#I could start and Etsy and do pre orders

[birbykirb]

MY PERCY KEYCHAIN CAME IN‼️ AA

Like a month or two ago I drew the design as a concept and then figured out how to get it physically made :3 I’m so happy with it you don’t even know

[weezerlvr228]

Hello!!! I want to talk about weezer but im too shy! I wish i had more weezer friends

AWW ANON NO WORRIES!!! i was like that too!! best thing ive found is to just comment + interact w weezer fans on tiktok, like maladroitlover579 is super duper nice! :D people r very very nice on tiktok , but of course u could always dm me and we can talk abt weezer all you’d like !

[silkscreaming]

I made a volume 10 trimax vash cosplay for MAGfest and I am SO proud of how it came out :) Some process stuff below! Warning for image and text heavy.

Truthfully this cos is only about 85% complete—I’d purchased a bunch of hardware to really go in on a volume accurate version of his undersuit and belts, but simply ran out of time before the con. It was the first cosplay I’ve sewn since 2017 and the first wig styling I’ve done since 2020, so I’m not gonna beat myself up too much!

(This is all purse hardware off Etsy and some buttons from M&J trim)

This was my first time ever making a muslin mock-up, but I knew it was going to be necessary to get the coat to lay the way I wanted it to. I really wanted to try and create proportions that elongated the legs/torso and widened the shoulders by placing the coat tail splits appropriately and raising up the shoulders with some padding. And of course arm and leg details that I’ll get to someday lol.

I created two mock-ups. One of basic muslin that helped me go from an existing pre-bought pattern to something more Vash-shaped, then a second one on a slightly sturdier scrap fabric with my finalized torso proportions with padding so I could accurately pattern out the sleeves and collar.

I was tracing my pattern pieces onto newsprint and vellum as I went, so once all of those were finalized, it was time to cut my fabric! I used a heavy cotton twill from B&J fabrics and two kinds of fusible interfacing from Mood (I’m spoiled by being local to the fashion district these days). A smarter person would have bought a thinner fabric to line the inner torso with, but I did not feel like getting that complicated with my first ever muslin-drafted AND lined project, so I simply cut double of every pattern piece in order to create a lining.

Sleeves were done by interfacing and cutting into a top panel, carefully snipping at the cutout portions, ironing and fabritacking in place, and then top stitching the whole piece to the main sleeve. I later added some leather backing squares and interfacing behind the larger eyelets for aesthetic while keeping the ventilation in tact. Ideally in the future I'll also add a strip of fabric to the gun arm that creates a slight bunching effect since that sleeve is a little more ruffled over the cuff. Photos below also include three shoulder pads pinned together on each shoulder, but I ended up forgetting not using them on my final wear.

Unfortunately at this point I was approaching con time, so I started cutting some corners that I made easily replaceable for future upgrades. The coat tabs are just painted craft foam cut to the size of the buttons, tacked in place where the button pierces through the tab and where it wraps around the edge of the front panel. The straps that attach to the lapel and wrap under the arms also were just decorated with some silver trim instead of hardware, and I skipped the side button panels at his hips for pattern-making simplicity and time. They'll be added later! I'd also love to do some weathering, but don't think I can quite bring myself to riddle the coat tails with bullet holes as some people do haha.

Gun arm attachment was also a quick and dirty addition, just some vinyl trim on eva foam attached with contact cement and a decorative button. First time working with contact cement somehow, but I look forward to also being able to upgrade this at a later date to a more accurate shape with the full belt attachments!

I was also hoping to update the shoes a bit by making some boot covers for them and rub-n-buffing the soles to disguise the platform a bit, but I love my pick for the cleat-look that Vash has! Some good ol' Demonias in classic vash fashion :)

Last but not least: The Wig. My pride and joy.

I got lucky enough to nab an Arda sale, I think right before Halloween, and picked up the Morpheus lace front in black, along with some extra wefts in pale blonde. (I also bought a whole separate pale blonde Morpheus wig, boldly thinking I could swing a normal trimax vash wig lol. It made for a convenient Eriks wig in the mean time.)

Since I was aiming for the end of volume 10 post-Wolfwood death look, I started by trying on the wig, roughly tracing out my hairline, then gently unweaving that portion of black in order to re-ventilate it with blonde.

After I replaced that whole strip of plucked hair, I tried on again to finalize where I needed to ventilate to cover my own hairline, and completed my outline with both blonde and brown-black wefts (i had them on hand lol). All in all, I ventilated more than 4 square inches of blonde, and at least a solid centimeter extension of the black hairline across the whole front of the wig. Probably close to 30 hours of work in the ventilating alone, but I am a little slow since I haven't ventilated in a few years and didn't keep clear track of time.

If there's one thing I should be used to by now about Arda wigs, they are THICK. There is zero teasing in this wig. None. Just got2b, a blowdryer, and a prayer. And a good load of bobby pins. The wig was also sadly a last minute hotel room mad dash, and I do hope to restyle it under less duress, but I do think I successfully achieved the Trimax swoop and am very proud of it! It was unbelievably windy on the walk from our hotel room to MAGfest, so the photos in the start of this post show a bit more droop than my initial styling, but I think I'll be able to touch things up next wear.

And of course, shoutout to my partner for gifting me the official glasses for Christmas :) And thank you to my roommates who barely saw me for a month and a half except for when I needed help with a hem lol.

All in all, I am unbelievably proud of this cosplay, I can't wait to put some more love into it and wear it again!

[shiningbean]

Yennefer & Tissaia cookie cutter pre-order

Hello folks. New sideblog, but it's me, Bean, your resident supplier of silly Yen and Tissaia things (what silly Yen and Tissaia things you might ask? Well then, head to my etsy shop, there you will find stickers and acrylic charms of them). This time we have: cookie cutters.

1. The items:

Plastic cookie cutters with imprint/stamp, each measures about 5 cm (2 inches) wide. The designs I have planned for Yen and Tissaia:

Samples of cookies made with this type of cookie cutters (photo courtesy of the manufacturer on facebook):

2. Costs & shipping:

Pre-order: 7€ for one cookie cutter or 12€ for the pair, in case of product defects you will get a full refund.

Shipping: the production + shipping to an address of your choosing will take 1-2 months. Exact shipping fees (2€-12€) under the cut*.

3. Sign up:

Write me a chat on tumblr (@shiningbean/@mercisnm) or discord (anhsdo)

Have questions? Read more under the cut:

Why pre-order? Since cookie cutters are much more niche than stickers and keychains, I cannot be certain how many of these I will sell, if at all. Previous interest checks didn't always mean buyer, with pre-order I can be certain interested people would commit to paying for the goods.

How long will this take from pre-order to finished product? The whole process might take up to 2 months (manufacturing: ~1 month, goods' shipment to me: ~2 weeks, goods' shipment to your address: ~2 weeks)

Oh that's a long waiting time, why? Because I don't have these in stock, they are already designed but production hasn't started yet. Also I need them shipped to me first to check for quality before shipping them out to you.

Why do I have to send you money twice? The first fee is the pre-order fee, to make sure you will buy the finished products, and also to finance the whole production of the cookie cutters. The second fee is the shipping fee, you'll pay this so I can ship the cutters to you. For anywhere but Germany the shipping itself costs almost as much as the cutters themselves, so unfortunately I cannot cover this fee for you.

What if the cookie cutters are defective? Once I receive the cutters from the manufacturer and they are defective (don't cut well, don't leave deep enough imprint etc.) then I will not ship them out, you won't need to pay me anything, I will give you a full refund of the pre-order fee.

What if the goods are in order, I just want to opt out? Or I just change my mind? As previously explained, these are quite niche knick-knacks that I don't plan on selling long term, so if you want to opt out once production has started I could only offer a 30% refund (2.5€ for one cutter and 4€ for the pair).

* The goods will be shipped with Deutsche Post/DHL services for: Germany: 2.25€, EU countries: 6.49€, UK and Austria: 8.99€, rest of the world: 11.99€ (tracking for 2.50€ - 4€)

[zytes]

Question from someone just starting with creating and then posting art to Tumblr, do you think I should be watermarking my pieces?

I’ve always disliked watermarks as they naturally tend to dissuade people from interacting with art in a natural manner; it depends very heavily on the size and placement of the mark, obviously. BUT, often times an artist will overzealously obscure their work with identification and it has a somewhat repulsive effect on the average viewer - a wall has been erected between the viewer and the art, in a sense. Watermarks, to me, exist to prevent very specific situations from unfolding with your work - almost all of those reasons seem to be financially motivated, like preventing strangers from printing your art out at home or reposting without attribution. Situations that could affect your ability to profit off of your work.

Admittedly, much of my perception about this issue was inspired by an article included in the book “Context” by Cory Doctorow, wherein he writes about how he’s benefitted from “thinking like a dandelion”, which is an idea that was inspired by conversation the author had with Neil Gaiman — I’ll try and summarize the parts of the point that are more relevant to visual arts; since portions of the allegory refer more specifically to certain qualities of written media.

He begins with, “Mammals worry about what happens to each and every one of their offspring, but dandelions only care that every crack in every sidewalk has dandelions growing out of it. The former is a good strategy for situations in which reproduction is expensive, but the latter works best when reproduction is practically free — as on the Internet.”

So how do you “think like a dandelion” then?

“Your work needs to be easily copied, to anywhere whence it might find its way into the right hands. That means that the nimble text-file, HTML file, and PDF (the preferred triumvirate of formats) should be distributed without formality — no logins, no e-mail address collections, and with a license that allows your fans to reproduce the work on their own in order to share it with more potential fans. Remember, copying is a cost-center — insisting that all copies must be downloaded from your site and only your site is insisting that you — and only you — will bear the cost of making those copies. Sure, having a single, central repository for your works makes it easier to count copies and figure out where they’re going, but remember: dandelions don’t keep track of their seeds. Once you get past the vanity of knowing exactly how many copies have been made, and find the zen of knowing that the copying will take care of itself, you’ll attain dandelionesque contentment.”

The rest of the allegory more specifically applies to written work, but I’ll link it here for the sake of posterity. Essentially: every wall or pre-requisite that you establish before allowing a fresh set of eyes to fall upon your work actually may deter people from engaging with the work and sharing it with others. Signatures, subtle watermarks that are “baked” into the work, or maybe like.. a well-placed QR code that links people back to you — all of those would be my suggestion for someone who wants to leave a lasting, linking thread between a given work and it’s artist. If the right person sees your art and connects with it, there SHOULD be a way for them to follow that thread back to you and discover more; but if you over-prioritize demonstrating ownership over your work, you’re likely to drive those coveted genuine connections away.

On the other hand, if your primary goal is to sell prints or other products, brazenly watermarking your work will protect your bottom line from the kind of low-level art-scraping that drives all those shady redbubble shops and etsy stores that sell stolen works on cheap t-shirts and hankies. For me, art is a primarily social interest in which I prioritize the sharing of culture and ideas. I don’t want financial factors to take precedence and alter how/why I created something; it feels like I’d have to take much of myself out of my art in order to make it palatable for consumer spaces.

You should determine your priorities and then strive to make art that fulfills those priorities without compromise. I think you’ll find that self-satisfaction manifests readily at different points in the midst of that process.

[cosmiccannibalcamille]

Eclipse, Equinox, and SO. MANY. SHIFTS.

     Strap yourself in, this week brings a slew of shifts, breakthroughs, and accelerated transformations. That’s because Eclipse season is here, and it’s not playing around. Yep, this week’s lineup is packed with the Pisces eclipse, the Autumn Equinox, and a Venus shift. In between all of that, you can expect your mindset to sober up—which, incidentally, preps you for an “unexpected” download, a dash of dreamy chaos, a temporary bout of squirrel-brain curiosity, and maybe some tension around creativity, money, and relating. 

ICYMI: 🚀 My debut novel, Jupiter Returns, is now available for pre-order! When you pre-order before Sept. 30, you’ll also be entered into an exclusive giveaway for some stellar prizes, including a 60-minute Chart Reading AND a year’s subscription to The Cosmic Almanac. Pre-order YOUR copy to enter the giveaway today!!

     Fresh starts? Check. Dramatic shifts? Double check. You’re stepping into a wild, anything-can-happen atmosphere where fresh starts are inevitable and dramatic shifts are, well, guaranteed. Feeling overwhelmed? It’s cool—everyone is. (I’m especially overwhelmed!) The trick to surviving the chaos is knowing your limits. Can you indulge your daydreams and tackle your to-do list? Could your daily grind benefit from a little sprinkle of magic? (Um, yes.) Anyway, that’s the gist of this week. Here’s the actual Astrology:

September 17th: The lunar eclipse in 25° Pisces

September 18th: Mercury in Virgo opposes Saturn Rx in Pisces, 15°

September 19th: The Sun in Virgo trines Uranus Rx, 27°

September 20th: The Sun in Virgo opposes Neptune Rx in Pisces, 28°

September 21st: Mercury in Virgo squares Jupiter in Gemini, 20°

September 21st: The Sun in Virgo trines Pluto Rx in Capricorn, 29°

September 22nd: The Sun enters Libra 

September 22nd: Venus in Libra squares Pluto Rx in Capricorn, 29°

September 22nd: Venus enters Scorpio 

🌒 September 17th: Lunar Eclipse in Pisces @ 7:34 pm PT

     Kicking off the week with some big Pisces energy, the lunar eclipse signals the start of a fresh, dream-chasing chapter. Think of it like cosmic permission to quit your job and start a Tarot-reading business on Etsy—kidding! (Maybe.) The eclipse asks: What dream have you been avoiding because it seems too unrealistic? In the words of Marty McFly, “That’s heavy, Doc.” Indeed it is heavy, but we’d expect no less from a full moon lunar eclipse in Pisces, would we? 

     Neptune Rx merges with this lunar eclipse, which could cause some confusion, but also some serious inspiration, healing, and compassion. Uranus Retrograde brings support—you know, as much support as the rabble rouser planet of balking the system and disrupting anything that stagnates, can give (which is to say: not that supportive). Pluto Rx in Capricorn brings catharsis, as you hopefully finagle with letting go of your feelings about a certain person, project, or passion. (Though, not in a bad way!) Jupiter in Gemini also squares this full moon lunar eclipse, which will most likely just exaggerate any feelings you have.

     Before you go sprinting toward that new chapter, check in with your system—are you running on fumes or fuel? (I’m running on both!)

📣 Sept. 18 – Mercury Opposes Saturn Rx 

     Mercury (your inner chatterbox) faces off against Saturn (the cosmic drill sergeant), and suddenly, your brain is flooded with thoughts like: “Am I doing enough?” or “Why do I suck at everything?” Don’t buy into the drama. Self-criticism is especially loud today, but you can shut it down. Make a list of five things you’ve accomplished this year, to remind your inner critic why it isn’t always right all the time. Saturn is trying to teach you a lesson in patience and resilience, so don’t be too hard on yourself—growth takes time…

👾 Sept. 19 – Sun Trines Uranus Rx 

     Here comes the cosmic weirdo! When the Sun forms a harmonious trine to Uranus, the planet of rebellion, it’s a signal to let your freak flag fly. You’ve got some truly offbeat, brilliant ideas bubbling up, so don’t hold back. Innovation is the name of the game today, and the world needs your weirdness. Seriously, don’t try to be “normal” (whatever that even means). Uranus is all about shaking things up, and this is your chance to surprise yourself—and everyone else—with your quirky genius…

Read the FULL forecast for this week's astrology (for FREE) on The Cosmic Almanac:

[salixsociety]

My Services | Apothecaric Allerlei

Moi everybody! My name is Willow, I have recently finally opened my shop again proper, and it should now be more accessible than ever! Thanks for checking out my services, hopefully you find what you need! In short, I am currently offering: ⋆ Research commissions; ⋆ Tarot/Oracle readings; ⋆ Pagan prayer pages; ⋆ Pre-written research; ⋆ An elaborate grimoire template. I intend to start offering these things again soon: ⋆ Art commissions; ⋆ Ethical, custom folk spellwork; ⋆ Spell compendia; ⋆ Physical tools and products.

I also do traditional divination upon request, please shoot me a message here or on discord (@salixsociety) to inquire! You can now order all of these services through my Etsy! For a concise overview of all of my services, plus links, and more information about me, you can consult my website.

I'm a professional diviner and folk healer of five years with over a decade of experience. I was taught tarot by my beloved Oma, and still use her old deck sometimes. I deeply value integrity, honesty, cultural sensitivity, and the art of folk magic as it once was: interpersonal, connected, human and kind. I'm a deeply religious heathen devoted to the gods of wisdom, foresight and magic. I cultivate a strong relationship with them to assist me in my readings and spellwork. I'm known for my accuracy and emotional insight, and I look forward to proving myself always. You can find testimonials on my website, as well as my Etsy store. Below the cut is all the information you could possibly want about my comms!

⋆˙⟡ Divination

I currently only offer cartomancy readings as standard listings. On request, I do perform other forms of divination! I specialize in a number of traditional forms of divination, such as trance divination, omen interpretation, fire divination and dream interpretation. Please contact me directly for those sorts of services! I respond immediately to messages on Etsy and Discord.

These are the tarot readings I offer! Click the links for details.

⋆ Second opinion: I confirm a reading you've done for yourself or got from someone else. ⋆ Path reading: I read on how you can and should move forward in your path, especially as a magical practitioner. ⋆ Fate reading: I read on how the path you are currently on will play out, what kind of fate you were born with, and how you can alter how you're set to end up. ⋆ Love reading: I read about your current or future relationship, or your love interests. ⋆ Spiritual health reading: I read on whether you are cursed, your wards are healthy, your spiritual immunity is sound, etc. ⋆ Foe identification: I read on who or what is making your life harder. Understand when you select this that the answer might be nobody/nothing/yourself! ⋆ Career reading: I read on any questions you may have about your career. ⋆ Get roasted/blind reading: I let the cards tell you exactly what you need to hear right now and give you tough love. ⋆ Shadow work reading: I read about how you can improve yourself and uncover your shadow side. ⋆ Friends & Family: I read about social situations, interpersonal conflict, etc. ⋆ Healing reading: I read on how you can heal, whether it be from a current situation or a long gone trauma. ⋆ Custom reading: This listing option is for those with questions that do not fall under any of the other provided options!

Tarot readings can be ordered through Etsy, click here to be taken to the correct page. For custom divination requests, I take payment through Ko-Fi. If you can't use Ko-Fi, I can make a custom Etsy listing for you at no additional cost, it just takes a bit longer.

⋆˙⟡ Art Commissions

I'm currently not offering as many art commission options as I once did. I do not at present have an art commission listing on Etsy, and I do all my art commissions by request! Please contact me on Etsy or any of the socials offered on my website if you are interested in commissioning me.

I primarily offer deity portraits right now, but I specialize in all manner of portraiture as well as horse illustration. I can't offer a concrete prediction of how much your project might cost, but these are general guidelines:

⋆ Portrait: $75 ⋆ Half-body: $95 ⋆ Full-body: $120

These prices are without attributes and backgrounds. I will include scars, tattoos, and simple jewelry for free - anything else will be at an additional cost depending on the complexity of the request.

------------- Rán & Odinn devotional portraits made for myself

⋆˙⟡ Research Commissions

I currently offer three research commission options:

⋆ Custom herbarium; ⋆ Custom research; ⋆ Custom resource portfolio. Please follow the links to see the details!

Why should you trust me to do your research?

⋆ I speak Dutch, Low Saxon, English, German and French. I can read Latin, Italian, Old Norse/Icelandic, Friesian, and have the tools to reliably translate small bits of other languages as well. This means I grasp most of the languages that medieval and classical literature was written in, making me particularly equipped to look through them for you! ⋆ I was raised in a folk magic tradition, and I have been seriously studying such for about a decade. I have been a devout heathen for eight years, and I've professionally served a community with folk magic and divination for five years. I was mentored by various elders in my practice. ⋆ I really care about both scientific integrity for as much as I can muster it, and about political correctness. I vet sources not only for proper citations, unbiased information and reliability, but also whether the information provided is harmful, furthers an agenda, or whether the author is affiliated with radical right-wing ideology. ⋆ I collect resources on various subject matters relevant to magic, botany, folklore, medieval medicine, folk medicine, paganism, anthropology, theology, etc. I have an expansive physical library containing many rare and antique books, and I keep an even larger digital library of vetted sources that I update regularly. ⋆ I have a few minor certifications in herbalism and folk medicine. ⋆ In my time as a practitioner I have written over 1000 pages on the subject matter relevant to me for personal use, of which the vast majority have been about herbs. I intend to publish some of my written work when the time comes! If you would like a reference for how much expertise I have in any given topic, please refer to my tumblr blogs under #apothecaric allerlei, or contact me on any of my public social media to talk to me!

A custom research commission could be for anything regarding magic that is open for me to learn about. If it is a closed practice I require the person commissioning the research to be within their rights to practice that closed tradition and also within their rights to allow me to delve into it, I am thorough on this. I will decline research commissions I feel are not respectful for me to do.

Research topics I specialize in: ⋆ Lapidary magic (minerals, gems, especially medieval and ancient); ⋆ Folklore; ⋆ Spirits and spirit work; ⋆ Animism; ⋆ Germanic paganism, Norse paganism; ⋆ Intersectional approaches to paganism; ⋆ Orthodox Christianity; ⋆ History of magic/folklore/etc; ⋆ Applied magic (using x magic for y result); ⋆ Magical theory (why/how does magic work?).

I WILL NOT RESEARCH IN A POSITIVE LIGHT: Wicca, New Age spirituality, folkism or alt-right ideology, and whatever else makes me uncomfortable or does not align with my morals.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Terms and Conditions

ART COMMISSIONS:

I will NOT draw: hardcore, fetish content, transgressive content, hateful content, mechs, gore, culturally prohibited figures (e.g. God) I WILL draw: softcore, artistic nudity, deities, humanoids, OCs, fanart I reserve the right to decline any project or change my mind halfway through (you will be refunded in this scenario). I reserve the right to post commissions.

RESEARCH COMMISSIONS:

I WILL NOT RESEARCH IN A POSITIVE LIGHT: Wicca, New Age spirituality, folkism or alt-right ideology, and whatever else makes me uncomfortable. I reserve the right to decline any type of research. I research in a scientific way, based on peer reviewed sources, history, and other methods based in reality and actual historical craft. If I deem a topic new age, pseudoscientific, or otherwise outside of my moral boundaries, I will decline; even if it seems innocuous. I reserve the right to share, keep, use, etc, the knowledge I obtain. I reserve the right to withhold information I deem harmful or irresponsible to share. If it is a closed practice, or culturally significant and endangered practice, or a cultural practice subject to much misappropriation and watering down, I require the person commissioning the research to be within their rights to practice that closed tradition and also within their rights to allow me to delve into it, I am thorough on this. I will decline research commissions I feel are not respectful for me to do.

DIVINATION SERVICES:

I will NOT divine on: Legal issues, Serious medical issues, Death dates nor cause of death. I reserve the right to decline and refund any readings. I reserve the right to change my mind halfway through and refund the customer. I reserve the right to withhold information I deem harmful or unnecessary. In compliance with the law, all readings are for entertainment purposes only and should not be used as the basis for major legal, financial, or other life decisions.

[inaliakitsune]

~2025 New Year Update!~

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Starting off this new year with a somewhat big update! Unfortunately, not all of it is good news....

Commissions Open for TFCon LA '25 

10 slots open

If you're interested in a commission for convention pick up, then please head over to the commissions page to snag your slot!~

These will only be open before the con. No at con commissions will be taken this year outside of digital commissions.

Store Status

Due to the issue with my artwork (its still being worked on, please continue reading the next section for more.) things are slow. The Etsy shop is open but the Ko-Fi shop will remain closed until after TFCon LA '25 as of now. If that changes then I will let you all know!

If you'd like to pick up your Etsy order at TFCon LA '25 then be sure to enter the following coupon code at checkout: TFCONLA25

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheKitsunesKafe

Art Update

Due to unfortunate circumstances, I have been set back a ton. Something happened on 1/1/25 that caused my external hard drive to do a reformat, causing all of the files to be deleted. I did not catch it in time and everything was wiped. Both of the places where backup files should have been were empty and I'm not sure why. I spent all of the 1st and all of the 2nd trying to recover anything that I could. Its been a long process and everything is currently still gone outside of a few random files here and there.

I have lost personal artwork (literally everything back to 2019), commissions and gifts from people that I'm not sure I have saved anywhere else, zines i purchased, personal photos and so much more. I am going to try to use a program to recover as many files as possible over the next little while but its slow and not guaranteed. 

What does that mean from here on out? I have to remake everything merch wise. Anything previously ordered through my manus is safe and I can still order it from them while I work on recovering/redoing everything. I will have to go through and find/save all of my full pieces and just be content that I have them and not the editable files. I also have to search for everything else I had saved as commissions/gifts, zines, fanfics on A03 (if their creators didn't delete the fics) and more....

With TFCon La '25 coming up, I'm currently prioritizing getting new merch made for that. I will be working as quickly as I can to redo the Terran Peekers so I can hopefully get those out to you all rather soon whether as pre-orders or at the convention and in the shop immediately afterwards. I have a large line of merch I'm making for the con. I also have to restart on all of my advertisement graphics for the convention which is going to be rather time consuming. I will be trying to work on owed art in between and will be reaching out to people who have commissioned me that I havent finished things for but anything I started on is gone, I have to completely restart if I didnt finish and get the final pieces to you already...Again, all of this is going to be extremely time consuming.....

The merch club is changing. I was playing with this idea anyways but in order to now correct things after the external drive wipe, I have to. There will be a post here, on Ko‑fi and on the same that correspond with the merch club when I have something written up and ready to go. Rewards for members here/on the main Ko‑fi page might also be changing but I want to see what all I can get figured out elsewhere before I resort to messing with that. 

Rewards are in the works for the Kickstarter! I'm waiting for the prototypes to be colored and will be posting an update on the Kickstarter page here soon hopefully. 

I might be quiet most days between my current depression over everything in regards to this and still not having my job fixed but I will be around. If you need me please send me a DM or an email at inaliasart@gmail.com

Thank you all for your continued support! It truly means the world to me that you've stuck around this long!~ <3

[lychgate]

Do you have any advice for people who are starting to create merch related to a franchise?

How does it work ?

Do you buy a certain amount of an item you produced beforehand and wait for someone to buy one of them ?

Or do you wait for someone to buy the merch then you order the item in question before sending it to the customer?

Is there a risk of getting sued by the company or franchise you made merch out of, even if it’s your drawing/concept (just using their characters)

Sorry if it’s too much to ask 😅 some of my friends recommended me to start doing this, I just wanna learn the right steps, it’s an unknown territory..

Thank you !

Hey! I can answer the best to my own experiences, in general for merch sales you're getting your inventory of said item first then sending them out when sales are made. So like if you ran an Etsy you'd already have said item when you create the listing, and there's a spot on your listing creation page that lets you put in it's inventory number so it keeps track of that. custom items are probably more order first, make second. But if these are items you're going to manufacturers to make (acrylic charms, art prints, shirts, pins, etc) then it's expected you have them in stock when selling them. (otherwise das a preorder) making merch of IPs can feel like a tippy toe territory cause a lotta times its luck based like some people never run into an issue and have a perfectly fine career selling fanart. It's hard cause its a lot of foggy territory, and it ranges on how hard the individual company wants to go after the smallest fish (were the small fish) fanart gets to be a foggy territory cause ur usually redrawing it all in ur own style, compared to like, if i took the official logos or base licensed artworks of famous characters and made merchandise out of it.

my own opinion on handling it is I normally just make fanart merch for things that im willing to bite the financial loss over if I got in trouble for it. Most cases they're just gonna yeet a C+D at u and if ur on a platform like Etsy they'll just immediately remove the listing and email u the thing they were sent. (getting too many of those tho could result in ur etsy store getting taken down so heads up)

starting off merch wise id suggest things that are cheaper to invest in. like acrylic charms or stickers or art prints are lower priced and usually have a lower minimum order quantity from the manufacturer. pre-orders are also good cause they'll gauge the public interest in said item a little better. uhhhh otherwise the only other general thing is community engagement helps a ton for getting into merch making. There's a lot of artist circles groups and chats open to newcomers that will have a lot of good information and experience provided there.

[themajorbarkana]

Oh my goodness...we did it!! The Barkana Kickstarter successfully finished, fully funded! I can't believe we raised over $18,000. Years ago, I never could have imagined so many people would be interested in a project I painted. It's so incredibly moving to see everyone's support. 💓 And I seriously cannot wait to send this puppy joy across the world! There are backers from every continent (except Antarctica...I'm pretty sure 😆). Truly, I could not be more grateful for the love this project has been shown. --- WHAT TO EXPECT --- Going forward, I'll be focusing on getting this deck ready for its final (and only) printing. This involves box design, prototype adjustments, and approval for printing. Then, for a few months, the decks are entirely in the hands of our printer! I'm expecting to receive them in Spring 2022 and I'll start shipping them out asap after that. Early bird backers, plus prior backers/people with their dogs in the deck, are first. Then the rest of the backers and UK Etsy orders, followed by people who pre-order after the Kickstarter. All backers will receive information around paying for shipping early next year, via email. So, do keep an eye out for that! For UK folks: In the next month or two, I'll be listing this deck on Etsy just for you all! They handle the VAT issue, so I can make sure these decks get to you. If you're not on our email list, send me a DM and I'll add you so you don't miss the announcement of when that link is live! Lastly, I'm not going to be quite as active on IG for the next few weeks. There's a lot of follow up work after the Kickstarter...and I need a breather after such an intense month! I'll still be sharing relevant updates here, on Kickstarter, and via email though. --- IF YOU MISSED THE KICKSTARTER: --- Missed the Kickstarter? No worries! There is a pre-order link in my shop here. --- Thank you all SO much again. I cannot wait to send these decks to you all! 💕

[the-cookie-of-doom]

@tinylionsed doing this in a post bc it’s WAY easier 

The absolute BAREST essentials to make a book: 

Needle & Thread (Embroidery floss works great, you should technically wax it, that makes it last longer/prevents degradation, but you don’t have to.) 

Awl for hole punching. (Could probably be improvised, but you may as well spend the like. $5 to buy a real one.)

Davey boards: This is for your cover. You can get a big ass set of them online for pretty cheap. You want at LEAST 9x6 inches. That’s about the size of a standard cover. I got mine bigger than that, but not big enough to cut one board in half for two covers, so I end up wasting a bunch of board. (I save the cuttings for spine pieces and jigs later. Keep your scraps.) 

Book Cloth: $5 for a sheet on Hollanders.com, comes in a ton of colors, and if you do half/quarter bindings (yours were quarter bindings), one sheet will last you a long time. Comes in a million colors. 

Cover paper: This gets pricey-er. On Hollanders, it costs the same as cover paper. You can also get it on etsy, (which is where I found yours), which is where it starts to cost $$$. “Lokta” is the magic word. It’s a specific kind of paper that holds up really well, and is beautiful. You can also just use card stock/decorative paper from your local craft stores. All up to you. (You can also save the craps from this for various projects. I’m going to make a scrap cover once I have enough pieces, and they make for fun accents in partial bindings.) 

Glue: I bought the smallest bottle of Mod Podge at walmart, which is like 4? oz? And I got several books out of it. You can also make your own paste with 1 part flour and about 4 parts water (hmu for details), which is Ye Olden Method, and works pretty good. I like to use the mod podge for the spine, and then then paste for gluing on the cover paper. It goes farther, and it pastes the paper down really well. (Unless you use cardstock, in which case you’ll need to line the edges with glue to really stick them down. Cardstock is stubborn.) 

Nice to have but not really necessary

Bone Folder: Most of my life I literally used the clipy part of a mechanical pencil. You could use a ruler or some type of card. You could use your nail. It doesn’t matter. You just need a straight edge of some kind to get crisp folds.

Mull: This is a... good idea... strongly recommended... but you could probably get away with not using it. I didn’t use it on Ten Lashes, but I did on Cursed, because that was a heftier book. It’s there to reinforce the spine, so smaller books don’t need it, but thicker books do. It’s the cheese-cloth looking paper, also pretty cheap. 

Book Tapes: Like mull, it depends on the size of the book. Again, Ten Lashes didn’t have it, Cursed did. It reinforces the spine, and thick books absolutely do need it. I would say once your book gets to about 1″ thick, that’s when you should use them. 

Headbands: These are the black strips at the top and bottom of Cursed. They also serve to reinforce the spine, when you actually make them yourself, which is a whole complicated process. You can also buy them as little tab to put on the ends of the book, which is what I did, and it makes the spine took nice and tidy/cleans up the edges. Preeetty much superfluous and there to look nice, you absolutely don’t have to buy them. 

I’m pretty sure that’s it for supplies! All in all, it’s sort of a large upfront investment, but the supplies carry over. The only thing you’ll be re-purchasing are the book cloths/papers, really, if you order to project like I do. 

I don’t want to be crass and literally outline the costs of your gift, but if you’re interested in average costs I could?? 

But like as an example, the cover paper cost me about $5 + shipping, and I was able to make your 2 books out of it, with enough left for 2 more. The book cloth will vary more because the amount you use depends on how thick your book is: Ten Lashes used about an inch less then Cursed, I think, but all in all I was using about 4″ wide strips, and I have plenty left over. So as long as you start off with supplies you know you’ll reuse (such as neutral black spines, with more decorative covers), you can stretch the costs. 

Also a note on the thread, bc it was my first mistake: Buy white/a light off-white cream. Trust me. You want it to blend with the paper in the beginning. and do NOT get pre-waxed, bc they always over-wax the hell out of it. You’d do better to get your own (linen) thread or floss, and wax it yourself. But get a light color. It looks the best, unless you want to do a contrast color. (Ex. I’m probably going to use a wine shade for my next book. I sadly didn’t have a good shade that would’ve matched the covers for yours T_T) 

[thunderheadfred]

Thunderhead Press is 1 year old already!?!

I haven’t exactly been hyping up my small business lately (because Covid, because economy, because yikes) but if you are an artist in need of prints for your online store or con, please do consider me for your next print job! I am ready and eager to take new orders from my home office in the USA.

If you plan on having any holiday sales for your prints this year, it’s a good idea to stock up nice and early, since shipping will likely see a lot of delays this year. I haven’t had many problems with domestic shipping (YET) but there’s really no predicting how this holiday season will go.

My prints are professional pigment giclées, with image quality as good (and likely far better) than anything you could get from a big corporate place. I always color proof and quality check all images before and after printing, there is absolutely nothing automated about my process.

I’ll print just about anything, including those spicy images you might not feel comfortable sending to a corporate printer. I promise you won’t shock me.

My Etsy store has a few popular pre-set options listed, but I can do custom jobs up to 17” wide. I also offer bulk pricing for when you need a lot of one or two particular prints.

Since I’m a one-person operation, I have limits on how many orders I can process at once, so if you want to get a head start on the holidays, the sooner the better!

Fred

[eusuntgratie]

Y’ALL @albymangroves and @jaybrogers are making work from home life liveable with more RedBubble goodies.

😍😍😍

The picture is a photographic print of “you go to my head” by @albymangroves (size small, trimmed a bit so I could stick it in a crappy frame. it deserves better but here we are). So now every time I’m about to rage-scream ala Ciri or Yennefer about work madness I can just look up and let pre-War Stucky feels wash over me. I struggled to choose what kind of print to order. This (photographic print) is exactly like it sounds; it looks like it’s printed on slightly textured photograph paper. Desperately trying to resist ordering all of alby’s prints and filling this whole wall; I’m waiting for the perfect original to be available on etsy 💕

Notebooks are my jam, and I have never had a cooler one than this one with a GORGEOUS @jaybrogers tattooed Bucky with aviators, a top knot, black nails, scruff and bomb outfit 🔥 I’m keeping my daily anxiety-fueled to-do lists in here now so when I start to panic I can focus on Bucky’s glorious perfection instead of how much I have to do and how little time I have to do it.

THANK YOU to these wonderful artists and all my fave artists and writers - y’all are keeping me sane and deserve all the love. 💗

[thelightofthingshopedfor]

just once, just fucking once I would like to have a reasonably productive long weekend instead of spending most of it too stuck in decision paralysis to actually do much of anything until I reach a point where I feel like I could very well break down crying because I’m too overwhelmed with everything I need to do but I still don’t actually do most of it because the decision paralysis is a huge part of what makes me so fucking overwhelmed in the first place

like. right now probably the most urgent thing is a semi-complicated Etsy commission that the buyer would ideally receive by Dec. 10, which probably means sending it Dec. 7 at the absolute latest. so I should be working on that, right? but it’s going to take a while so it’s a time commitment, especially because it seems kind of pointless to get out a lot of messy supplies to only work on it for a few minutes. and I need to order parts for a different order--well, at least that’s quick. I also really need to reapply thermal paste to my CPU as soon as I can because I think the fan’s getting louder and that can’t be good for anything in there, and theoretically it won’t be that hard, but realistically I’m sure it’s going to take a while and I have to look up a little info on how to do it, first--and it involves my PC being out of commission while I’m working on it, so that’s not something I can do halfway. and while my PC’s open I really need to replace my dead hard drive, which wouldn’t be that hard except I want to install the new one alongside the old one so I can try to clone the dead one onto the new one, which will definitely take time on both the hardware and software sides of things, but it needs to happen sooner rather than later because, again, there’s a lot of stuff I can’t do until I get that done. and I need to send the recent invoices for Hazy’s dental appointment to pet insurance to see if they’ll pay anything, and that should be quick, but nothing ever stays simple. and, shit, I should really do some actual work this weekend because I didn’t get enough done before...and I still need to decide what to do about the vision therapy thing now that it’s clear the best they can do for me is a payment plan for like 36 expensive appointments, ugh. and ah shit I signed up for Yuletide and I’ve done almost nothing, and that’s due...Dec. 17? fuck, that reminds me, I gotta go get a new notebook from my room because I just finished this one, I mean that’s quick and easy but it also means I now have two notebooks that mostly aren’t typed up, which is bad because I can’t do anything with the contents until they’re typed up and of course they’re not backed up (unless I put them in my fireproof safe, and then I’d never get them typed), and typing those is going to take forever, and yeah I’ve been meaning to make it easier on myself by just doing like 15 minutes a day but I haven’t done that at all and they really need to get typed--and, well, I could just do a 15-minute stint, sure, but that seems silly when there’s so much that needs to be done--and, ugh, I’ve sorta been ignoring my email for the last three days and I need to go through that because otherwise I’m guaranteed to miss something I won’t want to miss, but that takes time and it’s going to mean opening up more tabs when there are already too many tabs open (there are always too many tabs open) and I need to deal with those too, and a good share of the emails are probably about Black Friday sales that I’ll probably want to do but that means more tabs and more decisions and shit there’s all that stuff in my Etsy cart that I should really buy sooner rather than later because sometimes Etsy stuff disappears or sells out and then I’ll be sad and frustrated with myself and also some of the things I want to buy are for gifts, which reminds me that I have almost no Christmas gifts yet for anybody, and my birthday is soon so I should probably make some kind of list myself but actually why am I focusing on that at all when the Georgia runoff elections that determine Senate control are in barely more than a month and I need to be writing letters/postcards to voters since I don’t want to phonebank and time zones actually make it really impractical anyway? I was going to do that in a reasonable way this time too, just a few letters a day like I meant to before, use up a lot of these stamps and stuff I still have--and ah fuck it’s been a while since I’ve called my own legislators about anything, I need to do that, that’s theoretically quick because voicemails cut me off at two minutes, although to be able to do that I also have to do at least a little research so I know what’s the most important thing to call about and what to say so that’s more tabs and more time, and I still haven’t fucking reposted the tiny little Endgame fix-it fic I wrote at the end of August, let alone finished anything since then

and I would, on some level, like to work on one of the many, many writing projects that is theoretically close to being done, or one of the recent ones I started because I foolishly and incorrectly thought it was something I could bang out quickly

and on some level I would also like to work on more stuff for Etsy that could be pre-made so it’s not another stress point when I get orders, especially because several things are holiday-specific and some wouldn’t even take that long, but I’d still be choosing to do those instead of more urgent things

and none of that even begins to touch other stuff, like my room that continues to be a disaster and I need to sort through my shit so I know whether I can relist my most popular Etsy item (if I even want to, which I don’t right now because stress), not to mention all the stuff I need to clear out by listing on eBay, and I could do at least one part of that (flatten the boxes I’ve saved for shipping) without committing to a week-long project but even that part would take a solid chunk of time that I should be spending on something more urgent

and we can’t even put up the fucking tree until I move some of my shit away from the spot where the tree goes, which is tough because a lot of it is from work or otherwise theoretically temporary stuff that doesn’t have an actual home, so that’s going to take a while, and then putting up the tree is also going to take a while, and my room is already a disaster so I’d need to clean in there to make room, which would take forever, and for that matter my areas of the living room are generally a disaster too, as always

and while I’m thinking about stuff I brought from work, let’s go back to how I need to do some work stuff because I’m lucky enough to have a decent job with good insurance that can be done from home and I’m still just like...kiiiiiiinda endangering that by not being a functional adult in general? which is at least partly because my brain is a dumpster fire that doesn’t seem to be improving (which is something else to worry about) but regardless of the cause I still have to do something about it? oh yes and speaking of the good insurance I’m kinda endangering by being a fuckup, haha sure hope this knot under my jaw doesn’t turn out to be...you know, the type of bad thing that a knot under the jaw could turn out to be! which is another very good reason I need to stop being a fuckup so I’m not maybe endangering the job that would pay for that, along with all my other medical issues! and also the entirety of our rent because my mom’s really high-risk and the only available jobs she’s qualified for aren’t safe for her to do!

and my knee hurts! and my elbow hurts! and my neck fucking hurts, my head and neck always hurt and I think I’ve been sleeping even worse than usual lately, partly because neck pain and partly just my body fucking hates me, it’s always a problem and I don’t know what to do about it anymore

and now it’s after 8:30 pm and obviously I’ve done none of this, and I’m still tired, and my head and neck still hurt, and there are still so many things I need to do but I can’t choose because the time-consuming things are the urgent ones but I don’t have the time or energy for them and choosing a specific thing (an urgent time-consuming thing, or a less urgent but much quicker thing) means actively choosing not to do one of the other things, and it’s all important, and I can’t fucking choose, and I’m pretty much at a point where I can continue running ever more painful and crazy-making circles in my brain trying to make myself decide something or I can say “fuck it” and do something that would be fun but not urgent or important at all, which I shouldn’t do, so for fuck’s sake I should just pick even one productive thing to do and then maybe let myself do something fun and then get to bed at a good time for fucking once but I still can’t fucking choose and I want to either cry, scream, or possibly hurt myself, and none of this is healthy or productive

and I think possibly my therapist is getting impatient with me for not making much progress and not really having specific goals for our sessions aside from “I hate that my brain is Like This and I want it to not be Like This and no I haven’t done most of the things you’ve suggested and no I don’t have a good reason why, I just want the meds to work so everything won’t be so fucking hard and yes I know that wouldn’t be something you could control even if it was in your wheelhouse, which it isn’t, but I get overwhelmed so fast and I know I need to do better and be better but I don’t know how”

and I wrote this instead of actually doing anything, apparently, because there was at least some chance that dumping it all out would make me feel better or help me see more clearly what I actually need to do, but I think I actually made myself feel worse by articulating just how overwhelmed I am, mostly by things that objectively aren’t actually that difficult or important.

and I still can’t fucking choose.

[cosplayinamerica]

Tony from Die Hard : rdmncosplay / photo : scifideity

Tony, by himself, without the sweater and blood, is just a grey sweat-panted weirdo.  Doesn’t get a second glance.  Or a lot of “wait, I know this, you are.........(and lots of memory recall)” lol!  In the context of the group, however, I think it would blow people’s minds, to have the WHOLE Nakatomi crew.

Dead Tony gets some cool acknowledgement, especially when I’m seated, lol!  Now that they are selling an Ugly Christmas sweater with the Ho-Ho-Ho, people might not know how much work went into both versions of Tony, LoL!  But I really can’t wait to get the group together, I think that would go over really well!

This was originally supposed to be a group effort.  I’m part of the Finest, the G.I. Joe costume club, and one of our members, mentioned that in a suit, he looks a bit like Alan Rickman, as Hans Gruber.  So the wheels started turning, and Die Hard’s 30th Anniversary was coming up (at the time) so we thought, “Wait, what if we do the entire Nakatomi Terrorist crew!!!”  So we all started assembling our respective kits, but interest kinda fizzled, (because, hey, LIFE!) but I thought if I finish mine, maybe that will jump start everyone to jump in again 👍🏼

Well, I’m naturally a redhead (greying now🙀) so Tony’s blonde hair immediately screamed WIG!  I grabbed from Arda Wigs, and then it was styled by my Barber’s daughter Teresa. If I upgrade the wig, it’s a smidge too short in the bangs, but everything else is perfect. 

It’s not a simple sweat suit, it’s sweat pants and a knitted sweater. Once I found the right color and knit pattern sweater (I went through ordering five!) then it was modding it to be a mock-turtle kneck. (It’s not a crew neck nor a turtle neck) I sewed it to lay exactly as it does on him. 

The lettering on the sweater is just red sharpie, and I tried to match the spacing so it would land the same height And width on me as it does on him.  (Not end up under an arm or something). 

For a test fit, I ordered two, and the larger size, I used for the Ho-Ho-Ho, sweater.  The fitted sized I use for the pre-death Tony. I also made sure to get the correct military style watch. I have a black Dickies shoulder bag with the label cut off, that is his bag with the detonators.  I actually asked a friend of mine who is a professional Santa, about good Santa Hats, (the internet offerings are super cheap or not the right style.) mine came with the puffball/snow ball at the cap end, on a string, so I cut off the string and sewed the ball directly to the cap.

 In the scenes where you see his feet,Tony is wearing black ankle height sneakers, NOT boots (when McClane kicks his ill-fitting footwear aside, it’s a boot, but all other scenes show a sneaker, so I went with a black Dickies industrial sneaker, that’s a pretty close approximate style to those shown.  Black socks.  Grey champion sweatpants. (making sure they are a shade or two lighter then sweater.  Black Wire-frame glasses. (Etsy) I usually wear glasses but as my costuming went deeper I use contacts a lot more now. 

The MP5A3/HK95 was actually really difficult to come by.  Airsoft companies made MP5’s all the time, but since that are not as popular anymore, finding a cheap used model, or a cheap spring operated version was proving to be problematic.  I found a non-functional, super-cheap Airsoft model on e-bay, sans magazine. How hard could grabbing a magazine be, right?  Well...the particular Airsoft model I bought, it’s magazine had a particular depth and mechanical function.  I bought every MP5 mag I could find, but none fit.

Finally I found the correct mag, in Airsoft stores in Europe, but they wouldn’t ship to the US.  So I paid a Finest Member to order them for me, have them shipped to England to the member, then from England to here.  Goes to show you, sometimes you thing what should be an easy challenge, is just the opposite!  I have a background as a body-painter, so then it’s a matter of matching the screen shots of Tony’s face wounds, on myself.  Being careful to remember I’m copying a non-mirrored image!

I love researching.  I’ll spend hours to find the exact perfect, facsimile of an item to get it to look awesome and accurate.  Now that’s where I differ from a lot of prop buffs.  I have no desire to have a collection or screen worn item, and some props, screen accurate but not used, can be too cost prohibitive, for me.  So I love getting an item close, but then detailing it out to be exact, or building it myself. 

I have a background in illustration, and I love putting things together, so it all fits.  I love just making things, and I love the details.  For instance when McClane takes Tony’s ID, Tony has a royal blue shirt on under the sweater, so, I wear a royal blue tank top (because, hey, SWEATER it’s hot!) under the sweater as Tony!  Things don’t have to “work” per-say, but if that prop has 3 knobs and two buttons, I’m making sure mine also has 3 knobs, and two buttons!   You will NEVER have enough time. 

Deadlines are FANTASTIC motivators 😳😝, but you really need to give yourself time to prototype, refine, and finish. Also be forgiving of yourself to debut a version that can be subsequently upgraded, if it’s not “exactly” where you want it, first time out. 

I love making people happy or geek out.  Sure it’s awesome when someone nails something, but when you see something that is simple but effective or crazy complicated down to the last rivet, I I appreciate both. 

Both sides of my brain appreciate the blood sweat and tears of pouring your soul into something, as well as the simplest creative work-around that achieves the same end result, a smile, a laugh, an ohhhh!, or an awesome for either the work put in, the simplicity of the solution, or the creativity of the idea, or solution to a design problem, and of course, the overall final look.  I just love and support it all : ). I especially love that since we are not being followed by a green screen, or ILM, EVERYTHING costumers do is a “practical effect”.  It works, right there, in front of you.  Even if you are using some sort of tech (like an iPad) having it work in front of me, here and now, and not “fixing it in post” is what always amazes me. 

Sure, photoshopped images with added effects and atmosphere are great and some talented people really make them outstanding, don’t get me wrong, but the visceral effect, right in front of me, and the reactions to in (costumer, and fab and vice versa) is what I really love.

[mmysbathotw]

Hi! I want to get into ouji fashion but I live in the middle of nowhere! Do you know any good stores (preferably on the sharper side) that I could buy clothes? Or techniques and stuff to learn how to make my own?

Hi there! I just want to start by saying I’m not an expert on the subject of buying but I’m happy to share what I know ^^ I will say that buying ouji be prepared to find that in most egl spaces ouji is the minority. I find a lot of the time I spend browsing is just waiting for the perfect item. I am also 30, and I have a good paying job. I have been interested in the fashion for awhile but only been able to make my first significant purchase about 5 years ago. So I know in some cases throwing down 70 dollars for a vest may not be justifiable in your budget. Believe me I’ve  been there. BUT! egl pieces are clothing that you’re meant to cherish, and for the most part, very well made. Especially if they are created by an indie brand or designer.  Usually the first place I point people is Lace Market. It’s like eBay for EGL. https://egl.circlly.com, people are pretty accommodating for questions and shipping quotes. It’s great for people just starting to get into the fashion because high quality pieces can be deeply discounted. Immortal Thorn, Little Dipper, and Alice and the Pirates are some of my favorite brands to search for on there.  Next is https://www.my-lolita-dress.com they’re a reseller, which some people take issue with because they will often charge more to handle and be the go between for consumer and brand. But I will say it’s convenient if you are intimidated by shipping services like I am. I’ve ordered from here a few times, they have cancelled a pre-order on me before (I was refunded) but i just wanted to call that out. I have also bought from Clobba https://www.clobbaonline.com/  Right now they don’t have much of a selection but I have purchased form them without issue. Same for https://www.lolitawardrobe.com/ another reseller I have bought from without issue.   https://www.devilinspired.com is another reseller, I haven’t ordered here myself but a big time ouji I follow recommends them. Also LovelyLor an egl youtuber promotes them as well. https://www.wunderwelt.jp/buy/ also is a good egl seller based out of japan. They have both new and used variants of their website. Haven’t ordered here myself but they seem very easy to use for overseas buyer. Not sure where you’re located but I would double check that they are shipping overseas, because a lot of Japanese brands are not. As far as indie brands I will sing the praises of http://www.elegyclothing.com/ till the end of time. A one woman shop based in Ohio(?) I think, she makes the most amazing garments and she frequently will have ouji styles paired up with her dress releases.  Another helpful thing I’ve found is instagram, a lot of like minded creators will sort of band together, or people who wear a certain substyle will share similar brands. This is how I found out about https://www.idodeclareshop.com/ who did a limited run on an vest and pants set that have become absolute favorites of my wardrobe.  I also have supplemented my wardrobe with a few pieces from amazon, some staples like knee high socks and blouses are easy to find.  The black blouse that I’m wearing in those vampire pics was from Amazon. ‘Victorian’ is a good keyword to include in searches. From there its up to your personal taste, but I tend to look for piece with higher collars and ruffles down the front. (Egl vests tend to cross rather low on the chest, having a ruffles or a cravat can help fill the space) A basic pirate, wide brimmed hat or bowler can also be purchased from Amazon or other more mainstay stores to help bring a look together. (I’m trying to use amazon less but you can also use these same sort of rules in other mainstream stores, or on Etsy buying second hand or handmade.)  As for non-sanctioned egl official sites. I would say I’ve seen some excellent thrifted coords, that used plaids and other solid colors for their pants and vests. Long shorts that hit the knee definitely read as ouji. ‘Pumpkin Pants’ are also a term used for the poofy shorts that brands will make, cosplayers have plenty of tutorials online http://dr-cos.info/fp-pumpkinpants.html < I believe this one I used for my Ms. Muffet cosplay, but I’m using that same pattern for a new pair of ouji shorts.  I would say investing in some vests and building outwards would be my strategy if I had to start over. Ouji’s get a lot of flexibility when it comes to our coords but you can use one statement piece to really define your look and build out from there. So be creative! Look to history and other ouji’s for inspiration. Good luck I hope this helped!