Something New Off the Worktable & "Ding! Turn the Page!"

Hi there!

It's been a few months since my last post, so I thought I should catch up my blog with what has been happening here at Charmed Confections, and with me in general.  So far, this year has been a "year of change".  Lots of changes in my life and I am trying to deal with them as they come.  It is not always easy to do.  I am a creature of habit.  So, when my apple cart has been upended, I find myself regrouping, re-evaluating and searching for a new direction. When this does get the best of me, I am glad that my art keeps me somewhat sane.

Here is the latest piece of art off my worktable.  It was made for a very sweet customer of mine that I met years ago at a local craft show.  She has always wanted a one of my cats.  I have to nervously laugh, as I am still somewhat shocked people love my art and want in it their collection.  Don't think I will ever get over that.  I was thrilled to meet up with her and hand deliver this piece.  

When they say the gift is in the giving, it really is true.  Her face lit up upon seeing it and it warmed my heart that she was so happy.  As with any customer purchasing something from me, I want them to be truly happy with their purchase.  Making money is hard!  No matter what you do.  If my customers are going to spend it on something from me, I want them to love it for years.  That is probably why it takes me a bit to get anything done.  :)   She was delighted and I was relieved and honored that she wanted to add another piece to her collection.  

Here are the pics!

I will be making new ornaments like this skellie mouse pictured, along with bats and cats!  These are in the works and I am excited about them!  Would be darling hanging from a Halloween tree! 

Such a fun piece to create!  I love the spider and the mouse hanging from the cat's tail!  Hope you do too!

So what's with the apple cart up-ending?  I recently decided to quit my day job.  Yup, I did it!  If you have been following my blog, you know that I have dreamed of doing this ... waiting on my Fairy Godmother to whisk me away.  Well, dream no longer.  It is a reality!  Truly a blessing!  So now I am a full time artist trying to navigate through my day and still be productive.  It is a big adjustment.  After working a day job since the age of 15, I'd say so!  My last job, I was there 22 years working for the same boss.  It was time to leave and I am excited to ... "ding, turn the page" on this new chapter of my life.  

Lately, I have been immersing myself in art.  Art really does soothe the soul and takes your mind off your woes.  I am sure I will find my feet in this new endeavor and excited to do so! 

Exciting News!!!   I will be at Halloween and Vine again this year!!  So thrilled to be going to Petaluma once again to show off my Halloween art.  Go to www.HalloweenandVine.com for the details.   

Now, that I have more time, I am eager to add more shows to my calendar and meet new customers and collectors who share in my love of all things Halloween!  

I'm also, happy to say that my sweet coffin doll, Sophie (see her in the post below this one) will be featured in the August issue of Art Doll Quarterly Magazine!!!  Yup, she will be featured along with an article on the process of her creation.  So thrilled about that!  You can find Art Doll Quarterly Magazine at Barnes and Noble bookstores, Michaels, Joanns or you can order one directly from www.stampington.com 

So, lots of changes going on.  I am confident that they are good ones.  I am going to follow my dream and see how far I get!   I just need to learn to relax and be confident this is where the Lord wants me.  One foot in front of the other, right?

Hope you are well and happy in your world.  Sending out BIG hugs to you all!!

Sophie and Sebastian - The newest piece from Charmed Confections!

Hi there!

Hope this posting finds you well and happy in your world.  As you all know, I love Halloween, but before all of that, I was born with a love of  DOLLS!  If I think back to my childhood, I always had a little trinket of some sort in my pocket or in my hands. I was completely in love with Kiddles.  Do you remember those dolls?  Tiny, little things and you could hide them in your pocket, they were so small.  Big headed dolls with tiny bodies in comparison.  They usually had big hair, big eyes and smelled good too!  I loved them!!  In fact, I still have a few in my personal doll collection.  What has this to do with my latest piece?  Well, at first ... nothing. But as I stand back to admire my newest piece, I find some similarities and have to giggle.

When speaking of my art with family, friends or customers, the most common question I am asked is, where do my ideas come from.  It is a very difficult question for me to answer.  The truth is ... it's just pops in my head.  I find my art and ideas are mostly pulled from past feelings and memories.  I'll see something and it sparks a thought and it grows into an idea from there.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to visit a cemetery close to my house (out in the middle of nowhere) that dates all the way back to the early 1800's.  I love cemeteries!  I find them to be a wealth of architectural beauty.  I love reading the headstones as sometimes you can gleam a little knowledge of the person to whom it belongs too.

It was a glorious day!  Gorgeous and mild.  I spent a few hours roaming the stones and visiting with those I past.  I met three sisters, several soldiers, entire families, children gone way too early, and small, baby girl who was on the very outskirts of the graveyard.  She was very endearing to me.  Born 1865 and I am sure her family is long gone by now.  I hope that I will be able to get back there someday soon and bring her some flowers to cheer her.  I guess, I feel that motherly affection for her.

Where is all this talk leading?  Well, I would like to introduce you to Sophie and Sebastian! My newest Charmed Confection.  In past posts, I showed you pictures of a coffin I was sculpting on.  This is the final product.  My sweet ghostie girl, Sophie, who is not by any means tiny, but reminds me somewhat of a kiddle doll I use to play with.  Her sweet, shy, but possibly worried face, ties into my trip to the graveyard for inspiration and how a small child ghost might behave.

I do hope you like her.  Since I did not want Sophie to be lonely out there on the outskirts of the graveyard, I needed to make her a tiny kitty cat for company.  Cats are good companions and sooth the soul.

This piece is almost 18" tall and 12" wide.  Sophie and Sebastian are sculpted out of clay, painted and then shaded to give them a ghostly appearance.  The coffin is handcrafted out of wood by the very talented husband and wife duo, Mark and Rae Davis of Calaveras Coffin Co.  You can find them on Facebook under that name.  They make gorgeous, wooden coffins in all sizes finished and unfinished.  You can even ask for a custom size, as I did with this piece. If you are looking to use a coffin in your art, I would highly recommend their's.  I purchased an unfinished coffin and decided to sculpt side panels, roses, skulls, leaves and vines on it.

Here is a close up picture.  Each rose and skull was sculpted one at a time and then assembled on the coffin --- kinda like a puzzle.  I added the leaves and vines after.

Here is a side view.

 The three skulls on the side of this piece represent my own sweet family.  Hubby, myself and daughter.  Three is my favorite number too!  :)

Here you can see how beautiful those side panels turned out!  Love them!!  Pretty pleased with how the coffin turned out.  The stone block work on the base is out of clay too.  Hours and hours of sculpting time here.  Sophie carries a tiny lantern with a real candle inside to light her way through the night.  Sebastian the cat is darling with his tiny painted bones --- always by her side.

A cute picture of Sebastian's backside.  He was so fun to create! 

So, in closing, where can you draw on inspiration?  Just about anywhere.  From my love of Kiddle dolls when I was a small child, to graveyard where I met new friends.

Where do you draw inspiration from?  Drop me a line and let me know.  :)

Until next time!

New Piece from Charmed Confections - Sweet, Girlie Ghost, Tilly!

Hi out there!  Happy Wednesday to you all!

Update:  Tilly has been Sold!  Thank you, Helen!  I so appreciate it!

Thought I would share my newest piece with you.  Meet, Tilly!  Sweet Tilly was one of the pieces that I did not finish last year in time for the shows.  She turned out soo cute, I thought I would offer her now.  Tilly is available here on my blog.  Please click the "Artwork for Sale" tab under the header above to read more about Tilly.  

If you are interested in purchasing her, drop me a note at leeannkress@charmedconfections.com 

She will come beautifully gift wrapped, signed and dated on the back.  Again, for more information, please click on the "Artwork for Sale" tab above.    Hope you like her!

 Just love the twinkle in her eyes!

Something Old ... Something New ... Something Available ... and Something To Look Forward To -- Not particularity in that order! :)

Hello out there!

Hope this blog post finds you well and happy in your corner of the world.  The holidays are over and I am now settling back into my art and plans for the new year.  This year, I am thinking full bodied dolls ... and much more ... winged things!  Kinda excited to put my plans in motion.  

Last year, I met a wonderful lady by the name of Rae Davis at Halloween and Vine ... the Halloween show I participated in last year.  She and her husband, Mark, are the owners and artists of Calaveras Coffin Co. (Their link is below.)  They specialize in handcrafted decorative coffins and unique Halloween decor.  They also feature various artist's one of a kind creations too!  If you love Halloween, you need to check them out!

I was so in love with their coffins, I just had to buy an unfinished one to see if I could sculpt on it. Roses, skulls, leaves and vines!  Tedious work to say the least, but I am loving the results and hope you like it too!  I will adding one of my characters to go inside.  This piece will be offered for purchase at a later date.

You can purchase a made to order coffin in various sizes, finished or unfinished (like mine below) or anywhere up to 6' tall with shelves in it!  The finished coffins are signed and dated. Please check out their facebook site and "like" their page.  smile emoticon

Calaveras Coffin Co.

https://www.facebook.com/calaverascoffinco/

Mark and Rae Davis -- (209) 768-8485

If you haven't stopped by the Charmed Confections Facebook page.  You should!  I would so appreciate a like from you.  Come follow my page!

https://www.facebook.com/Charmed-Confections-383766415066590

Here is a link to Halloween and Vine!  A wonderful Halloween Artist show featuring some of the best Halloween art out there.  It takes place in September of this year in Petaluma, CA.

https://www.facebook.com/halloweenandvine

I started with an unfinished coffin, beautifully made by Calaveras Coffin Co.  I sculpted all the roses, skulls, leaves and intertwining vines.  All hand done and very time consuming, but I love the results!  Now to paint, distress and spooky it up!  Then on to making the doll to go inside.

 The coffin had these beautiful cutouts on the sides.  I used stamped clay and placed them in the cutouts.  Clay tends to shrink when dry, so it was tricky to get it in there just perfect!

A close up of the roses and skulls! 

As mentioned in my last post, I wanted to share some of the works that I took to Halloween and Vine last year.  These charming characters are all hand sculpted and placed in wooden trunks that I  have aged using an array of mixed media.  

All these trunks are sold, I am thrilled to say.  It is truly a "pinch me moment" when your art sells.  I am so very thankful of my customers and collectors.  You keep me going!

 A cute wedding couple I call Dearly Beloved!

I love their wicked Bloody Mary cocktails with a bat for a garnish.

Lil Boo is seriously having ice cream envy!

Below are some pictures of my Ghoulie-Cakes that were at the show!  These are gone too!

 

Below is Frederick the Grinning Ghost!  He is the only piece I have currently available at this time.  You can find him in my Etsy shop.  Here is the link!  I have reduced his price!!  He is just as cute as can be and looking for a new home to haunt.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/252355605/charmed-confections-halloween-grinning

Sorry!  Fredrick is sold!  Thank you, Deb!  I truly appreciate your purchase.  

I hope Fredrick brings you lots joy and Halloween merriment to you home!

Well, that's about it for now.  I will post more pictures of  the coffin's progress.  I have my ideas and plans drawn out this year.  Now to achieve them!  A girl has got to dream BIG!

In the meantime, I hope you DREAM BIG too!  Do something that makes you happy!

Much love!

"A Wink and a Smile" -- New Christmas Charmed Confection

Hi Everyone!

Hopefully this post finds you well and happy!  Things have settled down in the Charmed Confections' studio and I'm back to blogging.  Nice to come back and look at my site and see how this year has unfolded for me.  Blogging reminds me somewhat of a diary ... (that everyone can read) ... but it also is a wonderful reminder of where I've been and where I am headed.  Looking back at the art created and my progression, I am so very thankful to be able to do what I love -- even if it is only part time due to the day job.  :)

But, before I get ahead of myself, I would like to say, "Thank You" to all of my followers and collectors.  Without you, my art has no wings!  I truly mean this.  There is no greater satisfaction than seeing someone delight in what you create.  I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for this opportunity to share a little of me with you!

Since I have not blogged in a while, there is so much to catch up on.  I will have to do it in a few postings.  My Halloween shows were wonderful!  Halloween and Vine in Petaluma, CA, once again, was a huge hit!  I just loved seeing my fellow artists and their amazing works!  This year the art was incredible!  Loved seeing some of my collectors again and meeting new ones too!  I have much to share on my Halloween art, but will post about that soon, giving you finished pictures of some of the art you didn't see here.

As for today, I would like to introduce you to "A Wink and a Smile".  This sweet Santa is going to be displayed in a local gallery here in Sacramento, CA.  The gallery is called, The Art of Toys.  You can visit it by going to www.artoftoys.com.  I belong to a local artist doll group called, DollWorks.  We have been invited to show and sell our art at the gallery.  I am really excited, as this will be my first piece ever in a gallery.  Sounds fancy!  Ha! Ha!  In all seriousness, I am thrilled by this opportunity.  Who would have thought my art would take me there?  I still consider myself as learning this art form.  I don't think that will ever go away.

Anyway, I hope you like him!  Santa is 15 1/2" tall - sculpted out of paper clay.

 
I also wanted to mention that I did a really dumb thing lately.  In deleting my spam emails, I happened to delete my entire inbox.  Yup!  Gone!  So, if you sent me an email in the past that I did not respond to, please forgive me.  I am starting from scratch again.  Drop me a line and I will get back to you. Promise!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Sending out big hugs to you all!