (9 10! entries)
**Scarlette Wrists is ~~having some 'technical difficulties' with facebook~~ up with a new page!)
The correct links are in the sidebar - fanning pages other than those 10 will not be counted
Post about this giveaway as your status update on Facebook (1 entry - limit one per day)
Suggest the Glitter Bitches Facebook page to friends (1 entry no matter how many or how few people you recommend us to - limit 1)
Tweet about the giveaway. Your tweet MUST link to this post and mention @GB_handmade (limit 2 tweets per day)
Leave a comment on this original blog post letting us know what future giveaways/tutorials/interviews/events YOU would like to see from the GB gals! (2 entries - no limit on your ideas!!!!!) - and be sure to post a second comment for your second entry!

For each task that you complete, you MUST come back to this blog and leave a detailed comment before you will be entered.

For every task you complete, you will need to tell us (1) what task you completed, (2) provide a link (n/a for "fanning" pages) and (3) tell us what username you used.
Example: You tweeted about the giveaway following the rules above for tweets. After you tweet, grab the perma link to your tweet, and just come back here, and leave a comment "I tweeted! I'm @LovesGlitter" and leave the link so we can check! ;)
You must leave separate comments for each task! Do not combine tasks together in your comments!
You must leave separate comments for each ENTRY into the contest.
For example, if you became a fan of our fan pages on facebook, you would qualify for 9 entries, but before you can be entered, you have to come back here and leave ten separate comments

"I became a fan of the Glitter Bitches shop pages, I am Mrs.X Lovesglitter on facebook: entry #1 (Madd Style Designs)"

"I became a fan of the Glitter Bitches shop pages, I am Mrs.X Lovesglitter on facebook: entry #2 (Brooke Van Gory Designs)" ... etc. up to entry #9 (you start over again at one for other multiple entries)

or if you wrote a blog post about us and the giveaway (qualifies for 5 entries), you would enter five comments

"I blogged about the giveaway, here is the link: Entry #1"

"I blogged about the giveaway, here is the link: Entry #2" and so on... up to entry #5

If these rules are not followed, that entry will not qualify (please do not comment asking us to check if you entry is correct - that's YOUR responsibility! We're busy making stuff to give away!) However, please DO shoot us an e-mail if you would like us to clarify anything for you BEFORE you leave a comment (questions in the comments will not be anwsered).
Comments must be made on this post and not on facebook or other posts on this blog.

You may begin entering the giveaway from Monday, February 7th through midnight on ~~Friday, February 11th~~ Saturday February 12th. The winner will be chosen from ALL the entries by random.org on ~~Saturday, February 12th~~ Sunday, February 13th and will be announced here and on the Glitter Bitches handmade Facebook page. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to us with their address. If there is no response, another winner will be chosen.

**ALSO!!! Keep an eye on all of the Glitter Bitches' Facebook fan page and our individual pages for extra entry chances! And remember, all the Bitches are having sales all this week! So it is TIME TO GET YOUR SHOP ON!!!!**

What's That? A Sale from ALL The Bitches? And A VD Survival Kit?

2011-02-02T17:19:00.000-08:00

All the Glitter Bitches love a good deal, we are women after all! So this Valentine's Day, we thought we would show our love for YOU, our fans, by offering up some seriously amazing deals in every single one of our shops. Yep, you heard right! All the shops will be offering up some amazing deals and goodies in appreciation of all the love you have given us all.

As an added bonus (this is where it gets REALLY good), starting February 7th, we will be hosting the MOTHERLOAD of giveaways! Right here on the blog! What is the prize? Let's just call it your "VD Survival Kit." And that's "VD" as in VALENTINE'S DAY, you dirty birds! This amazing prize will include something from EVERY member's shop. You will have many ways to enter, but only one person will win! Want a teaser? Sure you do!

So, now that you are FULLY teased, on with the sales!!!!!!!!! Each shop name will be linked to the shop, for easy shopping!!!!

Madd Style Cosmetics

Fri., Feb 11th through Sun., Feb 13th:

$15 "Pay It Forward" (PIF) grab bags

(2 piggies of your choice, 2 piggies of Mo's choice, a brand new, never seen piggy, plus a lip balm and a sample of the lip scrub).

Mon., Feb 14th:

EVERYTHING is 25% off with the code KISSTHIS.

Krissi's Art Studio

(home of Skelekitty & Friends)

Mon., Feb 7th through Mon., Feb 13th:

25% off all ready-to-ship items featuring hearts

PLUS "Bundle Up for V-Day" 5-print bundle (your choice of 8x10 prints!) is just $40

Kiss Zombies

Mon., Feb 7th through Tue., Feb 15th:

15% off with coupon code LOVEHATE

PLUS super awesome grab bags (while supplies last) and free gift with purchase

Muddslinger Ceramics & Crafts

(on ArtFire and Etsy)

Now through Mon., Feb 14th:

Save 25% on ArtFire orders over $20 with coupon code: VDAY25

PLUS save 15% on all Etsy and ArtFire orders with coupon code: KISS15

Scarlette Wrists

Mon., Feb 7th through Sun., Feb 13th:

Free shipping on the ENTIRE shop

Juli's Jewels

Now through Mon., Feb 14th:

Random Love/ Pay It Forward bracelets (over 1/2 off):

* $7 glass bead bracelet (18 available)

* $5 paper bead bracelet (16 available)

Mon., Feb 7th through Sun., Feb 13th:

15% off entire shop with coupon code: VDAY15

Sweets N Stuff

Now through Sun., Feb 13th:

Save 10% on orders over $50 with coupon code 10for50

PLUS free shipping on all orders (ends 2/14)

The Art of Wenchkin

Now through Sun., Feb 13th:

25% off EVERYTHING with free shipping

Ant Farm Studio

Mon., Feb 7th through Mon., Feb 14th:

Free gift with EVERY single purchase!

Brooke Van Gory

Mon., Feb 7th through Mon., Feb 14th:

$10 off all purses, handbags, diaper bags and totes with coupon code 4LOVEOFBVG

Oh gee, did we forget to tell you how to enter for chances to win those super, awesome handmade items in the VD Survival Kit?? We DID??? Oh, how careless of us. And you still want to know? Well then.... You'd better stay tuned for more!

NEWS! SALES! BITCHES!! GLITTER!!! HANDMADE!!!!

2010-11-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

Hi all! It's your blogging bitch Krissi here. Sorry we've been kinda MIA for a while, but we have been busy in the background, cooking up some new mischief! What kind, you ask? Well, for one thing, we have a new logo!

We've also been scheming for sales ideas, 'cause your bitches would never let you go out there alone into the deep, dark recesses of cyberspace on such a big shopping weekend without tossing a little glitter in your path to light the way! So the ten of us (Did she say ten?) are setting up some awesome sales (I thought there were only six...) on our diverse array of products, crafts and art. (No. Really. TEN?) YES. I said ten. More on that later. (But...) I promise. First things first DEALIOS! (ooooh. sales. ok then.)

Madd Style Cosmetics: Hand-crafted perfumes, lip balms, mineral pigments and more stuff to make you awesome. 100% Vegan. 100% Worth It.
♥ Weekend Deals (11/26-11/30):
* FREE SHIPPING ANYWHERE on all Etsy orders!!
* Any 6 for $20 on Etsy orders of Wicked Eye Paints (her own hand-blended mineral pigments)
♥ Black Friday ONLY!
* Wicked Eye Paints - FULL SET ONLY $100 (send her a facebook PM or e-mail her directly to pre-order; this offer will NOT be listed on Etsy!)
♥ Black Friday & Cyber Monday specials:
* FREE MYSTERY PIGMENT (brand *new* never seen before!!) with all orders placed on Friday or Monday.
☆ SHOP! Etsy (and now on Facebook's "Payvment" shopping app!
☆ HANG! on Facebook

Sweets N Stuff - Zero calorie treats for your tresses! Hair accessories for folks who love the retro/vintage inspired, kustom kulture, phsychobilly, rockabilly, goth or punk styles; plus a little something super cute for the wee ones!
♥ Weekend Deals (11/23-11/30):
* FREE shipping AND
* 10% off of all orders under $25,
* 15% off of purchases $25-$50
* 25% off all orders $50+ (including Gift Certificates)

☆ SHOP! Etsy
☆ HANG! on Facebook

Kisszombies DIY - Post-apocalyptic chic accessories, deconstructed shirts and hand-screened tees (with a touch of kitsch!) Will your brain be next?
♥ Weekend Deals (11/26-11/30):
* 20% OFF all items (use coupon code TURKEY20)
* a free surprise with each order
* free giftwrap available (by request only)
☆ SHOP! Etsy
☆ HANG! Facebook

Krissi's Art Studio, home of Skelekitty & Friends - original artwork, prints and art jewelry inspired by pop art, bright colors, death and a wry sense of humor.
♥ Weekend Deals (11/25-11/30):
% OFF everything in her ArtFire shop, including the NEW Gift Certificates - just enter the coupon codes when you check out:
* 10% OFF purchases over $10 with SAVE10OVER10
* 15% OFF purchases of $25 or more with SAVE15OVER25
* 20% OFF $40 or more with SAVE20OVER40
* 25% OFF $75 or more with SAVE25OVER75
* 30% OFF $100 or more with SAVE30OVER100
-----
* FACEBOOK FANS ONLY: 10% OFF everything in her Facebook shop PLUS a free gift for purchases over $20.
☆ SHOP! ArtFire and now on Facebook's Payvment shopping app!
☆ HANG! Krissi's Art Studio and Skelekitty on Facebook

Scarlette Wrists - Spookily beautiful & eerily macabre adornments for your hair, face and body. You don't have to be a bat in black to wear these (but it doesn't hurt!)
♥ Weekend Deals (11/26-11/30):
* 50% OFF all earrings (were $10, are now only $5!)
* 25% OFF chokers (were $8, are now $6)
♥ Check her shop & fan page for new items as they are added and perhaps even more deals!
☆ SHOP! Etsy
☆ HANG! Facebook

Muddslinger Ceramics and Crafts - One of a kind polymer clay accessories, hand-thrown pottery, stunning photographs and original wearable arts - all with a sense of color and fun.
♥ Weekend Deals (11/23-11/30):
* select items marked down 10-15% on both ArtFire AND Etsy!
* all 5x7 prints are $3, all 8x10s are $8
* 10% OFF purchases in her ArtFire OR Etsy shops for Facebook fans (single-use coupon code FBFRI10)
* 15% OFF ArtFire purchases (check back for the coupon code!)
* If you received a card for 20% OFF your next purchase, you may use it now
☆ SHOP! Artfire or Etsy
☆ HANG! Facebook

AND NOW... *drumroll* FOR THE NEW MEMBERS!!!! These four exceedingly awesome working artists were already involved in collaborations with each other and several of the founding bitches, so we decided to make honest women out of them. We know you will love them as much as we love working with them. Oh, and I PROMISE that we'll give them proper introductions with interviews and everything in the coming days and weeks. Until then, this will have to suffice:

Juli's Jewels - Beautifully designed precious metal clay, Vintaj brass, beaded, resin and semi-precious gemstone jewelry in styles from industrial & distressed to pretty bridal pieces. It's jewelry for everyone!
♥ Weekend Deals (11/26-11/30):
* FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $50 (coupon code freeshipblkfriday)
* a free pair of holiday earrings or a snowflake pin free with any order
♥ Facebook fans should keep their eyes on her fan page for a special something just for you!
☆ SHOP! ArtFire
☆ HANG! Facebook

Brooke Van Gory Designs and Crossbones Couture - Fabulous custom diaper bags & accessories in styles and fabrics that can be customized to suit the sweetest of mommies or the coolest of dads, plus awesome custom designed purses, too!

♥ Weekend Deals (11/26-11/30):
* 50% OFF any wetbag or changing pad with any diaper bag purchase (ArtFire and Payvment!)
* 10% OFF all handbags (ArtFire and Payvment!)
* FREE SHIPPING!
☆ SHOP! ArtFire or Facebook's Payvment shop
☆ HANG! Brooke Van Gory Designs and Crossbones Couture

And last, but DEFINITELY NOT LEAST, are the newest working artists to our little group. They may not have their fancy online shops set up and ready to rock quite yet, but you can find their art (at incredible prices, I might add) easily with a few clickies. And yes. The deals are teh awesome!

WenchCraft - The Art of Wenchkin - paintings, pen & inks "bone buddy" portraits, altered collectibles (like her signature "My Little Bonies") inspired by Day of the Dead and pop culture. pssst! she designed the new logo!
♥ Weekend Deals (11/26-11/30):
* 15% off all non-custom art (find it here!)
* 15% OFF for all Facebook fans in her Payvment shop
* Commission a 5x7" muerto/Bone Buddy custom portrait for $20 and get a FREE upgrade to the 8x10" size!
* FREE SHIPPING

☆ SHOP! Cafe Press, direct purchase (PayPal) and Facebook's Payvment shop
☆ HANG! Facebook

Ant Farm Studio - Home of The Ant Farm Gang and Loco Folko folk art - The only way to describe Ant Farm Studio is with her signature style "Loco Folko" - it's Mexican folk art with a twist!
♥ Weekend Deals (11/26-11/30):
* 50% OFF Li'l Loco Folko "Sugar Skulls" ($11!) - contact Kim for more pics and info!
* FREE SHIPPING
☆ SHOP! Facebook Payvment shop
☆ HANG! Facebook

And remember, please BUY HANDMADE FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

With much love,

The Glitter-Bitches Handmade gang ♥

Ask The Bitches: Intro to Image Use

2010-10-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Krissi here. I recently wrote up a VERY BRIEF overview on copyright and image use that I thought many of you might be interested in. Why don't we consider this the first post in our "Ask The Bitches" series since I've gotten this question a few times lately?

Dear Bitches,

What's all this I hear about "intellectual property" and copyrights? If I buy a painting, isn't it mine? Can't I sell copies of it since I paid for the work?

Confused by Copyright Crap

Dear Confused,

Intellectual property (patents, licenses, copyrights) is a pretty tough concept to get your mind around, but you are in luck. As it happens, before I was a full time artist, I used to negotiate licensing agreements. True story. And since I received two almost identical inquiries involving this very subject in the last few months, I figured it warranted its own post.

In both cases, the requests boiled down to this: someone wanted to commission a piece of art from me and then sell reproductions of the image. One wanted to incorporating the image into jewelry, and the other wanted to sell prints to raise money for charity. My short answer was "no" to both because the image still belongs to me. That's where the "intellectual" part of intellectual property comes in - the idea (and execution of that idea) is my property. Yep. Even though they offered to pay for the paintings, such payment does not include the right to use the images. Furthermore, even though one wouldn't be making any money off of the images herself, it still wouldn't fall under "fair use."

Still a little confused? Think of it this way: Let's say you go to Borders or your local book store (they still have those, right?) and you buy a copy of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. You own that physical book, that thing with pages (the "tangible property") - you paid for it. You may put it on the shelf or dog-ear the corners, sell it in a garage sale or even, God forbid, burn it if you want to. However, you still don't own the rights to the IDEAS contained therein. You may not make copies of the book and sell them. You may not make a movie of the book.... unless of course you have permission from Ms. Rowling (customarily in the form of a license agreement and huge-ass amounts of cash going from you to her).

Art works very much in the same way. Let's say you pay me for a custom painting of your cat. No matter how much I charge you for that painting - you are only paying for my time, supplies and creativity, not for the rights to use the image. So even if I charge you an exorbitant amount, you still may not make copies, prints, Christmas cards (not even for your own use) unless we have a written agreement where I specifically give you those rights. Yeah, I know, even though it's YOUR cat. Even if I painted from a photo you took.

2011 ADDENDUM: The reverse/reciprocal is also true: I have the right to do whatever I want with the image. As the artist, I may create prints, cards or another painting OR I may license the rights to someone else to make items using the image: rubber stamps, posters, car wraps, whatever. The recipient of the original has no rights outside of the ownership of the tangible, physical property (painting) and may not dictate what the artist may or may not do with the image. Even if it's a painting of YOUR cat. Even if it was painted from your photo.

Another intellectual property tidbit: you need to enforce your rights or lose them. That's why the Disney Corporation protects Mickey so vehemently. It's also why I do not ever make exceptions - not even for friends. I mean, you all saw The Godfather, right? "It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business."

Anyway, I hope this helped to give you a very brief overview of intellectual property as it pertains to questions I get asked pretty often. If you have more questions, let me know!

Krissi

Remember, I said this was a brief overview only. Nor should you consider this "legal advice. This quick answer this does not cover 'work for hire,' i.e., when you hire a graphic artist to make you a logo or if you are an artist employed by a company (e.g., Disney owns art created by their employed artists). This post was written as a response to specific requests by well-meaning non-artist clients who are unfamiliar with the basics of intangible property law, so I left those issues out intentionally. I didn't (and still don't) want to muddle the already confusing issue for most consumers too much.

Do you have a question for the Bitches? Send us an e-mail with your question(s) to gbhandmade@gmail.com and we'll answer them for you.

Mo Has Gone TOTALLY MADD!

2010-10-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

We're excited to let you know that founding Glitter Bitch and all around awesome chick, Mo Love is expanding the Madd Style empire to include a brand new line of custom-mixed vegan pigments! She is also changing the name of her shop from Madd Style Designs to Madd Style Cosmetics and has launched a new facebook fan page for her brand new totally rad, totally madd creations (and some old favorites). The pigments will be launched later this month and we're all very excited to see her first collection!

We hope you will become a fan of the newer, sparklier Madd Style - still 100% vegan, still 100% worth it!

Madd Style Cosmetics! Woo Hoo!

Today is Last Day (Renew!)

2010-09-19T15:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the gratuitous geek reference in the title (no I'm not!). But it is in fact the LAST DAY your purchases from the Glitter Bitches' shops may qualify as entries into the Big-Ass Gift Basket Giveaway. No kidding. You have until Midnight (Pacific time) tonight to purchase ANYTHING from ANY of our shops and you will receive a lottery number for every $5 (pre-tax/pre-shipping) you spend, but only WHEN YOU ENTER "GLITTER BITCHES" IN THE NOTES TO SELLER SECTION OF YOUR ETSY/ARTFIRE TRANSACTION. No joke - we cannot honor "I forgot" e-mails and may or may not honor notes in the PayPal payment portion of your transaction. Please note, because 'e-checks' take 5-7 days to clear, those transactions are not eligible at this time.

And now, on Last Day, we introduce our last Glitter Bitch.

Krissi Sandvik claims to have been raised by a pack of wild attorneys but her claims cannot be verified. What we can verify is that she started off as an art quilter and moved on to acrylic paints shortly thereafter. She paints whatever images strike her fancy, usually including anatomical hearts, trees or vines and skeletons using her own variation of mixed-media layering techniques, pyrography and the occasional stray cat hair. Krissi also creates prints and custom jewelry featuring her original art as well as a line of "Skelekitty" rubber stamps distributed by Stampa Fe Rubber Art Stamps. You can read her full bio here.

Krissi originally sold exclusively in Sacramento, CA area galleries and art walks until she opened her first Etsy shop in early 2007 with a separate shop for the Skelekitty 'brand' opening about a year later. In mid-2009, she moved the entire kit and kaboodle to ArtFire where they co-exist in a single online shop as Krissi's Art Studio (home of Skelekitty & Friends).

Tell us about your work in 10 words or less:

My art has been described as the "perfect blend of dead & cute" and like "Jolly Ranchers for the brain." Thanks to Jinn Dreadful and Rachelle Rose for those descriptions. I couldn't have done any better myself.

How did you choose the name for your business(es)?

Well, let's pretend that "Krissi's Art Studio" was a really creative name and that I told you a very clever story.

Skelekitty and Friends is named after my character, Skelekitty, a feisty Day of the Dead skeleton cat. She was created in late 2005 when I was asked to create something for a local cat rescue's annual fundraiser, and in her usual twisted way, came up with the idea for a cute retro styled kitty - albeit a dead kitty - but cute, nonetheless. People think of Skelekitty as an extension of me, but she's really, if you'll excuse the bad pun, 'fleshed herself out' as a separate entity. As a matter of fact, she is currently working on her plan for world domination - her demands include Skelekitty tee-shirts, a lot of catnip and an elevation of status for cats over dogs (I warned you that she was feisty).

What is your first creative memory?

Gluing shit to other shit. Really. My Mom used to do these totally 60s/70s collagey crafty things when she was pregnant with my sister (in, oddly enough, 1970). I remember picking up all of the leftover pieces of felt and gluing them onto a piece of burlap, which I then glued to a piece of cardboard and thinking it was just about the most beautiful landscape ever. I uncovered said 'masterpiece' in 1983 or so and I remember wondering "what's this crap?"

What inspires you?

Well, for an agnostic white girl I'm inspired an awful lot by Mexican religious iconography and folk art - let's call it a side effect from living in San Francisco's Mission District for over a decade. I love that Dia de los Muertos is a celebration of life, not a reason to mourn the passing of those who have died. I also love bright colors, animals, music, pop culture, finding irony in everyday life and wordplay.

What was the tipping point where your hobby turned into a business?

It was probably that day in 2005, when I posted a photo of the very first Skelekitty art quilt online and my friend Nicolas Caesar of Scary-Art fame said, and I quote, "get ready to make these for the rest of your life."

What do you do when you're not working on art?

I love crafting for no reason whatsoever, spending time with my hubby and friends, driving fast on curvy roads, power lifting, playing with makeup, watching sci-fi shows, wasting time on facebook, writing, reading and rolling around on the floor with my Jack Russell Terrier, Abby.

What drives you?

Deadlines.

If you had all the money in the world, what else would you do?

Travel everywhere, but never stay at fancy hotels; build animal sanctuaries and rescues and pay the staff a decent wage; fight intolerance of any person/group by any person/group; buy 50 acres, build a cozy house (with separate guest houses and art studio, duh!) and sit on my porch with an unloaded shotgun screaming "get off my land" to crows and laughing, most probably. Oh and launch a study into preventing cat hairs from burrowing up my nostrils and around my eyeballs. Yep. Definitely that.

What's your favorite cereal / food / curse word?

As a kid, I loved Quisp, now I'm totally down with a steaming bowl of steel cut oats with a little butter, milk and maple syrup on a cold morning.

Mexican food. The 8 or so months I spent in England when I was in college would have been perfect if only they'd had Mexican food, REAL Mexican food, there.

I think anyone who knows me at all knows I can't hold onto an F Bomb to save my life. Everything is fuck, fucked or fucking, however, I do love the word cunt, but save it for special occasions (or when visiting the U.K.).

What question have you never been asked in an interview that you wish someone would ask?

Who is Number 2?

And your answer?

You are[,] Number 6.

Let's have a peek at one of the things you're putting the the gift basket, then!
This isn't the only thing, but it's the one piece of original art I'm giving away!

Cherry's A Real Peach!

2010-09-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

Alright my little chickens! You have just over 24 hours left to get yourself entered in our Big-Ass Gift Basket giveaway, so be sure to make those qualifying purchases in ANY of the Glitterbitches' shops! It's super easy, when you put GLITTER BITCHES in the Etsy/ArtFire Note to Seller when you make your purchase through our shops. For every 5 dollars you spend (before tax/shipping), you will receive one entry into our Big Ass Gift Basket Giveaway. IMPORTANT: you must, Must, MUST enter the 'secret words' at the time of your purchase to qualify!

KissZombies DIY - Accessories, deconstructed clothing and jewelry for your inner zombie lover
Krissi's Art Studio, home of Skelekitty & Friends - vibrant pop meets folk art, prints, mixed-media jewelry and one feisty skeleton cat
Madd Style Designs - 100% vegan lip balms, glosses, hand-blended perfumes, lotions and more, all getting you one step closer to awesome
Mudd Slinger Ceramics & Crafts - polymer and shrink plastic jewelry accessories with the MoonMiistBabii twist
Scarlette Wrists -handmade goodies for pretty bats in black or those need just a little touch o' goth in their life
and
Sweets N Stuff - hair accessories with a kustom kulture twist, who is our interviewee of the day, so without any further delays...

Cherry West's hair accessories cater particularly to folks who love and live the alternative lifestyle(s) - rock, retro/vintage inspired, kustom kulture, lowbrow, dia de los muertos, pinup, phsychobilly, rockabilly, emo, goth or punk, but there are also headbands for children and a little something for everyone. Like many DIYers, Cherry began making accessories for herself and her friends because the few cool pieces the department stores and boutiques did offer were outrageously priced.

Cherry opened Sweets N Stuff in in 2009 and started offering her cool stuff to all you hep cats and sexy kittens, and man, oh man, has the business grown since then! You can read Cherry's bio right here.

Tell us about Sweets N Stuff in 10 words or less:

fun, fabulous, bright, glittery and resonably priced!

How did you choose the name for your business?

I wanted something that included my love for sweets and the potential for "other" additions to the biz as I developed it.

What is your first creative memory?

Ooooh god I was crafting when I was a kid always making something!

What inspires you?

My family and friends' style, the 1940's & 50's, rock, punk, rockabilly, bright colors, pinups and SOOO much more!

What was the tipping point where your hobby turned into a business?

A few years ago I had enough requests from friends and referrals that I decided to let everyone have a chance at some of my goodies ;)

What do you do when your not working on Sweets N Stuff?

I'm a stay at home wife/mother, med administer-therapist-teacher, friend, sunday school teacher, amateur photographer and a model.

What drives you?

the lord, my family, my friends

If you had all the money in the world, what else would you do?

DONATE

What's your favorite cereal / food?

cereal - pb cap n crunch, food - toss up between sushi, hawaiian and mexican

May we have a peek at what you've put in the Big-Ass Gift Basket?

Well, I was going to keep it secret, but... OK!

Just one more Glitter Bitches interview to go (and it's me!)

Kiss THIS!

2010-08-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

There are less than three weeks left for you to enter into the Big-Ass Gift Basket giveaway from Glitter Bitches! It's as easy as pie - all the info you need is on the sidebar of our blog. And each of the Glitter Bitches Handmade shops has new and exciting goodies going up every day, just for you.

Today's post introduces you to ArJay of KissZombies, who I remember as a regular on the indie crafter internet boards like the sadly now defunct DIYScene (where I also first met Ms. Lela "Glittersniffer" Warren). Always helpful, creative and ironic, ArJay is a great addition to this group.

ArJay has been on the handmade scene since ... well, for A WHILE! She opened her Etsy shop, KissZombies DIY, in 2007 where she continued to sell deconstructed clothing, jewelry and accessories to the kitschy, horror loving and punk rock alike. ArJay describes herself as a zombie-loving, suburban-dwelling girl with big city dreams. You can read her full bio here.

Tell us about KissZombies in 10 words or less:
Post-apocalyptic chic with a touch of kitsch.

How did you choose the name for your business?
I am a huge zombie fanatic, the name is kind of an oxymoron unless you look deeper into it. Who the Hell would kiss a zombie? I sure would... with the tip of a shovel or the end of a shotgun.

What is your first creative memory?
I used to make these flat paperdolls, but then make tutus out of paper that were 3D. [editor's note: COOL!]

What inspires you?
Oh boy, so many things inspire me. My love for horror and gore, my toy collection (haha), art, music, and most of all, my friends and family.

What was the tipping point where your hobby turned into a business?
I used to blog on livejournal and forums about the clothing and jewelry that I made for myself, and then I had people asking to buy things from me. I realized then that other people want what I have to offer.

What do you do when your not working on KissZombies?
Listening to music, playing with my niece, handing out samples at my day job. I'm also going to school with an undecided major. All this, and possibly starting roller derby. BUSY!

What drives you?
If my creation can make someone else feel beautiful, then I know I did my job.

If you had all the money in the world, what else would you do?
If I had all the money in the world, I would already have my clothing line launched!

What's your favorite cereal / food / curse word?
Favorite cereal is probably Honey Nut Cheerios! Food... food. I love food. Probably Mexican food! I can't choose one thing, but I sure eat a lot of Mexican! Annnd my favorite curse word is probably the fuck word. It has so many uses, although I don't swear a lot!

What question have you never been asked in an interview that you wish someone would ask? "How does $50.00 an hour sound?"

And the Answer:
"AWESOME!"

May we have a peek at some of the goodies you're putting in the Big Ass Gift Basket?
Yeah!

It's Your Lucky Day!

2010-08-13T14:56:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday the 13th from the Glitter-Bitches! If you haven't checked out the Madd Style Designs KissZombies shops today, what's keeping you? They are BOTH having f13 sales and specials today only!!

So get shopping and remember to enter the words "Glitter Bitches" into the notes to seller! Why? Every $5 purchase you make from any of the Glitter Bitches Handmade shops between now and September 9th could be your chance to win the fabulous Big-Ass Gift Basket with goodies from all of our shops!

We'd like to introduce you to another one of the women who make up the Glitter Bitches today - the dark and lovely Miss Christina Vasquez, aka Scarlette Wrists.

Christina Vasquez's shop, Scarlette Wrists opened this year on Etsy, and already is knocking 'em dead with her unique pieces like beautifully creepy graveyard-inspired cameos & clips as well as some lovely (and lively) pretty little cherry and flower pieces. Christina resides in San Diego, CA with her cat Lucifer and is on a mission to paint everything black. You can read her full Glitter Bitches Handmade bio here.

Tell us about Scarlette Wrists in 10 words or less:
Can't: Spookily beautiful & eerily macabre! For girls who are cute but a bit creepy, just like me. ^-^ [editor's note: usually, I'd edit this down but since it's short and to the point, I'm liking it as-is.]

How did you choose the name for your business?

Hmmm... got a minute? I 've been wanting to legally change my name to Scarlette Noir for a while and decided to name my shop after it. Unfortunately Scarlette Noir was already taken. I was devastated, of course. How could there be someone out there with MY awesome name!?! I didn't have a plan B so I took out my pen and paper and started jotting down variations. As I looked at my forearms the idea jumped at me and I knew I had my name.
When I was a teenager I was a cutter, really bad stuff, bad times. I spent many years hiding the fact that I'd disfigured myself under long sleeves, ashamed about my weakness. It's only been until recently that I've learned to love myself, scars and all, and to banish that skeleton from my closet. I rather like them now, seeing as how they scream, "Don't fuck with me, if I did this to myself you'll back off cause I'm CRAZY!"
This is who I am, love it or leave it.
Scarlette is spelled accordingly to describe small scars. I'm glad now that Scarlette Noir was taken because Scarlette Wrists was waiting for me to claim her.

What is your first creative memory?

Jeez... really? I guess you can go back to Kindergarten where I discovered the painting station. We had play hour in our classroom and everyone always ran to the kitchenette, trucks, babies and all those other douchey toys that were like crystal balls to their futures. The painting station was always empty and just happened to be the only station away from the other play stations (<--playstation!) I loved the quietness and one on one attention I got from the T.A. while I painted. Thats when I discovered I was quite the painter, in the lines and everything! I went to draw a portrait of myself with rainbow spiraled hair and big red high heels! It was a class assignment where we had to draw ourselves. It makes me laugh and cry, but mostly laugh because I still remember thinking that I actually looked that way. Still have it somewhere around here!

What inspires you?
I am inspired by the grossest things! Just leave it at that.

What was the tipping point where your hobby turned into a business?

How about the fact that I'm closing in on the big 3.0. and have yet to attain the ability to keep a job longer than 2 years. I've tried for years to finish my degree and have come to terms that I really am just not that into it. I changed my thinking and stopped dwelling on the education stigma and decided to just do what I do best: ART!

What do you do when your not working on Scarlette Wrists?

Playing video games and eating pizza! My favorite sagas are Silent Hill, Resident Evil and Zelda, and I will pwn you! I've got my youtube channel that I update when I can. I spend a lot of time just enjoying life with my friends all around San Diego. We love the beach! My boyfriend and I are big fans of estate sales, thrifting and flea markets and we usually go every weekend. It's amazing what you can find if you just look. I'm decorating my place bit by bit with amazing finds. Speaking of bit, we like to go to concerts and get smashed. We don't travel too much so when we do, we go crazy! We recently saw Pee Wee Herman at Club Nokia and it was super fun!

What drives you?
I'm just a naturally creative person. I'm making stuff anyway!?! I really just cannot have the rat race life, it just does not work for me! I'm free and I just want to play all day... why shouldn't I?

If you had all the money in the world, what else would you do?

Oh man, I'd be a disgusting mix of Hitler, PETA and Green Peace.
Since I have all the money I'd be on top right? I would:
stop the fur trade and the unneeded slaughter of animals for food, etc.
give loads of money to animal shelters.
snuff out all degenerate forms of human life.
make getting fucked in the ass a form of punishment.
reward the people who have done what they can for our planet and humanity.
stop the destruction of the rain forest.
release The West Memphis Three, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley from prison. (wm3.org)
take control of the FDA.
I'd probably be like Biff from Back to the Future, "I OWN THE POLICE!"

What's your favorite cereal / food / curse word?

Cinnamon Toast Crunch / Italian, hands down / Shit <-- it can be used so many ways! You can exclaim "shit!" tell some to eat shit, tell someone they are shit, you can step in shit, you can take a shit, you can not know what this shit is, you can even HOLY SHIT! Shit can even be the best shit ever!

What question have you never been asked in an interview that you wish someone would ask?

WHHHHHY!?!?!

And the answer?
BEEEECAUUUUSE!!!
*hug each other, laugh and cry, then make horrible love*

May we have a sneak peek at what you are putting in the gift basket?
But of course.

T Minus 30 Days and Counting!

2010-08-10T17:09:00.000-07:00

In early 2010, six like-minded girls met on a Facebook fan page - the girls were a collection of glitter-obsessed DIYers; the connections were all but inevitable.

Our little gathering, which we call Glitter Bitches Handmade isn't a craft guild or an artists' collective as most people may think. We are, simply put, a group of makeup fiends who make hella cool stuff that you want. You can expect awesome things from Glitter Bitches Handmade, from shop specials to tutorials and from reviews of other cool stuff to a regular Q&A feature called "Ask The Bitches." To kick things off, let us ask, is there a better way to prove our general, overwhelming ballerness than with some interviews AND a Big-Ass Gift Basket Giveaway of stuff from each of our shops? (BTW, no. No, there is not.)

OK, we can tell by your wishful expression that the second we said "Big-Ass Gift Basket Giveaway" we lost any chance of you focusing on anything else until we tell you about it. Stop salivating on the keyboard - it will short out. Drool all contained? Good. Here 'goes:

Starting RIGHT NOW and for the next 30 days, every $5** you spend in any of our shops (listed to your right and on our Meet The Bitches page) qualifies for the Big-Ass Gift Basket Giveaway - to enter, all you have to do it enter the words "GLITTER BITCHES" in the Notes to Seller section of your ArtFire or Etsy purchase and you will receive a confirmation note from the shop telling you the entry numbers for your purchase (we'll keep a list, so don't worry about keeping track of them).

**excludes shipping and sales tax where applicable

Right about now you should be curious to know a little bit more about the crazy ladies behind all this nonsense. You're probably also wondering just WHAT EXACTLY is going to be in this big basket of wonderful. To quell your curiosity, we'll be rolling out an interview from each of the ~~ladies~~ Glitter Bitches about every five days between now and the day our lucky winner is announced. Today, let's start out with Mo Love of Madd Style Designs, one of the pair of girls who thought up this whole giveaway idea:

Mo Love officially opened her shop, Madd Style Designs, in the Spring of 2010, selling makeup bags "to pay for my dirty little makeup habit." However, AWESOME is contagious, and her "little project" soon expanded to include handcrafted perfumes, lip balms & glosses and who knows what else by the time you read this. You can read her official Glitter Bitches Bio right here.

What is your first creative memory?

For real? You had to start it out with a toughy, didn't you! LOL. Well, as far back as I can remember I've been groovin' to a different beat. When I was little, I had a ridiculous Barbie obsession (maybe because these were the only toys I could get that weren't my brother's). Don't get me wrong, I love GI Joe and Transformers, but little girls probably shouldn't have had as much knowledge as I did when it came to war tactics and stealth missions...). I had a lot, and by "a lot" I mean EVERYDAMNTHINGMATTELLMADEFORBARBIE and from Day One, I would perform crazy Barbie mods on all of my dolls. I would deconstruct thier clothes to make other clothes, give them mohawks, dreds, magic marker colored hair. I would redo their make up with bright colored pens and give them tattoos and safety pin piercings. I would paint graffitti-esque nonsese on the Barbie houses and cars... I thought it was awesome. It WAS awesome.

Of course, my dad wasn't as impressed with my Post-Apocolyptic Punk Army of dolls as I was and when I was 8 or 9 I got my entire collection taken away. . So, yea, there's that. Even at an uber young age I liked to walk the lines between fashion and art.

Tell us about Madd Style Designs in 10 words or less:

Epic Ballerness To the Maxx... plus 4.

How did you choose the name for your business?

Quite honestly, it's something that my friends have said to me for years and years about my style. They'd call my look the "Mo style" and say, "Mo's got that Madd Style." Well, now officially I do!

What inspires you?

EVERYTHING! Music, colors, environments, culture, people, art, language... my brain is a hungry ball of creativity with synapses firing at a bajillion miles per second. I have so many ideas as to what I want to do that I forget and rememebr them a few times every day.

What was the tipping point where your hobby turned into a business?

Everything just sort of progressed throughout the years. I started making my own clothes waaaaay back in the day. People would like what I wore, they would want something custom. Eventually I opened my own pseudo-business called Bliss Junky Productions making custom gear and selling it on the internet, but life got all sorts of lifey on me and that took a back seat. Madd Style was started over the course of a few hours. I was bored. I was crafty. And I had an idea. Commence Operation Etsy Shop! Little did I know it was going to be a massive success almost immediately... and I am SO not complaining!

What do you do when your not working on Madd Style?

Well, I work full time. So when Im not working... I'm working. ANY free chance I get to be out of the house or uniform, I take it! I love going to shows/concerts, the famers' market, visiting with highly neglected friends, watching UFC, getting tattooed and pierced, modeling Glittersniffer Cosmetics, drinking New Castle and catching up on other my other thousand hobbies. Oh, and hanging out with my dog, Mustard [ed. note: his middle name is "Danger"].

What drives you?

My Ball N Chain, Mark! (no for real, I don't have a license. haha!) OK, seriously, passion. 100% dirty, raw passion. I could care less about the money. My goal, since I was teeny tiny, was to be happy in life doing the things that I enjoy. From an early age I knew climbing corporate ladders and mediocrity were not a lifestyle I wanted for myself. So, I do what I like... in any sense. Having that freedom and love for what I do is all that I need to keep on cruisin'.

If you had all the money in the world, what else would you do?

First thing: full body tat. Second thing: take care of Mark's school loans and debt. Third thing: Mark full body tat. Fourth thing: Need anything? LOL! I would more than likely buy a house, pop oodles of it in the bank to ensure a comfortable retirement, invest and donate the majority of it. There are people out there that need it more, but of course, I would still have my fun with it (I wasn't kidding about the full body tat!) [ed. note: we never thought that you would kid about something like that].

What's your favorite cereal / food / curse word?

Oatmeal, Sushii and Fuck or any version of it. See also: Fuckery, Fuckiness and Fucktastic.

Can we have a peek at what you are including in the Big-Ass Gift Basket Giveaway?
Sure!

Glitter Bitches Handmade

We Didn't Disband - WE REBRANDED!

Love Your Skull (it's where your brain lives!)

New Affiliate Members & Program Announcement

Introducing Modern Rosies!

End Of Summer Updates and Preparing for Year 2

We Are 1!

ArtFire Shop(s)

Kim Update

Madd Style Blog!!!

June Challenge Winners!

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N in the Summertime!

The Sweet Smell of Success

Guest Shop of the Week*

ASK THE BITCHES: How Brooke Van Gory came to be.

June 2011 Challenge!

We're Almost Half Way There!

One of the Glitter-Bitches is having a contest.

BITCH BAG #2 Teal Ribbon Fund AUCTION: The Pretty Girl! Bag

BITCH BAG #1 Teal Ribbon Fund AUCTION: The Artsy Fartsy Bag

Teal Ribbon Fund Auction: The First of the "Bitch Bags!"

THE IMPORTANT INFORMATION...

WHEN:

WHERE:

HOW:

An Open letter to Cancer.

Glitter Bitches' Inspiration Contest!

Update on Kim & The Teal Ribbon Fund

Kim

Love & Glitter, the Bitches

New Sister Site: Attack Of The Craft

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

SHOP

AFFILIATE PROGRAM & BANNER SWAPS

FAN FUN

MEMBERSHIP

What's Wenchie Doing Today?

Glitter Bitches ArtFire Shop & The Teal Ribbon Fund

Drumroll please....

GIVEAWAY: The Bitches' "VD Survival Kit!"

What's That? A Sale from ALL The Bitches? And A *VD* Survival Kit?

Muddslinger Ceramics & Crafts

(on ArtFire and Etsy)

NEWS! SALES! BITCHES!! GLITTER!!! HANDMADE!!!!

Ask The Bitches: Intro to Image Use

Mo Has Gone TOTALLY MADD!

Today is Last Day (Renew!)

Cherry's A Real Peach!

Kiss THIS!

It's Your Lucky Day!

T Minus 30 Days and Counting!

What's That? A Sale from ALL The Bitches? And A VD Survival Kit?