Pandora's Parlor

Antique Embalming Instruments and Other Cheerful Things

2012-01-19T18:36:00.000-08:00

I spent a good portion of last weekend totally revamping my booth at the Old Barn Antique Mall, adding lots of great new items.

I set up my Freak Show cases with a display of antique embalming instruments, from a Victorian home embalming kit, to a 1930s embalming pump.
Lots of goodies for the macabre-inclined!
Antique Uranium glass that glows eerily in the dark, along with a glow-in-the-dark Ouija board.
Lots of great vintage medical lab glass.
And last but not least, the lovely Rheanna from the Old Barn has totally transformed my jewelry cases into a treasure trove of unearthly delights!
Stop by for a spell!

Taxidermy Animals Come Alive!

2011-12-08T06:27:00.000-08:00

Ha! This is great!

Antique Victorian Real Human Medical Skeleton for Sale

2011-11-05T09:50:00.001-07:00

I have just listed the most amazing antique Victorian articulated skeleton to my website!
Just look at the wonderful patina to his old bones and the beautiful old brass hardware.
So hard to find such a nice Victorian full-sized man's skellie!
Mr. Boney is wonderful, quiet company and is always cheerful :-)
Click over to my website for more details about Mr. Boney.

Furball Friday

2011-11-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

I'm jumping on the Wild Thing bandwagon and celebrating Furball Friday here at the Parlor! Some of my furballs are living and some are in sweet repose.

Pandora with the beautiful green eyes.
Buster and Pandora.

Buster and me - where is Jenny Craig when we need her?!!

Victorian taxidermy cat - eerie!

Taxidermy Carcal cat.

Spooky eyes on this one.

OK - a definite lack of fur on this former furball. Took Jenny Craig too far ...

Cats with spots. Victorian mystery cat.

Creepy little leopard cat.

And finally my lovely bobcat.

Happy furball Friday to you all!

Decayed Elegance

2011-10-22T09:19:00.001-07:00

I came across this whimsical little film from Mulberry with the most enchanting interior.

It has the look of an old mansion being invaded by the woodland, very much like Wild Thing Sharon's post this week on her Air Bohemia blog, Feral.
I have always loved the look of crumbling plaster, old weathered floors ...

Elegant old stairways leading to adandoned rooms ...

A perfectly decrepit place where you could just move in your curious collections and be right at home with the past.

I once took a tour of an old mansion that was for sale in Virginia and it hadn't been lived in for over 40 years. There was one layer of old magnolia wallpaper that was peeling off in the parlor and everything was original in this 1840s house. The realtor was going on and on about how it could be fixed up and my husband said to him "You would be surprised at how little she would do to this place!" He knows me so well :-)

2011-10-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Well, it was a rough week for my kitty Pandora (AKA P.D.). She got out Monday night and we couldn't get her to come back in and we couldn't even find her the next morning. Finally she came bolting across the street from the bushes there. She got in a fight was one of the neighbor's cats and ended up with an abcess on her tail. I thought her tail was broken at first because she was dragging it along, but the vet said it is very common for a cat to get bit on the tail during a fight. PD must have been trying to run!

So the poor dear had to have a drain put in her tail and she couldn't stand having that horrible smell following her around for several days. There are two puncture wounds on her tail that look just like vampire bites!
She's doing better, but still on the mend. I had a very sleepless night Monday night (thanks PD!) and a big old headache on Tuesday and Thursday from the ordeal, but I still managed to get a few things done this week. It wasn't all moping around :-)
I posted more antique funeral photos to the Memento Mori section of my website. I love antique graveyard photos, they are great to prop up in cabinets next to other macabre items.

You can find these graveyard photos here.

And speaking of graveyards and ghostly things, I found this amazing antique Victorian paperweight with the most wonderful ghostly image of a lady inside. She is truly spooky! I have posted her to my website here.

Another great find this week was this antique embalming machine. It probably dates to about the 1930s or 40s and has two glass containers, one that says "Suction." Really a great old funeral home find! You can see it here.

I am always on the lookout for antique skeletons and other human bones and recently I found this amazing antique skeletal foot! It has he most wonderful old patina, like old ivory and the bones are all labeled. Very old piece and really great! You can see it here.

And last but not least is a new addition to the Mad Scientist section of my website. An antique child's medical brace. Very spooky old collar brace. Great for your mad scientist decor! You can find it here.

I have other antique medical braces, so be sure to stop by and take a look!

Well, I'm looking forward to a better week next week for both myself and PD. I hope your week is great :-)

Antique Funeral Vases, Framed Butterflies from the Akron, Antique Home Embalming Kit, Spooky Victorian Shadowbox, Post Mortem Pictures & Memento Mori

2011-10-08T06:39:00.000-07:00

I had a busy, productive week. Lots of hunting and searching for strange items to add to my website, many hours spent on the computer uploading photos for slideshows and website postings. And of course, a few more episodes of Dark Shadows :-) We are somewhere deep into 1968 and Angelique is now a vampire. I was doing some research online about "The Old House" where Barnabus lives and came across this great article all about the real house used for the outside pictures on the show. Seems it really was The Old House on an estate that included a larger mansion, Lyndhurst which was the house used in the Dark Shadows movies of the 1970s. Sadly The Old House burned down and all that is left is the basement.

A wonderful find this week! A very spooky Victorian wedding shadowbox featuring clasped hands made of wax. The clasped hands represented the loved ones and you will also see that image on gravestones at cemeteries.
I will be adding this to my website this weekend.
Also this week, I sold some fun things to one of my best customers, Julie. She collects antique funeral vases (among other fun macabre things!) and she has a large collection, including some of my all time favorites from my shop. She has most of these ...

Well, I ran across a really great pair of graveyard vases with crosses on them and they have a wonderful old patina and I knew Julie would love them. Also on her wish list was some of the old framed butterflies and moths from the now-defunct Akrons store. Akrons used to be a home furnishings store back in the 1960s and Julie was telling me how she wished she had bought some of the butterflies they carried in the little black frames. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon three of these little gems in my travels! They even have the little faded "Akron" sticker on the back. It was fun to be able to get Julie what she was looking for.If you have any special requests for odd items, be sure to drop me a line because you never know what I might find.

New to the website this week is the Antique Home Embalming Kit. A very creepy collectible direct from an old funeral home. Click here for more info.

Also just up on the website is a new section called Memento Mori where I showcase my extensive collection of antique post mortem photos and other Victorian death-related photos. A really haunting one is this cabinet card of a compellingly beautiful young lady with this sad newspaper clipping attached at the bottom. It reads ... Macdonald at 24 Barony Street, very suddenly on the 27th inst, Violet Hall, dearly beloved and only daughter of William and Janet Macdonald; sadly missed and deeply regretted. Funeral to-morrow (Saturday) at 3 pm. Click here to see this one.

Another haunting image is this home funeral for a child with an elaborate canopy above the tiny casket. Click here for this one.

And on a lighter note, you just have to get a pair of these 3D hologram glasses! Great to wear and freak out your friends, but my favorite thing to do is to use them as props.

My mannequins love them! Click here for your pair.

And for the conspiracy theory/alien invader crowd out there, I have a fun vintage press photo with a picture of a horse skeleton and a veterinarian and a caption all about how Snippy the Horse was believed to have been killed by "something not of this world." Good fun! Click here to check out Snippy's posthumous celebrity.Well, now I'm ready for a nice weekend - some time with the family and more items to add to the website. Have a great weekend yourself!

A Little Walk Through My Shop

2011-10-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

A pic of me with Mr. Boney, my Victorian skeleton.

And a little walk through my shop. If you see something you must have, email me for the price.

Very Swampy Electric Visual Photo Shoot

2011-10-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

The guys from Electric Visual (cool sunglasses, backpacks and such) saw my booth at the Old Barn and asked if they could rent out my living room to use for a photo shoot of items for their Spring 2012 catalog. Their concept was kind of a "True Blood" Louisiana swampy kind of thing. Like a back water cabin with old hunting things. So I brought home some of my stuffed alligators and skulls and they got to work.

They shot a lot of film in the house with my various props and then they discovered my husband's 1957 International truck out front and spent time setting up shots of their products in the cab and bed of his truck. I really enjoyed seeing the process of how a photo shoot is done.

I couldn't wait to see the finished catalog and finally a couple of copies arrived and guess what? The truck pictures were the main focus and only three shots were used with "my" props. One picture of ball caps and an out-of-focus stuffed gator in the background, one closeup of some tattered upholstery, and one leg from my albino racoon. LOL Well, you can imagine the fun my husband had with that! He wouldn't shut up about it all day. Oh well, at least I got a nice paycheck and it was fun watching the photo shoot and the guys from Electric Visual are really cool. Oh and the catalog is really well designed. It seems they ended up going with more of the textural pictures, not the literal ones and it was a good choice. They send me a CD of all the pictures, so here are some of the outtakes from the photo shoot.

One of the ideas was to shoot the wall of deer heads with dramatic up-lit shadows.

Mr Boney and a shot taken into the old ghostly mirror.

Even the raccoon head looks menacing with that uplighting.

Some skulls bleaching in the backyard.

The stuffed gator - the only star of the finished catalog besides my husband's old truck :-)

Edith, the albino raccoon got her moment in the spotlight. Even if she only has a leg showing in the printed catalog :-)

I liked the frog on the belts.

And finally, the famous truck cab where all the action ended up in the printed catalog.

And my happy husband, who got a new pair of sunglasses out of the deal.

Shrunken Heads and Voodoo Heads

2011-09-30T05:26:00.000-07:00

I have been a little obsessed with shrunken heads lately. I was remembering back to when my cousins brought one back from Disneyland in the 1960s and I was intrigued and repulsed by it at the same time. Yes, we're talking about fake rubber shrunken heads. Then later, I remember building a room screen and it was going to have a voodoo-type theme, so I put these undulating copper points at the top and wanted to put a row of rubber shrunken heads all along the top edge. But this was before the internet and the only place I could remember seeing those rubber shrunken heads was Disneyland. One of my co-worker's wives worked at Disneyland so I tried to get her to pick me up a dozen or so shrunken heads, but that never worked out. And there's no way I'm venturing over to the land of enchantment, or whatever they call it because this hermit never goes where there are that many people! So now that I have my own shop space, I can let my love for shrunken heads finally run rampant. I have three of the better quality faux heads under glass.
Lots of the great old school rubber ones - they come in two sizes!

These are my favorites, they are so creepy and a little larger than the rubber guys.

And then, for Halloween, I got these great over-the-top voodoo heads! All styles are available on my website.

So aside from wallowing in shrunken head, this week I continued watching old episodes of Dark Shadows. I am torturing my husband with them :-) As a kid, we watched Dark Shadows every afternoon and then we would walk down the street to this creepy house that had a sign out front that said "The Kellers" - which of course we called "The Killers" house. There we would do a little dance in honor of Angelique, our favorite character. I remember looking in the mirror and hoping I would end up looking like Angelique. Well, the blonde hair is similar :-) I do believe being raised on Dark Shadows explains a lot about why I am the way I am!

Also this week, I sold the skeleton I had listed on my website to a lovely couple. I was sad to see him go because he was really a cool skellie. Now I am down to two skeletons, but have a lead on another. And so with a little more jingle in my pocket, it was on to finding more fun macabre things to put on my site.

I found this fabulous old mummified bat in his own little glass casket. This little gem is one I will keep (at least for awhile!). I love to collect things that look like they were owned by a warlock or something. I had a mummified frog in a jar once that was supposed to have been actually the property of a practicing warlock!

This little guy is great and I love his glass casket.

Another fun find this week was this display case with casket shoes inside. The shoes have a label patented and dated 1915, but I'm guessing the case is from the 1930s. These have a really spooky vibe and I love to find anything from an antique funeral home that is unique! I will be keeping this treasure for myself.

The case hangs on the wall and the glass slides open for further perusal of the delicate slippers.

The label inside the slippers says McCamish and is patented 1915.

I also found a pair of lilac pumps in their original box. Practical burial wear! They lace up the back to make them easier to put on the rather stiff feat of the dear departed.

I guess I am having a coffin shoe obesssion this week.

Another fun find was this antique home embalming kit from about 100 years ago. It has a wonderfully dilapidated case, two large glass embalming jars and some seriously crusty old embalming tubing. I will be posting this beauty to my website this weekend.

Check out the orbs in the last photo! This thing has a serious strange vibe to it - and no wonder when you think of where it has been and what was done.

Well, I think that pretty much covers my week and my latest obsessions. I hope your week was great!

Pandora's Parlor in Cottages & Bungalow Magazine!

2011-09-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

Pandora's Parlor is featured in this month's Cottages & Bungalow magazine!

Several items from my shop were used for one of the Halloween decorating articles.
My faux Raven seems to have found a starring role.

They also used one of my skull replicas, a pretty silverplate candeabra and several potion bottles.

I have to say it was not the most pleasant experience dealing with the Cottages & Bungalows' stylist and I'm sure that is why I wasn't asked for any information on my items. They failed to credit the wonderful Halloween ornaments created by The Holiday Queen Melissa Valeriote. You can find these amazingly creepy ornaments here at her site.

These are the two pictures that have the Pandora's Parlor items featured.

The "Toad's Breath" potion bottle is one I purchased from Gothic Rose Antiques. Another mention that would have been nice in the article!

The Birds are Here!

2011-08-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

The new flock of birds have arrived at Pandora's Parlor. Enter at your own risk!

Mark Bouvier on Board at Pandora's Parlor!

2011-08-02T18:00:00.001-07:00

If you notice some really wicked humor in the descriptions on my website, that is because my nephew Mark Bouvier has now joined the Pandora's Parlor team and is uploading items to the site!

I'm so happy to have Mark on board and I know my customers will enjoy his wonderfully warped sense of humor :-) Thanks Mark!

Dirt Devil Exorcist Commercial

2011-07-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this? It is great!

Vintage Real Human Skeleton for Sale!

2011-07-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

A wonderful new find! A vintage (1930s-1950s) real human medical teaching skeleton! I love skeletons and couldn't pass this one up. Comes on its vintage stand and has a lovely old patina to the bones.

Click over to my website for more details!

I Heart Skull Necklaces!

2011-07-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

I'm a fan of old medical engravings of skulls and other body parts, so I put together a nice collection of some of my favorites. You can buy these hand-made soldered art glass pendants on my website here. Who wouldn't want a nice necklace with guts on it?

And of course a lovely, romantic heart.
I'm ramping up to finally get my shop items posted to my website, so check back often for thrilling and sometimes ghastly new items!

Haunted House Decor

2011-06-19T10:47:00.001-07:00

Here are some vignettes from my house. I like to surround myself with things of a ghostly nature. I call it haunted house decor! I recently put this curio cabinet in my living room after "ebonizing" it - with a light coat of black paint. I like to have some nice black accents in my living room, but it is not all black as one might imagine. I tend towards more of the brown tones, with touches of black and other colors. Here is one of my vintage mannequin torsos with an antique wedding dress of perfectly shattered silk - all hanging in tatters like wraith from a tomb.I like these eerie pale parian statues of mourning ladies and this creepy, taxidermied eel that looks a bit like one of the sand worms from Beetlejuice.I recently purchased several items from a man with a great collection of curiosities. One of these pieces was this giraffe leg and a strange taxiermy cat.

My favorite thing of all is my antique medical skeleton, Lizzie. Skeletons make nice, quiet company! Lizzie likes to be surrounded with peacock feathers and her kitty.

Here is my seance table with a strange plaster head and a crystal ball from Marie Laveau's granddaughter's estate. I love the tattered upholstery on this settee, like it is straight from some old forgotten mansion.

I like this shot with the deer heads on the wall reflected in the mirror.

Ghostly fun!

Haunted Antiques

2011-06-17T04:56:00.001-07:00

Victorian 1890s antique coffin with ghost! As soon as I brought this beauty home, things started flying off the shelves! And then when I brought it to The Old Barn Antiques Mall it wasn't there for more than a few nights, when the overhead light in my booth not only fell to the ground for no good reason, but it landed several feet away from where you would think it would land - upside down without breaking the lights! We were all kind of amazed by the whole thing and now there's talk at the Barn of not only their resident ghost, Esmeralda, but now the ghost of the haunted coffin!

Just like that new show, Haunted Collector where John Zaffis goes around investigating hauntings to see if they are caused by a possessed possession!
I have always been drawn to items with that certain "vibe" to them, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were more ghosts to be found amongst the things I have for sale! Especially lovely old things like this hair wreath and funeral photos.

I have some great items in now for your cabinet of curiosities - a movie prop mummified head, great mad scientist bottles, antique syringes and vintage embalming bottles.

"Gaff" shrunken heads under glass, an albino squirrel and a cat skull used in New Orleans voodoo ceremonies!

An albino muskrat, a very strange old wax doll and an antique coffin catalogue.

Wax death max from New Orleans, creepy old ventriloquist dolls - a "Quiet Please" sign from a funeral home.

A plethora of dolls to give you nightmares ...

Antique ouija boards, death masks and a scary movie prop head.

Victorian undertaker's cooling table with items in bins for my crafy clients. Old bones, rusty things, beads and buttons.

Potion bottles, funeral urns and a nicely framed piranha.

A very large framed certificate for a course in dissection and a lovely antique wax orange blossom bridal headpiece.

My jewelry cases are full of wonderfully strange thing to wear!

Stop by and meet the ghost!

New Antiques and Oddities at Pandora's Parlor

2011-06-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

New arrivals at Pandora's Parlor and I have expanded into a second booth!
I should be all set up by next weekend, but here is a sneak peak of what I have so far ...

Cabinets of curiosities ...

A Victorian medical teaching skeleton - Mr. Boney ...

Crystal balls, crows and funeral urns ...

These bronze funeral urns are especially beautiful.

Taxidermy coyote heads - a black coyote and a regular one.

A ghostly mannequin lady in an 1890s coffin ...

A huge theatrical poster of Eclipse just above the Victorian cooling table ...

Fun hats, from Odd Fellows ceremonial helmets, to monster hats ...

A grand poo-bah style Odd Fellows hat and a lovely antique top hat ...

Come by and take a look! Next weekend I will be adding more :-)

Antique Parlor Set with Original Upholsery

2011-02-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

I am always fascinated by antiques that retain their original upholstery. It is very hard to find anything that hasn't been redone many times over the last one hundred years. Recently I found a lovely three-piece parlor set with the original mohair and satin damask upholstery! The upholstery design is the same as this old illustration from a Victorian catalog.

Beautiful old mohair that is muted like old velvet.
Pretty satin damask in contrasting colors (settee is peach, chair is green and extra wide chair is blue). The seats need to be recovered but that would be a pretty easy fix. I love the old gimp and decorative tacks!
Due to a lack of space, I am going to have to let this set go. So if you are in the Southern California area, this beautiful piece of original oak Victoriana is for sale! Please email if interested. My email button is on the right column.

Cool Skulls

2011-02-02T17:37:00.000-08:00

I sent one of my realistic skull replicas to my best friend Tinker and she made him right at home in her Atomic Universe. Her new skull looks very pleased to be cozying up to the fabulous Tink!

Click over to my website to get your own skull to pal around with!

Victorian Mystery Taxidermy Cat

2011-01-07T17:01:00.001-08:00

Here is my new Victorian "mystery" cat. It is a bizarre antique taxidermy and I'm not sure what it is supposed to be. It is too small to be a leopard and it has a dark stripe down its back, which I don't see on any other wild african cats. I love the cartoon-like tail!

Whatever it was supposed to be, it has a fun weirdness about it that is perfect for my collection.

Pandora the kitty isn't sure about it either :-)

Freak Show

2011-01-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

Here are some images I created to use on a new display cabinet I found. These were inspired by old Freak Show photos.

Antiques and Odd Fellows

2010-12-19T11:34:00.000-08:00

I love old Masonic and Odd Fellows items. I have a nice collection of these fraternal oddities at my booth right now.

An amazing antique velvet ceremonial costume with the Odd Fellows All Seeing Eye on the front.
An antique Odd Fellows Egyptian costume with a strange little taxidermy lion

next to it.A perfect victorian coffin-shaped plant stand.

As always, skulls and more skulls.

Eerie antique anatomical images on pendants. Give the heart to the one you love!

Edgar Allen Poe and his raven.

Antique ouija boards and Carole Lombard with her black cat.

Stop by the Parlor to find the perfect Holiday gift for that special someone on your list!

Dramatic Taxidermy

2010-12-13T17:44:00.000-08:00

I was very inspired by Morgan Mavis of The Contemporary Zoological Conservatory with the way she displays her taxidermy collection. She has a large room and uses large heads to great effect. I decided to do a wall of deer heads and it has been in the works for a while and today I found the perfect final deer for that wall. This lovely vintage white deer from Texas!

I love the drama on my 12 foot wall of the large deer heads.
Two of the deer are looking off in one direction, adding a real sense of life to the display.
I highly recommend going for a big statement if you have a nice big wall to work with! I'm thinking maybe a group of jackal heads next time :-)

Skulls and Funeral Ribbons

2010-12-11T14:24:00.000-08:00

I'm having fun on a Saturday afternoon, getting items ready for my booth. I have a lot of great skulls for everyone on your holiday gift-buying list. White skulls, aged skulls and my favorite, the disinterred look!

An antique funeral ribbon with its original box containing a funeral dirge.
Antique embalming bottles on my back shelf awaiting price tags.

A curious old coyote rug.

And Pandora the cat doing a little fortune telling. While she isn't called PD (Pandora's Destruction) for nothing, she is not for sale :-)

Christmas Tree Lighting in San Juan Capistrano on Saturday!

2010-12-03T04:43:00.000-08:00

Please be sure to stop by Pandora's Parlor at the Old Barn Antique Mall on Saturday night! We will be open late for the town's annual Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. All the shops in the historic downtown stay open late and it's a fun time. I will be at my booth along with my witchy friend Jacquie - she will be reading tarot cards for customers. So come on out and join the revelry!

I am having a 10% off sale for the entire month of December. It's a great time to buy that perfect macabre holiday gift!

I'm Dreaming of a Dark Christmas

2010-11-27T13:41:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again! Time for twisted black Yuletide trees with absinthe-green balls.

Dreary pictures of funerals and bottles of potions.
Death masks under glass and displays of teeth.

Snarling taxidermy bobcats and more death masks.

More teeth displays and a mummified squirrel.

Old leather cases with a doctor's vials of arcane cures.

More antique dental displays and stuffed alligators.

Strange antique black cats and taxidermied bats.

Spider jewelry . . .

And mysterious Masonic jewelry. Something for everyone on your Christmas list!

Antique Coffins and Other Cheerful Decor

2010-11-10T06:32:00.000-08:00

A visit to my living room. I love antique coffins and taxidermy.

My antique skeleton and seance area.

Skeletons make for good company. Nice and quiet!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

Antique Taxidermy and Old Bones

2010-10-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

A few new items from my booth ...

Antique taxidermied psychic raccoon and witch ball - perfect company for your next seance!

Antique photo of a strange cat.
Dead pale mannequin hand and some witchy bedtime reading.

Bizarre antique Anatomical book with creepy vein guy on the cover.

Various old skulls and bones and an antique grouse foot pin for your kilt.

Antique 1920s salesman's coffin sample book with page after page of lovely satin-lined coffins, a sailor's hand-carved death fetish, a joined-hands grave ornament and some spider jewelry.

This is a good week to stop by the Parlor, as everything is 10% off until Halloween! Happy Haunting!

Antique Death Masks

2010-10-12T20:04:00.001-07:00

I have several antique death masks at my booth right now.

Delightfully creepy!
The perfect compliment for your decor at this spooky time of year!

Halloween Pendants!

2010-10-07T17:26:00.001-07:00

I have some fun soldered Halloween pendants at my booth, just in time for all your Halloween festivities!

Vintage images of Halloweens of the past, fun costumes and much frolicking!
A witch girl.

My favorite, the Naughty Girl :-)

Lots of clowns ...

A bat girl.

Pumpkins of course.

And there's always a devil in the crowd.

Halloween at Pandora's Parlor

2010-09-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

Smile! It's time to bring out the Halloween decorations!Time for creepy old doll heads - as many as you can find and preferably in old glass canisters!

Time for happy Halloween faces.

And not so happy ones.

I have a flock of black ravens and crows at my booth, so enter at your own risk!

Cheerful pictures of cemeteries.

Doll arms for your projects.

Eyeball keychains - love these!

Dead white mannequin hands.

Strange antique dolls and Steampunk lamps.

Fun, frightening masks and other Halloween goodies.

Haunted changing photos.

Skeletons and more skeletons.

Stop by for a spell!

Soldered Seashell Bottles at Pandora's Parlor

2010-07-30T06:48:00.001-07:00

Summer's here and it's time for a trip to the beach. And if you can't get to the beach, the beach can come to you!

I have a whimsical collection of soldered seashell bottles and lovely watercolor mermaid prints at my booth right now.
The mermaid prints are by my dad, David Irvine (my favorite artist!) and the soldered bottles are some of my creations.

The perfect magical summertime look for your beach cottage.

Stop by and take a look!

Have a lovely summer :-)

Antique Anatomy Charts and Other Strange Things

2010-06-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Parlor! Here are a few new fun things I have at my booth ...
1940s Frog Anatomy Chart

Strange vintage african genet cat.

Antique taxidermy bobcat and old gator heads.

Very early ventriloquist dolls - spooky!

Strange items in the case, including vintage plaster teeth and creepy doll heads.

Vintage taxidermy gator and antique goggles.

Old mourning photos and a suitably serious raccoon.

More vintage teeth.

Antique taxidermy doe head.

Very scary antique doll.

1920s beauty parlor chair - all original!

Early 1930s permanent wave machine - The Electrocutioner!

Has all its original parts, including all the bakelite bits.

Art Nouveau clock case - great to use as a vase.

Old laboratory bottles, antique baby head with crown and other fun things.

Please stop by and take a look!

Antique Oddities

2010-05-30T07:33:00.000-07:00

A little visit to my living room ...

Antique taxidermy form of a fox and albino deer head.

Another antique taxidermy form.
Taxidermy goose.

Flying goose - one of my all time favorites.

Old weathered skull.

Steampunk things.

Mummified frog under glass.

Death masks.

Victorian shore birds.

Little Shop of Horrors

2010-05-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

My dad calls my booth the Little Shop of Horrors. Here is the lastest from that spooky little place ....

Mattie, a favorite haunted doll, next to an antique photo of a graveyard.

Various spooky old dolls, including a metal-head Minerva named Ruby from haunted Atchison, Kansas.
Old copper gas pump nozzles - they have a wonderful sculptural quality to them.
Black forest towel rack with original antique velvet and old wavy glass.

Edwardian print of a mysterious lady - the eyes follow you around the room! Also a life/death mask of a lady from the 1930s - created by a forensic doctor trying to recreate the face of a lady that died tragically.

Antique beauty shop chair with wonderful original patina.

Antique yacht light, gorgeous old copper with a wonderful patina and a mirrored surface inside. Sooooo fabulous!

Vintage trouble light next to a boar's skull.

Antique clock dial with lovely age to it.

Vintage taxidermy bobcat - fierce!

Antique doll's head with old dark goggles.

Antique doll and collection of black amethyst glass.

Antique Bubbles doll head with crown "Queen of Flora."

Glow in the dark ouija board and coyote skull.

Mad scientist's beakers, potion bottles and wonderful antique projector.

Antique photo of funeral in the parlor.

Victorian Taxidermy Auction

2010-04-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

My dad told me he saw something on the news about an auction of Victorian taxidermy. Check out this article - over 200 pieces from the Brading Collection, on the Isle of Wight were sold.

It was a museum of oddities that included amazing Victorian taxidermy, a yeti, a mermaid and a kitten with wings!

My kind of auction - wish I had been there!

2010-04-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

A little walk through my booth ...

Coming Soon to Pandora's Parlor!

2010-04-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Electrifying new items! Queen Victoria meets Frankenstein's Laboratory! A little bit industrial and a whole lot dark and gothic. Rev up your steam engines and stop by for a visit!

Gothic Wallpaper

2010-04-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Hey what a great idea ... a wall mural of a suitably creepy image! I want one of these for my house!

Maybe this image of lichen for a small wall ...

Lightning would be great too.

These images are from The Custom Wallpaper Blog.
Also, check out The Steampunk Home blog to see a really cool design with a wall mural for a bedroom makeover.

Ghosts and Antiques

2010-03-23T18:37:00.001-07:00

I like to buy antiques that feel "haunted" to me. As a sensitive person, I feel that I can tap into the world just beyond this one and I like to surround myself with things that have a ghostly vibe. Like this antique movie projector from the teens ... when I look at that collection of fabulous gears, I can almost see the ghosts of the silent screen flickering on the wall.

Antique taxidermy packs a powerful animal vibe. The wildness of the creature lives on.
Graceful photos and statues of ladies long gone bring their spirits out as twilight nears.

Rare and beautiful, and ghostly white ... albino taxidermy is one of my favorite things.
And last of all, the haunted monkey's paw. Be careful what you wish for!

Have a nice evening with all of your ghosts!

Steampunk Decor at Pandora's Parlor

2010-02-28T14:31:00.000-08:00

I have added some really fun early machine age items to my booth, along with some great industrial finds. I love Steampunk!

Antique welding goggles and check out the Edwardian slide projector - it's copper!
Antique tree stands used as vases for dried roses and peacock feathers add the perfect vintage industrial look!
And my ever present collection of Victorian mourning items, like this statue of a lady in mourning and photos of funerals.

Vintage taxidermy forms with fashionable attire!

An armload of soldered pendants.

Stop by for a look - I have lots of fun new things!

Anatomy Lesson

2010-02-21T07:01:00.001-08:00

These photos are fabulous! From Elle Italia by Ruven Afanador from 2008 - fun stuff!

Valentine's Sale at Pandora's Parlor

2010-02-08T11:48:00.001-08:00

I will be having a 10% off sale for Valentine's Weekend. Four days of great buys!

Sweet Art Nouveau boudoir chair with Valentine heart cut out - $225 Lucious pottery in shades of burgundy and claret $15 and up.

Pink and red glassware for a magical evening! $8 and up.

Vintage book on the Great Lover Valentino $35.

Stop by for some romance and fun!

Haunted Portraits

2010-02-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

Stop by and see my collection of haunted portraits. They change right in front of your eyes!

Fabulous First Two Weeks!

2010-01-31T14:46:00.000-08:00

Well the first two weeks at the Old Barn Antique Mall have been great! Lots of people stopping by to take a look and buy things. Here is a little movie of my space ...

Pandora's Parlor at The Old Barn Antique Mall in San Juan Capistrano!

2010-01-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

Great news! I have opened a booth at The Old Barn Antique Mall in San Juan Capistrano!

I have everything from lush antique curtains and fabrics to a cabinet of curiosities!

While setting up the space, one lady said "Oh it is beautiful! Spooky, but beautiful! Just the look I was going for :-)

I am carrying giclee prints of my father's magical art - mermaids, fairies and Victorian ladies. The perfect compliment to your antique decor!

In addition to the antiques and magical supplies I have for sale, I have a corner at the back with lots of antique items for artists and crafters. Here you will find ephemera packages which include antique and beautiful papers, ribbon and embellishments - all fun old stuff!

Also, old silverplate flatware to use in projects, rusty old bedsprings, old cabinet cards and tintypes and antique buttons. If you are in the area, be sure to come by and look through it all!

So stop by and visit me at The Old Barn Antique Mall! The Old Barn is open 7 days a week, from 10 am to 5 pm.

Teesha Moore Inspiration

2009-10-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been having fun creating art journal pages inspired by Teesha Moore. Throwing caution to the wind and just letting myself go! I still have to add the journal words to this page ...

The New Antiquarians

2009-09-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

Oooooh - have you seen this article? It is all about the "dark nostalgia" decorating style. Just my cup of tea!

Ephemera Lady

2009-09-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

Art Nouveau Chairs

2009-08-28T08:09:00.001-07:00

I found three fabulous Art Nouveau chairs from the late 1800s at the Orange Circle with very old swirly mohair fabric! I'm not sure if it is the original fabric (might be), but it certainly goes beautifully with the curvy lines of the chairs.

So then the search was on for a table that would go with them. I found this fabulous table on Craig's List and I like the curved lines of the brackets and the whimsical ball design too.

I had the chairs reupholstered using the old mohair fabric and now I just have to find the right gimp and trim and I will put that on myself.

Having only three chairs actually works perfectly for me because where the fourth chair would go is the walkway through to the kichen. Ah the joys of a tiny house!

I'm liking my new table and chairs!

Moonlight

2009-08-22T09:56:00.001-07:00

Here is a new creation of mine. I love walking in midnight gardens, which is the inspiration for this.

I love the red flowers, which I found at Paper Whimsy. They have the most amazing images! I found the moth, moon and crown there also.

Now on to the next project!

Enchanted Cottage

2009-01-14T17:19:00.001-08:00

Lately I've been pondering paint choices for my house and I was doing a Google search for "purple house" when I stumbled upon the wonderful website of a very talented lady, Lucinda Hutson. She writes books about cooking with herbs and specializes in organic gardening and garden design.

Her house and gardens are absolutely magical! I sent a link to her website to a bunch of my friends and we all agreed that we want to live in her house! Her fearless and beautiful use of color is a joy to look at.

She has many gardens, including an area called the Mermaid Grotto.

Also, an entertaining area where she hosts her famous Dia de los Muertos parties.

I want her to design a garden for me! She is a wonderful inspiration, be sure to take a look at her website. Another fun link is this gardening blog that did a piece on her - check it out!

After the Christmas Decor is put away ...

2008-12-30T09:17:00.001-08:00

Well, Christmas is over and the Christmas decorations are packed away ... now there is more room for my collections :-) I recently found a fabulous 1920s Wilton carpet for my living room and I love love love it!

The colors are perfect for me! And the deco take on the persian design is so fun!

My parian statue of Flora is glancing over at the bare breasted lady in the photo ...

And a recently acquired relic from Theresa at Time Worn Interiors - fun!

A little display by my front door ...

I added an Aesthetic velvet fabric piece for my possum and laughing baby statue to sit on ...

A few old photos of pugs next to the couch ...

And a beautiful silverplate frame for my dresser with a picture of Mary Miles Minter in it.

I love to surround myself with old things!

Fantasy Art for the Holidays

2008-12-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for the perfect whimsical holiday gift? How about a lovely original watercolor by my favorite artist - my dad David Irvine!

I love to tuck these paintings in among my collections where they can shine with their jewel-like watercolor washes.

My favorite one in this group is his mermaid with baby sea otter!

Add one to your collection of beautiful things, or to give as the perfect gift.

Working on my Path

2008-11-25T17:32:00.000-08:00

Well, there was a change in plans on my mosaic pathway. I had to take out several feet of the design due to a low spot. Gone are the mirror swirls! But not to worry, we decided to put some flagstone in to raise the level and then I'm mosaicing in between the bigger cracks in the stones and I'm liking how it is coming out. I will tie the flagstones into the mosaic path on our next flagstone-laying session. Ah, the never-ending project!

Fairy Soap Box for Sale!

2008-11-19T16:54:00.001-08:00

I'm listing a few of my antiques on ebay. If you like magical antiques, be sure to check out my latest listing - a wonderful antique Fairbanks Fairy Soap Box - the Christmas edition.

I just love the litho of the fairy - the colors are beautiful and the gold accents are stunning. I particularly like how the water stains give it an even better antique patina. You can click on the photo (below) to see it bigger.

Pretty Little Things

2008-11-13T16:47:00.001-08:00

Here are a few vingettes of some of my collections.

Ladies of the Art Nouveau era are a favorite of mine.

Lately I have been searching out beautiful antique frames and pairing them with photos of turn-of-the-century ladies, usually showgirls or other languid beauties.

I especially love antique frames with a nature motif. My sister Barbara gave me this one and it is my favorite! I found a beautiful picture of Evelyn Nesbit to put in it. Evelyn was the original Gibson Girl, but in this photo she looks like a woodland nymph.

Somehow the Victorian taxidermied birds fit in really well ...

And in my lavender bedroom, more of my favorite things.

Magnolia Pearl Style

2008-09-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

Wow - I'm so excited! My favorite designer, Robin Brown of Magnolia Pearl fame, came out with her first book - and it's a beauty! I have been carrying this book with me back and forth to work all of last week so I can look at the gorgeous interiors whenever I get a chance. If you are a fan of lush Victorian style interiors with a funky psychedelic edge, this book is for you! I love Robin's description of her unique style - What you would get "if Queen Victoria had partied with Janis Joplin and Alice in Wonderland ..." Fun!

I have been gleaning bits of decorating advice from my new favorite book and one thing Robin recommends is buying or salvaging objects that really speak to you with their beauty. I found just such an object recently at Gothic Rose Antiques. A gorgeous pier mirror with a lovely plume design at the top. My sister Barb is bringing it down from the wilds of Northern CA this weekend and I will see it in person tomorrow!

Another great idea from Robin's book is to take clippings of vines and drape them around your rooms. My husband trimmed back the old elm tree today, so I brought some branches inside and put them over the curtain rod in the living room and voila! Instant nature indoors!

So if Bohemian Luxe, Victorian Hippy is your style, run, don't walk to your nearest bookstore and get Robin's book (or just click over to amazon.com like I did : - ) you will not be disappointed!!

A Little Progress

2008-09-08T18:23:00.000-07:00

I've gotten a little farther down the pathway, but it is taking longer than I thought. Lots of little bits and pieces and they take time. Also, I've been kinda lazy :-)

Oh well, I should still finish this soon (I hope!).

Monday's Mosaics

2008-08-18T16:02:00.000-07:00

More progress on the neverending mosaic pathway. The last two days have been slow going, with lots of little fiddly bits to deal with. But I think it will be easier going tomorrow because I have some open areas where I can slap down some big pieces of tile.

My dad said that now I know how the guy that built the Watts Towers feels! He's right!

More Madness!

2008-08-17T12:40:00.001-07:00

More mosaic madness for my August vacation! I still have quite a ways to go on this project, but I am optomistic that I can get it done during my week off next week.

I have morphed the rivers of mirror into swirls. I wanted to have a bit of a design at the last part by the front steps, but I didn't want it to deviate too far from the impressionistic feel of the rest of the pathway.

I'll do a bit of grouting tomorrow morning and then I'll keep working my way to the front door.

The Yalaha

2008-07-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

My Yalaha from Lagniappe Mosaics arrived! This gorgeous creation by Andree LeBlanc has added major magic mojo to my front yard :-) My husband insists on calling it a wind chime, but when you're a Yalaha, you are much more than a wind chime!

Andree is an amazing artist and she excels not only with her design, but her quality of work. Every garden should have one of these!

The Yalaha dances in the wind and the mirror parts catch the light - casting firefly bits of reflected light all around the garden!

Meanwhile, I am still working on my mosaic walkway. I made a little more progress this weekend in spite of a sore knee. And my husband helped with a big grouting fest on Saturday morning.

Stay tuned for the finale in late August!!

Since Miss Havisham Came to Stay

2008-07-20T09:18:00.001-07:00

Miss Havisham is a very creepy life-size creation made by an artist friend of mine, Greg Harris. Better known for his wonderful impressionist paintings, he was inspired to create Miss Havisham after seeing Great Expectations as a teenager. Well, when Greg found out that I like to collect strange and creepy things, he decided that he would give Miss Havisham to me. She had been standing in a dark and dusty corner of his mom's house for many years - I guess his mom has nerves of steel!

Greg brought Miss Havisham over to my parent's house so I could pick her up there and that's when the fun began :-) Having quite a disturbing presence, my mom and dad looked for a place to put her where she wouldn't give them the willies so they stood her up in their guest room. They found it was just the thing when someone stopped by to visit to send them back to the guest room on the pretense of looking for something they needed, only to be frightened out of their wits by Miss Havisham standing there glancing sidelong at them. I understand my nephew Mark had this particular trick played on him quite effectively :-)

Eventually I got a call from my parents and they said I better come by and pick her up SOON. So Miss Havisham came to stay and my husband took quite a liking to her - calling her Miss Have-a-shoe for some strange reason. We had her standing in the living room at first, but even with my love for all things strange and scary, she was a bit too much for me, so I relocated her to the guest room (now the storage room of old house parts). Well, after a big garage sale and much moving around of old odds and ends from the old house parts room, she ended up in the living room in a chair, positioned somehow to be staring her dreadful stare right at my seat on the couch. I see my husband's hand in this ...

OK - I could take it - I love this stuff right? Well, it was all good, but then the husband decided to go shooting in the desert with the guys and left me home with Miss Havisham alone all night. I made the mistake of renting that scary movie The Orphange. So about halfway through this creepy thriller, I had had all of Miss Havisham's stare that I could take. I took off for my bedroom, locking the bedroom door behind me and escaped into reading Renovating Old Houses - a book recommended by Old House Slave, John of The Devil Queen blog fame. Luckily, reading about remedies for sagging foundations and rotten sill plates took my mind off our houseguest in the living room and I was able to get a good night's sleep.

This morning, I moved Miss Havisham back to the old house parts room where she is currently presiding over the various ghosts of several old houses and a few spiders - and I have reclaimed the living room for the living :-)

El Chupacabra

2008-07-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

"EL CHUPACABRA”

The story of its origin is shrouded in almost as much mystery as the creature itself. A real-life vampire, or a figment of the overactive imaginations of superstitious people? You be the judge:

This artifact is said to be the genuine mummified foot of "El Chupacabra." The unidentified animal that it came from was killed by a native who was hunting in a remote region of Puerto Rico's Yunque rainforest in 1994. Several years later the native traded his trophy foot to a local farmer, who in turn sold it to a team of naturalists on assignment in the area. This is the only tangible piece of evidence produced to this date and scientists have yet to match the DNA to any existing species in their databank.

Purportedly first spotted in Puerto Rico in the mid 1990’s, The Chupacabra has been leaving fear in its wake for many years now. Named in Spanish for the way it sucks the blood from its victims, “El Chupacabra” translates to "the goat sucker." Although it was named for its apparent preference for goat-blood, the Chupacabra has reportedly mutilated and fed on the blood of a wide variety of domestic animals. Because of its distinct feeding technique, Chuppa attacks are unmistakable from attacks by other wild animals. Victims are found with puncture wounds on their necks with their blood completely siphoned from their bodies. Often the victim's organs, such as the liver, are missing even though the only wound is a small hole in the animal's neck. These methodical attacks are executed with such absolute efficiency that often there is not even of drop of blood spilled on the ground around the victim. There have also been strange reports of laser-like cuts on the victims. Although some people claim they have seen the footprints of the elusive Chuppa, in many of the attacks, there are no tracks around the victim. As of yet, there are no documented assaults on humans, but many feel a human fatality is merely a matter of time...

Theories of its origin are greatly varied. Taxonomists postulate that it may be a new species related to panthers. Cryptozoologists say it’s a prehistoric reptile. Other eccentrics insist it’s an extraterrestrial. A related theory suggests that an alien spacecraft containing Chupacabras ( kept as pets, or science specimens ) crashed, thus accidentally releasing them. Originally thought to only be menacing Puerto Rico and South America, the Chupacabra has since been spotted in many locations around the globe, including the United States. Proponents of the crashed spcaecraft theory also suggest that an unstable portal from another dimension is temporarily allowing them to materialize in random locations throughout the world. Regardless of their origin, one thing is for certain, they are a formative predator, hunting down their prey and killing with virulent cunning. In either case, supernatural or of a cryptozoological nature, El Chupacabra remains a mystery for the time being. Whichever theory you believe, none of the theorists have yet to provide definitive proof that the Chupacabra actually exists, but the sightings and mutilations prove something's out there. Whether a cryptoid or space alien, its actual identity has been left to speculation."– Dr. Rod J. Schvelding ©2008

I recently added this amazing specimen to my weird artifacts collection - the foot of a Chupacabra!

Ahh! Summer Vacation!

2008-07-16T12:32:00.000-07:00

Finally a week off! I am thoroughly enjoying my summer vacation : - ) I’ve been busy as a bee working on lots of projects. I’m continuing my mosaic walkway out front and I should be able to finish that in August when I have another week off. I have 83 hours in on it so far (gasp!) But after this week I feel that I have made great progress on it and am thrilled that there is an end in sight!
I have also been working on our outdoor fireplace using broken mirror on the inside to reflect the flames. The effect is so magical, but so hard to photograph! To get the full effect, you will just have to drop by some evening and see for yourself : - )

There is a mosaic swirl at the top of the broken mirror.

And finally, I recently ordered a fabulous mosaic piece from a very talented mosaic artist in Florida, Andree Le Blanc of Lagniappe Mosaic. She makes mirror and stained glass wind chimes that she calls Yalahas – and she is making a custom one for my front garden!

Check out her website to see how beautiful these things are!

Too Busy Laying Around

2008-06-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been way too lazy these days and need to get myself up off the couch and do some more posting! I'll dust the cobwebs off my camera and get going again this weekend I promise!

Monet Waterlilies

2008-02-01T17:35:00.000-08:00

I am in the impressionist painting mood and Monet is one of my favorites. His series of waterlilies paintings are marvelous and so inspiring!

Several years ago I did a needlepoint for an antique chair of mine loosely based on one of his waterliliy paintings. Here are some pictures of that chair ...

I did a long slanted stitch to simulate painterly brushstrokes.

I love how it came out - it has a lovely luminous look to it, like an impressionist painting!

Villas and Verandas

2008-01-26T10:22:00.000-08:00

My new favorite place to visit is a gorgeous art gallery right here in San Juan Capistrano, only a few blocks from my house! It is called Villas and Verandas and this lovely gallery features California plein air paintings and also antiques.

Aida Ganddini and her husband Ron Deak own the gallery. Aida is a flamenco dancer and she also specializes in antique Santos - she has an amazing collection of them for sale at the gallery!

Ron Deak is a very talented plein air painter. One of my favorite paintings of his is this nocturne.

If you are in the San Juan area, don't miss visiting Villas and Verandas. This gallery is an oasis of visual delight!

Where the Heart Is

2008-01-18T11:16:00.000-08:00

Donna O'Brien of The Ribboned Crown had a fun post recently where she asked everyone to tell what their favorite movies were. That got me to thinking about a fabulous little movie from 1990 called Where the Heart Is. Most of the characters in the movie are creative artist-types, my favorite being a character played by Suzie Amos who portrays a Trompe L'oeil mural artist. The actual artist doing the spectacular murals is Timna Woollards and her technique is to use live models in with her painted backgrounds to create amazing effects. If you click on this link you can see a bit of the movie.

Lately I've been getting back into drawing and painting - so my mind is off in the land of artists and paintings. This movie is majorly inspiring! I wonder what Timna Wollard is up to these days ....

2008-01-12T06:43:00.000-08:00

I absolutely LOVE old photos - especially ones from the Victorian era. And antique photos with pugs in them - my favorites!! So imagine my delight when I came across this new book with photos of the Royal family and their pets! It is called Noble Hounds and Dear Companions - The Royal Photograph Collection by Sophie Gordon.

Queen Victorian was well known for her pugs and many of those pugs are featured in this book!

This book is a treasure trove of wonderful photos!

A quote from the book ...With the advent of photography, proud owners could record their favorite pets at work, rest and play. In this book, dogs take center stage - riding in carriages, on board the royal yacht, on guard duty at Windsor Castle and in the arms of monarchs, consorts, princes and princesses. There are pugs and Pomeranians, dachshunds and greyhounds, spaniels and Labradors ...

My favorite thing about this charming book is the look of love on the Royal family's faces as they pose with their best friends!

This book is a must have for all dog lovers!

Beautiful Sketches

2008-01-06T07:05:00.000-08:00

"Why does a beautiful sketch please us more than a painting? It is because there is more life and less form." ~ Denis Diderot (art critic)

When it comes to beautiful sketches, my dad, David Irvine is the best! My dad recently put several of his lovely, ethereal sketches of ladies on ebay for sale. And they are so gorgeous!
I have many paintings and sketches of my father's and I have to say his pencil sketches are some of my favorite things that he does.

I fondly remember evenings at home when I was a kid - we would all be gathered in the living room watching TV and dad would be sketching figures, or perhaps just a hand or a foot. My father studied at Art Center in Los Angeles and even though he worked a regular job most of his life, he always found time to pursue his art. He has been a great inspiration to me over the years and has passed his artistic desire down to both myself and my nephew Mark. A wonderful gift indeed!

Wonderful sketches Dad! I would buy them all, but I know you won't let me : - )

Here is a picture of my mom and dad right before they were married.

Dad's muse, my lovely mother, Bonne.

Still happy after all this time!

Pandora's Pug Friends

2008-01-05T08:33:00.001-08:00

I love all of my pug friends! My customers send me adorable pictures of their pugs and I post them to a page on my website - be sure to take a look!

This is Waylon with a primitive pug doll I made ...

This is Minnie with her primitive angel ...

And sweet Mary with hers!

These are some recent pictures I added - this is Lucy ...

And here she is in her "outward hound" gear!

Thanks to all of my wonderful customers and their adorable pugs!!

Crystal Comes to Blogland!

2008-01-03T16:02:00.001-08:00

Great news! Crystal of Gothic Rose Antiques just started a blog! What fun for all of us that love her wonderfully dark and haunting style! Now we can see all of her fun finds and see what happens behind the scenes. You'll want to add this blog to your favorites - it is to die for :-)

Wicked Lamp

2007-12-30T15:27:00.000-08:00

I just bought a fabulously wicked antique lamp from Crystal of Gothic Rose Antiques! I am absolutely thrilled with it! Check out these great pictures Crystal took of it in her haunted garden - wow!

Lately, I have been paring down my collection of antique things. I'm going with a less-is-more approach, so after clearing out a number of things, I ended up with one really amazing thing! Now I just have to find the appropriate parts so I can wire it and then it will be the perfect piano lamp for when I sit down to play my Grandmother's piano :-)

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T18:52:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!

Holy Day Request

2007-12-22T06:33:00.000-08:00

This week started out quite sad for me. I learned that Dan Fogelberg died.

I have always loved his music and spent a lot of time listening to his songs when I was a teenager. His lyrics really spoke to me, a quiet, lonely girl – kind of an outsider. I had my art and I had the music I listened to and Dan’s music really helped me through those early years. So as I was moping about last week, I received this letter from my wonderful friend Jacquie:

My dear friends, I am writing to you to ask if you would be interested in helping my friend Sheena. I've told most of you about my friend. She is the one I was bringing to the doctor almost a year ago for melanoma. I've also told most of you that the cancer has spread at an alarming rate in the last two months.

We were so hopeful at the beginning of this with the first surgery and the prognosis, even having the doctor tell her that she was cancer free at one point. This past year she bounced back so well that she even fell in love with Brian and they moved in together. Sheena is 38 and is the daughter of my good friend Carole from Seattle whom most of you have met or heard of over the years. Carole was staying with us a few months ago as Sheena went through a second series of surgeries. She is back again now...the doctor has given Sheena 2 weeks to 2 months. Brian stays at her side, an uncommon saint. Carole is living with us and going to Sheena daily to help with the treatments and the devastation of what those bring. They are having old friends come in to say their good-byes before she is too medicated to be able to enjoy them. Sheena has such a fighting spirit and pushes herself to stay alert and active even through the tremendous pain. The cancer is the most painful in her spine at this time.

Carole also can not work while here, obviously so friends have generously lent their car for her daily trek and we are honored to share this time with her in our home. Gas money is appreciated. If you can think of anything or anyone who would love to contribute please pass on the word.

Today we are moving Brian and Sheena into her Grandmother's home. Brian will keep his apartment in Anaheim but will stay with Sheena in Santa Ana Heights with Grandma Haas. Sheena was a waitress and has no savings, Brian is a young man who works hard in construction and as all of us in our younger years were, has no savings...he still goes to work each day, but as the time grows closer he will miss some work I suspect. His family lives back east and are not of means to help, but are supportive of their son and Sheena, even tho their love is young. It seems he comes from a family of saints.

I am asking on their behalf (and they have no idea that I am doing so to this extent) that you send them your prayers and if you are led to, monetary support in these last days, even $10 would be a blessing. The monetary support would go to keeping the apartment open for Brian to return to after her death and to help with the services that will be coming up soon. We are also filling the house with Christmas Spirit, loads of lights and decorations. Grandma Haas is elderly and doesn't do much in that regard anymore.

Please feel free to pass on notes to me and I will pass them on to Mother and Daughter and Brian. Lover and I are privileged beyond words to be able to be a part of this sacred time for them. I know that you all trust us when we say that this is a worthy cause. This is pure love in action and if you have anything, any little thing that you can do or give please please do not hesitate, the time is extremely short. Speaking from our experience of when Lover was in ICU 7 years ago...I tell you that every single little act of love and graciousness that people rained on us at that time still brings us to tears of gratitude, hope and joy.

Our home is open to receiving whatever you would like to drop off for them. We will get them over to Sheena daily. Everyone knows where we live, but if you would like to send something in the mail the address is 126 E. Escalones, San Clemente, Ca. 92672. I should say tho that if you are planning on this please do it soon. She is failing with every day that goes by. And please, please pass on this information. There are so many people out there who are so generous that they are always on the lookout for where they can funnel their love. You all know Lover and I, I promise you from the bottom of my heart, I promise you that this is one of those precious, sacred, holy opportunities to be a part of.

Please, please get back to me if you are interested my email is nannycrone@cox.net. Tell everyone you can and lets flood Sheena with an outpouring of LOVE in her last days.

I promise you that she will be surprised by joy, she will not expect this at all!

Love and Bless Bless, Jacquie

The lovely Jacquie

I immediately thought about what I could do to help these lovely friends of Jacquie’s that are so in need of love and some cash at this normally happy time of year. I thought about how I have been lucky lately to make a little extra money by selling my artwork and decided to donate a portion of that money to them. I was thinking about how creativity is a gift and to take the money earned from using this marvelous creative power and transforming it into something really special by giving it to someone that really needs it – what a perfect way to use the creative gift! If any of you reading have also been blessed by the creative gift and have made a little money with it lately, please, if you can, send a check to Jacquie to help Sheena and Carole at this difficult time. I think that even more than the money, the outpouring of love from everyone will be the true gift! Please help if you can. You can send a check to Jacquie that she will cash and give to Carole. Please send it to:

Jacquie DuBois
126 E. Escalones,
San Clemente, Ca. 92672

Pug Fairies

2007-12-11T17:05:00.001-08:00

Just as young girls dream of dressing as fairy princesses

with gossamer gowns

and iridescent wings …

Flowers in their hair

And enchantment in their eyes ...

Young pugs dream of being lighter than air

and flitting around the garden

Magically transformed into pug fairies!

And as one who likes to imagine that fairies dance in my garden at midnight ...

Hmmm – isn’t it possible that there really are such things as pug fairies?

I think we just need to BELIEVE.

Tagged!

2007-12-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun blasts from the past. That's Grandpa and my cousins and all of Grandpa's pugs! Somewhere in there is Ringo - he ended up being our puggie.

Here is a picture of Ringo and me at our house in Laguna Beach - circa 1960s.

And hey, I've been tagged! Michelle of Faerie Dust Dreams has tagged me to tell you five random things about myself. So here they are!

1. I have dreams of tidal waves

2. I bought my car for $1,600

3. I make really great cheddar cheese and pine nut tamales

4. I love old, creepy looking houses

5. My husband makes me laugh A LOT

Now I'm supposed to tag seven other people, so tag - you're it! Tink of Tinker's Witch Crafts, Donna of The Ribboned Crown, Goodboy Norman Featherstone the pug, Susan - mom of Truman Capote Monster pug, Michelle the Mosaic Queen, Dede of Dream Create Share, and Constance Rochambeau.

Remembrance Pendants

2007-12-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

Well, it all started with Jo Anderson of OldFlowers4Me and the remembrance pendant I did of her darling departed pug China. Then I got an order from Kimberlee of Edgar and Edgar for two pendants for of her beloved dog Buda, and since Kimberlee is the queen of dark design, she knew just what she wanted with stripes and harlequin backgrounds. I love how bold and striking they came out.

To round out my week of making remembrance pendants, I made one for Crystal of Gothic Rose Antiques of her cherished cat Taboo. And since Taboo embodies the dark and mysterious look Crystal loves, she decided to have me make special pendants with Taboo’s face on the front to sell in her shop!

She also had me do a second design with her trademark Art Nouveau-style bat-girl and the words Bewitched on the back. Crystal will sell these special Gothic Rose pendants at her store and they will come on a black ribbon and be wonderful mementos of anyone’s visit to her amazing shop!

If anyone else is interested in immortalizing their beloved pets with a remembrance pendant, just email me a favorite picture and I will work up a custom design that you will love. I’m giving all my blogland buddies the special price of $25 a pendant!

A Wicked Christmas

2007-11-30T16:03:00.001-08:00

If you are dreaming of a DARK and WICKED Christmas, then you will love these photos Crystal sent me of her shop, Gothic Rose Antiques, all decked out for the holidays! Crystal gives all the holidays her special fun and sinister twist and she really has a good time when it comes to the dark winter solstice! Just look at all the wonderful things she has displayed in her brand new shop – from a taxidermied reindeer head to a dark and twisted Christmas tree.

Gorgeous window displays at night!

A must for every festive door!

Old statuary dressed up in tinsel garlands ...

And the spooky Manfish - part man, part fish!

A ghostly cat ...

Crystal's fab dressing room

Everyone needs a bat for Christmas! (well, I do!)

And a present for the difficult people on your list!!

Crystal welcomes everyone to stop by and share in the magic. She is at 484 Main Street, Placerville, CA (530) 295-0703, or you can see her online at http://www.gothicroseantiques.com/

All I Want for Christmas

2007-11-28T09:55:00.000-08:00

Hey have you guys seen this cool new magazine called "Blueprint"? It says it's a Martha Stewart magazine, so that would explain the great sense of style that's in there. And looks what's on the cover of the holiday issue!!

That's right! A pug for Christmas!! Or perhaps just a pug "helping" with the present wrapping - LOL In addition to this adorable pug, there are some great articles with very pretty holiday decor - glittery and PINK! I really like it!

If you happen to see this on your newstand you might want to pick it up :-)

Cookies for Santa

2007-11-27T05:22:00.001-08:00

Santa can't possibly eat all these cookies.

Whilst looking around on Etsy for other pug art, I came across a wonderful pug artist – Maxwell Jones of Hollywood Pug fame! Maxwell makes greeting cards and art prints of her witty and whimsical photographs of her Hollywood pug.

I absolutely loved her Christmas design and had to buy a box of the Xmas Cookies design. And her Vintage series inspired by old sepia daguerreotypes are beautifully done and of course, humorous too. I had to get a couple of the Faery cards because I love the idea of pug faeries!! Just the thought of those little wings trying to lift that heavy little body – I just don’t think the physics of it would work - LOL

Be sure to check out her website, not only to buy these wonderful cards and prints, but to see the section called Fun Stuff/Outtakes. I loved seeing the behind-the-scenes antics of what goes on in taking these pictures – soooo funny!

Maxwell is having a fabulous deal on her X-mas Cookies cards on etsy – so don’t miss out!

Holiday Ornaments!

2007-11-24T12:05:00.000-08:00

I just listed some fun holiday ornaments on Ebay. I created some whimsical Marie Antoinette ornaments and added her favorite pug!

I also listed some antique style chipboard ornaments with Victorian pug images. I love those antique photos of children and their pugs!

Pug Pendants and Old House Stuff

2007-11-23T08:04:00.001-08:00

I finally got a few minutes in my studio and soldered some more of my pug pendants for sale on Ebay and Etsy. I made several of my most popular design, Believe in Magic, featuring a pug fairy with a tiara!

I also made a custom pendant for Jo Anderson of Old Flowers 4 Me of her dear departed pug China.

What an adorable sweetie China was – and now she can wear his picture around her neck whenever she wants. I’ll be getting that in the mail to Australia next week.

From art to old houses - I need to switch gears because my husband and I will be doing a restoration of our old house. When we first moved here 7 years ago, we built a carriage house that was in keeping with the 1915 look of the old house.

It included a garage, an art studio/workshop and a studio apartment over the garage. More square footage than in our tiny cottage! That took us 5 years because we did almost all the work ourselves. I salvaged old doors and windows and searched out wonderful old hardware and created colored glass windows. I did faux finishes on the walls, from hand-painted roses that were sanded back a bit to look old, to gold stencils in a Victorian pattern. I even found three bi-folding doors from a 1918 insane asylum that we used for our garage doors. What a wonderful project – but oh so tiring!!

So now that we have rested up a bit, we are going to tackle the house. I have fabulous old doors and windows to put in it, gorgeous old hardware and old lighting, from chandeliers to wall sconces. I’m really excited! But it means little to no studio time for awhile. So if you are into old houses and restorations, you’ll want to keep checking out my blog because that’s what my world is going to be all about for awhile!!

Mosaic Musings

2007-11-04T06:40:00.001-08:00

Lately I've been thinking I need to get out and finish my mosaic walkway. I'm about halfway done and the mailman is always teasing me and asking me when I'm going to get it done! Time to get out the mastic and get back to work!

It is a winding path that leads from the base of my driveway up to my front door. It looks like a little river of color!

Here's a picture of an antique chandelier that I added some mosaic bits to. It came out rather fun and pretty.

And here is a garden sphere I did for my mom. It wasn't grouted at this point ... I call it my Mad Tea Party ball :-) There are little porcelain teapots and plates with deserts on them, and LOTS of porcelain flowers - very whimsical!

Dia de los Nancy

2007-11-01T16:08:00.001-07:00

My little sister Nancy’s birthday is on the Day of the Dead! How cool is that? So Tink decided that we should call today Dia de los Nancy instead! Nancy is celebrating her birthday in style with her hubby down at the Crystal Pier in San Diego this weekend. No, that is not her husband Jeff ...

I get to celebrate with her next Friday night though. We are taking Lisa Guerin’s Gypsy Junk Jewelry class at the Art Bar! That will be a fun girl’s night for sure : - )

Happy Birthday sis!