Post-Con Report: Anthrocon 2015

Well, we're back from Anthrocon 2015!
We both had fun and had lots of visitors to our table! Thanks to everyone who stopped by and purchased or looked at our goodies and chatted with us.

Zura did quite a few Paracord commissions on-site:

She did quite a few lanyards too, but as luck would have it, forgot to take photos of any of them... Go figure...

There's a fair list of folks that we'll be getting in touch with soon for leatherwork commissions. Just gotta get over the jet-lag and get ourselves back in order. Watch your in-boxes!

Anthrocon 2015 Info

Well, it's that time of year again! Here's our info for Anthrocon 2015:

Arriving: Sunday, July 5th Departing: Tuesday, July 14th
Staying at: The Westin. We're both very curious to see how the new elevator systems handle all the traffic. Should be ... interesting.
Hanging out: Zura:Mostly at our dealer's table. Otherwise, with the usual crew.
                      Karma: A little of everywhere. Catch Zura if you need to get in touch with me right away.
Dealer info: Silverwind Studios will be at table B06/07 this year. Look for the blue tablecloths.

That's the basics! Easiest way to find me at con is to come see me at the dealer's table. Otherwise look for Karma - big guy, leather pants and black hair with red streaks.

Oh, and for anyone interested, catch Karma or FoxAmoore for details on the CD release party!

*Blows off the dust*

Yeah, we're still around!

Been super-busy with life's usual stuff, so the blog got a bit neglected. Sorry about that!

Right now we're in full swing preparations to leave for Anthrocon in just over two weeks. Our stock is nearly all prepared and packed - Can you tell we're excited to get out of here for a while? :)

This year we'll be residing at tables B06-07 for the duration of the Dealer's Den, and Sunday night we plan to invade the new burger joint in the Westin to celebrate Karmakat's birthday! Come wish him a happy one (and pick on the old(er than me) Kat) if you like.

Here's a preview of our newest goodies:

Mixed batch of Key chains, Bookmarks, Wristbands and Bottle Carriers

Belt Pouches and Mini Pouches

Wallets and Money Clips

Karmakat's new novel: "Heart Behind the Mask"

There will also be some new bracelets make by Karmakat (above), along with the rest of his published novels. 

Zura will be available to take on-site commissions for Paracord items like bracelets, key chains and lanyards.

Also... Karma has been hard at work on a CD collaboration with Fox Amoore! "We Will Be" is scheduled for release at Anthrocon 2015, and will be available at Fox Amoore's table.  "We Will Be" is inspired by many of Karmakat's stories. Listen to an excerpt here!

There are so many wonderful and different singers appearing on the CD... I don't know how Fox does it all! Check out all his work here. Seriously, you must. 

See all you fuzzies at Anthrocon!

August thru October Summary

Well, we've had quite a ride the last couple of months!

After coming home from Eurofurence and face-planting in the bed for a couple days, Zura started trying to catch up with house related stuff (cleaning, repairs and such). 

After unearthing our worktables, we were all set to get back to work and had to put it on hold for some maintenance and upkeep type stuff around the house that needed to be done before the weather turned bad. Around here weather changes fast and it can go from sunny summer to pouring rain and lashing winds overnight. Needless to say we didn't get much leather work done in that period. Tired hands and body are not conductive to what we do. 

Zura was able to get a few Paracord commissions done though: 

Several of the ones pictured here were made on-site at Eurofurence. There is also a group of the smallest bracelets you can imagine for 3 little girls, and the biggest Paracord item we’ve made to date: A belt! The customer asked for “Flashy colors”, and that’s what she got. :D

There’ve been a few small leather work commissions completed and sent out, and those remaining are being worked on as time and fatigue allow.

There has also been something (or several somethings) taking no small amount of our attention for the last few weeks too:

The four little rolly-pollies were born October 15^th and are starting to get around pretty good now. They’re getting vocal too. When we pick one of them up, they squeak and bark to each other – even the occasional tiny growl!

Work should start back up at a decent pace, barring anything unexpected. :)

Phew... Back!

Anthrocon and EuroFurence Complete!

We're back and getting everything in order after our two summer conventions. Thanks to everyone who stopped by our Dealer's tables at AC and/or EF and took a look, chatted us up, or bought something. You guys are why we attend conventions!

AC was excellent (as always), and we enjoyed ourselves as usual. The 6 weeks between the two conventions was a bit hectic thanks to pinched nerves, migraines, uncooperative computers, various illnesses and other problems, but we survived.

I have to say that the new venue in Berlin for EuroFurence is an absolute pleasure. The staff of the Estrel hotel and convention center was harried, but very welcoming and helpful. We had a little problem with our room on check-in, but they were able to swap us to another room as they realized our needs. They really went all-out the entire week to meet the convention's needs. The registration staff was even wearing ears on the check-out days, and we saw a wait staff member (we think) wearing a partial fursuit!

The Dealer's den had so much more room (even if it was hard to get out of the middle island we were in), and the Art show had tons of space. It was nice to have all the dealers in one room and still have enough space to walk between the isles. 

We'll be getting back to business soon,  there are just a few life-type things to take care of first. As soon as we get ourselves organized (and unbury our worktables) we'll post up the work queue and start contacting everyone who asked for a commission slot. Watch your inboxes!

Anthrocon Preview

It's that time again!
We're making our last preparations for departure and will soon be on our way to Pittsburgh!
Here's a little preview of the goodies we'll be hauling across the pond with us...

Our handmade leather accessories, including bracelets, wristbands, phone pouches and more!
We'll be bringing along some new items too: Woven Paracord accessories!
There will be pre-made items ready to purchase, some bracelets waiting to be sized to you... and we will also be making custom items! (as long as I have enough supplies :D )
There will also be previews of works-to-come... and candy! There is always candy at our table ^.^

Come visit Silverwind Studios at table J19/20, just behind the charity tables!

We'll see you there!

Wallets and more!

We're chugging right along, getting ready for convention time!
Some more new goodies you'll see from us:
Badge/Key card holders and Wallets!

Bifold Wallet (Standard)

 A bit of an experiment here! This wallet was carved and antiqued, then adorned with a wonderfully soft tiger print short pile faux-fur. The interior is leather and canvas, machine made. Exterior is leather and faux fur, hand laced. The lacing is more intricate than I normally do - that alone took nearly 6 hours!

It has 6 card slots, 1 bill slot, and 2 additional horizontal pockets for business cards or papers.
Open dimensions (laying flat): 4” (10cm) wide X 9 3/4" (24.5cm) long.
Folded dimensions: 4 3/4" (12cm) long and 1" (2.5cm) thick when empty.

Trifold Wallet

Dyed a deep burgundy and adorned with a fox and swooshy decorative carving, this wallet is a standard-size trifold. The interior is leather and canvas, machine made. Exterior is genuine leather.

It has 1 ID card window (credit-card sized), 5 card slots, 1 bill slot, and 2 additional pockets for business cards or papers.
Open dimensions (laying flat): 4 5/8" (12cm) wide X 10 1/2" (27.5cm) long.Folded dimensions: 3 3/4" (9.5cm) long and 1 1/4" (3cm) thick when empty.

Bifold Wallet (Extra Large)

This wallet was a personal project - I needed a new one ^.^ Carved with a henna / mehndi design on the exterior and a few simple designs on the interior, it is a great simplistic wallet. 5 pockets in total, just enough for a few cards, papers and an extra-large bill pocket. Hand stitched with contrasting thread for a little style.

It has 2 card slots, an extra-large bill pocket and 2 additional pockets for cards or papers.Open dimensions (laying flat): 3 3/4" (9.5cm) wide X 9 1/2" (23.5cm) long.
Folded dimensions: 4 1/2" (11.5cm) long and 1" (2.5cm) thick when empty.
*This item was for myself and made with a bit of a different dye process. I used a diluted dye wash rather than the usual full strength, then ran an antique over it to deepen the color.

____

These Badge / Key Card holders are great for when you don't have accessible pockets, but still want to show off a little style!

Both fit a standard hotel key or credit-card sized card and have enough room to tuck in a little emergency cash. They are hand sewn and worn either with a clip-type lanyard (pictured) or a lace lanyard tied in the two top holes. The back on each has a clear plastic window to display your badge, while the front can be customized. The slim model is big enough to make a customized name design and maybe add some stamps. The square is large enough for a simple custom carved drawing. Both models here have been left natural color and accented with acrylic paint.

Key Card Holder - Slim
Measures 3 1/8” (8cm) wide x 5 ½” (14cm) tall.

Key Card Holder - Square
Measures 4 3/8” (11cm) wide x 4 ¼” (11 cm) tall.