The End Is Only The Beginning!

What A Year....

As I get ready to finish my final 5 orders for the holiday season before going on a MUCH needed holiday/birthday vacation (12/24/13-1/5/14), I can't help but look back at where I started only 9 short months ago. In the last 9 months I have sold over 200 items, had well over 80 individual shipments spanning 6 countries, vended at Chicago's pinnacle comic convention (in my first month), gained consignment contracts with 2 comic shops (at the same comic con), have been featured in a magazine, got my art complimented on and signed by Alex Ross (also at sed comic con), got a piece into the hands of Hannah Aitchison, entered into my first art show, used my art to raise $250 for victims of Typhoon Haiyan, and *most importantly* got to personally witness the nostalgic joy my art brings on the faces (and in messages) of thousands of geeks worldwide. That's right. Geeks! Sports geeks, gaming geeks, comic geeks, Star Wars geeks, you name it. I was able to unite geeks across all spectrums through my art- and in the end, even if I were to stop all this tomorrow, I will be able to walk away with that magnificent feeling. 

Since starting in March I have battled health issues, lost my job, almost lost my sanity/home/car, became my own boss, and like a phoenix I've risen from the ashes as a new me. 2013 was an *incredibly* trying year, testing my physical, mental and emotional limits to the fullest extent. However, through it all I've had the unconditional love and support from YOU- my friends, family, and fans- to remind me *why* I chose to risk everything and stick to my guns about my art. In the coming year, I wish you *all* the same amount of grit. Because believe me, if I can do it- you can do it!

grit

grit/

noun

2.

courage and resolve; strength of character.
"he displayed the true grit of the navy pilot"
synonyms:

courage, bravery, backbone, spirit, strength of character, strength of will, moral fiber, steel, nerve, fortitude,toughness, hardiness, resolve, resolution, determination, tenacity,perseverance, endurance; 

Whether it's finishing school, starting school, starting a new career, or taking a leap of faith, grit is more than just staying the course when others think you're mad- it's about knowing how to see your weaknesses, work on them, and never forget the people who want to see you succeed JUST as much as the ones who want to see you fail. 

I have grown so much this year... I hope to use these last 9 months to grow even stronger as a business woman, artist, geek, entrepreneur, and human being. My pieces will undoubtedly be bigger, brighter, more intricate, and span an even larger geek spectrum! May we *all* never forget our humble beginnings, and continually strive for improvement (internally and externally) in our daily lives. Happy Holidays! See you next year ;)

~Abby

To be included in my waiting list for 2014 commissions, please feel free to email me at subatomicdeathkitten@gmail.com and include "Commission Request" in the subject line. NOTICE: Starting 12/24/13 I will *not* be accepting new commission requests until after the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) in April 2014. My Etsy Shop will reopen on January 5th, 2014.

Follow me for exclusive updates, promo codes, and giveaways!!

Facebook: www.facebook.com/subatomicdeathkittendesigns

Twitter: @8bitlyftchi

Instagram: @sdkdesigns

Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/SDKD

Raffle for the Philippines! Win a $700 piece! 11/16/13-12/07/13

When Duty Calls, It's Up To Real Life Superheroes To Answer

Raffle for the Philippines! Win a $700 piece! 11/16/13-12/07/13 **PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE** share this with your family and friends! I want this to get as much exposure as possible so we can reach this goal and send the money when they need it most!

CSmonitor.com

**===The Story===**

Typhoon Haiyan was one of the worst storms in history, killing 10,000 people and causing millions of Filipinos to lose family, friends, and homes. My brother and I are the only ones on my mom's side of the family that were born in the USA. The rest are Filipino born and bred. I have an innate sense of responsibility to this cause, and for once, I feel like I can actually do something to help others. When people are in desperate need of help, it's up to real life superheroes to answer that call. Not Batman- YOU! Although the Superhero theme is not a coincidence. 

**===The PRIZE===**
The image you see above is the piece that I will be raffling off to raise money for the relief efforts in the Philippines. This is Batman by Alex Ross. The value of this piece is over $700 and, when completed, will be 5 feet wide, over 2 feet tall, and will have 40,000 hand-placed beads. To compare, Shazam is 36" wide, has 18,000 beads, and was 50hrs of work from start to finish. The goal is to have the piece completed and delivered before Christmas so you can have it as a gift for yourself or a loved one.

DirectRelief.org

**===DIRECTIONS===**
Raffle tickets will be $5 ea, or 5 for $20. My goal is $500 and with almost 500 friends on FB and other social networking platforms I think that's totally doable. With the help of Direct Relief, that $500 turns into a whopping **$12,500** in medical supplies and aid!! If you are interested in purchasing tickets, email me at subatomicdeathkitten@gmail.com with:

- NAME OF DONOR(S) (Abby M, The Smith Family, etc)
- QTY OF TICKETS
- MESSAGE (optional, "Compassion knows no boundaries", etc)

I'll give you my PayPal address so that you can send the money as **"GIFT"**. This ensures that there will be no fees assessed to your donation.

This is a *VIRTUAL* raffle! This raffle will run for 3 weeks in the hopes of accumulating as much in donations as humanly possible. Each "ticket" is essentially a number on a spreadsheet. You get 1 number per "ticket" purchased. At the end of 3 weeks all numbers will be entered into a random number generator and the winner will be announced on Sunday, 12/8/13. One large, lump sum donation will be made to Direct Relief with the names of all groups, families, and individuals who participated in this event.


*NOTICE*
This raffle will not effect normal business operations. Processing times for orders is still 1wk per foot per item. You may purchase raffle tickets in addition to the rest of your order. If you have ANY questions, do not hesitate to contact me immediately.


**===Direct Relief Info===**
It was brought to my attention a while ago that the Red Cross is NOT a 100% "efficiency" non-profit organization. This means that not all the money donated will be used to actually aid the people we're trying to help. The organization has been changed to Direct Relief. From their FAQ: "As of the end of fiscal year 2010, Direct Relief International was able to deliver nearly $25 in medical aid for every $1 spent. For the eighth year, Forbes has recognized Direct Relief as one of only two nonprofit organizations in the U.S. that is 100 percent efficient in fundraising."

http://www.directrelief.org/about/faqs/

Rocktober Week 1 Raffle!!

Icons of Modern Horror

This week's raffle prize will be one (1) free-standing piece or a magnet of the following icons of modern day horror:

• Ghostface (Scream, shown above)
• Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
• Creepy Lady (The Grudge/ The Ring)
• Normal Bates (Psycho)
• Chucky
• Candyman
• Pinhead (Hellraiser)
• Freddy (Nightmare on Elm Street)
• Michael Meyers (Halloween)
• Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th)
• Jigsaw (Saw)
• Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs)

**Winners are responsible for shipping. Shipping is $6 to the continental US.**

8-Bit Rocktober Giveaway

"This Is Halloween"

Awww yea!

It's that time of year again! Rainbow colored trees, crisp autumn air, warm apple cider, and Horror Movie Marathons. It's so close to Halloween I can taste it!

To celebrate, I'll be having the first of many Lyfter-exclusive giveaways. This contest will run through the month of October and feature not 1, not 2, but 4 giveaways! Each driver/passenger will receive 1 raffle ticket and a drawing will be held once per week. Each week I will be giving away 1 item from my Halloween collection! It's as simple as that. ;)

Oh, and to sweeten the deal, if you don't win in weeks 1-3, your number STAYS IN THE HAT. Why? It all leads up to my EPIC week 4 raffle. On Halloween I will draw a number for the grand prize winner. He/she will win 1 large Halloween piece of their choice!

Follow me on Facebook to see updates on available (or soon to be available) Halloween pieces ;) These pieces will be going live in my shop very VERY soon, so keep an eye out there as well (if in the event you *must* have them in time for your Halloween party). ;)

Rules:

• Raffle tickets are given to all passengers in the Lyft, not just the person who requested the Lyft
• Prizes do not include add-ons such as frames, magnets, pins, and/or rear view mirror hangers. Prizes are for free standing pieces unless otherwise stated. Winners may upgrade for add-ons and pay the difference
• Winners are responsible for pickup/shipping. 
• Winners will be contacted via phone/email. If prize is not claimed within 48hrs, a new winner will be chosen. 
• Raffle tickets will be drawn each Friday, except for Halloween day. 

What I've Been Up To...

Autographed by the amazing Alex Ross

The Skinny

Since my last post about making 8-bit Plastic Fuse Bead art, things have gotten REALLY crazy @.@ I had a table at the 2013 Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), got some consignment contracts, was featured in the September issue of The Pulse Magazine, and had (have) more commission requests than I knew how to handle! I also found a job, lost that job, and gained 2 more. I'm now a business owner AND a driver for the Chicago Lyft community :D

On a more philosophical level, I've learned a LOT about myself. What my health will and won't tolerate, what my mind will and won't tolerate, and what working for a corrupt corporation does to people- namely me. And my soul.

More and more I'm realizing that I need a job with 3 important aspects: Financial significance, emotional significance, societal significance. I need to make decent money (not just booze funds, I mean "hey look I bought a house" funds), I need a job that makes me feel good about what I'm doing, and I need to feel like I'm making a difference in peoples' lives. For the most part, I'm pretty certain that anyone who doesn't like what they do is lacking in at least 1 (if not more) of these categories.

ser·en·dip·i·ty

ˌserənˈdipitē/

noun

1. 1.

   the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

   "a fortunate stroke of serendipity"

   synonyms:

   (happy) chance, (happy) accident, fluke;

I'm not a huge fan of saying "everything happens for a reason". It makes me feel like there's something, somewhere, in control of my fate/destiny besides myself. I do, however, believe in karma. I LOVE making people happy! Despite having some serious, and puzzling, medical conditions, I managed to find something that soothed my mind and soul. I lost my job as a result of the complications, but by then I had built an empire of fans and followers.

Along the way I saw an ad for Lyft. In line with my 2013 resolution to find and redefine myself, I decided it was time to step out of my comfort zone and meet new people. So I did! It was an amazing decision and I have met some incredible people :) My new jobs give me the outlets that NO conventional job/career could, and I'm at peace. 

New Ways To Stalk me

Online Store: www.etsy.com/shop/SDKD 
See what I've got for sale! My Halloween collection goes live within the week!

Facebook: www.facebook.com/subatomicdeathkittendesigns
Stay on top of my works in progress, contests, giveaways, and shenanigans ;)

Twitter: @subatomicdthktn
New pieces posted almost daily! See what my Etsy friends are up to ;)

Twitter for Lyfters: @8bitlyftchi
*Exclusive* twitter for my Lyft lovers (drivers and passengers alike). Lyfters get access to exclusive contests/giveaways and can track my most memorable Lyft experiences ;) Never used Lyft? Download the app and input my code (7PQVS2) in the payment section BEFORE you request your first ride for a $10 credit ;)

Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/101850718283805693964/101850718283805693964/posts
Facebook Lite ;)