Things That Go BUMP in the Night...

Hello Lovelies~

I have so much to share this week, so I'll just jump right in. First, I am done with that Addams Family portrait commission I told you about last week! They came out just great, I think. Here are a couple and the rest can be seen on my Flickr stream. Such fun!

I also have some exciting news, a piece from my Everything's Alright Here series was selected by Society6 to be sold in their store as a fine art print! Very flattering and exciting.

And, while we're on business news, the big secret project drops in exactly 2 weeks and it's time for Clue #4 in the contest. It is pictured below, Lovelies. And as some of you know, if you collect all 5 clues and are the FIRST PERSON to post them in order on the Stapelia wall October 3rd (release day), you will win a secret prize! (Descriptions are okay.) So, keep a list going faithful readers, you'll be happy you did.

Recently, I went to the Brimfield Antique Show in Massachusetts as I do twice a year and it was a great one. I found so many neat things I can't even share them all; old Halloween decorations, dime store toys, nude shotglasses, the works. But here are a few of my fun finds and some more pictures here. What's the best thing you've ever found junking?

I've wanted horse ribbons for years, and I found a whole group of them this time!

Oh! And the other day a friend gave me a great gift that I just have to share with you Kiddies. I opened the box, and there inside, were a whole family of dollies, two of which had multiple faces and one was missing a head, all covered in plastic spiders. Weird, yes. But it made me laugh. She knows me too well! Perfect gift for the fall season I think.

It's time for these dollies to meet their new friend: Creepy Clown... hehehe

And speaking of fall season, check out these beautiful pumpkins I found over the weekend! I can't wait to get carving, Folks. This is my favorite time of year.

Let's wrap up with a story, shall we? So, near my house there is a piece of land that has a ton of old junk and railroad stations and signs and mannequins just spread all over. It's a strange place and I've been curious about it for years. Well, Saturday, I went there with a friend and got the grand tour! I took the pics below of some of the sites... but really, they don't do the place justice. It's surreal. Maybe I'll ask the owner if I can do a shoot out there. Hmmm...

Yeah, that's a jail cell. Just sitting there. A jail cell, Folks.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Dark Dollies...

Hello Lovelies!

I hope this week finds you well and enjoying beautiful fallweather (if you're in the Northern Hemisphere). Things at the Mill are busy as usual. After a brief delay, the final pieces in the Zom-B-Vex series will be released this week! I have a listing for mini prints of this series up now too, if you want certain ones for a little less. I will also be offering the entire set for one price when it's finished.

Every year, I like to send out a Halloween card that I make fromscratch to family, friends and this year, repeat customers. It's a fun little project that helps me celebrate my favorite holiday. Well, I did a little shoot yesterday for the card and it's going to be a doozy! Here are candids of my boy and girl dollies. So fun.

In the Halloween vein, I found a great sculptor I'd like to share with you. Mike Hill (according to his bio), has always loved old horror movies and monsters. The bulk of his work has been sculpting models of great horror film stars like Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff etc. His work really makes these monsters live and breathe. (Which, in the case of Linda Blair in the Exorcist, freaks me right out...)

And for those pulp art lovers out there, Ryan Heshka's work is absolutely stunning. He takes imagery and a technique that was popular in the 30's and 40's and breathes new (and at time humorous) life into it. I want all of his books (he has several) and maybe one day, an original if I'm lucky. Look you guys:

Well, I finally had an opportunity to watch Blacula and man, it was a treat. From the 70's afros, to the random facial hair on Blacula himself, to the cocktail waitress/party photographer who leaves work to develop pictures (and of course... gets killed). It was great. Rent it, or better yet buy it if you find it.

And apparently this is a shot from the movie and I don't remember this scene at all...

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Spies, Smokers & Scary Dolls

Hello Lovelies-

As promised, the new female spy illustrations are up in the shop! I am really excited about these ladies; dangerous, heartless and lovely they're a deadly combination. Here's a sample:

Also, I am in love with a shop on Etsy, and while I'm not a doll fan (I mean, who is NORMALLY?), I puffy heart the little beauties at Loopy Boopy. They're creepy and cute and look like you'd went them to be a pet, a child or maybe a nice monster under the bed and really, who am I to decide which?

As I sit here listening to Shania Twain's I Ain't No Quitter (does that mean she IS a quitter, and yes, I'm a longtime fan and YES it's a good song), I am in a strange mood, a mood that calls a lot of things into question. No, we're not getting political or deep here folks, I'm talking about some of the crazy junk I have up in the mill of course! Like this little lady:

Have you guys ever seen one of these? It's a Smoking Fiji from Japan back in the day and I have a couple. Why do I love them so much? Is it because they smoke and stereotype? Uh, yes and no, I just like the smoking. It puffs out like this little lady is actually enhaling! Nice, huh? Or at least interesting? 

Let me leave you with this random bit of news; did you hear about the alligator that ran up on a baseball field and attacked someone here recently? Now, I think they're okay, but I don't think that's what the coach meant when he said "go deep" folks. Until next time: unpleasant dreams.