Winter Madness...

I'm torn.

One one hand, I'm ever so grateful for this mild winter we've been having, as it's kept heating costs well, if not low, then certainly lower that they could have been. And trust me, this is a big deal. ;)

On the other hand, I'm longing for a good old fashioned snowing-in. The kind that blankets everything in white and forces us to slow down and spend a few days enjoying the comforts of hearth and home; simmering soup and homemade bread, wool shawls and down lap duvets, quiet evenings spent reading and knitting and playing board games...

It's been a strange winter so far, with just a couple of dustings which were gone in a day or two. Nothing like 2010, when we had those back to back blizzards...

We called it "snowmageddon", remember?

Not that we need anything quite so dramatic - but one good snowfall before spring would be nice, don't you think?

Maybe I need to break out the snow wand? I have this fabulous little folk artsy piece by an artist named Brigitte Holsten, of Paint the Moon Primitives (whom I've since lost track of, and so wish I could find her work again)...

The wand hangs on the dining room hearth, beneath the far too dusty teapots, and there's a little spell card attached which says:

"God and Goddess that I seek
I hope this doesn't sound too meek
I ask of you to make it snow
and make the cold winter winds blow
Now that I have asked this of you
I will help you to make it true."

How fun is that?! You're supposed to chant the verse, and wave the wand in all four directions.

John says he'd much rather we had a wand for springtime weather, but I suppose that's because he's the one who gets to drive in the snow, and I'm the one who gets to watch it while sipping hot cocoa. ;)

How about you? Is it winter in your neck of the woods? Or are you missing it as I am?

Before I run, I must share one more little bit of winter madness, this newest eBay auction. I swore I was finished with eBay, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, and this week it means selling the Mad Catter box...

My favorite part is the message inside, which pretty much sums things up around here, hehe. ♥

That's about it for today. I'm off to work on commissions now, and perhaps do a bit of sketching for the new Practical Magic piece. I'll be back very soon, and in the meantime, I hope you're enjoying your day whatever the weather...

Until next time,
♥ Carolee

*We're All Mad Here!*

Just popping in to show you the latest, this whimsical "Mad Catter" box...

A cross between the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter, he soars through the air bestowing heartfelt blessings on those in Wonderland below. The Dormouse and Flamingo are along for the ride as well. I love the little surprise message inside...

So true, hehe!

Perfect for storing treat, treasures, keys, jewelry or hairclips - almost anything, really. It's listed on Etsy now, and I'm hoping it finds a good home.

(Update - I hadn't even noticed several print listings had expired - eek! Thanks to the heads-up from a facebook friend, they're back in the shop as well!)

I'll be back very soon with new work, and in the meantime, there are commissions in progress, and a relaxing weekend to spend with John, who is finally home after nine days in the hospital. It's nice to have him back, and he feels much better - thanks in part to all the support and encouragement, prayers and positive energy sent his way - We're so grateful!

Until next time,
♥ Carolee

Pure Imagination!

Imagination: The ability to form mental images, concepts and sensations in a moment when they are not perceived by the senses.



Pretty powerful stuff, and just think - we all have it! We can picture ourselves on a sandy beach, and almost hear the waves lapping, feel the sun's warmth, taste the pina colada...We can imagine ourselves soaring with eagles, climbing a mountain, or visiting Wonderland...

It's such a magical tool, and can be sparked by almost anything, although I find books and folk tales to be a personal springboard, hehe...

Sort of thinking aloud here, do you suppose all the technology we enjoy help or hinders the imagination? That is - does the constant stream of images via television, movies, the internet, etc., spark other images - or does it make us lazy, neglecting to use our own imagination as we settle for what someone else has seen in their mind's eye?

I wonder sometimes. It's such a precious gift, this imagination, and one I think needs to be nurtured, and even protected - because its manifestation is creativity. And by the way, I think we'd all do better to look to children in this regard - they're natural daydreamers and natural artists. They live absolutely in the moment, and when something inspires them, they create freely. What was it Picasso said?

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

Maybe I'm not grown up yet, hehe? I hope not, anyway. ;)

Today I'm falling down the rabbit hole to Wonderland (a repeat visit to be sure, but always magical) and painting "The Mad Catter" - a sort of cross between the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter, with a few other Alice elements thrown in there too.

It's a rainy and dreary reality here in Lancaster County this morning, but in Wonderland....Ah, in Wonderland it's filled with warmth and vibrant colors, with teapots and smiling cats, with flamingos and hearts...with pure imagination. ♥

Wishing you a wondrous day as well!

¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`• ~ Carolee

♥ 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!

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

"The Walrus and the Carpenter"

Just popping in to share the latest Alice piece, inspired of course, by the poem of the same name from "Through the Looking Glass"...

Poor little oysters...although they're doomed, they do look rather whimsical in their red Keds, don't they?

The original is already claimed, but I do hope to offer prints soon, so stay tuned. :)

In the meantime, look for a new Halloween piece on eBay very soon!

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

Tumbling Back Down the Rabbit Hole

Are you tiring of all the Wonderland posts yet?

I can't help it. It's such a magical place, and the childhood memories it invokes so fond (curling up on a rainy Saturday with fantastical tales) that falling down the creative rabbit hole has become rather a habit, hehe...

Here's the latest piece, "The Lobster Quadrille", acrylic on gallery canvas...

It was inspired of course, by the chapter in "Alice in Wonderland" where the Mock Turtle shows Alice and the Gryphon how to do the lobster quadrille ("change lobsters again!", teehee). SUCH fun to paint, and already spoken for. But while the original is sold, the good news is there are soon to be prints!

And prints of the next Alice painting as well ("The Walrus and the Carpenter" from "Through the Looking Glass"). Stay tuned for an update on this one, and possibly in-progress pics on facebook.

While Alice is an almost never-ending well of inspiration, there's also Middle Earth, into which I plan to delve very soon; The Shire, Rivendell, Lothlorien, Fangorn Forest - another entire realm of inspiration. I only hope I can do it justice. It's a little scary given that far more accomplished artists than myself have worked absolute magic with the subject...Wish me luck. :)

That's about it for now. I'll be back very soon with another update...Thanks as always for peeking in, and for your comments. I truly look forward to them! ♥

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

Mad About Tea!

I know, I know - I said I'd share this piece in the Mad Tea Party post. But I think it deserves it's own post, hehe....

This is one of those pieces that came together like ~*magic*~ from beginning to completion, inspired by not only my love of tea, and of Alice in Wonderland, but of the firm belief that we really ARE mad here, and yes, all the best people are!

It's hand made here in Pennsylvania of birch wood, with brass hardware, and wooden ball feet, painted in acrylics and finished with a clear, acrylic varnish.

It measures 15" x 7 1/2" x 4 1/4", and comes signed, dated, and numbered 1/1, with a certificate of authenticity.

I'm offering this for direct sale here on the blog on a first-come basis, and passing on my savings of those eBay fees. $275 plus shipping to the first person to email me at carolee@kingofmice.com. :) UPDATE ~SOLD~

(I should add that the tea is from my personal stash, and not included, but I'll send just a couple of bags anyway!)

Thanks, as always, for taking a peek at my newest creation! I'll be back very soon with new work and more rambling, hehe....

♥ Carolee

"We're All Mad Here."

"Entirely Bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are."

I ask you, how can you not love a story based on THAT premise??

Yes, I saw Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland this week, and thought it was amazing. Which is really saying something for someone who normally loathes people messing with the classics. Have you ever seen "The Scarlet Letter"? Truly painful, but I'm getting off track here...Back to Alice.

To be honest, I could have done without the booming, epic battle scene at the end (de rigueur in movies these days) but there was plenty of magic to make up for the spectacle. Johnny Depp was brilliant as the Mad Hatter, and I loved the on again-off again Glasgow accent. Helena Bonham Carter was perfect as the Red Queen, and Alan Rickman's voice as the Caterpillar, well....I could listen to that voice all day. I mean seriously, I wouldn't care if he just recited the phone book.

At any rate, it's no surprise I came away inspired to paint an Alice piece. Not fashioned after the movie characters, but my own vision. Not sure why, but I've always pictured the Cheshire Cat as being a ginger tabby.

Fortunately, I had one of those handy to serve as the perfect model, hehe. This big boy looks very much like our Arthur. The tea tray is listed on eBay now, with the auction ending Monday evening at 9PM eastern.

Lots of other pieces are in the works as well, including a few commissions, and I'm happy to say I have a newly cleaned workspace to accomplish all this....

Would you like to see it?

You can click on the photo for a larger view. That's Merlin under the table, and just a wee bit of Arthur over by the window. :)


The actual "studio" is upstairs, filled to bursting with wood pieces, shipping supplies, show displays, etc., but I prefer to work downstairs in this space because of the big window, and overhead skylight (not shown here). Nothing compares to natural light for both productivity and sanity, hehe.

It's more functional than decorative, although I DO have a few of my "favorite things" scattered about; the large papier mache cat (painted by a Mexican artist, and named Tequila) was a gift from my late father many years ago.

And giving credit where credit is due, a big thank you to Courtney for putting my space in order last weekend. Being completely organizationally impaired myself, I marvel at her magical powers.

So yes, we're all mad here. Entirely Bonkers. But we wouldn't have it any other way.

How about you? A little mad perhaps? Just a little?

Or entirely bonkers?

All the best people are, you know. ;)

Until next time,
♥ Carolee

Still Immersed in Wonderland....

Well, the Mad Tea Party was (I mean IS!) soooooooo much fun, I just had to paint it....

These hand made wooden tea chests are one of my absolute favorite things to paint, but this is the very last one! The wonderful artisan who designed these is no longer making them. Needless to say, I wanted to make this last one truly special....

It took DAYS and DAYS to paint all the detail, and to be honest, I toyed with the idea of keeping it here (especially since I LOVE the Mad Tea Party theme)- but sell it I must....

It's listed now on eBay, with a buy it now option. :)

I'm still visiting all the Mad Tea Partiers, although at the rate I'm going, it may take the rest of the week, hehe! Many thanks to everyone who's dropped by my little party the last couple of days - I do hope to reciprocate!

That's about it for tonight...It's shaping up to be a busy week, so stay tuned for more wicked and whimsical art....

Until next time,
♥ Carolee

"Oh My Ears and Whiskers, How Late It's Getting!"

I confess - I'm the White Rabbit at the Tea Party!

Here it is, officially the 27th - the BIG DAY - and I'm up until the wee hours preparing everything for Vanessa's fabulous Mad Tea Party tomorrow....er, I mean today!

The cupcakes are very nearly finished....

They're French vanilla flavored - made with real vanilla beans, and homemade buttercream icing - yummmmmm. I was thinking perhaps some sugared black raspberries on top?

The little giveaway trinket is ready to go as well (open to all, and a double chance for blog followers!)...details tomorrow - um, I mean later today, hehe!

I've selected some fabulous teas, although haven't yet decided which of the White Rabbit teapots to use. The King of Mice will be attending too, and I hope the rest of the cast of characters make an appearance as the day progresses; I'll be alternately blog hopping and painting a hand made wooden tea chest with an Alice in Wonderland theme, so stay tuned. ;)

Right now, it's the arms of Morpheus for me...I'll be up reasonably early eastern time, at which point I'll share more photos and join the party!

See you in a few hours!
♥ Carolee

Wonderland

Lewis Carroll's Alice has long been one of my favorite literary characters. A child lost in a confusing, topsy-turvy and absolutely arbitrary world....She falls down a rabbit hole, she grows, she shrinks, she changes, she wonders if she's still the same girl, or a different girl entirely...All of a sudden, the world makes no sense!

Probably because, as the Cheshire Cat explains, "We're all mad here." ;)

Truer words were never spoken.....er, written - about the world Alice is trying to navigate; the world all children learn to navigate. A world of characters both beautiful and scary. Whose inner child can't relate to that?

Beyond simply relating, Wonderland is also an absolute WEALTH of artistic inspiration! The White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the hookah smoking Caterpillar, and perhaps most of all, the Mad Tea Party...

The photos shown here are from the Tim Burton film scheduled to open in March 2010 - Can you WAIT??! I'm not sure I can, teehee....Seriously, Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter? Does it get any better?!

Yep - bated breath waiting for this one.....

In the meantime, there are a couple of other "Alice" fixes to be found. First, the film "Phoebe in Wonderland" available as of today on DVD (and at the toppermost of my netflix queue!) Check the trailer here and listen to what Patricia Clarkson says about the "awful normals". ;)

There's also the fabulous Vanessa Valencia's Mad Tea Party, coming up this very Saturday! I need to make something very special for this one - perhaps a tea chest or tea box (Oooooooh - an Alice Tea Box?!), maybe some cupcakes, maybe even a little giveaway - not sure yet, but stay tuned!

Right now, I'm off to finish a Christmas commission - which is providing some much needed mind-over-matter coolness in today's 80-something degree temps.

Back very soon with a couple of new pieces, at least one of them Alice inspired. Until then, tell me your own favorite Alice character if you have one!

♥ Carolee