TAG, I'm it....

Yes, it's another round of blog tag (thanks, Iva, lol!) and this time the game is to list five completely unimportant things about yourself....Which is puzzling, because I'm sure it's pretty much ALL unimportant, but in the spirit of being a good sport, here goes:

1. I'm almost completely right-brained. Logical reasoning, numbers, computer stuff, and pretty much anything analytical makes my head want to explode. My husband recently described it this way: "Here's Carolee; X plus Y equals....Oh look, a butterfly!"

2. This one falls into the realm of temporary insanity.....Long, long ago, in a land far, far away, I was in the army for about ten minutes. Ever see "Private Benjamin"? It was kinda like that but given the chance to get out, I JUMPED on it. ;)

3. When I first met my husband he was the bass player in a rock band. Six feet tall, long, auburn Cat Stevens curls, beard and moustache, tight jeans, and rode a motorcycle; completely wild........Um, is it getting hot in here?

4. I play the piano. Not well, mind you, but enough to remember Fur Elise and bang out a few carols come Christmastime.

5. I own very few pieces of clothing without paint stains, and only three pairs of shoes, so absolutely dread the prospect of dressing up. My rule of thumb has become this: If I can't wear jeans, I pretty much don't need to go.

So there you are, and in turn I'm tagging five more unsuspecting bloggers:

Lori of Retro-Rudolphs
Jen of Gypsy Mare Studios
Kristen of Kristen Beason Designs
Leah of Leah Stone Art
John Randall York of Random York

Have fun, kids. ;)

~ Carolee

Counting Crows

No, not the band, but rather the old English divination rhyme (no doubt the source of their name though).....



The tradition of divining future events from the number of crows seen at one time dates back to the 1600's, although at that time, the rhyme referred to magpies. There are a number of different versions, all of which I may decide to paint at some point, but this is it for now. The box is hand made of wood, and I've sculpted the bird on top from paperclay. It's listed now on eBay. :)

~ Carolee

A Little Break

Several times a year I get together with a group of women friends for a little retreat. We rent a cabin in one of Pennsylvania's many beautiful parks, and spend a long weekend just relaxing; no phone, no computer, no television, no husbands and no kids. We read, we knit, we play the occasional board game or game of cards. We go for walks, take turns preparing delicious meals, drink good wine and laugh ourslves silly.

This isn't as rustic as it looks - the cabins are fully furnished, we have the provisions down to a science; think camping, but with indoor plumbing and communal supplies that include everything from a coffeepot to wine glasses to citrus peelers and pasta cookers.
I must admit I cheated just a wee bit this weekend in using a cell phone to dictate a couple of emails to John (since I hadn't announced my departure, and had an eBay listing pending I felt obligated to check in) but other than that I spent most of the weekend knitting a baby blanket and reading. I was also very lucky when a Sunday morning walk down the road here resulted in a not too close encounter with a skunk - eeeeek! As I backed away slowly, the little guy decided to let me be and headed back into the woods. BIG relief!

So I'm back now, feeling completely relaxed and refreshed, albeit feeling a little guilty about the commissions I should have been working on. But I have the rest of the week for that, and this little break was much needed.

I'll be listing a "Counting Crows" piece later this evening (not the band, but the old folklore verse) and of course, commission work will continue all week.

I hope everyone else had as wonderful a Memorial Day weekend as I did, and if my friends the cabin ladies are reading this, I miss you already and can't wait for the October trip!

Until text time.....
~ Carolee

Carnivale des Chats

"Amazing Acrobatic Feats and Death Defying Balancing Acts!"....Otherwise known as the daily antics of pretty much every cat, hehe (including our own Merlin the Magnificent).



This one just listed on eBay with a "buy it now" option, and is otherwise a 5 day auction....

Stay tuned for the follow up piece; a "Cirque du Chats" sign. :)

~ Carolee

Moving Right Along.....

Well, it looks as though the "Haunted Treasures" game/ornament chest will be going to the show with me.

Coming soon: "Carnivale des Chats". :)

~ Carolee

Haunted Treasures

Just a little preview.....


This is probably one of the most labor intensive pieces I've ever done (and one of the most difficult to part with) but it was sooooooooooo much fun to create!



An ornament chest and Halloween board game all rolled into one - complete with Halloween dice and four hand sculpted game pieces which will be shown with the eBay listing, probably sometime tomorrow evening.



I had great fun writing the verse and all the little spaces:

"A black cat crosses your path, move ahead two spaces"....

"Waylaid by goblins, move back one space"....

"Shortcut - follow the raven".....

and so on.....

I SO love this job, hehe. ;)

The listing should begin tomorrow evening with a fairly high reserve, and if it doesn't reach the reserve, will go with me to the Ghoultide Gathering show in October. In the meantime, if anyone is interested, fire me off an email. :)

~ Carolee

Coming Soon....

"As black cats prowl and banshees wail
Roll the dice and lift the veil
A wicked journey will unwind
And haunted treasures you will find."

Stay tuned....

~ Carolee

Etsy!

I'm THRILLED to announce that in addition to eBay, some of my work will now be available for direct sale on Etsy.com!!

I opened the shop just this morning with three new items, including the "Welcome Dearies" sign shown here. My thinking is that Etsy will be an alternative for people who'd rather purchase something outright than go through the bidding process on eBay. I've been browsing there myself the past couple of months, have made a couple of yarn purchases (some gorgeous hand spun yarns there!) and must say I like what I see. I love that Etsy promotes hand made artisan items over commercial items, and I'm finding the Etsy community to be incredibly supportive and encouraging.

I'll still be listing on eBay, but hope to explore and expand Etsy as well.

Please do have a look, and let me know what you think. :)

~ Carolee

And Now for Something Completely Different....

As soon as I read about Gertrude of Nivelles, patron saint of cats and gardeners, I knew I had to paint her. This one is a bit of a departure for me (not exactly Halloween, hehe) but she was such a great subject, I just couldn't resist. Born in 626 she was a mystic and visionary, known for her hospitality, and often invoked against rodents, which accounts for the cat patronage (yes, there truly is a patron saint for everything!)

I've painted her in a whimsical folk art style, on a solid oak cabinet door so there's no need for framing. She's surrounded by cats, but it looks as though some of them are falling down on the job; there's a little mouse at the top of the frame!

I'm still debating whether to eBay this one or give Etsy a go. Either way, she'll be up for sale somewhere tomorrow evening around 9. I may set a reserve, or open it up to a "buy it now", not sure yet.

In the meantime, it's back to Halloween painting, with a witch's hat and a very special, wooden ornament chest next on the "to do" list.

Back again soon......

~ Carolee

Twilight Dance

I'm having soooooooo much fun painting these chairs! They're made here in Pennsylvania by an Amish woodworker, whose shop I've been visiting regularly these past few weeks. They make a wonderful painting surface, and every time I paint one, it sparks an idea for another....

This one - with a trio of ghostly witches, is listed now. I'm not certain when I'll find time to paint another though, as I need to devote more time to Ghoultide Gathering inventory. :)

Up next: a Witch's hat, and Wicked Witch sign. ;)

In the meantime, there's commission work and general life maintenance to be done; cooking, cleaning, shopping, and such....(I soooooooo need a house elf, hehe!)

Wishing everyone a restful and relaxing weekend.....

~ Carolee

Beltane!

Just popping in to wish all those who observe it a Happy May Day and/or Blessed Beltane. As a child I remember sneaking out of the house very early to gather flowers, which we placed in baskets made of construction paper and gifted neighbors with. If it was a school day, all the classes would gather in the playground, where a chosen few of the girls would do a maypole dance - usually involving crepe paper and flowers attached to the top of a tetherball pole. Do children still do this? Do children even play tetherball anymore, lol??

I hope so....It seems a much better way to celebrate the first of May than playing video games or watching television.....

At any rate, I wish you a joyous first day of May however you spend it!

I'll be painting. ;)

~ Carolee