Tales from the Lab

Erica Stout. A blog dedicated (mostly) to a behind-the-scenes look at my design and making process for jewelry at funhouselabs.com

[funhouselabs]

I also make drag costumes for cats!!! 😮😮😮 Kim Chi is our pick for the winner of RuPaul's Drag Race season 8! She is a beautiful queen who is highly artistic and conceptual. Kim Chi has charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent all while being humble and grounded...because showboating is SO last season! 😝...and yes, this is my cat Oliver and I made his dress and accessories. Wig purchased from Cushzilla.‪

[funhouselabs]

Something to think about. TO ZOOM, open in my blog.

This is not my original content - I took it from an an email I received today from Royal Apparel - a Tshirt and etc. manufacturer out of New York.

After having worked over 10 years in import manufacturing, I wholeheartedly support the Made in USA movement.

[funhouselabs]

Funhouse Labs summer sale!

Hi! I’m working hard on the new line, set to debut end of next month!

Until then, I’ve put lots of great stuff on sale that is being discontinued. 

Monster finger puppet earrings, $8

Bouncy ball necklace, $14

Goldfish charm bracelet, $45

Thanks for looking!

[funhouselabs]

Fan*Alley Grand Opening event, June 13th 2015 in Anaheim, CA. Funhouse Labs was vending.

[funhouselabs]

Another summer show!! This one ought to be TERRIFIC. In Anaheim, CA.

I’ll be selling my wares - come get your Dinosaur-in-a-Hoodie necklaces!! :P

[funhouselabs]

Booth display at last weekends Jackalope Art Fair.

[funhouselabs]

My visit to the Crater of Diamonds State Park

I had long dreamed of visiting the Crater of Diamonds state park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. This is the only diamond search area in the world open to the public AND where you can keep what you find. It seemed like a modern day treasure hunt.

I arrived to the crater bright eyed and eager, just like so many other visitors. I truly believed that I would be one of the lucky ones and that I would find a large diamond. Initially I dreamed of finding a large diamond to cut and sell (diamonds have the most value after they have been cut) but after arriving to the park I decided that I would keep my raw diamond uncut and have it set as a piece of jewelry. As the park lets you name any diamond found weighing at least two carats, I even started picking out diamond names!  

The land was owned and mined by two or three different families near the turn of the century and roughly 40,000 diamonds were mined from the soil. Much later, in the 1970s, the land was purchased by the state of Arkansas and later opened as a state park. 

Since visiting the park and learning more about its history AND after spending three full days there, my opinion is that the land is very picked over and a high percentage of the diamonds have been long mined away. That being said, there *are* diamonds to be found. Most of the diamonds found at the park are rather small, and are well under 1/2 a carat.

In order to find a diamond, I suppose one has to be lucky enough to start digging in just the right spot and the right depth. The search area is 37.5 acres, so I will do some math:

37.5 acres = 1,633,500 square feet

Average size hole, from what I saw at the park, was about 2.5 feet square.

In 2014, a total of  585 diamonds were found. (FYI, of those, 17 of those were over 1 carat)

2.5 square feet (average size hole) divided by 1,633,500 square feet (total search area) = 0.0000015

0.0000015 x 585 = 0.0008775

So the odds of finding a diamond, based on randomly selecting one patch of ground and digging are 0.08775%. So less than 1%.

The odds of finding a diamond over one carat in size are worse, obviously.

You may be wondering what uncut diamonds (diamonds “in the rough”) look like. Here they are, below: (photo from Crater of Diamonds website)

The diamond colors seen at the park are white, yellow, and brown. It is worth noting that any diamond can expect to lose 1/2 of its carat weight after cutting.

Here is a typical detail photo showing the surface area of the search field. This photo was taken after hours of heavy downpour the evening before. The heavy rains have washed away quite a bit of dirt and clay from the surface, leaving the tops of rocks and minerals exposed. The conditions were perfect for encountering a rogue diamond – and yet none were found by any park visitor that day.

This picture shows some of the equipment I used. The buckets, shovels, hand trowels, and sifting screens were provided by the Diamond Oaks Inn Bed and Breakfast where I stayed. The wagon I rented my first day at the park to make carting the gear across the crater easier.

Here I am, digging in the dirt and trying my luck.

There are two wash basin areas at the park where visitors can wet sift. After collecting a bucket or two of dirt / mud, wet sifting is done using two screens – a coarse and a fine mesh screen. Sifting can also be done dry, but on the days I was at the park the dirt was too moist. 

Every day the park staff keep an updated tally of all the diamonds found by park visitors that day. They are listed by color and size. Points are not the same as carats. 1 point is one-hundredth of a carat. 100 points is a carat.

I did better than most visitors to the park, in that I didn’t go home empty handed.  This nice size piece of amethyst I found in the morning of day 2 at the park. It had rained very hard the night before and I was surface searching for diamonds. I saw a large shiny surface exposed from a ledge of dirt and pulled out this amethyst. It is interesting to me that the crystals are very damaged – I suspect from decades of incidental hitting from shovels as park visitors searched for diamonds.

[funhouselabs]

Tshirts are in progress! I am super excited about these. They are being printed in guys and gals sizes.

Expected ready date is April 24.

:) 

[funhouselabs]

Today I powder coated a soda can and turned it into a vase!

[funhouselabs]

The creative process...

Good design usually takes time.

Even something that seems so simple, yet well put together, is usually the evolution of something that started out not so great.

The above photo shows the evolution of the Funhouse Labs goldfish charm bracelet.

The first design features 3 fish charms, each a different color, accented with crystal channel drops. I wanted this bracelet to partner with the goldfish earrings, which is why I specifically used the crystal channel drops. 

But the chain on this bracelet is too heavy and overpowering for this bracelet, and the channel drops don’t make that big of an impression.

For the second version of the bracelet pictured above, I decided to clean up the look by using only one color or goldfish. I also used a thinner chain, but now the chain is too thin and delicate for the visual weight of the goldfish and the acrylic bubble beads. More on the acrylic “bubble” beads: I decided to use these as they are physically larger than the channel drops and presented more of the bubble look I was going for...fish, and bubbles. At this stage I also added the red glass heart charm and logo tag to the bracelet, which you can see in the group photo.

But again, I felt something wasn't quite right. I moved on to the next and final version which is shown below.

I am QUITE HAPPY with this version!

The chain thickness is just right and in-between the other two. The baubles are faceted crystal and still match back to the crystal in the earrings. I added glass hearts for that final something extra and I LOVE IT!!

What’s next? I need to figure out the costing, add to the Funhouse Labs site, and perhaps update those goldfish earrings to incorporate the heart charms too! I think so :)

[sweetums]

RISK (Cloverfield & Broadway, Santa Monica)

[funhouselabs]

This building is very close to where I live and I love this recent repaint! When I get around to shooting my look book, I am going to do it in front of this building...

[funhouselabs]

Updating a "classic"

I love these Bouncy Ball Necklaces, but I feel like they aren't getting the attention they deserve.

One of the comments that I have heard is that they could be on a sturdier chain made of finer materials. Currently, I use anodized aluminum chain specifically because it is so lightweight. The rubber bouncy balls already carry some weight; I don't want the wearer to feel "heavy" or "weighted down" while wearing this piece. But I think that there is definitely a case to be made for elevating the design by upgrading the materials used. I've also often thought that it would be nice to add another colorful and playful element to the design.

I am going to be looking this weekend for heavier weight chains, in that are gold and silver plated. I am also going to be taking these adorable puff heart charms that I have and powder coating them in fun colors and adding to the piece! 

I am also thinking of making the necklace longer, to more of the length as it appeared on "The Fosters". I'm just not sure yet! I'm going to be playing around with a few ideas and will post the finished necklaces when they are ready!

[jacquelindeleon]

I am doing a giveaway for my birthday, and as a thank you to my awesome followers! One Large 18x24 Sailor Moon print, and two 8.5x11 as well! The giveaway is throughout tumblr and instagram, so reblog this post by February 28th (my birthday :D ) to enter!! I will message the winners,  

Good luck :)

                             Facebook // Instagram // Store

[funhouselabs]

I love this poster and her artwork so much!! Cheers to the lucky winner(s).

[funhouselabs]

A Ring for Darbie

For some time, I had been wanting to make a pink-on-pink Bling Ring. Something that would evoke the essence of an engagement ring for Barbie, the 1980's version. 

But I'm afraid to even say the B-word, so I will call her Darbie.

Speaking of Darbie...

As a young adult, I used to watch and love the Cartoon Network show "Dexter's Laboratory". These pictures are from the 26th episode, "Doll House Drama." Dee-Dee (Dexter's sister) is pictured below with her Darbie doll.

So on to Darbie's ring. 

I knew I wanted to make a pink-on-pink ring, and I decided on a large 10 mm cushion cut bubblegum pink cubic zirconia. For the setting, I wanted something simple but decided on a more elaborate setting. 

I powder-coated the setting magenta.

I decided it needed something more...something special that would push it for sure into Darbie territory.

I have this special blended powder that I mixed almost a year ago, but have never used. This powder is high gloss clear with opalescent blue pigment mixed in! I was taking a chance on coating the ring with this on top of the pink, as it looked pretty good just pink.

But, it turned out really well! I think the blue opalescence definitely adds a delicate dimension that really balances out the large blocks of color in the setting and the stone.   

I think Darbie and Dee-Dee both would both be pleased.

Interested in a "Darbie's Ring" of your own??

$70, funhouselabs.com

[funhouselabs]

As seen on..."The Fosters", ABC Family

Oh hey there! On this week's episode of ABC Family's "The Fosters", Mariana was seen wearing a Funhouse Labs bouncy ball necklace!

The costume designer asked me specifically to make it longer for the show, which I happily obliged. 

The original length, which is the length I still sell on the Funhouse Labs site, is quite a bit shorter at 18" and looks like this:

I'm no Mariana, and I feel silly taking a selfie, but I wanted to show the length comparison, so here I am! 

When the necklace focal point is closer to the face, it makes more of a statement, but can be distracting especially in the case of television. 

Personally, I prefer the shorter length and I wear one of these necklaces (there is another version with gold chain and a pink swirl ball) about twice a week.

[funhouselabs]

Makeover Mondays!

Well hello there. This weeks Makeover Mondays features a vintage WMF Germany silver-plated dish that I made-over by powder coating a delicious juicy coral color. I am now using this item for a jewelry dish! 

Pretty cute, eh? All jewelry in this photo by Funhouse Labs.

I found the tray at the Santa Monica Goodwill last week. You can see in the photo below that there were two trays, nestled together. I only purchased the small tray, for $2.99.

I love this next photo, because it gives some idea about the item's history. Also, the factory markings are shown. 

In the bottom of the picture, the makers marks are shown. This item is from WMF Germany. I did a little research and found that this logo was used from 1965 until 2007. I am guessing from the WMF-IKORA sticker condition and typeface that this item was from the late 1960s - early 1970s?

Sadly though, I had to remove the stickers before powder coating. I used the handy Goo Gone Mess-Free Pen to remove the sticker residue. 

After cleaning, I set to powder coat this item. So far, this has been the largest item I have powder coated! It's about the biggest size I can go, too, due to the size restrictions of my current curing oven.

BOOM! It's done. :)

[funhouselabs]

Yesterday on her blog, Liz featured Funhouse Labs and the Vintage Skeleton Key necklaces!! Head over to With Wonder and Whimsy to see the full post! P.S., discount code!