Spooks and Jingles on STJ!!!

I can't believe this past year has passed so quickly and that we are already celebrating the first anniversary of SpookyTime Jingles. It was one year ago that I first put my work online for people to see and purchase instead of just selling locally at art and craft shows... and what a year it has been!! The friendships I have developed both with artists and collectors has touched me deeply and I'm so thankful for the experiences of the last 12 months.

To thank you for your support and encouragement we will be offering free shipping this month on STJ, except for the unusual works that may need additional postage. Plus, 10% of all of my sales will be going to the Kearney Area Humane Society in the name of the buyers. As an animal owner and lover I just think supporting such organizations in their efforts is a good thing and I hope you will agree with me. Many of the STJ artists will be making similar donations. Another thing to look for this month are the door prizes. I know there are currently over 20, so give the works a look and when you register mention which work you would like to receive as your door prize. When possible, the work and winner will be matched. Now, how is that for customer service!!!!! **giggle** (For buyers...25 extra door prize entries will be given for the purchase of a Christmas piece, and 31 extra door prize entries will be given for the purchase of a Halloween piece....that helps the odds of winning!!)

This is the Monkey-Cats Studio's ACEO door prize...remember, the ACEO works only measure 2.5" x 3.5", so I think the work is actually larger in this picture than it really is. He is a cute little guy, celebrating his love for his small pumpkin friend who is singing under the moonlight. These little cards are adorable framed and placed amongst your Halloween collectibles.

I will have three little spooks offered this month...."Bertram Goodhue", "Mr. Purrsonality" and "Squish Squash". If you want to read more about them and for additional views just look to my recent past posts.

I will also have two little jingles, "I. M. Schnoozle Snowman" and "Purrseus" the cat. Additional views of these two figures can be found on my flickr page by clicking on their image below.

I hope you discover a new original you need to add to your collection this month on SpookyTime Jingles...where sweet and spooky commingle!!

SpookyTime Jingles updates Sunday night at 12:00 a.m. Eastern time. I think it might be worth staying up for!!

Have a great weekend!
Laurie

Bertram Goodhue on STJ

Have you ever heard a name and you just liked it....well, that is what happened to me when I first heard the name Bertram Goodhue when I was in the 4th grade. Who was he? Well, he was an American architect and he designed the State Capitol building in Lincoln, Nebraska. I love that building with it's mosaics and murals and perhaps that is why I never forgot his name.

When I finished the lumina pumpkin figure below, the name Bertram Goodhue jumped in my head and wouldn't go away (no, I don't hear voices!!). So I decided his face was made up of "good hues" and certainly Bertram was a great name, so why not?!! The name seems to suit him for some reason.

Bertram is shown above with his spindly vein fingers holding onto his skelly bucket, and below you can see a close up. Lots of good little details on this piece.

Betram is going on SpookyTime Jingles this month. As part of supporting the Kearney Area Humane Society, 10% of his purchase price will be given to them for their good work in the name of his buyer.

Bertram thanks you for your consideration. Again, this is the 1st Anniversary for SpookyTime Jingles (updates at 12:00 a.m. on the 13th) and there are some great pieces for this anniversary so stay up late on the 12th to see all of the sweet and spooky goodness!!

Have a great day!
Laurie

New Peek at Purrseus

Just an update on little "Purrseus." I worked until late last night finishing up a few details on the figure. He now has a striped hat with tinsel trim, a red bow tie and a striped vest under his high collared white jacket trimmed with holly leaves and berries. Lots of details on this fellow.


I put a little more gold in his eyes, worked on the cheeks, painted a peppermint button on his vest, a snowflake on his hat and....

gave him striped socks to match his vest and trimmed his boots in holly leaves and berries to match his jacket collar.

Remember, as part of the SpookyTimes Jingles 1st Anniversary Celebration, Monkey-Cats Studio will give 10% of the sale price to the Kearney Area Humane Society in the name of the buyer. They do such good work I'm very excited to do this.

More peeks to come! Enjoy the day.

Laurie

SpookyTime Jingles 1st Anniversary This Month!!!!

This month SpookyTime Jingles will be celebrating it's first anniversary as an online marketplace. I have been fortunate to be with SpookyTime Jingles since it went live last year, and it has been a wonderful place for me to grow and meet other artists and buyers. STJ has great talent and I feel honored to be in such wonderful company!

As part of the 1st anniversary celebration the artist will be participating by giving back in two ways. First, the shipping will be free site wide on most pieces (except those unique pieces that require additional shipping expenses due to size or weight) and two; the artists will be giving a portion of their sales to the ASPCA or to their local animal shelters.

Monkey-Cats Studio will be participating in both, and because of their good work in our community I have designated the Kearney Area Humane Society as the recipient for the donations from my sales. For each work sold by Monkey-Cats Studio in July, 10% of the sale price will be given to the Kearney Area Humane Society in the name of the buyer. I love animals and know how much they can improve our quality of life so I think this is a really great idea for us to embrace. I hope you all agree.

Below are two of the pieces that will be coming up in July on STJ. Below is "Mr. Purrsonality" that will be one of the Halloween offerings. He still needs his bucket so he isn't completely finished yet.


"Mr. Purrsonality" is a smiler and has a bit of a twinkle in his eye. He learned as a kitten that if he smiled it would make those around him smile back so it is a lesson he never forgot...smart little kitty!!

Below is "Purrseus" and he is just freshly into his paint so has much work to be done on his surface. "Purrseus" will be on the Christmas page as one of the works offered for the winter season. Like his Halloween friend, he also knows how to get to us humans with his wide grin.

These two boys ask that you support your animal shelters and hope you have a great week!!

Laurie

Such a Sweet Buyer!!!!!

I just received this poem from the buyer of the Ode to Edward Gorey Orb. It was so sweet I had to share!!!

ODE TO AN ORB

Laurie, how I love the orb.
So many details to absorb!
When it arrived on this morn,
the packaging was very quickly torn.

The drawing is oh, so intricate
You are a wonder just to think of it.
Many hours of careful labor
I will stare, marvel and savor!

It is so perfect for Halloween,
but other times it should be seen.
We thank you so very, very much
To have an Edward Gorey tribute of such.

Cindy gave me permission to post the poem. I was so touched she took the time to compose the poem and wanted her to know how much it meant to me.

Have a great week all!!!!
Laurie

Squeal Squash

Yesterday you saw "Squish Squash", and today you get to preview his brother "Squeal." "Squeal" is the younger brother of "Squish", but unlike his brother he has legs to elevate him above the Squash family vine. This little guy assists "Squish" in protecting the vines from insects...he is sort of like the beaver tail alarm for the squash, using his sharp, high pitched cry that alerts his fellow squash of oncoming insect threats. This is something this little guy started to display while he was just a mere bump on the end of his bloom and it gave him his name "Squeal."

Wanting to be known for more than his ear piercing scream, "Squeal" decided to do something else associated with his name...yes, his attire is giving him away, he is a biker dude and he loves to accelerate quickly and "squeal" his rear tire. This isn't something his mother is proud of and hopes that he will outgrow, but in the mean time he wears his black leather boots and outerwear, and having watched old biker movies he also slicked his vine into a spit curl of sorts. "Squeal" thinks it makes him look a little more like a rebel. Silly little squash!

I still need to get some details finished on his boots and I may also give him a bucket, but I thought I would let you see how things are progressing.

My hands are getting better each day, but I learned something yesterday. While I was holding an unpainted figure that I had made from that batch of paper mache clay that irritated my hands so badly I started to feel a burn going again. I've decided its like a chemical burn...too acidic or too alkaline, it just doesn't like my skin. The minute the figures are sealed with paint I don't have a problem. I'm hoping my remaining 175+ pounds of fastmache aren't like the current bag I was attempting to use. Thank you all for your suggestions and recommendations on how to treat my sore little phalanges!!!

Have a great day!!
Laurie

Squish Squash

Squish Squash got his body colors yesterday and here he is...still minus his little bucket which is outside drying. He has a little orange cape that goes over his vest and of course has a bow tie to cover his skinny little neck. You will also notice that his arms and fingers look spindly and vine-like.

When I first made the head my husband said it reminded him of a conehead, but I was just going for a big head to hold lots of brains. Kind of like the intellect of the squash family. You see, there are terribly nasty squash vine borers and cucumber beetles that carry viruses that kill the entire vine and consequently all of the squash. So in my crazy little brain I dream up that nature being as wonderful as it is, develops this "super smart" squash (still with me) that also due to the size of it's head is heavier than normal. This smart little squash has the ability to recognize these nasty pests in the garden and can roll over and squish the nasty bugs before they can do any damage, thus protecting his brothers and sisters on the vine. Because this little guy was the first to develop this technique he was given the nickname, "Squish." He is a proud little guy and very willing to share his knowledge and that explains him being all dressed up...he is now doing a lecture tour to gardens around the country. He just might show up in your neighborhood so keep an eye out for him...I know the bugs are!!

Have a great week!!
Laurie

Something new....

Sorry for being absent this past week. I was trying to sculpt and finish up some details on a few pieces and ran into a snag. I opened a new bag of paper mache mix and evidently there was more powder binder in this bag than normal because my hands started cracking and the clay was setting up within a 10 to 15 minute period of being mixed...which isn't normal!! When my hands started having a burning tingle as I put them in water I knew it was time to stop and rethink what I was doing. Because my hands needed a day out of the clay I painted yesterday and have the initial coats on two of the Haunted Harvest figures' heads....now, they aren't done, but I have a start on them and thought I would show you what I have been up to.


Lillian Lumina and Squish Squash....they are distant cousins.

Lillian has a bit more work to be done on her lips as I got carried away with her lip gloss....

and I have more layers of glazing to do on the surface of Squish Squash's head. You'll learn more about his name as the figure is completed.

Today is laundry and more painting...I told my husband we need a wife to cook and clean for us and he just smiled at me. I'm not sure what he meant with that smile and decided it was best not to ask.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the Mad Tea Party today!! (I wanted to play but other obligations got in my way!! )

Laurie

EHAG Gorey Tribute Challenge Piece is Done!!

It's done!! I finished the Ode to Edward Gorey Orb last night and here it is below. The first image is the spider web design at the top that covers the night sky.

Dancing pumpkin figure shown...
The cemetery keeper's house with the ghost...

The "Gorey" cemetery keeper just inside the gates walking down the path...

Large Pin Oak and monument with "Gorey" cats and....

Sir Jack Spinner, my signature and date on the bottom.

This was such an interesting experience for me and I was shocked that this 5.5" diameter sphere took so long to complete. Then I measured the circumference and realized it is 16 inches around and it started to make more sense to me why I went through 5 India Ink pens over the 3 days and 24 hours it took me to complete this. Lots of little details and no idea how many lines are on the surface of this piece. As I finished the orb my admiration for Edward Gorey and his work soared and I need to thank the EHAG Moderators for giving me this challenge!!

This will be a one-time piece. I love pen and ink, but it is not suited for the paper mache surface and it is better left to those whose work I admire so much!! With that said, I hope to have the auction link up later tonight or tomorrow!

Have a great weekend and thank you for all of the support this week. Now, go to the bookstore and pick up one of Edward Gorey's books and enjoy the illustrations. He is so inspiring!
Laurie

Ode to Edward Gorey Orb Update

Yikes, it still isn't done after 16 hours of line work, with 1 full pen and part of another pen left to work with. I'm more concerned at this point about not having enough ink to finish the piece then the amount of time this little fellow is taking.

Below is the dancing pumpkin fellow with his vine like limbs...he loves his little JOL companion in his hand and the fact he has the tree leaning toward him joining in the dance. Ms. Moon is smiling at his performance because she is sure he is doing it just to amuse her. I think there is a crush thing going on between the two of them, but it is a romance destined not to be.


Little Gorey shaped bats and one tombstone with the initials E. G.

Kitty on the left overlooking a rather large JOL and graveyard.

Oh dear...I still have that much to finish?!!! Better get to work!

Have a great day all and send me some elves!

Laurie