Beads and some skin.

One of my chores over the weekend was to rearrange my beading drawers as I had more beads then drawers.  While moving things around to make more room, I came across pieces I had made in the middle 1990s.  I was living in Flagstaff, Arizona and had taught myself to bead using the brick and the peyote stitch.  Beaded necklaces were all the rage and and I always had a small amount of beads left from a project that weren't enough to produce another necklace so I found another use for them by creating tiny beaded baskets.  These were fun to make because they made up quickly and was a great way to utilize left over beads. (all pictures enlarge when you click on them)

Three baskets about the size of a half dollar.

A didn't have a half dollar handy so I placed a quarter next to them to show scale.

My first three beaded bag necklaces.  I made these around 1997 when I was first learning how to work the peyote stitch.

My first beaded bag necklace.  I fell in love with these matt and iridescent muted purple beads and thought they would be a nice way to learn peyote stitch.  I then married them up with brass accents and bugles for the fringe.  I made the stitches so tight that the bag is as stiff as matt board and the size is big enough to hold only a condom.  LOL  I have to admit, I am enjoying this trip down early beading memory lane. I see the early mistakes of a new beader and how I learned to eventually stitch the beads with a softer touch and let them work their magic as each one would fall gently into place.

My second bag was made while I was visiting my grandmother in Florida.  I was given a tube of these brilliant orange beads and didn't know how I was going to use them.  A news item came on the television about a discovery made on a construction site in Miami that was an ancient medicine circle dedicated to the sun.  After watching the news story about this historical find, a pattern began to form in my head and the above was the end product.

I called this bag, Fire and Ice, and it was my third piece.  I began to exhaust the beading technique by working a triangular shape at the base of the bag.  I utilized pearlescent matt and opalescent seeds along with a gold washed seed bead.  Added pearls and long matt bugles and this was the end result.

This was a bag that I had made for myself after learning how to do the brick stitch.  I utilized a double brick technique and used the colors of the sea. 

I liked the seaweed technique I used in the double layer of fringe.  The bag is no more than 2 inches by 2 1/2 inches.   The perfect beaded bag for a sea witch which make this a nice segue into my new skin.  My laptop has a flat, matt finish that shows every little fingerprint and scratch. I decided to put a skin on it (those removable decals) that protect your laptop and other electronics.  Lots of great sites out there but not one had the right skin for me.  I found a company that will let you upload your own picture so I took John Waterhouse's painting, The Mermaid, and then cloned some of the background to expand the width to fit my laptop.  I am crazy about how this turned out.

If you want to create your own skin to protect your laptop, you can visit "Schtickers" at this link  http://www.schtickers.com/.  Go ahead, you can say it...this skin is so perfect for a Sea Witch.

Antiques in Old Town & Booth Re-do

Busy, busy and busy!  The pollen has made the air thick enough to chew making it a perfect weekend to finish some furniture painting I had started, prepare for a complete booth redo and swing by one of my favorite antique shops in the area.  I don't get to "Antiques on Old Town" located in the old  business district of Lilburn as often as I like to.  I need to change that.  This is such a lovely shop with each space incredibly decorated all with wonderful antiques, vintage pieces and altered art.  One of my favorite dealers is also located here and Cheryl's sense of decorative style is so exquisite that her booth should be featured in a magazine. 

The welcoming entrance to Antiques in Old Town.

Cheryl's booth.  Full of romance and elegance.

Another booth favorite, Victorian furniture and silver plate, silver and quad plate.  I couldn't resist a tiny creamer that came home with me.

Lovely pictures of florals and birds.

ALWAYS look above you at Old Town, the treasures can be found to the ceiling.

Pretty garden pieces.

Wonderful vintage velvet and silk ribbons by the yard in antique spools.

Wonderful vintage kitchen items.

Have you heard of "glamping"...thats glamour camping.  Why stick with a backpack and a sleeping bag, when you can have pretty linens, satin pillows warm vintage blankets, silver serving dishes, a favorite tea pot and flowers.

Love this vintage, clothes washing setup.

Beautiful vintage linens.

How lovely is this antique bed and linens?

There is a recessed window that leads to the second section of the Old Town that is always decorated with a seasonal theme.  Sweet spring lambs for Easter.

In addition to the silver creamer, I purchased a sweet, antique doll that was well loved and had seen better days and a pretty Edwardian handkerchief. 

On sunday, I had loaded up my vehicle and headed out for Queen of Hearts to change my booth out.  Brought in the painted pieces and more prints and then began moving things around to refresh the booth. 

Had sold a lot of the silver so I moved what was left from the corner cupboard to a red shelf on a Depression era playpen.

I filled the corner cupboard with "man items"...a vintage radio that still works, unusual gourd pipe, humidor, vintage beer tray, old cowbell and tinker toys.

Robins egg blue vintage wicker coffee table displays pretty tea pot and linens.

Wonderful deadstock turn of the century shoes that are wearable sizes. Perfect for the vintage clothing collector.

Neat vintage globe, pretty lilac plant stand, sweet Edwardian child's dress and pretty little study lamp.

Sweet antique doll from Old Town looks pretty on the Civil War era settee.  Pretty lines and an Egyptian Assuit shawl finish the display.

I moved a little oak double drawer table onto a wonderful antique farm table to open up some space in my booth.  I then filled the farm table with cabbage roses serving bowls, depression glass and other china items. 

Sweet cake plates and a shamrock pitcher.

Vintage bathroom cabinet and vintage items are displayed on the smaller table.

Rearranged and added additional vintage prints.

The view when you turn the corner to my booth.  I am on the look out for a pair of old doors and a ratty fireplace mantle to use as permanent displays.  Was unable to find any this weekend, these are always difficult pieces to find as so many other dealers use them for their permanent displays.  Hopefully, the hunt with pan out in my favor before the summer is here  I hope everyone had a lovely weekend.  Sea Witch

The trees are frisky in the south.

It is springtime in Atlanta and the trees are showing their love for one another by filling the air with yellow pollen.  We had a wet winter so all that God has created green are really pollen heavy this spring.  I have been living here for 10 years now and this is the worst I have ever seen it. So many of my friends and colleagues and family members are suffering from allergies and of course our vehicles look like they have been through a yellow powder fight.

Met my honey for lunch at our local Chinese restaurant yesterday and this is what my car looked like when I walked back to the parking lot.  It was spotted with thick pollen making my silver grey and black car a yellow green hue.

Had to use windshield wipers on the back window in order to see.  You don't use fluid when the pollen is this thick or it becomes yellow paint.  Best to just "push" it out of the way with the wipers.

Yup, that is pollen on my tires and along the splash guard.  The parking lot was a pale yellow when I walked to my car.

As I mentioned above, this is the thickest pollen season I have ever seen in Atlanta and so much that I noticed clouds of pollen move from the trees when the wind blew.  I thought I was seeing things until CNN showed a video of that happening all around the metro ATlanta area.  It was clouds of yellow blowing everywhere.

Even Kota got into the act when he went outside to run territory in the back yard, he came back full of pollen and was coyote sneezing all over the place.

He hates when I put this on him, he says the squirrels laugh at him.

Had to wipe him down with a damp towel to get it off of him before I let him back in the house.   What do you do with pollen running amuck outside...I head for the garage and paint furniture for my booth.  Have a few shappy items I will be bringing in this weekend and have a major booth redo in mind as well.  Gotta keep everything looking fresh and I may have to wipe down some of the residual pollen that seeps into everything.  Have a lovely weekend all.  Sea Witch 

Award Free Blog

Hello everyone. I have decided to make my blog an
award free blog.

While I was in Italy I was selected for 5 different blog awards and where I am sincerely grateful that anyone would think to nominate my blog and I am flattered to be honored in this way, I must say no more.

My joy with blogging is "YOU" and

no award can trump "YOU."

Your stories, your creativity, your emails and especially your comments are my "awards" from all of you and that is where my real joy is with the blogging community. So, please leave your comments, I treasure those...so many of them make me belly laugh out loud for your skewed sense of humor or bring tears to my eyes and make me sigh with the words of "your real life" you have chosen to share with me.  If you have a stalker's heart, then add yourself as a follower...you never know what or where the Sea Witch will end up.

So I ask that you understand this decision and in keeping with my need to create a new button, below is a delightful, public domain photo of land mermaids (most likely a bathing beauty contest as many are wearing very "kicky" shoes and stockings) of which I added the words "Award Free Blog".  Please feel free to right click and save it to your folder and use it on your own blog should you choose.  The first button is the size I have on my blog.

and smaller button is for those who prefer a more dainty button or utilize 3 columns in their blog.

Blessings to you all. Sea Witch

We are all mad here!

It was a lovely weekend in Atlanta and Sis and I finally took the time to see Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland at our local theater. 

I adore Tim Burton's visions.  He has a way of taking what I visualize in my head but cannot express and then he takes it oh so much further.  He is a modern day wizard and artist and everything he touches turns to creative gold.  This is a person I would love to shadow for  several days and just watch, listen, absorb and learn.  This is a man who revels in the complexities of life and exhausts their display much to our good fortune.  Alice is a crowning achievement with a cast handpicked for each character and enriched by what they bring to the table through their own talent and personalities. 

 Mr. Burton has given us a wonderful story line with a heroine who is inquisitive, smart, and strong.  She refuses to be bound under social dictates and through her adventure realizes her true heart and potential. 

For older children and especially teens, I would insist this film be part of their literature studies from the books to this film, the dialogue you can have with them would be memorable.

 

The costuming of Alice and how the clothing she wears morphs into her ever changing size throughout the film is magical.  I wanted to own every garment on display.   I leaned into my sister halfway through the film and said her dresses would be perfect for proms.  Elegant, feminine, sexy fun without being lewd or whorey. They were all lovely.

A dark film at times, my advice to parents would be "know what your child/children can handle" or you will deal with nightmares.  This film is not for young children or those who may frighten easily. 

This movie is visually breathtaking and the attention to detail is incredible.  You will believe in a deck of cards that is the Red Queen's guard.   I intend to go back and revisit this film on the big screen just to view the details again (my kind of eye crack).  I was in love with the mad tea party with its battenburg lace tablecloths and other linens, the many different English tea pots and bone china saucers, the sweet treats and the teas and within this visual piece were the rapid fire nonsense narratives of the mad tea party participants.  It was heaven to say the least. 

 

 

I wish I could have found stills of the tea party, but could not.  However, I just came across this marvelous little clip of the dark tea party.  Enjoy.

There is also some wonderful conceptual art for the film on the Alice in Wonderland film website, should you choose to need more eye candy. 

Of course, as soon as I returned home, I went on a rampage looking for my vintage teapots, cups and saucers and pretty Edwardian white linens as I want to recreate a tea party display at the store.  I do have a vintage, collapsible top hat that has seen better days, it may be perfect for a mad hatter recreation for the same display.  If I pull this "rabbit out of my hat" I will be sure to take photos and post.  For now, have a lovely week and remember, we are all MAD here!!! Sea Witch

Bathtub Marys and a New Header

Growing up in a Kosher-Catholic household in New Jersey, (mom's family were practicing when convenient Jews and dad's family were staunch Roman Catholics -- no one does guilt like me) I was surrounded by a bathtub Jesus or bathtub Mary or any number of saints that were important to the homeowner in our neighborhood.  These little front yard shrines were often decorated with the finest plastic artificial flowers you could buy at the local 5 & 10 cent store and always decorated with big, gaudy Christmas lights during the Advent/Christmas season and covered in purple during the Lenten season.  

I always wondered what possessed my neighbors and my dad to sink a bathtub into a yard and place a statue of Jesus or His Blessed Mother or St. Francis in it.  Usually a big, gazing ball was on  a pedestal near it...again, I had my questions.  Nobody seemed to have the answer to why and its purpose other then be told I should go out and hose the dirt off our shrine and replace the flowers.  Dad only placed live flowers in our bathtub Mary so I was kept busy all year 'round.

Flash forward nearly 50 years and I'm in Italy visiting my granddaughter and we are walking around Vicenza and then Florence and what do I see but street shrines to the Blessed Virgin, Jesus and a myriad of saints.  Everywhere, in little grottos and frames. My answer to "why a bathtub Mary" was answered.  Nearly every street corner or residential area had a small grotto or shrine filled with flowers and other personally placed items.

My sweet granddaughter in front of the street shrine outside her home in Vicenza.

A lovely shrine high on top of a local building upheld by cherubs.

A local residential street grotto.

Notice the bathtub shape.  This is where the use of a bathtub sunk into the ground would become an artificial grotto for Mary and Jesus throughout America.  I was beginning to understand the correlation.  Italian and German immigrants brought their Catholic beliefs with them and set up grotto shrines with what they could find in America.  A bathtub sunk into the ground halfway became an instant grotto.

Painting shrines abound everywhere as well.  I am fond of this one as it reminds me of a cameo upheld by a cherub.  Lovely. 

As I strolled around the streets of Vincenza I would find these shrines on nearly every street corner and always with some sort of lighting for the night.  They all brought a comforting smile to me and I liked the feeling of knowing that their was a good soul watching those who passed by.   This feeling of safety is only enhanced by the lighting at night which lights the corners and alleyways ensuring safe passage.

A shrine in the wall of a large residence.

A painting shrine high above the local street.

Am I now ready to run out and sink a bathtub in my front yard. eeehhhhhh, not so much.  But I would put a wall shrine on the side of my residence. 

  You may have also noticed that I just changed my header again and is a photo of a young, Big Eye Squirrel fish.  I like these fishes as they look like the punk rockers of the sea.  Large, spiney mohawks and big eyes and a brilliant orange and silver body. 

This image from Art.com

They go by other names but are most commonly known as the squirrel fish because of their big eyes and they make a chirping sound like a squirrel.  The header shot was taken about 10 feet of distance from the fish so I was unable to capture the brilliant orange color of the body.  (no flash unit yet)  Still, the blue overtone lends itself nicely to the background for the blog. 
Blessings to you all on this lovely day and wishing all those who practice a peaceful Passover and Easter.  Sea Witch