I've been doing some Spring cleaning in the workshop this week.  When it comes to items that I may use in my artwork I am a total hoarder.  I will keep the most random things because some day I may need it to fabricate something in one of my miniature dioramas or use it to decorate a box.  I bought a new storage bin with lots of small clear drawers so I can see what I have now.  So now I'm inspired to start using pieces in new creations.  Plus I found the most amazing yard sale.  The woman was a doll collector and she was selling off extra stuff.  I got a victorian reproduction doll from the 60's, a German doll with unstuffed body and porcelain arms and head from the 1800's, random doll heads and legs, and all kinds of miniature teacups and saucers.  There is definitely going to be some creepy doll projects happening.  Here's a picture of my haul.

I did get some actual work done last week.  I finished a new jewelry box with this great paper I found recently, funeral coaches and distressed lace.

I also finished a Poe shadow box I've been working on.  I found a new technique to make my clay candles look like the are bleeding but also keep that melted wax look.  

This week I'm working on a miniature cemetery for a tiny shadow box frame I found recently.  Time to bust out the clay and start making teeny tiny gravestones. 

I've been finding some great pieces to makeover.  I love giving old neglected items a new life.  I found this mail organizer.  It was painted green and looked like it had been abandoned and unloved for some time.  But I brought it home spruced it up and gave it a new look.

I also ran across this piece which seemed like a great general organizer for anything from spices to nail polish bottles.  It was just a plain wood, nothing special, certainly nothing that would stand out in the home but now it's a piece to be useful and noticed.

I found this cabinet at a garage sale.  I had a customer who wanted a custom medicine chest and I thought this would be perfect.  Here's what it looked like before,

And here's what it looks like now!  My customer wanted a vintage anatomy theme and black and grey stripes.