Friday Mix-Tape and Weekly Round-Up: July 28, 2023

In one of this week's Instagram posts, I mentioned that things have been bonkers around the studio. That turned out to be an understatement. We had some high highs and a very low low this week. 

First, the good news! Some custom orders went out late last week, and the customers who received them were super happy. I got some fun photos and sweet messages from them. We also hit a huge milestone early in the week and now have over 1,000 followers on Instagram! To celebrate, I've released a new colorway, and we're calling it Majestic! I've already updated several items on our website to include the new color and will add more items as soon as possible. Jeremy and I are so grateful for your support. 

Unfortunately, you can't have the sweet without a little sour, and this week's sour was SOUR. We bought a new shipping container to transport the Siouxsiequeue's booth to our out-of-town shows a few months ago. Jeremy and I were so excited about this purchase because the crate was large enough to fit all the booth furniture, storage bins, signage, and everything. We used it for the first time to ship our gear to Miami for Florida Supercon, which was the ONLY time we got to use the shipping crate.

When we ship things to shows, it can take about a month to do the round-trip. We have to send out the booth about two weeks before the show, and it can take up to 10 business days after the show for the booth equipment to return home. It's the nature of the way freight moves around the United States. Unfortunately, the crate took a lot longer to return home, and that's because it was destroyed in transit. It looks like somebody forcibly removed the built-in pallet from the bottom of the crate, and the whole thing appears to have been dropped. When Jeremy opened the lid, the entire container fell to pieces in our garage. There were tears. Our shipping container represented a significant investment in our business, and after one use is now kindling in the backyard. We are heartbroken, but the expo team from the convention is working with us to make things right, and after indulging in a minor tantrum, we're ready to look forward again and create a new shipping plan and replace and rework the damaged items.

Back to the positive side of things, I'm hard at work preparing for Colorado Festival of Horror, which is our next show and the only Colorado show we're doing this year. I play two parts at COFOH because not only am I a vendor at the show, but I'm also the Vendor Coordinator. We've moved to a new venue this year, and the guest lineup looks great! If you're a horror fan in the Denver Metro Area, you should check it out!

It's also #FollowFriday! I want to introduce you to my friend Donna from The Owl and the Hourglass this week. She offers handmade word puzzles in various themes, though the literary and scientific themes are my favorites. Check out her website, and if you're in the Maryland area, visit her booth at the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

Last but not least, here's this week's Mix-Tape! There's no theme again this week, just some of my favorite songs played in the studio. Don't forget to share your favorite songs or reach out to say hello. We always love to hear from you!

1. Jane Says - Jane's Addiction
2. Naked Eye - Lucious Jackson
3. Just What I Needed - The Cars
4. Into Your Arms - The Lemonheads
5. Pretend We're Dead - L7
6. Walking Through Syrup - Ned's Atomic Dustbin
7. Add It Up - Violent Femmes
8. Chains of Love - Eurasure
9. Doll - Foo Fighters
10. Radio, Radio - Elvis Costello & The Attractions