I’m thrilled to say that ThinkGeek has placed a large wholesale order with NifNaks for my Cthulhu ornaments , and Cthulhu Yule tree topper . This means I needed to order a frightening amount of wool.

So after waiting only about a week for my order, my bump (22 lbs.) of wool arrived today. I’ve never ordered so much wool before. I’m so excited!!

What a joy it is to be back again here in the Black Rock Nevada desert! I have once again ventured to the playa as a proud member of the Black Rock City's DPW and one of the builders of Burning Man 's central sculpture, the Man.

As one of the women of Man KCrew , I thought it apropos to sport a garment that combines both beauty and strength on the playa. To this end, I am especially excited about the debut of my rugged "Carhartt-inspired" work corset!

For the past year, I've desired to create a garment which blends the femininity and elegance of a corset with the durability and ruggedness of a workbelt. Recently, I shared my idea with the talented seamstress and designer Robynne Winchester of Tulgey Wood Designs. She was instantly excited about the concept and agreed to collaborate to make it a reality.

I love the ruggedness of Carhartt work clothing and a quick glance around the work crews at Burning Man proves I'm not the only one. It withstands the harsh working conditions of the desert and meets all my utilitarian needs on the work site. So it delights me to create a corset, a nearly polar opposite piece of attire, which incorporates all the functional things I love about Carhartt work clothing.

Durable

To create this hybrid corset, I first chose a fabric consisting of same type of rugged cotton canvas found throughout the Carhartt line. Durable, practical, and breathable, the material allows me to get down and dirty with my hammer and drill without fear of damaging my corset.

Functional & Versatile

Next it was important the corset be functional and versatile. I attached holsters for a hammer, drill, tape measure and pliers, as well as pockets to use for assorted needs while working.

All the tool holsters and pockets are attached to the corset with heavy-duty snaps allowing me to change the configuration according to my needs on the job site.

A modular system - above I have attached a cordless drill holster.

On those days I just need to pound nails, I can replace it with a hammer holster.

Beautiful

Finally, I wanted the corset to be as beautiful as it was functional. For this, I specifically chose quality Occidental Leather tool holsters which compliment the design of the corset. This juxtaposition of reinforced feminine curves and sturdy sensibility was exactly what I wanted in a haute couture work garment. In addition, the cherry leather and hand-dyed laces to match are the perfect compliment to the classic Carhartt carmel brown.

And it's fashionable too! I reconstructed a Carhartt workshirt into an adorable shrug to wear during those those chilly evenings in the desert. And for that event in the evening when I just don't have time to change? A tiny top hat, of course!

I am so happy with my work corset! Robynne's skill with corsetry is wonderful and she was a pleasure to collaborate with. There are still a few more tweaks and additions that I plan on adding, but I'll save announcing these little treats until I am finished making them—soon!

Also, it should be mentioned that the gorgeous photo taken of me at Man Base at Burning Man, is the work of excellent photographer Neil Girling, aka Mr. Nightshade, aka Carnivillain. I highly recommend checking out his continually updated series of photos from Burning Man 2009 on Flickr. Neil took a small series of photos of me in my work corset which I look forward to sharing as soon as I return home from the desert.

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She has always taken great delight in creating things with her hands, and the special joy and interconnectedness one gets from realizing a truly unique vision. She started NifNaks to share that joy -- or, as she says, "to create opportunities for other people's delight, because the world is a happier place when people go "Squee!""

She loves experimenting in new mediums, which is how she discovered felting wool in 2006 while attending the Bay Area’s

I just decided to mess around for the heck of it, and staged a Salvador Dali photo, with finger (thumb?) stash.

Below is the photo of Dali, from which I based it off of:

For my best friend’s birthday, I decided to give her a gigantic marshmallow. She always joked around that wouldn’t it be funny to go to Burning Man, and hold a gigantic marshmallow over The Man as he burned. So, I decided to make this joke, reality…

How does one acquire a gigantic marshmallow, you may ask? Well make one, of course! I slowly melted down 5 pounds of marshmallow, and poured it into a mold, which was in fact, a gigantic cooking pot. To insure that the sides did not stick, I coated the pot with some non-stick spray, as well as a mixture of cornstarch & powdered sugar. And it worked!

  One unforeseen problem I found out, was when I plopped the big guy out, the sheer weight of his own body began to succumb to gravity, threatening to make him a puddle-lump of marshmallow. What needed to happen was he needed loose a little bit of moisture from his skin, so that it would toughen up and be load bearing marshmallow. So what I did, was I made a cheesecloth mold for him to hang out in, exposed to air. I put a fan directed on him for quite a while, and eventually, his skin did indeed dry up enough so that it would support weight.

April & I both have a special affinity for things either too big or too small, so I knew she was going to love it! And she did!