Call for Entries...kinda sorta!

Thanks to the few who voted for Thanksgiving slugs. Unfortunately I will not being making any special edition Turkeys or Pilgrims to list in my shop. My full time job is very demanding this time of year and I will be working up to 60 hours a week so I do not foresee much "free" time to work on anything too elaborate for my shop. I am sad about this, but there will be new slugs from time to time, I promise! I am working hard now to build up my stock so I can list new items each week. If anyone would like a Thanksgiving themed slug, don't hesitate to convo me on Esty and request a custom order. Custom orders are my ultimate favs! I love knowing that I can give my customers exactly what they want in a colorful little slug! And I can do more than just slugs too. Check out this super awesome set of yorkshire puppies I made for an etsy customer... They are so cute, I didn't want to mail them off to her! Speaking of giving my customers exactly what they want.....Another project I'd like to start (with the intentions of getting more viewers and slug fans to my blog) is in the works. I'm still working on completing the 2nd edition of slugs, hopefully before the end of 2008. Last I checked I was around 80 slugs total including the minis (but not the custom orders) out of 100. You wouldn't think it would be hard to come up with names and personalities, but it is! I've run out of friends and family members to commemorate in a slug. The down side to this is that most of the time I end up gifting their slug to them because the whole situation becomes so personal (I can't be selling these people I hold near and dear to just anyone)! However the plus side is that occasionally they see the slug created in their honor and have to buy it! Maybe I am a little too obsessed with these clay children of mine, but I truly do put thought into naming them. If I come up with something that just doesn't seem right, they go unnamed until something fitting pops into my head. It's then that I create an a snippet of a story about them and sometimes a little accessory to go with it. Lately, this process of naming and identifying has become more time consuming and difficult than the sculpting. So, I want to have a sort of call for entries I guess. I invite anyone and everyone to comment on my blog with new slug ideas. The purpose of course is to get fresh ideas for new slugs for the 3rd edition which by all definition must be just as much fun and silly, yet better by definition in some way than their predecessors. I imagine they will be more "evolved" in an artistic interpretation of what the evolution of a cartoony slug might look like. And I believe they will have more personality, wit and charm as well! So subscribe to MarthaLand, join the madness of my world and send me your ideas. I'll post my favorites and eventually start making them when I find the time again. Don't forget to include the name of the slug, a brief tidbit about his or her personality, hobbies, likes, dislikes, etc. and a possible accessory as well. Stay tuned to MarthaLand and the Etsy shop for more details.......

Dracu-slug

Here's the prototype...just barely in time for Halloween. He may end up going in my personal collection or perhaps be a one of a kind super limited edition slug if I can bear to part with him! Leave me your comments and suggestions....I think he needs a cape?

A Slug for all Seasons!

I've created some new slugs that are special edition for Halloween. Ghost slugs, zombie slugs and frankenstein's slugs. I have already sold out of the zombies and a new batch is in creation. I want to make one more, but I'm not sure what! I thought, maybe a witch, but slugs don't have noses....a bat, but it would look odd with wings.....maybe a dracula! That would be fun, but time consuming to make. Perhaps there will only be a limited few draculas in the Halloween edition. My favorite thing about them is that they all have glow in the dark eyes! I wish I could figure out how to take a decent picture to show this effect and post on my etsy shop..... I'm growing a little fan base too, multiple orders and customs orders are coming in. One buyer from Etsy, Nick says his new motto is "a slug for all seasons"! Now the pressure is on for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Send me your ideas! I have to admit, I am getting a bit overwhelmed and I haven't even sold hardly anything yet! 30 sales so far. Anyone on Etsy can tell you that you better be organized or things can get out of control! One thing that will savea lot of time and money is shipping materials. I am realizing that bubble mailers just don't cut it. I found this great company (though my current employer) called Uline that sells anything and everything you can think of for running a business. They have boxes and bags and labels and styrofoam peanuts and zip ties....the list goes on. Check out their website at http://www.uline.com/ It is geared towards businesses but you don't have to buy incredibly huge quantities to get a good deal. I'm about to put in my first order very shortly for boxes. Well, that is all for now from MarthaLand, hopefully the next time I post I will be better organized and on top my shipping situation!

New Work Space

I finally have an official workspace in our apartment. My own little corner in the living room, until we can set up a better area in the spare room. It has definately served it purpose though, I have been cranking out slugs like it's my business and I wish it was! There aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done that I want to do! Here's a pic of some mini slugs that have been baked and are waiting for the gift of sight!

HOLY CRAP!!!!

Oh my god, I think I made it to the front page of Etsy!!!! I'm not sure what happened but I just had like 4 sales in one day and suddenly over 100 people added me to their favorites! YESSSSS! Something is working....I owe it all to Hannah. I believe it was her that was on the front page and she's already been sold and I've already been asked to make a second slug just like her! Who would have thought that a little yellow slug who likes bananas and stares off into space all day would be such a hit!?!?! This is a good day. I've got a lot of work to do and a lot of slugs to make!

New Slug Accessories!

I have "grown" quite a large family of slugs and the other night as I looked over at them all lined up, staring at me, they seemed to be trying to tell me something...."We're bored!" Yes, sales are slow in my shop, so they are getting restless just hanging about with nothing to do but wait for someone to give them a good home. For only a few pennies a day, you can change the life of one of these adorable little slugs.....ha ha ha! My friend asked me to make some custom slugs in the likes of her husband and daughter and this inspired me to liven up my crew! Her daughter is only 2 but such a princess so I made a cute little crown for her. Her husband likes to work out so I made a little dumbell for his slug. This opened up a whole world of fun for me and I spent a whole day making little miniatures accessories for my slugs. I think my favorite newest creations are the pizza party slugs! Great for party favors at birthday parties, each little slug is customized for each guest at your party and comes with his own little slice of pizza. While I've added accessories to some of the older slugs, there are still lonely little slugs waiting for good homes that are the same price as they always were, so stop on by my etsy shop and take a peek! I can't wait to make more, give me ideas!!! They would make great stocking stuffers as well and Christmas is just around the corner.

Welcome to MarthaLand!

And so the adventure begins! If all goes well this blog will be action-packed with stuff all about me and how I survive in this crazy world as a struggling artist without a lot of cash in my pocket. I don't claim to be an "expert" but I've been doing it for 10 years now, so that means I must know a little something about it; because, well, I'm still here! My #1 passion is art. It always has been from the time I was able to hold a ball of play dough without eatting it and fight the temptation to stick all 96 crayola crayons up my nose. If fact, thanks to my lovely mother, there may even be a feature of some of my earliest "masterpieces" (according to her). While I've always considered my art very personal and expressive, it was just a hobby. After many years of giving handmade presents for every holiday, I've managed to come up with some clever ideas that people actually enjoy getting! My friends and family have been telling me for some time now to get my act together and start making some money with this little talent....but let me tell you, it's a lot harder than you'd think. In fact, it's almost like a real job, wow, who would have guessed! Anyway, I've started an online shop to sell my wares, in particular my polymer clay sculptures. In high school I had quite a lucrative (for a 15 year old) little business going selling small animal scluptures to my friends, teachers and my parents friends. I even remember somebody stealing this little ornament I made off our Christmas tree in creative writing class one year. I was mad, but now I think I'll take it as a compliment! I stopped making sculptures when I went off to college but after I graduation started up again. A lot has changed since polymer clay first became popular back in the 90's! I don't claim to be an expert or anywhere close but I love to work with clay and create colorful and fun scultpure. Check out my shop at Etsy.com. It's called MarthaLand and you can find it at www.marthaland.etsy.com.