New Work and an Anniversary!

I don't know if it's the magic of springtime, or the upcoming Mad Tea Party event, or WHAT, but I've been completely immersed in the idea of an enchanted tea party with cats and mice. Apparently the inspiration for last week's tea chest was a little too much for one piece, and it spilled over to this week as well, hehe...

Fun, yes? You can't see it here but the sugarcube is a little sparkly. It's listed on eBay now. :)

And would you believe this little party is STILL whirling around in my brain? I think it wants to some out in the form of a clock, so stay tuned...

In the meantime, we're just a little belatedly (April) celebrating the fourth anniversary of the EHAG group, and the upcoming Emporium update with a little giveaway over on the blog. So if you love guessing games, jelly beans and Halloween, fly on over there and join the fun!

It's hard to believe EHAG has been around that long, mostly because time DOES fly when you're having fun! (You know, there's a reason for cliches like that, hehe)...At any rate, EBay groups tend to come and go (especially Halloween groups - sheesh, there have been a lot of them!) but EHAG has truly been the gold standard - not only amazing and highly professional artists, dedicated to creating absolute magic in their work, but a more supportive bunch of people you'll never meet. I'm just so proud to be a part of it!

That's about it for today...I'm off to put some tunes in the CD player, light a couple of candles on this rainy day, and begin work on that "Enchanted Teatime" clock...

Until next time,
♥ Carolee

And Inspired and Productive Week!

I just LOVE weeks like this...where the inspiration is coming faster than you can imagine, and everything just seems to flow...

First, there was the Spells and Potions chest - one of my favorite pieces EVER, which actually didn't make the reserve price I'd set, so now I'm deciding whether to re-list it on eBay or offer it up on Etsy....(Or keep it here, hehe!)

Next, there was the wicked cool cake/treat/display stand ("Eat, Drink and be Scary") which is listed on eBay now....

And today, there's "Firefly Magic", inspired by the gazillions of these little guys flying around the backyard. Two beautiful felines on this one - a sleek black cat and a long haired tuxedo. Sooooooooo much fun, and also up for auction on eBay now. :)


Then there's a commission in the works and a super large order of new pieces arriving Thursday (Happy birthday to me, hehe!)....The new pieces include a few large tables and boxes, so look for the first Halloween game of 2009 very soon!

That's about it for today...I'm off to grab a very late dinner. Would you believe I've been working since 7AM and it's nearly 10PM now? Ah, the joys of self employment....

(Good thing it doesn't feel like work!!)

Back again soon with more goodies to share.....

♥Carolee

A Beautiful Day!

The sun is shining for the second morning in a row here, after what feels like a very long monsoon season. (I know, we don't have monsoons here in southeastern Pennsylvania, but this was pretty close, and thunderstorms too)....

So yes - it's absolutely GORGEOUS here, and despite this week's challenges (which have included very little sleep, deadlines, and a bad headcold) I'm in a place of true contentment, and feeling as though all is right with the world. :)

Last night found me burning the midnight oil in an effort to complete a piece for this month's PFATT Marketplace. The new piece is a tea box painted with a tuxedo cat and a ginger tabby, topped with teacup and saucer - and a tiny visitor inside the cup! As you can see, Merlin approves. ;)


I actually spent many hours trying to sculpt the teacup and saucer, but paperclay just didn't seem to hold it's shape - my poor teacups kept collapsing! Then I had one of those "aha!" moments, and remembered my daughter's old, childhood, china tea service....tucked away on the highest kitchen shelf, gathering dust for nearly 25 years now.

After briefly wondering if I should save it for future generations (possibly, but in the end, creating something new always wins out!) I swiped a teacup and saucer, got out the enamel paints and went to town.

Here's the result:


Well, the Tuxedo cat side anyway. The ginger Tabby is on the other side. I'd show you, but I should really save something for the Marketplace debut (tomorrow at midnight!). UPDATE - SOLD. :)

So many other projects in the works right now, including the fairy tale chest in the post below, a couple of signs, and possibly a set of wicked cool Halloween coasters, because it's never too early to start thinking "Halloween Party!", is it?

That's about it for today - I'm off to the market now, the back here to paint...

Oh! Almost forgot... This little guy was feeling very lonely in the Etsy shop all by himself (his companions having moved to new homes already!) - so I dropped the price by $10.00. You can almost steal him now, hehe. :)

Wishing everyone a beautiful, sunny Mother's Day weekend!!

♥ Carolee

"Je t'aime"

With less than a month until Valentine's Day, I couldn't resist painting this sweet little guy, holding his message of love....


Valentine's Day has become kind of a big deal around here, where weather and funds permitting, the gifts sometimes go over the top.

It all started many years ago, early in our marriage when John (who is British) railed against the "stupid American holiday invented by the greeting card companies"...(nevermind the actual origins of the day are in fact British, we won't go there)....But suffice to say he was not on board with the whole candy and flowers thing.

My response was to arrange a mid-day workplace delivery of enough pink and red helium balloons to completely fill his office. Said balloons were tied to a coffee mug lettered "What a Guy", which was filled with Hershey's kisses and accompanied by a Valentine saying simply "Happy stupid American holiday". ;)

I've received a gift to mark the day every year since, hehe.

My gifts to him over the years have varied - from the risque to the ridiculous; the after dinner at a nice restaurant presentation of a gift bag, filled with chocolate body paints and brushes, and a note declaring "dessert's on me".....to very elaborately decorated valentines (we're talking HUGE valentines here - lace, feathers, sequins, glitter, perfume, the works) delivered every day for a week to his office....

And his gifts to me have been quite thoughtful; a romantic dinner out, an anthology of classic love letters, etc...

But last year's gift will be hard to top; the literal repair of a broken heart. February 2008 found me in the hospital's cardiac waiting room, and John in an operating room, as a surgeon repaired his damaged mitral valve. A successful outcome that day (actually a couple of days after Valentine's Day) was the absolute best gift I ever have, or ever will receive.

No clue what this year's celebration will be, but I suppose it's time to give it some thought.

(And if you have any ideas I'd love to hear them, hehe!)

~ Carolee