Happy Holidays!

Just a note to wish you all a beautiful Holiday Season, 

no matter the Holiday you celebrate. 

I hope your new year is filled with love and laughter & magic.

Moonbeams & Blessings

Jesi

Wool, twigs and the zen of art

Sorry for the long absence, but my fibromyalgia has been kicking my butt for the last month and I decided to curl up and have myself a pity party. Needless to say, I'm over it. I don't do well wallowing in self pity. So I decided to pick my self up and get back to life.

I picked up a couple of books at the library on Zen and Buddhism. I am fascinated! When I first started reading, my mind kept saying, it can NOT be this simple. I was sure that there was no way I could meditate either. Wrong! I love it! My new mantra is "Events are just events, YOU label them good or bad. So if you have a bad day, it is totally your choice. Why not choose to be happy?"

So, I chose to be happy. Things in my life that would normally have sent me into a massive depression or at least a panic attack have come and gone. And I chose to be happy. And it worked!

You don't have to be Buddhist to apply this to your life. Just make a conscious decision to be happy and mean it. You have no idea the changes it can make.

In my effort to enjoy my happiness to day, I went to a lovely little shop near here called the Kissel Country Tin. They have floor to ceiling collectibles, dolls, country items, shabby chic, and seasonal decorations. And in the have the most exquisite selection of fibers for those of us who are craft inclined. I buy most of my wool doll hair there. Today I wandered through all the glittering antiqued snowmen and beautiful hand made decorations and made my way back to the wools and yarn and I found the most lovely rough wool pieces!!

They were the size of a CD or bigger and were only 2.50!!!  Yep, you bet I came out with some and a few felting needles. I can't wait to get started making something with this.

As I was checking out, the owner asked what I was making. DOLLS! I said in a tone that was perhaps a bit too excited, since she backed up a bit from the counter. *giggles* What kind of dolls she ask in a very hesitant voice, probably wondering if I was really a deranged individual that had escaped the police and was terrorizing shop keepers.  Art dolls, I said a bit quieter this time.
OH! She says, a bit too excited herself this time. Perhaps you could bring some by for me to look at?
I could bring them back later this afternoon, I said a bit in shock.

So I took my dolls back this afternoon, thinking they would be a bit too, extreme for her. She loved them! She asked me to make her three of my little twig fae and if I would consider doing one, a Santa or an ice fae or angel. Sure! Of course! ABSOLUTELY!

I am SO glad I chose to be happy today. Happy just keeps coming!!!  Now I'm off to the studio to see what twig fae are going to show themselves.

Moonbeams & Blessings!!
Jesi
~~~We are the authors of every next moment~~~

HAPPY LATE HALLOWEEN!!! I Won!!!!!

Woohooo! I just won the Halloween contest on Author, Terri Garey's web page. 

She is the author of Dead Girls Are Easy (the Nicki Styx series)

 

 

 

 

I won the Limited Edition Deluxe Coffin Case bundle 

 

 

 

 

from Helsinki's favorite Goth-N-Roll Vampires, The 69 Eyes! (OMG! Aren't they yummy!?) 

 

 

 

Stop by Terri's page and check it out. And don';t miss reading Terri's new book, 

"Silent Night, Haunted Night" out now! 

TERRI, YOU ROCK, GIRL! Thanks so much!

69 Eyes - You guys make my nightmares all come true! 

Moonbeams & Blessings

Jesi

I've not been feeling like myself lately. It seems to happen every year about this time.
I had no idea how hard it was going to be to do my own make-up with just one eye. LOL
Lesson learned!

A little stuffing there, a little pealing flesh here and what do you get?
A really fun Halloween outfit!

And I was lucky enough to be escorted by this hansom gentleman. He was quite the affluent undead. He's a slum lord you know. You can tell by the roaches crawling on his hat.

Michael and I really did a killer rendition of "Thriller"
Gotta love hanging with friends!

Now that the holiday is over, I'm getting back to making my dolls.
I am also doing NANOWRIMO this year.
That's short for National Novel Writing Month
( nanowrimo.org )
It started Nov.1 and goes until midnight on the 30th.
The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.
It's gonna be a LONG month.

2,015 words as of this moment. I'll keep you posted!

Moonbeams & Blessings
Jesi

She Who Gathers Tears is up for auction!

Ok, I did it. I finally broke down and listed "She Who Gathers Tears" on ebay. You can check her out here. I always get to queezy when I put one of my dolls up for sale. It's almost like selling my kids! So if you would, stop by and check her out. Maybe yours could be the new home she is looking for. I hope she finds someone wonderful!

Studio , Spiders, and Stuff, Oh My!

I have been promising and promising to post studio photos so I thought perhaps I should make good on that promise. Please ignore the spiders. They pay their rent and tidy up when I'm finished, so we get along fine.

It's nothing fancy. Just a basement with all my toys and goodies in it, but it's all mine.





Things are clean !!! I managed to purge so many things that were just taking up space. I passed them on to artists who could use them to make their own magic. Then my ever so generous daughter gave me shelves and storage. WOOHOO! Love that kiddo, I do!

So everything finally has a place and the spiders and studio sprites try to keep everything in it's place.





I really must get some more lighting. (Hint to anyone that is buying me birthday or Christmas/Yule gifts... I need Ott lights! Take up a collection - pool your money!)

I have enough light to work, but it would be so wonderful to have full spectrum lighting. :::sigh::: Some day, but for now, I'm just happy to have my own little corner of the Under-dark.

See I have all my little glasses lined up with my pencils, pens and markers. That way I can grab my sketch book anytime an idea flutters by. Like this one:


Yes, Virginia, I really do have a sketch book and I intend to start posting some sketches for you to check out. I do think I will scan them though. This picture didn't turn out very well. She will be another wood piece. I found the twig while weeding my other flower garden. That would be the one that I had to weed before the neighbors began a campaign to declare it a wilderness reclamation site. I'm so embarrassed. LOL Maybe next year I'll be energetic and get a real flower/herb garden started.











The lovely tapestry was a gift from my "Music Man". I'm so lucky to have such a wonderfully supportive partner. If I had made a list of everything I wanted in a man and lit a few candles, ::giggle:: the result would have been my Music Man. How did I get so lucky?



This little guy is Poe. He has been my creative familiar since 1998. He's a little warn and missing a few (read LOTS of) feathers, (not unlike me) but I wouldn't know what to do without him. He keeps an eye on the place and makes sure the spiders & studio sprites do there job. I also discuss new ideas with him. He has a really interesting point of view and a warped sense of humor. I'll spare you the "Nevermore" joke he told me last week. :::cringe:::


So if you would, keep checking back with us. Poe & I would love to have you by, anytime. Just don't step on the spiders.


Moonbeams & Blessings,
Jesi

Moving again - but not far

Well, my little studio is moving again. My daughter and her family have been staying with us until their house was ready. Well, they are moving into their home this week. I'm sad to see them go. No more pitter patter of little feet. ::insert heartbroken grandma sigh here:: But they are excited about their new place and it will be an adventure for them.

Meanwhile, will be moving my studio into their vacated space. I'm cleaning and re-arranging things this week. Music Man( hubby) thinks I've lost my mind. He doesn't understand how many time I can reposition things on shelves. LOL

Anyway, I promise to post photos once I get things in place. I love looking at photos of artists studios. It tells you things that they don't. LOL Let's hope mine doesn't whisper all my secrets!

Moonbeams & Blessings,
Jesi

"She Who Gathers Tears"

Well I am almost finished with the new doll. Her name is "She Who Gathers Tears". I am setting her on the work bench and taking a few last looks at her to decide if she is truly finished. I think I may add a few more "tears" in her arms before I call her done.

She Who Gathers Tears lives underground. When people cry, the tears fall to the earth where she gathers the tears in her arms. Then she turns the tears to gem stones. Each gemstone comes from a different type of tear. This way she takes things that are bad and turns them into something beautiful.

I hope you enjoy her.

Moonbeams & Blessings
Jesi

Polymer Clay For A Cause

Today I found out about a great store on Etsy.com. It's called "Polymer Clay For A Cause".
http://www.PolymerClayforaCause.etsy.com

Angela started her store in honor of her daughter, Courtney. Courtney was an artist at heart, but Muscular Dystrophy wouldn't let her create things on her own. Angela found a way to make Courtney's art happen. Courtney would tell Angela stories and Angela would make the characters out of polymer clay. It became their passions.

Courtney passed away at 14. Now Angela honor's her daughter's love of art through "Polymer Clay For A Cause". All proceeds are donated to children's charities.

Angela accepts art pieces as donations to sell in the store. So all you artists our there, perhaps you could donate something for a worthy cause. How about it?

Not an artist? No problem. Stop by the store and buy a great piece of art and help support the charities.

If you don't do anything else, please help spread the word about this great cause.

Welcome to my new blog home!!

Welcome to the new digs! I thought it was time for a new look and a new home, so here we are.

And I guess we should get right to down to it. What have I been doing while you were patiently waiting on a new post? Honestly, nothing productive. LOL But I'm being busy now.

I just started a new doll. Her name is "She Who Gathers Tears". Her main form is going to be out of this awesome root that I found. I have clipped and shaped the root ball until I have this form to begin with.

She stands on her own and has been covered with several coats of lacquer to protect her and prevent flaking. (cause you all know how embarrassing it is to have flakes!)

I'm working on her face today. Hopefully I'll get a photo of that up tomorrow. (crosses her fingers and toes)

So that's where I'm at right now. I want to thank you all for sticking with me for my down time. And thanks to everyone that is visiting for the first time too! Make your self comfortable and stay awhile!