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.

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!

Autumn Moves Swiftly...

And pretty soon, the winter holidays will be here!  Only a few weeks ago, our State Fair was ramping up and Halloween was quickly approaching!

Before starting my normal entries for the state fair, I had to finish up a request from a friend for a Witchy Cthulhu!  She had seen my versions at the PPD fair and asked if I could make her one.  I decided to go a bit further with this little fellow and not only give him a cauldron, but also a broom!

I entered five entries for the state fair.  With so many things going on, I entered pieces that I had made in the last few months, such as Easter Cthulhu, orca scrimshaw inspired magnet and my mini peacocks.  

I also wanted to enter the two egg competitions...one has to be based on the theme of the state fair, the other is open to any style.

For the open category, I made another peacock, this time, sitting on a painted, hollowed egg that is intertwined with ivy.

The theme for this year was "Homecoming."  I thought on this idea for weeks...started a few projects and then quickly dismissed them.  I even went so far as cutting up an egg and baking, but I set it aside for a Military Homecoming Theme.

It is supposed to be representative of the tradition of tying a yellow ribbon "around the old oak tree."  I remember during the first Gulf War, how popular of a sign this was in many yards.

The only entry that won a ribbon was my mini peacock sculpture.  Not only did it win First Place in the Miniatures Division, but it also won Best in Show!!! I was so shocked and thrilled.

The State Fair is one of my favorite events in the fall.  It's a great time to get outside, enjoy the cool weather and see some wonderful exhibits.  We don't ride the rides nor do we eat much of the fair food, but we love to people watch and play horrible carnival games!  To be able to walk around and see so many talented artists and crafters is such a thrill.  I'm already making plans for next year's fair.

My First Show!

My first craft show was a couple of weeks ago at Central NC Pagan Pride Days  and it was a success!  It was also a huge learning experience! Thankfully, Yarn Twisters and I had completed a dry run of booth set-up, table arrangement, decorations, etc. about a month before..so we were able to get everything up in about two hours on Friday evening.

On Saturday morning, we were up early (or myself, very late, running on less than three hours of sleep).  We had two hours to raise the tent, arrange everything we had left overnight, unpack our cars and get all of our items set up and arranged.  We took every bit of that time!  But, it came together very nicely!

And in perfect time, because we were very busy all day on Saturday!  We had so many visitors come through our booth and it was so wonderful to meet such sweet and wonderful people!

When we had a small break, I ran outside of the booth and sketched some tentacles on both of our display boards, highlighting our unique items!  I had Cthulhu sculptures, pendants and earrings to offer our customers, while Yarn Twisters had Cthulhu hats, dice bags and tarot/cell phone bags!  As you can tell, we created a "Cthulhu Alley" of tentacle goodness.

I had the right side of the booth to display my sculptures, magnets and jewelry on.  We also shared the rack in the back corner and mingled a bunch of items, including some of my larger sculptures and a friend's awesome bookmarks!

I missed out on grabbing an early picture before I sold two of my Cthulhus.  I also had a slideshow going on my tablet, showing previous work.

Notice the tentacle boxes, also created by me. ;)

We had inclement weather moving in, so Yarn Twisters and I had to scramble on Saturday afternoon when a brief shower moved through, protecting everything we had on display.  It cooled off nicely, though, and people lingered around after the rain passed through.  We did have to batten down the hatches on Saturday, since more storms were moving in that evening after the show.  Everything was packed into our vehicles, with the exception of the tent & tables.  I think we were all a bit apprehensive to what we would find upon our return on Sunday morning.

Thankfully, everything of ours still stood when we arrived on Sunday.  It didn't take us nearly as long to setup, since we knew where we wanted everything.  Having straw tossed down to help with any mud, it was amazing at how quickly it dried out and we had a gorgeous day!  It was cool, breezy and the sun was shining.  Surprisingly, there weren't as many visitors on Sunday, so I had time to work on some sculptures and pendants, finishing four of them before leaving that afternoon.

We had some great visitors on Sunday as the American Wildlife Refuge brought some feathery friends around to visit and educate the public.

Finally, I was informed that you haven't truly experienced Pagan Pride Day until you have consumed a Cthulhu Cake or Cake Pop.  Well, I couldn't resist bringing both home to share with my boyfriend, who was an amazing supporter through this entire journey. *heart*  

My parents were my biggest fans and I sent them pictures constantly from the craft fair!  Dad had given me the tropical fish clips that are holding down my tablecloth (there are also dolphins and orcas scattered around our tent, holding down essential items).  They worked better than any professional clips!  Mom was constantly listening to my ideas, concerns and offering constructive suggestions from her years of experience in craft fairs. Without my amazing support group, I would have never had the courage to attempt something like this. :)

Yarn Twisters and I have already reserved our booth space for next year.  Hope to see you there!

Busy Busy Busy!

Another weekend has finally come to a close and I have been frantically working on several projects, both for the Central NC Pagan Pride Days Festival, as well as for home and work!

One of the projects that I worked on this weekend was a large assortment of magnets.  I had a lot of fun creating these and will probably try my hand at a few more before the end of the week.

Butterflies, dragons and unicorns, oh my!

Celtic crosses

My pumpkin Cthulhu was also finished this weekend.  All he needs is a pumpkin chai latte and he would be the perfect fall accessory! 

Check back later this week to see more of my creations, specifically some earrings that I finished or you can follow me on Facebook to see more of my WIP (work-in-progress) pictures and sneak peeks at finished projects.  

Packing for the holidays

If you have ever tried to pack up any of your craft/hobby/art supplies for a trip, then you can sympathize with how much of a hassle it can be.  Do I take this set of tools, or that one?  Should I take these beads to work with, along with my crochet...or should I just focus on one project?  What if I have a bunch of free time and wish I had brought X?  What if I don't work on anything at all and just dragged these supplies around for nothing??

Such was my dilemma at 1am this morning.  While a pumpkin cheesecake was cooling on the counter, I was rifling through my clay and trying to decide what projects I might want to work with, what was absolutely essential to take with me and what I realistically would have time for, if there is any time to spare.

Enter: My new organizer.  This is the one I was drooling over at Jerry's a few weeks ago and fortunately, I found one (the last one) in a store closer to me.  I had a coupon at the time, so I just went ahead and picked it up. 

Squee!  It makes me happy every time I look at it.  The handle is round and does not dig into your hand.  The lid has a flip open section for storing small items, such as tools or other essentials...*ahem*

Don't judge me.  In my line of work, I never get the opportunity to paint my nails, so I thought I would toss these in just in case I have "more time." :P

Open the lid completely and you have a great drop in tray that stores a LOT of clay, or anything else you would like, for that matter.  My tool case that my boyfriend gave me for my birthday this summer also fits nicely in there, so it's the perfect compartment.

The bottom is the standard, empty toolbox bottom.  I did not want the clay to react with the plastic, so I lined the bottom with tinfoil and using some spare foam, I cut it to size and wrapped it up as well, creating a divider.  I have shells, armatures and miscellaneous on one side and finished projects will rest on the other side.  In time, I think I will probably divide this into three compartments and maybe put a secondary shelf.  The box is deep enough to allow that.

This will be it's maiden voyage.  I'm curious to see how it holds up, if I'll actually use it and whether it will be a better stay at home storage tote or if it will be ideal for traveling.  I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!  Will you try to tackle a project or will you take it easy and focus on more...culinary projects? :D

The Results are In!!

We made it to the Fair and had a blast!  I buy our tickets early so we get a discounted price, but it can still be expensive, so you want to make the most of your time there.  We paid a little extra for parking, but it was worth it since we were right across the street from the fairgrounds and everyone was SO nice!

Of course, you have to sample the fair food...in all of it's fried glory.  One of our favorite vendors does amazing cheese sticks/cubes/melty goodness.  Here is a jalapeno pepper jack with jalapeno ranch dressing.

So worth the calorie count!  Followed by Italian sausages and more fried foods.

After the food, we decided to walk off all of those calories by checking out some of the livestock exhibits.  Look at the adorable bunnies!

We finally made it to the Handicrafts and Hobbies exhibit.  To my shock and amazement, every single entry won a ribbon!

Here are the results!

My acorn egg won First Place AND Best of Show for the egg decorating competition.

My pumpkin egg won a Third Place ribbon among some beautiful entries!

My Gnome Sweet Gnome house also won Third Place in the decorations division.

As did my hermit crab :)

My miniature Koi Pond received a 2nd Place ribbon in the Miniatures category!

I am so thrilled that all of my entries earned a ribbon of some form.  We also had a great time and won some stuffed animals at the balloon dart toss, as well as the ping pong ball game for goldfish.  I refused to bring home any fish, so the lady let me have a stuffed one instead :)

We also did a turkey shoot for the first time!  My boyfriend did a much better job than I did (his two targets are on the right, mine are on the left and are less..holey) :)  We would have won, but one guy was just a smidge closer to the crosshairs. It was still an amazing time!