As the spine tingling fun of the announcements creep in, I am now summoning artists, creators, and business owners who want to be part of the terror by donating prizes for the convention’s exclusive VIP Party raffles!
The VIP Party is a killer event attended by Ultimate Ticket Holders and Celebrity Guests, making it the perfect place to have your creations and products showcased in front of the most dedicated fans and the celebs at Chicago’s largest and longest running horror movie convention.
😱 Want to become a prize sponsor? Visit this link to learn how you can contribute and get involved!
😱 Know an artist, creator, or business whose items would make a killer raffle prize? Summon them by sharing this post!
Who knows… your prize might just be the one everyone is dying to win this year! 🎟️ 🧟♂️
You may recall a little fiend (aka friend) I made at Flashback Weekend in 2021. It was the first time since the pandemic that we were finally able to go to a horror con again and she had the right idea on masking up.. as Sam from Trick ‘r Treat! She asked to take a photo with our Stripe gremlin and I myself just had to get a pic with her and her amazing cosplay.
Since then, Raven aka The Mini Creep has become a part of my horror community fam and I have stayed in contact with her and her Mom ever since. They are the ones I give credit to for getting to spend our anniversary getaway dinner at Famous Monsters Pizza. They have also given me lots of other travel advice including tips for when I finally get to take my dream trip to Salem, MA.
I have had the joy of buying some of the items she has put up for sale and supporting her fundraising efforts so she can continue doing what she loves…. going to cons, cosplaying her heart out, and meeting her fave icons and people (like myself) that love the genre. Something I would’ve loved to have done when I was her age if stuff like this has existed back then. Another thing I love about Raven is not only does she rock her cosplay to the fullest, she actually helps her Mom make the costumes. I have even had the honor of seeing sneak peek photos that she sends to me during their creation process. She has entered many costume contests at these cons and she impresses the judges with her abilities to act the characters out on stage. Not surprising though, as this little one is also a scream queen herself and has already landed a few acting gigs along the way.
As a thank you for my support she painted me a small painting which she sent to me with some other goodies, including her Pennywise cosplay logo sticker which is seen here displayed on my art drawing board. I just adore that she chose to use my fave galaxy colors for the painting she made me. They definitely scream “Nicole” and it is now displayed in my art space room.
So now that you know about The Mini Creep, here is where the Freaky Fanatic part comes in. She recently sent me this adorable photo of herself proudly displaying her print of my “Be Wise. Be Brave. Be Tricky.” painting of Coraline and I just had to share it (with her Mom’s permission of corpse) ….
Thank you for being so ghoul Raven and sending me this awesome photo! Keep doing what you love!
Want to see more photos of my Freaky Fanatics (aka happy customers) then be sure to stop by my official art portfolio website where you will see Raven along with all the others in my slideshows! It may just inspire you to buy something from my Etsy shop or display case at Closet Collectibles and become a Freaky Fanatic yourself!
I was so thrilled to see this photo in my inbox. It comes from one of my customers John and it shows how he has displayed my “Penny Furter” print in his home! 🎈
John loved the piece so much he purchased a 2nd print so his wife has something unique for Tim Curry to sign at the upcoming Monsterpalooza convention! I always love when my artwork is used for these memorable experiences and can’t wait to hear more from John after they meet the legend himself.
Are you a Tim Curry fan? Looking for something unique for the next horror con? Be sure to get your own “Penny Furter” print or t-shirt in my Etsy shop! Prints are also available to purchase in person at Closet Collectibles in Crete IL!
As my blog and bio readers are fully aware, I attend a lot of conventions to network, gift my art and be around like minded people. The first horror con we ever went to was Flashback Weekend in 2004 (where we met Sid for the first time). We have been attending them regularly, every year since. We even travel to them or have mini staycations for the whole weekend to really make the most of them.
Since COVID hit we haven’t been able to attend any conventions and have been having major withdrawals. Most cons were cancelled or dates kept being pushed back for a long period of time. As they started to gradually make a small come back we were still avoiding crowds, not traveling and masks were still mandatory for photos etc. Not to mention they would be planned and then cancelled as restrictions were changing from day to day.
Since things have started to re-open more, Flashback Weekend announced their return. We originally were not going to attend. Wait it out some more but my husband Frank and I discussed it and on a last minute whim decided to go. We figured if they decide to shut the world down again at least we got to get our horror con fix in. Being smart about things still being so unknown we decided to only go one day and on a Sunday which as any convention goer knows, is the quietest and least crowded day to attend.
Here are some highlights from our last minute horror con adventure…
One of the most exciting parts of the day was when we decided to adopt a life size Stripe Gremlin. He enjoyed the convention with us all day long. The best was when a young girl passed us and said “Ohhhhhh.. you broke the 12 O’Clock rule!” Frank and I laughed about it all day….
Stripe Garcia also helped us connect with some new horror fanatic friends. So many people stopped and asked about him or took photos of him. Including the most adorable young cosplayer who goes by The Mini Creep. She saw him and asked if she could take a photo with him. I saw her incredible Sam costume and asked if I could take a photo with her. It made my creepy little soul happy to see someone so young and so excited to dress up and be a real part of things. It made me flash back to the day I was little and dressed like Elvira and how much I would’ve loved events like this when I was a kid.
The Mini Creep & Living Dead Girl Nicole
Then of corpse the main reason we came to the convention was to embrace our inner 80’s child. When we saw the guest list there were 2 main things we wanted to accomplish, and that was having a mogwai play date with Billy Peltzer and finding the shooting star that would lead us to a circus tent from space! Check and check!
Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) – GremlinsRudy (Mike Martinez) and Slim (Harrod Blank) Killer Klowns From Outerspace
We were so glad that we were able to enjoy a horror con again. It was just what we needed. We knew we missed our horror community but after being there again after so long it really hit us how badly we missed it. Oddly enough it was refreshing. I guess if I were to describe it from my witchy point of view I would honestly say it re-grounded me. I was having a bit of a stressful week and I think Frank knew this would lift my spirits (goddess do I love this man).
Thank you again to Flashback Weekend for putting on another fun and safe event for us horror geeks to feel free again!
