No Rest for the Wicked....

As I type this, it's past midnight, raining steadily outside, and I've just finished painting a Halloween treat bowl; one of several going to the show next weekend. I'll be painting again by 8AM and most likely until midnight tomorrow - and for the next few days.

My plan to paint a piece or two a week throughout the year fell through pretty early....I supppose I could blame it on the craziness surrounding John's heart surgery last winter, or on the need to keep items listed on eBay instead (have to keep the weekly income rolling in), but truth be told, I'm flat out organizationally impaired. When I was a kid my parents used to call it "scattered". John prefers "insane". :)

Whatever it is, it seems to work or I wouldn't do it.

I admire people who plan ahead. The ones who are never late with a bill, have all their Christmas shopping finished by August and remember birthdays before they happen, not after the fact. I want to be like that. I want to have my act together, I really do. But my brain just doesn't work like that.....

I was always the kid who wrote the book report the night before it was due - stressing and fretting, but pulling an A out of the fire at the last minute. I'm late for hair appointments, doctors appointments, and dinners with friends. I complete many commissions by the skin of my teeth, and I've been known to finish paintings just minutes before I have to list them.

So here I sit - most of the show pieces finished, but still wishing I'd painted a few more.....

Because you can NEVER have too much HALLOWEEN. :)

That's about it for tonight....or should I say tomorrow? I'll be back again after I've caught up a bit....And in the meantime, if anyone knows where I can find some elves to help with varnishing and packaging, do tell!!

~ Carolee

More Goodies....

Although completely frantic at the moment trying to complete pieces for the Ghoultide Gathering, I'm sharing the wealth on eBay too (not to mention the fact that we have to get there, lol!)

Check out the new offerings; one of three purses I've painted recently (the other two will be at the show), a mystical Raven sign, and of course, this year's piece de resistance, shown in the previous post. :)

I've been getting the nicest phone calls all month from collectors who are planning to attend, and are interested in what I'll be bringing. I soooooo wish I could bring everything hoped for, but with limited display space and limited space in the Beetle, I know it will come down to picking and choosing - always a difficult task, because I love them all and want to see them off to their new homes before Halloween!

On the commission front, I'm backed up until late December now, but can probably squeeze one more in before Christmas - first come, first serve, so if there's a special piece you'd like for the holidays, now is the time to email.:)

Right now, I'm off to face the day, and work on a "Wicked Jack" sign for the show....well, just as soon as I've had a my morning cuppa, and maybe a piece of toast with pumpkin butter. ;)

Wishing everyone a happy and *creative* day, and I'll see some of you soon!!

~ Carolee

"Carnivale de Mystique"

Just a little preview; probably the most detailed piece I've painted to date (I was having so much fun I couldn't stop myself, hehe!) It lists tonight at 9PM eastern on eBay....

Email Glitch

Just a heads up for those of you who email me through my private email address (which is also the one I use for eBay) - my server seems to be rejecting AOL emails for some reason (again, I might add - this happened once last year). So HUGE apologies to anyone with an AOL addy who's emailed me and not received a response - I never got your message!

I'm trying to sort it out, but in the meantime, if you have an AOL address and need to contact me, please email me at the kingofmice address (on the right). :)

Thanks!
~ Carolee
UPDATE - Apparently my server isn't rejecting emails, but rather, AOL doesn't like my email address, and is prevernting them from going through....Which makes things a bit tougher, since I'm not an AOL subscriber. My own server is suggesting that the senders contact AOL to see what's up....I'm not inclined to ask my collectors to spend time doing this, so will try to pressure my server to contact AOL instead.....Wish me luck!

A Teaser.....

See the large treasure chest on the right hand side of this page titled "Carnival Diabolique"?

That one actually sold a couple of years ago, but I recently managed to acquire another blank chest....

So stay tuned for "Carnivale de Mystique", a wicked cool haunted carnival wagon, with assorted masked characters and skeletons, black cats, jack-o-lanterns, bats and a fortune telling gypsy witch.....The interior is decoupaged with antiqued paper, and the exterior looks like it's aglow. Just another day or two.....

Happy Halloween, Dearies!

Just had to share the latest Halloween welcome sign - at 16" x 24", this one's a biggie! Inspired by memories of childhood Halloweens, where we'd rush home from school to carve our pumpkins before donning our costumes and setting out for the evening.... I think this one would be fun displayed almost anywhere; front porch or fencepost, outdoors to welcome trick or treaters, or indoors to welcome party guests. :)


I had a lot of fun with it, and do hope it inspires fond memories of Halloweens gone by. It will list tonight on eBay at 9PM eastern for just three days. :)

In other news, work continues for the Ghoultide Gathering show, and I'm getting soooooooooo excited!! Lots of new goodies in the works, and of course I can't wait to meet everyone....

Okay, back to work now - I'll be burning the midnight oil all month I'm afraid....and if anyone's figured out a way to eliminate the need for sleep, please do share, lol!

Until next time,
~ Carolee

The Moonlight and Magic Apothecary, est.1692

Just had to post a sneak-peek of my latest favorite, teehee!! (that's me doing my best witch's cackle)....This is one of those that took forever because I couldn't resist adding detail after detail - check out the antique looking labels on the bottles and jars. Ooooh! And the jars actually contain those herbs; cats claw bark, hawthorne, elder flowers, lemon balm and sacred herbs (which may be chamomile, but I wasn't sure, so labeled it with something more generic, hehe)....And the books are actually tiny papier mache boxes - LOTS of fun, this piece......

The photo is a little dark, as I only finished it after I'd lost the light for outdoor photography. The plan is to take better photos tomorrow afternoon and list the *Moonlight and Magic Apothecary* on eBay tomorrow evening at 9. I haven't quite decided if I'll do a reserve auction or "buy-it now" option, but stay tuned....

It was a good day for finishing the apothecary piece today - the sky darkened as wind and rain from Hanna hit, which combined with scented candles and little Celtic music, set the perfect mystical/Halloweeny kind of mood.

Tomorrow and the rest of the week will be devoted to working on pieces for the show, and hopefully squeezing in an hour or so to make an apple spice cake. It's that time of year!

Right now I'm off to have a glass of wine and catch up on a bit of reading. I just started "Love in the Time of Cholera" - my first Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and I'm quite enjoying it. I want to finish it in time to do a bit of seasonal/Halloween reading next; a re-read of some Bradbury, perhaps a little Poe.....any recommendations?

Until next time....

~ Carolee

More Halloween Goodies!

I couldn't resist painting just one more set of coasters before Halloween (Okay, actually two sets, but the other one is going with me to the Ghoultide Gathering!) I had a lot of fun with this one, and the colors are about as vibrant as it gets. It's listed on eBay now, with the auction ending Sunday night. :)

Coming up next is a very special piece, tentatively titled "The Magick Apothecary"....

This one is a large cabinet/spice rack to which I've added a few potion bottles, packets of herbs, spells, scrolls, and so on...A one of a kind creation infused with mystery and magick....stay tuned!

In the meantime, I'm painting nonstop for the show - clocks and chairs, boxes and bowls, signs - and some Halloween accessories too. If anyone is within striking distance of Northville Michigan (just outside of Detroit), please do visit me there on October fourth - meeting collectors is my absolute favorite part of doing a show!

Right now it's almost midnight and I'm off to bed before I turn into a pumpkin. Back at it full tilt tomorrow morning.....

~ Carolee

Magic Brew!

I just love these wine sets, and one of these days I'll keep one, hehe....How festive would this look as a table or buffet centerpiece for a Halloween gathering? Candlelight, a black tablecloth, a few autumn leaves scattered around, a bottle of your favorite brew - magic indeed! I took the photo of this set (listed now on eBay) with a bottle of one of my favorites, appropriately called "Night Harvest" (a reasonably priced cabernet) but it works with just about any bottle.

That said, I should add, I'm not much of a wine connoisseur, my selection generally being dependent on two things; a price under $20 and a cool label. Not much of a system, I know, but it works for me, and so far there have been no complaints from the dinner guests, hehe. ;)

Up next: one more Halloween coaster set! Actually, two sets, but one of them is going with me to the Ghoultide Gathering. (Mailing list people within a day's drive, look for a postcard about this event very soon - it promises to be a wicked good time!)

I'll be back tomorrow with those coasters, and in the meantime I want to send prayers and good thoughts to everyone in the path of those hurricanes down south. Be well, stay safe, and know that you're in our thoughts up here.

~ Carolee

Pumpkins!

Just listed a couple of autumn welcome signs on eBay, each with a buy it now option. There's this one, on an ivory background, and another painted on a deep green background.

Back again later with a very special piece for the Halloween table. ;)