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)

Tucson Tattoo Expo 2012

Oh man, did we have fun this year at the 4th Annual Tucson Tattoo Expo! For Essem Design and Running With Scissors, this is by far our FAVE event to be vendors at. We had bloody marys, got new ink, hung out with our industry friends, met new peeps, watched a suspension show, shopped, and had a hotel room with a jacuzzi in it to top it all off! Oh ya, and we got to sell some of our handmade jewelry, too, which is also a bonus.

If it looks like I've had a couple of drinks... it's because I'd had.

This pretty lady had the awesomest Chanel tattoo!

POC, betches! (Pop of color)

I was just in love with her awesome MLP tattoos! I have one, too, so she's a girl after my own heart.

Gettin my skull kitty inked! Dustin from Creepshow Tattoo took it right from my necklace.

Stacy H. and Sadie Salvo

Also, hope you guys like our fresh, new blog design! We hope to be bringing you some more blog posts on a regular basis!

Lots o' Love, Stacy M.

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.

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.

REAL product reviews!!

Ok people, Imma gripe for a lil' bit... as an blogger and an artist, I am kind of tired of being approached by people who do "product reviews" on their blog where you have to not only send an item to the person doing said review, but also on as a giveaway to a reader. So I have to come out of pocket 2 items so that maybe you get traffic to my site? Some say this is very successful. I dunno, I understand that the reviewer has to see the items in person to give a good review... but more often is just seems like a ploy for any random person with a blog to get free stuff.

Ok I am gonna stand up and respectfuly say NO! All the giveaways we have done here at Lipgloss and Razorblades are items of our crafter friends who we can personally vouch for their handywork OR items from fellow crafters we have actually purchased! Wow, how's that for an idea!! In this economy, I truly believe in supporting other artists! Buying handmade means you are supporting that person and their family directly! And if you really think someone is worthy of featuring on your blog, then they should be worthy of you yourself purchasing an item from them and supporting them! It's good karma too!

On to the good stuff! I have been dying to post pics of these awesome baby bibs I bought for my now 4 month old girl, Stella, made by Palm Tree Princess! I buy a lots of online baby stuff (the only thing I buy more of is my craft supplies!) and these bibs are SO cute and well made! I got a pink cupcake and a light blue Hello Kitty one! They have absorbant backing and are stitched beautifully. The cute big button closure is a plus for me too cause I hate velcro. So I just wanted to giver her shop a shout out, especially when there are SO many crafters on Etsy, you could spend hours searching for who you think has the best stuff. So, from one mom to another, these are a great find for anyone who loves unique, handcrafted baby stuff!

Her hair bow is by Katie at Lucky Lemon Accessories who is due to have her baby boy ANY day now! She is another great crafter I love. I know, I know, there's a lot of bows out there but really, her stuff is made meticulously with now glue poking out or anything! I was super impressed.

Also, in the future the other Stacy and I will be reviewing other items we have purchased and give you the low down on what stuff we loved!

PLUS, our next few giveaways are going to be our own items that we made and come from inventory in our own shops! All of our giveaways from other artists go directly to the winner, we dont ask for free merch from anyone!

Speaking of giveaways... Stacy H. hasnt picked a winner for the hot yellow Gunslinger Necklace yet! Scroll down, its a totally cute kitsch piece from me, Essem Design! Its still up for grabs, so go comment to be entered to win!!

Check back for updates, trends, info and more awesome giveaways in the future too :) We are building new websites for own online shops and we post hot new items all the time, so there's a lot we're brewing!

XOXO, Stacy M.

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!!

Check out Kitten Koffin Zombies!

Checkout these smokin' hot pinup models and they also have a calendar out for 2009! What a great gift for your tattooed brother, that crazy uncle or that dude you got for the gift exchange at work.

I also have a few EXCLUSIVE items from Essem Design in their shop that you wont find in my Etsy shop... why? Cause my stuff's OOAK baby!

*MUAH* Stacy M.

http://www.kittenkoffinzombies.com/