http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgII.....layer_embedded

Sums up a lot of my initial feelings. Old lady bird.

Hii guys! I'm so excited to see all of you furry friends at AC this year.

I'll be partying this weekend with the usual Maly Information Agent  brighton working for  contact while  omekin stays back home in WA and watches Doomkeep for us.

Here's how to find  contact in the Dealer's Den, where we'll have plenty of soaps, Scent Markings, and some brand new style Den Warmers. And a brand new EXCLUSIVE scent debuting for AC: Toil and Trouble. It's lavender/patchouli/nag champa, features art by Mossfox, and has a pretty cool Poison gryphon on it.

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8172834/

And I'll have lots of my bags in the art show, general area. I will have a few bags at Con*Tact's table, but will be available to talk about commissions and ideas pretty much all the time. Here's a preview of what I'll have there!

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8172970/

My Twitter is malytwotails , which is usually the best way to track me down if you can't find me at the Con*Tact table and Brighton doesn't know where I am.

Probably will be found around  ladyfoxglove ,  dingbat ,  aeto ,  likeshine ,  painteddog and assorted crew. I'll try to wear some awesome things the whole time I'm at con this time, although I'm not bringing any suit stuff besides my Poison mask and my carousel coats.

Auction closes next Saturday! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl.....#ht_755wt_1396

Selling off the last bit of my late husband (Oskar)'s furry comic collection. They need to go to new homes!

Furrlough and Katmandu.

The superfine  ladyfoxglove has a very cool book coming out soon, and you can preorder it!

Softcover: https://www.sofawolf.com/products/p.....s-and-monsters

Hardcover: https://www.sofawolf.com/products/p.....ters-hardcover

The artwork's absolutely beautiful and the story is definitely worth reading. Get your pre-order in, and show Sofawolf that more top grade furry stories are worth publishing.

Head on over to http://malycrafts.bigcartel.com/ to see what I've got up right now. Everything is one of a kind!

it's new! it's still maly! By

| | | | |

Got a new supplier for cups for my badge cups! They're a little spendier for me, but they're also larger and more clear than my old ones. Please see this picture for examples of all of the different badge cup things I can make.

These cups tend to look better with nonanthro artwork, although that may be just my preference to draw four legged things instead of two legged ones.

8oz sippy straw cup: $20
Slots
1.
2.
3.
4.

8oz breakfast coffee/office coffee mug: $20
Slots
1.
2.
3.
4.

16oz lidded travel cup: $30 I also offer these with "adoptable" style templates (here), with your choice of colors, for $15 each.
Slots
1. (custom)
2.
3.
4.

27oz iced tea/ice water cup:$40
Slots
1.
2.
3.
4.

Small vase / pencil cup: $20
Slots
1.
2.
3.
4.

Shipping is $5 in the US, $8 international.

Paypal is contactcaffeine[at]gmail.com .

Where are you staying?
Main hotel

- When are you arriving and departing?
Arrive 1/11, fly 1/17 (My birthday!)

- How are you getting there?
Flying

- Rooming with?
 brighton,  ladyfoxglove,  dingbat,  omekin

- Who Will I likely see you with?
 northsound and the Con*Tact crew

- Con Plans?
Sell ALL THE THINGS in the Dealer's Den, maybe wear animal costumes, probably EAT ALL THE THINGS whenever I have the opportunity.

- How can I find you?
I always have a bandana on! I'll be manning the Con*Tact table most of the time, or look for the ridiculously tall  brighton who I'll most likely be attached to.

- Do you do free art?
I've been drawing a lot more than usual, I might draw something if you ask nicely!

- Do you do trades?
I will trade soap/scent markings/den warmers for art! But it's got to be art that I want. :)

- Do you take commissions?
I'm always open for commissions if the price is right.

- Do you have prints/Cds?
I have soap.

- Will you be fursuiting? if so: What suit(s)?
As much as I'd like to bring Mome Rath with me, she's a huge costume and takes up a lot of space. I'll probably bring Klickitat with me, though.

- Will you be going to parties?
I'm never cool enough to go to parties.

- Will you be performing?
I will perform a seductive fan dance sometime over the weekend. Maybe in spandex painted to look like those guys from Avatar.

- Do you smoke?
If you have some smoke of the green variety, I could be convinced to do something really cool for you, like a plush or a hoodie.

- Do you drink?
yes

- Gender
Female. Curvy female.

- Can I hug you?
I will give you extra hugs if I know you've showered with my soap!

- Can I talk to you?
Please do. What I want to hear the most is: "Happy birthday!" (acceptable both 1/13, Maly's birthday, and 1/17, my birthday), also "Here's a cupcake for you" (also, give me a cupcake), and any honest negative (constructive) feedback about my soaps and other products. Help me make it even more awesome!

- Will you be at any panels?
I never have time to go ;_;

- Can I touch you?
Some places can be touched. Some places, if touched, will result in the loss of fingers.

- Can I buy you drinks?
I type yes every time to this, and still have yet to have a stranger buy me a drink.

- How old are you?
31, I'll be 32 on 1/17

- Can I snuggle with you?
At the risk of losing more than fingers, courtesy of  brighton (also, I do have a trained attack ninja)

- If you're pissed off, should I approach you?
Yes. Yes you should.

- Are you nice?
I have a reputation for always being totally reasonable and nice to everyone at all times. Yep, that's me. Stable, drama free Maly, that's what they call me.

- Cliquey?
 northsound is my cool kids club.

- How tall are you?
5'6"

- Can I Take pictures of you?
I may even wear some things that encourage picture taking.

- Will you get anything commissioned?
I am the vainest dragon ever. But you should draw me some Maly art anyways, I'll give you something awesome in return for it!

- How can I get your attention?
I would suggest something more subtle than a taser.

Why yes, I am crazy enough to be even thinking about this, but hear me out. We all have characters, right? Well, most of us. Anyways. We all should have reference sheets of said characters, but they're such a hassle to deal with putting together, so they're often neglected in place of other things.

It's December, and there's just a month between us and Further Confusion, so I propose that this Saturday, December 17 be declared Character Sheet Day! Finally, a day set aside for us to work with everyone else at the same time and get our character sheets updated. And it's far enough out from con that you have time to put some good work into it, and have something nice to bring along for commissions.

Are you an artist, looking for an extra marketing hook to pull in a little more pre holiday cash? Run a deal for character sheets! Don't want to do commissions? Just update one of your own reference sheets, they make wonderful examples in galleries.

Don't have a character sheet to begin with, and you're not an artist? Commission a character sheet that day, finally! Or at least start drafting ideas for what you'd want in one.

I'm doing it! Will you join me for this needed day? I know I've got at least two I desperately need to update!

I will celebrate and eat the traditional Reference Sheet Pie (which is the cheapest pie at the grocery store)

Make sure to spread the word and boost the signal for this in your own journal! The more people who participate, the more successful it will be - we'll all feel pressured to keep up with everyone else. ;)

So, I've been quiet for a bit. I haven't been ignoring all of your commission inquiries, I'm sorry! I've read all of them and just haven't had time to reply to everyone. I know who's sent me notes and emails, and when I open back up officially, I will send notes out ahead before making a public journal, letting those who've already asked have a first pick at the slots. I'm sorry for not having enough time for everyone, I would've liked to get some more pony hoodies or something done for FC, but I need to work through the projects I've already got on my plate.

I am officially closed until after FC for all custom work. My main business, Con*Tact Caffeine has been booming lately, which is a blessing and a curse! I've been staying up until about 7am every day, plowing through dozens of bars of soap a day. On top of that, I recently released Scent Markings, which are solid perfumes, and Den Warmers, which are soy wax warming tarts, used in place of candles. Both of these new things will be available at Further Confusion. Speaking of FC, Con*Tact is confirmed for Further Confusion's Dealer's Den.

If you'd like a peek at what my to-do list is looking for over December/January, through FC, here's a glimpse:

-Finish  oddball23's Twilight Sparkle hoodie
-Make a giant plush ham for  manda-panda in time for con
-Finish plush gryphon for  likeshine
-Draw, color, and finish 3 insets for travel mugs (for  brighton,  klickitat, and  omekin)
-Draw, color, and laminate 4 convention badges (for the three above, plus  yoshinomi)
-Finish painting personal mask project
-Design, print, and affix labels for all outstanding projects (solid perfumes, wax tarts, unicorn soap when  ladyfoxglove finishes art for it)
-Design, print, and affix hang tags for gift bags (32 different labels)
-Draw, color, and finish character sheets for 3 different characters (and update a fourth)
-Release at least 6 new soaps (our My Little Pony themed ones with artwork by  anuvia), print all labels for those. Then release them in perfumes and wax tarts. And do all of the labeling/artwork for that. Then make a gift bag of all of them, or something.
-Work with  tugrik to get the design of our soap bars finalized, learn how to vacuum form things, and set up a vacuum table somewhere.
-Place another massive order for scent oils from at least one of our suppliers.
-Design, print, and cut out two different sets of <secret project> to be sold at the upcoming convention. And make sure the artwork and labeling is done for that, too. Also, choose packaging for it. And then order that.
-Somehow take the 22-28th off to do various family things in Utah. It's almost like vacation!
-Get started on con prep for FC. This includes no less than 700 bars of soap, 700 Den Warmers, and around 600 Scent Markings.
-Decide packaging for Den Warmers/candle/ceramic warmer sets. Boxes? Probably.
-Nyan Cat schoolgirl skirt. Fabric's already purchased for it.
-Get all Scent Marking/Soap/Den Warmer gift sets created (it's a bar of soap, two Den Warmers, and one Scent Marking in a nice little organza gift bag, perfect for a take home present from con!)
-Christmas?!
-Find a few minutes to sleep
-Consider developing a crippling addiction to stimulants.


***********************CRAFT SWAP***********************


And the most exciting, I want to bring back the FC Craft Swap again this year! We did it last year and it was so much fun.  northsound will once again be hosting. Here's how it works:

1) You sign up in this journal. By signing up, you're telling us that you're willing to make/bring a craft for everyone attending the swap. You will be given one craft from every person attending! (10 other people go, you bring 10 of your craft, and they each give you one of theirs, so you leave with 10 new prizes.)
2) On 12/28 I will CLOSE this to further signups. At that time, you'll have a final number of how many crafts you need to make. I will send out an email for everyone so we're all on the same page.
3) At FC (probably on Saturday), we all meet up in a public space and trade our goodies! Last year we had patches, chainmail, soaps, beaded bracelets, beaded character con badges, all sorts of neat things.
4) Effort, please! I'm aiming for the ballpark value on crafted items to be between $2-5. Something that you'd be proud to give to others. On that same note, please don't just pick up a bunch of pre-made friendship bracelets off of eBay. We want to see YOUR crafts!
5) Not a crafter? Artist Trading Cards/postcards are excellent swap-sized trades, you could even go to the dollar store and get some cute little frames for them.

Last year this was an excellent way to make new friends and meet new people to "talk shop" with on crafting. So join us!

Post your signup here, in this journal. Easier for me to keep track of. What I need:

Your furry name:
Your craft:
Email:
Twitter:


Aside from all of my sewing and soapmaking lately, I've been dabbling in baking, as well. Here's a recipe that I finally got right last night. And it's excellent for masking any undesirable flavors. The best I've found, in fact.

1/2 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened. (I used some homemade butter)
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
2 lg eggs
3 tbsp milk or water (I used milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp mint extract
10 drops food coloring of your choice (green is pretty)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup Andes creme de menthe chips (Walmart carries these right now)

Preheat oven to 275f. Mix butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, milk or water, vanilla, mint extract, and food coloring. Mix in flour, soda, and salt until incorporated. Mix in chocolate chips and creme de menhe chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons 1 1/2" apart on greased baking sheet (or silpat). Bake 11-12 minutes, until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes and remove to racks.

Makes about 50 cookies.

I have a TON of 'stale' craft supplies, aka stuff I have owned forever but haven't really used. Pens, papers, cardstock, stickers, fabrics, sewing patterns, feathers, leathercraft stuff, beads, strings, yarns, and on and on and on. I'm thinking about boxing up random small flat rate boxes and sending them out to internet friends, would anyone be willing to do a blind bag trade with me?

I'll send you one if you send me one with some craft supplies in it! Even if it's weird stuff from dollar stores or garage sales, maybe having new supplies will motivate me to try new crafts. And I'd love for some of this older stuff to get some new love somewhere else.

A small flat-rate box from USPS is $5.20 to ship anywhere in the US, and is 8-5/8" x 5-3/8" x 1-5/8". A little bigger than an old VHS tape.

A medium flat rate box is $10.95 to ship in the US, and is 11" x 8-1/2" x 5-1/2", which is big enough for larger supplies like skeins of yarn and bundles of fabric.

I'm willing to trade even box size for even box size.

---

Woop, closed for now! Lots of fun things to do!

Thanks everyone for your interest, I'm having tons of fun with this.

---

Alright! I /think/ I've sent out all of my notes and replies to everyone who seemed interested in stuff, and I've pared down my queue so I'm comfortable opening up again for some more work. And I'm accepting that it's probably going to be mostly ponies, and that's okay.

My price list and examples are ---> here. <---

So I'm working full time on sewing stuff now, and that means opening for commissions. I'm open for plush, hoodies, purses, iPad cases, and pretty much most other sewing work.

Pricing:

---

[u]CLOSED FOR CUSTOM HOODIES RIGHT NOW[u]

My Little Pony hoodie - $100 for earth ponies, $125 for unicorns and pegasus ponies. All hoodies available with or without sleeves, and feature lined pockets and a lined hood, with separating zipper and are fully washable. Sizes S through 2XL available.

examples
Pinkie Pie (sleeveless), Rarity

Dragon hoodie - $125 for 'Spike' styled (head spikes, ears, back spikes, tail. Add $20 for wings, $10 for horns. All hoodies available with or without sleeves, and feature lined pockets and a lined hood, with separating zipper and are fully washable. Sizes S through 2XL available.

examples
Spike.

Zoo animal hoodies - $80 for standard zoo animals. This means the animal as it would be seen in the zoo, with no additional markings. All hoodies available with or without sleeves, and feature lined pockets and a lined hood, with separating zipper and are fully washable. Sizes S through 2XL available.

examples
Giraffe, Zebra, Cow.

Fursona hoodies - Start at $125 and go up from there depending on additional pieces and parts.
Addons - $20 for avian or dragon wings, $10 for 'mane' of hair, $10 for horns/antlers, $10 for 'backridge.' Markings also have an additional cost, but will have to be quoted on an individual basis depending on complexity.

examples
Maly ($200 range), Omekin ($150 range for addition of mane and markings down the back), Ichi

Video game hoodies - $125 . I have done a moonkin and a metroid so far, but am willing to work on other ideas as well!

examples
Metroid, Moonkin

[u]CLOSED FOR CUSTOM HOODIES RIGHT NOW[u]

---

iPad cases - $20. They are padded and lined, and have a tab top velcro closure to protect the precious contents inside! I can make them to look like animals or video game things.

examples
Creeper

Purses / shoulder iPad cases $30, I can make them in almost any color or pattern combination available, and for an additional cost, can get custom artwork painted on them from  savannahhorrocks.

examples
Fox purse (unfinished with Savi art), Several more purses, Unicorn and black/purple, Purple/blue with iPad in case.

Plushies - I will accept plush commissions on a very selective basis depending on the character and my own assessment of my abilities to do justice to said character. I want my customers to love their new friend! Squeakers available at buyer's request, no additional cost. I work with mixed materials, but try to keep things as close to the character as I can. I have MANY furs and other fabrics to choose from, and love designing new things.

Sitting dragon plushes - $70 , sits about 1' tall at top of head. About the size of a housecat. Features safety eyes and no easily removable parts. I can also do gryphons!

examples
Red dragon and Maly, Sancho.

Laying dragon plushes - $100, almost three feet long from head to end of tail. Features safety eyes and no easily removable parts.

examples
Maly 2.0

NorthSound anthro plush - Start at $200, depending on complexity of character. Features jointed arms, legs, and head. Jointed tail available on some species, like dragons. Due to the size, I don't have large enough safety eyes for these plushes and some parts can be removed by little curious hands. Not recommended for children. I can do pretty much any species or combinations of species!

examples -
Icemoon, Brighton, Seahawk

Metroid plush. About 6" across, and with a squeaker inside! Available ready-made for purchase ---> here <---

WoW plush - I make Druids!
Moonkins - $100 , I can make them in any of the four races, or custom colors. Features safety eyes, but the medallions might be able to be pried off by little curious hands. Not recommended for children. About 14" tall.

examples
Tauren moonkin, Night elf moonkin

Druid kittens - $50 , I can make them in most of the color variations in game, although Troll tiger stripes are a bit of a challenge. Feature safety eyes and noses, but things like dyed markings, horns, fangs, and tusks might be able to be pried off/out by little curious hands. Not recommended for children. About 12" tall.

examples
Tauren, Troll, Night Elf, Worgen.

Where are you staying?
Main hotel with  brighton.

When do you Arrive / Leave the con?
Arrive Thursday, leave Sunday night or Monday morning, I can't remember.

Where will you be most of the time during the days?
Artist's Alley (hopefully!) or teaching my panels.

What time do you get up/go to bed?
Probably be up early for AA, and up till at least 2 or 3 every night.

What's the best way to get a hold of you?
DM me on Twitter (malytwotails), or text me if you've got my phone number. Even @ me on Twitter and it'll go straight to my phone.

Who will you be with?
 brighton,  northsound mostly besides that. Probably  matrices,  savannahhorrocks,  omekin,  ladyfoxglove,  dingbat...

Do you do free art?
If I'm really drunk. And it won't be good.

Do you do trades?
I will trade for booze! Or other things! This counts for soap, too.

Do you do commissions?
If the price and project is right, yes.

What suits will you have?
Klickitat bear, maybe Mome Rath.

Can I borrow one of your suits?
They're tailored to me. I doubt they'll fit many other people.

What is your gender?
Lady type

How old are you?
31

How tall are you?
5'6"

Can I talk to you?
I will always look like I don't want to talk to you, but that's just how I am.

Can I buy you lots of drinks?
Nobody ever really does.

Can I buy you food and/or eat meals with you?
Bring me cupcakes!

Can I give you presents?
More cupcakes! (also, cupcake stickers!)

Can I hang with you in your room?
My room is always a disaster.

Can I give you money?
I will give you soap in return.

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
I intend to spend a lot of this con being snuggled.

Can I touch you?
I dare you.

Can I Dance with you at the dances?
I'm the worst dancer in the world.

Can I invite you to parties?
I am one of those bad kids who enjoys bad things at parties.

Are you nice?
Nope, not even a little bit.

All of the soaps from our most recent contest before AC are now available on Con*Tact Caffeine's store, as well as two "coming soon" soaps, Wasteland and Evergreen.
New artwork by:
 aycee Cotton Candy,
 briarwood Sparkledog,
 crystacian Pineapple Paprika,
and  kitfoxfire Emerald Dragon.

And all of the older soaps that needed their labels replaced have been handled, so
 anuvia's Rootbeer,
 crystacian's Cucumber Roll, and
 savannahhorrocks's Restoration
are displaying properly.

We've got a big announcement coming on Friday, so watch our Twitter for the details!

Con*Tact was reviewed by Possessed By Caffeine. It's a positive review and he even plugged several of our artists and their websites.

Congratulations to  dingbat,  ferality,  jill0r,  savannahhorrocks,  thejeweledhorn, and  missmayhem for getting some extra traffic!

Good exposure for all. :3

Hey!  brighton and I are looking for a few couple's badges for AC, and are willing to trade 3 soaps per badge (so a pair would get 6 bars). Since we'd rather not deal with shipping, we'd like this to be a trade for pick-up at con only.

Characters we are looking for:
Brighton and Maly, theme: Magic!

Drop a comment here or note me if you're interested!

Where are you staying?
Main hotel

What day are you getting there?
Late thursday night.

Who will you be with?
 brighton  dingbat  savannahhorrocks  gishkishenh  ratherdashing1121 ....and you?

Who will you hang out with during the convention?
Mostly  brighton

Are there any panels you might be attending?
Maybe, usually do business and fursuiting/crafting ones.

Are you attending any stage or public performances?
Nope

Will you be suiting?
Maybe! Depends on space for packing.

Which suit(s) will you be bringing?
Either Klickitat or Mome Rath, not sure.

Do you do free art?
No

Do you do trades?
We've been known to trade our soap for things!

Do you do badges?
Depends on the badge!

Do you do commissions?
Usually don't have time.

What are your limits to drawing?
Nothing gross. I'll be the judge of what's gross.

What is your gender?
Repulsive to the gays

How old are you?
31

How tall are you?
5'7"

Are you taken? Are you looking for a 'mate'?
 brighton will beat you up.

Can I talk to you?
Tell me about things! If it's fun, I'll like it, if it's horrible, I'll gossip with my friends later about it.

Can I touch you?
I give lots of hugs. Poking my tattoos is also acceptable.

How can I find you?
K04 in the Dealer's Den!

Can I visit your room?
Our room is always a horrifying disaster.

Can I buy you drinks?
Offerings of Jager are never refused.

Can I give you stuff?
I like stuff! I might give you stuff in return!

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
Probably not so much into the snuggles with total strangers.

Are you nice?
I'll do my best to be nice. In the middle of a rush at our table though, I'm not always the friendliest person. It's all about knowing when I'm approachable to talk with!

How long are you going?
Thursday to Tuesday morning

Do you have an artist table?
We do

Do you have prints/CDs?
I have http://www.contactcaffeine.com ! Maybe even a few of my dragon plushies, too, like this guy for sale.

Will you have art in the Art Show? General or Adult sections?
I won't be in the art show.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
You can greet me as Maly (maa-lee) or Klickitat (click-ih-tat), although I tend to respond faster to Maly.

Where will you be most of the time during the day/s?
Dealer's Den open to close, out of that I tend to hang out in the artist/drawing area to socialize.

What/where will you be eating?
Food, at food places!

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
It depends on many things.

Can I look in your sketchbook?
Sure, but it's not very good

Can I draw in your sketchbook?
If you really want to, I've even got some pretty cool character sheets for all of my guys.

Can I take your picture?
Take pictures of my soap, it's better looking than me.

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
Make lots of new happy customers for Con*Tact, and break even on the cost of the trip. Oh, and see friends!

I'm signed up! But with my other internet name! http://myfur.net/profile/Malystryxx - I'd love to be your furriend. :3

WoW Magazine V.1 Issue 4 is out now! Go see my awesome Druid plushies in it in their Master Crafter's article! WoW Mag was so wonderful and sweet to work with, and it was a very positive experience. I hope you enjoy the article and the other talented crafters in there.

http://cgi.ebay.com/WORLD-WARCRAFT-.....item35b11accd9 if you don't have a subscription. :3