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2012 Costume Contest Winner

Congratulations to Sherri C, the winner of my 2012 costume contest! Sherri won a $50 store credit at my Etsy shop 🙂

Many thanks to all of the participants — I really appreciate you, and I love being able to celebrate and give a little something back. Please remember that even if you didn’t win the contest, everyone who shares a photo of their costume using one of my masks or accessories gets 10% off their next purchase!

There were some really fun entries this year. You can click here to see them all.

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Thank You!

Sugar skull fascinator © Andrea Adams 2012

Whew! Another Halloween has come and gone, and man was it a whirlwind. I had a lot of fun, and met some truly amazing people. For whatever reason, “serendipity” seems to be the keyword in my transactions this season, which makes me incredibly happy.

I have been doing this for many years now, but I still learn something new each time around. This year had quite a few lessons, and there are several things that I intend to do differently — hopefully, better — next year; but overall, it was quite a successful Halloween. Many, many thanks to my fabulous customers for that!

Entries for my annual costume contest are due tomorrow. If you haven’t already submitted a photo, please send it soon! I’m excited to see everyone’s costumes, and to be able to give a little something back (the winner gets a $50 credit at my Etsy shop)

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2012 Virtual Costume Contest!

These were the winners of my 2011 contest

Happy October everyone!

Many of you will remember that last year I held a virtual costume contest for my customers. It was so much fun that I’ve decided to make it an annual thing!

To Enter:

Contest Rules:

  • Your entry constitutes consent for me to use your photo on my blog, facebook page, website and/or Etsy shop. Contestants under 18 must provide written parental permission, or they will be disqualified.
  • Your costume must include at least one of my products.
  • Multiple entries are fine, as long as each entry showcases a different costume.
  • Gift certificate has no cash value, and can only be redeemed for ready to ship items (no custom designs) in my Etsy shop. Certificate expires on October 31st, 2013. 

Winner Selection:
On November 3rd, 2012 I’ll create a special album on facebook for the entry photos. My fans will be asked to judge the contest by “liking” their favorite entry. The contestant whose photo has the most “likes” by 12:00am PST on November 10th, 2012 will win a $50 gift certificate to my Etsy shop.
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Season’s close…

Wow, what a great Halloween season! I know it sounds weird to call it a “season” since Halloween is really just a “day” — but I prepare for this far in advance, so it feels like a full season to me. 

This year, I got to work with some of the coolest customers ! I also learned a lot. I’ve been doing this for well over a decade now, and there have been quite a few years where Halloween kicked my ass and totally wrecked my hands, too. I love the flurry of sales, but it’s still harsh when I’m bandaging my wrists and alternating heat and ice packs on my hands by the end of October; and of course, my family doesn’t enjoy seeing me babbling incoherently amidst a pile of leather scraps and glitter. They may find it amusing, but they don’t enjoy it.  I guess I can get a little mean…

With that said, I was determined to pace myself this year. For the most part, I think I did a pretty good job — as evidenced by the fact that I am even capable of writing this. There’s still room for improvement,  and I see several things that I can do differently next year. So there was a learning curve, but it wasn’t as steep as years past. I’m extremely happy about that.

My customers were amazingly positive, patient and encouraging, and I cannot express my gratitude enough. The closest I can come is to offer you all a 15% discount off all orders in my Etsy shop from now through Friday, November 4th, 2011. To take advantage of this offer, simply use the code “thankyou” at check out.
 
I’ve posted a few of my awesome customers’ costumes here. If you’d like to see more, please visit my 2011 Virtual Costume Contest on facebook (don’t forget to vote for your favorites by “liking” them!) 

Now that Halloween is over, I think I’ll take a brief respite from mask making so that I can focus on hair accessories and beaded jewelry. My beads have been calling to me for months now, and I’m more than ready to listen. Beadwork is slow and meditative — perfect for winter, and for unwinding after the bustle of Halloween madness.
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Contest Rules Updated!

Just a quick note about my 2011 virtual costume contest — I’ve opted to change the rules just a tiny bit. Originally, I had set the end date for voting  as November 15th, 2011 — I have shortened it by one week, and set a new end date of November 7th, 2011.

Why? Because I really don’t think you’ll need 2 full weeks to vote. Also, because time is of the essence! I am hitting the road for 2 weeks as of November 18th. It occurred to me that the winner might like to use the store credit toward holiday gifts, in which case, I’d like to accommodate them sooner rather than later. Thanks for your understanding, and I do hope you’ll participate!

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Virtual Costume Contest!

photo © JLHaberman 2011

Autumn is my favorite season. I love the changing light, the changing leaves, and the glorious colors of fall. I also love the fact that my business kicks into hyperdrive this time of year.

The pace can get a little (read: incredibly) intense, but I really enjoy it. My customers are amazingly creative people, and I have so much fun helping them to actualize their costuming ideas! Every year, I am blown away by the bizarre, clever, beautiful and amusing ways that people incorporate my masks into their costumes. In doing so, they create new persona (or reveal hidden ones) tell stories and incite mischief. Simply put, they create magic 🙂

This year, I thought it would be fun to share a bit of that magic, so I’m celebrating my incredible customers with a virtual costume contest. The winning contestant will receive a $50 gift certificate to my Etsy shop. You can enter any time from October 1st – 31st, and the winner will be announced on November 15th. Hop on over to my website for entry details — and please consider joining in my little celebration! 🙂