Glitter and Sparkle and Twinkle...

...Oh my!

I can't help it, this is such a magical time of year, I feel the need to share a little holiday sparkle with you....

I just pulled the two vintage style mixed media paintings off Etsy and listed them on eBay beginning at a (gulp!) very reasonable starting price, so do take a look....

And I have to share this new one - a memory or keepsake box, accented with diamond dust, and delicate snowflakes. I fell in love with the unusual shape of the box, but it was just crying out for whimsical little feet....*UPDATE* - sorry, this one is gone already, but I hope to paint another memory box before Christmas!


And finally, a Cosmic Catnip box - twinkly in its own way (lots of stars), but no glitter added to this one just in case it IS used for catnip. (*UPDATE* - sold. :)

Lots of new work coming soon too - I'm painting frantically these days, trying to complete as many pieces as possible before the holidays. Look for an ornament chest, a clock, and (soooooo excited about this one!) a Halloween themed nutcracker, hehe!! The ultimate holiday gift for the Halloween lover, yes?!

When I'm not painting, I'll be knitting up a few Christmas gifts, baking cookies and trimming the tree. Courtney is coming home for a few days, so I want everything to look magical - or at least as magical as it gets in a house that looks like a painter's studio exploded, lol....

Back in a couple of days with more goodies, and as promised a few photos of the rest of our furkids....

Until then, enjoy the magic of the season!!

~ Carolee

Gratitude

In many ways, this year has been the most challenging I can remember; John's heart surgery, long recovery and more recent diagnosis of congestive heart failure; the economy (which, as everyone, has hit us hard) and my own health issues, which have had me bouncing between dentists, doctors and assorted other specialists in search of a cause - and end - to some pretty intense nerve pain.

But despite life's challenges, I'm so grateful for our many blessings.

I have John, and that's a biggie. He's doing better, feeling stronger and we're looking forward to many more years together.

To our great relief, an MRI I had this week turned up no tumor or irregularity in the brain (prompting John to joke about my brain's actual existance, hehe). :)

We have a beautiful, talented, kind and thoughtful daughter, who although 800 miles away from us, is a constant source of joy and pride.

We have five furry children here at home who make us smile every day.

We have extended family with whom we've begun to mend old fences, as well as the family we've created for ourselves in our circle of friends; each one a blessing.

However modest, we have a roof over our heads, food in the pantry and a means to support ourselves - which is more than most people on the planet.

We have our faith, a source of strength and comfort.

We have the ability to create, to express ourselves; John with his guitar and myself with my art.

And finally, we've found in this computer a connection to soooooooooo many wonderful and inspiring people all over the world; people we would have otherwise never known! I can connect daily with fellow artists and collectors, sharing my work with a potentially infinite number of people, and often sending it all over the globe - how cool is that?

Wishing everyone a happy and blessed Thanksgiving, and conscious gratitude for all of us, not only once a year, but every day. ;)

~ Carolee

Blessings of the Season

Just had to share this one, painted over the last couple of days, as I listened to Celtic Christmas CDs (lots of harp music!)


It will list on eBay tomorrow evening, probably with a "buy it now" option so it can be displayed a bit longer. :)

~ Carolee

Orange

I just LOVE it - not surprising for a Halloween artist, I know....

I have two things things of perfect orangeness to share today, the first one the brand new recipe box listed on eBay....


And the second, our very own Arthur - shown here perched atop a too-small kitty condo which sits on an old trunk in our living room. Isn't he sweet? He's a great big love, and just can't get enough chin scratches and tummy rubs. (He lets us know this by biting if we stop stroking him.)


I'll try to get some good photos of the rest of the menagerie in the next few days. In the meantime, check back tomorrow evening for a very special holiday sign.....

Until then,
~ Carolee

Tea and Sugarplums

Just listed these two on Etsy....Soooooooooo much fun to paint this pair as the snow was falling today! My favorite part is the sparkling vintage glass glitter - makes it look like real snow. :) I'm showing them here as a pair, but they're listed separately.....


Back tomorrow with an eBay listing for "Wicked Good Recipes"....

Right now I'm off to walk the Aussies, and take some baked applesauce out of the oven - a wicked good new recipe I'm trying, and if it tastes as half as good as it smells, I'll be making more, hehe. ;)

~ Carolee

Winter Wonderland!

After the tiniest teaser of a dusting yesterday afternoon, we awoke this morning to find everything blanketed in white. There's something soooooooo wondrous and magical about the first snowfall of the season, isn't there? As I approach the half century mark, I still feel the same excitement about those first flakes as I did as a small child - except of course I no longer sit with my ear to the radio waiting for a snow day to be called, hehe....

No snow days here - far too much to do! I've just finished two small canvases to be listed on Etsy later this afternoon; "Magic Christmas Tea" and "Visions of Sugarplums" - they're sweet little paintings accented with decoupaged edges and vintage glass glitter. I'll list them separately, but they look great as a pair. :)

There's also a recipe box in the works, which will be listed on eBay as soon as it's finished (tonight or tomorrow night)....

And more goodies coming soon; a clock and a tallish table. I haven't painted a table in ages, so am looking forward to working on this one.

Okay, back to work.....I'll leave you with a photo of the pyracantha at the side of the house. I love the contrast of the bright berries and clean white snow. :)


Back again soon!
~ Carolee

All Cats Go to Heaven

Just had to share this one, listing tonight at 9PM eastern on eBay, with a buy-it-now option. I just love painting cats, and this little footstool seemed perfect for them. I'm picturing it on a cozy hearth, with a real life kitty curled up beside. :)


Back soon with more goodies for both Halloween and holidays!

~ Carolee

A Winter Challenge

As many of you know, I'm a member of the online artists' group EHAG. Most of us are known for our Halloween work, but this month the group was challenged to create a "crossover" piece (something with both Halloween and winter holiday elements) using the theme "Wintry and Spooky Owls".....


"Moonlight Totem" is what I've called this handsome fellow. I was pleased with the way he turned out. Such magical creatures, owls....and a blessing to be visited by one! I've seen several barn owls, but have never seen one of these snowy beauties in person. I imagine they're quite impressive up close and personal.

This one will list on eBay tonight at 9PM eastern. :)

Look for more new work soon; a clock, a footstool, a table and a recipe box. I also hope to visit the ceramic studio next week, so barring any firing disasters, there should be a pie plate or two before the holidays.

Right now I'm off to forage for supper...It's been dark and blustery all day today, and I've been working madly while sipping copious quantities of Twinings Winter Spice tea (another new favorite!)...It's a good night for soup, or possibly apple cake if I'm feeling ambitious....

I wish you could join me. :)

Instead, I'll wish you a happy and creative rest of the weekend, and be back in a day or two with more goodies.....

~ Carolee

Better Than Therapy.....

....And certainly cheaper, I truly believe a pot of tea is something at least approaching a cure for whatever ails you.

It's true - just ask the British. Bad day at the office? Have a cup of tea. Feeling stressed? Cup of tea. Kids driving you crazy? Brew a whole pot. Too many holiday obligations? Relax, and have a cuppa. I know, it sounds simple. But the best things in life usually are.

Tea is a staple around here. Couldn't get through a day without it. I prefer flavored and herbal teas sweetened with honey, while John (true to his English upbringing) takes his strong and black with a splash of milk. Tea with sliced oranges is especially good - the perfect ending to almost any meal.

All our tea is kept in the kitchen cupboard, although every time I paint one of these tea chests I threaten to keep it for my very own. And since the ginger tabby on this one looks so much like our Arthur, I was particularly tempted to keep this one, hehe....


It's listing this evening on eBay, with a buy it now option. (*UPDATE*-Sold)


The teas stay here though. After the week we've had, we need them. ;)

Which brings me to an update on John. He's home from the hospital again and feeling much better. Many thanks to everyone who called and emailed, and to all of you who sent prayers and positive thoughts. We're hoping this is the last hospital experience for awhile.

Off to brew up a pot of tea myself now, and curl up with a good book, or maybe some knitting.

Have a wonderful and relaxing weekend all....

~ Carolee

A Quick Update

Just had to share this one, listing tonight on eBay. It's similar to the last black cat sign, but a tuxedo this time, and lot of little kitties below. Can you tell I was listing to some magical winter tunes from my playlist as I painted?

I'll try to pop in with new Etsy offerings soon, but no promises. Life has thrown us a curveball this week, and John is back in the hospital with health challenges. (Prayers and positive thoughts much appreciated!) I'll be back with bells on as soon as I'm able....

~ Carolee

Handmade Holidays

As autumn gives way to winter, and Halloween makes way for Thanksgiving and Christmas, it's time once again to start thinking about gift giving...And in light of the recent economic craziness, it's also time to start thinking about where we'll spend our hard earned dollars this year...

If you look to the right, you'll see a little green link, which says "I took the handmade pledge". And I did - just last year, online, but actually many years ago. Christmas has been handmade here for a very long while. In fact, we go with handmade items whenever possible all year round; a set of dishes from a local pottery artist, a checkbook cover purchased from an Etsy shop, hand spun yarn from online fiber artists, biscotti from an Etsy baker and so on. Handmade items are better quality, often one of a kind, connected to the community, and most important, are created from the heart. :)

I'll be knitting a few gifts again this year, as well as doing a little painting and a lot of cooking and baking; tins of homemade cookies and fudge, bottles of homemade kahlua, jars of instant chai tea, etc etc...And what's not handmade will be purchased from other artists - one of a kind treasures that support the individual instead of the corporation - how cool is that?!

I'm also playing around with a few handmade giftie things on eBay and Etsy this season - still doing Halloween and witchy stuff, but adding a limited number of holiday items too. Here are a couple listed on eBay now

...
Do you think I went too crazy with the vintage glass glitter?


Naaaaaawwwww....there's no such thing as too much glitter!

Another "Peace Cat" sign (this one a tuxedo) will list soon too (just have to add a bit of sparkle, hehe!)

In the meantime, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone out there buying handmade this year - by supporting creativity instead of mass production, you're making a big difference in the world - and bringing smiles to an artist as well as the gift's recipient! Doesn't get much better than that. ;)

Until next time,
~ Carolee

A New Day...

Feeling a bit tired this morning, but at the same time soooooooo energized and upbeat, so high....

LOTS of new work coming soon, I promise - both Halloween and Christmas/Solstice!!

In the meantime, as we head into the season of peace and thanksgiving, I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes, from Mahatma Gandhi:

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world".

Peace,
~ Carolee

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes....

Although Halloween has come and gone for another year, it lives in my imagination and studio year round (just waiting for next Halloween, hehe!).....All the same, I'm feeling the need to mix things up a bit.......sooooooo......

Taa-daaaaa!! Do you like the new look? I was going for winter whimsy, but also something that would set off all the wicked cool Halloween and witchy art still spinning around in my head. That, and a couple of people have commented that the black background is hard on the eyes after a while. So I'm trying something new (and your feedback via comments is much appreciated!)

On to new work.....


"PEACE", a simple message carried by a black angel cat, written in many languages, listed on eBay now, and ending Monday, the day before election day. How appropriate is that? And noooooooo, I'm not getting political - but as we approach the season where we celebrate peace, love and hope, I can't think of anything more fitting. ;)

It's a short season this year, with just about three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas/Yule, so I'm getting into the *spirit* of things a little early. If you're able (the playlist thingy has been having glitches, so it's only been working intermittently) check out the new tunes by scrolling down a bit on the right....I'm a HUGE fan of Christmas and Solstice music, and of our four or five hundred CDs here at home, probably a hundred or so are seasonal. The tunes on the playlist are just a few favorites, although I must warn you (in keeping with the peace theme) you'll need tissues handy for John McCutcheon's "Christmas in the Trenches". Written about a real event - the Christmas Truce of 1914, it makes me cry every time I hear it. Lots of other great tunes there too, which I'll be listening to in the studio over the next few weeks....

Right now I'm off to Barnes and Noble to pick up a copy of Loreena McKennitt's new CD "A Midwinter Night's Dream" - just the title is conjuring up images I absolutely must paint! After the CD fix, I'm off to have a minor problem with my glasses repaired, and then it's back here to work on commissions. :)

Lots of new goodies coming soon though, on both eBay and Etsy, so stay tuned.....

Wishing everyone a happy and creative weekend!!

~ Carolee