StarSparrow

Gingerbread and Red Riding Hood

This past week, I thought it would be nice to build a gingerbread house. J thought it would be nice to eat a gingerbread house. We both ended up happy from that one! This photo of him diving into the finished product was just too cute not to share!

And here are the parts to the Nativity I mentioned last night, happily drying in a downy cotton cushion. They should be dry in a day or so, and then I can get to painting!

Do I even need to tell how you freaking EXCITED I am about this?!?

Amanda Seyfried? Check!

Guys with faux-hawks and serious looks on their faces? Check!

Gary Oldman? Check!

Dark gothic romance? Check!

Beautiful scenery and panoramic shots? Check!

Incredible and vintagey costumes? Double Check!

This movie meets all my requirements for a great movie! Forget the good acting and great dialogue, that's for the timeless classics (which I also adore... bring on the Casablanca!) this is the perfect atmospheric, dark and moody chick flick! I love these!

Will you be catching "Red Riding Hood" when it comes out in March 2011?

And just for kicks: Favorite movie ever, and why?

Mine is "An Affair To Remember". I cry every time, it's just... *sigh* incredible.

Two Silhouettes, One Nativity, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

In less than a month, a very lovely couple is getting married. I designed the silhouettes for their wedding, which were printed on 150 thank you cards, and the menus for the reception. I also created 12 gorgeous pendants for the bride and wedding party. The pendants will be tied to the bouquets with ribbon during the ceremony, and can later be worn on a necklace. Each one features a mirror on the back so the lady can check her lipstick. The front is monogrammed, with a little snippet of the bride's dress included as a keepsake. I was in such a hurry to get them mailed off to the bride that I forgot to take photos! We'll see if I can get some photos of them in-action at the wedding and share those later.

 I wanted to show you photos of the neat little Nativity I'm sculpting (the one above is courtesy of Caravaggio... LOVE him!), but I managed to leave my SD card at work, so my camera is useless until after tomorrow. Regardless, I've been working on a tiny little paper-clay Nativity, featuring Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, an angel, a little lamb, a littler (littler is so a word) bird, and our dog Pompeii. Okay, so our dog wasn't exactly present at the birth of Christ, but it was so darn cute I couldn't resist! I also sculpted the parts for another angel, which I think I'll turn into an ornament.

Have you started getting in the Christmas or Hanukkah spirit yet? Have you begun decorating? I have, much to my husband's chagrin! He thinks Christmas decorating should begin no sooner than the day after Thanksgiving... I vote for the day after Halloween. This year, I found a loophole! He said "No tree until after Thanksgiving".

...I smiled sweetly, and waited for him to go to work. Then I hung the garlands, pulled out the ornaments, decorated the mantle, put a wreath on the door, wrapped presents and stacked them where the tree goes, hung the stockings, pulled out the snowman, and lit a gingerbread candle. But I didn't set up the tree.

No, trees are for after Thanksgiving.

I win. 

Magritte the Tree Angel

(Before I begin, I'd like to apologize for my long absence! I was very ill for about two weeks, and I was not able to make anything during that time. But I'm all back now!)

Recently, I was inspired by Jenni Horne's gorgeous tree angel, Cherish. I decided to make something similar, but I didn't have an awesome vintage light cage to use as a base, and I didn't have any paper mache or floral foam. I attempted to sculpt my tree angel entirely from tin foil, intending to cover her in paper mache as soon as I could buy some. However, after three different people mistook my angel for an "Aunt Jemima" doll, I gave up and threw her away, disheartened. My best friend Lucy, having seen the hideous thing, suggested I turn one of my 18th century style dolls into a tree angel. As soon as she said it I was ready and itching to begin!

Here's Magritte in all her glory! She's surprisingly lightweight (being made of paperclay, tin foil, cardboard, tulle, and quilted fabric wings) and so, so pretty! Since I had already sculpted the head and arms a while back to make into a doll, the bulk of the job was done and the rest of her only took about a hour or two.

 Although I didn't get to use Jenni's tutorial, I did use the inspiration & spirit behind it. She felt the need to create something beautiful through any means necessary, and I can understand the compulsion! 

After making Magritte, I was on a roll! I busted out my soldering iron and all my supplies and churned out this lovely pendant (below). I also made 12 monogram pendants with mirrors on the back to be tied to bridesmaid's bouquets in an upcoming December wedding. After the bride has seen them, I will share pictures here.

For now, my creative juices are pumping non-stop! Today, Lucy and I will be making Christmas Ornaments, and I'll be sure to share the results! 

Butch Anthony's Museum of Wonder

(Photo: Butch Anthony with a "Pot Head" and the catch of the day)

 Yesterday, Kitty (Fritzi Marie) and I went to see Mr. Butch Anthony and his Museum of Wonder in Seale, Alabama. For those of you nearby who have not been: Go. Now. The Museum of Wonder alone is worth the trip, and add to that all the other incredible sights on Butch's 80-acre compound, and you've got a no-brainer.
 Kitty and I had made plans to come by Butch's Museum while at the Possum Trot Auction with the American Pickers last week, and I can tell you, nothing could have prepared us for the experience.

 The first stop was Butch's lovely home, built by hand over a 20 year period with found and salvaged materials. The New York Times did a feature on his home a few months ago. You can read the article here (it's a fascinating read, and their photos are much better than mine!).

 As soon as we walked through his living room and onto his back porch, I had to suppress a giggle. That's my dining room table! The first time I met Butch was at the Possum Trot Auction, where J and I had taken our table to sell.
I bought the table when I moved out of my parent's house at 21, and it was my first piece of "real" furniture. The table went with me when I moved to Columbus a year later, and then when we moved into our new apartment a year after that. There are so many happy memories of meals around that table! However, it wouldn't fit it our new, tiny apartment when we moved in a little over a year ago, so J built a new one that would fit, and this one went to the auction, and then home with Butch. 
I miss my table, but I think it likes its new home. Butch's bedroom is built into the ground, so it stays cool in the Summer and holds heat better in the Winter. Free insulation! The entire house is beautiful, but the bedroom is an exercise in minimalist modernity, and it took my breath away. The bed platform is made of license plates, and the texture of all the raised letters and numbers is just sublime. Butch uses solar power to heat his water, so in the warmer months he can bathe outdoors in nature. I'm hoping no hapless tourists choose Butch's bath time to come take a lookie-loo around. They might get more tour than they were hoping for!
 Can you imagine bathing outdoors with this incredible view stretching out beside you?
And for us shy-types, Butch has an indoor bathroom filled with incredible and colorful artwork.
Next up on the tour was the Museum of Wonder. I took a ton of photos, but unfortunately a lot of them were too dark due to the low lighting (and my aversion to using flash). The Museum is filled with all manner of fascinating curiousities, including the world's largest gallstone, proof of Bigfoot's existance, and several "missing links".
I love Butch's art. I especially love the irreverence of it. His X-ray drawings are my favorites! 
Outside, Butch showed us some of his metal sculptures (while my favorites are his x-ray drawings, J's favorites are the metal pieces). Butch said he doesn't know what these are, but that they are like quilted balls of metal. I think they would look really neat just laying around in a yard. Unfortunately for me, my landlords don't appreciate good art. Not to mention, the local homeless population loves when I leave things outside for them to use to decorate their shopping carts. These woudn't last 5 minutes in my yard!
Here are some more of Butch's drawings on a line. Kitty and I clipped them up with clothespins for some interesting shots. We will be listing a ton of Butch's art on his etsy shop for him in the upcoming weeks, so be sure to check it out! Also be watching your t.v. guide for an upcoming episode of American Pickers, where they will be visiting Butch in Seale, Alabama.

Kitty and I are both a little star-struck to be helping Butch with his esty shop. I think he is not only one of the best folk-artists around, but also one of the most creative minds out there. Maybe some of that will rub off on me (it sure would be nice!) 
 P.S. After our tour, we dropped by the Possum Trot auction, where Kitty and I both scored more treasures. I got an awesome little industrial rolling cart for $15!

Shop Update Tomorrow!

UPDATE (9/23, 2pm): I am on my husband's computer right now, and for some reason he's getting internet, but my internet is down. This is a problem, because all my etsy listings are bookmarked at their final stage on my computer, so that all I have to do is open the bookmarks and hit "list". I do have the listings open in the shop, so if there's one you want, check there first. I'll have them live on etsy as soon as possible.

UPDATE #2 (9/23, 11pm): My internet is finally back up! The listings are live on etsy!

*******************************************************************

That's right folks! I've got the listings written and ready to go on etsy and the shop, and both will go live tomorrow beginning at 12pm EST.

All of the minis I have done at the moment will be available, and throughout the week I'll try to add some more as I finish them. I'll also be adding the Chickadee Pouches as soon as I have those listings written. Be sure to check it out!