Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Closet Inc moving. At last!

Hello, dear Closeteers!

This will be one of my last blog entries here. As I mentioned moooonths ago, I finally purchased my own domain name and space on a server, in order to move Closet Inc Comics away from Googlepages, since they would have been moved to Googlesites which sucks (in my humble opinion as a webmaster with limited skills).
My personal tech support (aka, one of my brothers) was nice enough to help me set up Wordpress for my domain, so I've finally started arranging and moving things to www.closet-inc.com.
(isn't this url awesome?? I love it. My very own personal little url. Miiiine. 8D)

Wordpress works as a blog: you will be able to comment on each entry, much like you can here. But it's niftier 8) You can also register on my site to get the feed of posts and a username :)

I'll still have to work on a proper index to facilitate the browsing. In the meantime, you can follow the progress and, if you wish, give me opinions and suggestions on the site. I'm no wizard at coding, but I'll try my best :)

Take good care of yourselves, onward to a new year :D

~Laury

Saturday, December 05, 2009

Hyvää Itsenäisyyspäivää!

2 anniversaries today

Today marks the 92th anniversary of Finland's declaration of Independence from the Soviet Union. On December 6th, 1917, Finland finally proclaimed its birth as an independent country.
May the years to come be prosperous and kind for the country of a thousand (187,887, to be exact) lakes! =D

On a less happy note...
Here in Quebec, we mark the 20th anniversary of a tragic event that shook everyone deeply. On December 6th, 1989, a 25-year-old man entered an engineering school in Montreal, and within 20 minutes, killed 14 women before committing suicide. He blamed feminists for ruining his life, and apparently shooting young women with brilliant futures ahead of them seemed a perfect solution.

I'm not posting about this to denounce anything. I know for a fact that the high majority of the Closeteers are girls, and that they're from all around the world, meaning that their conditions are very diverse.
I'm not sure how to go about this. First, I'd like you all to take a moment to remember that all of the freedom you have today, people fought for it. Not just for women freedom; everywhere, people believing in the rightness of diversity, equality and tolerance have given their time, their energy and sometimes their life for you to enjoy what you have now.
On a more personal note, I know that a lot of you (both guys and girls) struggle with daily problems, and sometimes have to endure negative criticism from parents, teachers, coworkers, family or even friends - just as I have.
Don't ever let anyone make you believe that you're less worthy than them. For whichever reason they might bring up. The world was not made to be filled by a standard type of people fitting certain norms. Celebrate diversity. That's what makes the world go round.
I know from experience that being different can be very, very lonely. But that's part of the deal. Eventually you will find people that think like you, and will accept you for who you are, and not who they think you should be. It might take time, but friendships, like love, should be unconditional.
Talk. When you feel like there's a loud buzz in your head and things are just going around too fast, too dark, too hard, you need to talk to someone. Write. Even if just to get it out of your mind. The best way to get rid of bad feelings is to not let them chew on your heart all the time.
Should you ever feel the need to those out and need someone to help you through it, please don't hesitate to write to me. I'm a bit weird sometimes but I'm friendly :)

All of your weaknesses can be turned into strengths. Don't victimize yourself. This is your life. Whether there is something awaiting afterwards or not, it is up to you to make sure you're happy. Listen to your heart.

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Buttons - finally!


Alright, so.

I have 360 1-inch buttons at the moment, of 13 different models.
I don't have a "store", so sadly, basically, you'll have to trust me =x

Size: 1 inch diameter
(As big as a quarter [US&Canada] and a 50 cents coin [euro])

How to order
If you wish to order some, refer to THIS POST and send me an email at closet(dot)inc(dot)sseksi(at)gmail(dot)com with the designs you wish, the number of each, and your address.
PLEASE NOTE: The "Wilde Mime" design came out much darker than I expected, so if you still wish to order some, I will discount them.
ALSO: 1 (one) "Closet Inc Logo" button come FREE with each order. If you wish for additional one(s), please specify in your order (you will be charged for those).

Prices
My objective is not to make money from it. What I'm looking for is to get back my investment (meaning, the original cost of getting the buttons done) and, hopefully, help to pay for my domain (still have to get around to switching everything. I know. v_v My webdesigner is on vacation right now.)
Extra money will go toward more buttons and the annual domain fees. And maybe other "merch" should I get demand/budget for it =)

Base prices:
0,75$CAN per button
Shipping:
Canada: 3$CAN
USA: 4$CAN
International: 5$CAN

For example: 7 buttons x 0,75 = 5,75$CAN, shipped to Finland (+5$CAN): 10,75$CAN (that's about 6,94 euros, so that makes about 1 euro per button)

Payment
At this moment, I can only accept payment through Paypal.
If you have a paypal account, please use the email you're using for that account to send me your order, or make a note of which address I should send the invoice to.
If you don't have a Paypal account, I do believe you can still pay through it with a credit card. I will use the email address you will send me the order from to send you the invoice.
(If you wish to know how much $CAN make, you can refer to THIS as an approximate)

Shipping
I will ship everything ASAP, most likely within 3 days. Depending on your location, it can take up to 2 weeks to reach you - keep that in mind.

If you have ANY question, don't hesitate to contact me =)

Thursday, November 26, 2009

DONE :D

I did it!! :D

Hello. My second batch of button badges - the first one that will actually be available for sale - has been ordered and paid for tonight. I can already anticipate the awesome pride I'll feel upon looking at those tiny little professional-looking items with my art over them. Squee. =D
I thought I'd show you all the final designs. There are some I like more or less, but I tried to make choose and make them accordingly to the results of the survey I conducted a while back.


Closet logo - All orders will come with one included. (to be honest I'm still in love with it. The rock thrown and the lettering. <3)
Bite me! - a favorite of mine. Commodore was quite high in the character popularity contest, and I like the joke XD (Japa in bonus.)
Duck! - Another one of my favorites. Isn't IsoT just awfully cute and sad? Poor little super hero.
The Axe - I'm still giggling over the comic. I'm also giggling over the lame wordplay. But that's just me XD It was also a popular demand =)
Gaffaman! - This was a hard one to design. None of the actual drawings of Eicca as Gaffaman actually worked well in a button design. So you're getting a... rescued innocent instead =)
Life - As much as I love that comic, using it in button design is much harder than it looks.

(but you know life *is* short, even if he doesn't like that word)
Sparkly - I could not have left that one out. Too bad I can't actually put glitter on those badges.
sPINK & Spank - I think this one imposed itself mostly because I fell in love with the wordplay. Not thw pink part, just you know, the whole. I love words.
Throwing UP - That picture was probably the easiest to use on a button design. And, to be honest, I like it very much XD You decide if it represents what downing alcohol so recklessly will lead to, or the actual downing itself XD
Wilde Mime - I actually had a lot of demand for Jann Wilde. Weird, especially since I drew him what, 3 times? Finding the right image and right slogan was much of a hassle. v.v
Rumors - I'm VERY happy with this one. This is a drawing I did for the occasion. Know the saying, "Rumor has it that [insert gossiping here]" ? Rumors is cool. Rumors is awesome. Rumors has IT. Period.
(you can also see some double sense in the 'period' comment. is it what Rumors has? period? XD)
Beerman - I had few demands for Bloodpit, but this drawing - Paavo as Beerman, another superhero - is just one of my favorite. A small number of these will be made =3
Teddy - I think this one will be liked very much. =3 The drawing was made for the occasion =)

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween!

Eat candy! Terrorize F- erm. >_>

Yeah. So! I don't remember and I'm a bit too lazy to check, but I think I did mention having a job now, yes? Well, I'm quitting on Wednesday. Got a better one. ;D

Gonna start studying Finnish more intensively starting on Monday. If I'm to live in Finland for a year, that'll help. So, you Finnish Closeteers (if there are any), feel free to send me babbling to admin*at*closet-inc*dot*com, in Finnish, and I'll try to write back and you can mock me 8D
And please don't be shy about writing cause really, I'm not that cool and not so many people write to me and I like mail D8

Other than that... yeah. Comic :D The Zoo!

Site on closet-inc.com will only come in a while, cause my awesome brother is going to do it for me, but his health doesn't allow it just now =/ Silly accidents are silly. But it's gonna be cool, and you're all going to be able to comment :D

I'll probably post a few (really) Halloween-related sketches during the weekend, ideas I had today but didn't get to draw in time. ^_^

Take care!!
~Laury

Friday, October 23, 2009

Helloes!

Greetings, Closeteers!

Just a quick hello.
I actually did find a job, which occupies me from 7:45am until about 4:15pm (counting transport) from Monday to Friday. Yay! It means less time to myself, which is both a good and a bad thing.
Thank you to the... 21 people who actually filled the survey. I'll consider that those are pretty much how many people WILL order, so the number of buttons made will be chosen accordingly. It'll probably mean that I'll have a lower number of designs.
I will kick my ass and actually do the designs this weekend, and hopefully manage to get them ordered this week.

As for the survey's result, here are the results:
1. Weirdly enough, Wiwian came in first. Followed closely by Jonne and Theon (ex aqueo), Jussi and Janne (bros :D), Rumors, Kris, Chulian and... Eicca. Antti (NGT), Commodore and Teemu get the next mentions.
2. The winner of the "Other" category was incontestably Jann Wilde.
Fine. (doesn't mean other mentioned won't appear)
3. With high majorities, Uniklubi, Lovex, Negative and Apocalyptica were pointed out as favorite bands for the buttons.
4. People from 12 countries over the world answer this survey :D Austria, Germany, Netherlands, USA, Canada, Australia, Italy, Costa Rica, Portugal, Finland, Denmark and France :D
5. Most people voted for buying 5 buttons, then 10, so I'm probably going to make it a customizable amount :P
6. I got a lot of, "all comics are good for buttons" and such. Thank you :D Otherwise, a lot of mentions of those with Wiwian and Theon, Jussi is more - , Innocent, Pink & Sparkly and Gaffaman. Quite workable =)

It's very sad that I can't have an unlimited amount of designs in my order. I have so many ideas, the toughest will be to choose >_> *sigh*

Also, in time for Halloween, I'll have a zoo for you ;D

Alright! So many things to do, so little time...! ATTACK! 8)

Take care!!
~Laury

Saturday, October 17, 2009

OHMYGOD I GOT 4!!! O_O

...followers on this blog. Ahah.

Well, hello to you all then.
First, a bit of news from me.
I completed today the folder for my residence permit application, and visited the consulate in Montreal to get it stamped and whatnot. All went well. Of course. I knew what to expect. We're on Saturday now so since postal services are not running on weekends - so aren't public services like embassies, either - my stuff should reach Ottawa on Tuesday, then be shipped to Finland. Then, I wait 4 to 6 months. Meh.
Still, it's progressing. Me happy.

Then, I might have found a job, which is awesome. Money + stuff to do = <3

Now. Closet related: I will (really, this time) order a new batch/edition of Closet button badges, and since they will mostly be shipped to you (the 4 people reading this 8D) I need your opinion on what they should display. There will most likely be 15 different designs, plus the banner-bearing one.
So! Please fill THIS survey if you haven't already :)

I still have to work on the new website >_> And ask my brother for assistance cause I want to stab CSS with a sharp pencil -___-;;;

I will be attending the 69 Eyes' show in Montreal on November 4th. Don't know yet if I'll bother with a new series of promo drawings to get signed, since I already have a set. Though I still miss Archzie.... we'll see.

And, for those of you weird people who might check this blog before checking the site (or the 86349086 other feeds I post the link to new comics on), here's Kukka.

Random music news: You can hear The Rasmus' new single, "October And April", featuring Anette Olzon (<3), HERE (Youtube). I personally like it, though many people didn't.

So, I guess that's all for now. I leave you with this vision of horror from my (inexistent) sewing skills.


Monday, October 12, 2009

Because it's been a bit too long, so the result disappeared.

Oops?
The poll I'd made previously about buttons was... recycled, if I may say so. The ID number was associated with another poll (not from me) so I lost all the results.
Idiot me.

If you would be nice enough.... to fill this survey HERE.
The survey is ending on Saturday the 17th of October, so I'll have the buttons about 2 weeks after. Perfectly on time for Christmas! ;D

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Wheeeee 8D

Hello Closeteers!

Not a comic just yet but just wanted to let you aaaaaall know that I'm now the proud owner of closet-inc.com! :D
Now, if any of you have good skills with CSS or website designing altogether.... contact me, because I feel like bashing my own head in the screen >_>

Sunday, October 04, 2009

Ow.

Ugh, my neck hurts.
But hey, I'm back :D

My tour of Europe (short and not the whole thing) was quite fun but tiring. I'm now back in Quebec, with no job, still with my parents (-__-) BUT holding a contract that should allow me to go back to Finland as an au pair. Finally.

Celebrated (not really) my 24th birthday on Friday (yayNOT) by not doing anything. It's kinda awful to see high school friends have babies when I don't even know on which continent I'll be living next year.
But well, it is the life I chose, and I have no little regrets.

I'll take this line to remind you that if you have Failbook, I post random stuff there (rarely drawings, but it happens) and you can watch it HERE.

I have drawn a few comics on my travels, but some will probably not be published. The reason? The joke is WAY to much of an insider. It would take AGES (no, really, 3 whole days) to explain it, and yet since (most of) you weren't there, it wouldn't be as funny.
Also, I am reminding myself that now that everyone pimped my drawings out to the Finns I draw, I have to watch what I publish :) I still have at least 2 comics, beside The Table, that I will definitely put up, possibly 3. And I have other ideas.

But! I also have to find a job, and have a job, and earn money, and do something with my person. *pulls Waury in the picture - that is my person 8D*
So it might take time. I'm actually amazed that The Table was redrawn and arranged all on the same day. But it's good.

In other news! I have pimping to do.

Suicide Love Boat. A ship has sank, and the survivors made it to a new vessel :) Please help them play Nosturi (FI) by voting HERE: enter your email address and confirm via the email they send you. Enter your *Name, *Phone number (even international), *Email, *Street Address and *Postcode with country. There are prizes to win, too :) You can vote everyday, so bookmark it!

Bloodpit Intergalactic. If you joined the Negative International community, you can easily connect your account to BP Intergalatic. Otherwise, signing up is quite easy anyway :) Warning: Insanity ;D

The 69 Eyes's new album and North American tour. I was quite surprised with the sound of Back In Blood, the x'th Eyes' album. It's a it of a change in my opinion, but I liked it :) They are starting their North American tour tomorrow (October 5th) in San Francisco, with The Becoming and Dommin. I do believe they're headlining this time, but I've had trouble finding definite info. But! Check their tour dates for the ones nearest you ;)

Also, Twitter! All warm from being created moments ago =)

That's all for now, I guess.
Looking forward to hear from you, Closeteers!

~Laury M. Dragon

Friday, September 11, 2009

Short post to say hi :)

And tell you all that I'm still alive, even though I have given no news for like, a month. And more.

I'm currently in Austria, leaving in 2 days to go back to Finland for a week. I went through Funland already, then England, then Netherlands, then Germany. And after Nightwish and Apocalyptica at the Hartwall areena in Helsinki, I'll be spending some time in Copenhagen :) And possibly a day trip to Stockholm :)

I cannot thank my friends enough for their hospitality and kindness through all of my trip. I had a LOT of fun and, even if I still don't quite know what's going to happen next, I'm optimistically tiptoeing through the tulips.
I don't know what that means. Michi just told me to write this cause she's reading over my shoulder.
But yeah. Things are going to be fine. Here's a weirdly colored tulip.

Oh, and, I have lots of things to do when I go home, closet-wise. New button badges, a Failbook comic, and a closet application... and yes, still, the website to redesign -___-

Now! Chocolate and iced tea and false-jaffa cakes!

Cheers!
<3

Laury

Saturday, August 08, 2009

Adieu!....not.

Dear Closeteers,

Sooooo.
In 24 hours, I'll be over the Atlantic, on my way to Reykjavík.
Time went by so fast.

My current travel plan is as follows:
Finland for a week, then UK for 12 days. 5 days in the Netherlands, 5 days in Germany, a week in Austria, another week in Finland, then a week in Denmark.
Fun much?
Hell yeah.
Best in all of this, is that I get to see almost all of my friends from last summer (I'm going to miss you Caitlin :'( ) =D
Granted, less Finn stalking, but honestly, we don't even need to see them to make comics up, sooo...

I don't have a long list of comics to put up during my leave this year, sadly. I'll have regular internet access though, and I'll try to wrist as often as possible to share some funnies and stories.

My return shall see new comics hopefully, a new site eventually and most likely, FINALLY buttons to be bought. 8)

So, have a nice end of summer, take good care of yourselves!!
<333

~Laury

Saturday, August 01, 2009

So the verdict falls....

...and my residence permit application is denied.
I don't have the full version yet, my papers will come in next week - with the return of my passport.

You can imagine, this came as a full hit to the face. But, I'm a ninja cat, and have already sprung back on my paws and off to a new path again. So, starting August 9th, until September 27th, I'll be traveling across Europe. Finland, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Denmark. 7 weeks across 6 countries. Fun =D

The new site isn't complete, and will not be before I leave. I have yet to decide what to do upon coming back (home-wise, work-wise, studies-wise) so it'll depend on a lot of things.

So yeah, I was pretty crushed this morning when I got the news, but I'm (amazingly) more than ok now. I'll keep you all posted =)

Take care, Closeteers!!

~Laury

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

101 Goals in 1001 Days... the knowingly less-willed version

Hello, closeteers! I'm still alive!
...barely. 8D
Still waiting for confirmation as to whether I'm even leaving the country in (!!!) 18 days. Calling tomorrow for info. =x

In the meantime... I wanted to share a very inspiring project.

So I was inspired by this project to start my own list of goals. However, knowing how well my will and determination work, I decided to start with smaller objectives - as in, less goals, in less time.

So, here's my 29 Goals in 29 Weeks list. The number 29 was chosen randomly by asking an unsuspecting person - Pinkcess - for a random number between 1 and 50.

Ongoing goals
Completed goals

1. Spend an entire afternoon looking for 4-leaf clovers
Why: Ever since primary school, I've had a thing with 4-leaf clovers. I usually find at least about a dozen per year. Up to 5 this season =) It'd be nice to take the time to look, not so much to collect them, but just relax for a full afternoon =)
How: Spend at least straight 4 hours (as little walking around as possible) looking for 4-leaf clovers.

2. Enjoy being out in the rain
Why: Most of the time I've been out in the rain, it was on my way to somewhere, and the rain was never really welcome. I feel it would have a cleansing effect to just stop running for cover and enjoy the wash =)
How: Spend a reasonable amount of time (i.e. not just 5 minutes, but not enough to get sick) under the rain, without an umbrella. Other waterproof items are allowed.

3. Try the Finnish sauna
Why: I've tried sauna just once here, and it wasn't bad... I was just very young. I should at the very least honor such an ancient tradition =)
How: Spend at least 15 minutes in a Finnish sauna - either traditional or modern.

4. Read the first book of Twilight
Why: Though the whole concept / story seems unappealing to me, I've noticed and highly disliked my disdain for something I haven't even experienced firsthand. For the sake of open-mindedness and tolerance, I shall make an effort =)
How: Read the complete first book of the Twilight series.

5. Listen to Britney's new album
Why: Very similar to the reasons for goal04: for the sake of open-mindedness, I shall try =)
How: Listen and pay attention to each song from Britney Spears's album 'Circus'

6. Listen to Jann Wilde's latest album
Why: Very similar to the reasons for goal04 and goal05: for the sake of open-mindedness, I shall try =)
How: Listen and pay attention to each song from Jann Wilde's MNeon City Rockers' album.

7. Try tasting alcohol
Why: The last time I tried drinking alcohol, I was... 15. Though I won't go back on my decision not to drink, again, for the sake of experimenting, I shall take a gulp of an alcoholic beverage.
How: Take a reasonable sip of an alcoholic beverage (not shots).

8. *PRIVATE*

9. *PRIVATE*

10. Read a random book proposed by Michi
Why: I am very much in awe of all the book Michi talks about in her posts. I wish I had enough focus to read and enjoy so many books, so, I shall start somewhere =)
How: Read in its entirety, whether it captives me or not, a book suggested by Michi.

11. Spend an entire week (7 days) eating 3 meals a day
Why: Because I often skip meals, and I know that when I'll be at school, chances are I'll skip more than one per day...
How: Eat a consistent amount of food and beverage 3 times a day, for 7 days in a row.

12. Spend 2 entire weeks (14 days) doing 1h of exercise per day
Why: As my challenge begins on August 29th, most of my 1-hour walks to go to and back from work will be over, so I'll have to make an effort.
How: Do 1 hour straight of physical exercise, i.e. walking for an hour, doing various routines with short resting periods, etc.

13. Do a one-comic-a-day week (7 days)
Why: As I write this, I do have inspiration for comics - but the stress is burning most of my creative energy. And having people waiting for every comic each day makes me feel special ;)
How: Post one comic (no older than a week) per day for 7 days in a row.

14. Do 2 one-drawing-a-day weeks (14 days)
Why: I must stimulate my creative skills and overall artistic talent, so I shall push myself to do the effort of actually creating.
How: Post one drawing (not older than 2 days) per day during 7 days in a row, x2 (excludes comic-a-day goal13)

15. Send a real secret to PostSecrets
Why: I've been enjoying PostSecrets for a few years now, and I lack the courage to send in one of my own secrets. Also, it's a creative exercise.
How: Write down a real (untold) secret on a postcard, decorate it and send it to PostSecret.

16. Customize (sewing, painting, drawing) one piece of clothing
Why: I've always dreamed of creating clothing, but again, I lack the dedication. One step at a time =)
How: Create or customize (decorate or enhance) a clothing item (shirt, t-shirt, pants, skirt, etc).

17. Do a one-photo-a-day week (7 days)
Why: I truly suck at taking pics, so this is a good occasion to work on it =)
How: Take and post one photograph per day, for 7 days in a row (excluding SPF, see goal18)

18. Start a Self-Portrait Thursday project of my own
Why: A Flickr group features that project, inviting people to take a photograph of themselves or having it taken by someone else, every Thursday, and post it every week. I thought the idea was quite interesting to see how much someone can change through the weeks and follow the evolution.
How: Take and post a picture of myself every Thursday for the 29 weeks of my challenge.

19. Have a white night out
Why: Almost did it last summer in Finland: waiting for the sun to rise in the morning. I never did that, and I feel like I should =)
How: Spend a whole night outside my living quarters (hostel, house, room, etc. : can include indoors as long as most of the night is not spent in one place) until 7:30am.

20. Visit a city in a new country (not Finland)
Why: I've officially been to: 2 countries. I need to see more!
How: Spend at least a few hours walking around in a city of a country other than Canada and Finland.

21. Post a video every week for 29 weeks
Why: I've been given a camcorder before my departure last summer, so it is only fair I put it to use. =)
How: Make and post at least one video of a minimum length of 60 seconds every week for 29 weeks.

22. Make 29 new friends
Why: I'm switching countries. I won't turn my back on my friends here, but it is normal - and imperative - that I meet new people. To learn, share, and broaden experiences =)
How: Make friends with 29 people. Those people can already be acquaintances, but a deeper knowledge of them - life, likes, strengths, etc. - is needed. Can be either in rl or online.

23. Go vegetarian for a week (7 days)
Why: I've noticed that my taste for meat has been declining over the years. I don't look at meat with disdain or distaste, but I don't mind eating less. Also, going out of my way to find new recipes / things to eat is a good way to experience new things =)
How: Eat no meat or fish for 7 days in a row. Eggs and dairies are allowed.

24. Find 29 new bands/artists I like
Why: A recurrent theme in this list, being open-minded. I used to be very open to stuff, but growing older, I lost a lot of that. So, working on it, and best way to initiate that is to start with something very dear to my heart: music.
How: Find 29 new bands/artists that don't figure on my iTunes playlist, or at least not extensively (2 songs max). Only artists that I will keep listening to for a whole week without forcing myself to will be counted.

25. Start to read a book in Finnish
Why: Because honestly, I can't wait to be good enough to do it =) I can already picture myself thrilled of actually understanding the stuff =D
How: Read a book of at least 30 pages in Finnish. Can be a children's book. Review each chapter.

26. Write a story starring Closet Characters
Why: Sometimes, the characters in my head go much faster than I can summon the creative energy to picture them, so I lose a lot of good ideas. Also, sometimes those ideas demand greater skills than I possess; so I shall try and make them come alive in people's head rather than in their eyes.
How: Write a 5-page long story in work, font size 10, starring Closet Inc. characters, either original or inspired.

27. Buy and complete a colouring book
Why: I love doing childish stuff, so this is an artistic way to do it. Also, I'll practice shading and colouring techniques =)
How: Buy a colouring book, and colour each page completely (note: not necessarily *entirely* coloured, but all elements must have color).

28. Write 29 snailmail letters of at least one page and send them out
Why: I love getting mail, so I shall send out some to share the feeling with friends =)
How: Write and send 29 letters of at least a complete page.

29. Every week, share about a band, an artist, a comic or a project on my blogs
Why: You might have noticed, I already kinda started. I've always dreamed to share such things with people, and I'm finally getting the right feeling for it.
How: Post on LJ, Twitter, Blogspot and / or Facebook about at least one project (music, art, comics, etc.) I follow regularly.


Start date: July 29th, 2009
End date: February 10th, 2010

Updates will be HERE (comics from goal13 will be published normally on Closet Inc)

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Gah -___-

Hello, Closeteers!
Sorri for the long time without news.

On Friday, I'll be sending out my residence permit application to go study in Finland, after getting it authentified by the consulate here in Montreal. This is the culminating point of lots of stress, though I'll only get the final answer in 4 to 6 weeks. Still.
Stress has kinda been killing me, ruining my sleep and making me a bit grumpy sometimes (a lot, sometimes, too). Though I don't exactly expect to be less stressed during the next 11.5 weeks (prior to my departure), I will have less to do, pocumentation-pilling-wise, so more free time. I have this 3-panel, full decor comic to finish, and a few funny ideas.
Hopefully, the Closet will help me relax.

Thank you all again, you're a big part of the reason I'm still here and soon, will be there =)

~Laury

Monday, April 13, 2009

Time Passes, People Change...

Hello, Closeteers! 
I write to you all again.

I wish you had a very nice Zombie Jesus celebration. I'm sorry I - once again, as always with predictable events - missed the occasion to draw something funny and cute. Sorri. =3

A little update on my life at the moment, just because it has and will have an influence on the closet's updates in the future.

Well, first, I was accepted in a Finnish boarding school to learn the language and culture.
Yes, in Finland.
So I will be leaving at the beginning of August, the beloved province that is Quebec, for at least 9 months of hard studies.
I will be taking my dearest baby with me, meaning my laptop, but alas, the internet connection at the school is... miraculous. As in, hard to get and rare, meaning you do with what you get.
So I might have a lot of occasions to draw - but little occasion to post.
That might mean that I put more effort in colouring, shading, or even, who knows... backgrounds?
(this has NOTHING to do with the latter part of this post)

So. I will be leaving in less than 4 months now, and to be absolutely honest, this is scaring the fucking shit out of me. But. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. I believe this and will go to the end of my dream.
even if I'll just have enough money after that to try and find a way to stay, otherwise I'll have to come back here and I'd rather not
This also means that I have a shitload of paperwork to go through. Lots. Of. Fun.

I... still managed to complete this project I started a while ago. See, the absence of a location for my comics started to get on my nerves a while ago already. Sooooo. I worked on it.

And I give you... Closet Baari! =D

Please note the following:
- the curtain poles and decoration made with clothes hangers;
- the pictures on the walls from Closet Inc;
- the toilet signs;
- Jussi scurrying away on all fours;
- Masa's flushed look.

Also,
- Closet Bar only serves iced tea. Don't ask why.
- The bartender is PB (Phantom Bartender).
[yes, it's PK, but you know, he needed a part-time job, and he deals well with annoying customers]
- Rumors were made for that job.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Requiescat In Pace. Paul Vallée, 1917-2009.

Jgffhbgygtrrsstt.
*sighs*
Well, this will be a short break.
My grandpa died this morning - 91, he had a long, fully-spent life - so Friday and Saturday will be spent in my family. I'm working tomorrow (Wednesday) and 12 hours on Thursday, then on Sunday I have a special dinner for a friend and colleague. I also promised to walk a lovely, gigantic dog sometime this weekend, then starting Monday it's 10-hour work days.
I also need to find time to sleep.
So, sorri, I have 2 comic ideas, I started working on revamping the links, I continued the buttons - but this'll have to wait a little.

~Laury

Monday, March 23, 2009

Listen!

New Bloodpit song available to listen!

http://www.last.fm/music/Bloodpit

Honestly? It's been ages since I've been looking forward to listen to an album like I am now =D

Friday, March 20, 2009

For you to be saaaaafeeee...

Helloz~

A short message to mention that Bloodpit's new album, titled 'The Last Day Before The First', is completed. You will be able to listen to a new song on their Last.Fm profile.

Tomorrow - March 21rst - will mark Closet Inc's 3rd birthday. And since the world is against me - noooo, I'm not paranoid at all - what I was planning for it might not be ready. A short comic anyway, hopefully.

Take carez~~
~Laury

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Who do you want on your buttons?
Jonne
Larry
Christus
Jussi Selo
Janne Selo
Teemu
Commodore
Emily
Rumors
Theon
Vivian
Chulian
Antti Anatomy
Juha
Tuomas
Emppu
Marco
Eicca
Perttu
Mikko
Jussi 69
Jyrki 69
Oskari
Ville Liimatainen
Alarik
Paavo (Bloodpit)
Antti Ravin (Bloodpit)
Matthau
She Who Hates Pink
Someone else (please comment)
  
pollcode.com free polls

*gasps!*

Long time with no update... eh. I'm sorri. My tablet was dying and I've been sick all of last week.


I will briefly share a bit of frustrastion here.

On Sunday, my shoulder and neck hurt. I had fever, and felt generally horrible. Took me 45 minutes to actually find the will to move around in my bed. Bad.

On Monday, I felt a bit better. In the evening, my throat started hurting, so I took a bit of syrup.

On Tuesday morning, it was hurting more. The day went by, and I progressively lost my voice, though I wasn't coughing. I bought a new type of syrup. An hour after, I started coughing.

On Wednesday, I went to the clinic and, after waiting for 3 hours, got antibiotics prescribed. An hour after I took the first dose, my nose started running. Dripping. It was like water. But from my nose.

(I named it, The Faucet)

On Thursday, it started clogging my sinuses. I went back to the clinic, they told me to wait, it'd probably go away by itself.

On Friday, at 3:30am, when I decided that trying to sleep was a waste of time, I also decided that I'd stop the antibiotics. After all, something that makes mucus flow down my throat and keeps me from resting can't really be that good for me to fight a throat infection, can it?

On Saturday afternoon, after having been meds-free for a bit less than 48 hours, I felt better than I had in a week. I cough from time to time, but I still have my voice.

I have the feeling that the more meds I took, the sicker I was. I got my lesson, thankyouverymuch.


~~~


In other, more funnier news, a few weeks ago I got FANART 8D

Ok, considering that most of my characters are fanarts of Finnish bands, it's kinda hard to draw fanart of my comics.

But it's possible!

SWHP, Pinkass, Commodore, Emily, PK, and now Rumors and Facts are all original characters.

One of my best friends - and also my idol, drawing-wise (I hate her) - Pakou, drew the following for me <333


I love her imterpretation of genderless/ful Rumors =) You can see another fanart she did of Commodore and Emily HERE. From there, just click on her username (mmstery) to see the rest of her beautiful artwork =D
P.S.: You can draw and send me fanart, too =D
~~~~
Lately, my tablet has been acting up a little, so I decided it was time to replace it.
I had a graphire 4, and bought a nice Bamboo tablet today to replace my dying graphire. I love the design of the Bamboo <3>
...I hope I'll get more votes than emails... :P

Monday, February 23, 2009

Opinions / Suggestions needed!

A few weeks / months / "insert time measure here" ago, I mentioned wanting to make buttons out of closet inc. drawings. For Christmas, some of my friends were the lucky / unlucky recievers of my first batch, which turned out quite nicely all in all. There were some corrections to do, mostly on colors and contrasts.

Now my question to you, dear readers / fellow stalkers (or maybe I should call you closeters? closeteers? clostalkers? join your suggestions on the matter) is, what would YOU want on buttons? Which drawing, text, quote? After all, they will be eventually yours, so it's only fair you get to choose.

Send your suggestions - button designs & closet readers nicknames - to closet.inc.sseksi(at)gmail(dot)com, whether or not you're planning on ordering buttons.

Pleaaaaaaasseeeeeeee write to meeeeeeeeeeee thank you =)

Details on said buttons: 1-inch metal buttons, will come in minimum order of 10 (can be all different designs) starting at 10$CAN, shipping included [2$ shipping to US & Canada, 4$ everywhere else]. All profits will go toward my comics: either toward a new graphic tablet - again -_-;; - or toward the hosting of closet inc. as an independant website (googlepages is going to disappear in a while, and googlesites is just not an option).

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Jails and Bricks

Taken from Metal From Finland:

"FOR MY PAIN…, the Finnish "goth metal" supergroup featuring Tuomas Holopainen (NIGHTWISH) on keyboards, Altti Veteläinen (ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW) on bass, Lauri Tuohimaa (EMBRAZE) on guitar, Olli-Pekka Törrö (ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW) on guitar, Juha Kylmänen (REFLEXION) on vocals, and Petri Sankala (ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW) on drums, will have its 2003 debut album, "Fallen", released in the U.K. via Spinefarm Records. In addition to the 10 tracks featured on the original release, "Fallen" — mixed by Mikko Karmila, a man who has shaped the sound of Finland's foremost rock acts — will come with the U.K.-only bonus track "Killing Romance", a chart single in Finland back in 2004."

I cannot help but smile and giggle a little at this, only because of my first comic, Dear Carniwhore (which, I'll remind you, was inspired by the FMP song of the same title). Hopefully this also means the project is not dead, and there could be a follow up.... =D


On another note, the other day I was thinking about random stuff and I came up with an interesting definition.

To brick someone: verb. To radically express your disagreement in a "constructive" way.

I think I'll try to think of more definitions like that XD

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

New use for this place...!

Hello there!

Lately I've been swaaarmed by emails - no, not true, not swarmed, but pleasantly showered with =D - and I thought, it'd be fun to give some news or just share some thoughts with the 'few' people reading my comics now (about 60 visitors a day, which is huge for me, in my humble opinion).
So, I shall post here from time to time, when I find, think or make up stuff that might interest you, very dear readers. =)

So, for this post, I want to thank deeply all of you, for your support and emails and laughs that I can almost hear from here. Closet Inc reached 50,000 visitors in a bit less than 3 years now, and considering I just did this to entertain my friends and I, I'm extremely flattered that so many people enjoy those little idiotic drawings. Yet, awfully grateful. <3

Also, I have to make mention of the latest friend request I got on CI's MySpace, from a girl whose username was 'Reality'. So it went like this, "Reality wants to be your friend!". I really thought, "I'm not interested, I make my own world :P" but accepted it of course. I just found it giggle-worth =)

Oooh, and I'm getting fanart! Wheeweeeheeee! <3
(Would have been hard to get fanart before, since basically, Closet Inc IS fanart XD)

Sooo... that's it for today I think.
Take care~~
~Laury