Last day to order a custom beard!

I know I've been harping on this a lot lately, but I wanted to send out one last reminder that today is the last day to order a custom beard from my shop. During February, I'll be using up the rest of my supplies, and adding them to my shop as they are completed. Many beard colors are already sold out. Also long gone: the Don't Shave postcards, felt moustaches, and beardy stickers (although a few little extras will be showing up in customers' packages right up until the shop closes).

The plan is to close the shop on March 1... I'll be sharing more info about my future plans around then, so stay tuned.

The perfect valentine for your favorite beardo. I think the card (a perennial favorite from Power and Light Press) speaks for itself.

While I don't know anyone in West Virginia, this t-shirt is perfect for any mountain beardos you might know. Found it in NeveInspired's Etsy shop.

This card fills me with emotions! Can you imagine getting a card like this from someone with a fantastic beard? What a wonderful compliment :) Letterpress card from The Hungry Workshop.

Literary Beardliness

Did you know that Herman Melville had 25 descriptive phrases for beards? You can find a comprehensive list here, my favorites are, "the crop," and, "muzzle-lashings."

Thanks to Agnes from Betty Turbo for sending this my way!

I know that Zeus' beard is supposed to be a force to be reckoned with... but isn't this Zeus illustration just adorable?? Nice work, inabunnysuit!

This portrait of Darwin is so sweet, his beard almost fades into the background. Find it in Sarah McNeil's Etsy shop.

Loving this weird liquidy beard from the little canoe.

Almost time to start thinking about Valentine's Day, beardos! I know I can hear some of you groaning at the thought, but who wouldn't want to receive an adorable moustachioed heart on the 14th? "Mister Frenchy" is made by littlemiso.

Something about this drawing by David Krofta makes me smile.

Marc Johns = Beard Art God?

Another fantastic drawing from Marc Johns, who I have blogged about many times before.

Really getting down to the ends of my yarn stash. See a color you'd like me to make into a beard for you? Better let me know soon :)

So many people emailed me about this, yet I am only just getting around to posting about it... whoops! Magnificent Specimens, a show of portrait photography by Dave Mead, is up at Land Gallery in Portland, OR until Feb. 13. If you live in the Pacific NW, you'd be wise to go take a peek!

Found this illustration of Darwin by Barry Bruner in that book I was featured in last year, Hair'em Scare'em. Lots of good stuff in that book, maybe I'll feature more of it next week!

Added a new bright white gnome beard to the shop. I can't seem to find the nice off-white felt I used to buy... actually, the fabric store near my house is closing altogether. Good thing I've got a pretty big stash of supplies left over!

Just a quick note to anyone still hoping to order a custom beard: I am planning to stop offering custom beards on Feb. 1. At that point, you'll be at the mercy of whatever colors I've got left :)

Another creepy painting from Winnie Truong. So much to be creeped out about in this one...

I have been so lucky to be included in some fantastic treasuries on Etsy recently, thought I would share a couple that were particularly beard-focused collections. The one above was created by MariesVintage, the one below, by hjmoore.


If you'd like to see some of the treasuries I've made, click here or here.

I think I've featured these before, but I still love the little hand knitted beards on these blokes. Find them at Handmade Romance.

Doesn't get much cuter than this illustration from jikits.

I realized I have a lot of this purple felt left, so I am marking down all remaining Purple Gnome Beards in the shop (was $18, now $15). Fun! Everyone likes an inexpensive beard!

Did you know that Man's Face Stuff now offers a Moustache Wax Action Pack?? Perfect for your manly friend on the go!

According to Jolby (the illustrator) "'Old salt' is defined as someone who has served a long time aboard a ship and tells the many tales passed down to him from generation to generation, including his own."

Another great illustration from Dan Bob Thompson! Love how pointy his beard is.

Spotted this awesome illustration on ffffound, but unfortunately, cannot find the artist attribution... damn you ffffound! If any of you awesome readers know who made this, let me know! Thanks to reader gracielou, we now know that the artist is Winnie Truong!

Feeling under the weather...

Caught my first cold of 2011... ugh. Posting might be light for the next few days while I recover. Awesome germ illustration by Jered Schorr.

Love this saucy grandpa, don't you? Illustration by Ryan Feerer.

Fun punch-card for a new coffee shop oening soon in Tacoma, WA. Designed by Partly Sunny, you punch the ringlets in his beard until you get a free coffee! Great design!

A couple beardy works from Dan Bob Thompson.

A note to this week's giveaway winners: keep an eye on your mailboxes! Your prizes were mailed out on Wednesday. For my international winners, it may be a week or two, but your calendars will be there before you know it :)

For everyone else: I'll be including a free beardy calendar card with every purchase this month! Hooray for 2011!

Awesome paintings on wood by Colt Bowden. Check out his Flickr stream for more beardos.

Fuzzy posters from Fuzzy Ink.

Great collection of bearded men, found here.

Really intriguing piece by Jolby. Lasercut wood mounted over an inked panel to make "Blackbeard!"

amazing find of the day:

These crazy beard socks have been making me smile.

The beginning of the end for I Made You A Beard

When I started this beard project in 2008, I just wanted to share my weird sense of humor with the world, and dip a toe into the online handmade marketplace. There's no way I could have predicted the overwhelming response to my beards, and I am more grateful than you could know that I've found such an amazing and supportive audience.

After more than two years as a full-time beard maker, however, I feel ready to take on other creative projects in 2011. It is with a little sadness that I announce the beginning of the end of I Made You a Beard. While it is hard to walk away from a project that is so much fun (and provides the bulk of my income!), this feels like a good time to wrap up this project and move on to other, less hairy, goals.

In the next month, I am planning on offering a final batch of custom beard orders, in case you have not yet ordered your dream beard! After that, I'll be using up and clearing out the remaining supplies and closing shop by March 1. I'll continue to post my own projects and news, as well as my favorite beardy finds, here on the blog until then. I'm hoping to debut a really fantastic final beard, too, so keep your eyes peeled for that later this month.

I am nervous about ending such a successful project (to me, anyway!) and plunging back into the unknown, but I feel confident that 2011 will be filled with lots of fun new projects and challenges. Thanks so much for your support over the last couple years, this beard maker will never forget it.

Yours in beardliness,
Erin

I was excited to see this pop up in my inbox, it's the preview of the Nylon Korea article I'll be featured in this month! A great way to start off 2011 :)