Lunar Eclipse

Thought I'd post a picture I took!

It was quite difficult to get a picture that wasn't shakey, this one turned out the best. Really glad it was a clear night, I usually never luck out when cool things happen in the sky (always clouds).

Back to packing up to go home! And happy birthday to my lovely boyfriend <3

More fun things and running away

Well, not *really* running away. But next week is "Reading Week" (wtf is with that, anyway?). My school's version of spring break, so I'll be going home to see my family, pets, and of course my awesome boyfriend. I'm leaving this saturday, the 23rd, and coming back March 2nd.

I'm not sure if I'll be taking my laptop with me, I might try to have an internet free week. In that case I won't be updating here, and I won't be at my etsy shop. I have announcements in my avy and banner and shop announcement so hopefully people will notice. I'll be able to send things out as soon as I get back though.

I can't wait to see all my pets, I have the most fantastic animal friends. I sadly cannot take them to college due to a pet-free apartment and the US/Canadian border. My parrot Pepper (he's a caique) is absolutely in love with me and mourns while I'm gone. When I'm done with college he's coming with me!!! Including family pets, the animals at my house also include: two cats, rabbit, six snakes (and one that lives with my boyfriend), three salamanders, bearded dragon, crested gecko, pink toe tarantula, giant millipede, and a beta fish. I think that's all of them, hehe. Some of them were my dad's idea, some of them I caught, some are rescues, and some of them I just *had* to get when I worked at a pet store. Some day I'll post pictures of them all.

And now onto the etsy goodness: today I reached 800 hearts! I can hardly believe it. That's a lot of love.

And I have some new items.

This one isn't actually new, but I retook pictures and relisted it. I tried playing around with resin once upon a time, and only had a few things turn out ok. This is one, with a real tarantula fang inside. It's from the shed skin of my tarantula, Tip Toe. They shed *everything* when they molt.
(this is Tip Toe)

And I have two new patches, round ones this time. A ladybug and a firefly.
That's all for now, I might update tomorrow before I leave (the bus leaves very early Saturday morning), though I'll be packing and going to labs most of the day.

Recycled packaging

For me, creating packaging, tags and business cards from recycled materials is partly eco-friendly, partly cheap college student.

I think it's great to use up old materials that would be otherwise thrown out or recycled, when creating things people will most likely throw out anyway. That way, I can spread business cards all over campus and not worry about creating extra waste.

Here is an example of some of my cards, though I've lately been getting more creative by drawing insects and other animals on them:Each card is cut out from cardboard boxes, and hand drawn with sharpie markers. It takes a long time, but it's relaxing, I usually make them while I watch tv shows online.

And I've started having fun making tags. I got a tag punch which even cuts through cereal boxes! And I got my hands on some speedball speedycut rubber and a speedball carving set and I've gone to town.
I've made some more stamps, which I'm using along with pieces of plastic from packaging that would otherwise be thrown away, to make these (the middle stamp has my website):

And on that note I'd like to introduce my lastest patch: the earwig!

I had so much fun sewing this one with lime green thread, the colors make it seem like such a happy little earwig. You can find him for sale here.

For anyone who wants to be a bit more eco-friendly with their packaging, hope these tips help! You can find supplies just about anywhere, usually all you need are some scissors, markers and tape.

Yes, creepy creatures can be cute...

...the etsy seller Bubbletime proves it! She makes some great little polymer clay animals with a dash of personality. I'm usually not one to go for "cute" renditions of bugs and things, but I love these.

This is "The Bored Bee". And you can tell. I'm not sure if that expression could be expressed more accurately.

This Funky Snail is painfully cute and colorful. Like it rasped it's way through a rainbow.
And the Little Box Turtle is my absolute favorite. Just look at that face!!! I have way too many little trinkets but wow, I covet this one.
There are plenty more great little creatures in her shop, including "normal" things like kitties and birds. She also does other forms of artwork such as painting and plush making. She's open to custom orders, which gives me some tantalizing ideas.

Bug patches - oh my

I've gotten into a hand-sewing kick, somehow. I figure it means my neighbors will hate me a little less because I'm not using my sewing machine as often, and it allows me to make more detailed designs. I picked up a few sheets of felt the other day, and decided to make some more bugs for my shop.

First up: weevil. I've been thinking about making a big plushie weevil, and it'll probably happen once I decide on which fabrics to use, and which species to base it off of. This little guy is made up, as far as the colors go, but there might be one like it in the tropics. I love curculionids, they're so cute!
Next: head louse. Not exactly cute and cuddly, but I love the design. This patch would be good for someone who wants to warn their friends that they're infested, or simply for the creepy-gross factor. Or maybe because it's a pretty shade of purple. Who knows.
The patches are *not* iron on, because iron on patches, in my experience, never ever stay on, and I hand sew them all anyway. These are fairly large, 5.5" by 3.5" (14cm by 9cm). In my listings on etsy I show how they look on a pair of jeans, and I bet they'd be sweet on a jacket or bag.

More will follow once I get some homework done.

Dragonflies and butterflies...

Honestly, I think dragonflies and butterflies are overdone in artwork and jewelry. I'm thankful that at least *some* insects aren't totally abhorred by society, but sometimes I just ache for a bit of variety.

HOWEVER once in a while I come across some artwork that makes me forget all that.

mLee sells amazing woodblock prints on etsy, as well as other fun stuff like mixed media, ACEOs, mirrors, magnets, and pins. She also has a new shop, mLeeRedux, where she sells reproductions of her original prints.

I love this purple and black dragonfly piece... the colors work great together, and the dragonfly's wing shapes are just perfect.
And who doesn't love monarchs. The green and black combination here is so soothing, and the detail on the wings is fantastic.



I love the feeling of depth she creates with all the layers of prints. She has used the butterfly and dragonfly images in other prints as well. She has a beautiful variety of work, I highly suggest you pay her etsy shop a visit!

You can also check out her blog here

My dream world looks something like this...

Igor Siwanowicz (also known as Blepharopsis on deviantArt) takes the most amazing photographs of the most amazing animals. His gallery literally takes my breath away, and I'm overcome with overwhelming jealousy.

Unfortunately, where I live back home praying mantids are against the law to keep. But many of his creatures I might be able to get my hands on someday... I can dream, right? Though I might just have to satisfy myself with browsing through his gallery every couple days.

It's so difficult to choose favorites from his gallery, but here are a few (click the pictures to be taken to his gallery, be sure to check out the rest of his collection!)






I can't be completely jealous because I *do* have a crested gecko (like the last picture), but still.

Wow.

There isn't much more for me to say except I want those animals and I want those photography skills. If I ever can't think of something to blog about, I'll probably just use more of his pictures.

*love love love love love love love*

Valentine's Day is weird

Initially, the idea is a nice one. Spend one day getting flowers and candy and going out to fancy restaurants with the person/people you love.

But at what cost? We've given in to a purely commercialized holiday where everything is blaring shades of pink and red, stylized hearts permeate every surface, and actions are sterilized of meaning. It's a day where you can give someone a card and piles of heart shaped candy and be done with your responsibilities, whether there is actual thought behind your actions or not. And for people who are single... it's a really sucky reminder that they don't have a romantic endeavor.

For these reasons and others, my boyfriend and I aren't big fans of Valentine's day. Just mention the phrase around him and he'll start ranting and raving to the point where you get a little scared. I think it's fun when you can stop taking it seriously though. If you let go of all the hype and just embrace seeing your friends happy and inhale a few extra calories labeled "miss you" and "be mine"... there's no harm in that. And there's no point in being miserable on purpose.

Besides, my mom mailed me a big box of candy!

I'm going to be on SUCH a sugar high during my classes the next few days... that isn't even all the boxes of candy hearts, there's one on my desk right now (half empty).

Oh, and here I am wearing the necklace I talked about before from souldier!
It's simply fantastic, even better in person. I had to strike a funny pose because my face looks aweful from a morning full of allergies... my room is a little dusty with all the fleece fuzz floating around. More sewing projects are in the works!

Happy valentine's day, whether you like it or not :P

TheFrogBag is my hero...

Because she is a zookeeper! How sweet is that! I myself am studying zoology, not sure if I'll end up in a zoo someday but who knows.

Check out her etsy shop here: TheFrogBag

She does sewing and beading by hand, which I'm not sure I'd have the patience for. Some of the creatures she creates are living, and some are extinct, and some are made up!

I love these cat toys, though I'd be afraid to give them to my cats because I wouldn't want them ripped to shreds. They're not bugs, but they're invertebrates so they're still awesome.

Trilobite:

Brittle star:I absolutely adore this little strawberry frog bag, the detail is fantastic! I'd love to see such a bright little frog in person.And you can't forget the Anomalocaris, this is her interpretation of what these strange extinct creatures would have looked like. Awesomeness.

And here is the best part: 20% of the price of anything bought in The Frog Bag shop will be donated to a charity supporting animal rescue and conservation. The current recipient is The Tapir Preservation Fund, headquartered in Oregon. Check out their website at http://www.tapirback.com

There are plenty more great creatures in her shop, I highly suggest you check it out!

Valentine's Day Plush Contest!

The Plush Team of Etsy is holding a Valentine's Day Plush Contest... voting ends tonight, with winnters announced tomorrow!

There are three different categories...
Plush love
Sweetheart Treats
Bitter Valentine

(And yup, I'm in there somewhere, hehe)

There must be something in the water...

Another gigantic insect plushie has been created! I'm really getting on a roll here.

Meet Freddy, he's a dragonfly nymph.

That cute face is deceiving though... the fun thing about dragonfly nymphs is they use their highly modified mouthparts (specifically, the labium) to reach out and grab prey... like this! Rawr!
*giggle*

Dragonflies spend the majority of their life time as a nymph, which is another word for a larval stage that lives in water. They prowl around the bottoms of ponds and streams, capturing small invertebrates and sometimes even fish and tadpoles. They're harmless, though I don't think you'd want to be pinched by one.

Here's a full body shot... he's about 18" long, and 25" long with the labium outstretched.
Dragonflies are amazing, beneficial creatures, and the nymphs are often used as measures of ecosystem health. Even though the nymphs aren't quite as pretty as the adults, I think they're equally, or even more, fascinating!

Another awesome etsy feature

Strangeling is most definitely one of my favorite etsy artists. She manages to combine cute, sultry goth fairy girls with creepy creatures. A fantastic combination! So many of her characters remind me of myself. I have one of her prints and plan on collecting more.

She doesn't just sell on etsy, and it quite well known with her items in stores such as Hot Topic!

(Click the pictures to be taken to their listings)

Buuuuzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw these "sock bugs". They're just too cool!

Created by sockdiva of etsy.com, these funky cicada pouches are perfect for holding sock knitting projects, or just about anything you can think of. They have a velcro pocket, strap for hanging onto the smaller size "baby bugs", a drawstring mouth, and a long strap.

I might need to get one of these for myself, no idea (yet) what I'd use it for!
(click any of the pictures to be taken to their listings)


These are such an awesome idea, I love them! Each one is one-of-a-kind, which is impressive considering how many sockdiva has already sold. She also creates beautiful jewelry, knitted things, and buttons.

The greatest necklace ever

This thing just SCREAMED my name when I saw it!

Like "OHMYGOD BRIGETTE PICK ME PICK MEEEEE!"

This is why I love etsy so much. You can find the most amazing things, created by the most amazing people.

This necklace is coming to me from souldier
(be sure to click the link to check out her etsy shop!)

She has lots of beautiful spider necklaces, just look at these!

I also adore her descriptions. I mean, she uses the word "cephalothorax"! Nothing makes me happier than seeing decorative creatures that are anatomically correct (or at least close), with the correct terminology.

One thing is for sure, you won't find anything posted on this blog that has the incorrect number of legs.

Creepy Crawlie Plushies

For my etsy shop I've been mostly making "cutesy" creatures because, well, they're easier.

However, I've been polishing up my sewing skillz.

So here goes!

First up is Skipper the Gigantic Mosquito Larvae. I was inspired by one of my ethology labs in which we observed mosquito larvae behavior. He's about 26" long. Would definitely not want to run into this guy in a dark alley.

I then decided to make his mother - Morticia the Gigantic Mosquito Plushie. She's about 21" long and 15" high to the tips of her antennae. She took a loooong time to make, and took all the brainpower I could muster to come up with such a design from scratch. They both can be found for sale in my etsy shop! Not sure if I *really* want to part with them, but if I kept all my plushies, I wouldn't be able to fit into my room, it would be full to the ceiling. Well, maybe not quite. But eventually.

What's in a name?

Hello there, I'm Brigette, also known as "The Weird Bug Lady".

Where did that name come from, you ask?

Well, when my boyfriend and I started dating, we'd send tons of emails to each other. And in one of them, he made some sort of comment about how "weird bug ladies rock!". The phrase started to stick, I thought it was hilarious, and started using it as a username for various websites online. That was over four years ago, and the name and the boyfriend are still hanging around.

The name fits because I've always been crazy about bugs (as well as spiders, reptiles and amphibians), and I'm studying zoology in college. Often when describing my interests people are amazed to discover I'm female, so I figure having "lady" in my name helps dispell some of that confusion.

And the "weird" part, well, it's kind of obvious once you get to know me.