X is for Xerxes - devoured by mice

The holidays are here! Sickness has caused me to be sooooo late and I'm sorry.

This year I am offering 4 scents, an homage to the Gashlycrumb Tinies.

X is for Xerxes - devoured by mice:     rich chocolate, sweet amber, and a kick of black pepper
M is for Maud - who was swept out to sea:   golden honey, tangy orange, baked apricot and ginger
Z is for Zillah - who drank too much gin:   frankincense, myrrh, black cypress and juniper
Q is for Quentin - who sank in a mire:   almond cake, glazed walnuts, and black tea leaves

All four scents will be offered in sugar polish, lotion, and 5ml perfume oils. Listing today!~

Happy holidays everyone!

SICKNESS

SOMETHING has knocked me down. In a big way. What started as a simple cold (I thought) has turned into multiple trips to the hospital and not being able to get out of bed LITERALLY for a week. I'm still not well, but I am out of bed at least and able to start working again. My doctor says if this isn't better by Friday-ish, we need to start testing to see what it is. There's a sickness prevalent in these parts, called Valley Fever and it is ugly, ugly stuff. I had it when I was a kid and it almost killed me.

I've been thinking a lot about my business, and how every little thing that happens to me throws a monkey wrench right into my production and turnaround times. Unfortunately, a lot happens to me. Why? No idea - that's something I've always wondered myself!!! Having gone 41 years with this luck, and it not changing so far, I'm assuming it will be with me forever. ha ha.

So here's what I've (mostly) decided. As my company grows, I've come to realize there is NO WAY I can do it by myself anymore. I physically cannot. Even when I am well, the demand is overwhelming and I find myself working 12 hour days and spending most of my time frustrated and prone to making mistakes. I've also come to realize that most of the companies I know are partnerships. They are able to have faster turnaround times, answer emails promptly, advertise --- all the things that come along with owning a business ---- because there are two of them.

so ----- I'm in negotiations with a very close friend of mine to split TMTM 50/50. We will be a partnership. Schematics have not been worked out entirely, as we've only begun talking, but I think we will be able to work it out so it benefits everyone involved. I am eternally grateful that you all allow me to pay my bills by doing what I love and I no longer want to disappoint you or make you wait for your orders. It's not fair to the people who have supported me and grown right along with me.

As our talks progress, I will keep you all abreast of what will be happening. I am currently on the lookout for sponsors and a small business loan, so I can get this machine well-oiled and running properly. Please wish me luck. I'm scared to death, but this was my only choice - besides quitting altogether and giving up something I have poured BUCKETS of blood, sweat and tears into.

There will be a blog shortly about holiday releases. Also, there is a pre-Black Friday sale happening right now. Buy 2 full size perfumes, get one free - buy 3 solid perfumes, get one free.

Love you guys.
Lysa

New offerings today

some of these have been requested for a loooooong time. I'm having a really busy day, so this will be a short blog. But here ya go - these will be in the shop today:

1891

Absinthe

Aurora

Horseman

Ichabod

Katrina

ODDITORIA Goodies, and Morton's Untimely Death

I've finally put the Odditoria stuff up on the website. As of today, there is:

Agatha: solid perfume, body lotion and sugar polish
Dhanya: solid perfume, body lotion and sugar polish
Eggbert: solid perfume, body lotion and sugar polish
Isabella: solid perfume, body lotion and sugar polish
Morton: solid perfume, body lotion and sugar polish

I know I said the new solids would be vegan. Sadly, I cannot get the formula right and there are some weird "after-smell" issues with the wax. I don't like it, and won't be listing them at this time. The new solids - wow - I am so excited about them! I went back to the tins I used to love so much. I also upped the fragrance load A LOT. There is almost a full bottles-worth of fragrance packed into this tin. They are much stronger and longer lasting now. In case you're wondering - yes, the TMTM scents will be available in this format. It's just finding the time to get to it!!! As soon as I can get labels designed and printed, and buy the MILLION and a half tins I'm going to need, you will start seeing them appear, along with the discontinuation of the old packaging.

As was discussed before, Morton will be leaving us. One of his components is no more. :-( I have a VERY VERY limited number of products, so if you can't live without Morton, hop on it.  *sigh* I am going to try and reformulate, but I don't think the new Morton will smell exactly like this one. I'm not even sure it will be close, to tell the truth.

I'm getting orders out as fast as I can. I am SO backlogged, it's laughable. I keep wondering how I can be working so many hours, yet still be behind. I don't get it. BUT they are getting out the door!!

Talk to you soon.

Love, Lysa

New Product Announcement

You guys spoke and I listened. :-)

I'm introducing the first new products today, and will keep making these announcements until all new products are spoken for.

But FIRST we need to talk about some things.

I am loving the new website. Traffic is still a bit slow, but I knew it wouldn't be an easy transition. So tell a friend! Tell two!

And there are a few things that may need clarification, as well as policy changes.

1.) The shopping cart is a little wacky, and cannot seem to get the postage right for *anything*. As a result, postage is either too high or too low. I'm working on it, and will be refunding postage overages as I ship orders out. Please don't freak. You will get your money back!

2.) Because of the slip ups with the USPS, any orders over $20 will ship Priority only. They seem to do a bang-up job when something is sent Priority mail. I decided to do this to save headaches for ALL of us. You get your items faster and I get to stop replacing lost packages! Yay! And the postage really isn't that much more. I can fit a whole lotta stuff into a flat rate envelope. I'm still trying to figure out what to do about the internationals, though. Ideas? I've also created a section on the web site called "Postage Savers." It's group of items grouped together for a flat rate. I will definitely be putting some of the new products in there as gift sets.

3.) This is the part where people may get antsy. I will be discontinuing some fragrances to make way for new stuff. I'm also getting rid of a lot of lip balms :::ducking:::

HOWEVER ---- Most of them will not be gone forever. I'm thinking there might be "guest appearances" every month! And I'll tell you why I'm doing that right now.

Coming very soon, all TMTM and Odditoria catalog fragrances will have a coordinating solid perfume, sugar scrub, and lotion. Now that's cool, right? I've done the Odditoria ones already, and there's good news and bad news about that.

The good news:

The Odditoria catalog scents are:

Morton
Agatha
Dhanya
Isabella
Eggbert

The bad news - one of Morton's key components has been discontinued. *sigh* I'm really sad about this because it is truly one of my favorites. So he will be a catalog fragrance until that component is gone, and then be replaced with another permanent one.

I'm going to wait to announce the permanent TMTM fragrances because a.) I'm still undecided about a couple of them and b.) I'm scared of you guys.

Oh and did I mention the new solids are VEGAN?? 

but here is the Odditoria line for Morton

So???? Thoughts? Ideas?

TMTM has moved!!!

From now on, all business will be conducted through the official site - www.themorbidthemerrier.com. Wheee!!!! I'm tremendously excited about getting away from the fees and politics of a huge corporation!

There are going to be some big changes coming up - things I"m really excited about. I think everyone else will be, too. :-)

So tell a friend!!! Let's get the word out there!!

Love, Lysa

SALE

I do believe it's SALE TIME, boils and ghouls! If you haven't gotten 'round to picking up the Halloween scents, now would be the time! Starting now, through Thursday @ 8am PST, buy any 2 full size fragrances, get one full size frangrance FREE. This offer applies to all fragrances in the shop, including LE and EDP! Just leave your free choice in the message to seller. http://www.themorbidthemerrier.etsy.com

Clarification about samples and yesterday's post

I feel bad. Really bad. I didn't mean AT ALL that I don't want to do samples!!!!! What I meant was - I currently offer sets of 3, 5, and 10, and sometimes in one order, there will be 2 sets of 10, plus 2 sets of 5. I'm just limiting it to ONE sample order per order. So essentially a 10 sample max.

Hopefully this won't be too much of an issue after the weekend. I'm planning on working straight through the weekend to get all these orders up to date, and get my TAT down to something more reasonable. I'm only taking a break to go to the fair and eat funnel cake (yum), then straight back to work! I can do this!!!

Samples, and evil black beasts!

I have to take a break from order-filling today to go buy bug spray. I have black widows. While they are glorious as  tattoos or Halloween decorations, they are very much NOT awesome hanging out on my property. I have one hiding on my outside trash can, and every time I see her, she goes into this little hidey hole. Last night as I was rolling the can out to the curb, I could have sworn I felt something crawl on my hand and subsequently dumped the ENTIRE trash can over into the street. While cursing her and her unborn egg sacks, I swore that would be the last time. Today they all go to black widow heaven.

Speaking of being busy, I have some news about samples. Unfortunately I am going to have to impose a strict limit on the number of samples that can be purchased in a single order. I don't want to sound mean or ungrateful, especially since I am definitely a "try before you buy" type girl,  but labeling and filling samples is VERY time consuming, and is partially responsible for my long TAT right now. I am working into the night *every* night now trying to meet demand, and it's really hard to be quick while filling an order containing 25-30 samples. Each vial, as you know, must be labeled and hand-written individually. So there you have it. Hopefully if I impose a limit, I can get my TAT down to a reasonable amount of time.

Does that sound terrible? I trust you guys and would really like to hear your opinions.

Off to Lowe's for bug spray!!!!

Where my winners at?

Let's get you these Halloween perfumes!!

Attention, Boils and Ghouls

The shop is stocked for HALLOWEEN!!!

HALLOOOOOOOOOWEEEEEN!!!

WOW. There has been *craziness* with trying to catch up!!!!! I'm thinking Halloween will hit the shop tomorrow - yay!!!! I'm going to try to get everything photographed and listed by about 3pm PST. In addition to these perfumes, the remaining stock of Saucy Jack and The Saw is Family will be there too!

GEIST PERFUMES:

Wraith - wispy purple flowers, creamy vanilla, 3 pale musks, and sweet lemon tea.

Diablo - The devil, indeed! Fiery cinnamon paired with blood red roses and incense

Goblin - A juicy, sweet caramel apple.......with a wormy center.

Fiend - Buttery, spicy pumpkin cookies, layered over black, wet wood

HALLOWEEN LIMITED EDITIONS:

Quoth the Raven - Fruit orchards, a sharp spike of clove, and the remnants of chimney smoke on dirty wings.

Thorn - Church incense, candle wax, and red animalistic musk

Romero - A wreath of funeral flowers, leather seats, vetiver, and mahogany.

Little Drop of Poison - Dragon's blood, plump dark berries and red wine barely conceal a rich, resinous and very poisonous base.

We All Float Down Here - Lemon drops, raspberry hard candy, bubble gum, gutter water, and the fleeting smell of a red balloon.

Hope you like them!!!

Love, Lysa

Update

It's been a heck of a year. Un-be-lievable. I've never had such a tumultuous period of time, ever.

EVER.

It looks like everything is back on track. I got a sweet little house and was able to reopen TMTM much more quickly than I originally thought possible. My house is VERY small, but you know what? It's mine. I never again want to experience having no home for my daughter and I. It's never happened before and I'm determined it will never happen again.

I am currently working night and day, day and night to catch up on these orders. When I lost my home, my outstanding orders numbered almost to 100. 100!!!!!!! For those of you waiting, I am sending an email to each and every person when their order ships. I dare say I'm nearly caught up now!!

I am stunned by the level of understanding and compassion from people. I thought it was going to be a huge mess, everyone would be mad at me, and I *really* thought I was going to lose TMTM for good. Thank god that didn't happen. This business is my life.

As far as Halloween, it is still happening - just late. I've designed labels and they're going to the printer today. I will post here as soon as I'm ready to list everything. I of course can't do it until I'm completely caught up. That would be suicide! ha ha

I could write so much more, but I need to get back to work!!!!

Thank you everyone for being so damn cool.

Love, Lysa

Sorry

I want everyone to know I'm getting orders out as fast as possible. I've ofund myself with no place to live, and therefore no place to work. I am working diligently to find a place to set up so I can get orders out. I am an honest person, and don't want anyone to think they're not going to get their orders. I apologize deeple for this. Please forgive me.

Pre Sale

A little less than 2 hours until the pre-sale. Today is BUSY BUSY. I promised Bella to help her make cake pops, then there's the sale, then the photoshoot for Gothic Beauty magazine, then orders and orders and orders to fill. I'm so far behind, I'm almost ahead! AUGHH!!!!!!!! :-)

But I did want to post this reminder!!!

:::::off to run around like a crazy person:::::::

And here it is! The results are in!

First of all, I want to thank everyone who entered. I did NOT expect the turnout I got. Not at all. I had so much fun reading through all your suggestions. I've got some brilliant people reading this blog! There were so many I wanted to do, and had a terrible time choosing. Some I had my heart set on were already taken by other perfumers or by the Big Daddy of perfumers (wink).

So I will announce the drawing winners and then move on to what everyone can expect for this season.

Aww...... look at all you guys in my cupcake mixing bowl :-)

Runners up. You guys can choose any full size perfume, either from the Halloween collection when it comes out or current stock. 

AND THE WINNER IS............................!!!!

.

.

.

.

.

.

You win a gift set from the Halloween collection (which I'll explain below). :-)

So what can you expect from TMTM this Halloween? 

GEIST will make its appearance again. The GEIST line will feature four different scents, each with corresponding lotion, vegan bath salts, lip balm and sugar scrub. I'm extremely excited about these (and they're already formulated and ready to go)!! Everything can be purchased separately or as a gift set, which comes packaged in a chocolate brown gable box, tied with black ribbon, and my signature gold seal. 

Oh, I guess you probably want to know what the new "inspired" perfumes will be this year, huh?

:::dramatic music:::

Romero

Thorn (for Damien)

Quoth the Raven

Little Drop of Poison

We All Float Down Here

It took me forever to decide (well, except Romero - ha ha), so formulation is about halfway finished. I will announce the scent descriptions at the same time I announce the GEIST scent descriptions.

I am holding a special pre-Halloween sale for Saucy Jack and The Saw is Family. I have a VERY limited supply of fragrance components for both of these, so I will make as many bottles as possible and place them for sale THIS SUNDAY @ 4PM PST - MIDNIGHT in the Etsy shop. I really don't like doing it this way, but Halloween is going to be pretty intense this year, and I wanted to get these out of the way before listing all the seasonal stuff. Should I have any bottles left after the pre-sale, they will return to the vault (aka my perfume cabinet - ha ha) and I will list them with the rest of Halloween until they're gone. I feel very sad, because these will never return, and The Saw is Family is one of my personal favorites EVER. 

I think that's all the news. If you know anyone who's interested in the pre-sale, do let them know!!!

BOO!!!!!

Lysa

Contest -are you ready?

It ends in a few hours - I'm preparing to do the drawing! :::drum roll:::

New in the shop.............

I've started listing the sugar scrubs in the shop. As I'm writing this, there is Maximo, Dessert Absinthe and Absinthe. I'm busy, busy, busy today, by by the evening, I will list Black Jack and Athelia as well. I really love these scrubs.

I've been formulating for Halloween and I'm *really* excited about the new scents. Whee!!!!! I will be making an announcement soon about what to expect for the Halloween season.

The contest ends in 5 days!!!!!!! Be sure and check back to see if you won!

There is a lot happening!

Have a great day, you guys!

Love, Lysa

Ooops, forgot to mention THIS.

I've come upon a very small (and I mean VERRRRRRRY small) amount of the discontinued fragrance used in The Saw is Family. After this, TSIF will never, ever be seen again. I guess I shouldn't say "never." I mean, there is always a chance I"ll come across this oil again. There's also a chance aliens will land and take me to their planet, where I will become queen. Just sayin.

So I'm planning a "Midnight Madness" sale, which probably will not take place literally at midnight because I like to sleep. :-) I'm working on a date right now and trying like mad to get my hands on maybe a smidge more of this fragrance so I can offer more bottles. It's a last-ditch effort, but one never knows, right?

And did I mention I'll have a few Saucy Jack as well?

Woot!

Scrub a dub dub

Yep. They're here. Sugar scrubs are by FAR the most requested product, and I've finally done it. I'm waiting on labels, and as soon as they arrive, I'll be listing these in the shop. More likely than not, that will be Tuesday the 2nd.

The scrub pictured is Maximo -A complex and beautiful blend of sweet cocoa, spicy black pepper, earthy patchouli with a heart of vanilla and wood - This scrub is loaded with good for you oils, raw and white sugar, and a pinch of organic ground coffee to aid in exfoliation. 

I formulated these scrubs to not be *completely* clean rinsing (if they were, that would kind of defeat the purpose, IMO). Instead, they leave a very slight layer of nourishing oil on the skin. A sheen , if you will. But you won't be greasy. They're emulsifying, so they turn into a nourishing lotion as soon as they come into contact with water.

I am considering a completely clean rinsing scrub - I've done a prototype I'm very pleased with. It's emulsified, rather than emulsifYING, meaning it goes on like a scrubby lotion, has a hint of bubbles, and rinses clean away. It would be offered in addition to the emulsifying scrub. What do you think?


Keep an eye out for these babies. They will be here soon!

Got Milk? (sorry.....I had to say it)

I'm running around like a crazy person today. As a matter of fact, I'm posting this from my phone, so please forgive any typos or just general weirdness. Wanted to pop in real quick and let you know I've added some milk bath to the shop. It really is amazing, decadent stuff, if I do say so myself (and I do)!!!! I've used three milks, dead sea salt, oatmeal, AND made it fizzy. It's lovely, moisturizing and really good for bothersome skin conditions, too. So there you have it. At present there is Maximo, Absinthe, Dessert Absinthe, Black Jack and Athelia. I took a bath with Absinthe last night and then followed it up with Absinthe lotion. Yum!!! K. Gotta fly. The week is almost over!!!!!

Love, Lysa

Mmm-mm....lotion

I somehow totally forgot to blog about now having lotion in the shop. Wow. Busy much?

For the time being, I've done 6 scents: Black Jack, Athelia, Maximo, 1891, Dessert Absinthe and Absinthe. It was a hard choice to make, but I decided on the best sellers first. There will definitely  be more to come. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to do all TMTM scents in lotion form. The labeling alone would KILL me!

Anyway, I really like the lotion! It's not too greasy (something I hate), but it lasts and lasts. And I love the way the scents carry and change a bit in lotion form. The Black Jack especially turns creamier and a bit sweeter. I've been using that one every day.

There will be more bath and body stuff coming soon, so keep an eye out!

Have a great week, everyone!

Love, Lysa

It's that time again. BOO!!!!

So, although the future of TMTM is in the air, and everything is uncertain, it's still time for the yearly Halloween contest. For those of you that know me, you know Halloween is my Christmas - my most favorite, most important holiday. So we are going to proceed like nothing else is happening, yes?

We're going to do it just like we did last year. For those of you just joining us, here's how it works:

You leave a comment on this post, giving me at least TWO perfumes you would like to see made into reality. They can be horror movies, notorious people, notorious cars (wink), a character from a book or movie, etc. You have to have at least two, but feel free to list as many as you'd like. For example, you say:

"I would really like to see Freddy Kruger, Christine, Dorian Gray, and Elizabeth Bathory."

Upon the deadline, I will write down everyone's name who enters, throw them all in a hat, and pick a winner. That winner will receive a prize from the shop. And the prizes don't suck!!! :-)

There are only a couple rules.

1.) And this is more FYI, really - should your name be the one I choose from the hat, it does not necessarily mean I will choose your suggestion. If Suzie wins the draw, but I like Mary's idea better, I will go with Mary's idea, but Suzie will get the prize. HOWEVER, if I use your idea, you will get a prize, regardless.

2.) Your "notorious people" cannot be serial killers. I myself am not easily offended in the least, but there are a lot of people who are. I would not have an issue doing a Ted Bundy perfume, but there are a lot of people who would have a serious problem with it. It's a fine line, though - last year I did Lizzie Borden AND Jack the Ripper and no one had an issue. Meh. I'd rather just steer clear of at least very RECENT killers.

3.) You can comment as many times as you'd like, but your name will only be entered once.

4.) The deadline is.............................. August 10th.

You ready???? GO!!!!!!!!

Thank you

You guys are great. I mean, seriously. I'm checking into Artfire, as well as an official website and wordpress shopping cart. I don't want to lose my business. The thought of it is a real soul-killer. I spent last night brainstorming and reading all your thoughtful (and helpful!) comments. I have the best customers and friends on the planet!!!!! Thank you thank you!!!!!!

Possibly some *really* bad news.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, unless something pretty drastic happens, TMTM may be no more. I'm just not making it. My Etsy fees are SO unbelievably high, it's actually becoming difficult to pay them each month, in addition to supplies, rent, bills, etc. I tried venturing out before, but the traffic wasn't there and the $20 paid to Big Cartel every month didn't seem worth it anymore. I'm looking into different options. I REALLY don't want to give this up. I'm living my dream. My business is my life. I love my customers. I love what I do. The thought of working a 9 to 5 job kills my soul. But I am really at a loss here. Perhaps wholesale clients are the answer. But where to find them? I can try another "official" website, but have no idea how to drive traffic to it. I'm stunned and shocked and sad. Without this business....well... I just don't know.

So if anyone has any ideas, I'm open to hearing them.

Lysa

The Shop is Full!

I've added the new lip balms, along with solid scents for Odditoria. The solid scents are meant to either be worn alone or layered with *any* of the Odditoria fragrances to add depth. They smell SO good on their own, too!

New Lip Balms

I will be adding 5 new lip balms to the shop today - 2 new Harlots and the first ever Odditoria balms.

ODDITORIA -

Sweet Basil and Peppermint
Cherry Licorice
and Vanilla Clove (my favorite)

HARLOT -

Pomegranate Rose, which I have cleverly named Rosey Pom (well, *I* think I'm clever)
and Pear Tart

I have many more ideas, but Halloween is coming and you KNOW how excited I get over that. This year there will be lots of new additions!

Have a great day, everyone!

Ding Dong the Hearse is Dead..........

Well he's not DEAD necessarily........, It was such a big to-do just to get it home - conflicting schedules with the funeral home mostly. When I was finally able to go get it, it wouldn't start. Battery was dead. They tried and tried to jump it, but to no avail. Alas, I had to wait another day. Bright and early the next morning, I show up and see there's a brand new battery! And it STILL won't start!!!!! *sigh* I had a mechanic friend come out and he is pretty sure it's the fuel pump. Not too big of a deal. I bought the car anyway. After all, I had already named him, so I *could not* leave him sitting there. Also, I knew going in that unless I was ready to spend 50k on a new coach, there were going to be problems. I have enough love for this car to see me through the hard times.

So in 103 degree weather, I wait for the tow truck to take my baby home. I have to tell you, seeing the looks on people's faces at this big ol' coach on a lift made me laugh all the way home.

Poor baby was sooooo dirty when I arrived:

 Up up up!!!

Seriously, that is one bad ass windshield. I love how huge it is:

So fresh and so clean. (grin). Home and cleaned up. He looks SO much better!

And Mattie is all ready for bye bye!

The funeral home felt really bad about the car not running and knocked enough  money off that I can get the fuel pump fixed! Yay!!!

My mechanic is coming over tomorrow to drop the gas tank and hopefully fix it, so there's a really good chance Romero will be on the road tomorrow (after new tires, of course). Wish me luck! And I want to thank everyone who helped me make my dream a reality. I am totally and completely in love with my car! Thank you!!!!

Love, Lysa

Sale Ending

Sale ends at 7:30pm PST tonight. I want to thank everyone for showing support for my shop (and my car). You guys are so awesome, I'm kind of at a loss for words. Thank you!!!! I will post photos of my car when I pick him up on Monday! (Named him Romero, by the way) :-)

Kisses!!!!

Lysa

HUGE sale - seriously

This is probably the biggest sale I've ever had. It will be limited, so if you want to hop on, get to the shop. I am determined to get this big ol car in my driveway (and also on the road). K, here we go:

Buy one regular size perfume, get 3 Odditoria postcards and 3 free samples

Buy two regular size perfumes, get 1 full size perfume free, PLUS 3 free samples

Buy three regular size perfumes, get 1 free PLUS 5 free samples PLUS 3 Odditoria postcards

Buy four regular size perfumes, get 2 full size perfumes free PLUS 5 samples PLUS 5 Odditoria postcards

Buy three lip balms or solid perfumes, get one free PLUS 3 free perfume samples

Buy 4 lip balms or solid perfumes, get two free PLUS 3 free perfume samples

OR

Use code FREESHIP at checkout for free shipping

OR

Use code HEARSE at checkout for 20% your entire order.

Sorry, but if you do the BOGO offers (which can be combined), you won't be able to do the promo coupons. That would be madness! :-)

Love you guys!

Moving, formulating, ink madness, and putting the "fun" back in funeral.

Hi guys! Soooo much happening in my life right now, which is the reason I've been inactive on my blog. Facebook is so much easier for me, partly because I have an app on my phone, so it's totally mobile. But I promise I will try to be more active blogging. :-)

Time has run out on my current living situation. When I moved back to California (ack), I moved into my uncle's house. He currently lives in New York and we decided it would be a good deal for both of us - he has someone to watch the house, and I have someplace to live. Unfortunately, my run here is done, so I will be moving YET AGAIN. This mobile lifestyle is *not* for me. I need a good couple years of not hauling my stuff around. That would be lovely, thank you.  At least this time I'm not moving to another state, merely across town. And the move will be much more relaxed. Although I must be physically out of the house by the end of the month, I've got an additional month to clear out my belongings, and do the final cleaning. That is MUCH better for me. Most importantly, it means I don't have to close my shop while it's going on. I will be tired, but it's definitely do-able.

I've begun formulating for Halloween. I know it seems early, but I have much work ahead of me. I will be having the usual contest to name the perfumes. Stay tuned.

I've also been on a tattooing rampage. I'm sure there is some psychology behind that, but we won't go into it. :-) Mostly, it's just my collecting on favors owed by my tattoo artist friends. I've started the sleeve on my right arm, which is going to be all toys. So far I have a kewpie doll, a rabbit jack in the box, and tomorrow I'm getting a wind-up car - a hearse to be exact.

And speaking of funeral vehicles - I have FINALLY, after *25 years* found my dream hearse. I'm so excited, I'm literally beside myself. He's white right now, but will be painted as soon as I get past all the legal stuff.... change of title, registration, emissions testing, etc. I will probably have to have a MAJOR sale in the shop to cover all this stuff. Let me tell ya, it's not going to be cheap. But he is so worth it. Should I decide to have a sale, I will most definitely post it here. So you wanna see my new baby?

 I pick him up on the 20th. Please, please let these 9 days pass quickly.

Have a great remainder of the weekend everyone!!!

SALE SALE SALE

I'm having a sale in the shop. Both Odditoria (which now resides @ TMTM) and The Morbid The Merrier perfumes are BUY 2 full size and get one FREE. A common question about this offer is "But what if I buy 4?" If you buy 4, you get 2 free. If you buy 6, you get 3 free. Yay!!!! So if you want to take advantage of the new spring scents, get thee to the shop and get them for free!

K. That's all. :-)

NEW PERFUMES!

Ahem- they're in the shop. :-)

Wow - long time no see............

I've been busy. Really busy. Just wanted to share something I've been working on. I'm doing some assemblage art again after many years. I forgot how therapeutic it is. I want to do an entire series of toys, but with my spin on them. :-) I have so many things coming in the mail right now, you have no idea. So any ideas you guys have, let me know. I'm starting work on a robot soon. So here's three I've done:

Old camera love........... I'm calling it The All Seeing Eye

Pull toy - "Chariot"

She's not an actual music box, but reminds me of one:

I HAVE NOT forgotten there were supposed to be new perfumes in the shop. I'm waiting on labels. 3 new Odditoria scents are coming, and 2 TMTM. Yay!

Relay For Life, Curry Chicken, and New Perfume

Hi everyone!

So I joined Weight Watchers. Before leaving Oregon, I gained about 25 pounds. I was already upset about that, and then after Mom died, another 20.  Wow, really? 45 pounds? I am BEYOND thrilled with the new Points Plus program, for so many reasons I won't bore you with here. But what it's done, in a nutshell, is made me focus more on nutrition and less on "dieting." I have eaten SO many vegetables, you guys. Seriously. And, as an added bonus, I've lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks. Can I get a heck yeah?? The biggest challenge has been the aversion I have to cooking. Last time I did WW, I lost a lot of weight, but found I was eating only pre-packaged food. Soooo boring. I find now, due to the changes in the program, I'm forced to be more creative and it's actually fun! I look forward to planning dinner every night. Can you believe that? So tonight I made something I thought was so especially yummy, I wanted to share. The photo was taken with the intention of only sending it to my best friend, not posting on my blog, so ya know.... it's not the greatest. Also, be advised I am in NO way a recipe writer and tend to just throw things together. :-)

CURRY CHICKEN - serves 2

1 chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup brown rice ( =1 cup cooked)
10-15 asparagus spears
4 cups cauliflower (or more, or less - ya know)
1 TBS ginger root, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 TSP curry powder
1 TSP cumin
1 TSP celery seed
1/2 large onion, diced
1/4 c. cilantro
1 lemon
2 TSP olive oil
1 c chicken broth, 99% fat free
salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice, set aside.

Over medium heat, saute onion, ginger, and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add chicken, asparagus, cumin, celery seed, and curry powder and saute until chicken is cooked through. Add cauliflower and 1/4 c of the chicken broth. Stir until cauliflower is coated in curry mixture. Increase heat to HIGH and continue to cook until liquid is nearly gone. Add 1/4 c more of the broth and repeat until liquid is nearly gone. Add remainder of broth, reduce heat to medium and cook for an additional 1 minute.

Divide rice into 2 bowls and top with curry chicken. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon between the two bowls and top with chopped cilantro.

Oh.....my.....goodness. Seriously, you guys. Cheap, easy and totally lovely. WW value: 8

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On April 30th, I am doing the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life in honor of my mom. As most of you know, I lost my mom in December to cancer. I want to do my part to give more birthdays to people diagnosed with this horrible disease. I will be raising money from now until the relay. If you would like to donate to the cause, my paypal email address is themerrymorbid@gmail.com. Make sure and indicate AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY so I don't get confused.

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New perfumes are hitting the shop very, very soon, and part o the proceeds of everything sold (old and new) will be given to the American Cancer Society the day of my relay. I will keep everyone posted on how much I have raised.

Love you guys! Take care!

SPEECHLESS

I got this feedback today, and although I THINK I know who wrote it, I can't be sure. I have never EVER gotten anything like this and I am sitting here utterly speechless.

"I adore Lysa. The truth is, I will support her even if her products suck so it's a great thing for me, indeed for us all that her creations are every bit as wonderful as she is! :) Besides her immense talent, she works really hard and it shows. Every aspect of her shop is amazing and it sometimes boggles my mind to think that everything we see is done by just one woman. From the branding, design, blending, product description and photography etc right down to the packaging and shipping, it's all down to the work of just two hands. She pours her heart and soul into her work and it shows. I'm so glad I discovered her shop! It was a real eye-opener. She opened the door to indie companies for me. For example, I am in love with this set of perfumes. The descriptions are spot-on. The Lust Trio encapsulates all the reasons why I love indie perfumes. Each one is precious and unique. These are definitely NOT half-assed, blandly crowd-pleasing nondescript department store scents. They are not afraid to be different and they all tell a different tale. I didn't use to know perfumes could do that. I sincerely hope that these ones stick around permanently. The same goes for the rest of the Valentine collection. Two thumbs way up!"

It's been a while.

A few things....

Yesterday I hit 4000 sales over at TMTM. I am really happy about that. I remember starting out and waiting for that FIRST sale to come in! I'm having a few sales at both Odditoria and TMTM. Both shops are Buy Three Solids and Get One Free, both shops are Free Shipping on Orders of $50 or More (code FREESHIP at checkout) and both shops are Buy Two Full Size Perumes Get One Free. I know people are waiting for Moira and Agatha to hit Odditoria and I will do that today! I will also be introducing a few new perfumes (which I'll announce here). I just have to get the labeling done and printed. So much to do!

For those that know me or are friends with me on Facebook, you know Ive been messing around with iPhone photography. Back in the day, I used to shoot with a lot of toy cameras and use a lot of alternative processing in ye olde darkroom, so I thought this might be a fun outlet. I do miss photography. Anyhoo, thought I'd share a few of the photos. If you're so inclined, head over to my Facebook or Flickr to see more. I'm not sure how include a link to either, buy my user name is lysaluna for both. :-)

Here are a few: