Freaky Fanatics: You Keep Us Dancing!

I saw this photo posted on Instagram by YuvaKala, a fellow artisan who I have purchased from in the past. It hit home with me because it holds so much truth…

Every time I get an order from my Amazon or Etsy shops I literally get giddy with excitement. Yes, the benefits of having that little bit of extra income are great, but that is not why we dance or get giddy. It’s knowing that something we created and put our time, heart and soul into was admired by someone so much, that they actually spent their hard earned money on it. We know what it’s like to struggle and want to have cool things. So if our creations are those cool things, it literally blows our minds. So the next time you debate buying something from an artist that was handcrafted or going with that thing mass produced item that everyone else has, remember that for every purchase you make with us artsy folks, someone is doing a happy dance!

And to all of my Freaky Fanatics who have purchased from me in the past and in the future, thank you for keeping me giddy and dancing! You have no idea how grateful I am to have all of you supporting what I love to do.

Stay Spooky!
LDG Nicole

Freaky Fanatics: Kay Is Twinning!

Meet Kay! My newest Freaky Fanatic and fellow member of the Twisted Twins Army. This is a great shot she shared on Instagram showing off her new Ghoulish Garment featuring my Twisted portrait!

Get your hands on one of these shirts by shopping my Etsy or Amazon shops! You can also see this photo of Kay amongst all my other Freaky Fanatics in the featured slideshow on my portfolio website. Don’t forget to contact me so you can submit your photos of how you rock your Living Dead Girl Nicole creations and hashtag #livingdeadgirlnicole in your social posts so you can be featured as well!

Stay Spooky!
LDG Nicole

Life Of A Dark Artist: 2017 Milestones

I just wanted to thank all of you for supporting my work. 2017 has been a year of many milestones for me as an artist. Even though I have health setbacks I keep trucking along and your support helps to keep me doing what I love.

Here are just a few milestones I am grateful for in 2017…..

• I marked a TON of Art Bucket List items off my list this year. I created so many things that I have put off for way too long. Knowing this makes me feel so accomplished as an artist. Thank you to those who always give me feedback on my work and inspire me to keep creating!
• I enjoyed creating custom and commission pieces from both return and new clients this year! Thank you for believing that I could make your visions come to life! Thank you for all of your Freaky Fanatic photo submissions and reviews! You guys have no idea how much happiness I get from receiving these and being able to share them with the world!
• I participated again in Woman of Horror Month which helps bring awareness and supports the woman that make the horror genre what it is today!
• I started selling my portraits as Ghoulish Garments which have been a hit. I have been wanting to do this for years and finally found a DTG Printer that fit all of my needs. To know that you guys want to display my art is one thing. Knowing you want to wear it is a compliment on a whole new level. Thank you for all of your t-shirt orders. 2018 may open doors to even more products so stay tuned!
• I got to meet the very talented and fun Kelly Doty at the Villain Arts Chicago Tattoo Convention and give her a Dead Girl Decay Barrette inspired by her. While I was there I was able to network with other artists. I also got my Captain Spaulding tattoo done by my very talented friend Dave Togtman of Black Devil Tattoo.
• My “What Nightmares Are Made Of” Tim Burton and Jack art piece was selected to be put on display at the new Beetle House Tim Burton Bar in California. As scary as it was to mail off my original work, it made it there in one piece and is on display in their dining room! I am still in awe of this and hope one day I am able to travel there to finally see it on display in person. Thank you to those of you who have shared photos with me of it on display. I love living vicariously through all of you!
• I got to finally meet Art Alexakis and the rest of the Everclear band. Even though this doesn’t directly have to do with my art it was a dream of my since the 90’s and their music has inspired me in so many ways!
• I vended again with my fellow hearse collectors at the big Hardcore Hearse Club Show and sold double the amount I did last year! For those of you that were not able to buy something but visited my table, you are important too! You took a business card to spread the word, ordered from me online later or even just gave me positive feedback to keep me doing what I am doing! Thank you for bearing the heat with me again this year. And to my husband and my friends and family that help me each year with set up, watching my items when I need a break or making sure the weather doesn’t destroy anything.. you are my rocks and I couldn’t do this without you!
• Thanks to helping out the hearse club, I was able to attend Days of the Dead in Indy where I was able to do more networking. I also was able to give more of my work to my dear friend Sid Haig for his birthday and catch up with him over dinner and drinks. Sid is not just a guest and not just a friend but a true inspiration to me.
• I was “crowned” Best Horror Shop by Morbidly Beautiful Horror due to the massive support of my Freaky Fanatics who voted, posted and did everything the could to see me outbeat the big guys! I am still in awe of this and in all of you! This also allowed me to give back by teaming up with Morbidly Beautiful to give away my work to one lucky winner. And that winner didn’t just win the item. They proudly posted photos and video of what they received! Including their logo pin displayed on their bad ass vest!
• You helped me raise money for the S.O.P.H.I.E Lancaster Foundation. The limited edition 10 year anniversary barrettes I made were sold out in only a couple of days!!! I even had a friend of Sophie’s contact me directly to reserve one so she could wear it for her wedding day!
• I painted the 3 largest canvases of my life after being in the ER and out of work for a couple of weeks. This technically falls in the above category of commission pieces but I feel it stands alone as it was a big artistic milestone for me. They were not just large canvases but they were of a landscape which is not something I do on a regular basis. Thank you, Uncle Lou, for believing in me. Thank you to my husband for putting the canvases together, putting up with me and all the basement space I hogged up to get it done. Thank you to my Dad for all his advice and my brother and friends who kept telling me “you got this!”
• I finally accepted Amazon’s invite for me to start selling on Amazon Handmade. I was nervous about doing this and knew it would take me forever to get my items all set up in my shop. However, my cousin Pat who is also my Accountant gave me the advice to push me forward and I am so glad I did. Since opening my shop I have had consistent orders coming through including return clients. During the weeks up to Christmas, I was packaging up orders every night after work to the point I had to stop and post a thank you. I am so happy to be able to reach more Freaky Fanatics through another outlet.
• I entered the Rick and Morty Hot Topic T-Shirt Contest, and even though I did not win, I am still in awe of all of you that took the time to vote and comment on my submission. Some of you even followed up asking when it will be a shirt so you could buy it. I threw together a quick sketch so I could enter before the deadline. It was a vision I had for quite some time and I am glad I was able to participate. Stay tuned as I have plans for that design in 2018!
• Frank and I did a lot of networking at Days of the Dead Chicago!! I was also able to give Sid Ghoulish Garments for him and his wife Suzie. I was also honored to give my work to Felissa Rose, Fairuza Balk, and Lisa Marie. To top it off I was able to finally meet the Soska Sisters (Jen and Sylvia Soska AKA The Twisted Twins) who remembered me from the American Mary barrettes I made them.
• Frank upgraded my printer/scanner for my art studio for Christmas. This was something I wanted but also needed. With me getting more print orders it just made sense for me to be able to do more of them from home vs going to a printer all the time. The much larger scanner also saves me from going to a printer to scan larger art pieces. Next goal… a DTG printer of my own (a girl can dream)!

With 2017 being such a great year for me artistically I can’t wait to see what 2018 brings. One of the gifts my goddaughter Ava got me for Christmas is a really nice hardcover notebook that says “Enjoy The Little Things”. I plan to use it to jot down all creative ideas. So get ready Freaky Fanatics and……… Happy New Year!

Stay Spooky!
LDG Nicole

Freaky Fanatics: Greedo Approved!

I love all my Freaky Fanatic submissions but this one takes the (space) cake! I received a message via Etsy letting me know that the custom Star Wars Greedo Barrette arrived safely to the UK for the holidays. Knowing this made me happy, but what was attached to the message made me even happier. Check out this incredible Happy Customer photo I received.

You can see Greedo and more of my Freaky Fanatics on my official portfolio website. Don’t forget to also submit your photos so you can be featured as well. If you are chosen you will receive an undead discount code for all future purchases in my Etsy shop! Camera shy? No worries. Get creative like this client did!

Stay Spooky!
LDG Nicole

Freaky Fanatics Show Off Their Paintings!

As you know, I did a lot of painting for clients recently and I was so happy when I received some photos from both clients showing off how they displayed the paintings in their homes.

The massive 3 piece set I called Equinox now fills what was a very large empty wall space in my Uncle’s home. Instead of separating the pieces they decided they liked the image so much (as a whole) they hung it like it was one very large painting. The great thing about this set is if they ever get bored of that look they can change it. It was made so they can hang it with as much space in between the paintings that it will still make one large image. They can even hang them on separate walls in one room and have 3 separate paintings that match. The possibilities are endless….

I also received this spooktacular photo of Play Dead on display in my other client’s home. I am honored to have my work among so many other amazing Tim Burton inspired pieces. It’s like Gabby has a little piece of Beetle House right in her living room!

See these along with my other happy customer photos in the Freaky Fanatic slideshow on my website. Have a photo of your Living Dead Girl Nicole creations? Contact me to be featured!

Stay Spooky!
LDG Nicole

 

Freaky Fanatics: 10 Month Old Mia

If you recall, back in November I made Mummy and Me Dead Girl Decay barrettes as a baby shower gift for my cousin’s girlfriend and their soon to be baby girl Mia. Here is a photo to refresh the old memory…

Well I bring this up because today I was tagged on Instagram in the most adorable photos of Mia. She finally has hair and therefore was able to wear her Sugar Skull barrette for her 10 month photos. How perfect that it’s during my favorite month and time of year. And a purple jack o lantern as a photo prop. How freaking adorable!

See Mia along with all the other happy customers in the Freaky Fanatic slideshow of my website! Also don’t forget to contact me to submit your photos to be featured as well!

Stay Spooky!
LDG Nicole

Freaky Fanatic: S.O.P.H.I.E Supporter LeAnne

I apologize for being M.I.A, I have been working on a very large commission painting and trying to get it done by it’s deadline. It’s consuming my every free minute. However as soon as I received these photos I knew I had to stop for a while and share them.

LeAnne reached out to me after I announced the creation of my S.O.P.H.I.E Lancaster Foundation barrettes. She asked me to hold one of them for her before they sold out. See she was not only a supporter of the foundation but also a close personal friend of Sophie’s. On top of it she was getting married in a few weeks and wanted to wear it so Sophie could be a part of her big day.

“Thank you again so much for saving me one it meant the world to me to be able to wear it for my big day” – LeAnne

Doesn’t the barrette match perfectly with her flowers and their accessories?!

Congratulations LeAnne you look beautiful. I am honored that something I created could bring you closer to your departed friend. Especially on such a very meaningful occasion.

See LeAnne and my other Freaky Fanatics in the slideshow on my portfolio website! And don’t forget to contact me or submit your photos to me via a Etsy message! All Freaky Fanatics receive a special discount code for future purchases in my shop!

Stay Spooky!
LDG Nicole