New item in the shop! I’ve been doing the diorama thing lately, and I’m really pleased with the result.
I am, however, disappointed with my photography skills. Eh, I’ll figure it out. Seems like I shouldn’t need better than a modern phone, but maybe I’m wrong. Some less blurry details:
Fancy shelves filled with jars I built from resin bits, scrolls, and a nifty skull.
I love the haphazard piles of books. There’s also a little broom, a cauldron, a journal on the desk, and a kitty sleeping beneath.
Ever make something, and later, you can’t believe you really made that? The Halloiuja board falls into that category for me. I always do my best work for friends. This was a Secret Pumpkin gift for Jenna of The Art of Darkness. It remains on of my favorite makes.
I add the “LLC” because if you leave it off, you end up with some pretty boring candles. Glow City Candles are anything but. They are hand dipped and carved, and you can watch them do it on their Instagram.
The candles are designed to be burned in 30-minute increments, so you get just the right size opening to put in an LED tea-light.
Lorelie Kay makes feather-light pieces of sculpting and assemblage. A couple details I love about this: the vintage brooch, and the separate pumpkin basket. Which I immediately dropped, proving that her materials are tough enough even for me!
Side note: I like her even more after checking her entire Etsy page. Her shop note is about why she doesn’t participate in Etsy’s “free” shipping scam.
I loved these things! I should make some more. They are another make from my 2011 Month of Spookdays. In 2014, I had a raffle and gave away a bunch of stuff. These went to my friend Lauren, who is a mermaid in Australia.
This year, I’m buying Halloween art made by individuals, rather than mass-produced items. I have so much stuff from Home Goods, Michael’s, etc. This year it just didn’t interest me (okay, except for a couple Lemax pieces), so I decided to spend my usual Halloween money supporting wonderful artists.
This darling vintage-style peg doll is by Spookshow Babe Designs, who I’ve followed on facebook for ages. Isn’t he adorable?
I love these new molds! Two of them are boxes, which is always superior. I would have added details to the little pumpkin cottage, but see…the resin was not the best for this application. I used Let’s Resin 4-Hour Cure. It is very thick, and pretty much impossible to de-gas. So there are too many bubbles for me to put a ton of effort into it. But I loved doing the candy corn colors. I will be pouring these again in a more suitable resin. I think I need more contrast between orange and yellow, too.
And yes, I missed the yellow on the right-hand pumpkin. I thought it was a lid for something, so only needed the two colors. Oopsie.
For the second installment of the countdown, here is a tiny story.
“Didn’t we used to have five of these plates?” She asked.
“Which ones?” He joined her in the kitchen, kissing her lightly on the temple.
“The white ones that don’t get too hot in the microwave.”
“Do we need to secure the silver?” He chuckled, moving past her to the refrigerator. She glared without heat.
“It’ll turn up.”
I’d have to be more careful. This was the first thing I’d taken that they’d noticed. The plates are so square and white and uniform, I should have known better. Once I set my sights on taking a thing, it is hard to turn aside.
In May, I took a pen. Not one they used. One of 17 pens languishing in the junk drawer. It didn’t have any ink. In June, I hit the junk drawer again, and took a menu for a Chinese place they used to call five years ago when they lived in another state. They never noticed. In July, I snagged an old issue of Current Archeology. They love that magazine, so that was a little brave. Still, they didn’t miss it.
But now, I was caught—a little—on a plate.
I watched them from my secret places whenever I got a chance. They were my family. They just didn’t know it. I took things because I loved them so much. I wanted to be close to them. I didn’t want to hurt them. I would have to be more careful.
At night, as they slept, I would creep out of my hide, and walk the house freely. I touched the chairs, the counters, the decorative ceramics they collected. Very lightly. I never moved anything. People notice when you move things.
Often, they had insomnia. He would come down and snack, then go back to bed. Her sleeplessness was more intractable. She would sit on the couch and watch true crime shows with headphones for hours. They made me hide quick, but I was good at it. Resenting my lost house time, I would retreat to my own space. Once, she came down to watch shows, and I just couldn’t stand it. I didn’t want to go back! Brazenly, I curled into a corner in the office, right next to the living room. I stayed there until dawn, watching the flickering light of the television shine under the door.
II
“I know I had a pair of pink socks,” hands on hips, staring at her third dresser drawer.
“Maybe the dryer ate them,” he said, dressing on the other side of the room. “Dryer’s gotta eat.”
She rolled her eyes. “The whole pair at once? Matched?” He shrugged.
“They’ll turn up.” It was becoming a familiar refrain.
I knew it was stupid to take the socks. Yes, she had three pairs of pink socks, but I knew she’d miss them. I sat, listening through the walls, examining my motives. I realized I liked it when they noticed. When they saw something was missing, it was like they saw me. I couldn’t let them see me, not ever. But I wanted to, so much.
In October, I watched them answer the door for costumed ghouls. She loved Halloween. He loved her, so he bought plenty of candy. I pilfered a little. I was behaving.
In November, they put up their little white tree and covered it with blue baubles. They were just plastic, but they were so pretty! I took one from the back. They never mentioned it.
The bauble was the best thing. I cradled it close.
I didn’t take anything in December, just watched them give one another small, thoughtful gifts. She liked to craft, so there was always a wonderful handmade gift for him. I would never, ever take those. Though I did once steal a pot of glitter.
For a moment, I thought about returning everything I’d taken, as a gift to them. My heart cried out at the very thought! I couldn’t. It was all I had of my family. Little pieces of their ordinary lives. My family meant everything to me. I shuddered and banished the thought. When they slept, I decided to return to my place, without wandering the house on my own.
I snuggled with her socks, and stroked the smooth surface of the plain white plate. I kept everything in a well beneath the house, long capped and cemented over. They’d never find any of it. These little things would be here forever, with me.
Artisans Coop is an online marketplace for ONLY for handmade items, run by its member artists and supporters. I’m a founding member and volunteer, so I get to see the workings. It really is what it says on the package. No outside investors we’re beholden to, no megalomaniac billionaires at the helm. Just us. Just artists and people who love them.
And yep, I have a shop there. With permission from the Countdown, I’ll be featuring shop items on the blog during October. And after October.
I’ve even added a shop page here, so you can look things over in Spooky Moon style.
Right now, it’s all brooches, so today’s item is my Red Skull Brooch (no, not that Red Skull. It’s just a red skull).
Tell everyone! Tell your dog! Tell your gecko! You could tell your cat, but they probably won’t care.
I love these bracelets so much! Every time I look at them, I want to make a dozen more. Except one more bead wide, because even-count peyote is easier. I don’t know that I’ll ever sell them. For one, I love them. For two, peyote stitch is slow work, and I’d have to charge $$.
Also, happy Countdown to Halloween! Always a good way to kick off my birthday month. The Spousal Unit insists I don’t have a whole month, but c’mon, my birthday is at the beginning, and my favorite holiday is at the end. And let’s face it, I’m gonna be buying myself gifts all month.