Ezine Blogs: March 2010

White Shell Wednesday

Nothing melts my heart like a man's emotionally driven works of art. Something that those big, bear paw hands have taken the time to create a gift so intricate and delicate while utilizing the beauty that nature has provided them. Sailors valentines are such pieces that when I look at the detail of work I cannot help but swoon. Such love and adoration these men had for their loved ones while at sea that was often many months away from families, friends and lovers. See, already I romance this. Sailor's valentines were created with colorful seashells found along the beaches of the exotic islands and ports they anchored at. White shell sailor's valentines are rare and I love the pristine look of them.

This valentine measures almost 24 inches across.

My personal favorite. Incredible detail and I really like the dark wood outlining the white shells. (this is a large photo so you can double click on it to see the details)

I love the shape of this piece (Circa 1870s). Almost like a badge and in the middle the photo of a loved one. (photo also enlarges for detail)

A smaller, later piece (late 19th century) using mostly pearliscent shells. Pretty handpainted shell in the middle.

A contemporary piece using a vintage handmirror base created by Peggy Green. Miss Green does lovely work and you can access her website by clicking on her name above. Such a neat handmirror, perfect for a sea witch.

Of course, this is just silly, but I couldn't resist the photo when I saw it. But it did get me thinking of taking an old pair of platform shoes from the 80s sitting in my closet and converting it over with shells. I may have to do that one day.

Wishing everyone a beautiful, white shell Wednesday. Sea Witch

Pretty Easter Things at Vintage Village

Italy was wonderful as always, but the real joy was visiting my Italian raviolis. They are all doing well and will be moving back to the states in about 6 weeks. Daddy will also be back from downrange and the family will be complete again. Can't wait to visit them in New York after they have settled into new digs. Got caught up on a lot of chores and tasks this weekend and one of my top things to do was swing by Vintage Village to do a little shopping and indulge in some shameless gossip (the good kind) with dealer friends. As many of you know, Vintage Village is one of my favorite shops for buying and now, "one vintage hag" has also launched a Vintage Village blog. What a marvelous way to network, those hags are so clever. Of course, I found some wonderful things for myself such as a fabulous antique, black prairie bonnet from the 1880s. Wonderful condition and very wearable...this is going in my personal collection. A terrific Edwardian wall hat rack and coat rack with tiny mirror in the center and a lovely, little silver plate footed candy dish that I will use to display vintage mercury ornaments. Vintage Village is known for its seasonal decorating and delightful items and spring is one of their favorite seasons. Lots of sweet Easter pieces, pretty shabby cottage items and of course, some of the best gardening decor you could want. I snapped a few pics to share.

I am crazy about this wonderful Victorian lamp.

How delightful is this huge, foiled vintage egg?

Love the cabbage roses and the pretty pair of boudoir lamps.

How much fun would it be to set them all ten minutes apart from the time you need to get up? These alarm clocks are terrific.

Sweet traveling tea set...perfect for an Alice In Wonderland tailgate tea party.

I'm trying to talk myself into why I "need this" Victorian quad plate chocolate pot.

Sweet little peeps and glitter spring eggs.

So many pretty things, it is hard to choose just one item.

I adore vintage birdcages as decorative lighting. I will fill them with tiny, white lights and fresh cut flowers and hang them around my patio or deck.

Wonderful selection of antique yellow ware and a pretty transfer lidded container.

There is nothing like waking up in a garden of roses and these vintage sheets and pillow shams make a lovely bedroom garden.

So many pretty spring things, so little space.

How fantastic is this 48 inch in length "at the beach" painting? Makes me want to run away to the sea right now. She has a give away price on it too.

Now, I wanted to share one of the items I found at another stop...this delightful vintage "Little Cutie Pie" cookie jar. She was filthy and has two small chips along the lid from too many hands lifting it open to access home made cookies. I paid $13.00 for her and figured after cleaning her up I could list her at about $40.00 as vintage cookie jars are always good sellers for me. Imagine my surprise when I found her book value to be at $455.00 in pristine condition. A little more research and she is one of the most sought after next to Little Red Riding Hood. Other then those two small flakes, she is in lovely condition and the freckles across her nose are so cute. I have her listed in my booth for $300.00 as these seem to sell well and close to book value even with minor damage.

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend as well. Glad to be back and in the thick of things again and I look forward to checking out everyone's blogs and catching up on all of the news. Actually, I just remembered, I have a question for those who have etsy shops. I noticed that "public domain" downloads for vintage patterns are offered on etsy. Is there anyone who can tell me if you are selling these downloads made from public domain patterns? I came across a huge assortment of public domain crochet and tatted booklets and I was thinking of doing the same. Don't want to spend a lot of time scanning and compiling these for download if they move slowly or not at all. As always, I appreciate your input. Blessings and warm spring nights to everyone. Sea Witch

Not so Ho-Hum Hummmingbirds

This was a post from a while ago, but what the heck, a classic is always in style, and I am beginning to have visits from these lovely creatures in my backyard again.

Many a seemingly complicated drawing project is really simple if you just break it down into steps. When teaching a lesson, I always start with a black line coloring book style drawing. Most details and color blending is done as the last steps in a project, but tends to get seen first and can distract you from finding the "bones" of the drawing. I obviously used a still picture to do this project and drawing from life is much more challenging, but the principle is the same. Practicing gesture drawing in quick sketches is the best way to get the structure of your drawing and then go back and add details later.
This blackline came from the Jan Brett website and is available as a free coloring page.

I tried to break this down into manageable pieces without making too many steps.
If you find it confusing, just try to break it down into even smaller steps. What does a shape look like to you? Do you see a triangle or maybe a Hershey Kiss. Do you see a sideways letter C or maybe a rainbow or happy face? Making those kind of connections is what turns you into an artist, not simply following someone else's steps.

The finished hummingbird at the top of this post was completed with watercolor pencil and white oil pastel for highlights.

Below you will find some images of real hummingbirds to reference for color ideas.

Tekken movie trailer....

Everyone knows Tekken as long as you play video games or someone who don't play video games. One of the most succesful fighting games that ever produced.

And now, they've decided to made into a movie.

Here is the movie trailer.

Everyone never expect the movie will be great whenever a games is made into a movie because there is none of the game ever made a good movie. Same goes to Tekken the movie. I've been playing Tekken from tekken 1 to 6. And when this movie came out. I gotta say that it is sooooo "Disappointing".

Looks at the original Jin Kazama and the Jin in the movie. They've ruin his image!!! Oh my god! And games always got the attention of gamers but look at the trailer, it's like, the storyline is bored and the character is.......*speechless* Trailer is important for a movie which the exciting part to attract the audience. But no.....I don't think I'm going to watch this movie. (sorry to said that , I'm a big fans of Tekken and it's not what I expect. Where is Hwaorang???)

Well I guess I will expect something good from Tron Legacy as well as Prince of Persia which is also a games made into movie. I guess this two movie is quite anticipated. Tekken? Hmm, not for me. Better stick with the game.

A Sea Witch in Vicenza

Yes, I have been missing for few days as I am in Vicenza, Italy visiting my precious raviolis better known as my grandchildren. I left on Sunday afternoon and have been having a ball with them ever since I arrived on monday afternoon.

The twins, Kelsey and Connor! Be still my heart.

Big sister, Kaitlyn. Too adorable for mortal words and she makes me laugh.

Yesterday, while Kaitlyn took a gymnastic class, her mom and her two Italian girlfriends and I took a walk around the block where her gymnastic class was held and came across this magnificent, old residence.

The two Italian women explained that this was built during the 18th Century and that Napoleon had crossed the nearby bridge and camped on the residence.

Original main building, original windows and doors.

Windows are deep set into the stone and are huge. Original shutters still remain.

It is spring in Italy and many of the homes fill these window sills with lovely flowers.

Closeup of the gate at the front entrance.

I hope to take more pics of the city of Vincenza tomorrow while pushing my little raviolis in their stroller. I feel morning cappachinos coming on along with a little something lovely from the local bakery. Sea Witch

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