About the workshop
A basement, a laser,
and a freak flag flying.
Yin and yang of Hauntingly Evil SFX
This started with prosthetics. Clay and latex, sculpted in the off hours so I'd have something wearable for Haunt season. I got hooked, opened Hauntingly Evil SFX on Etsy, filed the LLC, and kept sculpting — bigger pieces, more prosthetics, and eventually masks.
Somewhere in there I built the Monster Tiki Torches. A friend told me I had to sell them, said I should do the TransWorld Halloween show in Philadelphia. We were going anyway, so I figured why not. Turned out I did pretty well.
The horror industry is huge, but it's also a tight lane for a small shop. I'd been curious about laser work for a while, so I pulled the trigger on a machine and started figuring out how it could fit into what I already do. It cracked open a lot of new doors — and a lot of ideas I didn't see coming.
Driving with my wife one day, I started thinking about Jaws. "We're gonna need a bigger boat" on a cutting board with a shark, some meat, some veggies. Then "The power of Christ compels you… to make soup." I'm behind the wheel giggling. She asks what's up, I tell her, and she says no one is going to buy those. As of right now, they're my best sellers.
Then Chopping Broccoli popped in — of course I started singing it — and I pictured broccolis with arms and legs running from a knife. I can't count how many people walk past the booth singing that song. A couple of kids the other day loved it and had no idea where it was from. Gladiator came next: "Are you not entertained" turned into "Are you not hungry." Not everyone gets that one. I love it anyway.
The line keeps growing. I'm building out a GenX collection for all the sarcastic, wonderful stuff about my generation. I'm making sober pieces because most of what's out there is stale and boring, and being sober is not either of those things. Lower than whale shit comes from Richard — an old timer from when I was first getting sober. He said it just about every time he opened his mouth. He's permanently burned into my head, in the best way. I never want to feel like that again, and that's the point.
If you see something here you don't get, or don't agree with — fair. Just know most of it has a story behind it.
I opened Happy Soul Workshop as a separate shop so I wouldn't confuse the horror crowd with the cutting-board crowd. After I named it, I realized it's basically the yin-yang of my world — the good side, the evil side. So, like Hendrix, I'm going to let my freak flag fly and hope you find something in here worth taking home.
— Happy Soul Workshop
Bamboo cutting board — “We’re gonna need a bigger cutting board.”
How a piece actually gets made
No hand-sketching,
no fake romance.
- 01You send me the idea. I sit with it until I have a concept I think you'll love.
- 02Design happens in xTool's software, sometimes with ChatGPT helping me chase mockups. I send options; you pick.
- 03Engraving runs on my xTool P2 — a CO2 laser. I'm not cutting boards from raw lumber or burning by hand.
- 04I work on wood, acrylic, leather and pleather, slate, glass, tumblers, and tile. Canvas has made a few appearances.
- 05Sanding only happens if I mess up. Then it's wiped down, packed in a plain box or bubble mailer, and shipped.
From the shelves
A sample of what's actually on the shelves right now.
Bamboo cutting board set — Dracula, Gothic line.
Hardwood serving tray — America 250, Americana line.
Slate coaster — “Lower than whale shit,” Sober line.
20oz black tumbler — “Dumbest shit I ever said,” GenX line.
Edge-lit LED acrylic sign — “Everything is Fine” raven.
Acacia coaster set — coffee, character defects, and a zombie hand.
The shelf is on Etsy
Every piece in our shop is one we'd keep for ourselves.
Ready-to-ship keepsakes — gothic curios, sober milestones, Americana, and a few oddities — live in the Etsy shop. Reviews, photos, and the full inventory are over there.
Shop on Etsy