The Monsters, They Are a Changin!

       The Spiderbite Boutique was shut down for some time, though I opened it up intermittently when I felt the urge, but I've decided to come back full force now! And with my return I bring big and exciting improvements to all of my products.

       All of my journals, Nightmare Snatchers and Worry-Woolies alike, now contain more pages than  ever before and those pages are now multicolored and bright... oooOOOOooooOh! Aaaah!

So much glorious color in that paper!

       The Nightmare Snatcher journals still have their magical spell inside, but there is also a bookplate upon which the owner of the monster can claim the beast with a scribble of their name. Each bookplate maw matches the style of the book it's found inside:

       And as if that wasn't colorful enough I'm now using eco-felt (made from recycled plastic bottles!) in a variety of colors for the lips and appendages of these furry little monsters!Which leads me to the next and most exciting evolution of the Nightmare Snatcher journals... they now have ARMS! With little velcro paws to help them keep your worries, fears, and nightmares squeezed tightly inside their pages!

 

Hugmitten is looking for a hug!

I hope you like the improvements I've made on my monster friends! Stay tuned for more products and artwork! And if you are interested in special deals and updates on my work, please join the Impetuous Homeric mailing list! Don't worry we won't overload your inbox.

Wie geht's? Wunderbar!

The Austrian Magazine Nightline included Fribbler the Nightmare Snatcher journal in their February 2010 issue. Look at that, I'm on the same page as Nick Cave's book. Sweet! I had a very vague idea of what it said from my high school German class lessons, but Angelika of Purple Sage Designz was incredibly kind and translated it for me:


To commit yourself to the monster's care.  Nightmare Snatcher is another word for a notebook in the appearance of a plush monster to love (rather free translation, verbergen = to hide, note books that are hidden behind the name nightmare snatchers, like you wouldn't expect notebooks behind the expression). For example Fribbler is raven black and has sharp cuspid teeth. Rather frightening, but only rather (means it should be frightening, but is not really).


It's always fun to see your work written about in a foreign tongue, but worrisome too as they could be saying just about anything and you would be none the wiser. I'm relieved to find they had only positive things to say. I particularly like the description of him having 'sharp cuspid teeth' and since it was translated for me, I have been going around saying 'Rather (insert adjective here), but only rather.' I wonder if I could get a copy somehow. If only I knew someone in Austria...

If anyone is interested, here is the actual mag online. Fribbler can be found on page 8:

http://nightline.cc/aktuelleausgabe

WINNER of the Nightmare Snatcher naming contest!

The yellow Nightmare Snatcher's® name is TROGNUF!

It was a hard decision as there were so many great submissions. Thanks and the grand prize go to Jen (littlebiskit on Craftster) and her daughter for this winning submission. I think the name fits in great with my other Snatchers and the story behind the name was too adorable to ignore:

Trognuf is what it sounds like when my daughter (almost 2 years old) says "Strong Enough," which I would think that the snatchers need to be. But your yellow guy (girl?) looks pretty laid back, so I think a lazier pronounciation (such as my daughter uses) would be fitting.

But wait! As I said, it was a difficult decision as there were so many great submissions, so I decided to give everyone a prize and to award 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place prizes as well.

2nd place: Charmquirk for submitting: Mandiprog
3rd place: Kyoko for submitting: Giloli
4th place: LadyGreywings for submitting: Skirr

For 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place I will be giving out $10 gift certificates to be used on a Nightmare Snatcher® in my shop! And for everyone else who submitted a name I will be giving out $5 gift certificates for use towards a Nightmare Snatcher® journal in my shop. Prize gift certificates cannot be used on Sales section items or Worry-Woolie notebooks.

I will message all participants with your unique gift certificate codes tonight! If you do not receive one, and you entered the contest, feel free to let me know at: sarah@nightmaresnatchers.com

Thanks so much for participating!

*CONTEST*: Win a FREE Nightmare Snatcher journal!

THE CONTEST HAS ENDED!

Thank you for all the submissions. The winner will be announced tomorrow!

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I have a brand new yellow Nightmare Snatcher journal available in my shop that needs a name. Name my yellow friend and you get to take him home for your very own! Now, only one name and winner will be picked, but you can submit as many names as you want.

Note that I enjoy names that have a reason or a reference behind the name. For example my Lumpkin journal is named for 'Fatty Lumpkin' the pony in the Lord of the Rings and Fribbler comes from the word 'fribble' which means to waste or fritter something away. So if you have a reason for your choice be sure to communicate that to me as well.

You have a week, from 5-5-09 to 5-13-09 at midnight, to submit as many names as you want. So let the naming begin! Winner will be announced here after the contest ends!

HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST:

•Submit your name/names here in the blog along with your e-mail address/some way to contact you OR e-mail your entry to: sarah@nightmaresnatchers.com
•Please note that if you submit your e-mail here on the blog, it will be visible to the public! If you e-mail me instead, your e-mail will be kept private.
•If you have a reason for the name, submit that too! I'd like to hear your thought process.
•Contest ends Wednesday, May 13th 2009 at midnight EST.
•Submit as many times as you want up to the deadline! There is no limit on entries.
•Winner will be announced on Friday, May 15th, 2009.
•PRIZE: 1 Yellow Nightmare Snatcher, as of yet unnamed.

SALE INVENTORY RUNNING LOW!

My 2008 Inventory Sale is running out of well... inventory! I've already sold out of Crubbly, Hugmitten, Groulby, and Fribbler. There are only 4 styles left. Be sure to get them from my 'sale section' while they're still around because they're going fast! Last chance for a deal on your Nightmare Snatcher® journal purchase!

Featured in Disney's Wondertime Mag... Fact check?

One of my journals was in Disney's Wondertime magazine for the month of February! Hooray, right? Well, Any exposure is good, but:

1.) They called it a "Monster book" instead of what it is, a 'Nightmare Snatcher journal'.

2.) They said it was made by "Nightmare Snatcher", when it is in fact made by Spiderbite Boutique.

3.) and they indicated that you should buy it at a store that I know longer wholesale to. I would obviously have preferred that they linked to my site. I could really use the sales and having it link to a store I don't sell to any more, doesn't really do me any good.

4.) And lastly Wondertime magazine looks like it's getting shut down.

Oh well. There's no such thing as bad publicity, right? When did magazines stop fact checking? Alright, I'm done whining. At least they didn't say my product sucks.

UPDATE: Sad Songs and Sweet Dreams

Here's the full image of the illustration I'm working on, with nonsense text to be filled in later with the real poem. Still some things to work out, need to make the grass cross over her legs, the underside of her dress show a bit, work on the folds of her dress, etc. Made with pen & ink on scratchboard. See a detail image in my previous post.

It's for a zine my father and I are putting together of his poetry with illustrations by me of course. If you're interested in knowing when it's coming out, join my Mailing List!

Big *SALE* at the Etsy shop!

A special sale is going on at the Spiderbite Boutique etsy shop for the New Year! I'm selling a bulk of my Nightmare Snatcher® inventory at a discount in the SALE ITEMS section of my shop.

The sale only lasts as long as the inventory, and once they're gone they're gone. So be sure to get the ones you want ASAP before someone else snatches them up! The offer is only valid in the Spiderbite Boutique etsy shop. Don't have an etsy account? Worry not! It's free to sign up. All you need is a valid e-mail address, you pay through paypal, and etsy doesn't send e-mails to it's customers unless requested.

If you are interested in purchasing multiples of the same style/color just ask and I'll be happy to let you know what's available!

By the pricking of my thumbs, something Wooly this way comes...

Allow me to introduce the Worry-Woolies™, new furry friends now found at Spiderbite Boutique. These cuddly pocket-sized protectors are the perfect companions to share your daily worry and woes.
Small enough to accompany you anywhere, these miniature monster notebooks will do your worrying for you. Just log your frets and cares on their understanding pages, and they will grant you comfort and peace of mind as you wander through the world.
Each Worry-Woolie™ is lovingly handcrafted and designed by me, Sarah Jane Evans. They are now available for purchase in a variety of colors at Spiderbite Boutique's etsy shop!

Winston, we hardly knew ye...

*EDIT: Winston is back in stock with a new fur that I found. Hurrah!
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Poor Winston the Nightmare Snatcher journal. It took me forever to finally post him in my shop. He waited patiently on the shelf for his moment in the sun and then what happens? They discontinue the fur he is made with. I currently only have 4 Winstons left in stock, so after that I'll have to find a new fur for him.In memory of the first incarnation of Winston, I thought we would take a look at his origins...

Above you can see Watson, my beloved mutt-dog who passed away himself in 2005. For some reason my extended family could never get his name right. They always called him 'Wilson', 'Weston', and more often than not 'Winston'. I thought it only fitting to create something as a tribute to my late friend and thus Winston was born, with his scraggily hair and snaggle tooth.

I hope that this is not the last we shall see of Winston. I hope that he will soon rise up from the dead like the cutest/fuzziest zombie you've ever seen. Till then, good night sweet prince.