WARNING: Rant Ahead

Some people just really get under my skin! From the start of my crafting, I've always been one to support others shops. Even if they're direct competition with me, I figure there's far too many people in the world and someone is always looking for something I'll have that they don't and vice versa. I promote others websites, sales, contests whole-heartedly. I hate the dog-eat-dog world philosophy and think good customer service and a great attitude are worth more than an extra sale or two. Maybe because I feel this way, my little jewelry business will never be a world wide phenomenom - but I'm ok with that!

Being on Facebook, I've posted numerous happenings on pages I've liked to get a wider range of exposure, I mean, why not? Others post their info on my pages and I have no complaints about that - I actually encourage it! As long as no one is stealing another's one of a kind ideas - 'cuz that's pretty low! If one of my fans sees it and actually finds something they've been looking for because of that shops post, awesome!! I never saw a problem with this route of promotion. Apparently, others do.

This past weekend I had a pretty awesome 50% sale. The turn out was incredible! I promoted in on some of my favorite shops so their fans would know about it and maybe "LIKE" my shop, too. Not a ton, maybe 10 or so (after all, I didn't want the FB Gods to block me for "spamming"). I don't know if it actually helped or not, but I did get a handful of new likes that day so I'm guessing it worked a bit. Today I reposted a contest that a fellow team member of Horror Couture was having. Again, I reposted the info on some favorite shops pages. For some reason, I had the urge to go back and look at the posts I had made... I saw several shops had removed my posts completely - the one about my sale and the one about my friends contest. I was really actually shocked! I mean, were they THAT afraid of a little competition? I don't even have the same stuff as the ones that deleted it and neither does my team mate. It just totally struck a nerve with me, I mean, here I am promoting their shop on my page, my team page, my shop page, and they delete a posting about a sale and contest? Are they that hard up to keep their fans and customers all to themselves? I mean, it's not like they can supply every desire of their fans. I just thought it was rather rude to say the least and really let me see their true colors and no longer will I promote those shops! I'd rather be happy with who I am and have good karma rather than "hide" fellow crafter just for a few greedy bucks!!

Ok, end rant - I feel better :)

Something FAR more twisted than my jewelry!

Most people that know me, I mean really know me, know that I'm in to really f*cked up films. Cannibal Holocaust (although I can never, ever, ever watch it again) was amazing to me. Salo, gross but not all that bad. The Human Centipede, eh... a great idea for a horror film, but a disappointing delivery in the end. Long Pig, Baise Moi, I Spit On Your Grave, The Last House On The Left (and I mean the REAL one, from 1972, not that date night crap from a couple years ago), I've seen them all. Still, nothing has ever shocked me when it comes to movies. I have an extremely high tolerance for movies that I know are just a bunch of actors on film and at the end of the day, everyone goes home with a paycheck. I can watch anything when it comes to fiction. A friend of mine, who is very well aware of my love for these type of movies, warned me about one her husband had shown to her recently, A Serbian Film. She said it was the most grotesque movie she had ever watched, something that once seen, can never be unseen, that it totally mind-f*cked her. She advised that whatever I do, do not watch this movie... so I thanked her for looking out for me and said I would do nothing more than what she would expect me to do - OF COURSE I HAD TO SEE IT!! She was right... it was a movie that I will never forget. The word "horror" doesn't even begin to describe the madness that happened in this film. Rape, I can deal with. Death, the bloodier the better. Sex, bring it on! But this... whoa, this was so much more than your typical horror movie. I'm not going to give it away for those of you that are sick enough (like me) to watch this movie, but MY GAWD... as horrible as some of the events were, the delivery was AMAZING!! All of the actors, every single one, were completely believable - even the youngest! The thought of some of these situations actually happening, (and sadly, me being a realist, I know they really do happen) is beyond disgusting. It could have easily been another B-rated, naked bimbos running away from yet another ax-yielding, asylum escapee, but this was... well, just as my friend said, something that can not be unseen. It is definitely NOT OK for kids to watch! I think that is part of the disgust of this movie though, some of the young actors are subjected to things a even young adult should not be. There is a sadness to the story that can never be forgotten, events that will be burned into your head. The special make-up effects are Tom Savini worthy, perhaps better! Do I recommend you see it? Only if you're a true lover of great films and have a sinfully open mind about them - but I will warn you, it IS something more than disturbing. You may never see horror movies the in same way again... they'll seem so tame!

Discounts? YES PLEASE!

Wanna save some cash? How about some discount codes??

Save 15% when you use GND2011 here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/GhoulNextDoor

Save 15% when you use TM2011 here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TwistedMindofMine

And keep your eyes open... I'll be listing coupon codes for your favorite HORROR COUTURE shops soon too!! In the meantime, check out our new Facebook Fan Page and LIKE it...
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Horror-Couture/205615769451649

NEWEST WINNER!!!

Congrats to our newest giveaway winner... My Darling Frankenstein!!!! Please remember to comment and claim your prize!! :)

Facebook Auctions: The Newest Trend?

With all the latest gizmos and gadgets, our world has definitely become dependant on getting all our information right in the palm of our hands, literally. At the sound of the ding! we are instantly updated on our friends locations, celebs latest complaints, news from all over the world and now, our favorite internet shops sales. I'm a fan of many Facebook shops, especially since starting my own FB Fan Page for my shop and no two are alike. Each shop has it's own style, well, as much style as they can have given Facebooks settings limitations. Now FB sales is a totally new concept to me... no listing fees, no sales percentage charges, it's totally awesome! Lately, I've seen more and more shops have eBay style "auctions" right on their picture pages. Instead of listing an item at a particular price, they have a whole album filled with photos of items they're willing to sell to the highest bidder. The shop administrator will list the rules of the auction right in the description section of the album or as a posting on their page such as how long the auction will run, when an auction winner has to pay by, how much shipping will cost and so on. Fans get to bid on the items by commenting the amount they'd like to pay on the photo of the item they want. If another fan wants the item, they must up the ante and outbid the commenter before them. At the end of the auction, whoever was the highest bidder, generally the last commenter, gets the item. Pretty simple concept, right? But what if only one person bids $0.50 on an items you spent more than $5.00 making and that's what they win it for? Well, I guess that's just a chance FB shops owners are willing to take. Not only do these auctions add a fun element to shopping, but they can also create exposure for your shop which in the end will result in more fans/customers. So think of it as a cost of sales, you may have lost $4.50 on that one piece, but you may have gained another 20 buyers in the process, so in the end, it's completely worth it! A few shops currently having sales are Miss Skull and Bones (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-Skull-and-Bones/261211825290) & Bows ByCupcakes (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001856904039). So give them a check out, maybe find some items you just can't live without and put in a bid! Be sure to add my shop as a LIKE too (http://www.facebook.com/twistedmindofmine), I just may jump on this FB Auction bandwagon!!! Enjoy your night guys & ghouls :)

Etsy's Team HORROR COUTURE YouTube Video

So what are your thoughts on our new commercial?? :)

Did you say FREE?!? :)

So my first giveaway really brought in some traffic... I like!!! I loved seeing how in one day my blog had over 50 hits opposed to the 10 or 12 I was averaging :) Who liked the giveaway? Grant it, it was not my best video made, but we had gotten home late from our family's Superbowl party and I was in a rush to get it up, (I know some of you are on East Coast time or later), not to mention "other" issues delaying my motor skills *wink, wink*. I had a bit of a cough and sore throat from screaming along with the game that REQUIRED a shot (or two or three...) of Patron ;) But all in all, with the help of my little man as "The Shadow" I think it came out ok! Again, CONGRATS to the winner... I'm still waiting for her acknowledgment confirmation. Remember, if she doesn't claim her prize within the allotted time, it's up for grabs again - Good news for you, bad news for her! I love the rush of a good game so I'm sure these will be regular occurrences... keep your eyes open! And if you just feel like shopping around you can stop by either of my shops, http://www.etsy.com/shop/GhoulNextDoor or http://www.etsy.com/shop/TwistedMindofMine for all your jewelry and accessories needs :)