Toys and Timepieces

My head is spinning with possibilities.....

After spending the better part of the day in the little black Beetle, my friend Jen of Gypsy Mare Studios riding shotgun, driving the backroads of Lancaster County as we visited various Amish woodworking shops, we made the most AMAZING discovery: an old fashioned clockmaker! Not a factory, not an importer, not a mass production type operation, but an honest to goodness master artisan. After oooohing and ahhhhing our way around his showroom, I discussed the possibility of purchasing a limited number of handmade carriage clocks, unfinished and ready for painting, with glass front cabinets, and fine movements playing Westminster chimes on the quarter hour. He was completely amenable, and will have a prototype ready for me by the end of July. :)

But wait! It gets better....

We also discussed the possibility of an unfinished granddaughter clock! Teeheeheeheehee!!! (that was my best, most excited witch's cackle!) A bit smaller than a grandfather clock, but still HUGE, and offering a world of possibilities for a truly one of a kind timepiece!! The trick with this one will be freeing up enough cash to actually make the purchase, but if I can swing it, this one just may be my showpiece for the Ghoultide Gathering. :)

Now, as to the TOYS....

As I mentioned a few days ago, there's a roly poly toy on the way - a wooden bell, handmade and imported from Russia - very hard to find, and I purchased the last one my supplier had in stock. I'm thinking either a black cat toy or a Baba Yaga witch, not sure which, but Halloween toy lovers stay tuned.

Finally, I just picked up my old Sears Kenmore sewing machine from a local service shop, and the plan (drumroll, please) is to introduce the very first King of Mice Studios doll this summer! Although it's been years, I used to be quite the seamstress, sewing most of my daughter's clothes when she was little, and even did a stint in a sewing factory (the job from hell, but I came away with a bit of skill and speed, hehe)...No clue yet whether this doll will be all cloth or partially sculpted, but I DO know she will be a Witch....Teeheeheehee!! (there's that cackle again)....

So yes - possibilities!!

In the meantime, I'm finishing two commissions - both memorials and both such a blessing to paint - which I hope to have finished in the next few days.

Then it's on to toys and timepieces...(and the year's remaining commissions).

Wish me luck!!

~ Carolee