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!

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!

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.