A Crow's Cage

Inspiration, that magic little "?" that sparks your imagination. It's funny how sometimes all it takes is the quickest glimpse of something to set it off!

How one thing can lead to another and so forth and so on. It all started with a single photo by Robert ParkeHarrison titled "Flying Lesson".

Suddenly I realized how absolutely impossibly necessary it was for me to build a Crows cage and fill it with mysterious little creatures!

My Crows cage stands about 6 feet tall from ground to the top of it's feather plume. Its built from wood scraps and some chicken wire and odds and ends and this and that.

I wanted it to have the feeling of a deliciously decorated cake of sorts, albeit a wire cake,

trimmed with prickley dried vines, to keep the spiders out of course!

and old turn keys to make it safe, a long and winding tale it is and so let us begin.

Pots with little smiling faces peer out,

and giggle here and there,

then Shhhh,shhh, shh! Some one is ever so quietly watching, from up above the rest,

just waiting for the perfect moment, waiting for a chance,

to lower herself down and settle beside her.

All the while unsuspecting and floating on a breeze is a dandelion fluff,

busy as a bee, teasing and taunting the flower shop girls!

And the little bitty lacey winged ones flitter all about,

buzzing in and out,

and up and down,

trying out their wings.

While butterdrag or draggerbutt, which ever you prefer,

looks on and oversees the youngsters,

to keep them out of trouble!

Which is no small feat, might I mention!

Keep an eye wide open,

keep a good long watch,

and though those delicate gossamer wings

seem fragile at a glance,

she's the keeper of peace,

and queen of the land,

that no one dares to challenge, not bug, not bee,

or frog or pillar, cater that is.

Well, at least you can't say I didn't warn you in the beginning!
It isn't easy being green, but it sure is fun! Wait, what were we taking about?!

The Merchant of Marvels and the Peddler of Dreams

I do try my best to be an aware human, but sometimes it is as though I am but a silly ostrich with it's head stuck in the sand!

Pssst! Have you Heard?

There is so much amazing art out there and though I have come to this particular artist slowly, Thankfully, I am here!
Thanks to Florizel at Le Divan Fumoir Bohemien , I received an email with this in it!

I was transfixed, transported! Oh, Please, do tell me, WHO is the Master Creator of this incredible work!

With that my answer came with a link. Thrilled I followed it as it led me here "X" marks the spot where the hidden treasure lies!

When there is MAGIC in the air...

Come along and follow me into a daydream.. Close yours eyes and place yourself there...

A shiver went through me, my hand sprang open, the crystal wine glass quickly slipped through my fingers and crashed upon meeting the floor!

Such was my reaction to the delicious delights this artist serves up! Silently snuck in like a thief in the dark, stole away my imagination, only to set it free... I have set upon a dream and maybe, just maybe I shall not return, but remain under the influence and just, create, create, create...

Everyone knows it!

Frederic Clement is the author of many wonderful books The Merchant of Marvels and the Peddler of Dreams only one among many. Step into his tempting imagination and see for yourself!

Torn from the Headlines!

Ever wonder why some things never seem to grow old? How we never tire of revisiting them and expressing them in new and different ways?!

While certain other things are so trendy they fizzle out after only a few months?

Newsprint is one of those items for me that some how always looks fresh and interesting.

One rainy afternoon while "trapped" in the house when I was a kid, and after pestering my Grandfather "What are you reading? What does that spell? Can I look through your glasses? Do they help you read? Who is that a picture of"? He decided it might be easier on him to put me to "work"!

So he patiently taught me to make newspaper hats! I thought he was a Genius! I was hooked! And apparently easily entertained!

I made tri corner hats for every doll and stuffed toy I had!

I decorated my hats with colorful cutouts from the comics.

And cut out little "ransom" style letters to spell out each dolls name.

Glancing into my room it must have looked like a virtual tabloid army!

A dozen smiling faces all lined up in a row!

Needless to say, it kept me busy the rest of the day!

And every time I see one of those hats my thoughts tumble back to dream like days,

and Grandfather sacrificing his yet unread pages just to make me happy!

For complete diagrams and instructions, pick up a copy of the newest issue of Somerset Life Winter 2008 on news stands now.

And just to get you started and keep you from mischief on the next rainy afternoon, here is a little gift for you, just click on the blue butterfly to download it, recopy one image smaller so you have two different sizes, one larger, one smaller, back them each to cardstock and glue at the center. Be sure to give them the feeling of "motion" by shaping the wings a bit.

Some details: The bust is one of my painted porcelain dolls, she's got inset French paper weight blue glass eyes, and wears a human hair wig. I pierced her ears before firing her and made her a pair of freshwater pearl and garnet earrings. As I had in mind to create a wig stand rather than a typical doll, no arms or legs were poured and she is mounted on an ornate base that was originally a little boudoir lamp. She stands about 24" tall and is dressed in a shawl made from a wide piece of antique French lace. As for the blonde puppet doll, look HERE for all of the specifics on how she was created. The illustrations are my colorized and recombined versions of the wonderful old classic Alice in Wonderland, of which the black and white original versions were taken. Look HERE to see the beautiful little book its self, which once belonged to my husbands Grandmother Pearl.

Diamonds & Toads

Turning a Toad into a Diamond is not as hard as it may sound! And so you say What?! What?!

Another " in need of dire repair" flea market find was this wonderful old pier mirror. I happened upon, in a dusty old thrift store waaay in the back. And believe me, after all the hard work I put into restoring this beauty it gives me pleasure and pride to gaze into it's clouded old mirror!

At first glance it truly looked beyond help, covered in cob webs most of it's original ornate decoration was barely holding on by a thread. Or should I say wire, as that is what the structural frame for the decoration was built on.

The cherubs were damaged, many roses, leaves and fruit were completely missing.

There were large gaps on the corners and joints. A fairly hopeless cause! But I love a good challenge and had such a desire to bring it back to it's original greatness!

I set about restoring it, I created more roses and ornament, making molds from some of the few remaining ones and taking castings then from the "newly" created molds. Sanding and filing down edges to create graceful and fluid curves.

Filled the spaces in the frame moldings, reshaped and re-sculpted areas that needed more definition.

I needed to recreate a gold colored paint that would mimic the actual antique finish and have the same rich "aged" luster as it once had. You see I only wanted to repaint the areas of repair so as to retain as much of the original paint as possible.

And so after many long hours, lots of water putty, elbow grease, iced tea, cinnamon gum and two Dremel Drills later( I burned out the motors)! Gosh, I am beginning to notice a pattern here, I have quite a bad history with "motors", I mean the whole pumpkin pulp in the garbage disposal thing! Any way,
I have it now gently leaning against the living room wall, content in the thought that I do not own it, but am only it's caretaker for a period of time and someone else after me will be able to enjoy and make use of it too.

The Fanciful Milliner's Hat

Lets dance our way right into the new year!

And scatter the path with colorful flowers...

Take a tired and tattered top hat, revive and restyle it!
Lend it some flair!

I try to find ways to bring my collections out into the the open, use them in my ever changing displays. After all why keep your beautiful treasures hidden away?

I found two collapsable silk top hats at a flea market a while back, they certainly had seen better times!

One was worse than the other but oh, the possibilities! My thoughts strayed to sweet summer days, a dapper young lad, maybe strolling through the park accompanied by a lovely lady no doubt.

Alas, those days are long gone, so to perk it up and bring back the garden memories I planted lots of delicious antique millinery flowers, on just the right spots and in just the right colors!

I won't tell who the beautiful milliner's model is, but I sure have a bit of a crush on him!

Just a note to say to all of you as we ring out the old 2007 and ring in the new 2008, how very special you have made this year for me! I will never cease to be completely Amazed and entirely Delighted by all of the Incredible artwork being created! I am absolutely and utterly inspired by you! I look forward to new adventures in creating, blogging and sharing together in the New Year to come! Cheers!

WISHING YOU THE BEST...

HAPPY MERRY JOLLY HOLLY NEW CHRISTMAS SEASON'S HANUKKAH KWANZAA HOLIDAY'S TO ALL!