Sick and Tiled with Bazooka Jenn

I am extremely pleased to introduce the ghoul I interviewed for this post. She is a horror freak much like myself and is someone that embraces this love with open arms and a handful of tiles and records. Her name is Jenn, but I may have to nickname her Wonder Woman because she, literally, does it all. She is a wife, mother, pet owner, crafter, and business owner. Jenn specializes in horror themed home decor items that includes everything from clocks to coasters! On top of this, she is thinking about expanding her business even more! She is an awesome and creative lady and I think that if she lived near me we would be really close friends. There is just something about horror that tends to bring people together. I learned a lot more about Jenn recently and it would be rude of me not to share. So sit back and get to know the owner of Sick and Tiled: Bazooka Jenn! 

My name is Jenn (Bazooka Jenn on FB. Find me!), 31. I'm a mom to 2 of the coolest little boys ever, Merrick (8) and Brody (6) and married to my college sweetheart/drinking buddy Adam for nearly 5 years. We met at special effects school 9 years ago and have been together since. We have 2 pets, a black lab named Loki (the hubs likes Norse Mythology) and a furball named Izzy (I like G'N'R). Aside from being a fulltime mom, I'm also the owner and creator of Sick and Tiled.

1. What types of items do you make and sell?

I make a lot of home decor (clocks, drink coasters, light switch plates, etc) with gothic, geeky and/or horror movie themes to them but I'm a bit fickle, honestly, and may branch out into more clothing and repurposed furniture. Right now, I'm working on really cool yet creepy wall art and I'm pretty excited about it.

2. How long have you been crafting and how did you get started?

Well, I've always had a little crafter in me, but I started doing more after I had my kids. Simple stuff mostly. Then, as the kids got older, I had more time and instead of returning to work right away, I started Sick and Tiled. It's the shop's 2 yr anniversary on the 28th!! 

3. Where does a lot of your inspiration come from?

Horror movies, mostly. But, also from my personal aesthetic. I like things with personality.....Dark, unusual, weird.....I pretty much put things in the shop that *I* would love to own. This shop has a lot of me in it. I've always been a HUGE horror fan, so it seemed inevitable that I'd be doing something along those lines. 

4. Is there a certain aspect of horror films that you tend to depict in your work more than any other? (ie scream queens, slashers, villains, classic horror, cult films)

I'm not gonna lie, I think I still live in the 80s-early 90s when it comes to horror. A lot of items have been inspired by cheesy slasher movie that I grew up loving. I figure I can't be the only one that loves these so I'm trying to carve out a little niche in the horror memorabilia circuit. 

5. Where did the inspiration for your tiled trays and wall art come from? Is this something we can expect to see more of in your shop in the future?

The inspiration for the trays came from Martha Stewart. Seriously! I found tutorial in one of her books for a tiled tray, in which I changed to fit my needs. I think hers was some kind of beachy looking tray, but not mine. Mine needed some "balls". 

As for the wall art, it's been something I've wanted to do for a while. The coasters come out looking so good, that I almost don't want to sell them as coasters, but instead keep them and hang them all on my walls. 

More of both coming soon!!

6. Have you ever had a piece that you couldn't bare to part with? What is it and what made it so special? 

Ok, I know this sounds really lame, but do you remember when I said that I live in the 80s/90s? Well, that applies to a lot of music too. That said, I love hair metal. To be more specific, Whitesnake. So, during "cocktail hour", I tossed my vinyl record to my hubby, but it hit the something and cracked. I couldn't use it anymore, so I turned it into a clock that now hangs in the dining room. If you look closely at the picture, you can see where it's cracked. 

7. Are you working on anything new that you would like to share with my readers?

I'm going to be making a lot more coasters, wall art, trays, and puzzle magnets (to name a few) in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!!!!!! Also, there is a 2nd Anniversary sale going on right now!

And if you find my shop through this site, use the code GBFBLOG for a 10% discount off orders $10 or more!

8. February marks your shop two year anniversary. Congrats! I also noticed that you are coming close to having 300 sales! That is amazing, especially when you consider that some shops don't hit 30 sales in their first two years. What do you think has helped make your shop become so successful?

Persistance, i.e. a facebook addiction. Just kidding....kind of. I do a lot of promoting through both my shop page (www.facebook.com/sickandtiled) and my personal page. I think when using social networking as a major source of advertising, it's important to really show your personality. So, in between a random horror movie trailer, music video or ridiciously funny posts from yours truly, you're bound to see the what I have in the shop.

9. There are a lot of sellers on Etsy that sell horror related items, myself included. Granted, horror decor is not the biggest category on Etsy, but it is one that is growing. How do you think this will impact fellow horror related Etsy shops?

I'm hoping positively! Horror fans are a passionate group and are always coming out of the woodworks. They love to show off any horror merch they have, so it's just a matter of getting seen.

10. There were a ton of horror movies that came out last year. Were there any that you saw that you would recommend? What are they and why?

I was really surprised at how much I liked Cabin In The Woods. I originally thought it was just another teen horror movie that I'd hate, but if I would have noticed it was a Joss Whedon movie, I would have seen it sooner. Lovely Molly and The Possesion was cool. The subject in The Possesion is pretty creepy. I've heard stories about the box prior to the movie and it's supposedly bad luck to even say its name! TRY AT YOUR OWN RISK!

11. Are there any horror movies coming out in the next few months that you are dying to see? What are they and why?
Nothing has peeked my interest so far this year. I'm not sure yet about the new Evil Dead movie because I'm partial to the original, so we'll see. I am a little excited about World War Z because out of every type of monster, zombies are my favorites. But, based on trailer, I could go either way, as long as I don't take it too seriously. 

If you would like to know more about Bazooka Jenn and her work you can Shop on her Etsy Page, Friend her on Facebook, and Like her Shop's Fan Page.

Also, Bazooka Jenn will also be working with me on my first Ghoul Talk post where we will discuss Horror Movie Remakes and Reboots. This is a growing trend that is becoming a large part of horror movie culture. Plus, with The Evil Dead and Carrie coming out this Spring there is no better time for a little Ghoul Talk on the topic.