"The Magical Pantry" !

It's that time again - the EHAG Emporium update! My offering this month is a *magical* witch's pantry...


If you click on the photos, they should enlarge a bit. Lots of detail in this one, right down to tiny labels on the herb jars (cat's claw, belladonna, valerian and witch's broom) - and all the books have titles. :)

I had a lot of fun painting the copper cauldron and marble mortar and pestle...

Purple exterior with a witch reading her Book of Spells on one side and a black cat on the other. And if you peek inside, you'll find a tiny surpise, hehe...

Measures 10 3/4" x 7" x 4 3/4". Up for grabs on a first-to-email basis. $185 plus shipping, which varies by location. Signed and dated, with a certificate of authenticity included. UPDATE - SOLD.

Thanks for taking a peek, and don't forget to check out my current eBay auction (a magical mending box and pinkeep). :)

♥ Carolee

A Giveaway!!

In a perfect world (one with no commitments or deadlines) I would send a gift to every single friend and collector. ♥

As it is, the best I can do is offer a little something via the occasional blog giveaway. And it's been awhile, so here we go. This one is a small pinkeep...

"Sew Magic".

If you'd like to throw your name in the hat, just leave a comment here. Oh, and I'll enter your name twice for tweeting or re-posting. I'll draw a name next Wednesday evening, May 4th. :)

Thanks for playing, and good luck!

♥ Carolee
PS - I almost forgot! There's a similar pinkeep (but larger) listed on eBay too! :)

So Much to Share...

This is going to be one of those posts which is all over the place, I'm afraid - much to tell, and most of it unrelated - so if I sound unfocused, I'm trusting you'll forgive me, hehe...

Easter was lovely, if quiet, and I took the first day off in many months! Such fun to enjoy brunch out with John (no cooking - yay!) and a quiet drive through the country on the way home. The predicted rain never appeared. On the contrary, we had bright sunshine as we took in some of the most beautiful scenery in Chester and Lancaster counties; centuries old stone farmhouses, fields of "shippies" (Amish-speak for "sheep") and newborn lambs...dogwoods, cherry trees and flowering crabapples in bloom...just gorgeous, and a welcome break! Unfortunately, I left the camera at home, so no photos of the drive.

But I will share a pic of our very own flowering crabapple, at the edge of the little backyard koi pond. This is the view from my worktable, and if you look closely, you'll see one of the koi. I seriously must have the best job in the world - a commute down one flight of stairs, and this outside my window!

The blooms are sooooo beautiful, aren't they?


Daffodils are up too - one of my favorite flowers!


OK, enough of the garden, hehe...On to new work!

I've been having great fun lately playing with sculptural accents (see previous post for the first piece). Here's a second - just plain FUN, yes?

It's listed on eBay now. A couple of people on facebook have told me it reminds them of Beetlejuice - the black and white stripes, maybe? Haven't seen it since it first came out, but now I'm anxious to put it in the netflix queue and see what the similarity is, hehe. :)

I'm still working on mending boxes and pinkeeps, so stay tuned, and I also hope to have something to offer for the April 30th EHAG Emporium update. (What was I THINKING taking a day off?!?)

Moving on to an update on John, I'm happy to report he's doing well with the second round of radiation. He's still experiencing some burns, but so far not as bad as the first round, and we're hoping this improvement continues. The doctor tells us it will be at least a couple of weeks after treatment stops before they can determine if remission has been achieved. So please keep those prayers and positive thoughts coming!

That's about it for now, except to thank all of you who've been so supportive of my work! We absolutely could not get through these challenges without you, and feel incredibly blessed that I'm able to keep this "job" going as John forges ahead with treatment. I'm looking forward to the day when we'll look back at this time wondering how we did it - and always realizing that it wasn't alone. ♥

That's about it for now. I'm off to catch a few hours sleep, assuming I can find a place on the bed (last I checked, there was one human, two dogs and three cats crashed out there, hehe)....

Back very soon with a sneak peek at the Emporium piece, and more rambling...

Until then,
♥ Carolee

Wickedly Whimsical WIPs...

I know, I know, it's Easter weekend, and I should probably be painting something in soft, springlike, pastels. But I just can't seem to tear myself away from vibrant color...

When these pieces grow up, they hope to become pinkeeps and mending boxes...

"Sew Wicked" and Sew Magic". The fabric you see in the photo will adorn the tops. :)

Sometimes it's fun to break out of one's comfort zone and play around with new materials, new accents. Fabric isn't normally my forte, but a few pieces like this add a little variety.

As does sculpture. I've been having sooooooo much fun playing with sculpted accents lately! Several such pieces will be going with me to the Ghoultide Gathering this fall, but this particular one will be up for grabs on eBay this evening...

There's a little shooting star inside the box. :)

Now, as if all this wasn't enough to keep me busy, I'm also knee deep in commission work - and determined to finish some of it up this week! The number of pending commissions has grown to the point where I'm now accepting orders for 2012 completion, and I need to make a dent it it if I'm to keep what's left of my sanity, hehe. :)

No complaints though - I'm just ever so grateful that people like what I do well enough to give it a home, and grateful even more for the wonderful friends I've met since I began this online artistic journey ten years ago. (Insert corny group hug here). ;)

I'll be back very soon, and in the meantime, I wish a Happy and Blessed Easter to those who observe it, and a happy spring to all!

♥ Carolee

Emerging from "Wonderland"!

My head has been spinning for many days now with hearts and flowers, magical creatures and whimsical landscapes...But with the completion of the "Wonderland" memory chest, I'm slowly surfacing again, hehe...

I can't tell you what a FUN piece this was to paint!

"Alice in Wonderland" is one of those stories that provides a never ending well of inspiration...

And of course, the quote is one of my favorites...

This piece was already snapped up by a wonderful collector, but it certainly won't be the last time I visit Wonderland...

I mean, mad tea parties, croquet, rabbits and smiling cats - what's not to ♥ LOVE ♥ ???

I got to play with decoupage for this piece too - more fun!

Next up are a couple of whimsical Halloween pieces, then something inspired by Tolkien's Middle Earth.

In the meantime, I'm off to do a bit of shipping and maybe even some grocery shopping. I've been so immersed in painting lately, the proverbial cupboard is bare - eek!

Wishing you a happy and *creative* rest of the week...Back very soon...

♥ Carolee

Falling Down the Rabbit Hole

Everyone needs a little escape now and again, don't you think?

A place to go (even if only in the imagination) where everyday magic exists and pressure and stress just fall away...A *Wonderland* of sorts, where whimsy and color reign and nothing is as it seems.

Painting is like that, and what better escape than falling down the creative rabbit hole into a few Wonderland inspired pieces?

Very recently, this triptych took me to a world of tea parties and mushrooms and smiling cats, and I quite liked it there...

So much so in fact, that I decided to stay for a bit, hehe. ;)

"You're mad. Bonkers. Off your head. But I'll tell you a secret; all the best people are." That's from the Tim Burton movie, and one of my favorite quotes. And sooooo TRUE, don't you think?!

Oh! and this one, from the 2008 film "Phoebe in Wonderland":

(Link) View more Phoebe In Wonderland Sound Clips
Doesn't that just make you want to give yourself a great big {{{hug}}}?

The first quote (jumping around a bit, I know) is actually the inspiration behind a new "Alice" piece; a large jewelry chest and/or memory box, shown here in the very early stages of it's progress...

The papers you see underneath the chest will be decoupaged onto the tray which rests inside. VERY excited about this one. :)

I'll post a photo of the finished piece here, and in the meantime, if you're on facebook (and "like" my kingofmicestudios page there) I hope to share more in-progress pics. ;)

But I'm still not sure if Wonderland is quite out of my system yet, so to that end I have a canvas set aside for a Mad Tea Party painting. Stay tuned...

In the meantime, there are commissions to finish, everyday LIFE challenges to deal with, and a show for which I must prepare! So like the white rabbit, I'll run off now, muttering "I'm late!" ;)

But I'll be back as quick as I can, with new tales to tell, new photos to share, and new ramblings...

♥ Carolee
PS - almost forgot! There are two new signs/doortoppers making their debut on the PFATT Marketplace today, under $50 each, and up for grabs on a first-come basis. :)

"Springtime" Box :)

What a joy to spend the "work" day painting pieces like this one....


No matter what the challenge (and there have been many lately!) there's something so zen and relaxing about the creative process, something so calming. It never fails to put things in perspective. ;)


That said, the challenges this week do necessitate some sales PDQ, so to that end, I'm offering this original, one of a kind bentwood box, here on the blog before listing on eBay or elsewhere...


It's a beautifully hand made piece, painted in acrylics with a clear, acrylic varnish, and measures 8" x 6" x 6". Signed and dated, with a certificate of authenticity. $225 including shipping anywhere in the U.S. Shoot me an email at carolee@kingofmice.com to purchase. :) UPDATE - SOLD.

The schedule was thrown off a bit this week with John's hospitalization and tomorrow's trip into the city (oncology appointment, and I want to be there) but I'll be back with new work very soon (must finish a couple of commissions too!)

Thanks for taking a peek, and Happy Spring!

♥ Carolee

Emergencies, Challenges and Gratitude

Regular blog readers have read (perhaps too much, lol) about my husband's health issues, and have been incredibly kind and supportive. And this week was no exception as it found us in the emergency room in the wee hours Monday morning, followed by yet another hospital admission. No matter how many of these episodes we have (and with two heart surgeries, COPD and cancer, there have been many) they just never get any easier.

He's a good guy, who's worked incredibly hard all his life, and it's difficult to see him fighting battles on so many fronts...but fight he does, and life goes on...

He's home now, breathing much easier, and I'm back to painting, playing catch-up from the two days "off", and thinking how fragile life is, and how blessed we are despite the challenges.

Just wanted to share an update, and thank everyone who's sent prayers, positive thoughts, and more...We both appreciate it more than we can say.

New work is coming soon - a wonderful, oval, spring piece, and who knows after that - perhaps a jewelry or memory box? Stay tuned. ;)

And in the meantime, if you have someone special in your life, give them a hug and hold them close...

♥ Carolee

"Brightest Blessings"

Just flying in to share the latest piece, listing on eBay tonight at 9PM eastern...

I've always been fascinated with stone circles (such mystical places!) and if I ever become rich and famous, would love to visit one someday. In the meantime, I can dream - and paint. ;)

The "Witching Hour" clock is still up for grabs, and I've included shipping and insurance in the purchase price (see photos in my last post). I may decide to eBay it at some point, but with a reserve price, as it took FOREVER to paint, and the wooden clock case was discontinued by the manufacturer at least five years ago and is nearly impossible to find now. ;)

I'm working on another clock this week (a commission), and next up on eBay will be a beautiful bentwood box, probably with a spring theme of some sort...

In the meantime, I'm off to make supper. John is still having a hard time recovering from the first round of radiation, so things are a little crazy around here. I've passed on all the well wishes though, and we both sincerely appreciate them!

Back just as soon as I can carve out some time....

♥ Carolee