Special SectionsThe Pulse (2006)

Crafty artist stitches ‘love’ into art

It may look like ordinary felt, but once Suzi Boneshaker uses her artistic charm and a pair of sharpened scissors, the simple fabric becomes a wide-eyed skull patch, a new piece to add to her collection. / photo by Reina Santa Cruz
It may look like ordinary felt, but once Suzi Boneshaker uses her artistic charm and a pair of sharpened scissors, the simple fabric becomes a wide-eyed skull patch, a new piece to add to her collection. / photo by Reina Santa Cruz

Valerie Rojas
Co-editor

Wide-eyed skulls. Hot pink bows. Blood red rosettes. Vampire Bats. Kittens wearing eye patches. Whales. Helicopters. Throw in some embroidery floss and there you have it: “Love Charms,” a creepily cute collection of handmade arts and crafts all lovingly sewn together by Westminster artist Suzi Emanuele-Manbeck, better known as Suzi Boneshaker.

“Love Charms” aren’t your average collection of arts and crafts. Using felt as her primary tool and draw-ing on inspiration from the seemingly horrific to the downright rocking ‘n’ rolling, Suzi, 36, creates detailed pieces of three-dimensional art that reflect the more adorable aspects of the monster realm.

“Think of something a 6 year old would make, with a twisted sense of humor,” Suzi said, attempting to describe her art to those who have yet to see it.

Suzi may claim that her art is childlike, but in all honesty, her collections are much more detailed and intricate than she gives her-self credit for: a seamless culmination of all that inspires her, handcrafted using felt and embroidery floss and custom made for art enthusiasts or those who simply have a thing for adorable accessories.

From beautiful barrettes and other heart-shaped hair accessories decorated with miniature skulls to cozy mittens adorned with the faces of cuddly kittens and infants’ onesies featuring a cartoon skull that has come to be Suzi’s signature design, the “Love Charms” line offers more than just a piece of art that will decorate a person’s living room. Suzi creates art that can actually be worn and put to practical use in everyday wear.

And with prices ranging from $10 for a barrette or pin to $55 for an 8”x10” piece, Suzi strives to make her art affordable for any-one who wants a piece.

“I like pieces to be afford-able for those that might not normally collect art,” she said.

Suzi will even create custom art for customers who request a certain style of “Love Charm.”

Suzi Boneshaker’s newest tattoo is one she designed herself. The cartoon skull etched onto her calf is found decorating many of her “Love Charms” creations, including hair accessories and onesies. / photo by Reina Santa Cruz
Suzi Boneshaker’s newest tattoo is one she designed herself. The cartoon skull etched onto her calf is found decorating many of her “Love Charms” creations, including hair accessories and onesies. / photo by Reina Santa Cruz

“Requests are challenging. They provoke me to do something I don’t normally do,” Suzi said. “But, if I don’t think it is appropriate for my style, I won’t do it.”

Suzi’s distinct style is evident in each of her personally designed pieces, but the many sources of inspiration behind her work may not be as obvious.

“Suzi’s art is cool, modern and a little bit retro all at the same time,” said Natalie Jean Phelps, a friend of Suzi and a collector of her art.

Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Jailhouse Rock” star-ring Elvis Presley are just two of the movies Suzi cites as her main inspiration, among other things.

“Almost everything inspires me. Music, movies, friends. Life, death and everything in between,” Suzi said. “One of my favorite movies is Steve McQueen’s ‘The Blob’ although I haven’t made any blob pieces yet.”

Once inspired, Suzi jots down a doodle of the fantastic vision she holds in her head. She then creates a stencil that she will use to trim the felt into the desired shape necessary.

The stencil is used to shape the felt that will then be used for the main piece, which will later be sewn into the whole picture; all in all a process that—depending on the complexity of the piece—can take an hour or two to complete.

After the piece has been cut, stuffed and sewn, Suzi mounts the finished product and frames it using revamped picture frames that she usually purchases at thrift stores.

Suzi described the creation process in four easy steps: “I cut it, sew it, stuff it, mount it and voilá!”

Suzi officially began creating “Love Charms” in 2004 after she laid her eyes on a robot pillow a friend had made out of felt for a gift exchange during a Christmas party.

“I thought, ‘I can do that,’” Suzi said.

Suzi began doodling with designs and “Love Charms” had its start when she created her first piece: a black and green bat-shaped ornament. Since then, Suzi has created an estimated 36 pieces.

“It’s really cool seeing her do this,” Suzi’s husband, Brooks, 37, said. “She’s always wanted to be creative and never really followed through with it. It’s really cool that now she’s following through on this and people are really digging it.”

Suzi attributes the majority of her success and sales to her MySpace, where her art is available for sale: www.myspace.com/lovecharmsbysuzib.

“I probably wouldn’t make half the money I have if it wasn’t for MySpace,” Suzi said. “It may be the root of evil when it comes to child predators, but MySpace is great for me.”

On average, Suzi devotes nearly 10 hours per week to her craft although she realizes she should sacrifice more time, but admits that is hard to do when the majority of her work week is spent as a scheduling assistant at Disneyland.

“I should devote more time, but I’m kind of lazy,” Suzi said.

Laziness aside, Suzi has managed to produce enough work to be showcased in various art shows and craft fairs.

Three of her pieces were recently on display in a Sacramento art show titled “Whales and Helicopters,” and another piece was recently featured in a monster themed art show in Italy titled “Sono arrivati I mostri,” translation: “The monster arrives to you.”

Suzi has plans to participate in upcoming craft fairs including the infamous Bazaar Bizarre scheduled to invade Los Angeles December 2006.

“I have to get myself in gear to produce,” Suzi said. “Aside from world domination, I want to take my art as far as it can go, without going corporate.”

Westminster resident Suzi Boneshaker spends her week scheduling the workdays of fairy princesses and masked rodents at Disneyland. But in her spare time she crafts “Love Charms.” One of her earlier projects titled “Valentine” sits in a miniature shrine composed of Elvis Presley, Hello Kitty and monster memorabilia. / photo by Reina Santa Cruz
Westminster resident Suzi Boneshaker spends her week scheduling the workdays of fairy princesses and masked rodents at Disneyland. But in her spare time she crafts “Love Charms.” One of her earlier projects titled “Valentine” sits in a miniature shrine composed of Elvis Presley, Hello Kitty and monster memorabilia. / photo by Reina Santa Cruz
Some of Suzi Boneshaker’s most popular creations are hanging ornaments that jazz up any home or office. This earlier piece is a reminder that when it comes to her charms, love is always in the air. / photo by Reina Santa Cruz
Some of Suzi Boneshaker’s most popular creations are hanging ornaments that jazz up any home or office. This earlier piece is a reminder that when it comes to her charms, love is always in the air. / photo by Reina Santa Cruz
Valerie Rojas, Editor in Chief
Valerie Rojas
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