Halloween Is Coming….

Hello All! My favorite time of year is almost upon us! Nestled in my corner of Colorado, I can definitely feel fall in the air, and I am loving it! Soon the leaves will start turning, the sun will set earlier, and Pumpkin Spice will perpetually taint the air no matter where you go. Soon enough, Halloween decorations–or regular everyday decorations in my house–will be displayed all over. And even though it is more than a month away, if you are a DYI-er like myself, it is time to start planning for that Halloween costume!!

And Funky Lollipop should be your go-to for both regular Halloween-Theme and DIY-Costume-Idea earrings!

From Your Funky Stylist….

These red-eyed beauties are one-of-a-kind and are available now online at our FunkyLollipop Etsy Shop! Perfect for a punk/ goth/ dark costume.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/250948676/halloween-red-eyes-earrings?ref=shop_home_active_35

These hand-painted green eyes are absolutely unique and would be a stellar addition to any collection!

 

Product no longer available…

A personal favorite of mine, the skull-bead earrings. This pair would make an excellent addition to any punk-rocker/ biker/ goth style Halloween costume. Or, if you are like me, to everyday-wear!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/250841979/halloween-skull-bead-earrings?ref=shop_home_active_45

A good autumn addition, the hand-painted black-on-red tree…

https://www.etsy.com/listing/250149942/hand-painted-autumn-tree-earrings?ref=shop_home_active_46

Another personal favorite: the blue-eyed skulls. I will point out right now that these earrings are on the heavier side, but are still quite the statement piece! Paired with something orange, I use these earrings to support my home-state’s football team, the Denver Broncos. Paired with red, I use them on Independence Day in support of the USA! They are, again, perfect for any punk-rocker/ biker/ goth style Halloween costume, or everyday wear!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/250148152/halloween-skulls-with-blue-eyes-earrings?ref=shop_home_active_47

My absolute favorite pair of earrings I, Funky, have ever made! I refer to these as clavicle-ticklers, because at almost 7″ long, the little toes do tickle the clavicle bone! Perfect, once again, for any punk/ biker/ goth style Halloween costume, Independence Day, or every concert ever, if you’re me!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/249177105/halloween-full-skeleton-earrings?ref=shop_home_active_48

From Your Lollipop Stylist…

Are you planning on being a Steampunk Traveler for Halloween this year? Are you planning a trip to the Renaissance Fair soon? Then these Ultimate Steampunk Earrings are a must-have!!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/238929127/ultimate-steampunk-earrings?ref=shop_home_active_71

These Asian-inspired beauties are perfect for a Geisha or a Renaissance costume! Simple yet elegant; fresh and classic at the same time. These are also great for a unique take on Christmas/ Holiday earrings.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/555518161/turquoise-and-red-asian-inspired?ref=shop_home_active_1

If you are a Game of Thrones fan, than these exotic dagger earrings would be absolutely perfect for a Dothraki costume!! Or maybe a witch, shaman, or a strong warrior woman! Any way you slice it, these earrings are absolutely badass!!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/541718768/exotic-dagger-earrings?ref=shop_home_active_2

Are glitter and shimmery wings in your future for Halloween this year? A pair of furry trousers ending with cloven hooves? A woodland nymph? A nature-loving fairy? A Pan-like creature with a crown of flowers and leaves? Then these earrings are perfect for you!!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/541715760/woodland-charms-earrings?ref=shop_home_active_6

Do you feel as if you were born a few decades too late? Do you long for a dress of fringe to tickle your thighs and an adorable feathered fascinator to grace the top of your head? Are you planning on being a 1920’s Flapper Girl for Halloween this year? If your colors fall in shades of blue, then these earrings are a must-have for you! With a distinctive vintage feel, these earrings will easily add an authentic feel to any vintage-style costume! Contact Lollipop personally, and she can probably make you a fascinator to match!!!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/541705916/vintage-inspired-aquamarine-earrings?ref=shop_home_active_12

Lastly, one of my personal favorites of my partner’s earrings, the classic vintage skull print earrings! Again, a great addition to any Halloween collection, these unique stunners highlight the classic skull illustration. Great for any steampunk/ punk/ rocker/ badass costume!!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/499596182/vintage-skull-print-earring?ref=shop_home_active_15

 

I want to note that these earrings are made with standard hooks (which I also wear in my cartilage, in case you were looking for a new look) , but we can be persuaded to alter them for clip-on/ post/ or sensitive skin. I also want to note that most of these earrings are one-of-a-kind and may not be available for re-creation, so grab them quick!

This is the first of several Halloween-Based Blogs that I will be writing this year, but I wanted to get started now. Please stay-tuned for the next installment: Halloween Kitty-Kat! Also, keep an eye on our FunkyLollipop Etsy Shop for new styles and gift-giving ideas!

 

 

Tribal Patterns: A Lollipop Twist on a Current Trend

One of my favorite trends right now, is the tribal patterns you seem to see everywhere these days.  This is not the first time this trend has been popular but it has been modernized this time around with a muted and sophisticated color palette.

The earrings above are certainly a perfect example of this gorgeous trend and I love this combination of colors!

The layering of a shorter piece on top of a longer one lends a sense of movement to the earrings pictured above.  I love the more colorful turquoise version and the neutral friendly white.

These earrings are inspired by a rain stick and also have an animal print vibe.  They are super simple but super chic!  All of these earrings are available on our Etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/FunkyLollipop

Nature Inspired Products from FunkyLollipop

More red cap toadstools!

I love these nature inspired products with a little FunkyLollipop twist!  The earrings above with the cute, retro-looking graphic on the geometric background is one of my favorites.

These butterfly earrings are so chic!

These butterfly earrings are from a vintage, French, natural history print and I just adore them!  I found several others in the same style so more are coming soon.

The seventies are back and beautiful!

The seahorse in these earrings are from another vintage natural history print, I love the way they pop against the colorful seventies inspired background!

These earrings and pendant come from the same medical journal illustration.  I love the dark wood against the parchment colored paper.

All of these styles are classic Funky Lollipop!  They are beautiful and bold and a little bit odd, just like us!  Come over to the shop and check out what other new styles we have to offer.

Vintage Alice in Wonderland Pendant: Our First Etsy Sale!!

Our very first sale!

After a year of preparation and almost a month of being on the Etsy site, Rachel and I are proud to announce our very first Etsy sale!

It has been a year full of ups and downs and a tremendous amount of hard work!  I can tell you that each day that passed with no sales, after the store opened on July 4th, was a dagger to the heart.  It is so hard to keep faith and keep working when you aren’t seeing any results yet.  Not that we, for a moment, thought about giving up but who doesn’t love a little instant gratification!

We have achieved so many of our goals for the beginning of our company, so here’s to reaching one more, may this sale be the first of many!  And a huge thank you to all the people who believed in us and supported us along the way!  This first sale may be a little thing but here’s hoping it turns into something big!

The whole, first sale experience was super fun but my favorite part, other than getting paid, was preparing the item for shipping.  I’ve had my shipping supplies ready from day one and now I finally get to use it all!

We always want to add a little something extra to our orders as a thank you to the customer for shopping with us.  Our first customer will receive the sweet, little box below!

This adorable bird box will hold our first sale!

I used some yellow packing material to cushion the gift box and pendant in transit.

I love that it sort of looks like a nest!

We sealed the box with our custom Funky Lollipop sticker and it is ready to go.

Lovely and all ready to go!

Now all I have to do is print a label and get a padded envelope from USPS and our first, little baby will be winging it’s way to it’s new home.  The grow up so fast, lol!

And in case you are interested in buying this adorable, vintage inspired pendant for yourself, we will have a new one on the site soon!  You can always convo us on Etsy and ask for it if you just can’t wait, but in the mean time here are some other little beauties that are on the site now or will be coming this week!  Check out our Etsy shop here:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/FunkyLollipop

Here’s another vintage Alice in Wonderland illustration featuring the white rabbit!

I love this vintage, inspired cameo piece!

These lovely earrings match the pendant we sold!

Woodland creatures are so on trend right now and this fox is a beautiful example of why!

Here’s another vintage children’s book illustration. I love the fairies, the cherry blossoms and this shade of blue!

Yay Independence, Yay America and Yay Colorado!

Today is the big day!  Independence Day has come for Rachel and I!  But the truth is, we have merely claimed our Independence, we haven’t yet finished fighting for it.  The first battles have been fought but the campaign is only beginning, and we have a long way to go before we win the war.

The history of our country and our state is filled with tales of people that imagined a better life for themselves.  Call it the American dream but it is the Coloradan dream too.  Those settlers that stopped here on their way to California and saw the possibility of a good life and decided to stay, were hardy folks.  We are hardy folks too.  We will not be dissuaded, we will not be distracted or discouraged.  We are pursuing our dream, come what may and it’s success or bust for us.

That’s why we choose today to be the launch date of our enterprise, why we choose it as our D-Day.  Because as we celebrate the people that made our nation and our state great, we strive to emulate them and join their ranks!

I have no doubt that like our fore fathers and mothers, we will persevere in the face of hardship, and prove ourselves worthy of the legacy of the pioneers that first called themselves Coloradans and Americans.

So here’s some new product from Funky Lollipop that pays homage to the great country and the great state that we live in!

These pretty little things are brand new, so we haven’t added them to the Etsy store yet but head over to our NOW OPEN shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/FunkyLollipop and check out all the cute stuff!

These Colorado Aspen earrings are not for sale on our Etsy site yet but they will be soon!  

These patriotic earrings are not for sale on our Etsy site yet but they will be soon!

Wood Burned Pattern Earrings: Classics With a Twist

Wood Burned, Mint and Gray Zig-Zag Earrings.

Wood Burned, Crimson and Gray Zig-Zag Earrings

I created the set of earrings pictured above because of the trend in zig-zag patterns currently popular. The zig-zag pattern in my mind is most commonly associated with the seventies and was usually delivered in the earth tones of that period. The thing that is interesting about the current trend is the updating of this retro pattern with more moderate and modern tones such as the gray and mint or gray and crimson combinations I’ve used here.

Wood Burned, Crimson and Gray Chevron Earrings.

Wood Burned, Mint and Gray Chevron Earrings.

The above set of earrings, while sharing the same color combinations as the previous set, is technically a chevron design. The chevron pattern is also enjoying a resurgence in popularity and that certainly factored into the design of these earrings. But, the chevron also has a special place in my heart because of my long time interest in military history. The Spartans of Greece used a lambda on their shields, which is basically a chevron, and considering the Spartan warrior mentality and military reputation it is no wonder that the modern U.S military uses this symbol as a mark of rank.  The past and the present meet again.

Eye Love It!!!

The “eyes are the window to the soul”….there is some debate about who actually said it first, but this line has been tossed around for centuries. As Eye am sure you already know, or can guess at this point, Eye am the Funky in the Funky Lollipop brand–and this is why, hahahaha! As most of you have seen with my makeup, really the only feature Eye do anything with, are my eyeballs! Eye don’t wear foundation (although Eye should), Eye don’t wear blush or lipstick (although Eye should), so all Eye do is work hard to make my eyeballs pop! Eye am obsessed with the eyes! Eye have had eyeball jewelry since sixth grade, when Eye got a necklace at Casa Bonita. Eye have had necklaces and rings…but never earrings. Is it unseemly to wear fake eyeballs so near to your regular eyeballs? Eye don’t know, and obviously don’t care, hahaha, because Eye made these puppies!!

Eye like my jewelry to make a statement, and Eye find these to be really eye-catching!! Eye randomly found these little do-dads while Lollipop and Eye were at Hobby Lobby–instantly fell in love! However, they are not the easiest ‘bead’ to work with!   Flat on the back, with two little holes at each corner. How in the world do Eye attach this to an earring hook? Well, lucky for me, Eye am also obsessed with chains! 8 lengths of chain and 14 jump rings later, these eye-popping beauties were born!! They are also available with silver chain, instead of black. And Eye hope to come up with another design soon, as well. As much as Eye possibly can, Eye will have eyeballs in my pieces!!

Twenties Inspired Scarab Earrings

I have always been interested in ancient cultures and the splendid artistic legacies they left behind.  Ancient Egypt with its stylized elements and bright colors I find to be particularly fascinating.  I am not alone.  Europe and the west’s love affair with ancient Egypt design elements, including the scarab beetle, began in the 1740’s when the English clergyman Richard Pococke published a two volume description of his travels in the ancient world.  This renewed focus on the area led Napoleon Bonaparte to bring a large group of scholars and artists with him during his invasion of Egypt in 1798.   Bonaparte’s mission was unsuccessful, but his rag tag group of scientists created thirty six volumes of sketches and descriptions published between 1809 and 1813 upon their return to Europe.   The publication of this beautiful collection and the discovery of the rosetta stone caused the interest in Egyptian style and culture to reach a fever pitch.  Even more explorers and attention were drawn to Egypt in the following century and Egypt mania reached it’s height in the 1920’s with Petrie’s discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen.  Another style prominent during this time and one to which I am also very attracted is Art Deco.  I love the twenties for this blending of the ancient and more recent past and it is this combination that inspired the earrings pictured.