As some people may know, I've recently started doing Tumblr giveaways, partially to give people incentive to reblog my posts, and also so that I can give away some free loot to people who love my jewelry but can't afford to buy it.
The first giveaway was a great success and I believe the item is going to a good home. :)
However, there are some things that I want to address.
First of all, I would appreciate if only people with genuine interest would reblog. It's kind of insulting to me and my hard work when people reblog with some bored and uninterested remark. I want my work to go to someone who really appreciates it, and not to someone who doesn't seem to care.
Sorry if that seems cold, but you must take into account how much hard work goes into the things that I make.
While we're on the subject of my blood, sweat, and tears, I want to address another matter.
I've never tolerated copy cats, and I never will. When fan art is concerned, such as Portal and Dragonball Z jewelry, there isn't a lot I can really do about copy cats, since it's not technically my original concept. Even still, I would prefer if other artists wouldn't flat out copy what I make.
However, where my other things are concerned, such as my steampunk jewelry, those things are my intellectual property all the way. I will not tolerate any copying, or even the intentions or implications of copying. My ideas come from my own mind. If you want to make something cool, come up with your OWN ideas. I work incredibly hard on my jewelry. I sit hunched over a table 7 days a week, pouring my heart and soul into everything. It's taken me over a year to perfect all my techniques and some of them I'm still working on perfecting. I have a family to support and if you rip me off, you're ripping them off, too. 
The bottom line is, I will not tolerate copying in any way. Be creative. Come up with your own techniques, your own concepts, and your own ideas. Don't take the lazy way out and ridicule my heard work. I will take action if this happens.
That's all.
I hope that no one will take what I say as cold, or cruel, and I'm actually trying to encourage creativity, not discourage it, so don't be afraid to create as long as it's not copycat work. <3

I want to begin by talking about Etsy and the Christmas rush. And this isn't just about me and my struggles, but about everyone who owns an Etsy shop and has to deal with this stuff.
When you purchase an item from an Etsy shop, you're not buying from some huge warehouse. You're buying from a human being. And that human being has to hand make everything that they sell, especially when you have custom orders, or if you ask for your item to be gift wrapped. These are all things that the shop owner has to do by hand, and when Christmas is just around the corner, you can safely bet that you're not the only one buying from that particular shop.
All those starving artists are working their bottoms off, putting in so many extra hours of work and not getting enough rest or time with their families, all so that they can serve you.
So, this Christmas, please keep that in mind when purchasing things from Etsy shops, and show a little courtesy. Try not to make ridiculous demands. If you're going to wait until the last minute to order someone a Christmas present, then please don't think you have the right to demand that the shop owner have the item there by Christmas, especially if you live in a different country. If you're not going to pay a penny extra to make sure this happens, then don't ask the artist to work any harder, just for you. It isn't fair to them.
♥
So! Now that that's out of the way, I want to talk a little bit about recent updates/changes in the site and in my own personal Etsy shop.
If you've been to my site at all recently (hahahaha) then you've probably noticed that things have changed a bit. And it's about time, too.
For the longest time, the site was pretty hard to understand, and there were a lot of links that were either dead, or useless. So last night, I took the time to update on this, and I added a bunch of links that are actually useful, such as a link to this blog directly, and a link to our Facebook page.
I also put specific links to separate jewelry, literature and art, so people interested in something specific can find it more easily. And lastly, I changed that ungodly contact button so that now, instead of bringing you to some ugly page with some ancient MySpace link, it opens Microsoft outlook for sending email. 
And on the whole, it just looks better. I changed the side bar from that hideous slate blue to a color that actually matches the rest of the site. And as soon as I can, I'm going to change the color of the logo, as well. 
So there's some changes you can expect to see on the front page of the website.
I also linked to my Tumblr, in case anyone cares about that.

Moving on.
My Etsy shop.
So, as you probably know, those steampunk hearts are my number one best selling product. Any time I make a sale and it's not a heart, I find myself stunned.
However, the hearts are also the number one most difficult item to make, and they're also rather costly, especially when everyone buys the gold, just because it has chain instead of hemp.
And so because I've been losing sleep trying to pump out hearts day and night, and since the chain is so expensive and runs out so darn fast, I feel like I'm not getting paid enough for what I spend most of my days on.
As a result, I made a slight change to the listing for the steampunk hearts. Now, the default necklace is ribbons and hemp, and if you want chain, you can have it for an extra two dollars. And because this feature is now available, that means that for only 2 dollars, you can have chain accompany the ribbon on ANY heart necklace, and not just gold.
Some of you may have already noticed this, and maybe you're thinking it's not fair. I really and truly apologize if you feel that way, but I think that two dollars is a reasonable price for a chain add-on, especially when you take into account A) How much work goes into the necklaces, and B) How expensive the chain is.
As it is, I already feel like I'm dishonoring myself and my hard work by selling them so cheap. Everyone keeps telling me that I should charge more, and so after Christmas, I do intend to raise the prices slightly. It won't be too drastic-- I am a reasonable person. And I wouldn't do it unless it were completely necessary. 
I apologize in advance for any inconvenience that it may cause. However, if you take the twelve seconds to go like us on Facebook, you'll find that we can be quite generous with coupon codes, giveaways and contests. So by all means, please consider doing this.
And one last small thing:
Since the steampunk hearts are so popular, we've decided to release a new, bigger steampunk heart for only five dollars more. And believe me, that is quite generous, considering it takes double the supplies. The new larger heart definitely captures more attention, too. I've already had a million compliments on mine, whereas the old one rarely got noticed. 
So take a peek at the new Steampunk Super Heart while you're around~
Happy Holidays, everyone. ♥

Thanks to everyone who has participated in the protesting of SOPA, we were able to deliver one hell of a smack down.
Unfortunately, things like drug and movie companies refuse to bite their lip and go down without a fight.
So now, they're trying to trick congress by telling them it's a "jobs" bill. As you know, with the economy in the state that it is, the job market is suffering, which means that congress is desperate for anything they can use to create jobs. 
For us, this means that in order to save our freedom, we're going to have to fight back much harder. The best way to do this is to call your senator. It only takes a few minutes to do this. 
Right now, they are away for the holidays, but they will be back, and on Tuesday, it would really help if everyone would make a call to their senator. Please visit the following website to find more information on the mass call-in: http://americancensorship.org/
Since SOPA has gotten such a bad name thanks to everyone who fought so hard against it, the lobbyists are trying to press the Senate's verion, "PIPA," or the "Protect IP Act." This bill is no better that SOPA and still needs to be stopped. There is no excuse for censoring our internet in a free country, or for incriminating innocent people while actual crimes are still taking place.
I urge everyone to fight back by participating in the call-in on Tuesday. Don't just assume that everyone else is going to call in, so you don't need to, because if everyone thought like that, then no one would call in. 
Trust me. I'm incredibly awkward on the phone and I avoid making calls whenever possible. I order my pizza online for crying out loud. But there is no way in hell I'm letting this bill pass, and so despite my social awkwardness, I will definitely be one of the people participating in Tuesday's call-in, and I implore you to do the same.
Fight, my friends. For great justice, fight.

Hi friends!
Just wanted to let you know that on Monday, November 28th, we'll be having an all day long cyber Monday sale starting at 12:00 AM and running all the way through until 11:59PM.
Here's the deal:
Buy any two items and get a third item completely free. Please note that the free item must be of equal or lesser value to whichever item is higher priced, so for example, suppose you buy a ring for $7 and a necklace for $15, then your free item can be valued at $15 or less. 
Also, in order to qualify for the deal you have to have us liked on Facebook! No big deal, just the click of a button.
And don't forget to ask us about our free gift wrapping!
Happy Holidays and thank you for shopping with us!

☞Have you heard of SOPA?
Yes? No? Let me ask you this, instead: Have you heard about China and how their oppressive government has censored their internet so badly that it is practically useless?
SOPA is a bill jetting through congress at this very moment which, if passed, will put us in the same situation as China. The SOPA is intended to give corporations the power to shut down any site that they feel is infringing on their copyrights, or intellectual property.
This especially includes sites like Livejournal, Youtube, DeviantART, Tumblr, Facebook, Google, Twitter... Need I continue?
Any website could be sued or shut down simply for allowing someone to post, say a video of themselves singing a popular song, or posting fan art that they drew. And for anyone who makes fan related jewelry or other items, well, you'd be pretty screwed, too.
If SOPA passes, it will be considered a felony to stream copyrighted material. 
A felony. So you like to stream sometimes when you draw, so that people can watch, right? And maybe you also like to listen to music while you draw. Simply by having the music playing for others to hear while you stream, you could be charged with a felony. 
Streaming yourself while you play a video game is no different than having some friends over to watch you play. But if you do this, it could be considered a fucking felony.
Think about it.
Murder is a felony. Rape is a felony. 
They want to put innocent people in the same place as murderers and rapists. Why? Because they have nothing better to do with their time, from what I can tell.
They spend so much time overplaying these so-called "crimes," that people begin to forget the real crimes happening in our county. And the way I see it, SOPA is a crime. 
Freedom of speech. Freedom of expression. Remember the Bill of Rights and all that good junk?
If this bill passes, then we may as well kiss all that goodbye.
What happened to America being the land of the free? When did we become the land of the oppressed and condemned?
And when will people realize that companies exist to serve the people, not the other way around?
Corporations are already given so much unnecessary power over our lives. Do you really want them to have the power to throw you in jail for writing a fan fiction, or singing a song you like on your Youtube channel?
If things continue in this way, there's no telling how long it'll be before they have the power to execute anyone they feel deserves it. This is not cool, and it is not kosher.
Fortunately, we can do something about it, but one person cannot stand alone against something this powerful. Everyone needs to become aware of this problem and fight back.
Here are a few ways that you can fight back.
First off, you can sign this petition on change.org: http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-internet-control-bill-now
You can also visit this site to send a letter to congress: http://americancensorship.org/
(Don't worry, you don't have to write anything yourself unless you want to. All you need is a valid email address and a finger strong enough to click a button.)
Lastly, you can fight back by spreading awareness of this monstrosity. Tell everyone that you can. Make sure everyone knows what kind of consequences there will be if we DON'T fight back. All it takes is a few minutes of your time.
If you're under 18, have someone older sign the petition. You don't have to be a specific age to send a letter to congress. 
Just make sure that you do not take this lightly and that you do not ignore this. 
Imagine not even being able to Google something someday. Imagine going to jail simply for being a creative fan and showing your love. 
There are a lot more pressing matters that the government needs to attend to right now. They need to stop wasting their time finding ways to convict innocent people and actually focus on real problems like poverty, education, medical care.
Stay strong and fight back.
x

Allow me to take a moment to deviate from shoving my own products down your throats and instead, recognise a bright and talented artist with some rather unique and impressive jewelry of her own.
Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you: Ms. Kim Wedlock, also known around the internet as PeachesandPebbles.
To begin, let's have a look at some of her works.

Here we have  a ring made out of actual book pages! How awesome is that!? It's the perfect gift for anyone you know who is a hard core reader... I know of few myself. :D

This fine necklace features a bottle with a handwritten message tucked inside that you can give to a loved one, or keep for yourself as a beautiful memento of a special occasion. 

And here we have a rainbow rain necklace, hand sculpted from polymer clay. It's super adorable, don't you think? As are most of the items in her shop, so if you like awesome jewelry, or are just looking for a gift for someone you love, I recommend having a look through this lovely artist's shop.
Kim resides in the UK, but is willing to ship overseas.

If you're interested in learning more about Kim, here are some handy links~

Her blog: http://peachesandpebblesweekly.blogspot.com/
Her DeviantART: http://peachesandpebbles.deviantart.com/
Her Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PeachesandPebbles

Welcome ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls to another episode of Adventures with Leviviridae!
I'm your host, Invisible Lisa, and if you're mean to my friend, then I'll put you to "sleep!"
...
Sorry, I'm all in the Invisible Lisa mindset right now after what's become of that, but I'll get to that later.
GUYS.
I have so much to say to you! And I'll start by apologizing at full force for how much of a vagina I've been in the past.
Before I wrote this entry, I took a look back through a bunch of old entries and basically dropped my jaw on the floor. It took awhile for me to find, too, because it rolled under the fridge and I had to fish it out with a broom. Then it was all dusty and gross, so I had to wash it off... Bleah.
But the bottom line is, I was astounded at myself for how I behaved. It's true that I was going through a really hard time in my life back then... And it's also true that no one reads this blog and I was more writing it for myself than anything...
But even still, I should never have acted the way I did, and I deeply apologize.
So that's that, and now that it's out of the way, I can begin to talk about Nebraskon this year.
In case you didn't realize, we are indeed appearing at the con this year thanks to who? THANKS TO YOU!
Thanks to our wonderful fan base, we were actually able to earn every last penny for our table at Nebraskon this year. Thanks to YOU, we will actually be going! It's amazing!
So, if you've seen our etsy or dA, you're already aware of about 9/10 of the things we're going to have this year. Much, much better junk than we've actually expected you to buy in the past.
Looking back, I can hardly believe that people actually bought anything... I mean... Compared to what we've come out with now, that stuff just seems... ew.
Please forgive us for taking so long to create good things.
I know that in the beginning, we were simply a comic book company, but comic books are so hard and take so long, and not many people care about OC, so we just kinda gave up and started making pins and charms because people cared then.
But then, of course, my nemesis burst into the convention, copying my ideas and making charms just like us, so I had to think hard about what I could do next.
That's when we started working really hard on our jewelry, which I now think looks amazing.
I really hope you guys will like what we have this year, and I hope that you won't be put off by the prices. I've had several people tell me that I'm not charging enough, and judging by what I've seen on other people's etsys... Our prices seem fairly reasonable, so I do hope you won't be put off by them.
Going back to comics now, we don't have anything new, new, but once upon a time I made this creepy little mini comic about a little girl who has an "imaginary friend" (who is obviously a ghost) named Lisa. I just called it "Invisible Lisa," or "The story of Lisa," but the internet got hold of it and started calling it "The Pink Backpack." 
It got really popular without me even knowing about it, and now the world loves Lisa.
We even got some fan art out of it:

To respect this love for Lisa, we rescanned the pages which were originally shot with a Nikon D40 camera... Not so pretty...
And we released a bunch of Lisa merchandise including, ironically, a journal and a backpack.
I just had to have the backpack, haha. 
BUT ANYWAY, where I was going with this was, I intend to have some Lisa merch at the con on the off chance that anyone at the con has actually seen it, which I find highly likely, considering the traffic it's gotten just over the course of a few days...
And just in case no one at the con believes I wrote it, I'm bringing the notebook. Wahaha. :3
Anyway... That's about all I can think of to say at the moment. 
Let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns or suggestions.
I still am and always will be Ocularfracture@leviviridae.com.
And don't forget to check out my tumblr, which is also Ocularfracture. 
I can't wait to see you guys this year!!
<3

Dear Adoring fans and kind friends,
Never try to stop smoking cold turkey.
How has everyone been? It's been awhile since I updated to tell you everything that's been going on in the past year.
Omfg, please kill me now. 
Last year was definitely not our best year, but at least it wasn't our worst. However, this year we hope things will take off with fury.
Like the fury of my pencil, driving through my cheek as a fabulous distraction from how badly I want to smoke.
Early this very year, I discovered a number of amazing things that would make our products more professional and more desirable. More sturdy and better quality.
Please, just put me out of my misery. Someone.
Although I am not at liberty to reveal these things (trade secrets and such), I will have you know that this year, you will not only have a much better selection of things to choose from, and potentially take home, but you will also have the benefit of your products not falling apart.
Falling apart, just like me. Just like my very soul. Why have I done this?
In addition, you won't have to be afraid that someone else might snag that one item you really want, because you will be able to place an order, which we will make and ship straight to you within a matter of days. 
If you have bought anything from our etsy shop, you will have noticed that our shipping is incredibly super fast. So, you know... You won't have to feel afraid to order something from us directly.
But you might need to be afraid of me dying before Nebraskon even rolls around.
And it gets better. Because I am so convinced that things will go so much better this year, there will be less of a chance of me moping around the table acting like an incredible bitch! (I am so sorry for that, by the way.)
Maybe not then, but definitely, definitely now.
I also severed ties with a monstrous creature who was spying and stealing all of our clever ideas. That treacherous fiend. 
So this year, with any luck, you won't have to see cheap, poorly made knock-offs of our products at another table~ :D Yay~
Anyway, if you have not taken a look at our Etsy, then by all means, do so~
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ocularfracture
And if you have taken a look and even purchased some things, then thank you! With your powers combined, we were able to purchase our table at NebKon with time to spare! You rock!
We love you guys, and we'll see you in November! <3 Bye!

 Ahem.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leviviridae/419021655121
Don't forget to like us.

Anyway. I guess it's time for me to bug you again. Let's begin, now hand me the pen...
Oh, Eminem references. Right over the head. I love-hate him.

Who cares, though.
I just wanted to know what you, the people, would be interested in seeing this year. Prints, perhaps? I see a lot of people making millions on their prints.
(Millions of cents, rather.)
Either way... We're going to be at another convention this year, other than Nebraskon. It's called Contagion, and it's going to be at the Qwest Center. We're hoping we'll actually see some appreciation there, since it's more than just a stupid anime convention, and more of a nerd convention where our blood, sweat and tears will hopefully see more love.
So, supposing that you were a nerd and decided to attend either Contagion or Nebraskon, what sort of things would you be interested in seeing from us?
Your ideas will be EXTREMELY appreciated, and if you come up with a sweet enough idea, you might even get a little prize out of there. >8D
Let us know.