I am a little late for Giving Tuesday, but I have had something in the works for months now that I can finally announce. My soul sister Suzie is in need of some financial help so I came up with an idea to use my art to help raise some money for her much needed medical/living expenses and the memorial she has been wanting to do for her departed husband and my dear friend Sid Haig.
Suzie & Sid Haig with Living Dead Girl Nicole
After receiving Suzie’s blessing I am now able to offer Sid Haig Memorial Necklaces and I have decided to donate all proceeds from the sale of these necklaces to her.
These necklaces feature my Well Shit The Bed portrait that I drew and gifted to Sid for his birthday in 2017. The title of the art piece was inspired by an inside joke from the first time I met him back in 2004 and the portrait was a tribute to the beautiful friendship I was honored to have with him thereafter. The portrait represents him as himself on one side and as the horror villain icon Captain Spaulding on the other.
I had a limited run of the charms professionally printed and cut out of acrylic. They measure 2″ x 1.5″. I then added metal rings and put them on 20″ waxed faux leather cords (unisex) with lobster clasps and 2″ extender chain (for adjustable length). The backs of the charms are covered in a pure white that allows the portrait to pop through the layer of acrylic on top giving it dimension.
Each one comes in a purple organza bag making them perfect for gifting as well.
These wearable pieces of art are a unique way to support the legendary Sid Haig while also helping the love of his life in her time of need. They are now available with a limited quantity in my Etsy shop (I will continue to renew the listing until they sell out) and a handful will also be available to purchase in person at Closet Collectibles in Crete IL.
Don’t forget to check out my other art inspired fundraising efforts on the Backbones page of my official portfolio website and support some of the great causes and charities that are listed while you are there!
I created this little collage showcasing the items I will have up for bid for the Instagram Artist Auction taking place tomorrow at @keepithandmade. All of these items have been revealed on their page so go check them out and give the listings some love and shares while you wait for the auction to open.
This Artist Auction is a great opportunity for you to stay home and still get to shop! But this time you will be helping all the artists/vendors/small businesses that are participating. When the auction opens tomorrow at 7pm CST just visit the @keepithandmade Instagram page, go to the item you want and comment your bid amount. Be sure to read the caption description of every item for their starting bid and BIN details.
I would like to showcase 1 of my items as it is a special framed print of the art piece I drew and gifted to my dear friend Sid Haig. As most of you know Sid passed away last year so I have chosen to give all of my proceeds from this item to his wife, “my sista” Suzie. This will help her with the upcoming medical procedures and the expenses she needs help with now more than ever. So if you bid on any of my items please consider bidding on this one as the cause is very dear to my heart and I would really like to raise as much money as I can from this item to help her. You can find, like, share and bid on it HERE!
We almost didn’t attend Days of the Dead Chicago this year. As some of you may or may not know our dearly departed friend Sid Haig was going to renew our vows at this convention. Unfortunately due to his recent passing in September (my heart is still aching) the ceremony was cancelled. We didn’t want to still do it without Sid. Normally couples don’t even renew their vows when its been 10 years but it also marked 15 years since we first met Sid. We thought it would be a fun way to celebrate together and he was all for it. Without him it just would not be the same.
We had already booked our room and purchased our tickets but were having a hard time deciding if we should still go. The thought of being there without Sid in general was hard to even think about let alone the reminder that he would never be there with us again. But after talking with my Murder Ride sister Nicole and Sid’s wife Suzie I was reassured that Sid would want us to still go. So we packed up our bags and hoped we could make the most of it and maybe even possibly bring us some closure. Ironically enough right before we left I was pulling up some files on one of my flash drives and found my old Captain Spaulding’s Chicken Shack Cheerleaders questionnaire (from around 2006 or so) that was used for his previous website. I didn’t even know I still had it. I considered it a sign from Sid as it brought back some great old memories of fan girl moments from the earlier days. I have since added it to my Sid Memorial page.
We decided to bring the key to our heart necklaces that we had exchanged at our wedding. We had added sun and moon charms to them to represent 10 years and words from our vows and were going to re-exchange them during the renewal ceremony with Sid. Bringing them with us made it feel like Sid was still with us in spirit.
Once Frank and I were at the convention we decided to focus the highlight of our weekend to being time spent with each other in our element and also being able to gift a few of my art pieces. The Soska Sisters as well as Skeet Ulrich were added to the guest list. Unfortunately Skeet cancelled at the last minute but we were able to see Jen and Sylvia again. As always the ladies brightened our spirits and it felt good to be reunited with them.
They loved that they got to keep the original of my “Twisted” Demon Twins of Berlin portrait that I drew of them. Sylvia even told me that the American Mary barrettes I made them are displayed on one of their special alter. She also educated me on the “god cell”. These ladies are both entertaining, beautiful and smart! What is there not to admire.
As you know from our convention adventure photos we always stop to support projects that Sid was passionate about. This includes one of his recent movies High On The Hog. The first time we met these guys at Flashback Weekend a few years back we could feel the love and the genuine admiration they had for Sid. Since then if they are at a con we always stop and talk to whoever is running the booth wither it be Tony. Kevin or Ben and try to buy something and shoot the shit. The last time we saw them was early September at Horrorhound where we had just learned that Sid was in ICU on our drive to Indy. This time it was even harder as we were all in pain of losing Sid and we were all feeling that emptiness of him not being there with all of us. But in turn it was good to be around other like minded people that understood the struggle we were feeling that we could actually talk to.
To our surprise Sid’s pig prop from the movie was there and Kevin and Ben let us take a couple special photos with it. Including one that included our special wedding keys. So I am so glad we decided to bring them with us. From the beam of light in the photo of Frank and I we definitely think Sid was happy we met up with these guys again and he was definitively there in spirit.
Later in the day Ben actually interviewed us for the Sid Haig Documentary. A project that Sid had given them his blessing on and was in the works well far before he had passed away. None of us expected it to become a tribute but the interview was actually very therapeutic for Frank and I. Not only did it make us smile thinking and sharing some of our many happy memories of Sid but it made us feel better knowing we may be a part of something that will help keep his memory alive for everyone that loved and admired him. Now let’s just hope I am not an ugly crier ha ha. Even if I am so be it. The feelings are real and from the heart and we are honored to be asked to be a part of it.
So in a nutshell this was a hard convention to be at but in the end Nicole and Suzie were right. Sid wanted us to be there and we are both glad we went. It felt like we were in the right place at the right time and with the right people and it actually did give us some closure. It will never be the same without Sid but like he told me when my Uncle passed away earlier this year “He may not be in body anymore, but as long as you and all who love him remember him, he’s never gone.“
I don’t even know where to begin here and it’s just too hard to try to put into words how I am feeling. So I am going to leave you with what I posted on Instagram today because I think it sums things up the best I can right now about losing my friend Sid.
The upper right hand photo is the first time I met Sid back in 2004. Little did I know that would be the beginning of a memorable 15 year friendship that I will forever be grateful for.
@sidhaigsays – When I heard the news that you were no longer with us my heart broke, I began to shake and the tears continue to fall. I have since been trying to find the words to say and its hard to put into words how special you are to me. That’s how much light you brought into my world. What started as a funny “well shit the bed” fan girl moment bloomed into a 15 year friendship filled with memories I never would’ve expected. All because you accepted me into your world. You always made me feel special, you were an inspiration to me as well as mentor full of wisdom and advice and when we were together it felt like time did not pass. We would catch up like old friends and I would literally say goodbye feeling like my soul had been uplifted. You were a remarkable human being with a heart of gold and the impact you had on my life I will forever be grateful for. May your remarkable and beautiful soul forever be at peace.
Living Dead Girl Nicole 