Solstice!

Enjoy the longest day and then... dance in the moonlight!

(Image is from "The Child Thief" by Brom)

One more reason to eat chocolate!

I have to say, it doesn't matter how much room I have, I always fill it! So uber-organizing is key!! Earlier I showed you my studio and the closet... Well, after enjoying FaeryFest on Sunday, I finally finished reorganizing the nearly over-flowing closet. I will now be able to find things (ribbons, laces, odds and ends, jewelry bits, etc...) when I want them, in part to lots of chocolate boxes and labels! Yes, it took MANY years to collect all these boxes, but look how nicely they stack and you can see all the labels! It's a wonder!

Those lovely, deep green boxes are very firm and are from a local chocolatier, Rheo Thompson. If you love mint smoothies, check them out!!

Philly 2012!

Well, it's wonderful to see that Terry and Susan Quinlan are planning to host the Philadelphia Doll and Teddy Bear Convention again in 2012. Same hotel, but lots of changes! I think all for the better... Mark your calendars for Thursday to Saturday, May 3-5, 2012! For more information, contact Terry at terry@quinlanmuseum.com

Will we be there? Maybe, but probably not, and then only as a collector not an artist. Maybe.

If you go, don't miss the Mutter Museum in downtown Philly, where I got this adorable "conjoined twins" cookie cutter!

What the hell...

So I spent the afternoon in my studio, pulled out all the boxes of ribbons and laces and that sort of thing and had fun rediscovering things I'd bought to make costumes for the lady bears. First, this lace with beads and ribbons that, with a bit of elastic, I made into an amazing little skirt. Then this piece of expensive leather with swirls of fake fur: with this I finally unravelled the secret of a well-fitting corset/bodice (all those darts!). Then the blond wig with pink tips! Seian loves to dress-up so she was my mold and model. Ta-da! Okay, does it show that I was listening to Avril Lavigne?!?! It's kinda neat, I think, that this look is so very Avril! I'm going to have to make a bear to wear this outfit!

I wonder what Ms. Lavigne would think?

It was fun, and good to do something in the studio that was started and was finished in one afternoon.

The thing about postage...

...is that it's ridiculously expensive, especially on small packets. Note to self: when having a sale and offering free postage, make sure to limit it to adoptions above $100, otherwise it simply doesn't make business sense. Example: to ship a $30 item from here within the US, it costs $7.46. Ouch!

In other news, I'm hunting for inspiration. The Hallowe'en tour blog has been opened up so that all the artists are authors and they're going to share their Hallowe'en works-in-progress, ideas, etc... with you all, but I have no idea what I want to make for the tour! I need inspiration, and yet I find it difficult to get into a creative mood. What to do????

Turtles eventually do get there...

Alright, I realize I'm a bit behind when it comes to "progress", but today I'm celebrating my very first PayPal sale! Yes, a collector adopted this sweet little Spotted Bat-head Brooch and used PayPal! (Thank you so much, Liz!)

So, please welcome Scratching at the Window to the brave new world of online transactions!

Coverage in Teddy Bear Review and Dolls magazines!

Thanks to Teddy Bear Review's editor Joyce Greenholdt, the Online Halloween Artists' Studio Trick or Treat that I host will get a news report in Teddy Bear Review and Dolls! This is just wonderful and will certainly mean a lot in regards to how many people will visit the site come October 1st! WoW!!

This could be the turning point for the show, making our 3rd year the best yet and establishing it in the Teddy Bear and Doll communities! Of course, the tour isn't just Teddies and dolls, it will always be all sorts of art, but the Teddy world is where I'm coming from so obviously that's where my biggest connections are.
Interested in taking part? Talk to me! It's all about art, Hallowe'en and saving bats! If these three things get you excited, email me at woosel[at]wildmail.com and I can send you the requirements.