May update

May was full of surprises. This is usually our off season! On top of which, we've been almost completely out of stock for several months, which usually dulls interest considerably. Nevertheless, sales are high and mighty. Just in time too, as we prepare for all of the expenses involved with our yearly big Oregon festival. Thankfully, Oregon Country Fair is costing us half as much as FaerieWorlds did. 

We've started selling large hauls of scrap leather, as well as a tutorial on how to craft leather masks, as well as our usual leather masks and key chains. I'm considering posting a few quick tooling patterns too. :) 

http://etsy.me/15akr2c

Lately I've been fantasizing about commercial selling space. Our masks decorating the walls, workshops and classes, leather and tools, etc. Oh man, that would be nice. Something like that wouldn't be possible until after I finish art school, but something like that would certainly be fun. 

Kind of an odd ball update, but I felt it time to check in. Cheers!

-Ashley

Oregon Country Fair!

Huzzah! Our first attempt at applying for this festival was a success! Http://www.oregoncountryfair.org

We are on the hunt for booth space so if you have a booth and are interested in sharing, please email us at OakMyth@gmail.com :) we'll happily help cover the booth fees. 

Been a while!

I figured an update was in order, being as we've been mostly silent for several months now. Apologies!

Production has slowed significantly, mostly due to a lack of reliable transportation. Many of you have probably noticed that our etsy shop is minimally stocked with only what we have available, instead of our usual handful of in-stock items and the rest of the designs up as made-to-order. This is because we can work, if we are lucky, once a month! And it would be unfair to promise items within our usual time frame.

Custom design orders are closed indefinitely as well. A good number of people were under the impression that Eve and I functioned much like a large scale corporation (to the extent that many people assumed that rude behavior would yield better results in their design, or expect us to read their minds). Plus, again, it's impossible for us to make an accurate time estimate with our inability o get to the shop. :(

On the bright side, as soon as possible, we will be working remotely. I'll take home as many designs as possible that are ready to paint, while Eve will be tooling and cleaning edges from her home.

April 20th and 21st we'll be at the Sebastopol Apple Blossom Festival! It's only $10 to get in, and a wonderful event with local foods and drinks, tons of artisans, and plenty of activities. Saturday morning there will also be a parade! Eve and I both attended this fest during our childhood and its an event very close to our hearts. We hope to see you there!

And the last little update: I (Ashley) will be going to the Academy of Art University next fall, and possibly interning at Pixar this summer. YAY! But this also means production probably won't pick up for a long while :( Still, we'll do our best.

Thank you for your endless support!
<3

Current custom order to-do list

So this is our list of custom orders! Hopefully this should give you an idea of when to expect your order. Rush orders are marked with an asterisk *

Pre-exising designs: because we already have a template and know exactly what we're doing, these masks typically only take only 1 day to make.

Custom colors on pre-existing designs: these usually take a little longer, because I want to make sure I the mask looks how you want it to look. Still, the painting is the easy part, so it usually doesn't take more than 2 work days.

Custom designs: These take noticeably longer for a number of reasons (creating a new design, making it functional for the wearer's needs, making sure it's what the wearer wants etc.), so please allow for several weeks for a completed piece. Smaller custom orders will go faster.

The list!


Red and gold dragon for Michael - Shaped

Snowy Owl mask - need by oct 24th
Full face stone mask for William - need by December.
Demon helmet mask for OmbreCacciatore - not started (need next year)

Oak Myth + Environment & Animal Awareness

Working with leather has been, for the most part, a positive experience for us. However, every so often we find ourselves having to defend our craft from people of varying view points regarding animal rights and the environment. There is a lot of incorrect, inaccurate, and biased information floating around, so tracking down all of this was difficult much of the time. We have done a whole lot of research and want to be as transparent as possible. This is going to be a long blog post, so please bear with me!

To note: We are not trying to convince anyone who is morally/ethically against animal parts in art to change their views. If you have questions, comments, or if you disagree with our choices please feel free to comment. Our only request is that you are respectful as you do so.

Leather

Our leather comes from Wickett & Craig. W&C is a family owned tannery on the east coast of the US. All of our leather is vegetable tanned tooling leather (which you can read more about below). W&C have received The Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence for establishing near zero solid waste disposal among other accomplishments (source).  

Wickett & Craig of America only uses 100% unbranded hides from cattle raised in Ontario and Quebec. All cattle hides are carefully selected and supplied by their parent company Bank Bros & Son Ltd, Toronto, Canada. In Ontario, the typical meat cow farm keeps only 300-400 cows, as opposed to meat cow farms in the US that keep upwards of 80,000-100,000 cows. Canadian cows can be tended to individually to make sure their quality of life is good. (source)
You can read more about the Ontario cattle farmers and the cows' quality of life here: Link -- these animals are not tortured and they live wonderful lives outside in the fresh air.We never use animal parts from illegal or endangered species.
All unused leather and scrap is used to create keychains and hair accessories, or donated to our local community college sculpture room. We also recycle garment leather from old coats and bags that have been donated to us.

Vegetable-tanned leather is tanned using tannin and other ingredients found in vegetable matter, such as tree bark prepared in bark mills, and other similar sources. Historically, it was occasionally used as armor after hardening, and it has also been used for book binding. (source) 

We never use leather tanned with chemicals like chrome,  aldehyde, or aluminum.

Why Leather?

It is our belief that in creating artwork out of leather we are respecting the animal's life. If animals were to be only used for meat, the hides would be discarded to rot in a landfill. This way, we feel that we are honoring the animal. It is largely a spiritual choice. We are very much aware that our medium of choice once belonged to a living, breathing animal and we are as conscious and respectful of that as we can be. 

Coloring

We use Eco-Flo water based dyes and acrylic paints to add color to our leather items. Both of these mediums are surface only. Water based dyes and acrylic paints do not soak into the leather (which you can test by simply slicing into a piece that has been painted and dried). To achieve a full soak through the leather, we would have to use alcohol based dyes, which we won't do. Certain pigments of acrylic paint do have toxic minerals in them, however these substances are only harmful when the paint is wet. The only danger posed is to the painter (me), if I happen to ingest, inhale, or absorb the paint through the pores in the skin.  Most acrylic paints are non-toxic because they are water based. (source) "The acrylic colors that contain toxic chemicals will have it marked on the label - these include cadmium, cobalt, magnesium, chromium, and lead. They only become toxic when used for airbrushing, or when sanded, or if large amounts are accidentally ingested. For the most part, when you use them for typical acrylic painting purposes (applying them with a brush to the canvas), then they won't be harmful to you." - (source)

Halloween Orders 2012

It's mid August and the orders are already flying in! We're going to keep our etsy shop as stocked as possible, however we have some general guidelines and shipping deadlines for custom orders. Even if an item is marked as in stock, it would be a good idea to read this. :)

Custom Orders:

This applies to pre-existing (marked as "made-to-order" on our etsy) designs and brand new designs.

The LAST day to contact us and put a down payment on a custom order for Halloween is Friday, September 21st, 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time. If you place an order after that, we will do our very best to make it on time, but we cannot guarantee it. Custom orders pile up super quick during this season, and it can take up to 4-5 weeks to get an order finished and shipped.

In Stock Orders:

We will be shipping as quickly as possible, as each order comes in. The last day for standard domestic shipping guaranteed to arrive by Halloween is Wednesday, October 24th, 3:00PM Pacific Standard Time. It usually only takes 2 days for domestic shipments, however it can take up to 7 days. If you order after that date and need the mask by Halloween, contact us and we can upgrade your shipping.

International Orders:

It typically takes one week to arrive outside the US, however since customs could potentially hang onto the item, we cannot guarantee arrival dates. Upgraded faster shipping is available upon request, however there's still no definite way to be sure that custom's won't hold the item for many weeks. We have never had that happen, though it's still a possibility. Always, we provide customs declaration numbers with every order so you can contact them to get everything sorted. My best advice would be to order as quickly as possible.


That's all for now! Expect another one like this once the winter holiday season picks up.

IndieGoGo Campaign for the use of a laser cutter!

Hi! So, short post. BUT we've started a campaign to raise the necessary funds to access a laser cutter for 1 year. All the information is in that link. Or, if you could help spread the word, it would be much appreciated!