New Item!

55.00 USD, by OakMyth via Etsy http://ift.tt/1sfyqhX

New Item!

175.00 USD, by OakMyth via Etsy http://ift.tt/1qBqoOq

Oregon Country Fair was a BLAST!

We nearly sold out of everything on day one. The two of us made 51 masks, and came home with 10. I am completely thrilled with the outcome of OCF!

Profits were high, people were amazing, the music was magical, the costumes were phenomenal, and so much love was shared!

We definitely have to plan to bring more masks next time :) 

Why we quit FW

This was a long thought out and difficult decision that Eve and I had to make, and we've been getting a few questions regarding the details.

What a lot of people don't realize is that the experience at a so called "transformational festival" as a vendor is very different from the experience as an attendee. I know that there are a lot of avid supporters of this venue, and I want to first make it clear that these are our personal experiences with the festival as vendors, and nothing I am about to say is intended to invalidate the positive experiences of others. Festivals are hard work. Unfortunately, the cons outweighed the pros for us.

4 WEEKS TO OCF

This is probably the first time we aren't rushing like crazy to finish up masks; our current count is 40, and we're aiming for 50. I think we can do it! 

Eve is working on the bigger, bolder masks like the peacock [and I think a firebird will be after that], while I'm churning out a bunch of the smaller masks that require minimal tooling. I feel so much more efficient and in love with our work when the time stress isn't weighing heavily on our shoulders. It's resulting in some very adventurous adaptations on our usual works! Such as eyeball dragon:

And this complex cluster of detail:

It's so much fun!

Oregon Country Fair will undoubtably be our biggest festival to date, with an attendance that has reached over 50,000 in the last few years. The cost of attending is already significantly lower than FaerieWorlds ever was, with the added bonus of low competition, strictly handmade only, and none of the panic inducing things that plague us at FW. Oh and we won't have to haul up most of our equipment either- no pop up tent, no, table, no tapestries, no booth decorations... just the masks, stands, a mirror, and our transaction supplies. The switch seemed obvious, really. 

I feel so blessed that the skilled & talented Maeve Callahan offered to share her sacred booth space with us. Our masks will be displayed on the walls, surrounded by her fantastically creative dolls and puppets. They will definitely compliment each other; I'll post pictures after the festival is over! 

As always, thank you to the thousands of people who support us on Facebook, etsy, Pinterest, YouTube, and offline too. You folk are truly what makes this career so enjoyable. 

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.