When I first saw this jewelry box she had that faded beauty of an old carnival performer with her beautiful curved ornate legs and slightly shabby finish.  So I was inspired by that to create a freakshow themed jewelry box.  This one is dedicated to the Strange Girls everywhere.  My fellow modern day freaks who never quite fit in with the rest of the crowd.

It's pretty much like Christmas for me when I find nice wood pieces for the home in thrift stores or estate sales.  I got a hold of these two items for the kitchen and gave them a much needed gothic makeover.  

I love the retro vibe of recipe boxes and napkin holders.  I'm not sure people even use them much anymore.  I'm guessing everyone's recipes are on Pinterest or stored on a pad. But I remember what fun it was to sit in my Mom's kitchen when I was young and go through her Betty Crocker recipe box.  Everything was broken down by occasion with sections for cocktail parties and dinner parties.  It seemed so glamorous at the time.  And I've always loved the kitschiness of  napkin holders especially the ones from tourist locations.  So in my mind I see these items and can't help to start planning a gothic kitschy kitchen.

Freak Show

The first time I saw Tod Browning's Freaks I was mesmerized. I think the idea of people so completely outside of society’s norm coming together and forming their own family was especially appealing. I was one of those kids that got labeled “freak” early on in life. I just didn’t quite fit in. It took me many years to find my family of fellow weirdoes and even though most of them would blend seamlessly in your average American crowd I know their creative, chaotic, horror movie loving, inner freakiness make them almost as much of a curiosity to “normal” society as the side show freaks back in the day were.

I had this doll which was rescued from a thrift store missing arms and legs I gave her new arms but they didn’t exactly blend or are even that functional for her and with no legs I figured there was only one place for this girl to shine. So I created the Freak Show shadow box for her. At the same time it pays homage to all the strange and freaky girls out there who are working what they have and making the world they want.