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Woohoo!  Sorry I've been scarce lately, but now I've officially survived my first con as a vendor. Met lots of new friends and saw some friends from Destination: Anime, got some recommendations for which cons to try out next, and have lots of ideas for what to do better next time.  Lots of fun, definitely a learning experience.  Overall I'm pretty happy with how things went.  I also have a pretty decent stock of hats and scarves for the store now, so I should be able to devote a big chunk of time to getting caught up on plushies!

Wore my new Faith costume Saturday, which was fun.  Not everyone recognized the character, of course, which was kinda nice because that way I had time to work.  The people that did recognize me got really excited though.  Instafriends!    I think my lovely assistant got a couple of good pictures so I'll post them when I get them!  

I was able to whip up two quick plushies to take, they're both up for sale now that I'm back.  You ready for this?  



I think little Jayne was my favorite part of the whole convention.    He got his picture taken more than I did.  Such a ham.  Again, many thanks so =xREBEL666x for making his little hat!  Check 'em out, if you're interested just send me a note!

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Haven't done a proper journal in a bit, so here we are.  Healthwise (in regards to hand pain,) the general consensus is that I don't have arthritis, and most likely not carpal tunnel either, which is good.  That means its probably just more Fibromyalgia-related crap and there's not really anything to be done about it, which sucks.  I'm really trying to rest my hands between work sessions, but frankly I'm not very good at that.  I think I'll just try telling my doctor that clearly I don't have time for a chronic pain disorder.  

Despite that I do think I'm making more progress on plushies lately.  Hubby got a new job with longer hours, though, so that's going to take some adjusting so I can find time to work.   Or just put the kid to work.  She can be my little Oompa Loompa of pushie-making.

I am currently on season 3 of Doctor Who and alternating between "I love this show!"  "That one was a little odd."  and "Why didn't anyone warn me about the emotional damage this show would inflict on me?!"    Let us all take a moment to pray that Stephen Moffat and Joss Whedon are never ever ever allowed to work together.

Getting excited for MobiCon coming up!    There are bits of hats and scarves everywhere around here.  I should have a decent stock by the time the 17th rolls around.  Hopefully.  I'm going to wait until that's over before I commit to any more cons, just in case it turns out to be a little too ambitious and/or pain-inducing.  Never can tell until you try.  I really want to do Pensacon next year, though, that looks like it's shaping up to be awesome.

Alrighty, I do believe that covers the highlights.  Stay awesome, all.  

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Hey all!  I'm cleaning out some of my inventory to make room (and money) for new things.  Since I've switched all of the scarves over to the comfy t-shirt material, all the fleece ones got to go.  Check out my store to see what's left: [link]  Everything in the sale section is at least $10 off, I have a few Assassin ones, some ninja ones...if you have your heart set on the fleece versions you better act fast!

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Just a quick update.    Took a few custom hat and hoodie orders so I'm whipping those out between plushies here.  Trying to wrap my head around all the prep I need to do for MobiCon.  I have no clue how much stuff I need to take, but I figure it's better to be over-prepared!  I have an awful lot of fleece lying around, and apparently they don't have anyone else there that's bringing any sort of hats.    I'm just taking that as permission to do all kinds of craziness.  Things are also looking good for FandomCon in October.

Hope everyone is well and not too hungover from PAX this weekend.

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Hi all!  To keep this short and sweet, I had a few unexpected bills pop up last month and since I can't sew any more than I already sew...who wants some buttons?  If anyone is interested just send me a note or email at EitanyaDesigns@gmail.com   Old prices still apply, so 6 for $5 or 25 for $20.  I'll gladly mix and match whatever is in my folder: [link]  Shipping is $2-3 dollars depending on the size of the set.  I'm only doing this for a limited time, so get them while you can!

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Well the good news is that I think I'm finally over what the local doctors are officially calling the "crud."  Technical term, that.

...Aaaand I still cannot find a groove.  Or a muse.  Or whatever it is.  I work on plushies for maybe 30 minutes on a good day, then it's like, "Wow, I didn't realize I was exerting my fingers enough to cause this much pain.  I'd better stop, eat a cookie, and watch Pawn Stars."  *facepalm*  It's really hard to stay motivated at that point.  Guilt is my main motivator, lol.  I love you all and I want to finish your plushies, I really do!

I think I'm slowly finding some of the triggers.  Gaming (mostly Borderlands, actually.  Other games don't seem to affect me as much.)  Caffeine.  Cold.  Making the stuff in my store like the hoods seems to be okay as long as I don't cut too many in one sitting.  Something about the detail work in the plushies is just killer, though.  And some of the pain is just wonderfully enigmatic and unexplainable.  

Ahem.  Trying not to complain, just wanted to keep everyone updated and let you know that I'm not slacking off and drinking margaritas by a pool somewhere.  Most of my time is filled with moments like, "I don't have time for such-and-such, I should work on plushies..." and so it begins.  Thank you all for being so wonderfully patient with me.  You're more patient with me than I am.  It's very humbling.  

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Three weeks.  I have had a cold for three. weeks.  Not a regular cold, either.  I can only describe it as a man-cold.  Like a regular cold except you're convinced that you're dying.  Argh!  I don't have time for this nonsense.   (I realize I say that a lot.  Usually when I'm hurting.  I should frame it and put it on the wall.)

I may or may not have gone through the entire Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra while I was laid up for those three weeks...  I have a problem.

In other news, though, I officially have a merchant's table at MobiCon!  So if you're in or around Mobile, AL May 17-19, pop by and say hi!  I won't have any plushies for sale, since A: they don't allow fanart and B: I didn't feel like it would be fair to the people who have been on the waiting list FOREVER already.  I honor your patience.  I'll have plenty of scarves and other wearable awesomeness, though.  And probably a new cosplay.  Mirror's Edge I think.  I'm sure no one saw that coming.  

Rock on, everyone.  

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So let me start off by saying that I've never been to a Con.  Ever.  Always wanted to, just never manage to make it happen and there aren't many nearby.  I honestly didn't think we were going to make it to SukoshiCon's Destination: Anime this year, even though it was literally five minutes from our house.  Life tends to get in the way.  But!  We worked everything out the day before and I thought heck, if we don't finish these abandoned Borderlands costumes, we're never going to wear them.  So I finished them.  The day before we planned to go (and the day of, honestly.)  Because there are times when I'm more insane than others.  

But I am so glad we went!  I was slightly worried that we were wearing video game costumes to an anime convention and might be breaking some sacred unwritten rule of geekdom.  As soon as we walked in we had people freaking out and stopping us for pictures.  The only costuming I've ever done is for Halloween, and I tend to pick things that are very under appreciated in that context, so this was a whole new experience.  A guy with an amazing Joker costume and a boombox started playing "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" when he saw us.  It was great.  ^_^

To continue the insanity, hubby and I decided to enter the costume contest.  If we're gonna go, go all out.  (Actually I owe him big-time for it, he said he wanted to show off my work. <3)  This may seem funny coming from someone who's done world martial arts tournaments, but I cannot believe I actually got up on stage and did that, lol.  Hey, you should do one thing every day that scares you.  And we won Best Group!  There were really some amazing costumes, I was so excited that we won something.  Plus it was just amazing to go out and have some fun and not think about this or that hurting, honestly.

So that's my story.  I think I may be addicted now.  I gotta start getting artist's tables so I have an excuse to go to more of these things, hehe.  Know any good cons in the Florida panhandle/Alabama area?

PS- I'll post pics of our cosplays as I get them!

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Hi, just wanted to update everyone that's waiting on plushies.  I've been having really bad pains in my hands lately.  Granted, I get pains everywhere, but these seem to be new.  Fibromyalgia doesn't generally cause pains in your knuckles.  For the moment, I can only work for a few minutes at time before I have to quit.  I know I was already running behind and this isn't helping.  Grr.  I don't have time for this nonsense.  I'm trying to get in to the doc soon to see if they can figure out what's up.

I've taken some of the more complicated stuff down out of the store and have someone helping me with the rest.  I am still working on plushies and trying to keep everyone updated on their status.  If anyone has a deadline for their order that I need to aim for, or if you can't wait any longer and want to talk about a refund, just note me.  No hard feelings.    

Needless to say, no new orders for a while.  I can't just sit around and not do anything, though, I'll lose what sanity I have left.    I'm still plushie-ing away and I'll try to get some new stuff posted soon!

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Mass Effect Marathon 3 is wrapping up this weekend, starting Friday!  [link]  For those that don't know, MEM3 is a fundraising event with all proceeds going to Child's Play Charity.  My Harbinger plushie will be auctioned off at 8PM eastern time.  Check out the rest of the prize list too!  Seriously, there is some amazing stuff in there, both auctions and raffles.  Full set of custom armor, anyone?  Pistol replicas?  Jewelry?  Keychains?  Something for everyone!

Check it out and be sure to tune in this weekend!  FOR THE CHILDREN!  

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Seriously, that had to be the most fun I've ever had giving something away (although trying to get a one-year-old to pick a name out of a jar last time was high on the list, too.)  You guys came up with some great quotes!  Winner has been notified, hope the rest of you had a bit of fun with it too.  

I'm still slowly chipping away at plushie orders and trying to keep up with the Etsy store, so if I'm a little scarce around here, that's why.  The temperature is also starting to drop here so I feel all achy and yucky (medical term.)  Blah.  I love the scarves and boots and jackets that come with cold weather, but it's hard to look stylish when you're limping!

Oh!  And (overambitious much?) I'm currently trying to work out an "Eitanya Designs" logo of sorts.  I'd like to be able to order some tags for the scarves, and possibly for the plushies as well, but I want a cool design that I'll want to stick with for a while.  I'll post progress as soon as I have some.    Ideas are welcome.

Nothing else to report for now.  Rock on, everyone.

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It's long overdue, but as a small thank you to everyone on dA I'm doing a giveaway!  

The prize: One of my ever-popular Assassin scarves.  Not just that, the fancy, tricked-out, version with pockets.    This is for the black and green one pictured.


The catch: All you need to do is leave one of your favorite video game quotes below in the comments.  Funny, dramatic, horribly mistranslated, whatever.  I'll leave this journal up until Sunday the 21st and we'll pick a random winner then.

What are you waiting for?  HAVE AT YOU!

EDIT: Wow that was fun.  You guys came up with some great quotes!  Congrats to =SheiBKroeker!  Randomizer.org chose #13 out of 54 comments and that was hers.    Enjoy!

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It was pointed out to me this morning that it's been quite some time since I updated my journal here.  Oh, the adventures.  There was the Great Smell Debacle of 2012, in which I had to move most of my stuff out of my office because of a very dead rodent (in the attic.  Thanks to the location it only smelled up my office.  Which could be viewed as good or bad, I suppose.)   I'm not sure if it's the weather or what, but my Fibro has been flaring up more than usual lately.  I'm also in the middle of trying to find a wholesale supplier for my scarf fabric, which is not as easy as it should be.  And, of course, BORDERLANDS 2 CAME OUT!  Woohoo!  Hubby and I are taking it in really small chunks so I'm sure everyone that's playing it is way ahead of us.  No spoilers please!  I think the last thing we did was the Slab King mission.    Fun stuff!

And, I just realized this morning, it's almost time for Mass Effect Marathon 3!  [link] saving now, they have some amazing prizes up for both auctions and raffles...soon to include a plushie Harbinger from your truly.  Just sayin.  

Progress on plushie orders is going well given all that (and I promise, I'm not cutting into work time to go Vault Hunting. )  I'm not taking any new orders for a while, though.  I think I'm going to have to cut back on how many orders I take in the future.  They're just insanely time consuming no matter how you go at it, especially for someone who's detail-obsessed like me.  Not quitting!  Don't worry.    Just choosing more carefully.

Hope everyone is well!  Keep an eye out here in the next couple of days, there's a giveaway a'comin.  

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Oh my goodness.  Remember all the craziness with the influx of scarf orders?  Well in the process of shipping aaaaaall those scarves, something seems to have gone terribly wrong.  Several packages were returned to me completely soaked (to the point that some of the scarves inside were completely ruined despite being in a bag.)  I'm not sure how many this happened to, it looks like others were so damaged that they couldn't even make it back to me.  Current theory is that they were left out in a downpour while they were waiting to be loaded onto the plane.  So hang with me while I sort all this out!

Meanwhile, if you look up the current storm tracking for Hurricane Isaac, and then look right smack in the middle of the path where it hits Florida...yep, that's where I live.  Hopefully it's just an overgrown rain storm by the time it gets here...but that doesn't bode well for all the shipping problems!    If I disappear from the internet for a bit, you'll know why.  In the meantime I'm still working away.  

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First off, let me just say that before Saturday morning, I had no idea what 9gag was.  All I know is I woke up to an Etsy store that was half sold-out and a bunch of emails asking when I would get things back in stock.  Apparently someone posted an Assassin hoodie scarf (not mine) on 9gag, and someone else commented that people could get a similar one in my store.  A ridiculous number of sales later, I've bought out all of the interlock from my local fabric store (poor ladies) and have more ordered.  My store's been slow lately, I really wasn't prepared for this, lol.  I figured summer would be a slow season for scarves so I would just focus on plushies for a while.  Back to the multitasking!  

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Wow.  So many projects going right now I don't even know where to start.  First of all, hi!  I'm still here.    Plushie orders are horribly behind, and I do apologize for that.  I've had delays of every possible kind, mostly the exciting and unexpected kind.    More on that later.  

For now, I'm helping out with my very bestest friend's wedding next month, and my sister-in-law's wedding (also next month.)  So that's been a priority lately.  I know some people say "I got married before Pinterest was invented, I want a do-over!"  Yeah, no.  I'm happy to have it all over and done with.    

Mass Effect Marathon 3 is coming up this fall!  This will be g33kWatch's last Mass Effect marathon, so let's make it memorable.  This time around I'll be donating a plushie Harbinger to be auctioned, again one-of-a-kind and will not be made again.  All the proceeds will go to Child's Play Charity.  Keep it in mind and start saving!  For the children!

On a random note: Hubby and I decided that A.) we need to go to a con of some sort soon, even if I don't get an artist's table, and B.) there must be costumes.  Geekery is best if it is embraced fully.  So that's another project we've been toying with.  Thanks to for all of her sage advice.  I'm having an absurd amount of fun with it so far, I'll have to post pictures once I have some decent progress.    Ain't no rest for the wicked...

That is all for now, I suppose.  Back to work!

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I've been feeling a little stressed lately.  Prototypes and deadlines and changing job situations and a walking baby can do that to you.  My husband found this totally amazing commencement speech from Neil Gaiman and it made my day, so I though I would share: [link] love what he says about feeling like you're getting away with something if you're doing what you love.  I completely get that feeling, I just forget to enjoy it sometimes.  So today I'm resolving to enjoy it.    Thank you to everyone here who has ordered some of my work or been so kind with your comments.  You all keep me going!

On that note, if any of my fellow Dragon Age fans would like free digital comic, I have a code for the first issue of The Silent Grove.  I already have the whole run so I don't need it.    Good stuff!  The code is JWPY5HKY, go to Dark Horse Digital to redeem it.  First person to use it please leave a comment here so everyone knows it's taken. (EDIT: TAKEN?)

The code came with my copy of Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker.  Anyone else see it yet?  I was a little underwhelmed.  I wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.  Meh.  Neat little note, though: if you watch the Bioware tour they have on there, you can see some of ~kinbari's plushies sitting around on the desks.  

Hope everyone is well!  Remember, make great art.  

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Quick updates on all the goings-on here:

Can I just say I have the most interesting commissions list right now?  Spaceships and browncoats and angels, oh my!  I'm so looking forward to the next few months.  

I'm trying out a modified pattern for a standing version of my plushies and I'm quite happy with it.  I know some of the plushies just won't sit for various reasons, usually because of armor on the legs or an unusually heavy head, so this might be a better option in those cases.  Plus it would make some outfits more accurate because the hips aren't so strangely proportioned.  I'll post a picture once I finish my first one completely.  This seemed like the perfect excuse to make myself a little Hei from Darker than Black.  

On a random note, I managed to scratch my eye (I maintain that it was an epic ninja battle and not the price tag on a shirt hitting me in the eye) so today I feel like a pirate.  Or maybe Nick Fury.  Or maybe just a one-eyed and slightly grumpy plushie-maker.   Ah well.  Supposed to be better in a day or two.  I'm trying not to do detail work in the meantime.

Beyond that, there have been some crazy-exciting developments around here.  I'll share as soon as I'm able!

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Sorry if I've taken a while to get back to people about commissions and such.  Everyone here seems to be passing around some kind of cold or bug or, as I have deemed it, the Floridian Plague.    I'm finding that sinus issues make whine more than the Fibromyalgia does, lol.  At least the little mini-ninja seems to be over it.  In the meantime, I'm taking a brief intermission from plushie-making so I don't get anyone's doll all germy.  

I'm so excited about the commissions that have come in so far, though!  Gonna be a fun year.  

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Okay.  Maybe the waiting list wasn't such a good idea.  Maybe trying to keep a waiting list for close to a year wasn't a good idea, hehe.  See, I've been so busy...

Anyway.  New plan.  Commissions are officially OPEN!  If you're on the waiting list, though, I will give your order priority.  Please please PLEASE read the commission info on my front page before you ask for an order.  Also, I cannot work with deadlines.  I will get your order done as soon as possible, and I will try to give you an approximate completion date, but due to health issues I never know when I'll have to take some time off.  It happens.  I promise the wait will be worth it.  

Note me if you're interested and we can get the process started.  Any previous price quotes do not apply, it's been so long since I've taken orders that the price of materials and shipping has gone up a bit.

No, I will not make you a Garrus plushie.  

So yeah.  Bring it on!  *hides behind chair*

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