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Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
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2:34 pm - Happy Birthday Jeremy!!!! & 4th of July Wrap-Up!
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I have spread my dreams beneath your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
W.B. Yeats
Happy birthday Jeremy!!!!!!!!!!! It's only been two years, but you have made yourself an integral part of my life. If we were plants, I don't think someone could separate us without eternally damaging our roots. Thank you for getting up every Saturday and sitting with me at Farmer's Market just because you want to. Thank you for taking care of me when I'm sick (if you're not already drunk! Ha ha! Just kidding!) For better or worse, you make my days more interesting ;)
My sister just turned 21 on Saturday:) Sometimes I just cannot believe time flies the way it does!!
We are taking a break this weekend from our usual Farmer's Market to go camping! We're doing it as a good job/birthday present/getaway. It's kind of a big deal because I do not miss Farmer's Market unless we are doing a show in another state over the weekend. I think we need to go somewhere where I can't look at the computer or obsess over things that need to get done. I have SO MUCH to do before Dragon*Con in the next 6 weeks, not to mention we have 2 weekend long events and Farmer's Markets in between, but I don't think it will help any if I end up going crazy first;) So a quick breather it is! I have also been spending a lot of time looking over contracts this week. It makes me a little anxious trying to decide if I'm always making the best decisions. I think I've learned a lot from my fellow fantasy artists, but I swear you can ask 5 people about a company, and they don't always have the same experience. As soon as it all becomes real and I actually have some merchandise materialize, I'll post about them. It's like I want to talk about it now, but I don't want it to dissolve or fall through and end up feeling like an ass. Ya know? It's really stressful, but I think I'll just mention it this one last time, release it from my brain, then wait until I have something to show for it. It must be so boring to read about it when I have to be so tight lipped.
The Melba "Old Tyme" 4th of July was crazy!! We were there selling from 9am-10:30pm. We were pretty much busy all day. We packed up as it started to get dark so we could enjoy the fireworks. I think if I do it next year, I will pay for power and sell even after the fireworks are over. I would still get to see the fireworks since everything shuts down for the display. People were still buying on their way out of the place. Then we went to Farmer's Market in the morning. It was an average day. I think everyone was sleeping in from the night before. So the sales part of the weekend went fabulously, but I ended up getting sick at the Bonfire:/ I didn't even drink. I was actually throwing up by midnight. I went home, threw up some more, then slept till the morning. I was so bummed! I thought I was going to work hard, then play hard! I guess I was burned out by the previous day. Either that or I am getting to that age where you can't work AND play hard! It's one or the other, man! The money we made at the Melba 4th of July was amazing, but if it falls to close to our annual bonfire, I may have to make a tough call over whether or not I do it next year. I really hated missing out on being able to fully enjoy everyone.
My brother was here last week with his girlfriend. It's the one time a year I get to see him. He lives in Washington. On Friday we went to see Hellboy II: The Golden Army. I just went to be part of the group, but I actually really ended up liking it. I really loved the Guillermo del Toro/fantasy creature side of it! Speaking of del Toro, Jeremy and I just watched The Orphanage. It was really my kind of weird movie!! I see some of myself in her O_o
I know my posts sound like the same 'ol same 'ol all the time. Pretty much we just spend our time working towards a show, crossing it off our calendar, then planning for the next one. I am lucky that they have all been really successful. I just don't think I'll have the energy to do this again next year. So we're trying to push as hard as we can this year! Make hay while the sun shines:)
Well, as usual, I am avoiding a paperwork deadline. I need to finish up so I can start painting. So I must sign off now!!!
XOXO!!
current mood:  busy
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| Thursday, July 3rd, 2008
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1:56 pm - LUSH, 4th of July Show Appearances, & Benson Bonfire!
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I know some of my friends love LUSH! I had no idea how few stores they actually have in the U.S. Well, Boulder, CO has one. I made the mistake of going in there! ACK!! You get to touch everything! Smell everything! How can people work there without giving their paychecks right back over? I came out with a few new bath stuffs! Yummy! I just took a Happy Pill! You can't really see it in the picture, but it has a dent down the center like the old baby aspirin. It gave me a few minutes to start reading Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire. He also wrote Wicked :)
Our power keeps going off. It's supposed to be over 100 degrees today, so I think all the power is being pulled by air conditioners in the windows. I'm sure some of you remember me mentioning it last year. I think we are going to start bugging the landlord again to either rewire the entire house (yeah right!! LOLOLOL) or put in central air. Which is unfortunate for the guy that lives downstairs because he will be dependent on us. Anyway, it's annoying because the power outage stopped my printer mid-print. Last year it messed up my computer. I have a lot of safeguards now! Anyway, I'd like to get ready for tomorrow's show in peace! In cool peace;)
So just in case any of my local yokels are reading my LJ, don't forget! I'll be in Melba with a booth tomorrow and back at Farmer's Market on Saturday!
Melba Old Tyme 4th of July Celebration Friday, JULY 4th, 2008
Melba, ID- for directions and event info, please visit their website: http://www.melba4thofjuly.com
This Year's Theme: "Let the Good Times Roll". The Melba community is dedicated to presenting to the public the best Independence Day Celebration in the State of Idaho following the guidelines laid down by President Adams. 2008 will be the 15th year of this production of a celebration such as our fore-fathers enjoyed filled with fun, laughter, games, events for all ages and culminating with the GRANDEST display of fireworks in the entire valley. We welcome you to come and share the day with the Melba, Idaho community.
Nampa Farmer's Market - Saturday July 5th 9 am to 1 pm
Historical Downtown Nampa, ID - for directions, please visit their website: http://www.nampafarmersmarket.com
In historic Downtown Nampa in front of the Historical Museum of the train depot, the market has grown to an average of 40 to 50 vendors per week, offering a large variety of produce, foods, crafts, plants and flowers from local vendors. It is a bustling community of farmers, crafters, and bakers selling their wares. I will have a tent where I will be selling my prints, perfume oils, sculptures, cross stitch patterns, etc. I will also be available for signings and photographs!
7th Annual Benson Bonfire - Saturday July 5th
If you've attended in the past, you know the drill!
Have a wonderful weekend everyone! I hope everyone at least gets to light a sparkler! They are smelly but beautiful little things!
XOXO!!!!!!!
current mood:  chipper
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| Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008
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3:00 pm - Back from INATS, weekend Art Shows, and 4th of July!!!
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I'm back from INATS! It was pretty neat all around! I had little idea what to expect, but it's only a 12 hour drive for us, so I couldn't resist:) I said I would do all the shows I wanted this year, and take a break to paint more next year. With the exception of seeing a few pictures of tables/booths from previous years, I was just winging it. I rented a 1/2 booth, and they put me with another person I had never met. It felt a little crazy at first trying to organize the space, but fortunately, I had an awesome booth mate, Robyn Savela of Held in Love Crystal Pillows. If you can't tell, she makes pillows for your crystals to stand/sit on. They are pretty nifty! It makes sense that crystals need pillows if you want them to stand up:)
( CLICK HERE - to see a couple more table shots and read about my adventures at INATS... )
Now we are getting ready for the weekend. I vend at the Melba Old Tyme 4th of July all day Friday. I am excited because it's a family tradition for us to watch fireworks there every year:) Then I have Farmer's Market here in Nampa on Saturday morning. Then later that night is the 7th Annual Benson Bonfire! Woohoo! This is the one time a year I get to see my brother:) YAY!! So after I work my butt off the next few days, I can party like a rockstar! If I make it past the first few shots that is;) If you've been with me through the years, you're probably familiar with the post-event updates! LOL
I now have 13 skellies to paint for a couple of fans. They aren't INATS related commissions in case anyone was wondering. I just thought it was neat to have 13! LOL
I have been slowly trying to ease myself back into some of my LJ friend's lives, so please be patient with me:) I have to get ready for Friday. I haven't even unpacked since returning yesterday. I need to get a move on! There is a lot to do before I start setting up tomorrow night. If I don't talk to anyone before the weekend, have a GREAT 4th of July!!! I will spend my time trying to keep the skellies from blowing off too many finger bones!!
I leave you with this:
I mentioned the awesomeness under the cut;)
XOXO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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| Thursday, June 12th, 2008
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7:37 pm - New "Pistachio Dreams" prints, "Wizard of Oz" Set, & skelly prints!
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Happy Thursday! Right now I'm getting ready for INATS West in Denver. I can't believe it's only two weeks away. It is such a different show. Instead of loading up like I would for all my other shows where I sell directly to fans, I actually have to try and catch the attention of store owners who will buy wholesale. It is definitely something new for me. I'm designing promotional postcards, not to mention redesigning the packaging of my cameos, making promo packs, etc. It will definitely be an experience:)
Here is my most recent commission! This is Becky and Pistachio from Bling Bling 4 Pets! When she told me her kitty's name is Pistachio, I just could not resist making the sky the color of pistachio pudding! I was able to infuse so much cuteness! I about died when I learned I could use a lot of pink and a frog and lizard were to be involved! LOL I think this painting may be the cutest painting that I have done to date! I wasn't sure anything was ever going to rival "My Rococo Valentine"! If a cupcake threw up, it would look just like this:) YUMMY!!!!!!!!!
Pistachio Dreams - Prints Available
Pistachio Dreams - 8x10 Prints
Pistachio Dreams - 12x16 Prints
I listed a several sets of my "Wizard of Oz" prints on sale! They are regularly $13.99 each (making the entire set $41.97) but you can get all three prints for $30:)
Set of 3 "Wizard of Oz" prints on sale!
And my newest skelly paintings are now available as prints:
"Basketball Skelly" - 5x7 Print
"Devil Skelly" - 5x7 Print
"Winged Skull" - 5x7 Print
"Wedding Couple" - 5x7 Print
"Love Goggles Bride" - 5x7 Print
"Love Goggles Groom" - 5x7 Print
Last night Jeremy made the best Indian food! It was Channa Aloo which has chick peas and potatoes in it! I can't stop eating it, and I definitely cannot stop getting heartburn! Why must I love Indian food so?
So, that's about it for now! Tomorrow will be more of the same, and Saturday is Farmer's Market! Rinse. Lather. Repeat:)
Have a great evening!!!!!
XOXO!!!!!!
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| Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
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11:33 pm - New Paintings, Dragon*Con, Farmer's Market Saturday!
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I have received e-mails asking if I will be returning to Dragon*Con this year. YES, I WILL BE AT DRAGON*CON THIS YEAR! Last year I had a bazaar table in the Art Gallery, but this year, I will be in the Dealer's Room in the Marriott Marquis International Ballroom! I was told I'll be near Twilight Creations (creators of the Zombies!!! Board Game) and Midnight Syndicate Soundtracks (gothic nightmare soundtracks)! I'm pretty excited about it! I will have a small bay and space in the print shop in the Art Gallery just to cross-promote, but Jeremy and I will be manning a table in the Dealer's Room. I'm really excited about it because I really loved meeting people in the Dealer's Room last year! It also looks like some of the same people that were at Fangoria will be at D*C as well!
I decided to return this year because I had enough Frequent Flier Miles for two round trip tickets. Jeremy and I can fly in this time! We were not going to drive 4400 miles round trip again. No way! I don't plan on doing another trip like that again! I did cringe when I used those flier miles though. I always thought I'd use them on a big trip to Hawaii or something (which might be cheaper than the Marriott in Atlanta! LOL), but I have this problem with using things for my business. Don't give me money at Christmas! I'll pay a bill!
Without the stress of driving 72 hours round trip, we should be a lot more relaxed when we get there (even though we're getting in around 2 am Friday morning -- just in time to set up our space in the Art Gallery and then run over to man our table in the Dealer's Room!) This year I will be well-rested, so I want to get out more. Last year we did get to meet a lot of people from LJ and hang out with them. We also saw Cruxshadows. This year I'd like to see Voltaire:) Since I plan on doing mostly local shows next year, I want to get the most out of this D*C experience!
I updated my 2008 Appearances. I do have other shows coming up before Dragon*Con, but I wanted to mention it now since I had been asked. You may see my other appearances by going to the link below. Unless someone adds another month to 2008, this should be the final list. I don't think I can cram anything else in there! LOL
http://www.mistybenson.com/Appearances.html
On another note, I was inspired to list 6 new miniature skelly paintings last night! I have been busy preparing for my shows, but I still want to paint as much as I can! So I finished a few odds and ends paintings that I've been wanting to do! Enjoy the skellyciousness!
  
"Love Goggles Groom" - 5"x7" ORIGINAL Mini Painting
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=230259209863&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=013
"Love Goggles Bride" - 5"x7" ORIGINAL Mini Painting
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=230259210154&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=013
"Wedding Couple" - 5"x7" ORIGINAL Mini Painting
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=230259211093&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=013
  
"Devil Skelly" - 5"x7" ORIGINAL Mini Painting
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=230259203910&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=013
"Winged Skull" - 5"x7" ORIGINAL Mini Painting
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=230259206387&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=013
"Basketball Skelly" - 5"x7" ORIGINAL Mini Painting
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=230259196574&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=013
To see all available originals:
http://stores.ebay.com/MorbidlyAdorableCreations_ORIGINAL-ART-by-Misty_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ2QQftidZ2QQtZkm
Well, that's about it! I hope everyone has a great weekend! If you live in the Nampa, ID area, come see me this Saturday at the Farmer's Market!
Have a sweetly spooky day!
XOXO!!
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| Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
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7:00 pm - I caught a skelly!
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Well, this Saturday will be my fourth week at Nampa Farmer's Market! I needed a picture to post along with my bio for the Market website. Here it is:
I swear, it's not photoshopped! The skelly really just flew up and sat in my hands. JUST.LIKE.THAT;)
If you're interested in the skinny on one strange girl's experience with her hometown Farmer's Market every week, here is my report so far. It is soooo exhausting, but it is really fun! We have to be there a little after 7am each Saturday morning to get a good spot. It takes us about an 1-1.5 hours to set up our tent, tables, and products. I take just about everything: prints, perfume oils, cross-stitch patterns, cameos, earrings, skelptures... After only 3 weeks participation, I already have regulars! LOL It's really neat to have people stop by every week to say hi or buy something. I suspect that I have a few un-fans, but that's to be expected! Change is hard, and my art doesn't cater to everyone;) I did have to get juried in by a board of members. I was a little worried because there is no one like me at at this market, so I wasn't sure if they would see me as a fit! LOL I was told my art might not do so well with an older crowd, but one of the ladies quipped, "I'm old, and I like her art!" LOL Needless to say, I have been doing very well, and I think I make more money hourly at Farmer's Market than I do at some of the bigger shows. Not to mention how inexpensive our Farmer's Market is. My annual fee for a 10x10 space is $35. I pay $3 + 6% of sales each week I show up. That end's up being nothing!
For several hours every Saturday, I get to actually talk to people as opposed to e-mailing them. It's kind of a nice change. I've had several people ask why I don't set up at the Boise Farmer's Market, since it has a bigger crowd and caters more to the arts. Nampa Farmer's Market is a couple minutes away from my house, and I have this thing about being loyal to where I live. I love doing shows in my home town! I already adore a bunch of the vendor's there! Jeremy loves buying the food each Saturday! There is something so gratifying about being part of a community tradition:)
We have 5 more months of doing it, so I'll let you know how I feel about it after we've been doing it longer; how I feel when the temperature is 90 degrees by 10 am. And so far I have dressed up in one of my big dresses each week. I'll also let you know how long that lasts! LOL
In a nutshell, that is how I spend my Saturdays! Hope you enjoyed my photo:)
XOXO!!!
current mood:  enthralled
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| Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
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8:00 am - I Skull-A-Day!
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Good morning!! I'm still here! I admit, I haven't looked a my LJ Friend List since the beginning of April, and it has really helped free up some time I desperately needed. Believe me, it's not that I don't want to peek from time to time, but I just need to learn to use LJ responsibly!! So until I get back into the swing of things, I would appreciate it if people could just e-mail me (gossamerfaery@hotmail.com) or leave me a comment in my journal if they need/want me to see something. It may be a bit before I have the chance to get back to LJ. Please be patient with me! I do need to update a little more though!
I am writing a substantial post about show season, but in the meantime, I just wanted to say I LOVE Skull-A-Day!!! The person posts a new skull image he creates EVERY DAY!!! He also takes submissions and has contests from time to time of other people's skull-inspired creations! Yesterday he made a "Skull Roll" out of sushi, and it was awesome! He sees an image in everything -- even dog hair! Oh, and Victoria, ~![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) owllightstudios, if you're out there, Monty's skull-shaped pattern would be a perfect submission!!!!!!!!!!! I think I am going to dig up a few images of my own to submit!
And for those of you that didn't have a chance to see my feature in the "Tattoos For Women" magazine, I posted the full piece on my website:
Full Article in "Tattoos For Women"
I need to get back to a commission. It is a girl with her kitty! I get asked just about every show, "Do you really like cats or something?", because of all the cat and skelly cat images I paint. The answer to that is 1) Yes, I do love cats (and every other animal on the planet), 2) they are very popular and get requested frequently, and 3) I get commissioned to do them all the time. That is why I have a lot of images of cats and their undead counterparts:) But never fear, I'm easing into dogs soon! I have lots of little guys to paint from pictures friends and fans have sent me:) YAY!
That's about it for now! I thought I should start posting when the mood strikes me! I hope everyone in LJ Land is doing well!!
XOXO!!!!!!!!!
current mood:  awake
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| Thursday, May 1st, 2008
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5:26 pm - Order THE MORBIDLY ADORABLE SKELLY Book! In Stock NOW!
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So here it is! This poor book has been through so many incarnations! Since the original book incorporated so much black, a lot of publishing companies just could not create a slick looking book. So in true Day of the Dead fashion, I decided to add over-the-top backgrounds to honor my over-the-top skellies. It is full of purples, reds, oranges, grays, greens, and so on! And as much as I can appreciate clean and simple backgrounds to display images, busy and garish is much more my style! LOL So I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do! It is the perfect way to have an entire collection of my skelly work at your fingertips, including some ACEOs that were never offered as prints, pictures of my skelptures, and snippets of silly poetry!
The Morbidly Adorable Skelly : The Art of Misty Benson
84 full color pages; a portfolio of over 100 skelly images including paintings, sculptures, bits of poetry, and other macabre morsels created between June 2004-April 2007!
Misty Benson conjures characters with big personalities and endearing antics. Step into her world where skeletons, or "skellies", dance, dream, and even drive cars! From skelly cats to skellybugs to adorable grim reapers, skellies bandy about the pages with their signature, oversize eye sockets. The viewer also gets a glimpse into the world of Misty's big eye beauties that will delight even the darkest of hearts.
Never believing that there is enough skelly love in the world, Misty is not shy about her obsession for the wee skellies and their silly natures. If you haven't given much thought to skeletons, these tiny terrors might just change your mind! This book is a must have item for anyone that enjoys skeletons, El Dia de Los Muertos, Halloween, gothic fantasy art, or just a little dark humor. There is a little something in "The Morbidly Adorable Skelly" for everyone. You have never met a skelly quite like this!
To see more images and to place your order: CLICK HERE!!
The books are IN STOCK NOW (while supplies last)! I will start shipping orders on Monday! Each copy comes signed by me. If you would like me to personalize it to you or someone in particular, or add any special notes, please e-mail me and let me know!
Each copy is $25. In the US (Priority Mail) and Canada (First Class), order as many copies as you like, and shipping is a flat fee of $5.
Outside the US and Canada, shipping gets a little complicated. I added a button for overseas orders. If you order from other countries such as Australia or the United Kingdom, add the overseas shipping. It will add an additional $5 to the order. If you order 3 books, add it three times. As each book weighs almost a pound, it is about $10 to send the first book, and $5 for each additional book. If for some reason the shipping comes out less, I will make sure to adjust it. If any mistakes are made in the ordering, I will fix the shipping accordingly.
If you hit any snags ordering, just let me know!
Enjoy the book!!
XOXO!!
current mood: Skellyrific!
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1:30 pm - Back from Fangoria!
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We're back from Fangoria! There were lots of autograph signings, merchandisers selling rare movies & figurines, makeup artists, companies promoting their films, artists selling their own art and books, and so on at the event. I had a lot more fun than I ever expected! We had some really great neighbors, Lennie and Greg from Nspired One Clothing, who had some of the best shirts! Jeremy and I each came home with a couple. They had a girl's T-shirt with a VULTURE on it! *swoon* I met a ton of new fans not to mention a ton of friendly vendors:) I genuinely felt like I knew some of the them for years! I even met a celebrity or two that really left me with some wonderful memories. It's weird to have famous people looking through your art! LOL We were right across from a comic booth and just down the way from a cool mask maker! We were able to see the occasional monster walk by. I didn't leave my table much because we were just too busy, but I definitely had some good views! I sold a lot of art as well as my "Three Wise Skellies" sculpture which was a bonus. We ran out of certain cameos and images, but all in all, we were pretty well prepared. Thank goodness I re-stocked my business cards before I went!
Here are a few pictures:
Me at the table! It was a simple little set-up, but it worked really well.
Bye bye Jeremy!
A new man in my life!
I don't think he wants me to kiss him!
The Diabolical Sinner loves me;)
This guy threw his meaty stump at me so I played keep away for awhile! LOL
I love creepy scarecrows!!
The drive to Los Angeles was about 15 hours for us. Jeremy knows someone that works at Hertz, so we got a great rate on a Toyota Prius for the drive. I always heard rumors that they got 40-50 miles per gallon, but it is actually true!! When I went to gas the car up right before returning it, we had just driven 80 miles since the last fill up, and I couldn't even get 20 cents worth of gas in the tank! I could not believe it! Man, I want one of those cars!
While we were in LA, we decided to try out a vegan Japanese restaurant called Shojin! I'm not sure that the food typified a Japanese meal, but it was really good. I love seitan, and they had loads of it on the menu. They were so nice that they even brought us extra deserts to try! We ordered blueberry pie but also received raspberry sherbet and green tea cake! They called it the "Idaho Special"! We were so stuffed! LOL After the day ended and we finished eating, we pretty much just went back to the hotel and crashed. The days were really long, and we were literally talking 12 hours straight everyday. From talking to our neighbors, other vendors, fans, and even hanging out with the people at Shojin, we just never shut up!
Well, that was my trip! I should get going! This Saturday we have our first Farmer's Market! I'm excited to see how that goes:) Fortunately, we have a lot of stuff ready to go from LA, but there is a lot of stuff we need to replace tonight. I think we'll be pretty well organized once we get the first one under our belt:)
I also need to get the order page for "The Morbidly Adorable Skelly" book uploaded today. I'm so excited because they are READY TO SHIP now! No pre-orders! I didn't want to have to take pre-orders, so I'm glad I have books on hand now! Stay tuned for more details!
I still haven't been on LJ the past month, but please feel free to let me know if there is anything you want me to check out:) I appreciate the e-mails, and I am just about caught up again!
Enjoy the monstery goodness!!
XOXO!!!
current mood: happy
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| Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
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10:08 am - I'll be at Fangoria in Los Angeles this weekend!
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This weekend marks the official launch of my new book The Morbidly Adorable Skelly! I will be at Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors, from April 25th-27th, signing a limited number of copies, selling prints, cameos, and all the usual stuff! For 25 years Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors in Los Angeles has been the mecca for fans of gore. Virtually every superstar of the horror field has made appearances at Fango LA and equally important it is the industry's number one place to network: the place to be seen! Well, no matter what they say on the site, I think it will be bloody fun!
When I return, I'll start a pre-order for everyone who is interested in getting their own copy of my book! I'm really excited about it! It's a bit loud, over-the-top, gaudy, and just plain WONDERFUL! There are so many skellies in there! Some of the pieces were never even offered as prints, so you may have forgotten about them! Anyway, I'll have more about it, including pictures, when I return.
On a business note, any and all orders paid for between today (April 23rd) and Monday (April 28th) will be shipped when I return on Tuesday the 29th. The delay will barely be noticeable, and you may still order as usual:) I'll still be checking my e-mail, and I'll still be answering in my usual slow fashion;)
Have a sweetly spooky weekend! I suspect I'll be fending off zombies!
XOXO!!!
current mood:  scared
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| Friday, April 4th, 2008
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11:15 am - Leaving LJ until May....
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I just want to let everyone know that I will not be checking LJ again until May. I haven't checked it the last few days, so if you posted something for me to see on April 1st or after, I didn't see it. If you want to let me know about anything this month, please just e-mail me. I'm sure it sounds silly that I am alerting people that I won't be on LJ, but some people leave me private posts or leave things for me to read in their journals, and I don't want anyone to think I'm ignoring them or even to worry about me for that matter. I simply won't be on to respond, and I didn't want to completely leave without saying anything.
I know it sounds all weird that I'm leaving LJ for a month, but I have so much to do that something has to give. I am just getting over being sick. I have a couple of 3 hr. meetings for Farmer's Market the next two Saturdays to attend, taxes to do, orders to process, a commission to finish, and we are driving to LA in less than three weeks. And these are just the extra things on top of the regular art business stuff that I have to do every day. On top of Jeremy helping me get ready for these shows, he also works a full time job. And art, well it's about three full-time jobs. If you do it for a living, then you know all too well:)
I will still post a couple times this month if I need to announce something or just to remind people when we'll be leaving for Fangoria, but otherwise, I won't be near LJ again until May.
I know I will still wonder if so and so is doing something funny, or how a certain someone's fish tanks are doing, or how the new relationship is doing, etc. I love LJ, and I'm only leaving temporarily. I just need to cut something, and it has already freed up a lot of time the last few days. It frees up a lot of my time to live my life and my life only. I have been on LJ for over 4 years, and I just need a break:) I have so much stuff to do that I don't even have one brain cell to devote to LJ.
I'll still answer my e-mails and my phone, but otherwise, it will be really quiet around here until May... So if you wound up here because you wondered what happened to me, nothing has happened. And it's going to be lovely:)
XOXO!!!!!!!!!!!
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| Friday, March 28th, 2008
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12:00 pm - A very Merry UnBirthday because I've had all the Birthday I can handle!
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I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! If you found any Easter eggs with skulls on them, I recommend you dispose of them immediately! The Easter Skelly leaves them for unsuspecting children every year! You do not want to know what horrors they will hatch! He is one bad ass bunny!! Bringing eggs full of unmentionable stuff to boys and girls everywhere! His grin will haunt your dreams!
My birthday was fabulous! I started out taking pictures of my presents, but Jeremy spread them out over the day, so I gave up. They were all wrapped in with bright stripey and/or hot pink papers with little trinkets attached to the bows:) With all the presents from Jeremy and our families, I ended up with a little portable easel for painting at shows, a scale to weigh my packages, a fancy label maker, a dragon sculpture, an orchid plant, cards, money, lottery tickets, and so on! My birthdays usually aren't this big of a deal, but I think people were really excited because it fell on Easter. I think they had fun with it:) 30 was my worst birthday ever, so I think everyone's trying to erase it from memory! LOL
One of many pretty, pretty presents from Jeremy
( More birthday images... )
The other present I received was an illness! Yes, I now have a cold. I guess it was inevitable. I go years and years without any illness whatsoever, so I consider myself very lucky! I did get a two day cold last year coming back from Dragon*Con, but that wasn't surprising since I only slept a few hours the entire weekend, and we drove 4400 miles round trip. We went from a dry climate to a humid climate back to a dry climate. My immune system was completely trashed. I was just glad that a little sleep cleared the stuffiness right up! Now I'm just walking around trying to figure out who got me sick! Jeremy brought it home from work, and I want to know who had it! What am I going to do about it, right? I just need to take it out on someone;) I feel so violated knowing someone gave this to me! LOL I'm sure it's partly my own fault. In the last couple of months, I have had a really spotty sleeping pattern. I sleep about 3-5 hours a night, and the nights I get 5 hours, it is usually in a 3 hour spurt, I get up and do some stuff, sleep another two hours, then I'm up for the day. I have just been so excited about painting and working (and maybe anxious about getting everything done) that I don't sleep much anymore. So now I am all stuffed up, and I feel like my teeth are all dry socketing. I feel like the front of my skull is exposed. If I cough, it feels like someone is slapping me in the back of the head. If I could sleep, I'd just lay down for a week. *whine whine* So I keep busy as usual!
On to the fun stuff! Here is a gaggle of skelptures I did in the last couple of weeks! I just thought I'd share them here! I might try to photograph them in a lovely spot in the park this weekend in the grass or around flowers. That would be a cute photo shoot:)
All my spring lovelies in one shot!
Pretty skull flowers in a row!
( More close up skelpture pictures... )
I also want to let everyone know that I will be making a TON of personal appearances this year! My first one is April 25th-27th in Los Angeles, CA at Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors! I'll have an artist's table there. Even though I put it on my schedule last minute (and I'm a little anxious about it being next month already), I'm really looking forward to seeing all the costumes and horror stuff! It's sooooo my crowd!!
If you want to keep up with my personal appearances, or see if I'll be in your area, you can check my schedule here: http://www.mistybenson.com/Appearances.html. A couple of these shows aren't confirmed (which I noted on the schedule), either because they haven't officially processed the applications and/or I haven't decided whether I will do them again! I'm thinking about solely doing local shows next year, so if you are thinking about coming out to any of the big shows in 2008, please do! I don't know that I will want to keep up this kind of high paced show season next year.
Well, that post exhausted me! I should get some things done. Have a great weekend everyone:)
XOXO!!
current mood:  sick
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| Sunday, March 23rd, 2008
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4:54 pm - Happy BirthEasterDay to Me!
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Well, today is Easter and my birthday! I have had family in and out all day, presents from the "Easter Bunny" showing every couple of hours, a cake, and just an all around good day! The day isn't over yet, so I'll have to personally thank everyone tomorrow! In the meantime, to everyone that has sent me a card, e-mail, or present--THANK YOU!
And with that being said, I hope you put all your candy away before the Easter Skelly came by!
May the eggs left by Easter Skelly never hatch! I don't want to imagine what you will find!
I'll post more about my special day when I get the chance:)
XOXO!!!
current mood:  loved
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| Monday, March 17th, 2008
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6:25 pm - Whatever you drink, make it green!
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| Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
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7:16 pm - New Fairy & Skelly Paintings, Huge Print Update, & New Cameo Items!
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Little Bony Foo Foo!
Right now I am really caught up in things that feature eggs, bunnies, and springtime goodness! This year, Easter falls on my birthday, so I feel like it makes my day extra special! I love the colors and animals that show up around this time. When I was little, my mom helped me write a letter to the Easter Bunny. I asked him where he got all his eggs. He politely wrote back to me saying that he has a chicken farm, and then he signed the letter with a paw print! That letter made such a special impression on me that I still remember it to this day! The other magickal part about the Easter Bunny was his ability to hide so many things without us ever catching sight of him! One Easter, my brother and I were playing in the dining room, and my mom came in and said, "The Easter Bunny was just here! He hid some things for you!" I was shocked! The Easter Bunny had been hiding things in our very living room, and we didn't even see him!! I couldn't wrap my head around it! He would hide eggs at my house, then go over to my grandma's and hide candy bunnies! It was so lovely:) My parents created some wonderful memories for us!
In honor of that, I painted an image of a beautiful day full of bunnies and eggs for the Spring Equinox! It is quite common for me to have this strange desire to paint the same thing twice. I commonly come up with alternate versions of most of my paintings, but I usually settle on one. This time I really wanted to paint a lovely night scene companion piece. So the evening version features a luminous moon fairy with her skull eggs (my favorite kind of eggs)! Both paintings end on Sunday, March 16th at 6:17pm PST. I can still ship them in time for Easter!
New Original Paintings!
 
"Sun Kissed Equinox" - ORIGINAL Painting 12"x16"
CLICK HERE to see the auction and read about "Sun Kissed Equinox"!
"Moon Kissed Equinox" - ORIGINAL Painting 12"x16"
CLICK HERE to see the auction and read about "Moon Kissed Equinox"!
All the bunnies in these paintings are Ashley's bunnies, thephoenixx! Since I don't have any pets of my own, she graciously lets me use her photos of all her kids:) I am their Auntie Misty! Thanks Ash!! I'm so grateful! I hope you can at least recognize Hufflepuff, Mystic, Cappuccino, & Sugar Baby (couldn't forget Sugar Baby!)
I also listed 5 new skelly minis with Easter and/or egg themes on Thursday evening, and all but one were snapped up after my Mailing List went out. There is one left along with a St. Patrick's Day skelly!
 
To see all available original art, CLICK HERE!
Huge Print Update!
I listed prints of the last 22 skelly images going starting with the Christmas skellies and ending with the recent Easter skellies!
If you'd still like to see the Easter Skellies, click the images or print links below:) They are all slightly odd little Easter-like scenes, but what can you expect from a skelly?
   
"Stocking Skelly" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Skelly Nutcracker" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Mardi Gras Beads" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Mardi Gras Colors" - 5"x7" PRINT
"King Cake Babies" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Cupid Skelly" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Morbid Morsel" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Gothic Love" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Stay..." - 5"x7" PRINT
"Don't Forget Me" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Waiting For Wings" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Green Beer Skelly" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Skull Claddagh" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Lucky Skelly" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Skelly Cat Love" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Skelly Cat at Play" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Hatchlings" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Hatching a Skelly" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Easter Skelly" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Egg Thief" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Peeps Nightmare" - 5"x7" PRINT
"Chocolate Bunny Binge" - 5"x7" PRINT
I also listed prints of my last painting "Year of the Rat" (Series A)!
"Year of the Rat" (Series A) - 8"x10" PRINT
"Year of the Rat" (Series A) - 12"x16" PRINT
You may see all available skelly mini prints HERE as well as all available items in my eBay store by CLICKING HERE!
New Styles of Cameos & Earrings!
I am slowly adding new cameo images, settings, and earrings to my eBay store! I am just getting started, so I only have "Calico Cuties" in the new 30x22mm Rope Cameo, 40x30 Rope Cameo, and a pair of cameo earrings! I will be listing ""My Rococo Valentine" next!
Whew! That was a long post! I hope you can handle it;) The rest of the week I'm going to dedicate to sculpting and commissions:) I don't know if I'll get it done in time, but I want to do an Easter Skelly skelpture! Heehee! I love cute and sinister;) I also have a skelly flower commission as well as a couple of paintings. It should be a fun variety! I hope to confirm and post my 2008 Appearance Schedule this week as well! I'm attending a ton of shows here in Idaho as well as multiple out-of-state shows:) It should be exciting!
Until next time, good night! Sleep tight! Don't let the skellybugs bite!!
XOXO!!
current mood:  exhausted
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| Sunday, March 2nd, 2008
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8:40 pm - 6 New Skelly 5x7s and "Year of the Rat" painting!
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This week I have a huge art update! I have lots of 5x7 Skelly Mini Paintings and a full-size big eyed faery painting!
Ever since I visited China, I have wanted to paint the Chinese Zodiac! I put it off for years, but now I think I am ready to begin with Series A. And what better time to begin than that of the "Year of the Rat"--the first sign! The auction ends Monday, March 10th at 7:39 pm. It starts at $49.99, and it is best to bid while it is one auction. If a particular painting ends without any bids, I always put them in my store at their regular price of $250! So make sure to catch them while they are on sale!
I didn't end up using any rat references for this piece. The rat is so small, it wasn't necessary. I am going to do another rat painting where the rats are the focal point:) So stay tuned for that! I love painting animals!!
"Year of the Rat" (Series A) -- 12"x16" ORIGINAL PAINTING
To view the auction and more details about "Year of the Rat (Series A)" -- CLICK HERE!!
As for the 5"x7" mini skelly paintings, they go really quick! I think there are only a couple left. I will paint more, and I always release prints of them in case you missed them. I realize an original is much more special, but a print is the next best thing! I will be releasing the last 15 miniatures, including Mardi Gras, Valentine's Day, and the skelly pups, as prints next week!
I also listed a few skelly cats and skelly birds this week! They are all up for their usual starting price of $24.99 with a quick Buy It Now Price of $29.99!
  
To view the auction and more details about "Skelly Cat Love" -- CLICK HERE!!
To view the auction and more details about "Skelly Cat at Play" -- CLICK HERE!!
To view the auction and more details about "Hatchlings" -- CLICK HERE!!
I didn't forget that St. Patrick's Day is coming up! They are all up for their usual starting price of $24.99 with a quick Buy It Now Price of $29.99!
 
To view the auction and more details about "Green Beer Skelly" -- CLICK HERE!!
To view the auction and more details about "Skull Claddagh" -- CLICK HERE!!
To view the auction and more details about "Lucky Skelly" -- CLICK HERE!!
You may view all my original paintings at any time here: http://stores.ebay.com/MorbidlyAdorableCreations_ORIGINAL-ART-by-Misty_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ2QQftidZ1QQtZkm
I planned on writing about my Netflix watching and some other silly chitchat, but as usual I'm running behind! I have decided to paint until my hand seizes, so it's really eating into my screwing around time;) I'll try to post a silly post later in the week!
As Conan would say, "Keep cool my babies! Keep cool!"
XOXO!!
current mood:  creative
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| Friday, February 15th, 2008
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9:35 am - 3 New Skelly Dog Paintings & Happy Belated Valentines!
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| Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
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3:09 pm - Rat reference pictures?
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I am painting "Year of The Rat" right now, and I would love some ratty reference pictures! This will be inspired by Chinese astrology of course, but I would like to paint rats here and there as well! I know some of you on my FL have rats! If you would like to share some reference pictures of YOUR rats with me (not other people's pictures from the internet), you can post them here, or e-mail them to me at gossamerfaery@hotmail.com :) I used to have rats years and years ago, but I don't have any pictures of them:/ Sad! Any pictures are good! I want to paint several of them, so front views, side views, standing, reaching, eating, etc.! I want them to be doing different things, so the more creative the better:) Plus, they would be great for projects later on down the road! I can't offer compensation for the shots, but your rat may make a cameo appearance in one of my paintings! LOL
Thanks in advance!!
XOXO!!
current mood: cheerful
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| Tuesday, February 12th, 2008
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4:30 pm - "No Brain" & "Tin Girl" paintings!
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I'm still on my ever-obsessive "Wizard of Oz" kick! I just can't seem to stop myself. I think I'll paint some Munchkin Lolitas for my next piece in the series! They would be so cute! I will add Dorothy, the Wicked Witch, and some other characters as time permits of course!
Below is the third in my cuddly "Wizard of Oz" series. I already created "No Heart" and "No Courage", and I now finish off the trio with "No Brain"!
"No Brain" - 12"x16 ORIGINAL PAINTING
CLICK HERE for more details and the "No Brain" auction!
And because I wanted to explore a more modern version of the "Wizard of Oz", I painted the Tin Girl a little more fashion-forward! She is pictured here with her Flying monkeys! Everyone should have some of those! The original painting is available for a Buy It Now price in my eBay store! I do have prints available as well in 8x10 and 12x16 sizes!
"Tin Girl" - 16"x20" ORIGINAL PAINTING
CLICK HERE for more details and the "Tin Girl" auction!
8"x10" PRINTS
12"x16" PRINTS
For "Tin Girl", I had lots of reference shots of monkeys from my trip to South Africa. They came in very handy for the flying monkey poses. I also have lots of pictures of strange trees, so those images lent themselves well to this project. I went on that trip over two years ago, and I still haven't looked through all the pictures. There are over 2000 of them on a CD. I took pictures of every moving thing! And then every time something moved, I took a new picture! I kept thinking in terms of reference shots. And lucky me! It worked out! It is so hard to wait for the thumbnails of 2000 pictures to pop up, so I think when Walgreen's or some place like that has a mega cheap sale on reprints, I'll have them all printed off as photos. That way I will have them to flip through for easy reference, and I can actually show them to people.
Well, it seems there just aren't enough hours in the day anymore. I stayed up until 3 am last night trying to accomplish all the things done that I just don't seem to get done in a day. After painting until 10pm last night, I spent the next 5 hours, scanning, listing, sending out my Mailing List, etc. I was back up at 7:30 am this morning. A few years ago when I had a full-time job outside of art (while also selling art on eBay), this would have been a normal schedule. I really thought being able to do art full-time would give me some free time. NOPE! Just more work! It is so worth it though:) Last night I got my Power Seller icon on eBay. I have always done well on eBay, so it really doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things, but I am rather proud of it! It makes me feel important:)
Well, I'm running out of steam, and I still have some chores and shopping to do soon. Have a tantalizing Tuesday!!
XOXO!!
current mood:  accomplished
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| Wednesday, February 6th, 2008
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5:05 pm - Let love rule!
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My boyfriend, LENNY KRAVITZ, is on Regis & Kelly tomorrow!!!!!!!! I am going to be a very happy Misty! I love me some Lenny!!
Don't laugh at me! I know you all have your own fan girl or fan boy weakness for someone famous;) You all have your own personal Lenny....
XOXO!!
current mood:  giddy
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