Tattoo Expo 2013!

Another year has come and gone... I can hardly believe it. So when our annual Tucson Tattoo Expo came around again in Spring of 2013, I felt as if we had just done the last one! I wasn't complaining, though, as it's always a blast!

Our jewelry booth this year was better than ever! Me (Essem Design), as well as the other Stacy (Running With Scissors), both had freshly designed banners, we had a new grid wall with pegs to display more product, and tons of new bling to debut! We were just as excited to see some of the same faces like our fave AZ tattooers, other vendors, and loyal customers just as much as making new friends over the weekend.

 

 

 

Our awesome friend, Leia, was the emcee for most of the weekend and I even got to be a judge in the Pinup Contest. Props to all the contestants, it takes a lot of guts to get on stage and get scrutinized by everyone.

And of course, let's not forget the main event... the ink!!! I love taking snapshots of the all the amazing tattoos I get to see over the weekend! This gal was so awesome, she turned out to be a huge shark lover like me.

Love this knuckle tat! Get it?

And who used to read these books when they were a kid?! I did, and I read them now to my 6-year old son almost every night, so I just had to get a photo of it to show him.

OK, and we just thought this was hilarious. This guy was so nice and such a good sport!

I didn't get any new ink of my own this year, which sucked, but I did get my usual shopping items like new swag from Villain Clothing, Civilian Press, and Razorz Edge.

Until next year... ciao!

XOXO, Lil' Stacy (the one on the left, see? 'cause I'm shorter)

Hissyfits Hullabaloo!

Hands down, one of my FAVE yearly events for vending my jewelry is the Hissyfits Hullabaloo! Its always fun and full of beautiful wares and handcrafted items! All the hip mamas in Phoenix know that Hissyfits is the coolest little kid/baby consignment shop all year 'round. This past event was back in Nov and I am just now posting pics of me and Stacy H., who came up from from Tucson to help me sell Essem Design. It was a blast! But then again, we could have been selling horse manure, and we would still have fun!

XO, Stacy M.

Better Times, Bitter Times

Filling our days around here is no hard feat! Stacy H. and I chat on the phone about how in every possible snippet of free time we are working on jewelry, listing a new item in our shops, or scouring the internet for awesome supplies to inspire us. Making time for our creative endeavors is definitely not easy between baby bottles, cooking, laundry, potty training accidents, etc but without time to ourselves, we would go insane LOL. Even if a we lose a few winks in exchange for running a kitsch jewelry online shop, it's worth it!

So I just wanted to share a few of the newest things we've been losing sleep over! Check out these SUPER cute tattoo-style earrings from Stacy's shop, Running With Scissors! Perfect for tattoo art lovers or an awesome accessory for those who arent tattooed but would still like to look a little edgy ;)

We have also been madly preparing for the holidays and upcoming events that we will be setting up booths at. I am going to be at Hissyfits' HUGE craft fair up here in Phoenix and we are also both going to be at next year's Tucson Tattoo Expo which we are very excited about!

We will update you with info closer to each event. In the meantime, Stacy H. will be giving away a FREE pair of these "Better Times, Bitter Times" tattoo flash earrings! As usual, just leave a comment below! If you dont have a Blogspot profile please leave your email address in your comment in case you win! Winner will be drawn Halloween night!

Good Luck and feel free to leave comments on stuff you would like to see us make in the future!

XOXO, Stacy M.

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EDIT: 11/16/09 Winner is Ali! Thx for reading our blog and hope these earrings bring you good luck and better times ;)

FREE makeup/jewelry clutch!!

Hey ya'll we just wanted to put the blast out there that we are giving away these ADORABLE zippered pouches absolutely free with any purchase of $25+ or more! This is going on in both my shop, Essem Design and the other Stacy's shop, Running With Scissors! You can use them for just about anything... makeup, school supplies, traveling and of course jewelry LOL. It's our way of saying thanks for being an awesome customer and supporting handmade artists!

Have a great weekend everyone :)

~Stacy M.

GET YOUR OWN IDENTITY B*TCH!!!

okay, okay...so they say the best form of flattery is immitation so let me know if I'm wrong here, but I'm pissed!!
Soooo there's this total C*NT on Etsy who's like TOTALLY copying the designs of like EVERY resin artist on Etsy, me and Lil Stacy included. It's to the point where there is NOTHING in her shop that is original and everything she has is an EXACT REPLICA of an item in another persons shop.....to the tune of 250 items!!! And.....oh it gets worse....AND she's using the same titles and actually COPYING AND PASTING OUR TEXT TOO!!! She is actually using OUR words in her listings, shop announcement, etc!!! The icing on the cake...are you ready for this??? In her shop announcement she says "please don't redistribute or copy my original designs" WTF EVER!!! I'll show you original B*TCH!!! Lil Stace and I composed a very...uh....professional message and sent it to her to no avail....of course!!! I'd love to out this b*tch but I don't want to give her ANY publicity AT ALL!!!! Any advice???

~Stacy H.

Our next giveaway is..... Essem Design!!!

Yes!! It is true!!! We both want to participate in giveaways to our readers!!! We appreciate you and want to share our great stuff too!!! In this post I have the honor of reviewing my blogging bff and her magnificent creations!!! If you have seen anything this girl has made you know what I'm talking about!! Stacy Marshall, the woman behind Essem Design, is one of the most talented artists I've ever met and I am lucky to have her as a friend and partner!! Her meticulous attention to detail make her creations not only one of a kind but the peak of perfection!! Not only can she graphic design, paint, and decopage, she is the resin QUEEN!! She has an incredible eye for perfect color combinations and is always making us all oooh and ahhh with her goregous photography to top it off!!! Seriously, there is nothing she can't do!! You really cannot skip this giveaway girls!! I mean it!! Essem Design will be giving the winner of this giveaway a super hot yellow gunslinger resin necklace!!! The eighties are back!! Stay with it and rock this hot accessory this summer!!! To win this item simply leave a comment below about the item up for grabs or anything in Essem Design's shop!! www.essemdesign.etsy.com If you do not have a blogger profile please leave your email address in your comment so we can contact you if you win!!! Good Luck!!

~Stacy H

Winner Chosen!! October 15th 2009
Chrissy Myers you are the lucky winner!! Add this amazing piece to your EXTENSIVE Essem Design jewelry collection!!! We love you!!

Hatchizzi - what a team!

This week's giveaway comes from Hatchizzi! Hatchizzi is a dynamic duo of soon-to-be newlyweds, Lauren and Gabe, that had the great idea to put their creative energy together and start making great handmade jewelry! Two minds are better than one, right?




Ok, check out this shop because their jewelry is beautifully handcrafted and lends a very organic, yet glamorous feeling to anyone wearing it! They also have an awesome variety to choose from and the materials they use vary too, from glass beads, pearls, glass crystals and even wood. Hatchizzi welcomes custom orders if you are looking for specific colors in a piece or if you want to order matching sets for your bridesmaids!

Right now they are giving away not just one piece, but this stunning bracelet/earring set called Keira. So leave your comments people and we will draw a winner in about a month!

~Stacy M.






Winner update: Kim! I will be emailing the winner :)

This week's artist: ARTCSARA!

Okay folks, Stacy and I took a lil break from blogging for Thanksgiving weekend but now we are back in full swing! And I brought along with me a wonderful new artist this week, artcsara. I picked her to feature because this artist's beadwork is detailed and her prices are OH SO REASONABLE! And just when you thought you couldnt find anything for Aunt Becky who is SO hard to please LOL. She has OOAK (one of a kind) wine charm sets starting at just $6.25 which is amazing!




Ok so her Etsy shop is DEF worth checking out and all you need to do is leave a comment here, telling us your thoughts about artcsara and you could win this FREE colorful set of wine charms! Cause you know, everyone walks around a holiday party asking, "Is this my glass or yours? I dont know... I think mine was more full..." LOL

Hope everyone had a great Turkey Day and reflected on all the great things in life to be happy for :) Now let the holiday madness begin...

~Stacy M.

01/07/09 WINNER UPDATE: Angel in Phoenix Arizona!! Congrats! BTW people, I use random.org to "draw a winner out of a hat" for me so its totally unbiased :)

Running With Scissors is on the LOOSE!

I'm totally breaking the old rule and I'm running with scissors! I have found 2 local shops that are now showcasing my merch!!

I have a bunch of my punk rock baby stuff and also some super-hot jewelry showcasing in Bohemia! If you haven't been in that place I totally suggest it! It's called an artisans emporium and it totally lives up to it's title! They have some of the craziest stuff ever in there and everything is handmade by local artists!

I have some necklaces and earrings showcasing in a tattoo shop also! It's called Inkaholics Anonymous and it has the best retail area of any tattoo shop I've seen! They have a TON of cool piercing jewelry and now they are selling my crazy, punk rock jewelry too!! (even though my daughter Violet christened their shop with a huge poopy diaper when I went to drop off my stuff....LOL)

Check it out for yourselves!!!
Bohemia: http://www.bohemiatucson.com/

Inkaholics Anonymous: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=311947676

I will keep you posted on all my new business ventures! Wish me luck!
Stacy H.