New Projects and Keeping Busy

I've been keeping myself extremely busy, I listed four new items last week.  Including these shadow boxes

Vampire Tea Party

Haunted House and Graveyard

That mantle clock shadow box came out even better than I had hoped.  I've always been charmed by tiny bits of art so I loved the chance to create that little vignette.  For this week I have four projects that I've half started.  I'm working on two totally new projects they will be flat pieces perfect for table decor or even Halloween centerpiece type decorating.  One of the new pieces is a hinged shadow box with a Lady Death goes to the Ball theme.  I was rereading Peter S. Beagle's "Come Lady Death" and I just had to try and capture that mood.  Here's a sneak peak at Lady Death: 

Hopefully I will have that projected completed and listed this week.

  

Sunday Sunday...

You wouldn't know it by the weather but all other indications say that fall is here. The last of the kids will be back in school soon; all the stores have back to school sales going on, school supplies are in the seasonal section of many stores. It's a time of change and fresh starts. Even though I've been out of school for years I still get anxious this time of year, I like I should be doing something, getting ready for something. I still miss the unblemished surface of new notebooks, of fresh pens and newly sharpened pencils. Which is the only thing about school I miss the rest of it was just the kind of hell that only freaks without a buffer crowd of fellow freaks can know. And yet I’m still nostalgic, still yearning for that chance at a fresh start.

In the meantime I’ve been keeping myself busy trying (without success) to forget certain life things. I’ve made a couple of new pieces and relisted some older pieces that I made some changes to. One of the new pieces is a coffin shadow box called Monsters in Love. I wanted to do something for Mary Shelley’s birthday so I did a piece using a quote from Frankenstein and a picture from the movie of Frankenstein and his bride. I mixed in a lot of nuts and bolts and some washers. I’m happy with the way it turned out. Here’s a pic:

I also made a new mini shrine. This one is about the Arachnid Goddess she who both creates and destroys she is the weaver and mistress of all our fates:

I went to a new thrift store today. I found some small ceramic dolls that I can do something with, a rather rustic compartment shadow box and a small mantle clock that I have a new idea for. I also found a book by Clarice Lispector, The Passion According to G.H. I’m excited I’ve wanted to read her work for a long time and haven’t gotten my hands on any of her books. Thankfully I always have reading and creating to do!

Heat Wave

Summer was slow coming to Southern California this year (WOO HOO) but now it’s here with a vengeance. The past few days temperatures have hit over the 100’s in many places. Which means I’m not a happy crafter my work space is outside, it’s under a patio cover but it’s still miserably hot out there kind of hard to concentrate on creating. I did manage to finish one new project. It’s a wooden tomb shadow box. I decided to do the story of a vampire queen living in her castle enjoying the blood of those who wander into her woods and ruling the demons around her. I enjoyed creating the story as much as the piece I might even turn it into a short story. I haven’t written fiction in years.

Despite all this heat I keep thinking about Fall and Halloween. I’ve been playing with some vintage photos on the computer and creating some Halloween/witch themed pictures from them. I’m not sure how I want to use them but I’d like to do something. If nothing else maybe I can use them for my Halloween cards this year.

Guess I should quit trying to avoid the heat and get to work. Here are a few pictures of the completed project and for the background story check out the Etsy posting: vampire queen story

I really do like Halloween!

Nacreous Alchemy had a good week it started off with an order for four pieces from a very nice customer and I was able to finish two new pieces as well.  One of them was transforming a traditional shabby chic shadow box into a far darker and less mainstream piece.  Those are my favorite kinds of projects starting out with one thing and making it over completely.  Here's the before and after:

I was at Michael's this weekend stocking up on supplies.  The girl who rang me up asked me if I really like Halloween. ;)  Even though the heat has finally decided to descend on us here in SoCal I'm already dreaming of fall and Halloween decor all over. 

Trip Highlights and Family Visit

I came back from my trip up North last Sunday to a house filled with family and friends celebrating a visit from my cousin and his family from New York.  So this past week has been busy.  I discovered a new tea room where we brought my cousins daughter and my Mom's god daughter.   They had a whole section of hats that you could try on we all had a blast slipping into different personas with each hat.   We had dinner out for my Mom's birthday at her favorite restaurant, Spaghetti Factory.  The decor in that place is amazing all the old velvet sofas, dark wood and gorgeous Victorian lamp shades. 

My trip up North was wonderful; the drive there was mostly uneventful. Upon approaching the Grapevine just as the sun was rising the mountains looked like a watercolor painting with varying shades of gray and lavender it was all just a bit soft and blurry. And while passing one of the many cow pastures I saw four black cows walking in line nose to tail with each cow just a bit smaller than the next. They were like a kids toy their sizing was so perfect. The best part of the trip was getting there and seeing the boy.  While there we did some site seeing. We went to Folsom prison and got scolded by a guard for taking pictures. In the town of Folsom we went to an old catholic church and cemetery and I got some great graveyard pictures. I can't wait to do some photo manipulation on them. I also got some nice shots of the American River. We went to downtown Sacramento to look at the beautiful Victorian houses and I found my dream home there.  Although there were so many beautiful houses there I could have had a dozen dream homes.  Leaving was difficult I miss the boy like crazy but it's time to get my creative groove going and gear up for what I hope will be my busy season. :) 

Tower in the old part of the prison

One of the gravestones from 1878

The American River

My Dream House

Inspiration

It's been a little over a month since I've visited my blog, just spent the afternoon catching up on all the blogs I follow which is rather inspiring. I love reading about other people's creative process or what they may be feeling passionate about at the time whether it's their work, their thrift store finds or their favorite place to escape to. It reminds me not to get so stuck in the day to day boring aspects of life and to remember to seek out the small details that can transform my day.

If all goes well I’ll be taking a trip up North next week. I’m going to make it my goal to find new things to be inspired by, new ideas to come home and translate into my work. I do have some new areas I want to move in so hopefully I can combine the two ideas and broaden my work…

Speaking of things that inspire I ran accross this Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/UndeadEd

With such wonderful items as:http://www.etsy.com/listing/41690283/rottot-abigail-gustav

or

                            http://www.etsy.com/listing/40881849/rot-tot-tabatha-the-thumb-sucking-zombie

                                                  And this wonderful piece
                  http://www.etsy.com/listing/40406543/my-demon-pony-shaun-zombie-pony-ooak-my

His work is amazing and for further enjoyment you have to read his bio page!

                             

Pushing through the creativity abyss

Even though I've been uninspired I've made myself sit down to work on existing projects I've begun.  I actually started to get some of my creative groove back and I managed to finish one piece.  I have another one mostly done but I need to get some supplies to finish it up. 

I know that part of my problem is my heart is somewhere else these days, making it difficult to concentrate on my work.  I need to refocus and start putting my energy into creating rather than pining. 

Here's some pics of the completed project and of a wip.

So far I've painted the body and face and removed the hair and clothing.  I need to replace the hair but I want a different color and style so I need to find the right look and I need to either dye the clothing she came with or make a new outfit I'm trying to decide which will be easier.