Christmas Inspiration

Some Christmas inspiration from the wonderful world of Polyvore ^_^

Distant memories come sweeping back to me by Elle ♪♫[Gone] featuring Christian Louboutin shoes

Only a kiss can wake me by Elle ♪♫[Gone] featuring Aminaka Wilmont coats

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2010 by ❤ greta martin ❤ featuring Alexander McQueen accessories

Christmas Cocktail Pary with Aldo Shoes by gokarm featuring Miss Selfridge

Oh that's what they're calling it nowadays?

Animal Print: Trashy vs. Glamorous

Animal print is very difficult for the majority of women to wear and still look respectable. For some reason women like to make the wrong choices when it comes to animal print, especially leopard print. Here are some examples of how you can wear it and look indescribably trashy:
Leopard print on tight pants has never been a good idea. 80's hair metal bands wore it because they wanted to look trashy. If you want to look like you just rolled out of a dirty dive somewhere downtown and you're absolutely fine with a random dirt-bag slapping your butt, then go right ahead and try this.I'm not quite sure what Jessica was thinking when she put this on, but whatever it was was wrong.
Is commentary even really necessary with this one?

But thankfully there are many other types of clothes out there besides matching shirt and pants outfits, dresses, and spandex pants. You could try a snow leopard print scarf over a black trench, or some tiger print gloves with a bright red peacock. Or be daring and pull a Kate Moss:
Could you pull this off at work? If the majority of your outfit is black, yes. If you wear this with tasteful accessories, yes.
This slip can be worn under anything, and you can show a little of it or you can hide it completely so that only you know it's there. But remember: this is not a shirt.
I love the idea of wearing dark leopard print pantyhose under pencil skirts, or a long silk skirt. No one would notice it's leopard print unless the light hit it right, and then it wouldn't be trashy, it would be beautifully alluring and glamorous.

Don't be an extremest with this trend. Too much or none at all is bad bad bad. You want to play with this and have fun with animal print without going overboard, not miss out on all the fun.

Upcoming Jewelry Party!

I have my first ever jewelry party this Friday!! I'm excited... and beyond nervous. I'm actually kinda terrified. There's about 20 guests total being invited, and only 1 person has said that yes, they are coming. 6 people have said it's possible they'll show up. There's quite a few others that haven't responded to the invitations yet, so I'm hoping we get at least 4 or 5 more definite yeses.
Since I've never done this before, I'm definitely stressing. I had panic attacks all day on Sunday. It was quite ridiculous. I had a few yesterday, but today I think I've only had one or two because I did something I love doing and that is:

Planning Ahead.

Last night I took out all my jewelry and the things I've accumulated for my display and set it all out on the table. I went through and laid out how I wanted to organize it, setting out the jewelry I wanted to display and the things I wanted to display it on. When I first started, I had too much jewelry on the table and only 2 different heights in my display. I took away a lot of jewelry from one collection and added more jewelry from another. I edited my displays so that instead of calling attention to themselves like they were doing, they enhanced the jewelry. I created the displays I needed using fabric and cardboard, and I set everything out a second time. This time it looked soo much better. I was up until 1 in the morning doing all this, and I was soo thankful that I hadn't waited till Wednesday or Thursday to do this.
Planning ahead and getting prepared is amazing. My stress level is way down, and since I'm going thrifting today, I know exactly what I need to look for and I'm not stressing and thinking that I don't have what I need. I still have a lot of work to do, but now that my display has been thought out, planned out, and created, I'm not stressed over everything else I need to get done. Now all I need to stress about is the actual party, not the party prep. :D

The Little White Bat

I came across an image of an adorable little bat that I HAD to make a Polyvore set off of. He was so cute! After I made my polyvore set, I checked out the link that the drawing came from and oh my goodness!! Glee!!! Tons and tons of amazing art heavily influenced by Edward Gorey and possibly Charles Addams everywhere! My heart is light and my spirits lifted. ^_^ Check out his blog, the Little White Bat, and marvel at the beauty, please.

We're heading for the treasures of India. by Odotta featuring JJ Park

Black Lace

Black lace gloves are incredibly versatile, and very glamorous this fall. Regardless if you wear them opera length, fingerless, or full of ruffles and beads, they are amazing and can be worn with most any outfit. In my opinion, they're absolutely fabulous with jewelry in amethyst, garnet, or jade and emerald stones. The only thing you need to be concerned when wearing these is make sure your jewelry and your gloves are not competing, but complimenting. If you're wearing opera length gloves, go for a simple bracelet worn over the gloves and a large statement necklace. If you're wearing fingerless gloves, wear an attractive ring[s] and make sure your nails are in tip top shape. If your gloves have lots of ruffles or beads or something similar, wear striking earrings and keep the rest of your jewelry as minimal as possible.
The key to making any look work is balance and knowing what compliments what. Always make sure to take a look at your whole outfit before leaving the house, because what might look good from the waist up might clash horrible with your bottom half.
Thanks for reading, and hope this helps!
-♥ Izzee

Remaining Positive

Life can get really bad. You can lose artistic inspiration [something I'm struggling through currently], you can lose your job, you can get burglarized, mugged, beaten up, go through a divorce, lose a close loved one, or just have a bad day. Here are some ways to remain positive even in the really bad, or just the not-so-good times.
1. Analyze the situation and point out the things that could have been worse. Lose your job? Well, you don't have to deal with that jerk boss or that annoying co-worker anymore. You can start fresh and new, and go on to the bigger and better.
2. Criticize yourself. No more milk in the fridge for your morning coffee or Count Chocula cereal? Beat yourself up about it for a little while, make sure you'll have time to pick some up later, and don't worry about it anymore. A good amount of criticism towards yourself everyday is good. It leaves room for growth and mistakes. And it reminds you that you're not perfect.
3. Be grateful. Always always be grateful. Things could have been a lot worse. Were you mugged and beaten? At least you weren't raped. Were you raped? At least you weren't murdered, and you're that much stronger from such a horrible experience. These problems aren't light in the slightest, but you can always be grateful for your situation.
4. Forgive the ones hurting you. It doesn't matter what they've done to you or who they are. If they've hurt you, forgive them. Let that grudge go, because that grudge will destroy your life. It will consume you and it will leave you all alone with nothing but your awful memories. Trust me, I've seen this happen to a very close loved one. Learn to forgive, it's the best thing you can do for yourself.
5. Always remember who's really in charge. You're not where you are by accident. God works through everything, and in every situation He accomplishes something. Remembering that you aren't the one directing your life is a very relaxing, comforting thing. It doesn't matter what happens to you, God's in the driver's seat.

Dark Cabaret

When I come across an artist who can draw dark goodies by the dozens, I get excited. When I come across an artist who creates such things as Dark Cabaret, I sit up in my chair and squeal with glee. As a jewelry artist, I need inspiration coming in from many different areas. I get dry spells where I just can't think of anything at all, and drawings like this fill my head full of new and interesting ideas that I can easily turn into realities. Thank you, ellaine, for these delicious goodies. [And I neeeeed that black and white striped dress. This isn't a want. It's a definite need.]

Halloween Fun!

This was our display table on Halloween. I had so much fun setting this up!

The most amazing shoe......ever. RedSuzaku took this picture, and it's amazing.A view of the table with the flash on.RedSuzaku and I waiting for trick or treaters. [A lot of them were to scared to come up to us! I couldn't understand it.]Alice [me] and the Mad Hatter [RedSuzaku]. ^_^This is the view of our little shindig from the street. Pretty, isn't it?

Halloween Party Tunes

I picked my top 10 favorite Halloween party tunes ever to conclude this week's countdown to Halloween. These are in a particular order!

10. Higher and Higher - Howard Huntsberry - This is the song from the second Ghostbusters, when they were enlisting the help of the Statue of Liberty to break through the 'jello mold' (and it's such an awesome scene!). Great song that's so much fun to dance too.

Click to listen!

9. I Put A Spell On You - Bette Midler's version from Hocus Pocus - Sung by the worst witch this world has ever scene, Winnifred Sanderson. Perfect for a spooky Halloween party.

Click to listen!

8. Ready To Die - Andrew W.K. - This song is full of energy and spunk, like all of Andrew W.K.'s music, but the theme of this one is perfect to liven up a rather dead Halloween bash.

Click to listen!

7. Flying Purple People Eater - Alvin and the Chipmunks - I love the whole premise behind this song, but I just don't like the original. So Alvin and the Chipmunks came to my rescue and provided me with a version that I can actually listen to. :)

Click to listen!

6. Thriller - Michael Jackson - The recently deceased pop legend really knew who to do it right. This song has been a Halloween party staple since it's release in 1984. Dancing zombies and Vincent Price? Amazing.

Click to listen!

5. Greatest Show Unearthed - Creature Feature - A song about a spooky, unearthly carnival? How is this not amazing?

Click to listen!

4. A Gorey Demise - Creature Feature - I was torn between which was better, Greatest Show Unearthed or A Gorey Demise, and this one won. A mix of Edward Gorey, Creature Feature, and Halloween? Yeah, this one definitely won.

Click to listen!

3. Beetlejuice Main Theme - Danny Elfman - The best movie about ghosts and poltergeists I've ever seen. I'm so jealous of Lydia's wardrobe!

Click to listen!

2. Monster Mash - The Misfits - This is like running through a punked out graveyard dancing under a full moon. I listenend to many versions of this song, and The Misfits did it best.

Click to listen!

1. This is Halloween - Danny Elfman - The most memorable song from the greatest Halloween movie ever made. This wins 1st place hands down. Even if you aren't having a Halloween party, you can still curl up on the couch under a big black blanket, enjoying some hot chocolate and taking in the eye candy of Nightmare Before Christmas.

Click to listen!

Sweet Treats

I love Halloween parties. And I love food. Halloween themed food is therefore incredible. Here's a list of 10 of my favorite Halloween party appetizers, in no particular order.

Monster Toes! - I love the idea of chomping on little tiny monster toes. And the pictures makes me hungry. ^_^
Witches Finger Cookies - Hansel and Gretel weren't ones to waste.
Pecan-Caramel Spiders - These look absolutely delicious. I'd love to eat one..and then have a little leg sticking out my mouth while chomping away! Hahahahahahaha!
Spiderweb Cookies - Sugar cookies decorated beautifully. I'd make these all year round.
Ghosts on Broomsticks - If you can get the vanilla into the shape of a ghost, this would be a sweet recipe to try out.
Cheese Pumpkins - I like cheese a lot, but I'm not too fond of cheese food. However, these look like fun.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds - You can't have a Halloween party without these!
Marsh-Monsters - If you're a fan of marshmallows, this is the perfect one for you.
Incredibly unhealthy, but probably rather tasty.
Salty Bones - I want these SO badly. I could probably eat a whole plate myself!
Yummy Mummy Cupcakes - Look at those eyes! I'd eat those first.

Black Lips and Halloween Costumes

I did some research about how to wear black lipstick because I, personally, do not. I prefer deep rich reds and, when I can get my hands on it, dark purple. Unfortunately, black lipstick was apparently a 'trend' last fall and now again this fall, so I got to read numerous articles about how to make black lipsticks 'sexy instead of Gothic'. Quite annoying.
Anyway, the next thing I did was go to a Halloween retail site [Halloweenexpress.com to be exact], and the first costume that came up was Snow White. This got me thinking about how black lipstick and fairytale princesses would look. Something like this perhaps?
If you plan on wearing black lipstick this Halloween, choose something a little less [or a lot less] traditional than a vampire or corpse bride. Have a little creativity and find something that makes the black stand out instead of just sink into another average Halloween costume.

Pumpkins!

I haven't even bought my pumpkins yet!! These ideas put me in the mood for some hot chocolate and scary movies. ^_^ And hot, fresh pumpkin seeds. ^_^

One Week till Halloween!

I'm doing a weeklong countdown to Halloween, starting today. I am soo excited! We're doing an Alice in Wonderland themed Halloween shindig, and I'll have plenty of pictures of it on Monday. ^_^ I get to be Alice!! Woohoo!

And speaking of amazing Halloween fun...
Is this not the most awesome desktop you've ever seen?? The incredible awesomeness of it is just insane. I want to know where this person got all these goodies! I want them!

Check it out here.

Caught in it's web...

I've been infatuated with these new spider web charms since I bought them a couple weeks ago. Everytime I lay out a necklace, I always end up using one of these as the pendants. They just seem to always work! I've been building up quite a large inventory of necklaces since I have a home party coming up very soon, and I'm a little worried that everyone will say "Great work, but I'm just not that into spiders..." I've actually woken up in cold sweats over this! I suppose we'll just see what happens. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. :)

That's the first necklace I ever made with these charms. I loved it so much, I kept it! I made a duplicate to sell, however. I plan on wearing this necklace to my home party to show it off, maybe with my pink and black striped tights. ^_^

Digital Inspiration

I was browsing DeviantArt the other day searching for new, inspiring work to aid in my Halloween craft creation process, and I came across the artist Restmlin. The work in their gallery is absolutely fantastic. Their work is unique and lovely, and the composition is absolutely terrific. I am totally willing to admit I'm insanely jealous of their Photoshop skills. Black and white stripes and red hair. Perfect, isn't it?

Bouquet of Paper Roses

Martha Stewart has a simple paper mice tutorial that requires black paper, scissors, masking tape, and a printer. You can use any color you want for the mice though, you don't have to use black. If mice have little purple shadows in your world, then by all means, use purple.
That tutorial got me thinking about silhouettes and places I could put them. I had to take my porch light down and clean it out [it was absolutely filthy], so while it sat on the garage floor drying I got my plastic bat ring out, black construction paper, a pencil, and some scissors, and went to town. I ended up with a porch light I could live with all year.


And check out this adorable Halloween e-card for a quick 'Awwww' and a chuckle. ^_^

Been away, feeling ill.

I got the flu last Thursday, and it knocked me out for a week. Getting out of bed this morning, even though it had to be done, was very difficult. But I'm getting better, thanks to all the Emergen-C, orange juice, and tea.

And speaking of tea, I think owning this teapot would get me better a whole lot faster:

Yay for October!

I love this month. ^_^ Halloween, my birthday, and there's something else about this month that's a little bit more somber. October is breast cancer awareness month. Because of this, and the fact that my grandmother died from this horrible cancer, 10% of everything I earn this month will be donated to research for the cure of breast cancer. I'll be donating to the BCRF: http://www.bcrfcure.org/
Also check out FeelYourBoobies.com to know more about being breast cancer aware.

The Flying Skeleton will be available for home parties in the Oklahoma City area starting in November, so if you'd like to schedule a house party, please email me at theflyingskeleton@gmail.com.

Cobwebbed Delights ^_^

I went out thrifting Saturday and I found something delightful:A wonderful little something to hold all the little baggies I ship my jewelry in:

I'm so excited about this little wonder. I love Halloween, that's when the stores begin to cater to me and put out stuff I'll use all year round. :)
And as I've said before, my Etsy shop will be open soon, so keep reading to find out when!

Lost Memories

"In our endeavors to recall to memory something long forgotten, we often find ourselves upon the very verge of remembrance, without being able, in the end, to remember."
-from "Ligeia" by Edgar Allan Poe

That, my friends, is why The Flying Skeleton is hard at work creating deliciously scrumptious picture frames to hold all your long lost memories! We stopped by a thrift store close to home yesterday and picked a couple up, we'll have before and after pictures for you soon I'm sure [and along the way pictures and in-between pictures ^_^].

The Flying Skeleton's Etsy shop will be opening very soon! I know I've been saying this for awhile, but I'm really truly serious! It's so close to being open I can almost taste it. Almost. Still have a bit of work to do, but it's close! I promise. :)

Amethyst Chips

I spent a large portion of today working with amethyst. My goodness, that stone is beautiful. It gives me so much inspiration. I have so many ideas, yet so little time and not enough supply of the stone! Hahaha. Apparently, according to gemstone lore, amethyst protects you from intoxication. In Greek mythology, the god of intoxication, Dionysus, is bothering this poor mortal! girl, and she's trying to get him off her back so she goes to all the other gods and they turn her into a white stone. Which to me doesn't sound very helpful at all, but that's just me. So Dionysus finds out and he respects her for not wanting his grubby fingers all over her, so he pours wine over the white stone that used to be her, creating amethyst.

Sounds weird.

Taggies

I got these in the mail yesterday:
Oh. My. Goodness. They are SO adorable! And they definitely go with The Flying Skeleton theme [black, red, and purple.] I've been blessed tremendously and God's given me an awesome opportunity to have items up in a shop in California, and so when I ship the items out there I'll be shipping these in the baggies with the jewelry. I'm so pleased with them. They're so cute! They're incredibly small, only 1" by 5/8", but they're really smooth and the ribbons aren't too long or short...they're just perfect! I love them because they stand out and look very attractive [and again, they go with the color scheme], but they also don't compete with the actual jewelry item. If there was big ugly white tags tied to a rather small pair of earrings, you'd pass them by because the tag would overwhelm them. This way, the tags stand out on their own, but they don't overpower the jewelry in anyway, they actually help it.
This blog will be getting re-vamped soon, because TFS's logo is getting completed soon!! Woohoo! And I'll [hopefully] be listing items on Etsy from my 3 collections. Watch for that too!

Got Facebook?

The Flying Skeleton now has a Facebook page! I've been very busy creating for these past few weeks, and haven't really had time to get on and do anything social network related. But my creativity is hitting another slow patch, so I'll have more time to get on and connect! Also, be on the look out for our ArtFire and Etsy shops opening! I'll be listing items for sale on both sites, and I'll be doing so quite often.
Check out these links:
Facebook Page

Twitter

Goodness me!

So many decisions, so much excitement, so little time! I am taking on new partners in crafty crime! I have enlisted the help of my 2 best friends to turn The Flying Skeleton upside down! I've been itching to get my hands on items like paint and seashells for quite sometime, but I haven't had anything to really justify such purchases. But now we are turning The Flying Skeleton into a gift shop for goths/punks/steampunkers/and neo-Victorians. We will sell handmade, hand finished, hand altered goods specifically designed for those people in your life that keep bats as pets and have black lights in their bedroom. And of course, if you are that person, go ahead and treat yourself to a gift! Or send the link to our ArtFire or Etsy shop or even this blog to your loved ones.
Every item will arrive at your door gift-wrapped and ready to be given [even if you ordered the item for yourself. What's better than buying your self a gift?] Every item is unique and handled carefully, so you can be sure that you are purchasing a good quality item.
But don't worry! We're going to do more than just sell you stuff! This blog will be full of our excursions and artistic endeavors, giving you insight on what's going on in our lives and what projects we're currently working on. Can't wait to start!!

Name Change

So I used to be called Prickly Pear Jewelry, but that reminded me too much of the desert. Then I was named Izzee's Jewelry because my teacher thought that was good, and it was easy and I didn't really care. But I hated it. It was boring and made me feel indifferent and uninterested in jewelry making. I now have a name that suits me, my personality, and my jewelry style:

The Flying Skeleton

The story of how I got the name is pretty amusing, so I thought I'd share it with you. I was in the office yesterday, sitting and reading a book, and I looked up at Alex [who was texting like always] and I said "I hate my jewelry company name." He looked up at me and raised his eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because it's boring! It makes me feel boring..."
"Change it." I looked at his shirt, which had a guitar with a skull, and there were green flame things all around it. It's a pretty cool shirt.
"Should I just call it the flying skeleton guitar thing?" There was a pause.
"Why not just The Flying Skeleton?"
And so that is how I found my name. This is the name I'm sticking with, for better or for worse. I love it too much to dump it!
Email me at: theflyingskeleton@gmail.com

Black, Red, and Gold

I've been so busy this week! There's so much to do, for both Izzee's Jewelry and INUMC...

I discovered something quite magical today. It's called "Blog Mailing List". I can have up to 10 people emailed every time I make a post! I know I'm being kind of silly, but I'm so excited about that!


I made this necklace a while ago, and it was originally going to be a gift, but I made something more suitable for the person being gifted, so this went back in my inventory. It's made from glass beads and gold costume chain, and it's $20. If you're interested in purchasing it, then drop me a note at izzeejewelry@yahoo.com
These earrings are made from gold costume chain, red glass beads, and the black and gold beads are Czech glass beads. I made these to be a part of the present, but like I said, I made something else that just fit that person so much better. These are $15 if you're interested in buying them.
If you want to buy these pieces as a set, the cost is $30, but if you buy them individually they're the listed price.

Thanks for reading and God bless you!
-Izzee

So many earrings, so little time..

I got a comment a while back about Etsy, and I just wanted to respond to that. Yes, I know about Etsy, and I think it's one of the most beautiful places on the internet. I've been thinking about doing that for awhile now, and I think I may start selling my jewelry on Etsy sometime this summer. Thanks for mentioning it though, Molly Rose, that was very considerate and sweet of you. :)

I just wanted to give some updates on jewelry pieces I've been working on. I've had these pieces for some time now, but I haven't posted them up here so I thought I should. :) I haven't had access to time or a good camera for awhile, and I haven't taken any pictures of my new pieces, but I'm very excited about them. I'll bum a camera off someone soon and get pictures up here for you guys to take a look at.

Chainmail Earrings
These earrings were a collaboration between myself and my "assistant", Scott. They are handmade using natural shell buttons, pewter jump rings, and Czech glass beads. They're $15 if you're intrested in purchasing them.

Black Orb Earrings
These earrings are made from Czech glass beads and silver costume wire. The earring hooks are hypoallergenic. They are handmade by me, Izzee. They're $15 if you're intrested in them.

If you'd like to purchase something, or you just have some questions, please email at izzeejewelry@yahoo.com. Thanks and have an amazing day!
-Izzee

Busy busy busy

I have been INCREDIBLY busy lately. I made 4 multi-strand necklaces, and I'm so proud of all of them. I will be getting pictures of them up A.S.A.P., I just need to find the time [I seem to have so little of it these days.] Scheduling only works when others cooperate!
I have a memorial service to go to tomorrow. The assistant pastor's mother died on Sunday. :(

Hope you all have had a great week!
-Izzee

Happy Beginning of June!

I've been pretty busy working on so many things I haven't been able to update over here. But I have discovered a few things.

1. Polyvore is an amazing place that I can use to showcase my jewelry and show outfits you can put together around it. For example:

Evening Out by Odotta featuring Stella McCartney shoes

2. Art and craft fairs are going to be the best place for me to showcase and sell my jewelry.

So I'll be going around to some art and craft fairs here in Oklahoma City this summer, and I'll regularly post on my excursions.

Thanks for reading and God bless!
-Izzee

Blackberry Necklace

This necklace is made using black sandstone chips and glass beads. I can make necklaces like this using red or black sandstone chips, malachite, amethyst, and lapis chips. Send me an email at izzeejewelry@yahoo.com and let me know what chips you'd like and the color beads you want me to use. The necklace will be 18" unless you specify a longer or shorter length.

Handmade Howlite Turquoise Bracelet - Sold

This bracelet is handmade using howlite turquoise beads. This particular one has been purchased already, but if you like the design and you're interested in purchasing one, please send me an email at izzeejewelry@yahoo.com. Thanks!