State Fair Entries

It is that wonderful time of year!

The leaves are beginning to turn, the wind has turned chilly and shadows grow longer each day.

The State Fair is right around the corner and I'll be turning in my entries tomorrow!  I'm so excited to see all of the wonderful artists and get ready for the fabulously fried food that comes along with the state fair!

Here is a sneak peek of my entries:

Here, a baby alligator is taking his first peek at the large world around his nest.  He peeks out of his egg, deciding whether to venture out into the large world or stay hidden for a little while longer.

Thanks to a very good friend, I've had these wonderful cups for a project for several months now.  I'm still working out details for my ultimate project, but I wanted to do something fun for this entry!  So, I took glow-in-the dark clay and made a daisy, then complemented it with a lovely tulip.

Sometimes, I like to develop stories for my pieces.  This one, a hen lays a very unusually large egg, which garners a lot of attention from the local newspaper!  Here, Henrietta is sitting on top of her precious egg in her nest while a copy of the newspaper has blown up against the egg.

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons and I have wanted to tackle a leaf bowl ever since I made the acorn egg two years ago.  This is the result.  The leaves have gaps between them, allowing light to peek out from a tealight.

Happy Fall!

This past weekend was a welcome break from all of the hustle and bustle!  We had lovely weather and I was able to start decorating my front porch for Halloween!

In honor of the approaching fall, I started playing with some clay and these little guys rolled across my table!

I love pumpkins...almost to an obsession, which has been commented on more than once by friends, families, therapists...  Pumpkins just make me happy and I have a hard time passing a large pumpkin pile without adopting at least one, much to the chagrin of those shopping with me as I run squealing towards a pile.  (Mind you, I'm not a squealer, so it does come as a shock to my friends when I burst out of quiet conversation into a hyper child!)

These little pumpkins are just beginning their journey and will soon be part of something larger, so stay tuned to my blog or my Facebook page to updated project pictures!

Also making it's way across my work table is Cat-hulhu!  He likes souls, he likes yarn, he will purr all types of madness into your ear!

This little guy has been vying for attention for quite some time.  I finally managed to get him into a form that I really liked.  He was inspired by one of my friend's cats and makes me giggle every time I say his name, "Cathulhu!"

PPD Wrap-up and New Beginnings

What a wonderfully busy weekend!  I met some great people this year at the Central North Carolina Pagan Pride Day and I'm already looking forward to next year.

Several of my Itty Bitty Cthulhu sculptures found new homes and I was able to get some great advice from veteran vendors.  A beautiful and busy weekend, but now that it is over, I must turn my attention elsewhere!

Up next, I will be starting work on my annual State Fair entries, which I will be posting work in progress pics as I start sculpting.

But, in the meantime, I have reopened my Etsy shop!  Please feel free to go check it out!  There are several Itty Bitty Cthulhu that need good and loving homes. :)

I also love making custom Itty Bitty Cthulhu, so feel free to contact me through Etsy or using the form on the left side of this blog.  I will happily work with you to make your very own Itty Bitty Cthulhu to live with you (or your friend!)

I will be adding more Cthulhu and other items as the next few weeks progress.




















I have also branched into working with precious metal clay. The two charm necklace and leaf earrings will be added to my shop as well and I will be providing more details about this amazing medium as I begin my learning process.

Day One of PPD

Today was a great day at the Central North Carolina Pagan Pride Day!  The weather was gorgeous and a lot of people were out, enjoying it with their family, friends and dogs!

Here are just a few quick pictures...I left my camera in the car.  I'll be honest, I'm too tired to go back outside to get it, so bear with me when I post more pictures next week. ;)

Please come join us tomorrow, if you are in the Triangle Area!

Ten Days and Counting!

I think that one of the most stressful times can be the last stretch before a show.  This will be only my second one and I'm excited, as well as nervous.  Be sure to check out my Facebook page, which I am updating more frequently with work in progress (WIP) pics and mini-updates!

Last year was amazing and I was able to share a booth with Yarn Twisters, two fabulous ladies, who make the most awesome knitted nerdy items!  This year, we will continue the nerdy fun together, so stop by to say hello!  Go to their Facebook page to check out some of their wonderful designs!

I am hoping that we will have some gorgeous weather, but it is always a challenge in the autumn!

Yarn Twisters and myself have some new designs and layouts that we will be showcasing at this festival.  The first few people that come by to say hi to me on each day will receive a free goody! Just mention this blog post or my Facebook page!

Check out the Central NC Pagan Pride Days Festival page for more information on the festival.  You will find schedules of events, vendor info, raffle pictures and much more!  Be sure to register for the Blood Drive in advance and score a swag bag!  I have donated thirty-six handmade bead pendants for the bags, along with a magnetic business card.

There are so many awesome raffle prizes donated each year!  I always buy tickets myself, since we are located very close to the raffle announcement booth!  It's so much fun to see what everyone is donating, fund raise and have a chance to win something amazing.  I have donated an Itty Bitty Witchy Cthulhu for this year.  Check out some of the other donations here!

Hope to see you at the fair!

A Day Full of Love

This summer has been full of ups and downs.  There have been plenty of scares, but we are still holding on and moving forward.  Sometimes, our path leads in a different direction.  Perhaps one that we did not anticipate or expect, but we still continue onward, waiting to see what is around the next corner.

In the meantime, I have been working on a major project over the last month.  We just came home from a beautiful wedding of two of our dearest friends.  It was such a happy occasion and everyone was bursting with joy for the couple.

At the beginning of the summer, the bride approached me about making a bride & groom sculpture for the occasion.  She gave me plenty of notice, so I had no problem planning out the project.  Many sketches and redesigns later, I give you the Happy Cthulhu Couple!

This was the first time that I had to fix a standing figure with legs into the base.  This was a challenge, but I am more confident than ever in moving forward with these types of sculptures, due to the structural integrity that I was able to master.

I bugged the bride and groom for as many details about their wedding day as possible, so I could match the color of the bouquet, the style of wedding dress, the groom's suit and boutonniere.  I made cherry blossoms, to match the design of their wedding cake.

I added a few Swarovski crystals to the train of the dress to add a bit more flare and sparkle.  

Oh, and speaking of the wedding cake.  You have got to check this out!  Made by my friend, Mike, over at Baking Better.  If you have not checked out his blog, you must for some of the best dessert recipes around!

Seriously, the best wedding cake I have ever tasted.  Ever.

And a big Congratulations to the happy couple!  It was a beautiful wedding, full of love and joy!  We are all so happy for them and it was the loveliest wedding that I've ever attended.

Works in Progress

Having been insanely busy over the last week, then catching some nasty cold that has dragged me down...I thought I would share a WIP (work in progress) pic from Thursday night.

More Itty Bitty Cthulhus, along with another pendant.  These are definitely works in progress and will be polished up soon.  That is, when I can stand to sit vertically for longer than 10 minutes. ;)

Have a wonderful holiday weekend and a HUGE thank you to all of our armed forces for your service, currently serving or having formerly served. <3 p="">

Celtic Cross

I love the design of this Celtic cross.

The never-ending knots that are woven into the ends create a very elegant and simple beauty.

Pictures really cannot do justice, since the clay has a gorgeous iridescent shimmer that catches the light just right from certain angles.  I tried to capture it in this photo; it gives an almost inner glow.

You can see this pendant at The Gamer's Armory, along with so many more great gaming products, as well as items made by local artists!

Dragons & Gaming

After the appearance of the unicorn, it seems appropriate to bring in another mythical creature...in this case, an eastern style dragon.

This picture features a golden eastern dragon pendant, as well as my first attempt at sculpting a D10.

(For those wondering what a D10 is, it is a die that has 10 sides.  It is not the typical shape of a die that you see in common board games, but one that has a conical type shape.  They are a lot of fun to play with and come in every color/pattern you could possibly imagine!)

I also was playing with a different style and this dragon developed into a magnet.  

I love the contrast of blue on silver!

Both of these dragons can now be found at The Gamer's Armory in Cary, North Carolina!

You can also find all sorts of gorgeous dice sets at their store, so you can start your own collection!

Unicorns!

At least, that is always what I hear when I am working with one of my favorite mythical creatures.  I am a huge fan of Peter Beagle's The Last Unicorn and had the honor to meet him last summer.  It also doesn't help that a dear friend of mine cries out "UNICORN!" in King Haggard's voice every time a unicorn makes an appearance. 

So, with all of those awesome memories of past and present, I have to bring unicorns into my craft at some point or another.  Enter, the unicorn pendants!

At least these will hopefully not release a harpy onto you.  (If you do not get that reference, please do me a favor and either pick up a copy of The Last Unicorn, book or animation.  I promise you won't be disappointed).

The brilliant purple unicorn pendant is available now at The Gamer's Armory, located in Cary, North Carolina!  You can also find my Itty Bitty Cthulhu, Cthulhu pendants, earrings and more in the store!

Give Gamer's Armory a "Like" on Facebook to see all of the awesome items they carry and the amazing events they host!

Creativity Strikes Again...

It has been a busy couple of weeks!  I am trying to get back into the swing of blogging, as well as finishing up projects and starting new ones!

Despite fighting a severe migraine this weekend, I have put the final touches on a few pieces and have started laying out the materials for the next project.

Two new pairs of peacock earrings, complete with Swarovski crystals!

I have also worked on more of my Cthulhu pendants...

Which of course, have to be accessorized with Cthulhu earrings:

These are just a few of the projects that I have been working on!  

Check out my Facebook Page for more!

Exciting Things Are Happening...

Things have been so hectic lately, I have barely had time to keep my head straight!  My day job has kept me on my toes, with training new personnel, helping with projects and trying to finish up my own.  My SO and I also just celebrated our tenth anniversary this past week. Appropriately enough, part of it was in the local craft store, picking up new supplies. :)

If you have "Liked" my Facebook Page, then you will have seen some big developments occurring in the world of Bewitching Dreams.  If not, then I'll give you a quick rundown! :)

Located in Cary, NC, The Gamer's Armory is an awesome game store that has been very supportive of the local gaming community.  The owners are amazing people and I was honored when they reached out to me a few weeks ago to inquire about my little Itty Bitty Cthulhu sculptures! They carry several local artists and were looking to expand their selection of gaming/geekery items.  I was thrilled to receive the email and met with the owners to show them some of my latest creations.

First, I had to show off the Sentimental Cthulhu....Cthulhu has a softer side.  He enjoys stopping to smell the roses...before eating them.  

(Psst!  This was my first attempt ever at making roses...I had a lot of fun with them!)

Then, I wanted to show the Gamer Cthulhu.  You just know that he's screaming all sorts of insanity-inducing expletives over his gaming headset, don't you?

Then, there is the Romantic Cthulhu.  Cthulhu has a heart...truly...it might not be his own, but he is still presenting you with it. Aww...so romantic...and messy.

Then, there is Cthulhu...holding a brain.  Because, why shouldn't he? Where does the yummy soul lie....in the heart, or in the brain?  That is the true question...and the true connoisseur that Cthulhu is, has to try both to find out.

Which is your favorite?  If you are in North Carolina, stop by The Gamer's Armory to see some of my work, along with other great artists and check out the wonderful gaming groups that meet up there on a regular basis! They have a wonderful selection of miniatures, tabletop, card games and more!

Edit: After much deliberation, my friend ColtPixy helped me narrow down a name for these guys! Thank you so much!  I love my Itty Bitty Cthulhu!