Welcome, Spring!

Has it really been over a week since I've popped in here? Blame it on spring fever - or as the Mice President likes to call it, "shiny object syndrome". ...

What can I say, I'm easily distracted. ;)

Spring is sprouting all over here; super early daffodils and crocuses, and hyacinths too. But strangest of all are the lilac blooms! Unheard of in March...

Can you see them?

Our neighbor's forsythia is spilling over into our yard, and I just love it. Must plant one myself, I think...

The Old Lincoln roses by the front porch are already filling out nicely, and we should have blooms before too long...

Still no takers for the little bird roosts we hung, but they all love the feeder (especially the greedy little squirrels, hehe)...Of course, everyone scatters the minute I open the door to take a photograph, but you get the idea. And oh my, look at all the blossoms sprouting on the dogwood...

The kitties just LOVE watching all the activity from their perch by the front window. Must try to capture a shot of that. :)

Here's one of our cheery daffodils, out by the front fence...

They're such happy flowers, don't you think?

And I just love the early spring moss covering the bricks around the koi pond, and the ground cover beginning to spread (some sort of succulent, but I don't know the name)...

Even the fish - normally still dormant this time of year - are active! We've already begun feeding them their "transition" food, and soon it will be time to fill in the pond with a few annual water plants...

In the studio, I've been immersed in painting a spring pieces too - in progress at the moment is another St. Gertrude piece, a tri-fold wooden screen. She's coming along nicely, and should be finished later today...

I just love that there's a patron saint of cats and gardeners. There's also a patron saint of dogs, st Rocco - must paint him some time too. :)

Also in the works are two more Easter platters - one already claimed, and one up for grabs very soon. I'll be posting peeks on facebook as they progress, so do drop by (the link an be found on the right sidebar). And I'm so hoping to complete a piece for the EHAG Art Guild and PFATT Group's "Screampunk" challenge, but between the full studio schedule, and more health issues for John, I'm just not sure - wish me luck!

How about you? Is it spring in your neck of the woods? Are you distracted by flowers and birdsong? Or are you in the other hemisphere and anticipating autumn now? Wherever you are, I do hope you're finding time to enjoy Mother Nature's blessings.

Well, I'd best get back to the studio now - so many ideas and sketches, so little time to complete them all! But I had to take a few minutes to "visit" this morning. Like I said, shiny object syndrome, hehe...

I'll try to be back much sooner next time. :)

Until then,
♥ Carolee

Spring Fever!

Maybe it's the unseasonable warm weather we're having this winter, but spring fever is working it's magic in the studio, inspiring a new Easter/Ostara piece...

This one listed on Etsy last night, and sold just minutes later, but look for another whimsical spring piece (possibly a bowl) coming soon. :)

Until next time,
♥ Carolee

EHAG Emporium and "Springtime Blessings"!

I wanted to create something special for the first EHAG Emporium of the New Year, something witchy and wonderful, and something to welcome the season to come...

This original, one of a kind plaque is perfect for Imbolc (the first day of spring in the Celtic calendar) and also for the March spring equinox. It features a beautiful witch in silhouette, dancing among the fairies, a bird perched on her outstretched arm. A crescent moon and stars complete the scene, and the piece is framed by words of blessing, and a black and white checkerboard border.

Made of solid pine, with stained and routed edges, it's painted in acrylics and sealed with a clear, acrylic varnish. It measures 10 1/2" x 14", and comes with a sawtooth hanger for easy display indoors or out.

$95 plus shipping, which varies by location. Please email me at carolee@kingofmice.com to purchase. UPDATE - SOLD.

Thank so much!

Happy Imbolc and Happy Spring!!

♥ Carolee

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

Flying In....

....Very quickly today, to share the latest piece - "Butterfly Blessings", a wooden birdhouse, up for grabs on the PFATT Marketplace on the 10th (tomorrow at midnight, Pacific time).

I so wanted to keep this one, and hang it from the flowering crabapple overlooking our pond. It's in full bloom now, right outside the studio window..

But sell it I must, to the first person to email me after it lists. :)

In the meantime, I'm working on a couple of goodies for the Esy shop, which I hope to update tomorrow (my little cupcake painting is getting lonely over there, hehe)...

Back very soon, and in the meantime, wishing you all the blessings of spring!

♥ Carolee

Surprises and Expectations

As Easter weekends go, it was shaping up to be a beautiful, albeit pretty quiet one. Warm temps, not a cloud in the sky, daffodils in bloom...


My plan was, of necessity, to work all day, bake a cake for dessert, and let John handle the cooking - er, grilling. The house was a mess, but oh well - no one was coming over anyway.

Then the dogs ran to the front door and began barking. LOUD. LOUD and frantic...

"Who could that be on Easter Sunday?"

"Ugh, I don't know, but the house is a disaster, I'm covered in paint and I don't feel like dealing with neighbors just now."

"Eh. Just ignore it."

Then the barking got louder. And LOUDER...and the jumping against the window began.

"Better go look", *sigh*....

"Someone was trying to get in the front door. They're coming up the side of the house now!"

"WHAT??!!"

And I looked up to see our daughter Courtney at the back window, who at the last minute, took the train out here from Philly and showed up at the door bearing a pot of yellow tulips. Made. My. Day. :)

She didn't stay long, having made plans with a friend who was on her own for Easter, but it was still so good to see her.

After she left, it was back to the painting. I actually managed to finish this one, inspired by the herb garden that Is To Be...

Just a few weeks now! We plant most of these herbs and more - lemon thyme, pineapple sage, oregano, chamomile, rosemary, marjoram, tarragon, cilantro and LOTS of basil (not only for summer pasta, but also for making pesto to freeze for the winter)...and usually a couple of tomato and pepper plants too.

I can't tell you how much I love my herb garden. There's always such a sense of anticipation and expectation as the last frost date approaches, and planting can safely begin. It's such a blessing to step outside with a pair of scissors and cut whatever fresh herbs we'll need for dinner that night, or for a salad dressing, or pitcher of iced tea. Can't recommend it highly enough! And the best thing about herbs is, you don't need a yard - they can be grown in containers. :)

It's almost time to sink some new pond plants too. The fish have awakened from their winter slumber (they go dormant at the bottom of the pond through the winter) and we've begun feeding them again...

The water irises are back, but we're fearing the harsh winter was too much for the lilies, so they'll need to be replaced. Every year, John grumbles about what a pain (and expense) the pond is, but I so love the sound of the waterfall, and sight of it from the studio window. It's very....zen or something. ;)

That's about it for today...I'll be out of town tomorrow, attending a funeral Mass for the Father of my oldest and dearest friend. I'd love to be able to say something wise and thoughtful about the circle of life and all that, but loss is still loss, and I feel so heartbroken for those who endure it, as we all eventually do.

I'll be back very soon with new work to share. In the meantime, think about planting something. It's good for the soul. :)

♥ Carolee

♫ Hippity Hoppity ♫...

♫ Easter's on it's way ♫ ...(Whether I'm prepared or not!)

I'll tell you what, it really snuck up on me this year...Most years I have an entire menu planned by now (or occasionally reservations made, hehe). But this year time got the better of me and the upshot is that we've decided to take advantage of the absolutely perfect springlike weather here, and throw something on the grill. Probably salmon. With lemon dill sauce and steamed asparagus. I may even bake a carrot cake, although that will depend on how productive I am with the painting. Yes, I'm afraid I'll be painting tomorrow - no rest for the wicked, eh? ;)

It's been true insanity lately, as I try to catch up with commissions and still keep offerings on eBay, Etsy, The EHAG Emporium and the PFATT Marketplace. But it feels so good when a favorite project is finished, and I can send it out there into the world. Here's a peek at what I've been working on the last couple of days - a table/bench shown here in progress:

And here all finished:

It was quite literally a dream to paint (as in, it came to me in a dream last week) and I'm hoping a bit of the dream magic stay with it wherever it ends up traveling. As of this writing, there's a "buy it now" option on the eBay auction at a price well below (by about $240) the regular commission price for a piece like this.

The barn owl is still listed on eBay as well, inspired by Molly and McGee of live owl cam fame. If you haven't checked out the owl cam, you really must - it's truly amazing! The picture is in color during the day (California time) and goes to a night vision camera at night. Feeding time is not for the squeamish, but it's truly fascinating to see this wonderful owl family up close. Fair warning though, it can be addictive, hehe. :)

That's about it for now. I'll be back very soon with tales of tea and springtime, and hopefully a few more pieces to share...In the meantime, whether you celebrate Easter or Ostara, I wish you a *joyous* day tomorrow!!


♥ Carolee
PS - Be careful with those jelly beans! I bought what turned into THE most expensive box of jelly bellys EVER this week, when they caused a crown to come loose, resulting in an emergency visit to the dentist - ouch! :-)

Serious Spring Fever

I know, I know....it's only March. And the Farmer's Almanac says we could still see some serious winter weather. So I'm truly trying not to get ahead of myself.

But there are tiny buds on the backyard lilac trees...

And lilies sprouting up along the fence....

And aconite flowering in the herb garden....

Even the koi seem to be waking from their winter stupor...

Now, I'm generally pretty good about living in tune with each season as it comes, appreciating the natural cycle of things and celebrating Mother Nature's magic as it unfolds.

But my goodness, this winter has been one for the record books!

So I find myself especially giddy anticipating the blessings of spring; longer days, warmer temps, flowers in the garden, birds at the feeder, planning and planting the herb garden at the back of the yard...Life, growth, renewal...it's truly a miracle, isn't it?!

Spring has also been making it's way into the work this week (with a little St. Patrick's Day and Halloween thrown in for good measure, hehe)...Here's a sneak peek at four trinket boxes which will be listing on eBay later this evening....

They'll each have a "buy it now" option, so if there's something you can't live without, you can grab it without going through the bidding and waiting process. :)

Oh - and be sure to check back on Tuesday for "Alice in PFATTland", when all the PFATT artists, myself included, will be offering pieces inspired by "Alice in Wonderland". I'm thinking a Cheshire Cat tea chest might be in order for this one, and perhaps a tea tray as well - we'll see what I have time for. I swear, when it comes to time, I'm like a greedy little kid in a candy store, whose eyes are too big for her stomach. I want to do it all, and never fail to underestimate just how LONG some of these projects can take, hehe...Ah well, at least we have an extra hour of daylight now, yes?!

Speaking of which, I need to be off to the studio. There's a commission calling my name, which I'm determined to finish before diving head first down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. :)

Wishing you all the blessings of whatever season you're in the midst of in your part of the world! I'll be back very soon with more goodies....

♥ Carolee

A Touch of Spring

Just had to pop back in to share two more pieces added to the eBay auctions this evening - painted today as the snow fell, but with spring in my heart! ♥


Back very soon...
♥ Carolee

Jumping Ahead

I do my best to live in season, I really do. Local produce as long as possible, herbs from my own garden, canned and fresh frozen in the dead of winter...basically trying to live in tune with each season as it unfolds. It's one of the reasons I wanted so badly to move east all those years ago; to live in a place where there was evidence (however inconvenient at times, hehe) of the natural cycle of things - warming to hot, cooling to cold, planting to growth to harvest, and so on....It feels right to me. :)

But art being business as well as pleasure, my paintbrush always seems to jump ahead. Of necessity, I usually spend winter painting spring and summer, summer painting autumn, autumn painting winter, and so it goes.

To that end, here's the very first spring piece of 2010. You can click the photo for a larger image....

I just love the little charm to draw faeries to the garden, and think someday I must paint one of these for myself.

Other spring inspired pieces are in the works too - as well as Halloween (NEVER too early for that, haha!). But as I paint them, I'll watch the snow fall. I'll simmer winter stews on the stovetop, brew pot after pot of tea, burn candles, and perhaps let my thoughts wander to what herbs I'll plant this year, what lilies for the koi pond, and what little garden space to set aside for the faeries.

How about you? Are you jumping ahead yet, just a little?

♥ Carolee

Happy May Day!

A cyber gift of flowers; some lilacs for you from the tree in our backyard...


Today is a holiday I dearly wish were celebrated more widely....

I'm probably dating myself here, but when we were children, the first of May was a very big deal. It was a celebration of spring - a day of flower gathering, dancing and kindness to our elderly neighbors.

We lived in an old house, on a very tiny, dead end street, and our little neighborhood was bordered by woods at the back and a small field at one end - lots of room to gather flowers without having to raid anyone's garden. :)

We had two elderly neighbors, both widows, but with complete opposite temperaments. Mrs. Degleman occupied a little white house to our left, and we called her the neighborhood witch - not in a fun, Halloween kind of way, but in a scary, grouchy, "get off my property" and "I'll make you cut down that treehouse" kind of way. We were told to just leave her alone, and for the most part we did.

In the little grey cape cod to our right lived Mrs. Schroder. Well into her eighties when I was just ten, she would take every opportunity to invite us in for a glass of lemonade, and show us pieces of her past...carefully taking out an old photo album with photos of her late husband, who fought in World War I, faded wedding pictures showing a handsome gentleman and his beautiful young bride. She also had a parakeet named Petey whom she doted on, and a middle aged son who appeared only when the grass out front needed cutting. Every surface of her house was covered in tatted doilies and it smelled of must and lavender.

On the eve of May Day, my Mother would help us make baskets from plastic strawberry containers and construction paper, and the next morning we would awaken very early, sneak out of the house and pick flowers, to be brought home to our Mother (who always pretended to be surprised), and placed in the baskets, to be left on our neighbors' doorsteps, including these two widows.

Mrs. Schroder was always delighted with the flowers, and said so. Mrs Degleman never said a word.

But I like to think we brightened her day just a little, that maybe she didn't think we were all THAT bad. :)

If it was a school day, more celebrations followed. The girls wore their best dresses (this would have been just a year or two before girls were alowed to wear slacks to school - didn't think I was that old, did you?)...and lessons would be put on hold for a couple of hours as everyone gathered in the playground for a maypole dance. The maypole was actually a tetherball pole (do kids still play tetherball?) which was decorated with flowers and crepe paper. Different girls were chosen each year to dance around the maypole, weaving the crepe paper into a beautiful pattern. The one year I was chosen I remember practicing endlessly in the school gymnasium - which was fine because it was better than math. Here's a wonderful photo of a Maypole dance somewhere in the UK:


Many years later, when my daughter was little, May Day was also a big day at school, honoring Mary with a procession through the streets, ending in the school courtyard and crowning her statue with flowers. They would choose one second grader to place the crown atop her head, and I remember Courtney was soooooo excited when she was chosen...

Wonderful memories, these....and I'm a little sorry some of these traditions have fallen by the wayside. But perhaps those of us who remember can keep them alive? Craft some beautiful baskets, give some flowers to our neighbors....Maybe even create some beautiful May Day art?!

I'm suddenly feeling the need to do some Maypole sketches....and perhaps some kind of blog event next year?

In the meantime, I wish you all a very Happy May Day, and a Blessed Beltane to those who celebrate it! I'm off to put some fairie-like tunes in the CD player and begin painting....

Until next time,
♥ Carolee

Happy Easter, Happy Spring!

It's been raining steadily all day here in Pennsylvania, but as I write this, the sun is finally peeking through the clouds, making every thing outside shimmer and sparkle - one of those "ahhhhhhh!" moments, where you have to stop whatever you're doing and just smile at the beauty of it all.

The most recent nod to springtime is this whimsical trio of tiny trinket boxes, listed just now on Etsy. They're selling individually, but I almost hate to break them up - I can just picture them on a dresser, desk or table all together.... *UPDATE* - SOLD


Tomorrow will be a quiet day for us, and very non-traditional in terms of Easter dinner. Between John's low salt diet and my aversion to eating meat, the Easter feast will be a pasta dish, accompanied by a fresh baked french bread and a glass of red wine. Not sure what to do about dessert. Those cupcakes (see previous post) are GONE - or gone from HERE anyway, hehe (dropped them off at a friend's house, lest like everything else, they show up on my hips!) So.....maybe some fat free tapioca pudding for dessert tomorrow. ;)

Okay, back to work for me now, but I'll leave you with this artsy little clip from my latest favorite CD, Neko Case's "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood"....Been listening to this one a lot as I paint, and need to pick up her latest, "Middle Cyclone" soon!

Wishing everyone who celebrates a Happy and Blessed Easter tomorrow!!

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

Spring Fever!

One of the things I missed most when we lived on the west coast was the change of seasons. Days like today - cold and damp, a dusting of snow on the ground and thin layer of ice on the pond, yet with the first tiny green spears of spring daffodils reaching up at the side of the house - spark anticipation in me. This is the time of year we've had just about enough of winter and thoughts turn to spring planting, to flowers and herbs and garden art (Can't get enough garden art!)

This is also the time of year spring fever makes itself apparent in the painting....Can you tell?

I'm picturing this one hanging on porch, shed or garden fence, perhaps near a little faerie garden or faerie house.

More spring offerings coming soon, and more Halloween too (because Halloween anticipation is year-round!)...In the meantime, I'm doing a bit of commission work - and watching the snowflakes fall as I long for the next season, the next cycle....

~ Carolee

Signs of Spring

I know, I know....I'm a Halloween artist. And it's February.

But we're having a bit of a warm spell this week! Well, warm for February in Pennsylvania anyway. And although there are no signs of crocuses or daffodils yet, no tiny green spears pushing up through the dirt, no robin sightings and no frog songs, the thick layer of ice which has covered the pond for weeks now has all but disappered, and that's enough to turn my thoughts to warmer weather and longer days!

Can you tell I have spring on the brain?

This little guy made his debut on the PFATT Marketplace this morning. I think the lavender blossoms and black and white checks give him a tres chic country French look...


And this is my beautiful Merlin (soooooooooooo tempted to keep this one!) Isn't he a handsome fellow? The real Merlin is strictly an indoor kitty, but this is how I imagine him in a field of lavender (I also apparently have lavender on the brain this week, hehe!) He's listed on eBay now.

And finally, St Gertrude of Nivelles. If you've been reading here a while, you may remember I painted her last year on a framed panel. She is the patron saint of cats and gardeners (yes, there really is a patron saint for everything, and how cool is that?!) Her feast Day is actually the same as St Patrick - March 17th. :) This piece is a bit smaller than the last one, and could easily be mounted on a garden fencepost, although I think she'd look wonderful indoors too and would weather a little longer. The sparkling pieces in her halo are Swarovski crystals....Look for her this evening on eBay at 9PM eastern.

The "Cafe Chat Noir" painting I promised is still in progress, along with several commissions and a few other goodies I have up my paint spattered sleeve for next week.

In the meantime, there are the daily doings around the house, the cooking and cleaning and errand running and phone calls and million other things to fill the days.....

Speaking of which, it's time to brew a pot of tea, answer the morning correspondence and get to work!

Until next time, warm and magical *springtime* wishes!
~ Carolee