Saturday, February 6, 2010

Ask Raven Anything!

We've introduced a new feature here at DIYScene. As you may have noticed, we are a very eclectic group of crafters and occasionally do things a little out of the ordinary. So this 'feature' is a line of questions and answers that can be anything from blunt, to funny to completely off the wall. It could prove to be pretty entertaining.

One of our newer forum Members Raven of http://www.ravenofskys.etsy.com was extremely brave and offered her soul to the volcano, ugh I mean agreed to answer our questions ;)

1. What got you into skulls/bones? (from Pet_Zombie).
I was raised in rural Pennsylvania surrounded by nature. My family was/is very earthy and we would go hiking and camping often. My parents would find bones along the way and they would teach me about the animals by picking up the bones and pointing out features. I then started bringing the bones, skulls, and feathers home. By my teens I was incorporating them into my art and making jewelry wit them as well.


2. What is your favorite horror movie? (from CanDyRavE)

It would be a tie between Hellraiser and Nightbreed.


3. I have a lil question about your creative process... do you usually create pieces around a particular piece of bone? (as in you find a bird skull and create a piece around it) or do you create a piece and then find whatever bones would fit it better? (from Psycho Kitty)

A little of both. Often I find a bone and it inspires me to create a certain piece ( like the bone flowers) and other times I have to find the right bone for an idea that I have. Sometimes I just dump a box of bones onto the floor and just stare at them waiting for the creative process to kick in.

4.You have been a part of a movie and TV show lately...is this a direction you want to take your career (acting, directing, writing, etc) or is it just something that fell into your lap so you went with it? (From Invy Studios)

This is just something I have fallen into from time to time over the years. To be honest I had a lot of these opportunities when I was in my early 20's but I turned them down because I was just too insecure then. I have no real desire to be an actress or pursue it aggressively however I have decided to take every opportunity that comes my way so there will be no regrets later in life.

5. Arrrrg if you were a pirate, what would your pirate name be? (From Headless Tess)

Russilia...I have a thing for Vikings

6.You're stranded on a dessert island...what kind of dessert would it have to be to keep you sane? (from NightsRequiem)

It would have to be chocolate....I like 99.9% of anything chocolate out there.

7.What is the square root of 69...? *snicker* (From Angrylittledeadgirl)

You are a dirty girl!! Haha....hmmm Ate something?

8. Bill or Eric? (from MTcoffinz, me)

Eric Eric Eric. I have read the books and for me it is all about Eric. He is great in the books.


9. If you were President of the United States, what would be your first act of office? (fromTapebubba)

Create severe penalties and fines for all the top earning US companies who have more than 50% of their employees receiving government Medical assistance and food stamps. Example: The Walton family, owners of Walmart, are in the top richest people on earth with top profits from Walmart. There is NO excuse for these rich companies to pay their employees low wages and not offer affordable health insurance.


10. If you could invite three people, living or dead, to lunch, whom would you invite and why?
(fromWinterlights)

a. Dali: because I know he would be fun and he is my favorite artist
b. Peter Steele: because no matter how many times I interviewed him I still want to interview him more.
c. Jim Morrision: because I was always fascinated by his life and lyrics


11. What would be your name if you were a Pornstar (from Vicmes)

Mae-B West

12. What century do you think your true inner soul comes from or best belongs in?(from Tapebubba)

Sometimes I think my soul belongs in the Victorian Era but other times I feel like I could have been an eastern european gypsy from centuries ago...


13. In an homage to Mr. James Lipton....What's your favorite curse word? (from Winterlights)

I love them all..haha


14. Who was your first celebrity crush?
(fromSmarmyclothes)

Axl Rose followed by Edward Scissor Hands.


15.What is the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning?(from Indiscretion)

Coffee. Now.


16. What would you do if knew tomorrow would be your last day on earth? (from Jenellsrevenge)


I would try to spend time with family and my BF but would not tell anyone that it was my last. One day's notice is not long enough to do anything grand....


17. If you could have anyone in the world wear your stuff -- living or dead -- who would it be?
(from Deabusamor)

Siouxsie Sioux and Janis Joplin


18. Who are you friends with, that you never expected to be friends with? (from Photographier)


I would have to say my current boyfriend. He is not the type of guy I ever thought I would date let alone be friends with. We are complete opposites but it turns out that opposites make wonderful friends and lovers.


19. What's the one thing you can't live without? (from Kezbirdie)

Music. I think I would rather be blind than deaf, that says a lot coming from a visual artist but my passion for music is deep.


20. How do you feel about the way sex is portrayed on television? Like, during daytime hours, and not on porn channels?
(from SohoKitten)

I like all these wild and crazy shows that are on regular tv now however if I had kids I would not want them to get confused at a young age either. Sex is good and sex is natural but kids should
also be able to be kids......

21. What is your real name? Does everyone call you Raven because you work with bird skulls? (from BlackKittenAccessories)

Hint: I share the same real name as Stevie Nicks . Raven was a name given to me after a ritual on an indian reservation many years ago. It was given to me by a Shaman so I embraced it in full. I felt it suited me better. The only people who call me my born name are coworkers and my family. I do sign my art with my born name though....how confusing!

22. What was your first time like? Yes, that first time. (from Platipuses)

This may seem weird but I wanted to wait til I was 18 and I did. It was very hard to wait that long..like torture. My first was not someone I was in love with or anything like that. I was dating a guy
and he respected me, was hot, and was not pushy about it so he won the prize! Because I waited until I was 18 I really enjoyed it and there was no pain, only fun.



23.What is your alcoholic drink of choice? (from DismantledFashions)


I really do enjoy good beer and good wine. I am not into mixed drinks but enjoy some Absinthe from time to time.


And the following are all from WickedBadNaughty

24.What was a most embarrassing moment for you?


Falling down stairs at the goth club...haha. Made my pale turn red quick!

25. What's one of the craziest things you've ever done?


hitchhiking, quarry jumping, and swimming out to pet what everyone thought was a shark...........oh yea and picking up wild poisonous snakes

26. Cereal killer...are you one and if so, what is your top 3 most favorite cereals.


I really hate cereal. I read a lot of serial killer books though. It scares the hell out of me and I have nightmares often but cannot stop reading them....

27.Thongs, boy shorts, bikini's or granny panties *or commando (TY Bubba )*?


If I am wearing a short skirt at the club I may rock boy shorts, The rest of the time is 50% commando and 50% thong


28. What's your most favorite song right now?


Interpol: the lighthouse ....it is just haunting.


29. Were you a tomboy as a kid or a girly girl?


I was a TOTAL tomboy as a kid. I loved nature, getting dirty, and catching wild things like snakes, bugs, toads.




30. Italian or Mexican food...which do you prefer and which is your favorite dish?


I love both but Italian would win. I enjoy any type of handmade pasta tossed with fresh seafood.

31. Favorite soda?


Diet pepsi, but only from the fountain.

32. Favorite Ice cream?


Chocolate chip mint or coffee

33. Favorite item of clothing?


A tie between my stompy boots and custom corsets


34. Most guilty pleasure?


Gossip magazines and tabloids. Life is dark and this is how I lighten it up!

35. How long is your 'needs to die' list? If longer than 10, who is #9?

Pat Robertson is #1-#9 because I wish him dead over and over and over.....

Friday, February 5, 2010

Featured Shop: aNGrYGiRL Gear

by: WinterLights

From unrelentingly sexy corsets to stylishly deranged straight jacket shrugs to playful panda, vermin, and kitty hoodies, Cindy of aNGrYGiRL Gear offers an enticing array of clothing for chicks with a downright aggressive taste in fashion. Whether you’re feeling industriously badass, darkly romantic, or like an outright mix, Cindy has something to suit your every whim. Incorporating sinful amounts of metal hardware, seductive corset lacing, strategically placed mesh inserts, and bondage straps, her designs are not for timid fashionistas.



Cindy combines her impeccable technical expertise with her potent stylistic vision which is axiomatic in each and every piece she creates. The best part? Every piece is made to the customer’s measurements so they’re designed to fit and flatter every curve no matter what size or shape you are!


Thrilled with the opportunity, I asked Cindy a few fun questions to further unveil the girl behind the sewing machine.

Why are you so angry, anyway?
What's not to be angry about? Just look around! All kidding aside, I'm not really that angry, most of the time. I just have a bit of a hair-trigger temper and a big mouth that gets me in trouble a little too often. For the most part, I'm harmless.



What most inspires you to create?
I usually do my best work when I'm angry, hahah. Most of my designs are created on-the-fly, as I'm not very good at sketching. So really, my mood at the moment is my biggest inspiration.

Which one aNGrYGiRL Gear piece would you need to wear if you were trapped on a deserted island?
Clothes would be the last thing on my mind if I were trapped on a deserted island. NAKED BEACH PARTY!!!! Woooo hoooo....

If you won $20 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money?
No one would ever know what I did with it, because I'd be gone in a flash. I'd disappear off the face of the Earth faster than Dubya did after he left office. Of course there would be rumors - people would report sightings of a drunk, naked, braided girl partying it up with her harem on the beaches of the world - but no one would ever be able to confirm that it was me, because I'd have already moved on to the next location. Kind of like David Banner used to do, except that I won't turn green, gain 200 pounds, rip out of my clothes, and trash the place before I left. Ok, maybe I'd trash the place...



What future plans do you have in store for your line?
I'm looking at a whole new business model. I've been doing the custom sized work for a few years now, and I do like that model, but there is little to no room for creativity. I just make the same 20 items over and over again. I intend to keep with the custom sized work, but I'm also going to start offering OOAK pieces - and not just the *standard* pieces you're used to seeing from AGG. I'm going to be branching out into new areas and taking some big design risks. Part of the new business model is remaking myself. I don't want to send OOAK pieces out to be modeled and photographed, I want to be able to do it myself, so I am working on losing that stubborn 30 pounds, so that I can be my own model and bring MY style to... well, my style...

As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster

The Guys and Dolls of the DiYScene Etsy Street Team made mincemeat of last month's Theme Challenge. Here's a look at the Mafia theme:


Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
DiysceneStreetTeam.etsy.com


Stay tuned this month, as our Theme Challenge takes a curiouser and curiouser turn...

Thursday, February 4, 2010

That's tempting...

Thursday Night Temptations, that is!
Today's TNT offers are for free or reduced shipping:
Check out the comments section for specific offers from participating shops.