A New Path....

Have you ever felt like the universe is just pushing you to make a change, to move in a new direction? As though no matter how hard you try to hold on to the familiar, to that comfort zone, life has other plans?

Such is the current state of affairs with eBay. Like many longtime sellers there, I'm disappointed in the level of control, the ever increasing cost, and the distinct feeling as though I'm completely taken for granted...Basically, if eBay were a boyfriend, we'd have broken up a long time ago. ;)

Oh, I'll still maintain a presence there, and still list from time to time just to keep a foot in the water, and offer an option to those who prefer auction style listings. But the plan is to begin migrating the bulk of my work over to Etsy, where it will be offered for direct sale, on a first come basis. The Etsy site is wonderful, the fees are considerably lower (which means savings of as much as 10% passed on to collectors) and the checkout and communication process is quick and easy. What's not to love? ♥

But that's not all (drumroll, please)....

I'll also be offering my first prints there very soon! I'm so excited, and I hope this makes at least some of my work more accessible.

The first few will be listed just as soon as I receive them (hopefully in the next week) and I'm thinking they will probably be signed and numbered limited editions.

There's also a very special, and very elaborate sewing/craft chest in progress, which I hope to have in the Etsy shop soon, and possibly a clock.

As always, I'll give the heads up here on the blog and on facebook as to the approximate time new work will be listed, so please do check in. :)

Finally, a big thank you, and much love too all my amazing collectors. You've followed my work from eBay to Etsy, from blog sales and online marketplaces to shows...Without your support and encouragement, I would never be able to live this dream of being a full time artist. So I send you all much love, and many smiles. ♥

That's about it for now. I'll be back with details about those new prints, and in the meantime, I wish all those who celebrate it a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend!

I'll leave you with one of the images which will be offered as a print. ♥


♥´¨)
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(¸.•´ (¸.•´ ♥ Carolee
PS - don't forget there's a giveaway in the previous post! I'll draw a name this Saturday. :)

♥ A Mad Tea Party and a Mad Giveaway! ♥

It's that time again....

Have you been anxiously awaiting it as I have?

It's the annual *Mad Tea Party*, right here in bloglandia, hosted by the always enchanting Vanessa Valencia, and her handsome cohort, the Mad Hatter, at Vanessa's blog "A Fanciful Twist". For those of you not familiar, this is annual blog-hopping sort of event, beginning on the aforementioned blog, where all the Mad Tea Party participants are listed...

Visit any or all, as time allows, but I feel that more is always better, especially when it comes to madness. ;)

So let the party begin!

Let's see, we'll need a teapot...I love them all. You decide. ♥

Now let's see what's in the Mad Tea Chest...

Maybe a cup of herbal brew?

And what tea party would be complete without sweets? I've baked up a batch of pink lemonade cupcakes just for the occasion. And how fun is the tea cozy? It was a gift from a very talented collector friend. So sweet of her. ♥

I love, love, LOVE tea parties, don't you?!

I'm so glad you came to visit, and hope you come back again to have a further look around! But before you go, do leave a comment - any comment will do - and you'll be entered to win this whimsical little painting "Down the Rabbit Hole". This is an original, not a print, painted in acrylics on 5" x 5" gallery canvas, and signed by the artist (me). :)

The edges are painted too, so there's no need for a frame.

I'll draw the winner's name via random number generator next Saturday, July 2, at 9PM.

Until then, "Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting!"....I must be off...

Happy Mad Tea Party Day!

♥´¨)
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(¸.•´ (¸.•´ ♥ Carolee

"Trick or Treat!"

(Two blog posts in one day??)

At the risk of overkill, I just had to pop in again to share the latest painting. Soooooo much fun playing with perspective, hehe. Painted in acrylics on a large, (30" tall) framed, solid cherry wood panel, and finished with an acrylic varnish.

It will be up for grabs on eBay later this evening. :)

Back very soon!

♥ Carolee

Happy Solstice, Happy Summer!

I love Summer Solstice. ♥


Not only because it's the longest day of the year, with over 15 hours of daylight. Not even because it provides a wealth of painting inspiration (today's projects include a bit of painting on a Midsummer "Honey Moon" piece)...

What I love most about June 21st in the northern hemisphere, is that as the days now become shorter, we now officially begin to anticipate autumn (YAY!)

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the blessings each season has to offer, and summer certainly has it's share; fruits and vegetables fresh from the garden, warm evening breezes, backyard gatherings with friends, weekend road trips...

But autumn still beckons. ;)

How about you? Do you have a favorite season?

Whether you do, and whatever it is, I wish you all the blessings of midsummer today!

Back very soon!

♥´¨)
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(¸.•´ (¸.•´ ♥ Carolee

The Gypsy in My Soul

So, remember I said I had some exciting news?!?

Well, it looks as though a longtime dream is actually manifesting; a cross country (and back again) road trip with a dear friend!


Two months plus, stopping to see interesting sights (and artist friends!) along the way, a lot of two lane and back roads, big cities and small towns, gorgeous scenery, quirky attractions, diner food...the iconic American vacation, Thelma and Louise style (um, but without the guns and driving off the cliff thing). ;)

The dates and vehicle are yet to be determined, but we're shooting for late spring/early summer 2012. I was hoping to take the Beetle (FUN little car to drive) until John pointed out there's a mileage cap we've already exceeded, lol, so it's looking like we may be in my friend's Expedition. Which means I need to learn to drive something more than a foot off the ground, hehe...

But those are details, and we'll work them out.

I read somewhere there are two kinds of travelers: journey people, and destination people. Journey people are gypsies; they like to wander, to veer off course, take interesting detours, and often throw any kind of schedule out the window. For journey people, it's about the experience. Destination people, while they fully intend to have a relaxing time once they GET THERE, need to get from point A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible. And they often like to know exactly how many miles per hour they averaged doing it. Husbands tend to be the latter. ;)

My friend Ann and I are the former. We're journey people. And we are sooooooo looking forward to this adventure - and to sharing it via a travel blog as we go along!

In the meantime, I need to get my head out of the clouds (and every road atlas and travel guide I can find!) and get some painting done.

But oh my, how I'm looking forward to this!!

I'll leave you with a little Van Morrision, and be back very soon with new work. :)



♥ Carolee

♥ A Trio of Teacup Mice ♥

Just popping in to share the latest Halloween paintings. Three witchy little Halloween mice...

Each is painted on 5" chunky gallery canvas, so there's no need for a frame.

I just listed the first two on Etsy, and the third....

Will list on eBay at 9PM Thursday. :)

In the meantime, the Mad Tea Party tray is still up for grabs...

I'll be back very soon with super exciting news!!

♥´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*´¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ ♥ Carolee

♥ The Mad Tea Party ♥

Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we take a tumble down the rabbit hole, and become quite lost for several days...Time stands still, and we find ourselves immersed in fantastical tales and inspiring images, as they demand our full attention...

Which is exactly what happened this week as, inspired by an upcoming event (which I'll get to in a minute) I became lost in the magical world of Lewis Carrol's "Alice in Wonderland" again, painting the Mad Tea Party...

On a tea tray of course. ;)

This one is very similar to a tea chest I painted last year. It's funny - sometimes I finish a piece, and that's that. I'm done with it, and ready to move on to the next piece. Other times, I can't help but revisit an old design, changing and reworking it a bit, the same, yet different.

At any rate, this one is listed on eBay now, and I truly hope it brings the winning bidder as much enjoyment as I had painting it. ♥

Now, as to that upcoming event...

Some of you may know Miss Vanessa Valencia (blogger, photographer, and artist extraordinaire) of "A Fanciful Twist". Well, every year she hosts the most wonderful blog event called "The Mad Tea Party", where bloggers from all over the world are invited to "attend", by posting something Tea Party themed, and visiting other participants blogs. There's wonderful photography, lots of commenting, and even some giveaways...

Readers also attend, blog hopping and leaving comments. It's always great fun, and I plan to be there with bells on, and hopefully have a little giveaway too!

In the meantime, there's other work to be done, and next up is a trio of teacup mouse paintings, to be listed on eBay and/or Etsy, not sure yet. Wherever they end up, I'll be sure to post them here with a link. ♥

On the home front, I'm finally getting over this summer cold, and very much looking forward to brunch in the city (Philadelphia) with Courtney and John this weekend, and a cookout at my niece's house the following weekend. And of course, Ghoultide Gathering prep continues...

So I'll be off now, and wish you a *magical* and cReaTiVe rest of the week!

Until next time....

♥´¨)
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(¸.•´ (¸.•´ ♥ Carolee

"The Owl and the Pussycat"

When I was little, this was one of my favorite poems...

Actually, I loved pretty much anything with animals as the subject, or including them as characters (Aesop's Fables, The Wind in the Willows, etc)...

Sooner or later I hope to explore those as well - so may ideas so little time!

In the meantime, It's back to Watership Down (another favorite), and of course, Halloween and the Ghoultide Gathering! :)

Oh, and "The Owl and the Pussycat" will be up for grabs on the PFATT Marketplace at 10AM Pacific time on Friday the 10th. ♥

Back very soon!

♥´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*´¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ ♥ Carolee

New Work, and Pre-Show Excitement!

Has it really been almost two weeks since I popped in here?!

No excuse, other than the usual insanity; eBay, commissions, Etsy, EHAG, PFATT, Ghoultide Gathering preparation, husband, dogs, cats, house, yard...

I really do need to find some elves or something. ;)

Anyway, apologies - and here's a little peek at what I've been up to lately..

First, there was a large Middle earth piece. Incredibly detailed, but such a blessing to paint. These are a couple of details, Gandalf walking down the path to The Shire, and the four Hobbits setting out, with the Misty Mountains in the background...


Have to tell you here, I'm absolutely giddy with excitement about the new Hobbit movie too. Have you see the production video yet? It's about ten minutes long, but a *must-see* for Tolkien fans:

Doesn't that look amazing?!

The Middle Earth piece completed, "Watership Down" was next. This is Blackberry, who readers of the amazing Richard Adams novel may remember at the cleverest of the little band of rabbits. (Hazel and Fiver will be next, and I hope to offer prints very soon too!)

And just yesterday I finished a super unusual Kitchen Witch piece, a sort of combination sign and shelf. I think it would look wonderful with little spice jars or bottles sitting on top...
This one sold last night on eBay, but I hope to have more witchy pieces coming soon.

Next up - truth be told, I haven't decided yet, but whatever it is, it begins today. Possibly an Alice in Wonderland tea tray, possibly a pair of small paintings for the PFATT Marketplace. I'm thinking fables might be fun too; the Town Mouse and the Country Mouse, The Tortoise and the Hare, etc...or possibly Nursery Rhymes; The Owl and the Pussycat, The Old Woman Tossed Up in Basket....so many possibilities, and never enough time, *sigh*....And lest we forget Halloween, teehee!!

Preparation has begun in earnest for the upcoming Ghoultide Gathering. Less than four months to go, and the annual panic has already set in. Sooooooo many ideas swirling around this cobweb covered brain of mine. It's a two day event this year, which is just beyond exciting for the artists - that means two days of meeting collectors, of being lost in the magic of Halloween. And I'm already picturing how enchanting Mill Race Village is going to look at twilight!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, if you haven't made hotel reservations yet, do it now! There's a seriously discounted rate at the Hampton for attendees, and it fills up FAST. ;)

Well, that's about it for now...

I'll try to be better about blogging, really I will. The schedule just gets a little crazy this time of year, and to be honest, facebook doesn't help either -too easy to go in with a photo and quick one-liner, hehe.

But it's not the same as an almost-real-live-conversation, which is kind of how I think of blogging. A way to connect with people I'd otherwise never know. A way for those of us who spend our days in solitude - or in the company of furry companions - to share a bit of our lives, and see what other artists are up to as well. I love my blog, and I most of all love reading the comments. ♥

So I'll be back much sooner next time, and until then, I wish you a happy, CrEaTivE, and *magical* rest of the week!

♥´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*´¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ ♥ Carolee