Happy 4th Birthday Sick On Sin!

Woohoo! It’s Sick On Sin’s 4th birthday! To celebrate, EVERYTHING in the store is 30% off until December 3!

When I decided to start Sick On Sin, I had no idea what to expect. Having an online store selling cute tees and accessories seemed like something fun and interesting to do, plus I really wanted to try my luck working for myself. The last 4 years have been so amazing and I’m so glad I took that chance and followed my dream. It’s funny, I work way more doing SOS than what I did at my 40 hr/week corporate job, but running the store is so fun and rewarding that it rarely feels like work! (Haha, okay, doing 12 hours straight of shirt making when preparing for a show may feel a little a like work!) There are so many awesome things I love about it, but I think one of fave things is that even after all I’ve sold in the last 4 years, I still get excited and feel so thankful every time someone makes an order or buys something at a show. I can’t imagine ever losing that feeling.

Now of course, I wouldn’t celebrating 4 years if it wasn’t for all the people from all over the world that have supported and promoted SOS. So huge thanks to all the customers and fans! I also definitely wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for my SO, Michael. Not only does he do all the illustrations for my products, he helps and supports me in a billion other ways. So lots of XOXOs, virtual cupcakes and high fives all around!

So yes, if you want to take advantage of the 30% off sale (why wouldn’t you!) – act quick as tomorrow’s the last day. Haha I meant to make this blog post a couple days ago but the orders have been flooding in (woohoo!) so I have been crazy busy making shirts, pressing buttons, packing orders and getting everything shipped. I haven’t even had time to make cupcakes to celebrate (and I’ve been craving them like crazy)! Hopefully I’ll get to partake in the chocolately cakey goodness this weekend! Because a birthday without cupcakes is a Sin indeed!

xo

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New Tees!!

A few weeks ago I launched not 1, not 2, but 8 new tee designs! Woohoo! It’s been way too long since releasing new shirts so I’m so excited! Plus I am really loving these ones! The new designs are:

• Sneaky Like Ninja (ninajs + cupcakes = win!)
• Vampire (a cute little fanged friend for all bloodsucker fans!)
• Evil Octopus (the spooky version of our sweet 8-armed guy)
• Zombie Heart (love – undead style!)
• Owl (hoooo’s cute and retro-looking!)
• Flesh is for Zombies (for all you zombie-loving veg folks!)
• Devil Cupcake (naughty and sweet!)
• Vampire Cupcake (watch out – this cute treat just might bite back!)

In addition to new tees, there are also a few new buttons/magnets sets (a pack of 5 Cupcake Fiends, a Vampire 3-pack and a Ninja 3 pack) and some new undies! Please come check out the new stuff and let me know what you think!! Would love to hear which of the new designs is YOUR fave!

As the holiday season draws closer, please keep us in mind when trying to decide what to get people. Tees make great gifts and the buttons/magnets make excellent stocking stuffers and secret santa goodies! Just remember that shipping always takes longer during this time of year so get your order in nice and early. The estimated shipping deadlines are Dec 8 for Canada, Dec 1 for USA and Nov 26 for International.  Oh and of course, don’t forget to add goodies you love to your Wish List!!

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Happy Birthday Michael!!

Today is Michael’s 35th birthday – WOOHOO!! For those who don’t know – he’s the boy I managed to snag 12 years ago. He’s also the person who does all of Sick On Sin’s designs (I can’t draw at ALL so yay for hooking up with someone that is cursed with the inability to draw anything less than amazingly cute!). He’s also the guy who does the very awesome comic Orneryboy – which if you don’t read, you should be (especially if you like zombies and kitties and silliness and good old comedic violence!).

So this is just a little message to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL and to let him know how SUPERB I think he is! xoxox

This is also a message to let YOU all know that in celebration of his birthday, I’m offering 35% off all orders at Sick On Sin today only (June 29). All you need to do is enter the code 35BDAY in during checkout to save! So get yourself over to the store and score some cuteness!

BTW – for fans of Michael’s – he makes money from all the Orneryboy stuff sold at Sick On Sin so if you want to support him, buy a tee or button/magnet set! Please also share the link to Orneryboy with friends – the more fans the merrier!  Oh and you can wish him a personal happy birthday via Twitter!

Posted in Home Life, SOS stuff | 1 Comment »

Shoot, Show and Awesomesauce

Hey blog! How have you been?! Sorry about the neglect the last 4 months – let’s kiss and make up and start fresh, yes?

So yep, I am going to try to do the regular blog post thing again. Figured I start with a post about a few things going on in my little world. Keeping it nice and easy. Don’t want to rush into any craziness, yo.

1. I recently did my first ever photo shoot for SOS and it was awesome and so much fun! This means that soon I’ll have real shirt photos back on the site – and even better, hotties wearing the shirts! Yay! The very cool Sean Ryan was the photographer (who shot a full day – over 1000 photos – without a break = SUPERSTAR), the ever enthusiast and sweet Tasha was the stylist and the incredibly lovely Lisa did hair/makeup. Once the photos get edited and I get them up on the site, I’ll be sure to make a post and credit the models who did a great job wearing my wares. Here’s a sneak peek though…SIZZLE!

2. For anyone who is in the Toronto area and is into tattoos – you should definitely check out the Nix Tattoo Convention happening June 19-21. I’ll be there, sharing a booth with the awesome Monster Muffin. I’ve never been to this show before but am super excited for it. There aren’t a ton of other vendors and I know most of the ones that will be there so it should be loads of funtimes. Plus people walking around covered in body mods – what’s not to love! I just need to figure out how to cram all my stuff into half of a 10 x 10 booth! Anyway, if you’re interested, please check out the SOS Facebook Event for it!

3. Lastly, just a shout out to my sweet kitty Soya Sauce who we adopted 6 years ago today! Oh Sauce, what a crazy cat you are – with all your obsessive and neurotic tendencies. You are so silly and opinionated and bitchy and sneaky. Not a day goes by without you making me giggle from something you did or one of your crazy expressions. I am so glad you stole our hearts the first time we saw you at the shelter and then stayed in our minds for the next few months until we made the decision to adopt you. xo

Haha yes! Post complete. See, that wasn’t so hard was it. Till next time my sweet little devils!

Posted in Random Ramblings, SOS stuff | 1 Comment »

Happy Friday 13!

Sick On Sin’s resident black kitty Soya Sauce would like to wish you all a Happy Friday the 13th! And to tell you that black cats actually bring good luck – especially if you scratch them behind the ear and feed them pasta.

He also wanted to tell you that he has created a special coupon to save 13% when you make an order over $13 today. Just type the code BLACKCAT in during checkout to score the discount. Oh – and this code can be used on all the ‘love’ items that are currently on sale (aka BIG SAVINGS!).

Come get some cute!

Posted in SOS stuff | 3 Comments »

Barnyard Buddies Buttons!

Hello and happy February! I don’t pay attention to the whole groundhog’s shadow thing (I think he predicted many more weeks of winter?), but I do pay attention to the fact that it is beautiful out – so sunny and not minus a billion for once! Living in Ontario I love and accept the long winter months…but even I am looking forward to putting my big coat away and breaking out the knee socks!

I just did a store update and added a couple new button / magnets sets featuring super cute barnyard animals. The best part about these packs is that 50% of the profits get donated to Farm Sanctuary. For those that don’t know about Farm Sanctuary, it’s an organization that rescues, advocates for and educates on farm animals. There are 2 locations – one in New York and one in California. I’ve been to the NY one and it is amazing. Especially getting to get up close and personal with the piggies! I definitely recommend going if you’re able. Anyway I’ve been wanting to do these packs for a while and am so excited to finally have them up. Hope people think they’re as cute as I do! Yay to michael for doing such an awesome job designing them!

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Friday Five – Hoo’s Cute On Etsy

I love owls. Now I know I’m not alone with that emotion – seems like half the world also adores these fine feathery friends. However I don’t mind sharing the love! Especially as all that admiration results in plenty of owly goodness to be had. Personally I have a preference for owl items from a few decades ago (can anyone tell me why owls were so popular in the 70’s?)…but that’s not to say I don’t love all the owl items being created daily. Etsy of course is filled with such great stuff so did a quick search and here are 5 that made me grin.

1. Owl Pendant by Westbryon – I love the style of this owl and the shape of the pendant. Totally cute and would look really, really nice around my neck I think. (The design is actually done by nikoart who does stamps with super adorable designs.)

2. Owl Hair Clips by FlyingButtons – I love the fabric used for these hair clips – so awesome! I personally don’t wear hair clips (I like them – just don’t think they look great on me) so someone else should snatch these up and adore them!

3. Owl Light Switch Cover by brightcolorart – Kick that plain ol’ white switch cover to the curb and add a punch of bright, owly fun to your wall instead! Love the bold colours, combo of patterns and those hilarious little feet!

4. Newton the Barn Owl Print by NatureMandalas – Last summer I did some freelance work for an organization that had some barn owls. A couple times I got to see them up close and they were so cute I died. I love all owls but there’s something about these guys with their heart-shaped white faces that makes my heart explode into shards of glee. This photo print captures their cuteness perfectly. NatureMandalas has lots o’ awesome photographs for sale so be sure to check out her shop.

5. Mister Owl Field Bag by theboldbanana – Can’t go wrong with a fun owl design screenprinted on a cotton field bag! I’m a big fan of 1-colour designs (not that you’d ever know it looking at Sick On Sin stuff) and love the way this one looks taking up the bulk of the flap. I actually have a bag similar style to this one and it’s great – smaller than a messanger yet can hold tons and tons of stuff.

**Shameless Sick On Sin Promo** – One day I’ll get an owl design on a shirt (crazy I haven’t yet, yes I know)…in the meantime there’s always this owl magnet to fill the void! (Owl designs also available in pin and pocket mirror formats.)

Posted in Etsy, Friday 5 | 3 Comments »

25 random things

Since I’ve been tagged to do the 25 random things meme a couple times, figured I’d procrastinate from my taxes to do it. And figured that I’d make use of this blog instead of just putting it up on Facebook. In regards of tagging people to do it…if you are reading this, consider yourself tagged.

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1. I try to consume the following every day: dark leafy greens, walnuts, green tea, blueberries and dates.

2. I have a huge fascination with and love of sea creatures (both known and those of the imagination) however I have huge fear of oceans or any form of dark, deep water.

3. I’ve never broken any bones. However when I was 3 I was thrown from a horse and it stepped on my back narrowly missing my spine.

4. I can say the alphabet backwards quicker than I can say it forward.

5. Today I talked to a good friend on the phone about a work (freelance) issue. We have been friends for years and it was the first time we’ve ever talked on the phone. I rarely talk on it…just to my parents. MSN has killed my ability and desire to communicate that way.

6. I don’t own a cellphone.

7. I’ve been vegan for 6 years (vegetarian a few years prior to that). I don’t miss meat or cheese or eggs. Though in my perfect fantasy world Dairy Queen serves vegan peanut buster parfaits.

8. I love all vegetables but I’m pretty picky when it comes to fruit.

9. One of my fave words is ‘whilst’. It makes my knees weak.

10. I would love to hang out at a pub with Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, and Elijah Wood as I think I’d spend the night peeing my pants laughing. Viggo could join us as well so I can stare at his pretty grin. And Dominic could bring Evangeline so I could follow her to the girl’s washroom and make out with her. And Evangeline could bring Matthew Fox so he would see that clearly him and I should be married. (Are Dominic and Evangeline even still together…I don’t stay on top of celeb gossip.)

11. I never take baths. I don’t enjoy them and find them incredibly boring.

12. People confide in me a lot. Even people I don’t know very well. I guess something about me makes them feel comfortable. I take this as a huge compliment. I also love it because it helps to feed my raging curiousity about others’ inner workings.

13. My fave forms of ‘junk food’ are plain, rippled chips, Green & Black’s dark chocolate bar with ginger, chocolate cake and of course, cupcakes.

14. I am currently planning Sick On Sin’s first ever official photo shoot done with a real photographer and super cute models. Crazy I’ve been doing the store over 3 years and never done one.

15. As much as I love doing SOS, not a day goes by that I don’t think about going back and getting my masters or phd and becoming a therapist.

16. I love giving advice and helping people with problems. However I suck at following my own advice.

17. I have enough pairs of underwear that I could go 2 months without having to do laundry.

18. I really wish I could draw.

19. Traits that make me adore a person include wit, humour, silliness, and compassion. Extra points if they are also super smart.

20. I often surf the mls site for our dream house in the country.

21. I would love sleeve tattoos but I can’t decide on what I want.

22. I find humour in poo and talk about it more than most people care to hear.

23. One of my bad habits is to leave dirty clothes in a pile beside the bed instead of putting them in the hamper. Michael refers to it as ‘clothes mountain’.

24. I don’t have cable and watch very little TV. The only shows I watch are Dexter, Battlestar Galactica, Gossip Girl, Californication and Lost.

25. I feel most at peace when surrounded by trees.

Posted in Random Ramblings | 5 Comments »

Friday Fave 5 – VeganEtsy

Recently I joined the VeganEtsy team on Etsy which is awesome because I’m now connected with and getting to know a bunch of awesome sellers. All of the members are vegan and their wares are all vegan (i.e. they don’t use any animal products such as leather, feather, pearls or milk). Products range from everything you’d be looking for – clothing, jewelry, bath products, candles, bags, pet products, art, etc. You can see the selection of items easily – just type ‘veganetsy’ into the Etsy search box. There’s also the team’s blog you can check out for more info.

Anyway for this week’s Friday Fave 5 I thought I would choose some of items from the VeganEtsy group. Was hard to choose just 5 awesome things!

1.  Dog Treats by emmask9kitchen – Molly sells a whole variety of vegan dog treat recipes. That’s her dog Emma (who’s the product taste tester) – isn’t she the cutest thing ever! 100% of the profits from the store are donated to a Sanctuary. Oh and Molly is also the person who runs VeganEtsy! Got a dog – why not get a couple recipes and make some delicious treats that are healthier and cheaper than store bought ones.

2.  Goldfinch Toddler Dress by EarthGroovz – I love goldfinches and this little dress looks so adorable in this fabric. Actually all the fabric EarthGroovz uses is awesome (including lots of large bold flower patterns which I am crazy for!). The dresses are super cute…if I had a little girl, her closet would be filled with them.

3.  Striped Candy Carnivale Dress by HealingHeart – this store is run by a lovely girl named Becca who I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know in person from doing Toronto shows. She makes great and fun clothing as well as a lot of pro-pitbull and pro-veg items. She currently has a bunch of things on sale as well as having a free shipping offer till the end of January.

4.  Make a Wish Bday Card by ilikeapplejuice – I’m a sucker for cute and silly artwork so how could I not love the stuff from this seller! This card totally is making me grin right now!

5.  Mini Ganache Dipped Cupcakes by thecupcakemint – I am a sucker for all things cupcakes so how could I not include a seller that specializes in them! A lot of people doubt the deliciousness of vegan baked goods – until they try them that is. Don’t believe me – come over and I’ll make you brownies or ‘cheesecake’ sometime. Or make an order from this store! Man, looking at these bite size chocolate-covered treats are making me drool…

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Etsy Anniversary!

Hello!

As you may know, in addition to the Sick On Sin store I also sell on the wonderful site Etsy. I’ve been selling on Etsy a year now – in fact, today is actually the 1 year anniversary of my first Etsy sale (Squid Pocket Mirror)! To celebrate this anniversary I’m offering a free 2.25″ magnet with all Etsy orders made till the end of January (you just need to let me know in the comment field what design you’d like when you make your order).

I really enjoy being part of Etsy – it’s a great site that is FILLED with amazing creations and finds. I know a lot of the sales I’ve had the last year are from people that probably would have never come across the Sick On Sin site which is awesome. Plus it’s a neat community to be a part of. Recently I joined the VeganEtsy group and am so looking forward to the connections and fun that brings!

Anyway, since Etsy is on my mind today I figured I’d make a post and showcase a few of my fave things I’ve bought from it (perhaps I’ll start doing a weekly ‘Friday Five Finds’ on Etsy kind of thing…). Let it be known I have a weakness for prints/photos – and Etsy is a treasure trove! I’m running out of wall space in my office – but that isn’t stopping me from coveting and buying! Here are 5 pieces of art that I have on my wall and adore:

1. I’ve bought a couple prints (and have a wish list for more) from The Black Apple whose stuff I love. One print is the Cupcake Peddler – which is so perfect because I’ve been know to peddle a cupcake or 2! Plus when I bought it my hair was short and red and once upon a time I had a hedgehog companion. I’ve regularly used the image as my msn pic.

2. I *love* squids, octopuses and sea monsters so I had to get this awesome photo from FriendlyMade. So cute and fun!

3. I’ve been slowly building a collection of artwork that have an element of animorphism – specifically, human-ish body and animal head. How could I *not* get this photo from currioddities – it cracks me up whenever I look at it (mostly because the heads look like Sauce’s).

4. This print by ashleyg was the very first thing I ever bought on Etsy. I’m a huge fan of tree-related artwork and I love the colour of it. And look at that adorable little friend peeking out!!

5. I love this print from Flossy Flotsam even though looking at it makes me feel sad. I love how simple it is and of course the animal-humanoids (haha notice a theme?). I’ve also used this image as an msn userpic.

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