We just got our first shipment of squirrel beads and they are just too cute! We have silver, copper and gold to choose from (though the beads are not identical). So by next week we will have these up on Etsy for sale (if you're interested in preorders, let me know and I'll set them aside).
We also have some dragon earrings and will be selling Yggdrasil earrings to help fund the project as well :)
Today however, we are back to making squirrels! The plushie invasion continues!
Personal shopping, promotional materials and custom designs for all your personal and professional needs.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Announcing The Yggdrasil Project
This project stems from a lifetime of searching; searching for acceptance for myself and my loved ones no matter what their sex, color, preferences, faults or pastimes. The idea is simple, to take small pieces of fabric sent in by others and create a quilt symbolizing Yggdrasil, The World Tree or Tree of Life.
Many years ago, I set out to unite a group of people of all religions, many of those people I consider today to be my closest friends. One of them, I married 13 years ago. It is through my experiences with those people, the love and support they have shown me over the years, their diversity of spirit, attitude, thinking and belief, that I want to extend those same branches and make something beautiful with the help of anyone who will offer it.
I have always been one to dream big. I think dreams should always be big. Dreams should reach to the sky and beyond, possibly out of reach, but always remaining in sight. They give us reason to move forward and strive to keep forging ahead. It is that principle that allows me to envision something hugely beautiful, even though it may be time consuming and equally huge in it's undertaking.
But the sky is the limit, as they say, and I am more than willing to take on that task if it means producing something that others can see as a symbol of unity, diversity, strength and hope.
That being said, we would like to hear from anyone willing to help. This project would be solely run on donations of material, scraps, batting, thread - anything necessary to make a quilt. It might also be of note that I sew by hand (as I do not own a sewing machine). Anyone willing to donate may send an email to Yggrdasil At Accidental Squirrel
Thank you to everyone who has already expressed their support. It is because of you that I have faith in unity.
You can find more information on the project as things progress on The Project Blog.
~Vaia
Many years ago, I set out to unite a group of people of all religions, many of those people I consider today to be my closest friends. One of them, I married 13 years ago. It is through my experiences with those people, the love and support they have shown me over the years, their diversity of spirit, attitude, thinking and belief, that I want to extend those same branches and make something beautiful with the help of anyone who will offer it.
I have always been one to dream big. I think dreams should always be big. Dreams should reach to the sky and beyond, possibly out of reach, but always remaining in sight. They give us reason to move forward and strive to keep forging ahead. It is that principle that allows me to envision something hugely beautiful, even though it may be time consuming and equally huge in it's undertaking.
But the sky is the limit, as they say, and I am more than willing to take on that task if it means producing something that others can see as a symbol of unity, diversity, strength and hope.
That being said, we would like to hear from anyone willing to help. This project would be solely run on donations of material, scraps, batting, thread - anything necessary to make a quilt. It might also be of note that I sew by hand (as I do not own a sewing machine). Anyone willing to donate may send an email to Yggrdasil At Accidental Squirrel
Thank you to everyone who has already expressed their support. It is because of you that I have faith in unity.
You can find more information on the project as things progress on The Project Blog.
~Vaia
Monday, April 25, 2011
Craft stores love us...
I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday!
The first commission prints from UBConXXII went out in the mail today! I'm really thrilled that I got to work on some new character races and that the clients were happy. I'm looking forward to working with the whole gaming group!
We went back to the craft store too for "experimental pieces" so Shad can do his mad scientist thing down in the dungeon and come up with a few more weapon types. Shields have been partially worked, but leather strapping in any decent length is on order so these need to wait a few weeks before completion.
He has a few flanged maces in the works and we've been toying with the idea of miniature flails and spiked maces that we couldn't sell full size because of their "real weapon potential".
As always I'm hunting for some good Anime for him to make replicas from. So far we're working on Enraiha from Kaze no Stigma and a few of the weapons from ./hack//Sign. If it would ever stop raining we might be able to get a little more done, but the weather hasn't really been partial to moving lumber around.
I've picked up some jewelry making essentials and ordered a few things for those folks who have been getting on to me about the lack of squirrely merchandise ;) Hopefully these will make you guys happy!
~Vai
The first commission prints from UBConXXII went out in the mail today! I'm really thrilled that I got to work on some new character races and that the clients were happy. I'm looking forward to working with the whole gaming group!
We went back to the craft store too for "experimental pieces" so Shad can do his mad scientist thing down in the dungeon and come up with a few more weapon types. Shields have been partially worked, but leather strapping in any decent length is on order so these need to wait a few weeks before completion.
He has a few flanged maces in the works and we've been toying with the idea of miniature flails and spiked maces that we couldn't sell full size because of their "real weapon potential".
As always I'm hunting for some good Anime for him to make replicas from. So far we're working on Enraiha from Kaze no Stigma and a few of the weapons from ./hack//Sign. If it would ever stop raining we might be able to get a little more done, but the weather hasn't really been partial to moving lumber around.
I've picked up some jewelry making essentials and ordered a few things for those folks who have been getting on to me about the lack of squirrely merchandise ;) Hopefully these will make you guys happy!
~Vai
Friday, April 22, 2011
Weekend project - SHIELDS!!
So Shad has decried that there are enough people out there who make swords - not that he isn't going to be making replicas, oh no, in fact the "To Do List" of swords alone is almost a page by itself! - He has just decided that he is going to start with some of the more unusual suspects.
This weekend, he is going to work on an 18" studded round shield and a 12" buckler, along with a revisit of the "Mysterious Disappearing Warhammer" (which no doubt will turn up again as soon as this one is completed).
Stay tuned, Squirrely Minions!
This weekend, he is going to work on an 18" studded round shield and a 12" buckler, along with a revisit of the "Mysterious Disappearing Warhammer" (which no doubt will turn up again as soon as this one is completed).
Stay tuned, Squirrely Minions!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Art Commission Pricing
I received a note the other evening about some confusion with my character commission prices, so I thought I should put up something to clarify with a few examples. :)
Basic Commissions:
Basic Commissions:
- Basic commissions start at $25 with a $5 non-refundable downpayment. These include a 3/4 or full size image with a simple background. Full body images have a plain black, white or grey background with shadows for effect. 3/4 images may have a colored background.
* addition of animal would increase final cost - varying on difficulty.
Full Commissions:
Complete Commissions:
Group Commissions:
- Full Commissions consist of a full character image with a background that may contain props and imagery. These start at $50 with a $10 non-refundable downpayment. Backgrounds may include some landscaping, castle walls, animals and some props, but complex backgrounds that contain a great deal of plant life, complex castles and or mountain ranges, etc. would fall into the next category.
- Two character Basic Commission would also fall into this price range.
Complete Commissions:
- Prices for Complete Commissions begin at $75 and increase depending on the difficulty of the image requested. These include multiple characters, complex backgrounds and the addition of complex, poseable props such as wings. A non-refundable downpayment of $20 or more (depending on the quote of the final cost) would be charged before work began. A detailed description of the image would be needed and any major changes during the course of the commission may incur further costs, depending on how far along the piece is at the time.
Group Commissions:
- Gaming groups can request a Group Commission which consists of multiple Basic Commissions with a final Complete Commission. For a small additional fee added to each Basic Commission, the characters completed in the Basic Commissions for the group are then added to a Complete Commission.
- Each member of the group who contributed to the final receives both their Basic Commission print and a copy of the Complete Commission Print.
- Additional costs would be added for any additional characters (enemies, monsters, etc), and divided between the Basic Commissioners.
- Group Commissions MUST be mentioned when starting the process, and a description of the final must be provided so that the cost can be divided evenly.
All Commissions include a final 8x10 print image.
Larger prints, or additional prints carry added cost, except for Group Commissions as described above.
For any additional information about commission pricing,
feel free to email
Important Note: Commissions detailed above are for personal, non-commercial use only. Prices for commercial usage are similar but carry additional cost for shared copyright, or transfer of copyright as well as the signing of a simple agreement. Commercial images include book covers, web backgrounds, website character creation, etc. For further information on this, please feel free to email me at the address above.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Back from a short vacation - with apologies!
Well, we took a short break from running like lunatics, and are now trying to get things sorted and posted as planned.
Shad is taking commissions for wooden weapon replicas from video games, movies, books, comics and anime as well as medieval replicas of hammers, maces, swords, etc. Here are a couple examples:
All of his replicas are to scale and made of wood, painted to your specifications. Prices vary depending on the design.
We have also been trying to sort the jewelry that we have left from UBCon and to get more of the smaller dice for earrings and charms. These went pretty quick and most ladies seemed to think that understated dice earrings were better than full sized. We are going to start selling matched d10 earrings as opposed to percentile earrings since some folks asked about these as well.
Our squirrely plushies are in production in black, brown and tan. Some of these will be one-of-a-kind as we try and decide which ones we like best and which will hold up to machine washing. So far, the cat loves them, the dog wants them and the kids think they're super cute so we're on a winning streak in-house, haha.
So stay tuned this week for posts here, updates to some of the pages still under construction, new products up on Etsy and possibly some more info about upcoming stuff we have in the works.
~Vai
Shad is taking commissions for wooden weapon replicas from video games, movies, books, comics and anime as well as medieval replicas of hammers, maces, swords, etc. Here are a couple examples:
All of his replicas are to scale and made of wood, painted to your specifications. Prices vary depending on the design.
We have also been trying to sort the jewelry that we have left from UBCon and to get more of the smaller dice for earrings and charms. These went pretty quick and most ladies seemed to think that understated dice earrings were better than full sized. We are going to start selling matched d10 earrings as opposed to percentile earrings since some folks asked about these as well.
Our squirrely plushies are in production in black, brown and tan. Some of these will be one-of-a-kind as we try and decide which ones we like best and which will hold up to machine washing. So far, the cat loves them, the dog wants them and the kids think they're super cute so we're on a winning streak in-house, haha.
So stay tuned this week for posts here, updates to some of the pages still under construction, new products up on Etsy and possibly some more info about upcoming stuff we have in the works.
~Vai
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Name That Squirrel Contest!!!
We have decided that "Squirrely" just isn't good enough for a name, so in order to name our mascot we are going to hold a "Name that Squirrel" contest.
Only names entered here on this blog, on our facebook or on our deviantart account will be accepted and there MUST be some method of contact if you want to receive a prize.
Prizes are -
First place:
The end date is not set at this time (though will probably run until sometime in October before Mini-Con). You may enter up to three times (but may not win more than one prize). If there are multiple names that we like, we may post a poll toward the end of the contest and take the top 4 from there. If there are multiple submissions of the same name, the earliest submitted date/time will be used. Second, Third and Honorable Mention will be the names of our mascot's "squirrely cohorts".
We will contact the Winners through the medium they used to post - meaning if they post here, we will contact through the blogger address. If they post on deviantart, we will note them there. If the post in on Facebook, we will contact through the facebook account.
Have Fun! Be Creative! And please, feel free to ask us if you have any questions.
Some notes:
Colors are black, white, grey and red/russet
One squirrel is female (yet to be determined - probably red or white)
Only names entered here on this blog, on our facebook or on our deviantart account will be accepted and there MUST be some method of contact if you want to receive a prize.
Prizes are -
First place:
- One 8x10 print of your choice from Vai's deviantart Store
- And your choice of TWO of the following: a d20 necklace, a pair of earrings, a squirrel plushie OR a mini buster
- Your choice of TWO of the following: a d20 necklace, a set of earrings, a squirrel plushie OR a mini buster
- Your choice of ONE of the following: a d20 necklace, a set of earrings, a squirrel plushie OR a mini buster
- A d20 keychain
The end date is not set at this time (though will probably run until sometime in October before Mini-Con). You may enter up to three times (but may not win more than one prize). If there are multiple names that we like, we may post a poll toward the end of the contest and take the top 4 from there. If there are multiple submissions of the same name, the earliest submitted date/time will be used. Second, Third and Honorable Mention will be the names of our mascot's "squirrely cohorts".
We will contact the Winners through the medium they used to post - meaning if they post here, we will contact through the blogger address. If they post on deviantart, we will note them there. If the post in on Facebook, we will contact through the facebook account.
Have Fun! Be Creative! And please, feel free to ask us if you have any questions.
Some notes:
Colors are black, white, grey and red/russet
One squirrel is female (yet to be determined - probably red or white)
Monday, April 11, 2011
New stuff!
So after the great success of the Busters and Keyblades yesterday, we will be listing commissions for both later today. We will have both higher end (for display) and lower end (for cosplay) versions and may offer a mid range as well. Shad's eternal struggle to keep the prices low while stressing his rigorous quality control rages on, haha. And for sheer kitsch value, there will be a line of mini-blades - 6 to 12 inch versions of the larger models.
We will also be posting squirrel plushies soon. These will range in size from 6 inches to possibly 2 feet. But we had a lot of people asking at the Convention for squirrels, so we're obliging :)
Keep checking back over the next few days for new stuff! I will be getting things up on the site as quickly as I can!
~Vai
We will also be posting squirrel plushies soon. These will range in size from 6 inches to possibly 2 feet. But we had a lot of people asking at the Convention for squirrels, so we're obliging :)
Keep checking back over the next few days for new stuff! I will be getting things up on the site as quickly as I can!
~Vai
Sunday, April 10, 2011
UBCon XXII Day 3!!
Well, UBCon is over, but we had an awesome time!
We have lots of plans already for next year, and have already made plans for the Mini-Con in October.
The Vendors were awesome and today we took the Keyblade and Buster Sword in to show around. Those went over really well! I should have pics up of those tomorrow on the Wooden Weapons page and Shad will be taking commissions for custom replicas!
I will be putting a lot of things up on Etsy starting tomorrow to sell the prints, jewelry and other things that we have left over from the Con. If you live in the Buffalo Area, we can deliver or you can pick up.
Thanks to all the folks who stopped by and supported us!
We look forward to seeing you at UBCon XXIII!!!
We have lots of plans already for next year, and have already made plans for the Mini-Con in October.
The Vendors were awesome and today we took the Keyblade and Buster Sword in to show around. Those went over really well! I should have pics up of those tomorrow on the Wooden Weapons page and Shad will be taking commissions for custom replicas!
I will be putting a lot of things up on Etsy starting tomorrow to sell the prints, jewelry and other things that we have left over from the Con. If you live in the Buffalo Area, we can deliver or you can pick up.
Thanks to all the folks who stopped by and supported us!
We look forward to seeing you at UBCon XXIII!!!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Great Day at UBCon XXII!!
Back from Day 2 of UBCon 22!
We sold a bunch of jewelry and several commissions. We also met some fantastic artists and saw some awesome cosplays!
If you're coming to the Con tomorrow, we still have some UBCon commemorative keychains and earrings to sell, and Shad will be bringing in his Buster Sword and Keyblade for display to take commissions on custom wooden weaponry.
Much love and thanks to the folks who came out today!
~Vai
Friday, April 8, 2011
Back from Day 1 of UBCon XXII!!!
Well, it was a short day today, but was a good one. We sold a couple of prints and had several people stop and ask about the jewelry and got some sales there as well, so we're pleased!
We arrived a little later than we'd planned, but several people showed up well after 4PM, so no problems getting in and set up. We found a great table against the wall, with good traffic, so no problems there either :)
Everyone was friendly and the con folks are very helpful, so all in all was an excellent day and we're really looking forward to tomorrow when we will have a full range of stuff out, and hopefully since it's actually the weekend, more people will be coming through.
Here's a few pics to share as well!
Our little table setup. The sign is lower today since we're under an overhang, but will be up higher when we get the feet cut to fit, lol. Next year - two tables for sure!
Keychains!! Shad was putting these together while people were still showing up. Made the rack himself, too!
Please ignore my dashboard. Just a few of the little charms we'll be selling and soon we'll have chainmail bracelets for the site as well.
The Firebug's side of the table. I have some prints at the table, but am taking orders for anything displayed in the books :)
So if you are in the area, and didn't stop by today, come by tomorrow Noon to 8PM to see us!
We're located in the back left corner of the Flag Room on the Second Floor of the Student Union.
We arrived a little later than we'd planned, but several people showed up well after 4PM, so no problems getting in and set up. We found a great table against the wall, with good traffic, so no problems there either :)
Everyone was friendly and the con folks are very helpful, so all in all was an excellent day and we're really looking forward to tomorrow when we will have a full range of stuff out, and hopefully since it's actually the weekend, more people will be coming through.
Here's a few pics to share as well!
Our little table setup. The sign is lower today since we're under an overhang, but will be up higher when we get the feet cut to fit, lol. Next year - two tables for sure!
So if you are in the area, and didn't stop by today, come by tomorrow Noon to 8PM to see us!
We're located in the back left corner of the Flag Room on the Second Floor of the Student Union.
UBCon XXII This Weekend!!
Starting today, we will be at UBConXXII in Building 28 at the North Campus of the University of Buffalo.
We will be there today from 4PM to 7:30PM
Saturday from Noon to 8PM
and Sunday from Noon to 4PM
If you are in the Buffalo area, come in and see us at Artist's Alley
located on the second floor of the Student Union in the Flag Room!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Long, long day...
So today isn't even half over and it's already felt like the longest day ever!
We've been working hard today trying to get the rest of our product finished for UBCon, and finish up on our banner. We've lost some dice along the way, but those little learning experiences along the way are helping us to make sure that the necklaces, keychains and earrings are keeping up with Shad's ridiculously high quality standards, haha. Fortunately, we don't believe in *wasted product* so the ones we can't use for necklaces and keychains will now go into the "Clock Fund" and go to use there.
Depending on how bad this time crunch kicks us, I may end up being a product model and wearing some items we only have one or two of. Those will be up for sale here sometime next week depending on how well they are received. These are things like chainmail charm bracelets, percentile die rings and possibly my "Mage's Necklace".
Over the next two days, I hope to get some images up of the necklaces, keychains and earrings as they are finished. And Friday night, there will be pics up here from the Con.
Right now, I'm going to finish my Hot Chocolate and maybe go kill some things on DDO before I go back to sticking my fingers with a needle, haha.
~Vai
We've been working hard today trying to get the rest of our product finished for UBCon, and finish up on our banner. We've lost some dice along the way, but those little learning experiences along the way are helping us to make sure that the necklaces, keychains and earrings are keeping up with Shad's ridiculously high quality standards, haha. Fortunately, we don't believe in *wasted product* so the ones we can't use for necklaces and keychains will now go into the "Clock Fund" and go to use there.
Depending on how bad this time crunch kicks us, I may end up being a product model and wearing some items we only have one or two of. Those will be up for sale here sometime next week depending on how well they are received. These are things like chainmail charm bracelets, percentile die rings and possibly my "Mage's Necklace".
Over the next two days, I hope to get some images up of the necklaces, keychains and earrings as they are finished. And Friday night, there will be pics up here from the Con.
Right now, I'm going to finish my Hot Chocolate and maybe go kill some things on DDO before I go back to sticking my fingers with a needle, haha.
~Vai
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Three more days!!
Tuesday already?! 0.0
Well, our backdrop is about two-thirds complete, and tonight and tomorrow I will be getting it done. Today we are running out to do a few things and picking up the fabric to make the dice for the sign.
Our tee shirts should be arriving today, and the business cards tomorrow. Shad has finished making the racks for our keychains and necklaces, and our plotting has led to the discussion of several nifty things that will be gracing these pages in the future (like clocks, wall plaques, and sculptural dice)!
I have a 16x20 print that I will either be selling or auctioning at the Con:
Well, our backdrop is about two-thirds complete, and tonight and tomorrow I will be getting it done. Today we are running out to do a few things and picking up the fabric to make the dice for the sign.
Our tee shirts should be arriving today, and the business cards tomorrow. Shad has finished making the racks for our keychains and necklaces, and our plotting has led to the discussion of several nifty things that will be gracing these pages in the future (like clocks, wall plaques, and sculptural dice)!
I have a 16x20 print that I will either be selling or auctioning at the Con:
...and several smaller prints, some framed, some not.
We will be having our own raffles over the course of the con in addition to having items entered in the Con's Chinese Benefit Auction. These items will include keychains, necklaces, prints of your choosing from my deviantart account and possibly one of my art books.
So lots of good things happening this week! and just a few days left until this Squirrel makes it's first public appearance!
We will be having our own raffles over the course of the con in addition to having items entered in the Con's Chinese Benefit Auction. These items will include keychains, necklaces, prints of your choosing from my deviantart account and possibly one of my art books.
So lots of good things happening this week! and just a few days left until this Squirrel makes it's first public appearance!
~Vai
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Final Stretch!!
Less than a week to go before UBCon!!
Today (after a Michael Jackson Cabaret!) we are going to be putting together the backdrop for our table and the table cover. How I'm going to get the squirrel onto the sheets, I have yet to decide, but it should be interesting.
I don't think I'll be able to type very well after the fact, considering I'm hand sewing the thing, but hey - I trust hand sewing more than any machine, haha.
We should also have photos for our Weapon Replicas page soon and more pics for the dice jewelry with some extra information about colors and the like.
We learned this morning that they will be having a Chinese Auction/Raffle at UBCon so we will be adding a few things to that as well. :)
Gonna be a busy week!!
Today (after a Michael Jackson Cabaret!) we are going to be putting together the backdrop for our table and the table cover. How I'm going to get the squirrel onto the sheets, I have yet to decide, but it should be interesting.
I don't think I'll be able to type very well after the fact, considering I'm hand sewing the thing, but hey - I trust hand sewing more than any machine, haha.
We should also have photos for our Weapon Replicas page soon and more pics for the dice jewelry with some extra information about colors and the like.
*****
We learned this morning that they will be having a Chinese Auction/Raffle at UBCon so we will be adding a few things to that as well. :)
Gonna be a busy week!!
Friday, April 1, 2011
We have Tees!!
Well, the last two days have been eventful to say the least!
Our tee-shirts are now available for purchase, and we will be sporting them at UBCon!
You can order them HERE!!
We also finished up our new business cards and have some great new ideas for jewelry to offer, so will be updating the site as product is made!
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