Heads up! My “Made to Order” costume designs will be de-listed on Wednesday September 15th. After that, my Halloween offerings will be limited to options that are “Ready to Ship”. I may or may not make these designs available for order again after Halloween – it just depends on how crazy my order queue gets (it’s been pretty crazy, if that’s any indicator).⠀ ⠀ So if you’ve been planning to order one of these designs, now’s the time! ⠀ ⠀ I will have a few more one of a kind + ready made offerings before the end of the spooky season. I strongly encourage you to order your costume items early this year.⠀
In December of 2019, I put all of my leather masks and costume items on sale with the intention of liquidating my inventory. When the sale (and the year) ended, I chose a few pieces for my collection. The remainder was donated to charity, with the intention of starting fresh in 2020.
I expected to start the new decade with a brand new look and a brand new direction … with masks being much less of a focus. In retrospect, 2020 is probably not the year to stop making masks! With that being said, I’ve pulled a few pieces that I set aside for my own collection, and added them back to the site. You can find them here.
Over the last week or so, I’ve begun playing around in the studio again. In doing so, I came across a handful of special costume pieces that were not completed in time for Halloween 2019. Rather than letting them languish down there unloved, I’ve decided to finish them in time for Halloween 2020. I’m not going to make myself crazy with “production” work this year – but I do hope to finish a few of these special designs. These will be added to the site over the next couple of months, as they’re completed.
Hi friends! Here’s my Halloween 2019 ordering info, to assist with your costume party planning:
Availability –
“Ready to Ship” items are in stock and ready to ship quickly
“Made to Order” listings for existing designs from my catalogue can take 1-3 weeks to create, before shipping. These listings will be available until October 1st, 2019.
“Custom Work” designed to your specifications can take 2-4 weeks to create, before shipping. An estimated timeline will be provided in advance. * Very limited availability ~ Halloween commissions close 9/15/19 *
Suggested ordering dates for probable delivery by 10/31/19 –
✫ USA:
1st Class Mail – order by Oct 22nd
Priority Mail – order by Oct 25th
Priority Express Mail – order Oct 28th
✫ INTERNATIONAL:
1st Class Mail – order by Sept 20th
Priority Mail – order by Oct 15th
Priority Express Mail – order by Oct 22nd
USPS 1st Class Mail is the default shipping method. Expedited shipping options are available at checkout.
While I’d hoped to have more to share tonight, it just wasn’t in the cards. As is typical for the Pacific Northwest this time of year, it has been dark and gloomy and dumping rain all week. Not ideal weather for photography (in fact, I’ll likely go back and re-photograph many of these pieces the next time that the weather is favorable). Perhaps I’ll trickle in a few more pieces over the weekend if time and light allows.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy the pieces that I’ve shared tonight! Also, just a friendly reminder that my holiday ordering dates are coming up quickly. If you’re in the US, there’s still time to order for the holidays, though I’d urge you not to procrastinate too much!
Year end Sale (*added 12/15) ~
Enjoy tiered discounts through the end of 2018:
* Orders of $50+ enjoy 10% off
* Orders of $100+ enjoy 15% off
* Orders of $200+ enjoy 25% off
Hopefully, this helps you with your holiday shopping, and it certainly helps me to clear the way for new work in the year ahead! Thank you for empowering me to do what I love for a living!
Sale runs from 12/15/18 – 12/31/18
Cali Love Fire Benefit Tattoo & Holiday Gift Bazaar on Sunday 12/16 ~
Last but not least, I mentioned in my last post that my November giveaway winner is choosing to donate her prize to the Cali Love Fire Benefit Tattoo & Holiday Gift Bazaar this Sunday 12/16 at Eye of the Tiger Tattoo in San Francisco. The proceeds from this event will go to benefit the families who are working to rebuild their lives after the #Campfire in Paradise, CA last month. Two of my friends’ families lost their home in that fire, so this event is near and dear to my heart. With that said, I am choosing to match Angel’s donation of my Sacred Heart sugar skull mask, by adding a second “Abuelita” sugar skull mask. If you’re in the Bay Area this weekend, please consider attending and supporting this special cause!
I’m going to try something new, and hold a customer appreciation giveaway each month until the end of the year. If it goes well, I’ll continue the tradition in 2019. Since this new adventure begins on All Soul’s Day, I’m offering this handcrafted day of the dead mask as the very first handmade giveaway gift.
To enter, just send a photo of yourself wearing my work & allow me to share it on my sites + social media. There are several ways that you can share your photo – the very best way is to scroll down to use the handy form that I created just for this purpose, but you can also just share the images to Facebook or Instagram and tag me along with a comment that you’d like it to serve as a giveaway entry.
For each photo that you share, you’ll receive one entry good for the remainder of the year. For a second entry, share a story about who you are, what you do, and/or why my work resonates with you. And yes, you may submit photos that you’ve sent in the past, IF you include a damned good story!
Each month, I’ll draw one winning name. November’s winner will be chosen on Friday 11/30 at 6 pm PST
I’m doing this because your photos really do mean the world to me! I absolutely LOVE seeing my work out there in the wild, being enjoyed by cool people. More importantly, I love hearing your stories and learning about the amazing things that you do in the world! When you share who you are and why you enjoy my work, it motivates me to keep creating and to continue to improve.
Those photos and connections mean more than I can say. So I’d like to foster that, and to let you know how much I appreciate you. Thanks so much for supporting my craft, and for always inspiring me!
Found this little mini-mask kicking around the studio the other day… it’s an oldie, probably circa 1997 or ’98. I used to offer these as brooches and pendants. Haven’t made one in forever and a day, and didn’t think I had any left!
As this photo suggests, I’m already up to my elbows in Halloween prep! I’ve had several requests for custom costumes, so it seems like a good time to let everyone know that commission spots will be very limited this year. Like, extremely limited. So if you’re hoping to have something made from scratch to your specifications, you should definitely contact me soon! To order a one of a kind costume piece, please visit the “Custom Work” section of my website, and fill out the inquiry form there. This form outlines the info that I’ll need in order to understand your project, and it will really streamline the process for both of us. My commission spots fill up quickly, so please don’t put this off!
Last but not least, I’ll be adding a small selection of unique, one of a kind masks and costume accessories this year. Keep an eye on my website, as well as my Facebook fan page, in order to see these pieces as they’re added.
And just to reiterate: Halloween commissions will be very limited this year. If you’d like a custom costume, now’s the time to get in touch. Please don’t be one of those silly people who contacts me three days (or even 3 weeks) before Halloween in hopes of commissioning a one of a kind piece!
I designed this original leather mask in 2013. It’s part of an ongoing series that began in 2001 – each one is unique, but shares similar lines and details. It would seem that the design has recently been copied by another artist, who is marketing it as his own.
Sadly, this stuff happens daily. If it was an isolated incident, I might be more able to let it roll off my back – but it’s not. It’s extremely frustrating, but I try to keep my mouth shut, because everyone tells me to take the high road. To “be better, not bitter” – and honestly, I want that too. Unfortunately, there are so many of these copycats these days that the “high road” is starting to feel like a lonely ledge… and it gets harder and harder to make a living doing what I love (or to love what I do for a living) from that place.
This really hits me where I live, and I don’t know how to put a “positive” or “professional” spin on it. To my fellow aspiring artists, I cannot encourage you enough to be respectful of your peers (and yourself). Be honorable, be original, and don’t steal.
This gallery showcases many (but certainly not all!) of the designs that I’ve done in this series. I hope it offers a sense of the time that spent honing and evolving these signature pieces. Many of these designs were commissioned to incorporate symbols or ideas that were personal and significant to them. Please be honorable, and respect my craftsmanship, my livelihood, and the wonderful people who’ve helped to support that process.
Nighthawk v1
Starlight Filigree Bird
Blackbird Leather Mask
Nighthawk v20
Forest Bird Duet Masks
Forest Bird Duet Masks
Longnose Firebird
Darkling Leather Mask
Crimson Burlesque Bird
Roots and Wings
Circus Bird
Burgundy Burlesque Bird
Raven Queen
Devil Bird
Blue Burlesque
Filigree Bird Mask
Winged Blackbird
Venetian Peacock
Purple Raven
Purple Raven
Gilded Parrot
Gilded Parrot Mask
Spirit Raven leather mask
Blue Burlesque Raven mask
Feathery Blackbird
“Venetian Bird Mask”
Earth Spirit Bird
Earth Spirit Bird
Raven Queen V2
Leather peacock mask and crown.
sculpted leather raven mask with vintage filigree accents
Hello friends! I’m already getting quite a few requests for custom work for Halloween. On that note, I have good news and bad news:
* The bad news (just to get it out of the way) is that commission slots will be very limited this season. My apologies in advance, but I’m taking on several new commitments this fall, and I know that I’ll need to be protective of my health and sanity if I’m to accomplish all that I hope to!
* The GOOD news is that I’ll start accepting custom orders again very soon, and past customers will get first dibs on those commission slots. If we’ve worked together before – and especially if we have already discussed your idea – your project will have priority.
This piece is a work in progress. It’s a new iteration of my “Lady of the Leaves” design, which I usually create in either summer or fall colors. She was inspired by the first blooms of spring.
When I shared this piece on my facebook fan page, and asked for suggestions for a name, “Lady of the Roses” was the one that I liked best. It fits well with the rest of the series … and I suppose that once she’s finished, I’ll need to create a “Lady of Winter” too.
You must be logged in to post a comment.