Nevermore

poe-detail poe2Edgar Allan Poe was an American author and poet best known for his stories of mystery and the macabre.  He was born in 1809 and orphaned at an early age.  In 1825, 26 year old Poe married his 13 year old cousin…..bizarre by today’s standards but not unusual for the time.  His poem “The Raven” was published in 1835 to instant success but more sadness came his way with the death of his wife to Tuberculosis just two years later.  Poe himself died at the age of 40 from unknown causes.  He was a master of the short story and his work is still celebrated today.  Here he is then…..Edgar.

Edgar’s body is part of a chair back.  His base is from an old screen and the table is an antique spool.  On the table there is a fancy little inkwell complete with a feather quill pen.  The paper contains a rough draft for his poem “The Bells”.

 

Happy Easter

IMG_9030 hoppygourdie easter-2014All of us at the Charmed Gourd want to wish you a very happy Easter.  Some of you celebrate with bunnies, baskets, and colored eggs.   Maybe you celebrate in a more solemn way.   But however you spend the day, we hope you enjoy it.  We hope that your basket is filled with goodies and that you find more eggs than anyone else!

Here are some fun colored eggs.  The swirls were achieved by wrapping a rubberband around a hard cooked egg and then dipping it in food dye.  Once the rubber band is removed you can dip it in a different color or leave it white.   You can also use stickers and remove them after dipping the eggs.  Here I used stars and duct tape.  Have fun.

This Little Piggy went to Market

The steampunk Piggy was finished and sold before it even made it into the Etsy shop so that is kinda cool.  Here is a look at the finished product. 

We also want to introduce this little fellow….he is made from a faux gourd hand painted and fitted with polymer clay ears.  He is mounted on a wonderful old vintage toy.  The patina and design on the wood are great.  Here is a look at Mr. Rabbit.  He is in our Etsy Shop.

Steampunk Pig a work in Progress

This steampunk piggie started life as a paper mache pig which I then painted to resemble old leather.  I added some gears and cogs and created the goggles out of Sculpey clay which I baked around a tin foil form and then painted.  The base was supplied by my sister-in-law Judy.  It is a really cool looking weather vane.  I’m still trying to decide if he needs a hat and if so what kind.  The ears are kind of problematic in making a good fitting hat.  He may be done….I am gonna look at him for a few days and then decide.

Everyone is Irish in March

March….the month when we all celebrate our Irish roots.  Even those of us who do not have any of the Blarney Stone or Emerald Isle in our genes like to celebrate this month.  So in honor of St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland and green haired ladies everywhere, here is the Shamrock Queen.  She was created using a foam pear which was gessoed, painted, and mounted on a table leg.  Lots of green paint and some glittering jewels helped turn her into royalty.  She is wearing a jaunty crown made of pewter which is part of a charm and carrying a staff which is topped with a Shamrock crest in honor of St Paddy’s Day.  Lots of fun to make and she is in our Etsy shop now.

Work in Progress

I have to own the fact that I have been a kind of slacker lately.  I like to blame it on not feeling well but perhaps I have just been lazy.  Anyway…I did start to work on some gourds again.  Finished up my Santa Cat at last and started work on a couple of new tin men.  Here are some work in progress shots.  The tin men should be in our Etsy shop next week.