She's Off Her Rocker

2012-02-01T09:08:00.000-08:00

White Magic Cat Lamp!

Thanks for stopping by,....

2012-01-12T16:42:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Thanks for stopping by!

2011-12-12T19:12:00.000-08:00

New Christmas Pieces!
Just in time for the SpookyTime Jingles update tonight at midnight are several new pieces! First up,.. a Snow Moon Luminary! Her eyes how they twinkle,..her cheeks how merry!

The colors of this tree inspired my entire pallette...and I have had too much fun playing with it ...my sister Dusti and I planted it in this beautiful urn in plaster, painted the urn,..and it's been great fun as a photography prop to display new pieces set around it or to hang new ornaments!
This candy cane star seen below is on eBay this week,..click here for the auction. But the Candy Moon ornament below it is offered on STJ for December! This tree has vintage white little flocked and feathered birds on it as well as a real vintage treat,..pastel colored mercury glass beads. This tree is so kitschy and retro! Here is another shot of what has to be my sweetest Christmas piece,...the Snow Moon Luminary! I found a vintage milk glass hobnail type lamp base,..and its creamy white colored glass with the hobnail edging reminded me of peppermint candy,...and snow,..and ice,..and all things wintery and good. So I made this moon top to fit it! The lamp works and has a turn key type switch and a white cord. The moon has rosy cheeks and stunning eyes,..and a candy cane clutched in her smile with a bird on it! The snow white bird I sprinkled with German Glass glitter. The moon face also has glitter, but a sugary looking kind that is superfine and opaque! Like snow,..or a really good sugar cookie! Her party hat has a little "Merry Christmas"sign/ornament hung from it. The trim on the hat is a lush faux white fur. Bright Blue eyes! Also offered on STJ this month are the following ornaments and tree toppers! These two have a few brothers and sisters on eBay this week! Such glitter and bling!! I love up close shots,..where they become so monumental! Here is the Moon King Tree Topper,.. His little bow tie is just too cute,...
and a beautiful crescent moon tree topper,...
And here is a Wise Man, no,..a Wise Moon,..bearing a gift! He is a candy container or gift box all rolled into one. He is mounted on the lid of a gift box,..and a smaller gift could be tucked inside!
These may be the last Christmas items available from me 2011...in addition to what is still on eBay,..click here to see my listings. Then I have a few orders to wrap up, and then I am going to be painting for a while when I am in the studio. My sister and I have new projects to begin that will start in early 2011. More of our painted mirrors called trumeaus,..and I am getting a kiln in January! That means real clay production now!! Until then, I can't wait to settle in and enjoy Christmas with the family! It sure does come and go wicked fast. I plan on making lots of Christmas cookies and treats,..more gifts for family,..and having as much cozy fun as possible with my tribe.
Merry Christmas,..Happy Winter Solstice,...and may your year's end be Merry and Bright!

2011-12-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

A Christmas Variety!!

This Crimson King Skelly Lamp replete with glittered crown ends December 7th on eBay!

He is fantastic lit in the dark!

And down below,..I fell in love with making these one day,..got started and couldn't stop! There is a whole crew of smiley Snowmoons and Snowmen,..and a Snowgirl too! A few of these are still in progress,...a few more available on eBay! I love the old timey vintage ornaments with the chenilelegs and arms,....hence this fun tangent,...

Here are a few that ended up painted and listed on eBay this week...

My old standby! I LOVE this one's face! Don't really know if I care to part with him...but he is on eBay too! He is so happy!
A hanging Candy Cane Star Ornament,..

And a matching Snow Moon,..candy cane in mouth!

I made two Moon King Tree Toppers,..both are sold,..here is one...
(I am making more of these!)
Here they are!!
And some more of the jolly little snowguys,...

And a crescent moon tree topper and stars,..

Here you can see the dramatic difference in scale...

Happy Moons! Large Moon Lanterns,..15" and 16" deep!!

Another shot,..I just love this picture for some reason.

That's all from my neck of the woods this week! Hope your holidays are happy!
Thanks for jingling by!

2011-11-22T18:29:00.000-08:00

Snowmen and Snowmoons!
Been having fun with the clay recently,..sculpting tiny and big,..her are some of the tiny works in progress,...

I like to sculpt tiny first thing in the morning as I'm drinking my coffee!

Later in the studio I finish pieces,..today it was this Snow Moon Lantern,..

And a Snow King Tree Topper,..
A handful of fun,... these are works in progress,..have since been painted further and are hung glittered and drying,.. for our new tinsel style feather tree!

And the biggest snowman I ever created,..a large snowman floor lamp created last year and sold to a favorite collector last Christmas!
I want to make another one! But am working on a pair of tabletop ones,..with a different kind of nose,..
More pics to follow of that project later!
This guy below,..went on eBay tonight,...

Thanks for stopping by!

2011-11-20T16:59:00.000-08:00

Something for the Nice and Something for the Naughty!
Two new and completely different lamps from my studio this week! Here is my Snowman,..his crown is re purposed from a carafe! It reminds me of more things that could come from Santa's Magical Workshop and the North Pole as I thought of them as a child. The lamp base is a functional electric lamp with a roll cord on the switch. I painted the lamp and used a very cool new type of glitter paint in aqua. I found a very old tiny bluebird flocked ornament that I sprinkled with a touch of the same German glass glitter I used on the Snowman, and I perched him permanently onto the glittered candy cane the snowman has in his mouth. The crown comes off of the snowman, revealing a lantern shaped hole in the top, that lets out light. There are two tiny holes in the top of the snowman on either side of the lantern hole so he could also be strung with wire and hung as an ornament or lantern.

To bid on the Snowman Lamp,..click here

He uses a nightlight sized bulb and I like it lit with white light,...

Here he is unlit without his crown!

Unlit with his crown,..
Here in this photo below, you can see a hint of the next fully decorated feather tree to come!
We love the vintage glass ornaments, and the indented ones, too. We also got lucky enough to find a vintage strand of mercury glass beaded garland to use on our next tree (in pastel Christmas colors!)

A look close up,..

And NOW for something COMPLETELY different! I hope your children weren't naughty this year. I really do,... I would hate for Krampus to come to your house instead of Santa. I would beat him with his own switches! But I just love the old German tale and really anything about devils. They're just so fun and kitsch! Here is another fully functional lamp. Much like my Halloween Devil lamps,..except with the lolling Krampus tongue and green eyes. I just love how this one turned out....

He's so creepy!!!
He looks best with a flicker bulb which comes with him. I even put a faux candle wax drip on the lamp's sleeve in black...
If you like him,..too,..click here to bid! He
starts tonight at ten pm EST.
I also have a small Krampus ornament,..here, and a snowflake ornament here!
Look for an adorable miniature SKeLLy cHRisTmas LaMp soon,..our next feather tree,..and some more moon ornaments and tree toppers!
Thanks for your support of Handmade!!

2011-11-17T19:52:00.000-08:00

Feather Trees From Studio 136!
Dusti and I love trees,..especially feather trees! We made one from scratch about a year ago, from a wooden dowel, heavy gauge wire, and black feathers. We mounted it on an antique metal lamp base and we have enjoyed hanging Halloween ornaments from it,..and taking it to shows. Ever since making it we have wanted to do more! (More is always better!) One a month, or, this time of year,..one a week! So we have been collecting and or making trees that have the feather tree shape, and putting them on a variety of wonderful bases. We have urns,..vintage wooden pedestal stands,..old metal Victorian looking lamp bases,..and other fun salvaged items to turn a tree into extraordinary! On this tree, our first, we took a vintage wooden cake stand and painted it in a bright red enamel,..and added a fence which we white washed. Traditionally German Feather Trees came with fences surrounding them. I just think it is so cute! We also found a vintage wooden toy train ornament and thought it went perfect under this tree!

Toot Toot! Jingle Jingle! All aboard!

Our first tree is a "Christmas in Toyland" theme,..it started with a find of some vintage rocking horse ornaments and a few others we have been saving. When we were little,..we had plenty of these miniature wooden ornaments with felt hats and painted faces on our tree at home! There were elves, santas, animals, and snowmen. They all came to life in my little girl's imagination, like toys that came straight from Santa's workshop just for the tree! Just like this tiny snowman, holding a wee broom!

So now as find these kind of ornaments, we keep them, and even restore or fix them up as necessary. We started this tree out with a few of our favorites. Here is a vintage wooden rocking horse with a brown chenile mane and tail! There is a mouse with spectacles also hanging nearby,..and the star was one of three made just for this tree by me!

At the very top is a crescent moon I also made, to tie in with the stars and some of the other yellow ornaments on the tree. He has a hole in the bottom, and the top of the tree fits snugly in it.

What better to top off a tree?
Here is another of my favorite ornaments,..a little elf in a felt hat sitting on a present! I added the pom pom, (or "hat dot" as I hastily called it, running for my glue gun!) As I added hat dots,..Dusti painted fences and bases and measured and hung trim in ribbon pom pom and tinsel. I painted my dried moons and stars and we talked about several other trees we are working on at the same time. (More to come about them soon!)

Here is another star,...

I just love this combination of tinsel in a warm white gold color paired with traditional polka dot and red stripe ribbon! And the shiny red beaded and tinsel trims brighten the tree and tie it all together!

Here is the other side of green eyed moon topper,..

Dusti made this "naughty and nice" scroll list ornament!
We had some private fun deciding the names to go on each side! She sheallaced the scroll to stiffen the paper and hold it in its scroll like shape.

There are a few wooden Santas on here,..and here are one of two brightly painted toy drums,..

another star,..
a look up at the moon,..
And so much more can be found on this beautiful tree!
These are all the pics I have for now. We will finish this tree up tomorrow,..photograph the entire tree, and list it on eBay for a 7 day auction which will end on Black Friday. We are busy elves this week! To bid on this tree,..click here
Thanks for stopping by!

2011-11-12T19:11:00.000-08:00

More Ornaments! And Some Pics From 136!

Here is my Krampus! Those Germans new how to spin a tale! This creepy Christmas Devil came and hauled off all the bad boys and girls. That sure alleviates the need of the old "coal in stocking" threat.

The one I sculpted here is 5.5" without the wire hanger,..hollow with a hole in top,..just like a miniature lantern or candy container. He'd look great on the tree!

Painting his eyes and sculpting his lecherous tongue were the most fun!

Here is another skelly lamp,..13" tall,..

I don't care what time of year it is,..I love to see him flickering in the dark!

He makes me happy and I love making the faux candle waxed dripped sleeves on my lamps,..
tiny details like this are best seen in person!

Here are the ornaments of the week,..minus a snowflake I left at the studio,..all of these are available on my STJ page tonight at midnight....

This Black Cat Santa is my favorite! 7" high,..

He just looks so dashing in his yuletide finery!

I love cats! Especially the black, hissing kind.

No matter what the holiday!

I almost forgot,..my first Christmas lamp of the year! The colors,..texture,..and detail are really rich in person. He's a jolly Snow Moon!

A swirl of candy pink and icy blue colors meet with German glass glitter and candy cane goodness,..the lamp base itself has the same treatment!

Reminds me of everything kitsch,..sweet,..and Santa Claus-Townish that was exciting about Christmas when I was a little girl!

All these and more hail from a huge new workspace! I am so fortunate to have recently moved my work into a fantastic studio I share with my sister. We are already beginning new projects in holiday art as well as paintings, lighting,..some furniture,..and mirrors. Now that we have a full wood shop,...space,..tools at hand,..and each other,..the sky is the limit!
Here is "her" end,..although we share and share alike,...notice how neat and organized,..although check back in a month,..I guarantee once we really get going, it won't be so pristine anymore!

Here is the very end of "my" end,..I am way less orderly,..more like a happy tornado,...

Still moving things in,..but also having to still work,..I figure it will come together more or less on its own,..I organize and create new "stations" as I go,..

It's nice keeping the holidays apart,..and paint apart from trims,..trims apart from tools,..glue and epoxy away from everything else,..dremmels and tools and dust in its own spot,..paper mache bowl in their own,..etc...Finishing stages kept away from beginning stages,..and when I am done,..I just walk out and go home! Oh and packing and shipping and photographing pieces,..plenty of room for that,..too!!

The studio is part of a group of studios for artists in my town,...our group is called Clearwater Studios. We are Studio 136 within this wonderful art mecca! Our first open house is next Friday night,..November 18th! If you are in the area, I would love to see you there.

Thanks for stopping by!!

2011-11-08T09:51:00.000-08:00

Christmas Ornaments Are Here!
I am so thrilled to report have a large new studio! I am still settling into it but have had to jump right in to Christmas before I could even get re-organized! I have many crescents,..snowflakes,..moon and snowmen ornaments in process now,..here is just a sampling. These three are also on eBay this week but I have also started taking orders. Feel free to e mail me if you would like some,..or just bid if you see one you like!
Here is a crescent moon with German glass glitter,..can be found here

This a 3" moon ornament/candy container,..he has also been dusted with German glass glitter!
His auction is here

And the snowflake is here
Thank you for stopping buy! Back to making glitter fly for me!!

2011-10-12T20:48:00.001-07:00

Halloween Blog Sale!
I am posting some photos of the last available items from my studio for the season!
The medium sized parade style lantern on the very left is available for auction on ebay,..but the rest in the photo below are available directly from the studio. Just shoot me an e mail at bran1973@gmail.com to purchase! Prices are as follows,...

small plain yellow moon in foreground bottom left,...$60.00..(he is shown on a ring stand but he has a wire bail for hanging as he is completely spherical)

Pumpkin Lantern (green eyed one shown on the right) $160.00
the one on the left,..orange eyes,..is available here on eBay
painted paper inserts for eyes,...carved teeth,...looks great lit up in the dark!
9" high

Black Cat Candy Container $145.00
16" high
Giant Parade Pumpkin Lantern
15" deep
painted paper inserts carved teeth,...sits directly on a table.
$275.00

Closer facial detail,...you can see the carved teeth and finely painted eyelashes,..

Cat and Moon Sculpture
$125.00
Another detail of the black cat candy container,...he is attached to the lid of the container which may be removed for storing candy or other goodies!

Hiss Hiss MEOW!

Shipping on anything purchased on my blog this month is FREE!
Feel free to email me with any questions! As I move into a huge new studio this month I am still unpacking boxes from shows and my old studio and may come across more.

Thanks for looking and
Happy Halloween!!!!!

2011-08-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

Meow! SpookyTime Sneak Peak!
Here are some of my pieces available this month! I put on a few more than normal,.. as next month I will have nothing available online! I will be leaving September 14th to head up to New Hope, Pennsylvania for the second annual SpookyTime Jingles Soiree,..and then leaving one week later to Petaluma, California for the Halloween and Vine show! Back to back fun! I am working hard on many lanterns and lamps. I put a few finished ones on for this month's SpookyTime Jingles update,..they will go on live tonight at Midnight!

Candy Corn Kitty Lamp,..

Green warty Jack,..

Here they are all together,...say "Cheese!!" (they did!)

My favorite is the cat. Lots more cats for the upcoming shows!

Skelly lamps are always fun,..I love wiring their mouths.

What do we have here? Some of my fabulous sister Dusti's (aka The Halloweenstress) jewelry. She did a lot of my photography of the individual pieces with her fancy hand made light box and SLR camera tonight,..and some of her photos were uploaded with mine. I am her biggest fan and wear her necklaces everyday......they are so unique.

Here they are again,,...
My tabletop bases made of collared rings are NOT attached to the moon and parade lanterns, so if you prefer a non gussied up look,..you can hang them on their own,..without the collars.
Please don't forget to check out ALL the delightful art at www.spookytimejingles.com tonight at Midnight!!
Thanks for stopping in!!
If you need me I will be sanding.

2011-08-12T05:00:00.001-07:00

Fall Shows Prep!
It's all hands on deck here at home where I work with The SpookyTime Jingles Soiree and Halloween and Vine shows coming up in 4 and 5 weeks. I can't seem to finish all these pieces fast enough. A very few are going on the STJ update tonight at midnight,..and I have still had about 1-3 pieces on eBay a week, but that is about to come to a halt as the shows take top priority.....here is a view of my favorite workspace inside,...and what all I have left to finish. Eeek!!

Me out on the deck where I sculpt and throw around slop,...

Some finished pieces in my photography room,...

Some of these have been sold,..some await travel to shows,..

A recent eBay purple moon and crow,..

In process sculpting of a large wall moon,...

Thanks for stopping by! I have to get back to it!

2011-07-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Third Anniversary SpookyTime Jingles!
In celebration of our third year here are my pieces offered tonight at midnight! We are also donating some proceeds to charity,..The Make A Wish Foundation! See the STJ blog for the full info!
I have three lamps up for grabs,..this purple hatted moon lamp,...

This Bling Bling Kitty Lamp,...

And this little repro German Parade Lantern,..I was commissioned to do one again this year,..and ended up making three for my own fun of different sizes and details. Not exactly like the original,..mine has wider eyes and a more jolly expression. He looks like a clown! What were those German Halloweeners thinking? And his little black eyebrows look so silly! He's a cutie!! Not scary at all!

Here is the line up!!! This Vintage Beistle inspired Jack is so festive lit up with the flicker bulb!! His teeth are carved right into him,..as with the moon and cat. Only paper parts are the eyes.

Jack is removable from base as are all of my lamps,...

Painted details,..

Thanks for stopping by!!!

2011-05-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

On eBay This Week and Ending Soon!

Just click on the titles below to view the auction,..

15" Man in the Moon Hanging Lantern

Man in the Moon Lamp

Craggy Toothed Jack O Lantern

Skully Jack O Lantern

2011-05-24T05:18:00.000-07:00

Recent Pieces!

Here are a few of the pieces I have made since my last post! Been going full tilt here. I am trying to get pieces back on eBay regularly, and am taking a few orders before I start back to producing for fall shows!

I have a pair of these devil floor lamps,...

These two jacks are on eBay this week,..

These skelly lamps are popular,..

Some new warty jacks,..

A variety and my favorite pair of moon lamps,..

I love this pair of moon lamps,.they are functional working electric lamps! Beautiful lit!

A variety,..
Another moon lamp,...
A nice grouping,..
A skelly candelabra lamp dripped with chains,..the middle part is electric the surrounding risers are for real candles....

Doing more candy containers and sculptures with cats,..

Boo!
This Crescent Moon and Cat is my favorite piece in a while!

This skelly lamp is still available!

This Devil is wicked lit up!

Thanks for stopping by!

2011-03-24T18:18:00.000-07:00

Halloween Production in Full Swing!

It is BACK to Halloweenin' round the clock here at my studio! I have new deadlines fast approaching and orders to complete too. The National Halloween Convention is just around the corner and I am slopping mache all over my deck again! Spring is here, the weather is just right for working outside, and the sun helps to dry my pieces! I can't wait to get in the full swing of mass production and have several exciting new ideas! Here are a few pieces I have made already...this one ends tonight on eBay in an hour and a half,..I love the color scheme,...

And this one STARTS as an auction on eBay tonight, at 11:00pm EST, runs for seven days making it end next Thursday at same time.

He is a 12" in diameter wall hanging moon,...relpete with crags and craters,..and a gleeful Halloween grin! He could be hung from your front door or porch, or over your Halloween mantle! He was sculpted on the back of a vintage wooden bowl.

I even sculpted his eyeballs in the round,...heh heh,...the better to see you with,..

And to show the scale here he is with some shakers and a small warty jack,...recently sold on eBay. I really plan on having something fresh from my studio on eBay every week as it is my favorite way to sell online. So please keep checking back and I will keep you up to date on new pieces as they are created!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope I have got you in the Halloween mood!

2011-03-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

Bunnies on my brain!

It is officially spring! Flowers are blooming and redbuds are unfurling into green leaves! The air is delightful, and last Sunday was the Spring Equinox. I spent the day painting. I wanted to capture Easter and spring,..and here is what I did.... this wooden painted piece below is a large size,..26 inches across, and was so delightful to paint!

To bid on this piece, click here

I had so much fun with the baby chicks,..because, well, what IS cuter than a baby chick? Except a baby duck, maybe?

I just love to paint because all it is is arranging color!

The bunny has a bridle of sorts. I got his image from an old postcard. I just love the old cards! I added the chicks and bright background. It is early morning, and the Easter Bunny just has a few more eggs in his basket to deliver and hide! The little chicks look on in worshipful awe.

This one I made up right out of my head,..having recently camped out on the boulders of a mountain river under a waxing crescent moon,...with the river shining below,..I painted a night time bunny by a creek under a crescent moon! The scalloped edged tin wall hanging I painted him on could serve as a mail holder or you could stick in some decorative branches,..the kind with buds that are about to sprout! I like this one, because rabbits do get about at night,..and the Easter bunny himself, much like Santa, has to make his rounds in the night!

I didn't get very many good shots as I was in a hurry to workout but I will get better ones tomorrow, when I plan to put him on eBay....

Here is a small sign I am working on. All my tiny liner brushes were shot so I wasn't happy with the lettering,..time to stock up on new brushes and do a better job,..but you get the gist,...

I love Easter! Bring on the jelly beans and the white chocolate rabbits and cream eggs! I can't wait to dye eggs with my kids! And they are begging for real chicks and ducklings this year. We used to have chickens,...may just be time to get another flock!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you are enjoying spring wherever you are, too.

2011-03-16T04:51:00.000-07:00

Road Trippin' For Art! (It's a Family Thing!)

My sister and I (Seen below) have been traveling to Atlanta to Scott's Market every second weekend of the month for our business Harlan McKenna Designs. We sell lighting, art, and art mirrors (trumeaus) of our creation,..and also other interesting object de art,...silver, our painted tables and antiques to add ambiance to the space. We also do onsite painting, finishes, and repairs for the other vendors! We have so much fun, although we work very hard, it is a pleasure each time.

We pass out our business cards and also bring our own baked treats,..brownies, fudge, and such, and send a handful out with each purchase!
Here is our space,... most of the large pieces are already sold, and we have only been four times so far.

We also represent two painters in our family, our father, Dennis Pearson, who has retired from his graphic design business, and his girlfriend of 20+ years, a retired art teacher who hails from Atlanta, Connie Snipes. They paint everyday and often together plein air, and also in studio from photographs when they can't be in the field. Their paintings are a huge draw, and make for a beautiful display. Their paintings are the small ones, seen below, the larger ones are done by me and the larger frames made by my sister. The ones that also have mirrors are called "trumeaus".

Dusti and I have plans to create a beautiful draped canvas back drop to hide the pegboard,..with a mere one month between trips, we have to stay on productive task and we write down our new ideas in list form to help us improve each time. We have so many ideas, we feel as though we have barely begun. We will continue to grow in both our vision and our production! We plan to hire help soon in the production end of things. It is hard to design and create and build everything we have in mind between just the two of us. As we meet our neighbors,..other art and antique loving gypsies, we continue to learn the ropes of this niche market and refine our own vision and direction. Here is a close up of our space below,..

Here is one of our new chandeliers,...and we plan to do a lot more in this style. My sister is brilliant at oxidizing metal,..and hangs dripping chains from them. We plan on doing many more steam punk and industrial styled lighting.

This piece was sold to a woman who invited us to participate at a Florida Horse show/event where she believes we would do quite well. We plan to attend that one with our horse related art next year.
Here are Dad and Connie,..painting plein air. They are the real Mccoy!

In between trips to Atlanta for that business I am still creating for my business. I have The Halloween Convention with SpookyTime Jingles May 5th-8th in King Of Prussia, PA,..and another submission/sample deadline for ESC at the same time. Time to turn my Halloween brain back on and get to crackin'!! Here is a recent moon below, he was 16" deep my absolute largest size.
I made a spring rabbit for STJ this month, too,...

And a fun moon lamp that I believe would be perfect for a fun nursery or Child's room....

See Connie's beautiful pondscape framed behind,...

Her haybale paintings are quite popular,..

We made this small trumeau and it sold right away, perfect for a powder room...

Here is Dusti with our bountiful array of treats!

All the porters hustle and compete to help us as word gets around that we are generous withour home made treats!

Another shot of my moon lamp,..

To end each trip, we spend a night and a day or so on our way back to N.C in the mountains to replenish our souls! We slept by this powerful river on the boulders on the way home!

We also spent the day exploring state parks and this gorge in Georgia,..I ran in and out of it up and down timing my ascent with my cell's stopwatch! It was the best day I had in forever! I only stopped to photograph,...you can't tell how truly massive and deep this gorge is by the photo.

At the base,...these boulders are gigantic. I can't describe the soul charging beauty of this place.

And many, many miles upstream on the same river, our last stop on our way out,..I waded in to clean off the day's sweat and we sun bathed on the rocks watching the kayakers. Now, I have to have a kayak!! Being very early spring,..the temperature and air quality were delicious. The breeze washed over us and was warm and cool, with tastes of each. Dusti said "The air is like a temperature salad!"

On one of our hikes, I found this ground dwelling runner plant,..it's like nature's garland!!

above, my favorite river,.. below, a bright green and very large moth,..

From the suspension bridge over the gorge,

the bridge itself,..

I love living near such beauty!

At the end of the day we drove on back,....my next road trip will be to The National Halloween Convention! Hope to see you there!!

Ya'll come back, now!!

2011-02-24T16:48:00.000-08:00

Bunnies and Moons Galore!

I have been working all month on my pieces for my first ESC Trading Company deadline and here they are! I just love the spring like palette. I think turquoise is the most delicious color and I went wild with it. I found I really enjoyed working with the rabbit as a subject! I believe that is because I have always loved them, and have so many memories of them and experiences with them woven into my own childhood experience. For one, my father used to read me nightly tales from a large red hardback book called Uncle Wiggly. Inside the book, there were a very few black and white illustrations of him as an upright walking rabbit with cane and top hat. He was so dapper and dashing and always saved children from their own follies!

Of course I loved The Easter Bunny, too, and I pictured him a REAL bunny, but a magical one, and in my mind he was male. When I was very small, starting at about three years old, I was able to feed the wild rabbits in the woods behind our home! I would take lettuce and carrots and they would eat right from my hand. I would sit patiently at the end of the big back yard, right by the edge of the woods on a huge low sitting railroad tie bench my father made, and wait for them to come. And they did! I also discovered and loved the book Watership Down, with its own rabbit mythology and language (all gently clothed in rabbit spirituality!) All of these things combined made it very fun to work with the rabbit as a subject!

This is my version of Uncle Wiggly, but I gave him a dappled and spotted coat instead of brown.

My sister was a huge help and she crafted this pole we designed from an old postcard image of an Easter Rabbit carrying such a toy. It is meant to spin and wind the ribbons around and round the pole! The ring at the top is real metal. It really works, although the little eggs don't weigh enough to weight it into a proper spin.

I loved sculpting his top hat, and just look how dashing he became!!

Here is one of my favorites! I love the rabbit jumping over the moon and would like to do more variations and sizes of this one! The rabbit has a real tiny bell around his neck!

Here is a 12" tall brown Brown Bunny Candy Bucket,...maybe it will become a child's easter basket!

Another rabbit, this piece is large, 22 inches high total!

I just love a flying rabbit and in the carousel/weathervane type feel! maybe I will try a fancier carousel one next. I toyed with the idea of a bridle and reins,...but time was an issue!!

I wanted to try a very cartoonish, retro type bunny and here she is,...another candy container/bucket....I don't know why but she reminds me of that cartoon penguin Chilly Willy.

One of my favorites was the Jack in the Box Bunny,...also a large piece...

Here is a bunny,... in a cone! He could be hung on your door as an easter Greeting. I wish I had made a small banner for it, but was cutting it close for time!

Here is a Blue and pink bunny on a pole! I wanted to make it a Maypole type pole but then loved the collar with him,...so left off the ribbonry,..

Next one I make I am hanging jingle bells from each ear,... like a jester!

I tried my hand at a little duckling, but traditional yellow seemed too predictable.

Moons with bunny ears!!
What finery!!
An Easter Moon!

A detailed shot of my Bedtime Moon and Mouse piece,..

Bunnies sitting atop egg characters,...

Their tiny collars are perfect and cute and made of ribbon, (thanks to my fabulously talented sister who always comes to assist me in the heat of a deadline for stitching these for me!!)

I love this blonde and white bunny!

Colors so bright they make you want to eat candy!

Group shot! Everyone stand still!

TaDa!!! That's all from me for Easter this year! I may take a few orders and have a few Easter tricks up my sleeve for my page on SpookyTime Jingles in March! So please come back soon!

May spring be just around the corner!!

Goodnight, sleep tight!!
Thanks for stopping by!

2011-01-27T05:40:00.000-08:00

Fall Shows and Rush,..Part One!

From about August through then end of October I was without a computer except for my cell, hence the late postings here. During that time, I was in a mad rush to make pieces for Halloween and Vine in California in September, and for the September SpookyTime Jingles Soiree in N.J.

During those final summer days, I could be found sanding, carving, and dremmeling up a storm, and I lived in my dust mask and apron! I worked around the clock except for sleep, and my hands had the small cuts, occasional burns, and calluses on top of callusses to prove it! I worked every waking hour on multiple large pieces. I made mostly moons, devils, and cats, turning them into lamps, and lived on my big back deck, happily trashing it in the sun with music blaring!

At night I would bring all the pieces inside, and this is what a small section of my studio area looked like,...
And on the deck, here is where I sit and dremmel and carve, small table was covered in mache slop, dust, and trashed and discarded parts from cutting up plastic and metal pieces and cobbling things together,...

My sister Dusti helped me in so many ways, many a day, and we would laugh so hard and have so much fun working together. We have our own language and sayings, and can crack each other up with the mention of one phrase. How lucky am I to have a sister and best friend rolled up in one? I would never have made it all without her! And, it wouldn't have been half as fun. She would run out and get things I needed, sand, sand, and sand some more, and together we would cobble together lamps faster than you can say "Shazam!!"

Here Dusti is on task,..

Sisters,..here Dusti had just arrived unexpectedly in the heat of the last week before the show,...

Here is my hand, mere days before time to ship, painting a large moon,..

My good friend, work out partner, and neighbor Teresa helped us pack and ship the 9 large boxes going to California! I never would have gotten in packed in time without her! (Which was literally by the skin of my teeth!)

When my flight landed in California, Dani Nelson, Wendy Leaumont, and Pat Dean picked me up in the rental and we crossed the Golden Gate and headed to the sweet little town of Petaluma. I met Pat for the first time,...and just adored her right away! The four of us had a whirliwind few days where we only stopped it seems, to crash and crash hard! I kept waking up everyday at 4am, as I was still on EST time. Somehow, shame on me, I hardly took any pictures except with my phone, and most weren't so great.

Below, one of my two tables,...

I could not send any large and heavy props, so I sent a light weight urn and we picked a craggy branch and plastered it in there to hang ornaments,...it was hilarious as Wendy Pat and I drove through the country jumping out to break branches off,..then racing with GPS to a Home Depot for plaster that was no longer there,....madness! Somehow we pulled it all off. I believe Wendy and Danny actually anchored the branch in the plaster while I had run back to the cottage to do some quick repairs. In the end it all panned out,...see pics below,...

Here I am with Wendy, who was the best chauffer ever, and kept us all in Starbucks and laughs,..

Thanks Wendy for all your help and moral support! Isn't she adorable in her Halloween ensemble? I love this Louisiana girl!

Here is a detailed shot of one of the many lamps I sold.....

Moons peeking out,..

One of my Warty Jacks,..I sold each lantern with a light strand and flicker bulb and a crow perched on top!
Lots of color and various sizes,...

Dani was a genius in helping me set up and she even brought flowers to dress up the big moon table,..

I was next to Sweet B's incredible table, see one of her lolli's poking out....

I never even had time to look around before the people swarmed us,...

Three lovely ladies who are all friends together and are Halloween folk art lovers and collectors came to the show and are seen below! Celeste and I, and further down, Janean and Ramona,...

All fabulous gals who it was great to finally meet in person!
With Dani and Wendy,...

See Sweet B's table beyond mine!

I sold almost every single lamp I took, so I know what to make more of for next year, now!

We had a fantastic time, the show was a huge success, I got to meet so many artists and collectors! We had a fantastic after party at the local pumpkin farm, where we had dinner, and got a tour of the awesome haunt after! Wendy, William Bezek, and myself below all aglow in the blacklight!

More blacklight fun!!

and the next day we hit the antique outdoor event in Petaluma, and then still fit in a trip to the Redwoods! The hike through the redwoods was the most amazing part of the whole trip. I hope to return to this amazing forest again,...

I wish I had taken more photos of the show itself,... looking back now it all went by in a crazed flash! A trip I will never forget!

2011-01-25T08:45:00.000-08:00

News To Smile About!

Exciting news! It's official, I have signed with ESC Trading Company licensing them to reproduce my work! The link to view their site is posted to the top right of my blog. (I am fairly sure my bio won't be listed on the site until my designs have been reproduced and hit the showrooms and catalogue in 2012.)

I will be designing new pieces for them year round for all the major holidays, and hope that this will be a fun new way to push myself creatively, too. The first deadline for samples coming up soon is for all holidays except Halloween and Christmas, so I am currently working on a series of rabbit head candy containers, ducklings and rabbits sitting atop eggs, and some moons for children's rooms, maybe a few Valentine pieces for good measure! After that it will be onto Halloween creations both for the next ESC deadline and for The National Halloween Convention with SpookyTime Jingles, both end of April/early May! Throw in a few commissions I have already taken and its no rest for the wicked here! In addition, I am traveling to Atlanta once monthly for my sister and I's other business and art venture. I will be posting a previously saved post I have been working on about that next. Thank you all for stopping by and I hope you will check back soon for works in progress posts and more updates!

2011-01-19T10:31:00.000-08:00

Devils On My Mind,...

I have started back to the sculpting process and also thinking in terms of where I would like go this year, and looking back to a few of my favorite designs and pieces from last year,...

this Giant warty Jack,..

A few devil lamps,...
another shot of one of my favorite large Warty Jack O Lanterns,..

A wicked little spiral horned devil,..

Here he is brightly lit,..
and one of my huge Moon Floor Candelabra Lamps,..

This year, I am going to make lots of things,...but something I just can't quit thinking about is my huge Devil Floor Lamp. I may do a pair, one a Pan like Devil, and another traditonal Red Devil, spiral horns and wicked toothy Grins but the heads will be almost two feet tall,...and will be made to fit on the top of the antique floor lamps like in the above photo,..

and I am going to do more wicked pieces such as skulls, devil-horned skulls and jacks and many more Wicked Jacks! Oooh I can't wait!!

2011-01-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

New pieces for 2011!

Happy New Year! I have started this one out with a bang! I have been working with my sister making art mirrors and furniture for our business Harlan Mckenna Designs, and have been taking a once a month trip down to Atlanta to Scott's Market for that. Right after our first trip in November, I had a little accident on a woods trek and landed wrong on a steep jump and completely tore my ACL. Meaning, I now have only three ligaments in that knee instead of four. Of course I was immediately scheduled for surgery which would have been first thing in the morning, this day the 13th, had I not called today to cancel! Seems pretty crazy to cut myself up with holes drilled in both leg bones and a cadaver ligament, bone grafts and screws placed in when I have been able to run several miles, weight train as usual, and just about everything else I usually do with no pain or problems. The first month it did hurt and of course I did limp about the first couple of weeks. Believe you me, I took the injury very seriously and still do. I would not subject myself to a life of pain or a sedentary life, but I have really, miraculously, and perhaps abnormally, had little trouble with this knee. So, I can atleast continue strengthening it a few more months and see where I am then. I really have way too many irons in the fire to go through several weeks on crutches, with serious rehab time driving to and fro the Physical Therapist, and then full 12-18 months before I have a "normal" knee. It really seems "normal" to me now, barely two months since the injury! I am thrilled!

Here I am at our last atlanta trip,...displaying a moon I took for kicks in front of some of the pieces my sister and I make.

And for the STJ update today,..I pulled out some Valentine WIPS and finished them off, cute little ornies trimmed in feathers,...giving them a warm and cozy look! Maybe all the recent snow here caused me to add the trims,....
Here is a moon shaker on STJ, actually, he is a moon on a stick as I usually do not make these hollow. He has different ribbons dangling from his vintage tinker toy wooden stick handle and a few bells and rusty stars.,..
Back to the biggest Valentine heart,..

A snowflake,...And Praise be to the Gods I can once again revel in a Halloween color palette! I really do not enjoy any other one, truth be told.

This black cat has a paper Dresden black cat embellishment on his hat from a trip to The Tinsel Trading Company in N.Y. back in October,...time to use all these little bits of this and that I have collected,...and a hand sewn crepe collar in purple orange and black!
Here, kitty kitty!!
Here are the pair together,..
I painted in some teeth,..
That's all for now! I have about four other posts saved in this blog that I need to finish and publish. Time has really gotten away from me and I hope to post more here soon.

Thanks for stopping by!!

2010-12-27T07:57:00.000-08:00

A White Christmas and a Momentous Passing,...

Here in N.C my family had a Christmas that we will never forget, as it was at once sad, beautiful, and magical.

On Christmas Eve, our oldest horse and animal member of the family, a 38 year old Leopard Appaloosa (my Father's horse and his dearest pet), Sugar, passed away due to natural causes.

My Father's good friend Todd baxter painted this beautiful painting of my father and Sugar.

This painting is worth a thousand words,....

As sad as it was, it was a beautiful and meaningful time for him to leave us, on Christmas Eve. When my sister and I were growing up, we had a yearly tradition with out father of going on a Christmas Eve ride. We would each hop on our horse, (Dad always on Sugar, myself on Charger, and Dusti on either Judy or Giddeon, depending on the year) and we would ride down past the big pond and springhouse and through the woods beyond and into "pasture number one", where we would then take off full speed for a good gallop and romp to the top off the nearest hill. We would let the horses graze as we would philosophize and discuss whatever was in our hearts and minds, at the time, together. Memories we will all share for years to come. This spring,..after all THIS thaws,...(these pictures were taken around my house in Cabarrus County,...I have yet to get some pictures of the farm in the snow this year. I wish I could find myself snowbound at the farm!! I used to love riding in the snow when I was a kid, it was a rare and special treat. These days I enjoy hiking in it almost as much with my dog.)

Frozen textures and shapes that transform the ordinary, stopping me in my tracks,..

The steam on the camera lense created a beautiful shot,..

The snow on the trail I usual run up had me mushing through instead,..

So this spring, we will usher in a new era by bringing home some new horses, and ones the kids can ride. There will never be another Sugar, but the farm would not be the farm without the sound of nickers, snorts, laughing children, and galloping hooves. Until then may the snowy frozen ground be a peaceful resting place for Sugar.

Run, Lyla, run!
It's all too beautiful for words,..

If you don't look closely at this one below, you may miss Lyla as she is the same golden shade as these hanging on leaves,..
The colors here below are in perfect complimentary harmony!

Old fence behind the high school where I stop for a stretch,..

It has been an unforgettable winter here in N.C so far, with more snowfall than I can remember in a long time. A beautiful White Christmas. Rest in peace and stay in our memories, Sugarboy.

2010-12-05T05:57:00.000-08:00

Dad's New Series of Highway Paintings!

My father is painting every day now. He has been painting plein air, landscapes and cattle, old buildings and barns, anything that catches his eye in the perfect light around where he lives. He recently had an idea to take photographs while driving on a road trip to Tennessee for a smokejumper awards ceremony, where he accepted an award on behalf of his smokejumper friend, John McBride, who died last May. (Dad was a smokejumper in the 60's in Alaska and put himself through design school working seasons at a time.) For the past 11 years, he, John, and other retired smokejumpers have been doing volunteer wilderness trail maintenance work together with The National Smokejumper Association. John was cofounder of the trails program. When Dad is at home, he is completely consumed with painting. I am always excited to see his efforts of the week. Below are the resulting paintings from the quick photographs he snapped on that drive. He paints these on primed canvas panel in oils.

This one here is my favorite...

The best things about his paintings are the loose and bold way he applies each stroke, you can see the paint so well in person, and I love the resulting abstraction! If you squint your eyes while looking at any of his paintings, they appear even more solid and real!

An interesting thing about my father and his eyesight, he is color blind. When discussing his paintings with him, and I say, "oh, that green, right there," he will say "that's green!?" It's so funny how subjective sight and color is, anyway. Who can really know what another person sees? He almost lost his sight several years ago due to a cataract corrective surgery gone bad. He was one of the unfortunate 1% of people who get an infection. He almost lost his sight due to the resulting infection and it took a year or more of surgeries to get his sight back to what it was pre-surgery. He also is a sharp shooter, gun collector, and bullet maker, and so loosing his sight would have been particularly tragic.

This one is another favorite of mine, I love the looseness and thick impasto brushwork! It's just so lush! Wintry, too!

Here is another beauty, I love the watery mist and spray underneath the truck,...

And the light here is so warm and inviting! Reminds me of that cheery moment of driving solitude we have all experienced, perhaps when you just start a long drive, in the morning, and are just enjoying the sights as they pass you by,...

This one has a more hustle and bustle feeling to me,...

A mundane sight transformed,...the highway sign we are all familiar with,..I particularly like how the view through the truck's windshield is a darker patch of blue,...

And this one is so full of action, you can hear the rush of the big rig as it passes, almost feel the vibration!
This one, again, because it is my favorite. So serene,... and almost comforting. The universal driving experience of private thoughts, and the resulting emotion and induced meditation of being hurled through the world at high speed through a changing landscape are captured so well in these paintings.

Thanks, Dad for showing us a glimpse into how you see the world!

2010-12-02T10:21:00.001-08:00

Huge Wintry Moon Lantern Available On Ebay!
Am finishing up a round of orders but was able to list one large moon last night, he's only on for 5 days ending late Monday night!

Have been making ornaments that will be up for grabs soon ,too!

Here is a detail of the big guy:

He is 15" deep! Will be strung with a wire bail for hanging...

And a recent devil lamp, already sold,...

Thanks for stopping by!

2010-11-22T16:41:00.000-08:00

Snowman Cobblin' Magic!

To see how I made the snowman below here are spome photos of the process,...

For the top hat,...I dremmeled apart two different hard black plastic buckets and epoxied them together to get the right height of the top hat,...then I used a large clock rim to make the hat's rim, it has a nice shape, and embellished the underneath part in a vintage hatbox paper,.. plastering the seams together and then sanding, painting, and sealing,..here goes the plaster,..

Here is the hat after construction but before paint and glitter,...

I tried on the hat to get correct proportions even before I carved the snowman lantern head itself. You can see the sketched outline in pencil to follow for the dremmel carving,..

Here I am hoisting the large snowman head around as I worked on it, you can see how truly large he is!

A dusting of German Glass Glitter was the final appropriate frosty touch! I love the gleam in his eye!

Jingle Jingle! Some Wintry Christmas Pieces Are Here!

This Large Snowman floor lamp with top hat was hand sculpted out of rock hard paper mache and plaster mix. His hard top hat was handmade and constructed out of out of cut plastic bucket parts and a large clock rim, and is encrusted in black superfine glitter. He really looks icy with his frosty German Glass Glitter that sparkles on his cheeks and face! The lamp post itself is a working electric lamp that has been painted white and striped with a candy cane pastel pink motif, while the metal detail on the lamp resembles old fashioned candy, also in rosy pink and white.This lamp is over 5 1/2 feet tall, and what a delight it is for children to see!

Would be a very merry addition to any snowman or Christmas collection!

Here is a basket full of various works in progress,..

Some more finished and unfinished pieces,..

And a 12" Tree Topper Star that shines like freshly fallen snow in white with a hint of icy blue undertones and more German Glass Glitter,...

A smaller 6" star ornament,..
A Snowy White Christmas Crescent Moon, 7" tall!

There is beautiful detail in a vintage paper underneath the snowman's hat in pale aqua and grey paisley type pattern that cannot be seen here! Lovely details throughout including carved teeth, and a large hand stitched crepe and tissue collar in aqua and white!

Would be such a jolly display in a store or a special home's entryway.

Snowman's eyes are hand painted on vellum so that they shine when he is lit!

All of the above designs are available for purchase or special order!

Happy Holidays!

2010-09-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

What in the Devil Have I Been Up To?
Why, making devils, of course! And Moons and BlackCats and Warty Jacks, mostly for Halloween and Vine and The SpookyTime Jingles Soiree, but a few are being offered on eBay! I have started a new line of characters, and they are pretty wicked! I have gotten a lot darker with some of my expressions, dare I say just a tad more sinful with my sculpture.

Of course I can't completely abandon my old standby, which I always find so much fun to make, the grinning moon! This one below is offered on eBay right now. I have started sculpting their teeth. Actually, I carve them at the end, and I love how it looks. No more glue and paper, and now I wonder why I didn't think of it sooner!?

The subtle difference is even more discernable in real life. This gargantuan double sided moon below is also offered this week on eBay. He is most likely the only one this size offered on eBay this month, or perhaps at all, this season. (I am just not used to making pieces and Saving THEM !)

If you look closeley you can see one of my scary little Warty Jacks on the table. They are cute and creepy at the same time!

I have had a blur of craziness this past August, it all started with a fun beach trip, to whic had to come to an end. The fun continued to end as I came home to a viral computer. It took 2 weeks or more to get it fixed, and then, not 24 hours of having it working again, a huge storm with lightening and a power strip that broke all contrived to destroy my old computer. It was fried! Alas, I have not gotten a new one yet, but have had to make do with my Droid. We are having a tech friend build a new one, and I hope to get laptop soon. Without a computer, I have been able to work even more, though, and perhaps to SAVE more pieces, which I know I will be glad of with a big 8 foot table to fill two times in the not so distant future. Oddly, I have made peace with my computerless condition and have borrowed one when neccessary, getting by. All I really want to be doing anyway is making things or running outdoors, and now I have more time for both! Ha!

So that's it for now! Happy Fall, ya'll!!

2010-07-31T07:37:00.000-07:00

Halloween Crunch Time, and Where Have I Been?
Hi everyone and anyone who still reads this poorly attended to blog. I look back on last summer's posts and every few days I was writing and posting! This summer has blazed by me. I HAVE still done a lot of fun and outdoors things,...and am leaving yet again for a trip tomorrow! I am taking the kids to Myrtle Beach, the South's biggest tourist trap (outside of Florida!). We will be staying at a hotel with a water park right on the beach!
With major shows coming up just around the corner, shame on me for traipsying off! Good thing I am prolific and work well under pressure, cause I will be under pressure when I return!

Here are a few choice shots from the last couple of weeks, when I managed to leave the studio,...
Out at the farm, my sister and I spent a few days soaking up the beauty there, swimming, messing with the horses, and re painting our Father's farm house while he was off on a back country trip out West.
We revelled in being alone out there, together, and felt like we were mere teens again!
One night it rolled up a magnificent thunderstorm, and the colors looked like this,...

Sugar, our Appaloosa, is my age, 37. Young for me, but that's OLD for a horse. We don't ride him anymore, but brush feed and spoil him. His pasture mate is also pretty old, Whiskey is in his twenties. The horse I had from the age of 14 to 30 something is no longer with us. He was a magnificent quarter horse, tall and pitch black, named Charger. I took him with me whenever I moved in my twenties,..I miss him so.

Can you STAND the color of the sky? The wind was blowing and about 30 vultures were riding the currents in the dark swirling sky overhead. It was magical!

The willow at the little pond,..
Me tromping around barefoot in the good mud of the big pond,..

A beautiful morning, I love spending the night out there!

Grasshoppers are in plague form out there! There are about fifty on every fence post,...and they swarm through the tall grass. I just love how this looks almost biblical and ominous, the dramatic sky in the background...

and more eeriness,...my running trails were soaked near my house. We have had lots of good rains! I love to run late and into the dark...

And lots and lots of art has been made,..
I took a couple of orders for this Wart Jack, he was sent somewhere special to be published in a yet un-announced mag!

A Halloween crescent and a tiny double sided party moon ornie!

This lamp is on eBay now!! He ends Monday night!

So does this devil,...

A new character for me and one I will be making a few more of for shows.

I love the way the collars add flair to the moons! Plus allowing them to sit flat on a table,...

Here is a new cat lamp, also on eBay,..I make the hats out of recycled packaging plastic so that they may glow a bit, too,..

Off to pack for my trip, and when I return, it is
Halloween Crunch Time!

2010-07-13T05:59:00.000-07:00

July STJ Pieces,...
Here are more shots of some new pieces available today over at www.spookytimejingles.com. I have a cat and a moon shaker available. On the chance they do not sell, they will NOT be going on eBay, but will be saved for Halloween and Vine and/or the Soiree shows coming up in the fall!

Here is a detailed shot of my small moon lamp. I sculpted his hat out of mache, then cut a window out. I recycled thick packaging plastic to construct his tiny window, and reverse painted the vintage style cat and bat sillhouettes. I encrusted the inside of the hat with super fine orange blitter and when this piece is lit up with its flicker bulb it is dazzling! The dancing faux flame reflects and bounces off the glittered walls from within the hat, and the moon's face itself also glows orange....

Here is my large moon lamp. The moon is easily removed from the candlestick base and may sit on his own. The hat was constructed out of thick recycled packaging plastic. I painted directly on the plastic. The hat and image of the Halloween cat also glow when lit. It was SpookyTime Jingle's birthday this month so this is my idea of Mr. Moon at the party!
The moon itself is my medium size, seven inch size lantern. I hand stitched his crepe collar....

I cut apart some old lamps to get these finial shapes to use as collars. They are screwed epoxied and glues in tightly to the shaker bases. I just love how the look! The cat has his two top largest fangs sculpted, and the rest are painted. He has a fine shimmer of glitter to highlight his cheeks and brows. There is also glitter encrusting the inside of his ears! I painted an owl and a moon and bats on his hat. The moon looks like a woman in the moon! She has a witch flying over the moon painted on her hat. She is a soft whitish cream color with purple highlights!

More shots of the cat,...

Here is my Evil Skelly lamp! I came up with the idea before The National Halloween Convention to make these with wire stitched mouths. I like the meaner expressions better, but have done smiling happier ones too. They were a hit at tje convention and I will do a couple more this year for shows.

The flicker bulbs are amazing in these lamps!

Thanks for stopping by for a closer look!

2010-07-12T13:32:00.001-07:00

SpookyTime Sneak Peek for July!
Its SpookyTime Jingles 2nd birthday!
We update tonight at Midnight!
Lots of things with hats,..

Some that glow,...
Wicked wired grins,...
lots of things lit from within!
Just who could they be?...

And that's my SpookyTime Sneak Peek for July!

2010-07-02T05:22:00.000-07:00

New Pieces and a Vacation!
I have been busy as a bee with several different new pieces, seen below, I believe my favorite is the warty green Bad Jack,...and I have a much bigger one made, but not yet finished. There is also a large ghostie hatted moon shaker, a moon lamp, and a new skelly shaker! All are on eBay this week.

Here is a sun I sculpted a year ago while on vacation at the same spot I am leaving for today, in coastal North Carolina. We are going to a tiny spot on the map called aurora. It is The Pamlico River, right where it turns into the sound...dolphins, cranbds, fishing, boating, tubing, and fossil hunting! Aurora N.C is a fossil capitol! After that we leave the kids there, come back this way and I head to Tennessee to see my best friend and go hiking in the mountains and swimming in the rivers!

I definately need some of this:

I hate the thought of not working on art and so will take smaller pieces with me.
I even sculpt in the car! When I sm not the driver, of course!

This little moon lamp also would make a great child's nightlight.

Skelly Shaker is so cute and evil!

Bad Green Jack is my favorite, he is so solid and lovely to the touch.

I'm off to load up the vehicle!
See ya'll later!
Happy Fourth!!

2010-06-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

STJ Update today... Goes LIVE at NOON!
Here is my Bad Jack lit in the dark... No photo editing, this is really how it looks...

I am excited about this months update as I have several new fun things made! Here are three shakers, seen below, a vintage moon with a detailed painted party hat...a hissing cat and lots or tiny stars and jacks,...a wicked good devil shaker with a black red and tan hand stitched crepe collar....and a hissing black cat shaker with a painted hat that boasts a scary grinning jack, a hoot owl, and a skull! Woot Woot! Halloween is just around the corner! I have been so busy I am now dur a good workout..or a run..or a thrift store adventure...something out of the studio! But I know I can't wait to get back to work as I have 2 shows to prepare for!

And yes we have a Hootenany this month, too, in preparation for the upcoming Independence day! Here is my take on that holiday! He looks like he's from TEXAS! Maybe he's a staunch Republican? Or a Democrat? I don't know because...I'm NIETHER!! But I enjoyed the Americana color palette.
Here is a HUGE crescent moon ornie I have been working on for sometime. He's ten inches high, has some heft to him and is quite devilish!

I love this old timey type moon, inspired by the old 1920's Beistle graphics...

And My favorite consort himself,...

And a Grinning Jack Lamp! He is amazing lit up in the dark with the flicker bulb...

He is TO DIE FOR lit up in the dark with the flame like bulb flickering! Inside is painted orange and it just screams "Halloween" when lit!!

Happy June!!

2010-06-03T06:17:00.000-07:00

Moon Crescent WIP and More!
Hello all! I have been a busy bee. I had no computer for over a week due to a nasty virus. The good news is I got it fixed and upgraded, the bad news is I lost everything on it, all my pictures from years past. I have many on other sites saved but lost untold thousands. That will teach me to start backing them up. I have been sculpting and keeping up with orders in addition to realizing I had better start stockpiling for the two big shows I am participating in this fall, Halloween and Vine in California in September, and The SpookyTime Jingles Soiree in October. Because I have been filling orders, mostly for my large moons, I do not have any available for eBay. However, I will be offering my smaller ones on eBay as much as I can!
The next STJ update is also around the corner and here are some pieces I have been working on!
The largest crescent moon I have yet made...he may have a friend such as an owl or a bat with him, or perhaps he needs a small party hat,... I still have not decided, but I love his wicked expression! In the background are some other things drying, a devious Jack O Lantern, some smaller moons and crescents, and two larger pumpkin shaped forms as I am going to work on a new kind of jack o lantern.

Unfortunately for me, (but good for my garden!) is the fact that we have had day after day of high humidity and thunderstorms! I love thunderstorms, but they don't make for drying mache!
I need sun! Here is a hard driving rain as seen through my windshield Sunday, when my husband and I had been out to a nursery to buy plants, alas, our plans were dashed!

One sunny morning my four year old, Danny, got into my bucket of joint compound and put his had prints all over the railing of the big upper deck where I work, And I LOVE it! Hope it lasts forever.

Here are some more WIPS out to dry,...
a devil, a wicked Beistle style Jack, a big moon ( commissioned)
another hissing cat, and some smaller moons....

I just love the devil's horns, pointy ears and he may have to come with an earring!

Here is another large double moon I recently finished, already spoken for. This guy is over 15 inches....side A,..
Side B,...
Thanks for stopping by, more pics to come!

2010-05-19T12:02:00.001-07:00

New Works and the SpookyTime Jingles Etsy Sale!

STJ has opened an Etsy shop just for pieces still available from the Halloween Convention!
Here is a peek of my one available 6 foot high candelabra floor lamp left from the recent Halloween Convention,...
and he is listed for sale on the SpookyTime Jingles Etsy Shop.

Here is a seven inch double yellow lantern I will most likely list on eBay tonight...

Just to show the scale, here he is below pictured sitting atop a large 15 inch one that ends tonight on eBay!

They look so cute and jovial together!

Here is another star moon pair...

Just love how this shows the sheer difference in size and scale!

And two of my favorite shakers, both with their Halloween party hats,...

Will be putting these two up for grabs soon too...

Halloween is the next major Holiday!!

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to check out the SpookyTime Jingles Etsy shop, its only up for a week or so!

2010-05-12T06:18:00.000-07:00

SpookyTime Jingles Sneak Peak!
Here is just one of my pieces, a partial shot...going on live tonight at Midnight EST!!

Don't forget to visit the site and see all the artist's new pieces!
Click on the SpookyTime Jingles logo to the right hand side of my blog to get there!
I know I will be there!

2010-05-05T08:21:00.001-07:00

The National Halloween Convention!
I just returned from a trip to King Of Prussia, PA to attend the National Halloween Convention as a vendor with the Spooky Time Jingles booth! We had so much fun. Sold tons of art and met lots of great people. Here are some pics of us and the booth below...

One of my Moon Shakers, a Sweet B Lollipop, and a witch by Jorge DeRojas of HoHo Halloween..

Another one of my moon peaks out from a curtain...

And the famous Halloween Raffle Tree...

Here is the back of the booth...

Here is Robin Seeber, who I just loved meeting...myself as a witch...Dani Nelson, STJ "Den Mamma" Marie Patterson, and Lisa nelson, of Buck's County Design, who I was thrilled to finally meet!

Robin, myself, and Marie peeking out from behind all the goodies...

And this shot has artists Kristen Beason, myself, Marie Patterson, Robin Seeber, Joanne C. Harper, and Dani Nelson..

And this is my favorite picture of my dear friend Dani...STJ owner...I think I have to get it framed. She has an absolute vision for Spooky Time Jingles and that vision is truly coming to life. The booth this year was amazing...she even won an award for the best booth at the show! She has on her birthday crown given to her by Marie Patterson...who also made it!

Here we are again...
Here is a grey moon who sold to a fantastic altered doll artist and sculptor, D.L. Marion. I hope to trade with her in the near future!

Here are some pieces I have still available. I think I sold half my inventory, mostly all the big pieces!
Here is a cat lantern I actually finished up while up there...
He has wicked glistening and glittery highlights and laid back, angry ears!

ONE of my skeleton lanterns is still available. I love the wired mouths!

And here are some more moon pieces, and my hand made Black Halloween Feather Tree with fancy footed metal base I designed and made with my sister, Dusti, also an artist.

Lots of new ideas rollin' around in my head so check back real soon!

2010-05-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

Spooky Time Jingles Halloween Tree Video..
Dani took a video of me promoting our tree dressed as a witch...it is pretty funny. (The only thing missing is me saying at the end " WE'RE DEALIN!!!" in a loud car salesman type voice.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYLs4GdNBjA

2010-04-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

National Halloween Convention Here I Come!

Tomorrow is it! Road trip to King of Prussia, (outside of Phildadelphia) PA,
with a truck load of Halloween wares! SpookyTime Jingles will be there in full force with loads of goodies! We are raffling off an entire Halloween Tree with ornaments, moon topper, and tree skirt. Click on the link to to the right to buy a raffle ticket! I have many lamps, lanterns, and large pieces. Below are some pics from the studio today..just
a sample of what will be taken!! The large floor lamps were a hit last year and I have two more made again for this year. I'll be postin' pics on Facebook all week! Check it out, and drive on over this Friday to the Convention if you are nearby!!

See you there!!

2010-04-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

Fun New Videos of My Lanterns Spinning...
These two are both on eBay this week! The first video shows a grey one spinning, he is a medium size, and the second video shows a huge yellow one, seen in the lower post. They both are strung with spinners so that they will spin when given a little push. This really shows off what they are, and their three dimensional form. The second one, it is so funny as my dogs happened to be howling at a siren in the background...or howling at the Moon! The large yellow lantern is one of my biggest in years.

2010-04-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

New! Biggest Moon EVER! With a SPINNER!

Here is my all time favorite moon...atleast this year, and he is LARGE, a whopping sixteen inches deep. He comes with a spinner, a little fishing lure accoutriment, attached to his wire bail hanger, so that if you give him a little push, he spins round and round in a wickedly strange and creepy jovial fashion! Just how I like my art! He is two different colors, too, subtle difference, but it is apparent,..here is a traditonal orange tinted yellow moon color, (one of my favorites) on this side..

Here is the same side lit up with candles..you can also use battery operated votives, I am a risk taker, so candles are for me.,

And here is the OTHER side, a more whitish pastel version of the yellow and a sweeter smile...blue eyes and a few blue dark grey details around the eyes too..

I love the orange eyes on this side...sooo HALLOWEEN!!

I am preparing to go out of town, all the way to New Jersey to visit Dani Nelson, Miss Spooky Time Jingles herself, Yay! We are going to have so much fun working on projects for the upcoming National halloween Convention, and going into the city to MOMA to see the Tim Burton exhibit! She has already been, but is going to get such a kick out of showing this little country girl around. My flight leaves Thursday morning! I had so much more almost ready for sale this week but the weekend caught me with a big batch of dreaded posion ivy. It started spreading, got into my bloodstream and wreaked its havoc. I lay in bed Sunday in a Benadryl induced coma with chills and aches. Monday the doctor put me on steroids, and I can't even sleep! Getting LOTS of work done, however! I have been indulgently IMMUNE to this plant's toxicity all of my life, untill now. I thought it was a sign of my woodsy prowess. Now I have been humbled. It turns out, my mother was the same way. She was finally able to get it by the age of 40 or so, and it gets in her blood the same way. My father is still immune! I am going to have to be MUCH more careful!
I have some video imagery of this moon spinning that I hope to post here soon.
I have a lot to do before my fun trip...
Thanks for stopping by!

2010-03-30T19:43:00.001-07:00

Nature Treks...

This time of year finds me running through nature in a state of visual ecstasy! Its so amazing out there! I love seeing the light in the morning or the evening and all the quick changes in the woods that are happening..and the new green colors are so BRIGHT! I find it is well worth it for me to spend at least two hours running through the local countryside almost everyday! It's good for the body, mind, and soul. I can regenerate as much as I need to, and then get back home to create. This time of year, I can stay out longer and longer, though. I run, take some pics, hike, take some pics, sprint, take some pics...just following wherever my eyes lead me....

Like here...some moss springs up in the color it only can this time of year,...I feast my eyes..

And here, Angus wants to follow me, I am on a ledge that is the entry to an underground railroad tunnel that was built just to let a stream through...it is beautiful and the sound of running water over rock and stone is pure peace!

Here is how I first saw it...
stopped me dead in my tracks...

Walking closer, I immediately found this...an old green glass insulator...I love the color...yes I ran with it the rest of the morning to bring it home...

Look at the sunlight in this pool of water....right where the tunnel stream empties...

Earlier, when Angus beat me to it...

I love crossing logs over creeks...except that
I have to be cautious..I wouldn't care if I fell in, but that would mean the end of my Droid...and I would be destroyed without my Droid!! Its such a great camera and slides right in my back pocket...

Here I made it to the opening... did I crawl through? Nope, not this time. There is about forty yards of a hill and who knows how many tons of earth and over this thing...going all the way up to support the track..like tunnels you drive through in the mountains...except this one is maybe four feet deep, if that...eeek!! Might be some Sleestacks in there, or something!

I just love it here!
So did Angus...
Here is a view of the tracks I followed...
tracks to one side, old growth woods and creek to the other..paradise!!

My entry point...running on tracks is odd, you have to land your feet on each of the ties...which doesn't match my stride...so I take to the ditches and woods...

Here is another adventure, one of many recent trips to the farm...

My middle child Cassie stayed the weekend with my Dad...she fished, and played, and fished ALL day never stopping unless to mess with the horses...
she told my Dad on her second day there,.."Do-da, I have been here so long, I feel like I live here now!" She would if I let her, and I almost wish I could...

Joy in these eyes...
Here is the little pond, where a kid can catch Goggle Eye and Sunfish all day...

And here is Ms. Cass proudly handling her catch...

And here a view from the road driving in..you can now see "The Big Pond' from the road due to some clear cutting on neighbor's land in '07....it was a sad time to have the dam end of the pond's visual landmarks and forest taken away, but I have adjusted and it is now bright and sunny there, more open and vast seeming....

The whole drive was blissful...the light kept swiftly changing from dark like this to sun...this is White Store Rd in Union County, and there is no telling how many times I have driven it. Always the way to find my dad, who in his retirement has been painting daily, and this is just a small sample of his efforts...there are so many, they are drying all over his front and back porch. Mys sister recently photographed more of them and put them on her blog, "The Halloweenstress"
on my blog list at the bottom of the page..

Here are some shots back in my home woods and creek..

One morning I saw the creek glittering in the sun and the bubbling rushing water and the brilliant green moss, crows calling, tree frogs chirping...hard to believe I made it back home!

Just divine!!!
One of my favorite easy to run across logs...Angus looks on...

These unusual plants are popping up alongside patches of daffodils all over the forest where I go play..
I love the old growth hardwoods and the beautiful shapes their trunks form..

This day, I actually wore Angus out...2 hours does the trick for him, too...

Thanks for stopping by and more WIP pics for The Halloween Convention coming soon!!

2010-03-25T18:34:00.001-07:00

Finishing Up!!
I am finishing up a round of orders...as I promised myself I would have to this week in order to stary on schedule. Here are two more...four to go!
This is a large, one faced whitish grey with blue eyes...

Here is a medium moon lamp...

I spent the most beautiful morning at the farm and viewing my father's incredible paintings, he is painting everyday and has a beautiful new art show to view each week! I went out there to start painting with him, I LOVE painting and just haven't done enough of it to even claim being a painter. I spent the morning visiting,...running around, and taking pics and also started a small painting, almost finished. Just not enough time to do ALL of what I truly love today it seemed...rush rush rush...I will post pics soon.
Thanks for looking!!

2010-03-23T18:42:00.001-07:00

Finished Commission and 5 more to go!
I am in a creative run of finishing commissions..I give myself this week as I have GOT to concentrate on the National Halloween Convention show with SpookyTime Jingles! Did I mention that before THAT I am flying to Jersey to see my favorite Jersey Girl on the planet...Ms. Dani Nelson!!? She and I have big creative plans and she is going to take this little southern gal on her virgin trip ( she's brave, huh?) into the city and we are going to the Tim Burton exhibit at MOMA! How excited am I and how much work do I have to do before then?? If I can just keep myself from running through the woods..this time of year its BEAUTIFUL here!!
I had way too much fun in the woods today...

Here are the type of convenient roots that are stairs for climbing up and out of steep creek banks..so interesting to me that they grew that way!

Angus bounds through the woods...we run together and I stop for photography breaks..so much fun that everytime I go, I wonder why I don't stay longer and come more often...

I literally go into a fantasy world...but it's real while I am there...vines and roots, sunlight and trees, rushing water over mossy rocks, and treefrogs that sing..., small bits of green popping up everywhere...early spring is a pure delight.

I did get some things squared away in the studio before my play...
Here is a little gift I made to send to a special buyer....

and here is a piece that is my largest shaker yet...I am so pleased that I have devised a new contraption for these..I built in an insert, a recycled thick plastic tube, to be able to attach and remove the shaker's stick. Also, this will make for much easier shipping, and storage. The pole fits tightly in the bottom, where there is the rest of that tube going inside the shaker where you can't see...

I love the hat on this one, especially the back side..

where the cat is flying through the air after bailing on the witch...

Just love the toothy grin!!

So glad to have this one done!!

2010-03-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

A Few Recent Moons and a FUN show!!...
Here are a few new moons, will have this large 15" on ebay this week for ten days.
Here he is seen with a skeleton and crow...

and below with a few other friends, smaller grey is also a double sided...

I had a great time at the Gore-A-Liscious show in Charlotte Friday night put on by my friend Dee! We had the coolest set up there, no doubt. Mr Jason, my favorite artist and friend form y ECU days came with us...he does incredible eerie sculpture and also has steampunk DOWN...here he is holding one of his creations, there is our friend Vanessa, and myself..

My sister Dusti makes the most incredible jewelry out of found parts...rusty keyholes, old furniture hardware, old silver serving buffet pieces.. and cut up porcelain dolls..

here is a view of some of the art together..

a steam punk octopus by Jason is in the front..one of his trademark elongated sculptures on the right...he also had small flying monkey sculptures!

Here is an octopus mirror he made...

And another, bigger octopus mirror...

It was festively circus sideshow...a fun excuse to dress up...Yvonne, a lioness, and Dee as a Raggedy Ann with real zippers under her eyes...

Here is the other side of that large moon...

And another fun one...

Both on eBay this week!
Thanks for looking!

2010-03-12T18:15:00.001-08:00

NEW! All New Line Up for SpookyTime Jingles update tonight at Midnight!

I had a ball making all these shakers on sticks...each Halloween Character is hand sculpted in paper mache and mounted on a 12" wooden dowel! The crescent moon and the star aren't shakers but rather have bells hanging from them instead. The moon heads measure about 5 inches high.

I hand sculpt my Halloween character's accessories too...Mr. Party Moon's hat is rock hard paper mache and hand painted in tiny detail meticulously. The hats take a lot of time to create and paint! This one has little mice cavorting along the bottom, black cats hissing, bats fluttering, and witches sailing...all around the hat, front and back.

This is my first crescent moon ever in Halloween colors. I did a few in silver for Christmas tree toppers last Christmas, and have been meaning to do some Halloween ones ever since!

Here is a Moon Lantern, he is about 7" deep. I want to make The Man in the Moon THE new Halloween must have! Man in the moon Jack o lanterns for "errrrybody!"

They look so much fun all lined up.
I am planning on making many more of these type of shakers for upcoming shows!

Mr. Bad Cat has sculpted furry eyebrows and chin and wire whiskers with a rusty metal star hanging from his collar!

I love grey black and white for Halloween, too....

That's all I've got for this update!
Don't forget to see ALL the new art by our talented STJ artists tonight at midnight at www.spookytimejingles.com
Thanks for stopping by ya'll!!

2010-03-08T09:41:00.001-08:00

Green Eyed Moon...
Hi everyone! This week has me busy finishing things for The March 13th SpookyTime Jingles update and wrapping up a recent round of commissions. I was able to put this 9 inch moon lantern on eBay this week, he ends Thursday night around 8:45pm EST.

He has green eyes for March and he looks so great posed with a skeleton...

and even better lit up in the dark!

Thanks for stopping by!!

2010-03-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

BIG NEWS! Halloween and Vine 2010...I'm in!
It's an absolute dream come true, and I am still pinching myself, but I got accepted into THE premier juried Halloween art show, Halloween and Vine. It is held in Petaluma, California September 25th. I'll be among so much long established talent... there will be other artists' there whose work I have long admired. I will be like a cat in the cream! I'll get to meet with some good friends who will also be in the show, and hopefully meet some new friends as well!

Before Halloween and Vine, I will also once again be traveling to Philadelphia, PA April 28th-May 2nd for The National Halloween Convention! SpookyTime Jingles will have a booth there selling out of the most unique Halloween art display you will ever lay eyes on, AND our booth space is about 4 times bigger this year! I will be bringing some LARGE pieces, moon topped floor lamps and lamps and witch trumeaus, things I love to make and would love to sell, but due to their size, just don't want to have to ship/ sell online. Driving there allows me to go all OUT...and if you are in within a reasonable driving distance, PLEASE make the trip to see the incredible display we are going to have! You will not be sorry! Say you are an STJ fan and you get a door prize too!

So besides planning for shows and doing jump squats and feeding children and animals and taking out the trash and writing lists and being in mache most all day long, I did in fact finish something that was not already spoken for or headed somewhere this week! Here below is an eBay offering of the week, a star moon ornie pair...with MUCH more in the works. So many shows and events this year, commissions to keep up with (Thank you people!) AND Spooky Time Jingles monthly offerings...AND eBay, plus my recent two hour a day (some days) crazed new work out "shedule".. I am not left with much time for anything else! This is why the blog has been so barren. But I love blogging and I love reading other's blogs...it really makes the world go round...so I am going to write much more frequently here again. I may even expose the moonery no holds barred, I'll just give the droid to Danny, he has already mastered videography and photography. Then I'll just post what he sees from the four year old perspective of this place ! Now that is scary!!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

2010-02-22T17:19:00.000-08:00

Dani's visit and a trip to Robert's!

Dani Nelson, owner/founder of SpookyTime Jingles and incredible artist in her own right visited me last week and we had an amazing time! Dani was an easy guest, she is an absolute riot to hang out with! She and I hit some thrift stores, shared some art techniques, planned for some upcoming shows, and generally laughed a LOT! Here below are some examples of her crazy talent...

I just LOVE this freaky pumpkin...
she is a master with paper clay!
We had fun collaborating on this little ornie...we took a small unfinished sculpted moon from my studio and Dani sanded, painted, and made the hat...so it is my moon in HER style! I love it and have it sitting on my studio shelf as a fun reminder of our week together. I cannot wait to see her again at the National Halloween Convention the first weekend of May or possibly sooner! It was uplifting having another creative and artistic spirit around. I felt like my eyes were opened to new possibilities...so many ideas came into my head while she was here, and it was just plain FUN to work even briefly with another artist. I have to say Miss Dani is cooler than a fan and our meeting last year and ensuing friendship has been an true gift!

Here are some more of her pieces...

Speaking of "Halloween Fanatics" we got an invite from THE Halloween Fanatic himself!
It turns out Mr. Robert Brawley lives about 40 minutes away, North of here near Statesville, N.C. Dani and I were thrilled to make the short trip to visit Robert and his family. Robert's collection was sooooo fun to pour through...
Here he is with Dani...

and with me, holding a little moon ornament I brought him...

I was first blown away by these two large paintings, first thing you see right when you walk through his front door. They were done by Robert in college, but I believe he has real talent as a painter and should keep it up! Go Robert, GO!!

And here is one of Robert's cupid sculptures, we really like these too...

Robert is both an AVID holiday art collector and a holiday artists himself! Here is a piece by Flora of Bonehead Studios he had out on the table that I was so in love with...

Here he holds a commissioned piece of his dog, twinkle, by David of Chickenlips!

It was such a treat to see his vast collection and his own works of art.
Thanks Robert for a great time!!

2010-02-18T06:30:00.001-08:00

First Large Halloween lantern of 2010!!
Despite the snowy weather its always Halloween here!! Here was the view off my deck where 75% of the year I can be found in a sculpting and slopping in mache like a mad woman...this time of year for a short time it has to be done indoors, though. This was our second snowfall of the year and it was a beautiful treat.
However, I am feeling spring fever start and cannot wait for warmer weather, bike rides, mache on the deck, flowers, birds, creeks, and SUN!!!

I am offering my first large Moon lantern in a Halloween color for the year. He is single sided, but a beauty.
I couldn't resist propping him with a few other Halloween items for display. I have so many things to make for two large upcoming shows this year I do not know how many will be available as I get cranking on show pieces. So please, if you like, bid while you can!

Speaking of which, Miss Dani Nelson friend and owner of SpookyTime Jingles is visiting me right now so that we can go over some of the details together of upcoming shows and events! We are having a riot of a time and I hope to post some pics of our adventures soon. Think lots of creating, thrifting, and laughter. I only wish she lived closer as I truly enjoy the company of another creative and ambitious spirit!

Till next post...Happy Halloween Dreams!!

2010-02-12T20:08:00.001-08:00

SpookyTime Jingles Update Tonight at Midnight!
Head on over to www.spookytimejingles.com to see all the greatest in Halloween and christmas folk art plus the Holiday Hootenanny which this month is for Spring/Easter.
I didn't offer the Hootenanny this month, but below is a rabbit on stick, my first finished rabbit piece this year. He is still somewhat strange and spooky, but I like him that way. I love rabbits, when I was small, around 3, and 4, I would coax the little brown ones out of the woods to eat lettuce and carrots out of my hand. I guess they knew they had nothing to fear from such s small child. Its always so fun to see them froic about. I love the domestic varieties, too, especially the flop ears. And then there is the book, Watership Down...by Richard Adams...such an incredible read at any age. I believe I will name this rabbit Inle....

He has a black and white jester collar and ribbon and bells hang from underneath him.

A slight bit of feathering at his collar...

his splotches are so satisfying.
He is sweet and spooky all the way!

Below is my moon shaker offered on STJ this month...I love how his hat turned out. I painted very carefully this vintage looking party hat ...a wonderful hissing black cat rears its head and a witch flies high overhead...hat is finished off with crepe black fringe. I love the old timey look.
This one is BIGGER than last months, the moon is 7 inches high. I think its a great size for display. He is mounted on an old tinker toy reddish orange stick...

Here is a large grey moon,,, I am fooling around with making him a hat, too. Not sure what all to do yet. I have SO many little things. ornaments and such,laying around to finish painting.

That's all for now!
Thanks for coming by!

2010-02-02T18:20:00.000-08:00

February Moon
Here is a LARGE moon ornament I finished..I like to think of him as a snow or ice moon...with his icicle shaped ornament lower half...he has snowy opaque glitter and is cold wintry colors. Just put him on eBay tonight. He's not really any "holiday" per se, I just thought he would rock as an any time of year ornament. He would look dazzling on a tree, though. He is 15" high not including tinsel string hanger.

Thanks for looking!

2010-01-31T19:58:00.001-08:00

New Pieces! Halloween with a Valentine's Twist!

Here are some pieces finished here this weekend. Offered on eBay this week, the one on the left shown below is a Jack o Lantern sitting on a heart shaped red velvet cake. Whilst painting his chocolatey, fudgey frosting, I wished for a real cake. It's my birthday soon, so maybe I'll make one!
Untill then, I can feast my eyes upon this one, salivate, and keep working out...thus avoiding the whole calorie bomb of a REAL cake.

Here he is lit up....
The little guy on the right is a candy container, the "frosting" and the jack are one piece, the lid of the little heart shaped cake-box.
Here is some Fancy Finery for your Valentiney...
A Moon with hearts on his cheeks...I must say my first ever PINK moon. He has marble glitter highlights and A RED metallic tinsel hanger. Frosty, Wintry, and Sweet!

That's all, Ya'll!!!

2010-01-29T20:25:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Day Jack O Lantern WIPs!
I finished a few things today, but not as much as I had hoped, because we had snow! My kids were out in it till 9:30 tonight and it only started right before dark. A few inches already on the ground, and may do it all night tonight and through the day tomorrow too. When I was growing up in this area, it snowed 12 inches at least once, sometimes even twice, a winter. A nice snow lasting a few days that we could sled in and saucer down hills on was something you could count on happening. We even had a nice sled, untill my mother ran it over in the driveway one year. Ha ha. We probably left it out way after the snow came and went and she decided to take out that piece of un-attractive yard art. I remember the best things about playing in the snow...my dad would come out in it with us...and we made a REAL igloo, it probably rivals the Eskimos' as my dad does NOTHING half ass. He and my mom were married in Alaska and lived there for seasons at a time when he was a smokejumper. Maybe he got some pointers from his friends there, however, it was the summer there...who knows how he learned how to do EVERYTHING he knows? There were Eskimos at the small un-formal ceremony in a log cabin and they got a wolf skin as a present. I used to cover myself with it and run around on all fours pretending to be a wolf! Of course he also showed us how to make all kinds of snow sculptures.
We lived in town, in Charlotte, NC, in my elementary school days next to a main busy road in town that was on a steep hill. I remember for fun, we would all go help push cars that were stuck up the hill. I remember this happening at night a lot too. Lots of laughing and fun. I love the snow. I know, I know, you yankees will laugh. But its special down here when it occurs, and it doesn't occur often enough to be a pain! I love a good snowfall as much as I love Halloween!!!
Speaking of wolf skins...its a Wolf Moon! Every moon has a name...December's was the Blue moon because there were TWO full ones that month. Makes me want to sculpt a wolf. A wolf has got to be my favorite animal besides a horse. I guess that's why I love my dog. I love any animal I can GO in nature and run with. Or on. What a tangent I'm on!
Back to the art...
I am doing some Halloween Valentine's Day crossover pieces. I think that these Jack O Lantern's on heart cakes with fudge chocolate frosting are so cool! I've had it in my head for a while now to make some faux cakes...because I love making real ones, and although I am a good baker, I am not the best decorator with real frosting. It seems I can never get it stiff enough or cold enoigh to come out of the bag out of those frosting decorator's tips...or the whole mess explodes out past the bag and I have an ugly cake that tastes REAL good. My favorites to make are red velvet, coconut, carrot, and chocolate. I use sifted Gold Medal Brand unbleached flour and REAL vanilla and fresh ingredients all around! Making these little heart shaped cakes made me want a chocolate cake!
The bigger Jack o Lantern below will have painted paper eye inserts and teeth and I will have a real little night light bulb wired into the bottom of the cake and piece so that it lights up and is a Valentines Day Lantern! The smallest one is just an ornament. I am trying to decide on whether they get hats or not. Then the black cat will be a shaker on a stick but for Valentine's day. There is also a cup of hot choclate in the works that will have little grumpy faced marshmallows floating in it! The cup is grumpy looking, too.

Here are my Valentine's ornaments..they will come with wire hangers too. I put them on eBay tonight.

I also love making the crescent moons now....
and you can't see them in this pic, but three HUGE moon forms are drying and awaiting face sculpting.

I'll be in that snow tomorrow with my three kids, so check back soon for more tale telling!
Thanks for dropping by!!