I've been having a "wicked" time...

Hello my pretties! :)

Here's hoping you are all having a great weekend! :) I've been so exicted for Halloween...been making all kinds of creatures. Even my hubby has gotten in on the act! He drew me a sketch and I can't WAIT to make it!

For now, though, I have a bunch of witch items all finished up and ready to go to new homes. Can you tell I'm reading "Wicked?" LOL

They are already up on ebay and etsy with ooodles of pictures...feel free to fly on over to check them out! I had a great time coming up with the descriptions...especially on the sisters...so I hope you'll at least go for the read and a good chuckle. ;)

In all the excitement, we made a video for you too! Come see how witches get their supplies...over at Potions & Cackles...your everyday store for things so very NOT everyday!



Have a mAgIcAl day! :)

Poll: Who is your favorite doer of the week?

Poll: Who is your favorite doer of the week?

One of our very own...Johanna Parker, has been picked by Martha Stewart for the Doer of the Week contest. Ten weeks, ten doers, and Johanna is one of them! Let's shoot her to the top...what do you say? After all, think of all the eye candy she has given us! :)

Thanks so much!

In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning...

Oh, I am sure that you know how it goes. The house starts to get quiet. You think to yourself, "I might get some time to paint tonight!" You put your family to bed. Oldest daughter, snoring. Youngest daughter, tucked in bed and watching a cartoon. Hubby already asleep. Yes!

You sneak downstairs. You think about what favorite music/movie you want playing while you have your time. My choice was an old black and white...surely AMC or TMC would deliver. Nope. The best I could get was Cleopatra...the Elizabeth Taylor one. I'll take it!
Then...all hope vanishes. Just as you get the primer on your surface, down comes hubby. The commotion of that makes Madeline curious and she's out of bed now too...into my paints and all excited. "Is it time to paint, Mommy?!" No Madeline...it's after 10 o'clock...back to bed....both of you!

Maddie is so excited that she can't sleep. I lay with her and hubby in our bed, hoping they both fall asleep before I do so I can sneak back downstairs to play.

Well friends...I made it! I will pay for it tomorrow I am sure. At first I was just going to paint until midnight, but I only got to start at 11pm instead of 10, so when I saw that it was 5 minutes past my deadline, I shrugged it off. How much longer would I be, anyway?

Yeah...okay, so now it is 2:15am!! I got lost...never looked up at the clock after that. I painted feathers...why would anyone ever think to look at the clock when they are painting feathers?! :)

I knew YOU would understand. And that is why I am staying up even later to share the result of that quiet place I snuck away to. Because you get it!

A while back, I posted this sketch on my facebook...I couldn't wait to paint her. She is a wallflower. A young woman at a ball in a Victorian Village who is too shy to dance. But oh, does she love to watch the taffeta and lace twirl this way and that. She is a Victorian Villager. More on that to come! Oh! And you must know...that after I took the photos, I realized that she didn't quite match my sketch. The girl in the sketch had hair more appropriate for a ball...a bit high. I like her better know...these people I create live in my "world," and in my world, no one has to have flat hair! Plus, it makes me want to go out and buy a bump-it!
That's all for now...when you are reading this, I will probably be sleeping in. That is, unless Madeline still wants to paint!

Thank you for your visit and sweet dreams!

What I Did on My Summer Vacation Part 2

Well, HELLLLLOOOO there! Madeline Mae here to give you the second and last part of what we did on our summer vacation! Mommy would be here to tell you herself- she feels bad for being away so long, but August was a crazy month for us! Lots of car repairs and a couple surgeries (Daddy and our puppy dog) kept her away from the 'puter. She did paint and squish stuff around a lot though...I know because I painted along with her. I LOVE painting.

She promises to show you all the little witches she's made soon! That's what I want to be for Halloween you know! Mommy said I could dress up as anything I want and people will give me CANDY...can you believe that?!

We took a very little trip to the beach! Since we are 6 hours away, we camped out nearby! I love tents...they are fun to run in and out of. Sissy even showed me how to play with her DS. I wanna be like her someday...

The beach is SO much fun! I only went to the water once...the waves were a little scary, but I did catch a couple of them. I kicked them and said, "Bad water, bad!" The rest of the day I played in the sand and all my toys with my friends, Katlind and Lucas. They are cool!

We went to Mission Beach...isn't it pretty?

Here is sissy with Kay Kay. I LOVE Kay Kay. Sissy is pretty cool too.

Mommy couldn't get over the sunset...it was SO pretty. It was her birthday and she was so happy to be there with Daddy, us, and her grown up friends Miss Holly and Mister Dan and their kids! They even brought dinner at the fire pit and a cake too! Thank you Miss Holly! It was yummy!

Mommy thought it couldn't get any prettier...until she saw THIS:

That wraps up our summer...onto this Halloween thing and lots of fall fun! Mommy promises the next posts will have lots of paintings and sculptures, and thrifty finds too! :)

What's your favorite beach story? What's the prettiest beach you've been to?

Have a good day! From Madeline Mae! :)

What a Wonderful World...Love this!

Hello my lovelies!!

This is my Alice Story Doll. I have finally finished her...she was meant to be finished for the Mad Hatter Tea Party, but she needed more attention than I could give her. She is the last Alice thing I will be doing for a while. :)

The point of these dolls is to put the character's passion where it belongs, inside the doll because it is defines its character.

Don't our passions drive every sense of our being?

When we are not following our passion, does it not constantly call to us to come back?

For Alice in Wonderland, what drives her is her curiousity. After all, without it, she would have never followed that untimely rabbit down his hole, not to mention deeper and deeper into Wonderland!

The diorama part of the story doll has a lot of detail. If you recall, the hole was lined with furniture and shelves, full of all things a rabbit would need.

My favorite?

The portrait of the Rabbit himself.

Other things you will find: clocks, books, candles, carrots, bi-focals, etc.

The rabbit is suspended in the doll, caught in time as he dives down further into the hole.

A yellow heart is on the back of his red vest...it matches his yellow buttons.

A clock rests snugly in his pocket.

What is YOUR passion?

What are you doing today to make sure you follow it?

Haven't done it yet?

Get those feet up and moving! :)

What I Did Over My Summer Vacation, by The Victorian Lady Part 1

This is what I did on my summer vacation.... I flew across the country out of the desert and into the green. I appreciated every leaf and blade of grass...it was a drink for the eyes.
I met up with a wonderful friend and we drove to Virginia to see this wonderful friend get married. Guess what else? Her mom was my Brownie leader! :)

It was witnessed by this amazing and supportive family. My friend's road in life has been bumpy, and they were there for her at every mile, cheering her on.We stayed with another friend at her campground and were treated like Queens...thank you dear friend! :)

The next day we went to Williamsburg...we saw things like this apothecary...

The church of the presidents...

The garden of my dreams...

Lots of beautiful old treasures. The blacksmith shop actually had large spirals of metal that the huge trees had grown around, trapping them there forever. It was beautiful.

Then treats of all treats, look what was there that I had NO idea about:

!!!!!!!! Can you believe it??

I even took some video...just for you... Sorry it's not edited and snazzy, but the I think the beautiful paintings are enough. :)

Back in my hometown again...this was my great grandfathers house...my Dad grew up there. It was a magical place next to Longwood Gardens where my great grandfather did all the beautiful water fountains. They would hold water shows where they would light the water different colors and make them go off to music...very enjoyable to watch! :) They still do them...if you are nearby, don't miss this massive garden delight!

The house is actually FOR SALE (I want it SO bad!) Even if it didn't have all kinds of family history, it is still my dream house. The lady who owns it actually let us in! We showed her where the laundry shoot was...she didn't even know it existed!

The above tombstone is for Dani. I've never seen another like it and know she'll appreciate it! :)

Just as I appreciate your visit! Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for part 2!

Wow.

Hello Lovelies! I know I've been a bit absent, but I was at the beach for my birthday! We had SUCH a great time, until our ac broke on the way back! Yes, 3.5 hours with 118 degree air beating into your face. It is official, I want out of Arizona!!

But that is icky stuff, and I don't want to focus on that. What would be the point? I won't waste my life like that. SOOOO, please enjoy the video below...I LOVE this artist...I am sure I will hear her on the radio someday.



Oh, and while I was sweltering in that unbearable heat, I came up with a few ideas for you all! Some ways that we can have fun together! Sound good? I think so too!

Toodles!

My Birthday Present...

Hello! I'm sorry I was away...I was in Virginia for a friend's wedding...a friend all the way back from Brownies!! What a treat it was to be with two of my oldest friends again! I "journaled" my trip through ATC cards and will share soon. For now, look at the class I just signed up for! It is an early birthday present...it's really on the 3rd, but there is an earlybird special. :) Gritty Jane is going to share her wisdom! I am excited to learn about shading, adding depth and shape to my faces, and applying it to my own style. Maybe I'll even conquer painting a nose! :)

I <3 My Girls...

One of My Favorite Songs...Enjoy!

It's a Mad, Mad, World....

Hello! :) I hope you are all recovering from the holiday weekend! We hung out at my parents...my mom makes a great sloppy joe! :) I'm so lucky in that they are my parents, but also my friends too. :) How was your holiday?!

A big thanks to all who came to our Mad Hatter Tea Party...it was so great to have you! :) This painting of Alice is *finally* up on ebay...I'm hoping to have the story doll finished soon as well.

Last night while I was reheating said sloppy joes, I heard a song that gave me an idea for a painting. More like the idea slapped me on the head and screamed, "Paint Me!" I love that! I've got some things to do first, but I can't wait to get to it! :)

This painting is also hanging out on ebay. She was one of those, end of the day, everyone's asleep, just have to create SoMeThInG kind of paintings. Those are fun...you don't think ahead, you just start grabbing and glueing and smush paint around. This is my first time piecing the background together...I think I might just be hooked. :) The blues are mostly scraps of wallpaper that I use to package my prints, with bits of sewing from when I make them envelopes. The pink floral is from a past painting and the bottom was the ringmaster's hat from the circus video. I loved the way the paint went over the embossed pattern...that is definitely my kind of fun! Oh! And this painting is sealed with beeswax too...another new favorite...I love the feel of the wax over all the pieces, threads...

It's fitting that this painting was a combination of all things "These Are the Days" and the quote about friends. I'm grateful for your visits and support and definitely consider you my friend. :)

Thank you for that!

Oh! And the winner of the Alice in Wonderland tassle is.....Tumbleweed Trails! Email me girlie! :)

Toodles!

2nd Annual Mad Hatter's Tea Party

I'm late! I'm late! But I still made it! :) Here is my contribution for A Fanciful Twist's 2nd Annual Mad Hatter Tea Party!

"Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop."

In honor of this great event, I'm having a giveaway! Become one of my kindred spirits by following my blog to be entered to win an Alice in Wonderland tassle! :) Drawing will be held on July 4th.

Have a great day!

The Mad Hatter Was Here!

See? He really was! It was quite a party! A party in honor of this:


Come back tomorrow for the video! Toodles! :)

Happy Father's Day!!

Going to be cooking today for the men in my life! :) Here's the post I did last year for Father's Day...it's worth repeating!
Have a great day everyone! :)

Click here

Hey...how was your day?

Hello Dolls! How was your day? Did you attack that never ending to-do list? Blow it off and play hookey doing something fun? Tell me about it! I'd love to know! :)

Here's what happened in this house:

Packed and shipped off some paintings...Lillian helped with this one...she wants to learn. Since I'm new to it all, we are figuring it out together. :)

Can you guess which one this box was for?Worked on our silly faces and played with Little People...this might as well be a picture of me as a kid. :)Worked on my Alice story doll...hey didn't that Queen of Hearts say, "Off with her head?!" I better make one...quick!Started a girl bonding tradition with my Lil. She was all light up inside over this!! My girl is growing up!

Your turn! :)