That Tree is Smokin!

Here we go again… another one of those wake you up in the middle of the night projects that just won’t go away! What is it, you ask? An incense burner! I’ve seen burners that are trees but they’re always so anthropomorphic. Cute yes… but I wanted a tree that just looked like an old gnarly tree, you might come across on a walk in the woods.

It’s made of polymer clay.
This one I made around a bottle and then removed it after baking. It was pretty fragile in the unfired stage. To finish, it was antiqued, then glazed. It sits over incense cones on a ceramic disc.
I know, pretty random huh?

Melon Box Purse

I found the cutest purse kit while out thrift shopping the other day. The box, dated 1970, contained everything needed to complete a decoupage melon box purse, using the artwork of Anton Pieck, …completely unopened…untouched!
Of course I couldn’t wait to start on it.
I don’t know why they call it a melon box purse, I am assuming it’s the shape. Maybe someone out there will fill me in.
And, after much sanding, painting, gluing and several shiny protective coats of goo!
This is the finished product!

As many of you may know, I’m a sap for vintage girly stuff!

Not bad for $3.99!! eh?

Adventure Land Mural


This is a set and mural I did for a local church. It was a feature in their grand opening of their Adventureland children’s building.
It consists of a very long landscape mural on the back wall and the set pieces you see here. Then quarterly they would change the theme and new set pieces were made. What is not pictured here, is a puppet stage that I designed with a removable frontal piece that changed along with the theme.
It was fun and kept me busy for awhile. I don’t find it as easy to do sets anymore with an Olivia in tow, but that’s OK because children’s illustration has always been my passion.
Murals paid the bills.

Mini Mushroom House

Sometimes I wish I could turn my mind off…. a good night’s sleep without tossing, turning … waking up designing and figuring out things in my sleep is all I ask! It’s not that I don’t love the creativity, it’s just that I’m darn tired!!!
I dreamt of this little mushroom house the other night. It just wouldn’t go away until I actually made it.
So while was Liv was preoccupied with her rubber duckies in the tub. I sat next to her on the floor sculpting this little three inch, polymer mushroom house. Just perfect for a little forest sprite to inhabit! ….or maybe a fairy!
And wouldn’t you know it that night I woke up at 4:00 with my mind racing, trying to figure out that fairy!! In my dream I was attaching her hair and figuring out how to joint the legs. Guess I’ll be making a fairy sometime soon!
So anyway, what do you think of the mushroom house? What kind of house would you design for a fairy?

The Happy Day

The Happy Day is a lovely little book about the awakening of the forest animals to spring!
The illustrations are rendered in black and white and wonderfully portray the chill of late winter and the quietness of hibernation, until slowly, the scent of spring fills in the air, revealing it’s happy, little yellow source.
This book was a Caldecott Honor book in 1950.

Ruth Krauss wrote this and many other popular books between 1944 and 1987. She worked with many award winning illustrators and was married to Crockett Johnson the creator of Harold and the Purple Crayon, whom she also collaborated with on several books.

Marc Simont, is the award winning illustrator and author, awarded the Caldecott in 1957, for A Tree is Nice, written by Janice May Udry. He illustrated another 2002 Caldecott Honor book, The Stray Dog and illustrated all of the popular Nate the Great books and a long list of many others.

Willy Wonka

The image is drawn lightly with graphite and finished with Prisma Color Pencils.
Click images for detail.
Work time: 4hrs.

If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Wanta change the world
There’s nothing to it
There is no life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there you’ll be free
If you truly wish to be
music and lyrics by
Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
I thought I’d post the steps that led to my finished illustration of Willy Wonka. It was done for the theme at Monday Artday.
Actually, when I was little, I was sure I was going to marry Gene Wilder. There was just something about those blue eyes and that wild hair. But it wasn’t in the cards for me…
However Liv does have the most beautiful blue eyes and wild, curly hair that sticks out on the sides! We’ve nicknamed her Olivia Von Frankenstein… I mean Frankensteen!

A New Purse

I bought it on Ebay. It came like this. A vintage Paragon crewel kit dated 1969. When I opened the box I was surprised and relieved to see how much of the work she had done. She had completed all the embroidery! All that was left was to put it together and embellish it.

Of course I don’t know who she is. I only know she had intended to make this lovely purse and only got so far. But I finished it. I added some jewels and the rose for personal flair. And I will use it. I wonder how she would have completed it?

I will never know. I don’t know who she is or was. But I know she worked hard on it… and I really appreciate that! I love our new purse.