Fall Festival Season

Dash and I made a trip to Old Overland Park yesterday for the fall festival. I loved these windchimes made out of old silver and twisted flatware.

This artist had some great pumpkins. They look kind of squatty and surly.

Same with the snowman. His long legs and arms are great.

This one reminds me of something Tim Burton would dream up.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the owner of this dog never had the daughter she always wanted.

More booths of fun Halloween skulls, pumkins, and other scary looking things.

This jewelry booth had some fun displays. I thought this mummy was fun.

Freaky looking skull. Looks like what awfulplasticsurgery.com would call "trout pout".

Beyond Broken Mosaics

I've mentioned many times how much I love the work of Dee Dee Walters of Beyond Broken Mosaics. I took a class from Dee Dee in June of 2006 and that's where my obsession with mosaics began. I haven't looked back since. Yesterday, I went to the arts and crafts festival in Old Overland Park to see Dee Dee and as usual, her wonderful works did not disappoint. Check out the terrific magnets.

I loved this tiny birdhouse with blue rulers used as a roof.

My faves -- mosaic switch plates.

Another shot of the birdhouses. I love her use of state plates in the one on the right.

Dee Dee and I -- it was so hot outside!!!

She makes awesome belt buckles . . .

This was a really cool piece done by Dee Dee's friend Craig Adams. What an artisitic duo!

I love what she does with old jewelry, buttons, and beads -- sans grout.

So make a trip to the Mission Road Antique Mall, second floor where Dee Dee has a booth. She'll also be at the Handcrafters Craft and Art Fair at the Lenexa Community Center on October 24 and 25.

I Love Halloween!!

Well, it's that time of year again when fall is upon us and Halloween is right around the corner. I love to decorate for Halloween and Dash and I made a trip to the Curious Sofa this last weekend to pick up a few spooking things. Check out this big, mean rat.

A long line of these creepy spiders were displayed crawling their way across a bed at the store. And I couldn't pass up the skull votive cup.


The cherry on the cake of my Halloween decor is this amazing doll of Anton Lavey, custom made by local Kansas City Artist Taylor Triano. She does incredible things with textiles and on top of that she's just an all-around groovy little chick.

I picked up this ghost named Schmoo from an artist at the Sparks Flea Market. She had some great things and I'll be sure to get her name in the spring and pass it along. I love the random way the bells and chains hang from his neck.

Last year, I cut several spooky shapes out of sheet metal and riveted them to a copper stem. This spider is right at home in his flower pot.

And the pumpkin and ghost like mixing in with the landscaping.

No garden is complete without a skull!

I made these ghosties years ago and they make a nice accessory for the mailbox.

And while I was at the Curious Sofa, I picked up this silver lighter for my collection. It's really hard for me to resist buying up everything I see in that place.

Another one of my favorite Sparks finds this year was this Big Ben clock. So cool!


And while I was walking around the house snapping photos, I snapped this one of yet another Curious Sofa find. I've noticed more work in the store lately done by artists, and this paper collage piece is one of those.

Old School Flea Market Heaven

I've been writing about how much I loved the Old School Flea Market in Welda, Kansas. My friend and mosaic celebrity, Dee Dee Walters, turned me on to this place and to say that my friend Erin and I had a blast on our adventure would be putting it mildly.
Slight panic set in when we drove up and a sign on the door read that they were closed for the morning, but the owners drove up moments later. Whew.

Old School Flea gets its name for obvious reasons; here is a picture of the "gym" floor.

And the basket ball goal that still stands . . .

But the best part of Old School Flea were the rooms and rooms of junk. They seemed to go on forever.

I say the best part was the junk, but the owners, who have been there for 14 years, were great.

Being an avid thrift store shopper, I'm accustomed to surly staff who aren't the least bit happy to see you (Second Hand Thrift on Wornall and The Salvation Army store on Johnson Drive are the worst!), but that wasn't the case with the owners of the Old School Flea!

If you love junkin' and are in the mood for a great day trip, Old School Flea is a treat!

Custom Made from the Heart

I just love doing custom work. Our friends, Kelly Sue and Matt, have a baby boy, Henry Leo, who just celebrated his first birthday. I had so much fun making this frame.


The old, red car came from an antique store south of Garnette, Kansas. I think it was called Miss Molly's Cottage. The wooden dog came from Sparks flea market. Even though I thought the spring show was better than the one this fall, I still found some treasures.


The train came from Old School flea, the place I keep telling you time and again to visit because you will not be disappointed!! Just as a refresher, it's in Welda, Kansas, just south of Garnett and about an hour and half south of Kansas City. You will see me reference many treasures from that place.


I had a hard time getting a clear picture of this bottle, but it says, "Debonair After Shave Lotion", a must have for a picture frame for a hip little one-year-old gentleman.


My friend Kara commissioned me to make some chalk boards. This one reflects her love of cooking.


Look closely and you'll see some tiny porcelain chef beads compliments of SmudgieBear on Etsy. If you haven't visited Etsy, you are really missing out! It is a great site for all things handmade and includes great supplies like these fabulous, hard-to-find beads. I had to include the old spoon across the top of this board because it obviously reminds me of cooking, but like I said, my friend Kara commissioned me to do this frame and the stem of this spoon just happens to contain a letter "k". (The pepper shaker came from Old School Flea!)


Kara also asked me to make a chalk board for her friend who is a pastry chef. I used some of those chef beads here, too. The funky brooch and chalk holder are from Old School Flea. I painted the "FLOUR" myself. I wish I had hand writing like Jane Hosey Stern, a local artist who also sells her fabulous things at Stuff in Brookside, but alas, I had to make do.


I fashioned the cupcake out of polymer clay. Can you tell by now that I really love polymer clay. Don't misunderstand me; I can make simple shapes and that's about it, but boy, do I have fun.

Spooky, Scary Halloween!!!!

Although Halloween isn't for awhile, I am in the spooky holiday spirit! I'll be dropping some goodies off at Stuff tomorrow and these are some of the mosaics I've put together for the season. This is my favorite piece, a cork board grouted in black. Black grout is pretty drastic and messy when you're used to grouting in antique white, but I got just the look I wanted for this funky board.


The ghost is made of polymer clay . . .


I found this shoe polish bottle at an antique shop in Greenwood, MO. It looks so very Halloweeny.




Just gotta have the black cat . . .


I enjoy finishing off the back of the board to create a more finished piece of art . . .



I put together a couple of chalk boards for the collection, too. These are magnetized for the fridge. Spoooooky!!!


The pirate chalk holder came from a fabulous flea market called Old School in Welda, Kansas. I'll be posting pics from that trip sometime soon.


The spent camera flash bulb came from a friend's yard sale. Funky, yet very at home in this chalkboard.


And of course the back is finished off!


The next chalk board is in traditional Halloween colors and contains some polymer clay pumpkins. (SOLD)


And another chalk holder I found at the Old School flea. If you head down to Welda, I'm sure you will not be disappointed!!!


These brooches and magnets were really fun to make. Who wouldn't want to give her best friend a brooch that says "WITCH" complete with a very tiny black hat.


This was the first thing I made this season. A Halloween plaque that says "SPOOKY, SCARY HALLOWEEN". No spooky Halloween plaque would be complete without an antique tintype of a less than excited family. I think it's so haunting that no one smiled in pictures back then.



I've had this interestingly shaped black shoe polish bottle for a long time now. I had to wait until I found just the right place for it. This picture frame is just the place. (SOLD)



And I've said it before, but I love tiny tins and wooden spools . . .


And finally, some mirrors. Once again, someone wanting to give her friend a laugh will purchase this "WITCH" mirror! I got the witch salt and pepper shakers on Ebay. (SOLD)


These green letters are from an old game called Anagram.



And I tried my hand at one more piece grouted in black. This one says "DOUBLE DOUBLE TOIL AND TROUBLE" and you'll recognize the other witch salt and pepper shaker in this one.




Happy Halloween!!!!