The Stapelia Company

My Fuzzy Valentines

2012-02-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope all is well with you out there! As usual, I have a ton of things I'm excited to share. To start, I have finally finished my brand new, professional portfolio! It took a long time to decide on a site I liked (with nice, big pictures and a simple lay out), and then a lot of work getting the site loaded up, but I'm happy with how it came out. I'll be posting all my new work to it, so bookmark if you want to follow along. Check it out HERE.

(It was like this much work, only not as embarrassing...)

I did a shoot this past weekend I'm really, really excited about. I think it's going to be amazing once I'm done with it. I'll give you hint, it involved the following things:

Oh, and while we were in the studio playing around with all manner of glitter, confetti, streamers and party poppers to get what we needed, my Sweetie went nuts with the confetti and I made a GIF of it for all to enjoy:

I was browsing at my favorite local book shop over the weekend, the Green Hand Bookstore, when I came across an entire box of unused vintage Valentines! Some of them were flocked, some had glitter, all were adorable and they were only 50 cents apiece. Needless to say I got some for my friends for V-day and to share with you fine folks here.

I also found this Men's Adventure artwork book from Taschen (who else) and I have thoroughly enjoyed flipping through all that great artwork. I find it immensely inspiring as a lot of my work starts with vintage imagery like this.

And speaking of random vintage stuff, I saw this old toy on a blog recently that I just had to share with you guys. Have you ever heard of Gre-gorey the Bat? Not in all my vintage trawling have I ever seen such a toy. Made by Mattel around 1979, it was literally just a huge rubber bat with a transparent chest through which you can see its guts. I don't think it even did anything, but... I love it anyway. Take a look.

I love this family photo + Gre-gorey. Priceless.

And on that note, I'll leave you.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Red Invasion...

2012-01-30T11:10:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there. Things are very busy here! So much to share. To start, as promised, I have uploaded all the edited shots from the recent engagement shoot I did for a fun couple (and their dog) who were really up for anything. (And yes, there was glitter all over the studio when we were done, but I think you'll agree, it was worth it!) There are a few of those shots below, and the rest are in my Flickr stream here.

And some of you may remember that I decided to do a Fun-A-Day Project the entire month of January. Fun-A-Day is a way to incorporate more art time in your life by doing a piece a day for an entire month. For my project, I decided to shoot one red thing per day using the Instagram app on my iPhone. I now have 30 shots done and printed I will be showing them this Friday for First Friday here in Portland at the SKG Gallery. Here are some of those, and the rest are here.

And speaking of red, I have just completed the third (out of four) shot in my Red Army Series. I love how these are coming out. And if you're new to this conversation, this series subtly depicts the true power behind the man, as well as showing some of the very young faces that could have fought in wars past when even teenagers were made to serve.

And speaking of a sort of classic, timeless look, I am loving illustrator Jonathan Bartlett's work lately. He has an almost surreal style that also features timeless fashion and character choices that elevate the strange themes to beautiful art. Take a look at some examples, great work. I especially love those rabbits in the venus fly traps.

Let's wrap up with a blog recommendation, shall we? Have you heard of Black and WTF? I've put some examples below, but you could get lost for hours in the pages of unusual, old black and white photos on this blog. Great stuff. Check it out.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Glittery Garland and Shimmery Ampersands...

2012-01-23T11:49:00.001-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there in the world. I am doing very well over here! To start, I am diversifying into engagement photography and I shot an amazing couple over the weekend. I offer styling services with my engagement shoots so people can pick unique clothes that really compliment their look. Well, this couple was all for it! They looked adorable. I will post some shots from that next week, but here are some pictures of the things I made for their shoot.

Mini corsages are all the rage for boys this year. I made this one out of felt and put it on the girl!

I made this glittery ampersand to use as a prop and it looked really good under the lights.

I see cool garland everywhere and it's always astronomically expensive, so I made my own! Looks like a 1950's prom. I love it.

If you're local and want to book a shoot, give me a hollar on my Facebook wall. It's a ton of fun.

And, I found the most amazing thing in a recent junking escapade, Kiddies! I have been looking for bull horns for above our mantel for years but they're always too expensive or damaged or have an ugly mount etc... Well, imagine my delight when I came across the huge pair below, complete with hair and an inscription that says: "Tijuana, Mexico 1969" for $40! I love them and they're hanging above our couch now (the boar I mentioned months back is above the mantel). What do you think?

Speaking of vintage goodness, a friend recommended I check out Jena Ardell's vintage-inspired Polaroid work and I'm glad I did. The faded colors and fun angles look like many of the Polaroids you see from the 60's and 70's (back when they were throw-aways, not objets d'art). I especially enjoyed her Wanderlust series, some of which is below.

I found a great shop on Etsy recently that makes handmade pillows that look retro and like the type that my Grandma had on her couch. MillsDesignCo also carries vintage items, but it's really the pillows that reeled me in. My favorites are below, but she makes a ton of different styles. I would like about 14 for my couch.

And I'd like to wrap up with a movie recommendation. I'm not sure if you've heard of Roller Boogie, but if you haven't, you're going to want to check it out ASAP. It's from the 70's, it stars Linda Blair and Jim Bray (some random dude who roller skated a lot back in the day), there is a ton of ridiculousness, oh, and there's Linda, playing a flute and rocking a side ponytail (as shown below). It's hilarious and it's on Netflix instant play right now. Go watch!

In this scene, Linda is thinking "Wow, and I thought I'd stooped as low as I could doing The Exorcist."

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Beautiful Ladies & Ghostly Gals

2012-01-16T09:08:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

So much to share as usual! First off, as promised, here are some of the vintage hat shots from my recent studio event for the ladies! Everyone had so much fun. You may view more here.

And speaking of photos, I am always on the look-out for things I can use in my photography and at any given time I have approximately 10-15 projects going. Well, a trip to a local army surplus store yielded a surprising amount of stuff I can use in upcoming projects, including a Cold War, sexy Russian spy themed shoot I've wanted to do for awhile. This coat was great. It had all the original buttons on the front and a great Russian look to it. Now that we have some snow on the ground up here in Maine to lend a Siberian look to things, I will be kicking that project into high gear. Standby!

Oh! And remember a few posts back when I posted about buying Liza Corbett's Sweetheart Come piece? Well, it came recently and it looks amazing in person. The detail and level of craftsmanship are truly amazing and I couldn't wait to hang it right up above our bed! So, here are some shots of it hung up and looking snazzy.

And speaking of crazy (not that we were), yesterday, my Sweetie and I were out driving around doing errands, and we looked over at a car parked next to us and we saw this action. Yes, that's a tropical bird on the steering wheel in a car in Maine during the winter without the car running. I guess Polly just wanted to drive, eh? Poor thing... but it was hilarious to see.

And speaking of hilarious, have you heard of Randy Regier? He is an artist who takes vintage and new toys and creates tongue-in-cheek toys with packaging and everything. Check out his work, it's very funny. My two favorites were the Godforsaken Astronaut and the Bonnie & Clyde car. Great fun.

Let's wrap up with a movie suggestion, what do you say? Do you like Wes Anderson movies? (The Life Aquatic, Rushmore, Fantastic Mr. Fox.) I do. And apparently, he's releasing a new one this spring called

Moonrise Kingdom that looks just as quirky, colorful, random and funny as the rest of his work. I can't wait to check it out. What's your favorite Wes Anderson movie?

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Ghosts, Icarus, & Ladies in Hats...

2012-01-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you are all well out there. Things here are very busy and wonderful! To start, I had a free couple of hours in the studio this past weekend, so I hosted free head shots with a vintage twist for the ladies. Mimosas, vintage hats, makeup. We had a really good time. Shots to follow in the next post, but here are some pics of the studio all gussied up and ready to go!

Hats galore!

Don't miss the next event like this. If you're local, I announce all my fun stuff on my Facebook page here.

Have you heard of the Fun-A-Day Project? You basically gather a group of artists in a given area, and each artist agrees to create one piece of work per day for a whole month. I am doing Fun-A-Day with a group here in Portland. I'm shooting one red item per day the entire month of January, using the Instagram app on my iPhone. Here are some, and the rest will be posted on my Flickr stream here. Fun-a-day, indeed!

I came across a great short film from the 60's I believe that combines two of my favorite people: Ray Bradbury and Joseph Mugnaini. (Some of you may remember the little piece I wrote about Mugnaini here.) This film breathes life into Bradbury's short story Icarus Montgolfier Wright about an astronaut about to fly into outer space for the first time, looking back through the aviation history that brought him where he is. Take a look, it's a great little film.

Oh! I have to show you the great daguerrotypes my friend gave me recently. She said they are haunted, or the couple in them haunts a house, or something. The bottom line is, the tag said "haunted" and that makes it cool enough for me! I immediately put them in my very special bookcase full of old, rare books and special treasures. Take a look, I think they fit right in!

The same friend lent me a book I can't wait to start: Swamplandia. Heard of it? Apparently, it's a story with a bunch of eccentric characters who live at a gator farm in the Florida Everglades. If you read it, let me know what you think!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

New Year!

2012-01-02T14:29:00.001-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope this Monday finds you all in good spirits and ready to start a brand new year. I am excited about all the things on my horizon this coming year and I hope you are too. I have just discounted the rest of my Venomous Vixens 2012 Calendars to a mere $7 each + S/H. Only a few left, grab them while you can!

Those of you who have been reading my blog awhile know that I'm an avid junker and thrifter. I love finding new treasures and cleaning them up and using or selling them. It's a tradition for my Sweetie and I to go thrifting all New Year's Day and this year was no exception. We went to a ton of places and after climbing around in some dirty basements and dusty barns, we found some great things, including a vintage adult-sized clown costume. That's right. And I already know how I'm going to use it in an upcoming photo shoot. Take a look at what else we found below and here.

Clown costume!

This bull head actually goes on a bottle and you can pour liquor out of the mouth! Amazing.

I love ocean-related stuff and these Disney 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea puzzles were the bees knees.

I'm sure most of you have heard of Stanley Kubrick, he's the director of Clockwork Orange and 2001 a Space Odyssey, oh, and The Shining. But did you know he was also a photographer? Yeah, neither did I. And he was quite good at it. Check out these amazing shots! The rest can be found here.

And speaking of amazing things, in my travels through cyberspace recently, I found Stranger & Stranger, a package design company specializing in alcoholic drinks. As you can see from the examples below (just a few of their designs), their look is distinctive and seamlessly melds vintage fonts with modern class. I would buy these bottles just for the labels, Folks. Not kidding.

And while we're on the topic of vintage-inspired class, let's talk about Bonlook, a site specializing in fashion glasses and sunglasses. Well, I wear glasses myself and I love vintage-looking frames, but the few times I've bought a pair, they've been bent or bowed or scratched to the point where I can't actually wear them. Enter, Bonlook! I have earmarked 3 of their styles already and event that was tough... I love them all. Here are a few examples:

Until next time: Unpleasant dreams...

Seances, Squids & Soldiers

2011-12-27T09:16:00.001-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing holiday season. Mine was hectic and fun and over too fast! I have a lot to share with you this week. In the photography arena, I am done with Red Army #2. Only 2 left to go! I also played around with some new filters and techniques to create a sort of wood grain portrait of the same model. I love the moodiness of it. What do you think?

And, I just did some holiday portraits for a client I wanted to share. These wee ones were so cute and so photogenic, it was a pleasure. She was very happy with how these came out. See the rest here.

I have listed a print in the shop for the squid lovers out there. You may remember my Last One Standing portrait series for that competition that I showed you recently. Well, due to positive feedback, I've decided to offer the below shot as an archival print HERE.

Enough business, I want to share with you the best gift I received this holiday season! I am so excited about it. I have admired the work of Liza Corbett for a long time. Her softly executed portraits of women, and surreal landscapes are just spellbinding. Well, she had a show this month in California of some original work and I got one of the pieces for Christmas! The piece is seance-inspired and it's called Sweetheart Come. Take a look. (The hands and her veil are my two favorite things about this piece...)

I also took a spin through my local thrift store to take a look through their records (this is how I get all of my albums, they're so much cheaper there than at a record store). I was not disappointed. I found this classic Herb Alpert album I've wanted for awhile and a great Frank Sinatra and Friends Christmas album! Good stuff.

I would like to wrap up with a movie recommendation I recently re-watched and enjoyed immensely: Bell, Book & Candle. A campy classic starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak, the movie follows some witches as they get up to mischief and Kim Novak's character eventually gets Jimmy Stewart to fall in love with her. Pretty pedestrian fare, but the outfits, the sets, the Zodiac Club, and the whole witch angle were wonderful. Take a gander if you need a movie to curl up to some night.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Holiday Treats...

2011-12-19T16:02:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies!

I hope all is well for you out there. I also hope if you celebrate the holidays, you have all your ducks in a row in that regard and don't have to dash out to the mall at the eleventh hour to get a gift for your Uncle Remus. Haha.

I have been so busy this season with commissions and orders (yay!) that we didn't even get a chance to decorate. But, much celebrating will be done with family and friends, so that's what it's all about anyway, right? I have another shot in my Red Army series to unveil next week (still working on it), but another handsome man looking stoic. Remember the first shot?

I just have to share this photo with you all. I have a gaggle of very cute nieces and one spent the night last weekend. She loves strawberries like they're candy. So, I came down the other morning to see her devouring an entire plate of them. I snapped this shot and posted it, and was promptly told by my friends and fans alike that this shot from a distance looks like a wee dismembered holding a strawberry. And... it kind of does. Take a look. Ha!

Speaking of the holidays, what are your top 5 wish gifts this season? Take a peek at my top 5, maybe it will spark some after-Christmas shopping ideas of your own.

1.) Diana F+ Camera 2.) Watchmen: Portraits 3.) Costume Party print - Emily Martin - Inside a Black Apple 4.) Tattoo-it-Yourself cards 5.) Demeter Fragrance - Gin & Tonic

Have you guys heard of the movie The Artist that just came out? I just read about it today on Slate and I am intrigued. The imagery and cinematography are so spot-on for the period you could mistake it for an actual film from the 20's. Take a look at these stills and if you've seen it, tell me what you thought.

Until next time: Happy Holidays and unpleasant dreams...

Pilgrims & Glitter

2011-12-12T11:30:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all well out there as we approach the hectic holiday season. Things here are very good... and busy. To start, I finally have photos of my studio space to share! It's coming along very nicely, only a few things to do and it will be finished (but of course I am taking bookings). Here are a few shots and the rest can be seen on my Flickr page here.

A nice sitting area for meetings and guests.

The shooting area with plenty of natural light.

I love these Asian lamps, they had been gathering dust waiting to be rewired and I finally got them all finished up and back in service!

While I was visiting home, I think I mentioned doing a portrait session for my parents. Well, those are done, and here are a few. They own all those clothes, believe it or not. Kind of explains where I come from, eh? The rest are here.

And I mentioned in the last post that I was putting some corsages together for a holiday card shoot I had been commissioned to do. Well, here are some process shots of those, as well the finished product on the clients!

Do you have artists on your Christmas list? I may have found the answer to your gift-giving needs this season. The multiple book lists for artists on Wing's Art & Design blog sure peaked my interest. Many titles I had never even heard of, but I'll be picking up a few for sure. And that blog is worth a look-see anyway, lots of great gems there.

What is your favorite holiday movie and why? I want to hear them, Friends. I love, love, love Rankin Bass movies, so Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Clause is Comin' to Town are two of my favorites. I love the corny songs and the stop-motion animation no end. I also love another movie many wouldn't think of watching at Christmas-time: Gremlins. I mentioned it last year, and I'll mention it again, it's hilarious holiday fun. Come on, give me some movie ideas!

This behind the scenes shot from Santa Clause is Comin' to Town is the bees knees.

"Hi! I'm Mickey Rooney and I'm much cuter as a puppet!"

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Red Coats, Green Trees...

2011-12-05T11:11:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope this week finds you all doing well out there! So much to share as usual over here. To start, I moved into my brand new photography studio over the weekend and after much cleaning, organizing, hanging and decorating, it's ready for business! I will take pictures this week and post them for your viewing pleasure. It's going to be such a great place for creativity and commerce, I can tell!

In other business, I have finally finished the first shot in my Red Army mini-series. This series is a personal project that subtly shows the true power behind the man (or in this particular case, boy since his Mom kissed his cheek). More fun uniforms and striking men to follow!

I am doing a holiday portrait shoot this weekend for a couple and I decided to make custom boutonnieres to dress up their suits and give them some extra flair (because I'm all about the personal touches). And in the course of gathering materials, I found this amazing listing on Etsy for a huge lot of beautiful vintage corsages from VelvetFinch! Look at them all, you guys! So shiny and beautiful. I am all about accessorizing men in my photography with vintage and/or fresh flower boutonnieres and these are just great. (Too bad they are way out of my budget...)

And speaking of great photography (hehe), I have discovered yet more great vintage circus photography in color via The New Yorker that I just have to share. This work is by Sverre Braathen (an attorney by trade), who traveled with the circus in the 40's and 50's in his spare time, chronicling circus life. I think the colors and the people and his composition (especially that man flipping in mid-air without any blur), are on par with the greats. And of course, the subject matter is also intriguing. Follow the link for more images.

We're going to wrap up this week with some strange and disturbing art that I just have to share. As you know, I like taxidermy, I even own some. But I find the work of Les Deux Garçon completely disturbing and in many ways, wrong. Why? Because they put animal pieces together like they're toys and they put a dog head on a teddy bear body. That's why. However, I guess from an execution standpoint, it's beautiful. I could see it both ways. Here are some examples, what do you think, Faithful Readers?

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Through a Shiny Lens...

2011-11-28T12:23:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all well out there. So much to tell you, I may not fit it all in. Or, it will be a big post. Big post? Okay.

First off, business stuff. The 12 Sales of Christmas are going splendidly! We're 4 sales in and there are more to come, so 'like' the page and play along!

Also, for you local followers, I am having a Holiday Portrait Session this Sunday with music and egg nog and vintage decorations to use as props! The details are below, so email if you want to reserve a slot, or pass it along!

I went home to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and it was amazing. A lot of great food, a ton of laughs and I even got a shoot in, which I'll share with you shortly. Here are some pics and you can see the rest on my Flickr page here.

While I was out and about, I did some shopping and I picked up some records for my collection, including some pretty hard to find Martin Denny exotica albums that I've been searching for for awhile now. I've already listened to them each several times!

And speaking of music, I just picked up the She & Him Christmas album and I am loving it so far. I usually pick up a couple of new albums a year, usually vintage stuff because new Christmas music (post 70's) is lame for the most part. But, not this album and the cover is amazing. The photo? The colors? The font? Perfection.

And you may remember my post that mentioned the piece I bought by artist Derek Yaniger recently? Well, it arrived over the weekend and it's bigger and more beautiful than I imagined! It even smelled like permanent marker, so I know it's original! Take a look (the photo doesn't do it justice.)

With some vacation time, comes time to curl up with a good book and enjoy that time off. What have I been reading lately? you ask? I have been reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and I love it so far. A ton of people recommended it before a friend finally lent it to me. I won't spoil anything in case you plan to read it yourself, suffice it to say, you will be sucked right in. Let me know what you think if you've read it or plan to!

Well, that about does it for me, Lovelies.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Squid & Octopi, Oh My!

2011-11-21T10:49:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all well out there. I have been busy, busy over here as usual. To start, I just did a really different portrait shoot for a contest that I entered. The contest asked you to push the envelope of traditional portraiture. I think I did it with these, don't you? The rest are on my Flickr stream here. And thank you to my little model for braving the seagulls for me. You'll be seeing more of her in my Christmas imagery.

What else? Oh! Two exciting things over at my shop. First of all, I'm doing some house cleaning and I have moved some of my older work, and all of my cards to a Soon to be Discontinued section and I have discounted those prices 50%! Great prints and cards at lower prices for your holiday shopping.

Secondly, I am having a 12 SALES OF CHRISTMAS promo for my Facebook fans only. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the next month, I will feature an item or items and give you a promo code for 20% off until the next sale day. I started today and all lockets are on sale until Wednesday! Go like the page and get the deals.

I have some amazing new work I'll be posting very soon, but until then, I thought I'd share this great little painting I found recently and hung up in my office. It was $5 because the frame was loose! Totally worth it. I love the Wuthering Heights feel of those cliffs and that tree. Great stuff.

And on the cephalopod theme, my Sweetie had a birthday yesterday and I decided to make it really special. So, I booked a tattoo session for her and let her pick out any image she wanted. She happened to pick out The Creature From the Black Lagoon which her amazing tattoo artist then combined with a squid in a fight to the death. This tattoo is amazing and she's delighted. Check it out:

And then, keeping with the theme, Bridget, a very good friend of ours, artist and owner of Inventing Trees, decided to part with one of her favorite pieces so I could give it to my Sweetheart for her birthday. This piece is huge and vibrant and so well done. We are delighted to have it in our home and it already has a special place. Her work is amazing.

I will leave you with this amazing photo to make your week a little brighter; a wee octopus. Adorable, isn't it?

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

New Spaces... Old Clown Dolls

2011-11-14T16:12:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all well out there this fine Monday. I have so much to share. First of all (and most excitingly), I have just signed a lease on a big, beautiful photo studio space and it's all mine! (I have been sharing space with another photographer for almost a year and I am going out on my own.) I already have my first shoots lined up and I expect many great things to show you in the coming months!

In other news, I have two new consignment partners here in Portland who will be carrying some of my prints and cards and the 2012 Venomous Vixens calendar! The first, is The Merchant Company which is a boutique specializing in artwork and a ton of other great things you can't live without. The second, is Ferdinand, a store that specializes in home decor. Both are great, both deserve your business and both support my work. Doesn't get any better than that!

I have finally posted all of the shots from the laser tag shoot I talked about last week for Trigger Combat Sports on my Flickr page. The client was delighted with them and I think they came out just great, go take a peek! (I never know what a client will want next, but I have yet to disappoint. Haha.)

Oh! And I have gotten some pretty cute little things that I want to share with you Folks. I think you'll appreciate them. First up, I had this little chartreuse deer made by the wonderful owner of VioletPie just for me! I can't say enough good things about both Jennifer's (the owner) work and how cute this little girl looks in real life. If you need cute, wee gifts to stuff stockings this holiday season... go to her, Lovelies.

And speaking of holiday, I just finished shooting our holiday card (I make one every year, it's a tradition) and one of the 'models' in the shot was this little guy! Isn't he cute? The vintage face? His wee clown body? I love him so. He makes such a great addition to my menagerie of cute office toys. But, he doesn't have a name... can you give him one?

Whew, well that about wraps up this week's post.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Lasers & Dandies...

2011-11-07T12:48:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all well out there! I have a lot brewing over here, but not much to show from my quarter yet, I'm afraid. I was out all weekend shooting everything from shots for a laser tag business, to little girls with Christmas trees and toys, to artistic shots involving squid and gas masks. Busy, busy. So, needless to say, there is much to come for your eyes. You'll just have to be patient with me. (Okay, here's one shot to whet your appetite, but only because you begged...)

I have found an amazing firm recently out of Portland, Oregon called OMFG Co., that literally lives up to their moniker. (I call them a "firm" because they do so many different things, I couldn't figure out what else to call them; branding, package and logo design, apparel, installations, store window displays, hey, they built their own bar, People.) And it's all impeccably done. Peruse the site and be amazed. Here's a taste:

In the course of my photography work, I have styled men a lot. From vintage clothes to modern looks, I've done it all and I love it. (I may even add men's styling to my primary list of services.) So, when I came across the Mr. Porter site, I was blown away. The photography is impeccable, the clothing is beautiful, and here's the best part male readers: they have a style director, a dressing guidebook and a magazine, all tailored (no pun intended) to making you look your best! I'm taking a ton of great ideas from this site back to my studio for my male models and clients for sure.

And I don't want to leave out the ladies, because I've also found The Femme Dandy site that hi-lights masculine looks for women. This blog runs the gamut from vintage imagery to modern looks and even way out there cross-dressing, but the photos are beautiful and the looks are really unique. Take a look at these lovely ladies dressed in mens' looks:

Let me wrap up this somewhat fashion-centric post with this hilarious vintage photo I found recently.

I'm not sure if Miss Tapeworm was an actual title, but I don't want to know how she earned it, Folks...)

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Happy All Hallow's Eve!

2011-10-31T12:47:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there. If you celebrate Halloween, I hope your costumes are ready, your little ones are bundled tight and your treats are good (because no one likes raisins, folks). Things have certainly been in the Halloween mood here in the Mill. I just listed 3 limited edition, signed and numbered mini photo books from the Scream Limousine series in the shop and boy are they cute. Hardbound in linen with a magnetic closure, these books contain 10 shots from the series including all of the head shots. Give yourself a gift this Halloween and snag one before they're gone!

Over the weekend, we did our annual tradition of baking Halloween cupcakes. With all the sprinkles we found, they came out great! I call these little beauties Spider Bits Cupcakes.

We also went to see a showing of Nosferatu at a local arts center. I'd seen it before, but this showing was accompanied by an original score and there was popcorn and people were dressed up. So, needless to say, it was a lot of fun. I would definitely recommend seeing it to anyone who likes old horror movies. There are some tense moments.

(One of those moments is NOT when Nosferatu carries his own coffin all over town, including on a boat...)

What else? Oh! I have found some wonderful new work I wanted to show you, Creepies. Richard Barnes is a photographer who has been photographing installations and clean-ups at museums of natural history for years; the workers, the animals wrapped in plastic. As someone who loves taxidermy, I am fascinated by his work, it has an otherworldly quality to it as people vacuum out the spaces and place and remove once-living things from their environs. Great work.

I also found some great vintage circus eye-candy courtesy of Flavorwire the other day. These rare shots were taken from The Circus Book: 1870 - 1950, which of course, I am now coveting. The colors and those faces and of course the costumes, are all inspiring. I may have to shoot some things along this line. But where to find the costumes?

Happy Halloween to you all!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Scream Limousine...

2011-10-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies!

Well, Halloween is almost upon us and in honor of my favorite holiday, I have just dropped a new series of photographs entitled Scream Limousine for your viewing pleasure. I had the opportunity to photograph a rare, classic Packard Caribbean that came standard with Halloween colors believe it or not! So what did I do? I filled it with monsters, of course. Next week, I will release a limited edition of 4 hard bound, mini photo books to the shop of the Scream Limousine series. They're going to go very fast, so let me know if you're interested. First come, first serve. Take a look! (The rest, plus candids are here.)

More exciting news, I recently had my work featured on Who Killed Bambi? an art site out of the UK that I've admire for some time. A lot of great artists and photographers are on there, so I was very flattered to be featured.

Because Halloween is my favorite holiday, I like to get a present for myself every year; something that's unique and creepy or even cute that I can use to decorate or enjoy the holiday in the future. Well, this year's purchase was a handmade shot glass from Corneyware on Etsy. His work is amazing and my little skeleton glass is quirky and one-of-a kind. The back has a beautiful bird painted on it. His line work is amazing. I can't wait to get it! Take a look:

And speaking of creepy cute, I just happened across the beautiful, irreverent work of Frieke Janssen. More specifically, her Smoking Kids series. This series has caused quite a stir as you can imagine, but of course, the kids weren't actually smoking. My favorite part of this series is how she makes the children look like Mark Ryden paintings; bright, soft, and perfect. I love her work.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Space Gasser

2011-10-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope all is well out there with you. I have been busy as usual over here. To start, I just mailed off a framed Green Canoe print to a local Make-A-Wish auction to raise money for very ill children to get the wish of their dreams. I love kids, and I think it's a great cause. I hope it helps them out a little.

I have some exciting news! I was asked to become a contributing writer about art, photography, and trendy things of all types over at Lost in E Minor, a site that's featured my work in and past. The site is just full of great eye candy and things to waste your time, so stop on over and as my posts go up, I'll keep you Kiddies in the loop!

And, I am really excited about a piece of artwork I purchased last week that I want to share. This is my first major piece and I'm so happy that I found it. It's entitled Space Gasser and it's an illustration by Derek Yaniger, an artist whose work I've admired for a long time. Great colors, great retro lines. It's perfect. Take a look and let me know what you think:

Oh! And over the weekend, I dragged my Sweetie and some friends to a local haunted attraction called Destination Haunt. What a hoot! We had a great time out in the middle of nowhere, walking through swamps and getting scared to death. I love doing that sort of stuff, and this is the first time we'd been to this particular attraction. If you're in Maine, check it out.

We were kind of like this, only MORE scared...

Let's wrap up with a great ad I found recently. I really can't get enough of this one. It's obviously a Halloween makeup ad for lipstick, but the characters and the women and the colors are just perfect. Does anyone out there have other great vintage Halloween ads to share? Post them here.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

The Running of the Boars...

2011-10-11T05:57:00.001-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you're all doing well out there! I have so much to share. First off, I just found out my Mary & Owen Nette piece was selected to be in the Revenge of Freaky Fright Nights! Show down at Space 242 in Boston. The whole show has a Halloween/horror theme with all different mediums represented! The gallery is right down by Fenway Park, so it should be pretty neat. I'm flattered to be included!

This past weekend, my Sweetie and I attended a wedding way up in the mountains of Maine at a ski lodge. One our way back (the weather was perfectly Indian Summer; 80 and sunny), I took some shots of the foliage and a covered bridge nearby. Here are some of those pics. What a perfect weekend.

We also stopped at a roadside junk shop and found two new additions to our taxidermy collection. Meet Barleycorn and Boris (the boar and the black squirrel respectively). Barleycorn now has a place of honor above our living room mantle and we have yet to hang Boris, but we will. Some may object to taxidermy (and I would never stuff an animal or hunt one myself), but it makes me more sad to see them gathering dust in some junk shop in the dark. For eccentrics like me, they become part of the family and these two are keeping Bernard company now. (Bernard, as you know, is our skeleton model.)

Are you Kids familiar with Mondo Posters? They release limited edition art posters for movies, bands, pretty much anything pop culture you can imagine, but the artwork is top knotch. Recently, they released a group of 80's horror posters like The Beyond, The Innkeepers, House by the Cemetery and The Gate and I would like one of each, please. (The artwork makes these slashers look classy... and I like that.)

And I'd like to wrap up with one of the most amazing photos I've seen in a long time. Check out this shot of Liberace... all decked out for the 4th of July. The sequins? The short shorts? The baton? This picture is perfection. The world will never have another like him.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Venomous Vixens

2011-10-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there. Things are busy, busy as usual over here. To start, I recently did a fun little conceptual shoot entitled Dr. Victoria Frankenstein that explored the idea that Dr. Frankenstein had a daughter as mad as he was who continued his work... and married a skeleton. Ha! Some below and the rest of the series is on Flickr.

Well, my huge series has been released today: Venomous Vixens. People really seem to like it so far, which is great. Inspired by B-movies, 1960's pulp and Barbarella, the series explores a space mission gone terribly awry with disastrous (but beautiful) results. A couple shots are below, the rest (and some candids) can be found on Flickr or Facebook. Someone has already won the Facebook contest for a free prize, but prints and calendars can be found here. Tell me what you think!

And last piece of business, I was asked to donate one of my Hortensia the Bearded Lady prints to The Whiskerinas 1st Annual Ladies Fake Beard & Moustache Competition! This group of women competes (with fake beards) alongside the National Beard Championship men to raise money for charity. This particular print will be raffled to benefit breast cancer research. What a great cause. More about their event here. Thanks for asking, Ladies!

Ooo! Did you hear they're releasing a new version of The Thing?! As you may know, I love horror and that movie (the original from 1982) scared the bejeesus out of me. The arctic, complete isolation, aliens. And the alien is no joke you guys... Like:

No.

NO.

Hell NO.

Okay, maybe.

The point is, I will probably see the remake... but I'll also probably have to wear Depends. Have you ever seen this movie? And if so, did you like it?

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Countdown Begins...

2011-09-26T12:37:00.001-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there. So much to share this week. To start, one week from today, the huge secret project will be revealed! With it will come 12-month calendars and a whole new set of art prints for you to enjoy. So, get excited. The final clue for the giveaway on the Stapelia Facebook page is below. {Remember, the first person to name all 5 clues in order next Monday October 3rd, gets a great prize, so like the page and write them down! [Descriptions are fine.]}

Clue #5

I had a wonderful opportunity recently to photograph a couple of children with CLOVES Syndrome and their families for the CLOVES website. Learn more here. What fun we had! We all went apple picking and enjoyed the beautiful weather. It was a pleasure shooting this one, and the families and kids themselves were so dear. Take a look at some of the shots below, and more are posted on Flickr.

I have yet another shoot coming down the pike for your viewing pleasure next week, so stay tuned! (Hint: It involved my new skeleton Bernard, who, en route to the shoot, was asked to pose in a bridal party shot. Haha!)

I just found yet another thing about the Victorian Era that makes me wish I'd lived back then. Via the blog Spe//bound, comes these photos of Le Cafe de L'Enfer, a hell-themed cafe in Paris' red light district from that time period. I almost can't believe someone opened this up back then. The demons in the bar itself, the elaborate facade?! This is better than the 'death' themed bar I mentioned many posts ago... amazing stuff.

And while we're on the topic of the macabre (which, we're always on that topic around here, aren't we?), I found the beautiful work of UK photographer Ellen Rogers recently and I'm amazed. Her female-centric work looks like old hand-colored travel postcards and the props and costumes? I'm really in awe. Oh, and she has a new book out which I plan to yank up as soon as I can. Take a look:

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Things That Go BUMP in the Night...

2011-09-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I have so much to share this week, so I'll just jump right in. First, I am done with that Addams Family portrait commission I told you about last week! They came out just great, I think. Here are a couple and the rest can be seen on my Flickr stream. Such fun!

I also have some exciting news, a piece from my Everything's Alright Here series was selected by Society6 to be sold in their store as a fine art print! Very flattering and exciting.

And, while we're on business news, the big secret project drops in exactly 2 weeks and it's time for Clue #4 in the contest. It is pictured below, Lovelies. And as some of you know, if you collect all 5 clues and are the FIRST PERSON to post them in order on the Stapelia wall October 3rd (release day), you will win a secret prize! (Descriptions are okay.) So, keep a list going faithful readers, you'll be happy you did.

Recently, I went to the Brimfield Antique Show in Massachusetts as I do twice a year and it was a great one. I found so many neat things I can't even share them all; old Halloween decorations, dime store toys, nude shotglasses, the works. But here are a few of my fun finds and some more pictures here. What's the best thing you've ever found junking?

I've wanted horse ribbons for years, and I found a whole group of them this time!

Oh! And the other day a friend gave me a great gift that I just have to share with you Kiddies. I opened the box, and there inside, were a whole family of dollies, two of which had multiple faces and one was missing a head, all covered in plastic spiders. Weird, yes. But it made me laugh. She knows me too well! Perfect gift for the fall season I think.

It's time for these dollies to meet their new friend: Creepy Clown... hehehe

And speaking of fall season, check out these beautiful pumpkins I found over the weekend! I can't wait to get carving, Folks. This is my favorite time of year.

Let's wrap up with a story, shall we? So, near my house there is a piece of land that has a ton of old junk and railroad stations and signs and mannequins just spread all over. It's a strange place and I've been curious about it for years. Well, Saturday, I went there with a friend and got the grand tour! I took the pics below of some of the sites... but really, they don't do the place justice. It's surreal. Maybe I'll ask the owner if I can do a shoot out there. Hmmm...

Yeah, that's a jail cell. Just sitting there. A jail cell, Folks.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

They're Creepy and They're Crawly...

2011-09-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there! Things here are almost overwhelmingly busy, but very good. To start, I shot a private commission over the weekend that was Addams Family-esque and I can't wait to share it with you! It was such fun to do. These folks get my work, so it was a joy to collaborate with them!

They're going to look like this, only creepier and much better looking.

Also, my new secret project launches October 3rd and it's time for Hint #3! As I announced on my Facebook wall last week, there will be 5 clues in all. The first person who successfully lists the clues (in order, descriptions are fine) on the Stapelia wall on release day will get a very special treat, so follow along and prepare yourselves my Pretties!

After many friends recommended I try it, I have finally signed up for Pinterest. Heard of it? It's a way to grab images off the web and organize them into boards that inspire you and others! I have just gotten started, but it's a ton of fun so far. Follow my boards as I develop photo ideas, pin cool stuff, and gather eye candy for your enjoyment! Here is my page.

While poking around looking for old plastic Halloween masks the other day for a project, I came across this great short video on the Veer website called Mask Infusion. I would like one of each, please.

And speaking of crazy cool stuff. I found a great ceramic collection by Rebecca Wilson (a ceramicist) indelicately entitled Blow Me that I just have to share. She has sculpted perfume bottles that look like Colonial/Victorian Era women. The title, the pieces themselves, the colors are all just divine I think. Take a look at some of them:

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Rainbow Fires & Fall Winds...

2011-09-05T10:18:00.001-07:00

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you are all well out there. I just returned from a Labor Day camping weekend with my Sweetie's family. It's the second year of this tradition and we all had a really good time. The weather was perfect, we cooked out, laughed a lot and of course, built a fire and got up to mischief. We found this powder you can throw into the fire that makes it burn in rainbow colors and we loved it! Here are some shots of our adventures as we usher out summer and make way for fall (more here).

The release of my big annual project is less than a month away (28 days to be exact), and I have another hint for you to keep the excitement going. I love this album cover (and Les Baxter, actually), but it's really the corny space angle that I'm conveying with this hint. Are you starting to see a theme, my Pets?

And speaking of strange things, have you heard of Bruce Mozert? He was a photographer who shot tableaus of everyday life in Silver Springs, Florida in the the late 30's...underwater. "Huh?!" you say. Well, Silver Springs needed to find a way to keep the tourists coming back, so they hired Bruce to shoot scenes of interest underwater! These shots have an almost surreal quality looking back on them 70+ years later, I think. Take a look.

I want to wrap up with another great find. If you go thrifting/antiquing as much as I do, you see a ton of Victorian era leather gloves that are so small, even dolls couldn't wear them today. What do you do with them all? Enter Ellen Greene. She makes art out of them by combining painting with Sailor Jerry-esque tattoo imagery and I am coveting all of the pairs below. Wow.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Fall is in the air...

2011-08-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all well! I was on vacation this past week because my sister (who lives on the West Coast) was in town visiting. We had a lot of fun, and I think we probably got the last warm week of summer here. Irene blew in some fall-like weather here in Maine. Here are some shots of her trip. (That's the first time she ever held a lobster, and it sort of freaked her out... but she did just fine.) It was a good week, I love you Ab!

What else? Oh, if you're local to Portland, Maine, I have some pieces in a show at Mayo Street Arts. The show opens this Friday for First Friday Artwalk and the theme is portraits. I have some beautiful framed prints of my Titian Haired Beauty, Beehive and Killer Mime Bird pieces. Pics don't do them justice. Stop on by and say 'hi' if you're local!

I have also finally finished shooting my big annual project! I think (and hope) this will series will blow you away. I will reveal teasers as we go along (starting with this one) until the project's release October 3rd. These ladies somewhat inspired my series and they are part of a great Galactically Hot Women of Star Trek Set on Flickr. See the rest here.

And while we're talking about photography that will blow your mind, I just discovered someone whose work is just amazing and still has a great deal of contemporary relevance in my opinion: Ralph Eugene Meatyard (great name). Heard of him? Well take a look at his work and tell me he doesn't seem modern in his approach. He died in '72 and most of these were shot in the 40's! Amazing...

And let's wrap up with a movie that I'm not sure I've ever seen, but maybe. Uhm. The Garbage Pail Kids Movie? Anyone seen it? And if so... how was it? I honestly don't know how I missed this one, folks. Let me know what you think? Have you seen it? If so, what was your favorite scene?

And why do they all look like Don Rickles?

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

The Godfather Returns...

2011-08-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there this week! Busy over here as usual and I have some exciting things to share. To start, I was commissioned to shoot two of the cars used in the actual Godfather movies for marketing purposes and to celebrate the upcoming 40th anniversary of the series. We had a ton of fun with the cars. A big thank you to Motoropolis Classic Cars for the opportunity! Here are some of the shots, the rest can be seen on my Flickr page.

I am gearing up to release my big annual photo series in October (for those of you new to the site, past series have included Cigar, Creeper & Dark Circus and Sideshow and Zom-B-Vex) and I am sending out some promo packets to local ad agencies to peak their interest and to let them know I'm around and available for work. I just ordered these amazing mini accordion books from Bay Photo to showcase my work and I am delighted with them. Take a look and let me know what you think!

And I have discovered yet another amazing conceptual photographer, Brooke Shaden, who I think you will all appreciate. Her work is beautiful and arty and I love how she shoots from neat angles and hangs people in the air to give her work a weightless, unique almost cinematic quality. Here are my favorites:

And let's wrap up with a completely bonkers movie that was so crude and violent and also funny and over the top, that I'm still trying to process it all. Hobo with a Shotgun, is definitely not for everyone, it has the same feel as Rob Zombie's movies and 1970's grindhouse flicks remade by Alex Rodriguez. There is almost no plot, but the basic gist is that a hobo, played by Rutger Hauer, rolls into a completely corrupt town, sees major crimes going on all around him, gets fed up, buys a shotgun and becomes a hobo with a shotgun. Roll credits. But the quotes and the violence make it hilarious. If you like Rob Zombie, you'll love this.

Plus, the poster's pretty cool too.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

A Distant Rumble...

2011-08-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you are all well out there. Much to share as usual here. To start, my work has gotten some attention lately and I'm so happy, I wanted to share. First, Laughing Squid (a wonderful art blog out of San Francisco) featured my Everything's Alright Here series last week. Then that same series was featured again on a blog called Photojojo, which features artistic photography of all kinds. I was flattered to be featured alongside people whose work I've admire for some time, so a big thank you to both!

I was also asked awhile back if my Macabit the Barker image could be used on the cover of Filth, a zine out of Baltimore that features art, photography and short fiction. I said yes and I just received a copy last week. The work inside is great and I was flattered to be asked. So, thank you to Karley over at Filth as well! New photography will be posted next week and I think you're going to love it, Kiddies... standby.

And speaking of photography, I have found some great new work I wanted to share. Have you Lovelies heard of Jasmin Schuller? All of her work is pretty amazing, but I fell in love specifically with her Sweet Meat series. She photographed meats of all kinds styled to look like desserts. It's both mouth watering and disturbing.

And speaking of disturbing, my friend turned me on to Killhouettes: silhouettes depicting Victorian folks offing themselves, or offing others, or just proffering all manner of weapons. Is that a baby in a pram holding an axe??? The bottom line is these are really cool and I really think I need one.

And I'll wrap up with this image by Rosie Hardy, which makes me laugh. (I think we've all had days like this, no?) Oh, and she has a great Flickr stream as well.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Dark & Dusty Things...

2011-08-08T10:55:00.001-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well! Things here are so busy and good I'm about to burst. To start, I went to my local library's annual used book sale and I scored some great books. With all the big box book stores going out of business and people either not reading anymore, or reading on a Kindle or other device, it's refreshing to go into a hushed, musty old library and dig through real books. The book I'm most excited about is the copy of This Perfect Day by Ira Levin I found. I have never seen this title by him, but I loved Stepford Wives and Rosemary's Baby, so I'm sure this will also be wonderful. I also found some old James Bond VHS tapes that I bought as well. (I have an old player, and I hate to see them get trashed.) Plus, You Only Live Twice was in there, one of my favorites!

And have you ever seen one of these, Lovelies? I thought it was a perfume bottle. It's much more interesting than that. I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Blood Milk, and she had one too. Apparently, during the Victorian Era, people in mourning carried Lacrymatory bottles, a glass vessel that was used for collecting tears shed during the grieving period. This typically lasted one year and some bottles were fitted with a special stopper that would allow for the tears to evaporate over time. Others, preserved the tears to later be spilled over the grave of the dearly departed once the mourning period had ended. So amazing and macabre and I have one! Take a look:

And going from one interest of mine to another, I found a great photographer on Etsy who specializes in creating miniature tableaus using mixed perspective. (You know I'm a sucker for miniature people.) His shop, Un Petit Monde, is very sweet. Take a look!

I'm going to wrap up with another great shot that I thought you would appreciate as much as I did. I think from the costume, this is Batgirl? Does such a thing exist? And if so, was she part of the original TV show? Regardless, the bright colors and the campy style of the photo are right down my alley, and look very similar to my work, in fact. Who is your favorite TV superhero?

And where did she find shoes to match that ensemble???

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Love may be in the air, and she's got a crossbow...

2011-08-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

Well, here we are in August already. Hard to believe the last month of summer is already upon us. We've had some crazy heat up north here this summer, but that hasn't kept me from working tirelessly to bring you new eye candy. First up, here is my latest art print: Cupid Revisited. I decided to throw the babies and the men in diapers out the window and create a more cutting edge cupid with weapons and bloody wings and raw power. Let me know what you think!

And, I also recently shot a new model to help her on a project and she let me post a few pics from the shoot for you Kids. I call this shot Space Girl Pop and she is also available as a print in my shop. The rest of the photos from that shoot are on my Flickr page, go check 'em out!

I have started setting up my profile over at Behance (more to follow on that), and I found a wonderful artist over there I wanted to share with you. Mariana Monteagudo's Fake Idols series is just amazing. The work is mixed media so it uses materials of all types, as well as hints of popular culture, to create works that seem both familiar and strange simultaneously. These pieces are cute and unsettling at the same time, which I think is the point. Still, take a look and let me know what you think.

And I'm going to wrap up with a movie recommendation. Do you like the Austin Powers movies? Modesty Blaise? Foxxy Brown? Well, if you like that 1960's international spy tongue-in-cheek humor, then you'll love In Like Flint. It stars James Coburn as the rather unlikely ladies' man and genius action hero spy. The sets and the corny dialogue make it worth the watch and there are tons of neat gadgets and costumes to keep you watching. I won't bore you with the plot, but if you have a chance, it's on Netflix right now. Here are some teaser shots:

Nice band-aid, James...

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Dark Playland...

2011-07-25T12:06:00.001-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope all is well out there in the world for you! Things here are busy as usual, but so much to share. First, I took a spin down to Old Orchard Beach to people watch and see the rides and to take some pictures. It's neat to live so close to such a big tourist attraction. A ton of vacationers from Quebec, Canada stay down there so it's chock full of craziness. Take a peek at my latest shots, more here.

I also turned some of those shots into my Welcome Swami gif. He reminds me of the Zoltar machine from Big. It's creepy, he kind of squeaks as he moves. It kind of looks like he'd climb down from there and eat small children and kittens at night to be honest. Regardless, he lives on my blog now and you may use him too. Enjoy!

Speaking of creepy, I recently read an article about Baron Georg Haas' dog collection at Castle Bitov. I say collection, because the 51 dogs are stuffed. You heard me. Apparently, Baron Haas was an animal lover who had his favorites taxidermied upon their deaths. The Baron has been dead for many years, but his dogs are still cared for and remain in pristine condition. They're the big attraction at Castle Bitov, in fact. That's taking eccentricity to a whole new level, folks.

And going to the other end of the scale, we have these adorable and highly styled kids, featured on the Marie Claire Italy site. The sets, the clothes, the children themselves? Amazing work here. I don't know how the photographer got them to look so mature (and plotting), but he did it in spades. The little girl in blue is my favorite.

Exciting new work coming next week, standby!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Tiny Satyr...

2011-07-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies!

I hope this week finds you all doing well out there. I have been super busy lately on many things (some of which I can't share at the moment), but this is the one I am most excited about: my latest shot! This piece is entitled Sam the Satyr and I just want to squeeze him (and yes, he's that cute in real life). Mythology + Babies = Adorable. You can see a bigger version here. More exciting projects are just around the bend, Kiddies, stay tuned!

And my Green Canoe shot was featured on the front page of Etsy this week! (A very sweet Facebook follower said she didn't mention seeing it because it probably happens to me all the time. I informed her that it rarely ever happens, but thanked her for the compliment. I love my followers!)

Do you have a mobile device that needs prettying up? Have you heard of Gelaskins? Well, it's time you did. They have artist-designed skins for over 100 devices from laptops to cell phones and they're really nice. The hard part will be picking just one. Here are a few I like a lot:

Have you guys heard of Public School? It's a great art site that features a mix of all mediums and topics and they really keep it fresh. They had a whole post featuring ventriloquist dummies the other day that creeped me right out. I thought I'd share (so I can sleep tonight)...

And speaking of ventriloquist dummies, I must be a glutton for punishment because that Public School post made me remember that I still need to watch Magic, starring Anthony Hopkins. Everything about this movie looks terrifying; it stars Hannibal Lecter, the dummy appears to be an alter ego, they dress alike(?!?!) and there is all possible murdering involved. I probably won't be able to sleep for weeks, but alas, I'll watch it anyway. I'll let you know how it goes...

Dear God, what is going on in this scene?!

Until next time: Unpleasant dreams...

Hot Sun, Cool Pics

2011-07-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you're all well out there in blog land! So much to share as usual here. First, in the business arena, I photographed a great family last weekend in the studio and I thought I'd share some shots from that. Their son Sam will be featured in a new art shot that I will be sharing with you next week. They were so much fun to work with (and their son's hair is to die for), take a peek!

If you're not from Maine, you probably don't know what Moxie is. (I had never heard of it before I moved here.) It is a soda made from gentian root which has an unusual flavor. Every year, Lisbon Falls has the Moxie Festival and they kick it off with fireworks and a parade. I went to the parade last weekend and it was wonderful! One of the best parades I've seen in a long time. I got some great shots too (see some below and the rest on my Flickr page here).

Not to send you away from this blog, but I've mentioned in the past that I do another blog with my good friend, who is a writer. It's called Phantomas. I shoot pics and he writes original works of fiction to accompany them. Well, the blog has moved to Tumblr, where all the cool kids are apparently. Be sure to follow us over there if you like old buildings, fictional musings and pretty pictures (I think you'll enjoy our romps).

Have you guys heard of Ben Strawn? His work is amazing and like nothing I've ever seen before. He paints on clear plastic sheets and distresses them and layers them so you get an almost encaustic look, but softer. And some of them look like photographs with painting over the top. They remind me of the zoo scenes in that Batman movie that had the Penguin in it... was it 3? Anyway, I love it. I want one of his pieces so badly. Take a look.

Let's wrap up with a movie recommendation, shall we? Are there any horror fans out there? Well, you're in luck. I just watched Grace, a movie about a vampire baby that despite my initial misgivings, was really well done. Creepy and moody and the focus they use made things seem more urgent. I give it 4 out of 5 corncobs! Check it out.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Monsters...

2011-07-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there! This post is going to be chockful of monsters, so prepare yourselves.

First, (on a non-monster note), I have designed a brand new landing page on Facebook for you fans and non-fans alike! Go check it out, there are links galore and we have a really fun time over there together. Click here to peruse!

I have also listed a great new summery print in my shop entitled Green Canoe. I've already sold one, people seem to like it.

Oh! And I finally cleaned up all the bottles I found at that abandoned dump last weekend while camping. We found some neat ones, including a huge old Clorox bleach bottle. I can't believe they used such heavy glass back then and didn't even recycle... boggles the mind, really. Take a look.

Okay, let's get down to the monsters. First, I posted awhile back that I'd found a great old 1950's cake decorating kit junking. Well, I decided to use it with my niece and we made a skull carousel cake that was covered in clowns and bones and so, of course, I loved how it came out. More shots here.

If you don't follow Monster Brains yet, you need to get on that. It's a "never ending celebration of monsters" and that's no lie, Kiddies. Recently, I drooled over a post of vintage Dick Smith makeup photos. Take a look at this craziness... and I don't think he even used professional stuff, but it looks great.

Have you heard of Bill Tracy? No? Chances are, if you like amusement parks and scary rides you've seen his work. He was the king of "dark rides" between the 1940's and the 1970's, building spook houses, pirate ships, jungle rides and more with a ton of effects and scares. His site has a ton of photos and trivia. Great stuff.

Let's wrap up with a Monster Parade from the creative hooligans at Cloudy Collection, shall we? A great little limited-edition print set that's just full of monstery goodness. Take a peek or better still, buy a set!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

The Great Outdoors...

2011-06-27T13:46:00.001-07:00

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you are all doing well out there. I just got back from a lovely three day weekend in the woods with friends. It's an annual tradition, and each year we have more fun. The high points included; capsizing a canoe (yes, that's me immediately after), catching a fish, seeing 2 huge water snakes, finding an old dump full of old glass bottles and tons of laughs. So much fun. Here are some hi-light shots from the trip; you can see more at my Flickr stream here.

While we're on the topic of the outdoors, I have discovered a wonderful photographer whose on-location shoots are amazing: Eliot Lee Hazel. Heard of him? His work is haunting and otherworldly, despite being very simple and stark, which says a lot regarding his ability. My favorite series is the Poppy Field Gang (I even like the name, some samples are shown below.) Peruse the work, it's inspiring.

While we're on the topic of the great outdoors, do you guys like incense? I grew up with it and I love how it makes my house smell. I have been looking for cedar incense for years. (It was really easy to find when I lived out in Oregon.) Well, imagine my surprise when I found Paine's Red Cedar Incense made right here in Auburn, Maine! It's wonderful and real smelling and not overpowering at all. Do yourself a favor if you love incense, and get some and try it. They even sell little log cabins you can burn it in so it looks like there's a fire inside! Cute!

Let's wrap up our outdoor theme with this picture below. What the?! Yes. Apparently, a resourceful inventor back in the early 1900's, felt that both the eyes and the nose should be protected from the sun while out in the summertime. So, here you have a "Nose and Eye Sheath." I imagine you'd look like a reverse raccoon if you ever burned around this thing, not to mention like an idiot whilst actually wearing it. Yikes. No thanks.

Until next time; unpleasant dreams...

Monsters Under the Bed...

2011-06-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all well out there!

Let me start off with some business news, I have listed the entire Everything's Alright Here series in my shop! I have gotten some really positive feedback on this series which is great. It's encouragement like that (mixed with a love for it), that keeps me at it, so thank you all!

You who've followed for awhile know I'm a sucker for a carnival (or circus). So, it was with glee that I went to one over the weekend with some friends and one of my nieces. I got some great shots of the kids enjoying themselves. Perfect summer day. Here are some fun shots of the day:

Speaking of fun carnival related stuff. Have you guys stumbled across The Secret Fun Spot site? Brainchild of artist and designer Kirk Demarais, the site is chock full of vintage dime store packaging, vintage Halloween photos, toys, jokes. It's nuts, in a good way. Go do yourselves a favor and peruse, I dare you to take less than an hour.

Do you use a wallet? Do you know someone who does? (I realize that includes almost everyone on Earth.) The Poketo store has a ton of artistic, fun things, but their limited edition wallets are top knotch. My two current favorites are by Andrea Wan and Gary Baseman, pictured below. (You can't really go wrong with naked ladies running through the woods led by wolves...) Take a peek!

Let's wrap up with some movie talk. I was perusing old sci fi posters for source material for my big secret project, and I came across this little gem of a movie: Bedazzled, starring Raquel Welsh. I have it on my docket for viewing this week, but I have not done so yet. Suffice it to say, it should be interesting and cheap, just the way we like it around here. I read she seduces Dudley Moore in one scene? Gross. I'll let you know how it goes, or you can tell me in the comments if you see it first!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Manly Man Father's Day Print Sale

2011-06-14T10:12:00.001-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

So, I decided (since boys tend to like my prints) that I would run a little storewide Father's Day print sale for the dudes/men/husbands/brothers/sons/dads/boyfriends out there (and ladies who want to treat themselves).

Here are the details: 25% off all prints storewide (that's $15 a print!), June 14-19th. Enter "MANLYMAN" in the coupon code section of my store at check out to receive the discount. Simple as that. I'll ship as quickly as I can. (You're welcome, Ladies.) :)

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

A Little R & R

2011-06-13T07:17:00.001-07:00

Hello Lovelies!

I was on vacation last week and took a ton of pics and did some really fun stuff with a friend who was visiting. Here are some random shots from the week:

And, I discovered some great things while I was out and about. First, if you're local to Portland, you may have heard of the International Cryptozoology Museum. Well, I went there with my friend and did the tour and it was fascinating. In addition, there is a great book store attached that's well organized and had a ton of stuff that was right down my alley, including 2 Ray Bradbury books I didn't have! Both the museum and the bookstore are worth a trip.

I also did a bit of junking and found this really fun scarf that has good luck charms all over it. I'm probably not going to use it, but it may show up in a future shoot, so keep your peepers peeled.

Speaking of shoots, I am working on my big annual photography project and it's going wonderfully so far. Those of you who have followed for awhile may remember my Cigar, Creeper & Dark Circus and Sideshow Series and my Zom-B-Vex Series last year. This year's project is the biggest and the best so far and I'm keeping it under wraps until I release the whole thing October 1st. But, I will give you a hint, it sort of involves this:

I will give more hints as we go along and maybe do some other fun promo stuff. The shot above is from a great Galactically Hot Women of Star Trek Flickr stream that you Kiddies may enjoy. So many neat characters from that show.

And let's wrap up with a movie recommendation. This one is not for the faint of heart (or those who hate clowns/marionettes). Dead Silence is a surprisingly good thriller that I just bought because I liked it so much. The plot is good and has some twists, the characters are terrifying and the mood is dark and creepy. All these things equal at least 4 corn cobs out of 5 on my scale for this one. Check it out and don't watch it alone...

...and don't scream.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams.

Killer Jello...

2011-05-31T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there! A ton to share as usual. To start, I hinted about a new shoot last week and it is finally done and posted! This mini-series is entitled Everything's Alright Here and it features killer jello and crocodile smiles. You can see the rest of them here. I would like to send out a special thank you to Susan at North Star Vintage, who rented some of her vintage clothing to me for this shoot even though she usually just sells it. She's wonderful, stop by her online shop if you get a chance.

And while we're talking photography, I have finally gotten around to putting out a price list for sessions in my studio! (Link here.) If you are local, or are traveling to Maine this summer, feel free to drop me a line if you're interested in a sitting. I have more tricks up my sleeve than most and I can honestly say, whether I'm making a man wear tights for a lucha libre shoot, or giving a scythe to a child, everyone has a great time and comes back for more!

Oh! And more exciting news! My Sweetie has been wanting a tattoo for a really long time and over the weekend, she finally went for it. And never being one to do things halfway, she got a huge piece featuring Bela Lugosi on her upper arm. It came out amazingly. If you're in Maine anytime soon, or if you're local, Chad Chase at Venom Ink Tattoo in Sanford is a truly amazing tattoo artist. He specializes in horror and portraiture but he does a ton of other styles. Plus, he's a great guy. Thanks Chad!

And let's wrap up with a cool product I found last week that I wanted to share with you Lovelies: the gun blow dryer. Yes. That's right. It's a blow dryer, shaped like a gun. I found it on this site. Apparently, they aren't being produced yet, but when they are, I'll be the first in line. What a morbidly funny appliance, don't you think?

That's one way to get those tangles out...

Until next time: Unpleasant dreams...

Bowling You Over...

2011-05-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies!

This is going to be a long one, my Dears. There's a lot going on here. First, I have some new work to show you hot and fresh from the studio! Here are a few of the shots from my Shriner Bowling Team series. We had such a good time and so many laughs, these boys were great. It's shoots like this that make this so much fun for me. Find the rest on my Flickr stream here.

We've had literally weeks of rain up here, but Saturday, I went down to Boston for the day and the sun was out all day long and I snapped this shot called Star Spangled Banners. I just listed it in my shop. Perfect art photo for summer!

I just shot yet another mini-series last weekend that I know you'll love. I will give you a hint, it involves the 3 things below in some way. Can you guess what the series is about??? Give it a shot and post your guesses here. I may give something to the person whose guess is closest to the idea.

And speaking of going to Boston, I actually went down just to see the Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey show at the Boston Athenaeum. Wow. I was blown away. The level of detail and pure creativity I saw was truly unparalleled. Gorey combines the ingenious lingual turns of Dr. Seuss with the unique imagery of Salvador Dali in my opinion. It's like nothing your eyes have ever seen probably. If you live close, I highly recommend checking it out. It closes this weekend. Great stuff.

While we're talking about artists, I wanted to introduce you to Alan Plowdrill's work. Alan is a photographer and he does work that I adore. He has a great eye and a great sense of humor and I want to be his friend. Check out his portfolio, especially his Pipe Up, Shut It, and Tashmen series. It will make you laugh and your eyes will like it. (Especially that dummy down there...)

And speaking of dummies, I'm going to wrap up with this epic photo I found in the LIFE Archives the other day. There really isn't much to say about it, except it's hilarious, oh, and it's my worst nightmare come to life.

Never turn your back on a dummy (or a clown for that matter).

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Shriners with Shiners...

2011-05-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all well out there this week! We've been having a wet spring here in New England, which is great. (It makes me feel like I'm not missing much when I'm shooting in the studio on the weekends.) As promised, here are the latest shots, entitled Shriner with a Shiner (yes, those are parakeets), and Crazy Band. These were so much fun to do, the model was great and the outfit was drop-dead. I just listed them for sale in my shop if you like crazy things (which, if you're here, you do).

I just did another wonderful shoot this past weekend that I will share next week, so prepare yourselves, I'm cranking them out these days!

My Lovely and I just spent two wonderful days at the Brimfield Antique Show in Massachusetts, digging through boxes, climbing into tents and haggling with dealers and it was a ton of fun as always! I found some amazing pieces I'll be using in future shoots, as well as the loot pictured below. (I am getting those dark framed glasses converted into sunglasses for summer. I've been looking for a neat vintage pair for years and I'm really excited I found some!) More pictures on my Flickr page.

I just found an amazing artist: John Frame. He is a sculptor and stop-motion animation director who is making a film called The Tale of the Crippled Boy, a feature-length piece comprised of vignettes. His work is beautiful and amazing as you can tell from the stills below. He is taking donations to help him finish the project and I gave a little. If you like what you see and want to see the film finished, you may help out here. Amazing work.

Speaking of amazing, have you heard of Lisa Swerling's Glass Cathedrals? Wow you guys, she's neat. She takes little people and puts them into little worlds and then makes profound statements. It's been done, but never this concisely in my opinion and the little people are almost heartbreakingly wee down there. Take a peek, good stuff.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Shipwrecks, Closets and Shriners...

2011-05-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all well out there. Things here are crazy busy, but going really smoothly. (Which means a lot of work is being produced in a short period of time and it's all looking really good!) As promised, here are some of the shots from the sexy shipwreck shoot I did last weekend. You can see the whole series on my Flickr page. I want to thank the entire team of people who helped me and the models for being such troopers. It was a pleasure.

And here's a teaser for the shoot I just did this past weekend. I found a wonderful vintage Shriner parade outfit on Ebay and I couldn't pass it up. The outfit inspired the shoot and I think this one is going to blow your minds.

And speaking of mind-blowing photography, I discovered Eric Schaal via Etsy's Craft + Style Blogosphere post this past week. Schaal did a ton of work for LIFE Magazine among many others, and all of his work is compelling, but it's his Experimental Housing Storage photos that really amazed me. When closets were coming into vogue in homes of the 40's and 50's, LIFE commissioned Schaal to document as many as possible via scale models and real home photos. The results pop with Kodachrome hues and are deliciously voyeuristic. Take a look:

And speaking of amazing photographers, Celeste Canino does some amazing conceptual work that I've been enjoying. She seems to have some really fun clients who let her play with bright colors, over the top personalities and cutting edge concepts. She also uses a ton of different approaches (black and white, filters, hyper-saturation) depending on the project, which I admire. Peep it out:

Let's wrap up with some funny news, shall we? We all know the royal wedding was a huge deal, millions of people were watching and there was a lot of pressure to get everything perfect. Which is why it's hilarious to me that apparently, a very young bridesmaid snuck a "Wiggly Worm" into one of the group shots. Best. Photo. Ever.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Sexy Shipwrecks...

2011-05-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there this week! I have been a very busy bee here lately. I'm particularly excited about a shoot I did on location for a client this past weekend. I don't want to spoil the surprise (because much work still needs to be done to prepare those shots), but they came out beautifully. I think you'll thoroughly enjoy them.

Here's a hint:

I have more exciting shoots over the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Have you heard of the work of Alan Wolfson? It's amazing stuff you guys. He does very detailed sculptures of urban scenes in New York and elsewhere; subway cars, strip clubs, convenience stores. He uses photos of the actual sites for reference and his attention to detail is so amazing, you can't really tell a well-photographed piece of his work from the real thing. Check it out:

And while we're talking about great artists, let me introduce you to the work of Matt Sartain. His Misadventures series in particular caught my eye recently. It's comprised of almost cinematic quality photos that all but force you to make up a narrative to accompany them. (My favorite is that French nobleman in the mask gesturing to the hot air balloon.) I mean, really? It's beautiful, amazing stuff.

I would like to wrap up by recommending a documentary I had been meaning to see since I saw it mentioned on Lost At E Minor's site: Marwencol. I finally had an opportunity to see it and I was really moved. I don't want to spoil the story, because it's a good one, by turns hopefully, funny and heartbreaking. Suffice it to say, it had a strong affect on me and you should take a look and let me know what you think.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Sexy Shipwrecks and Scary Suitcases

2011-04-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you are all well and that if you celebrate Easter, you enjoyed the past weekend. I had a lovely day with my gaggle of nieces and nephew all dressed up in their little outfits. Some bright eggs, some ham, a ton of candy... perfection in my opinion. I snapped some nice spring shots of the day that I thought I'd share:

On a darker note, I have added yet another vintage stenciled suitcase to my friend's boutique here in town. This one is called Skeleton Tree and features a nice gold Sears Courier suitcase with a custom stencil on the front. It's signed just like a piece of art and would add a hip and haunted piece to your travel luggage if you're interested...

I have also listed the entire Kong vs. El Tigre print set in my shop! Now you too can own this hilarious series; perfect for the office, den or TV room.

And speaking of shopping, I found a great new artist I wanted to share with you! Have you heard of Dienzo? No? Well, then you're in for a treat! I found Rick Dienzo's work via a blog I follow and I fell in love. It's like The Addams Family meets Beetlejuice the cartoon. Very fun stuff. Here are just a few of the prints he sells:

Let's wrap up with a great image, shall we? This bright, colorful spring-looking piece (except the skull part), is entitled Confetti Death and it's by Typoe. Great stuff Kiddies.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Bright and Dark...

2011-04-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are doing well out there! I have a lot to share as usual from the Mill. First, I have entered CMYK Magazine's Top 100 New Creatives competition and I'm really excited about the pieces I entered. I'm hoping for the best. Take a look at my entry page, their layout is really nice and puts everyone on an even playing field. Wish me luck!

I have scheduled a ton of shoots both for personal projects and for clients and I'm really excited about all of them. One of the shoots I'm especially excited about involves the outfit below + a swarthy looking fellow + mischief and maybe a black eye. It's almost as much fun preparing for these shoots as it is actually shooting them (though washing those pants in my bathtub got a little crazy). Standby for greatness!

Have I found some neat stuff for your eyes this week Kiddies! First, have you ever heard of Wladyslaw T. Benda the famous mask maker? Neither had I, but Etsy posted a blurb about him on their blog and I was blown away! The work is impeccable and the shots of the masks are dark and moody. I love it. {Most of these images came from Chromium Dumb Belle Blog, which is neat in its own right.}

And if you love days gone by/classic 1940's/50's life as much as I do, you need to stop by Neat Stuff Blog. Every post is chock full of great old snap shots of how people lived back then. The fashions and architecture and cars are fascinating. This post of Kodachrome shots of New York City is especially amazing. Here are a few of my favorites:

Let's wrap up with a bit of odd news, shall we? Apparently, there is a 103 year old judge still hearing cases in Wichita, KS. Now, I'd be the last person to say that working while you can is a bad idea, but really? He was literally appointed by John F. Kennedy and he says he'll be leaving office "feet first"... Wow. I hope Kansas doesn't get any cases that require a young mind, they'll be out of luck.

"As I've told you, and your father before you, and his father before him, and his father before him: Marijuana still isn't legal in the U.S. Now get oughta my courtroom!"

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Dry Bones...

2011-04-11T11:14:00.001-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

So much to share, so let's get started! First off, I was archiving and organizing my photos recently and came across a ton of shots from some classic car shows I've attended and I thought I'd throw them up on Flickr for your enjoyment. I have an exciting collaboration coming this summer with a man who has an extensive car collection and he's agreed to let me use them for some conceptual work. I'll post those photos here too, so follow along and add/or me as a contact.

And I was reading one of the blogs I follow the other day and saw this adorable old video of the Lennon Sisters singing Dry Bones. The costumes? The dancing? That little one at the end? So cute.

Something else to share with you all, have you seen the work of Christopher Conn Askew? It's like nothing I've ever seen before, a mix of tattoo and geisha art with an Indian influence. I love it. His mix of symbols and overall aesthetic remind me of Camilla Rose Garcia's work... which is brilliant. Take a look at some examples:

And let's wrap it up with a movie recommendation, shall we? I just watched the 1968 movie The Boston Strangler last night and man is it creepy. Based on the real life events surrounding the murders in Boston, the strangler is played by Tony Curtis who I like, but I never thought much of him as an actor. Well, he surprised me in this role, he was by turns pathetic, murderous, crazy and creepy and they had him wear brown contacts so those blue eyes of his look almost black. Plus, it stars a ton of other greats like Henry Fonda. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Kong vs. El Tigre...

2011-04-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well. To start, fresh from the studio, I have some brand new work to share with you. This new mini-series entitled Kong vs. El Tigre, was inspired by lucha libre (and because I had access to a gorilla suit, you take what you can get Folks). I think it came out really well and it was a ton of fun to shoot. A big thank you goes out to my Sweetie for donning the gorilla suit and flailing all over a mattress to get just the right shot. Here are some hi-lights:

I have also started putting custom stencils on vintage luggage. I'm creating these like small works of art complete with signature because they really are one of kind. The first piece, entitled Orange Skull, is available at Lalo Boutique here in Portland. I have more neat stencils in the works and I'm happy to stencil a piece you already own, so feel free to shoot me an email if you have a laptop case, suitcase, makeup bag, etc... that needs dressing up!

Have you guys heard of the site Nileguide? It's great for finding cool places to visit when you're traveling, and they did an article on 8 Abandoned Amusement Parks Abroad "open for exploration" that people have been visiting for years to take photos. And the photos are amazing. Take a look, and visit the site for more!

Have you ever seen photography that's so timeless, it truly looks like it was just photographed yesterday? The work of Pete Turner struck me that way. I looked at his site, and it looked really contemporary, and then I noticed the dates were all in the 50's. Great eye, great color, a joy to peruse. Do yourself a favor and take a peek. Here are my favorites:

And speaking of classic, one of my favorite movies is Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (of course). I found this great still from the set that I'd never seen before. Hitchcock was apparently showing Anthony Perkins how to be foreboding even when merely standing still. Great stuff.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Big Hairy Apes...

2011-03-28T12:21:00.001-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there. A lot to share as usual. To start, I added some close-up shots to the Okoterru pieces I listed in the shop so you really see what you're getting. They're cute, they come framed and matted, and about half of them have sold, so don't delay too much longer or they'll be gone!

What else? Oh, I am venturing back into the studio this weekend to work on a new mini photo project that I think you'll find hilarious. I don't want to spoil the surprise, but I'll give you a hint, it has to do with this:

And speaking of corny, vintage-inspired mayhem, have you seen the work of Jon Kelly Green yet? His work is sort of a throwback to 1960's cereal boxes and he does this fun thing on his blog where he creates characters almost daily and pits them against each other. I really don't know where he comes up with so many different ones. It's a little daily treat for me. Take a peek:

Tom Whalen is another illustrator with a bright, ingenious style that I really can't get enough of lately... He's a master of vector art, and his layout and design as well as his typographical choices are really top-knotch. I want his The Fly poster so bad I can taste it... eww. Take a look!

And I'd like to wrap up this week's post with a picture a friend posted on my Facebook wall the other day. I have no idea who took it (disclaimer), but I loved it and wanted to share!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Empty Stations...

2011-03-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there. A lot of things happening here as usual! To start, I have listed a new print in the shop that I think is a nice spring piece. It's called Maine Train Station and it is being featured this week on Phantomas with a nice accompanying fictional short story entitled Pullman Berth. Beautiful stuff, take a peek:

Last week was my 8th anniversary with my Sweetie and we enjoyed a beautiful meal at Fore Street Restaurant in Portland to celebrate. If you're local and you haven't had the pleasure, you need to check it out. Beautiful atmosphere and the food really is delicious. I also got two beautiful bouquets of flowers straight from the Boston Flower Show. They make the house smell delicious. I am a lucky woman...

While we're on this bright, spring kick, I want to show you the work of Johnny Miller. Heard of him? He is a photographer and stylist who's done work for Martha Stewart Living among others. You know his stuff, it's the signature MSL look; bright, modern, clean, creative. On his site (linked above) he also has a section of personal work and I found the love letters he documented between his parents when his Dad was in Vietnam, an especially moving series. Check it out. Oh, and here's more of his great work:

It's been a long time since I've read a good book, life gets busy and most days, I fall into bed and watch a movie instead. But, I just got Alice Hoffman's The Red Garden (she wrote Practical Magic), and I can't wait to start it. It's whimsical and set in New England and I don't know much more about it because I've avoided spoiling it by reading the synopsis. Do you like Alice Hoffman? Have you read this book?

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Lollipops and Clowns...

2011-03-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you are doing well out there. I have a lot to share as usual. To start, I finally got my new business cards in for my photography business and I think they came out really well. I used a full bleed image on the front and very spare information on the back. I'm trying to keep it simple. What do you think?

And, I had more adventures in the studio this past weekend. I photographed two toddlers and while they were a handful and a half, I got some good shots and some really good experience. With most of the folks who model for me, I have an agreement where I will discount the sitting fee if they help me create pieces for my portfolio in addition to their shots. In this case, I shot these little guys in their normal clothes and then I put them in my costumes and shot a series of 4 photos you can see on my Flickr page. So much fun... Here's a teaser:

And speaking of babies, I went to a baby shower over the weekend and I put one of my clown cupcake toppers to good use as a present topper! I think it made the present... take a peek:

Also this past weekend, I got a chance to see the Shanghai Circus at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH. First of all, the venue itself is really fun and historic with old wooden floors and velvet curtains, it's beautiful. And the acrobats/performers?! Wow. I've never seen anything like it. I was blown away, literally. If you ever get a chance to see them perform, go.

And speaking of bright, colorful and inspiring things, have you seen the photo styling of Rebecca Thuss? First of all, her site is beautiful of course and apparently, there's nothing she can't do. She's a crafter, a photo stylist for Martha Stewart Living and Wedding among others, and she's a designer. Her photos are so bright and cheery, just go to the site and take a look, or take a gander at these:

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Wee trains and big knives...

2011-03-07T11:42:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well! It has been warmer (40's) in Maine this week and I got out there and shot some stuff despite the muddy flood conditions. I think I'm starting to get a feel for my new camera and I truly love it. I posted some of my new shots to my Flickr album for your enjoyment. One of my favorites is the top one, I don't know if that's gum, or candy or what, but it had melted through the ice and I thought it was beautiful for some reason...

Oh, and this shot, entitled Real Toy Train, is actually being sold as a print in my shop!

I have started using Stumbleupon lately and I have found some great things out there you guys. First, the art of KeFe, a creative duo out of San Francisco blew my mind. I truly haven't seen a woman depicted in this particular way ever. I love the eyes. And they sell originals on their site too. Beautiful work that almost made me sell my dignity to come up with the money to buy a piece...

And while we're on cute, feminine art, allow me to introduce you to another artist I found recently: Mizna Wada. Why do I love her work? Oh, because she mixes cute little girls and murder seamlessly and with a real eye for composition and color. I mean, take a look:

And to completely switch gears (you're used to that by now, right?) I have a movie recommendation for you: Machete. Now, this movie is really violent and some people hate that, so if you're one of those people, you may stop reading. For the rest of you, who, like me, realize that Alex Rodriguez is merely mocking slasher flicks and 70's grind house features, this is a good one. Between the male lead's face, the gratuitous sex and violence and the soundtrack, I was laughing during the entire thing. Maybe there's something wrong with that. But if that's wrong, I don't want to be right you guys... Check it out.

Because the only thing worse than the violence are all the bad wigs.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Phantomas...

2011-02-28T11:00:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well. So much to share this week as usual. To start, I have completed my Mustache Ride Series and it ended on a strong note for sure. As you can tell from the shots below, there were many laughs. My sides actually hurt when it was all said and done. So much fun.

Remember Lovelies, I'm always taking new clients... :)

Some exciting news! I mentioned my new collaborative blog project entitled Phantomas in my last post. A good writer friend and I are doing weekly posts that combine photography and short fiction stories. The first post is up to give you a taste, follow along if you want to take the journey with us... it should be interesting.

Oh! My photography was just featured on the Sasquatch Magazine site out of Australia. It's a great magazine and I was flattered to be featured. Stop by and support the site, or better yet, subscribe and keep the cool art coming!

And speaking of cool art, have you seen Liz Wolfe's work yet? Holy smokes. I found her via StumbleUpon and uhm... I was blown away. She combines candy and bright colors and just a little bit of darkness to create a look I've never seen before... I know I'll never look at chicken feet the same way again. Or candy canes for that matter.

Strange news time. Did you Kiddies read about the frozen pig knuckle that flew off the back of a truck on the German autobahn and damaged a man's car? At those speeds, I imagine a fly would damage someone's car. Thankfully he was fine, but talk about when pigs fly...

It was kinda like this, only more knuckle.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Studio 'Staches...

2011-02-21T13:38:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

Hope you are all well! As I mentioned several posts ago, I now have a photography studio and I am shifting the focus of my work and Stapelia in general, to just photography. I am in the studio shooting every weekend now and I've created a new Flickr album for these exploits. Candids, studio and location shots will all be housed here, including my humorous new series that turns a dirty phrase on its ear entitled Mustache Rides. You have to see it to believe it, here's a peek:

In addition to the studio work, next week, I am starting a second blog in collaboration with a writer friend of mine entitled Phantomas, that mixes photography and fictional writing to create weekly forays into the unknown. If all goes according to plan, the first post will go up the 28th. It should be interesting, so set your feeds now!

Speaking of forays into the unknown, have you guys seen the work of Mike Doyle? Well, I say "work", but for him it's play that he just takes really seriously. Mike is a Lego artist who has fashioned 2 life-like abandoned houses out of only Legos, no paint, no glue and these houses are ridiculous. The detail? The amount of time spent? I'm always amazed when people use materials with strict constraints to make something beautiful... and these certainly are that.

Have I got a movie recommendation for you Kiddies. I can't believe I haven't suggested this one before: PIN. Heard of it? It's pretty obscure. My sister and I read the book years ago and it creeped us both out, and then we found a movie version. Uh uh. It's like Flowers in the Attic meets a life-sized anatomical teaching dummy. I won't spoil it for you, check it out and let me know what you think...

Yeah, PIN looks like a skinless Rene Auberjonois... yikes.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Dark Valentines...

2011-02-14T07:59:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies!

I hope this V-day finds you all doing well and finding some way to enjoy it. I made a card for my Sweetie this year (as I do every year), inspired by these little guys. I'm also making chicken parm tonight (wish me luck, I've never tried it before). We have a tradition of staying in instead of trying to beat the restaurant crowds and it usually makes for a wonderful Valentine's Day.

In business news, I will be listing what remains of my Okotteru series in the shop this week for your buying pleasure. They look even cuter in person, and people really seemed to be taken with them. So, keep an eye out for those!

I had to share this with you Lovelies. A good friend of mine in the UK sent me a Christmas package literally right after Thanksgiving that just arrived last week because of some ridiculous back up at the post office. Imagine my surprise when I opened my the box and found this unusual (and awesome) assortment of candy. Not sure if they're meant to actually be eaten, I assume they could be. I however, will keep them for novelty purposes only.

Scorpion sucker anyone?

Have you guys seen the hilarious Mamika series by photographer Sacha Goldberger? A little back story, the photographer's 91 year old grandma was suffering from a little bit of depression so he started this series to boost her mood. At first she was reluctant to model, but she eventually got into it and now there are tons of photos and a book based on the series. Such neat work and such a great story...

Ready for some weird news? This is just plain ridiculous... An Indonesian man was arrested in Thailand for attempting to smuggle an entire zoo's worth of animals out of the country in 3 suitcases. Contents included snakes, spiders, squirrels, and lizards. I just don't know how they all survived such close quarters. Seems like an entire food chain going on in there. Yikes.

That's taking Rubbermaid to a whole new level you guys...

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Indians...

2011-02-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well this week. The days here are getting a bit longer and when I leave work now, the sun is sort of up for awhile (when you live in Maine in the winter, it's the little things), so the end of winter is in sight!

Only a dozen or so more blizzards to slog through and it'll be spring... blurgh.

I have been gradually re-designing my packaging to keep things fresh and I just got my new packaging stickers in the mail. They now feature my Little Green Indian bank.... oh, and glitter of course. Perfect for spring!

As I mentioned a few posts back, I now have a photography studio. I have decided to start playing with all of the lighting that I now have access to on the weekends, both to build my body of work and to gain more experience with the different tools I now have at my disposal. In light of this effort (no pun intended... okay, it was intended), I have been looking at different photographer's sites out there who shoot in small studios. Tod Kapke's work caught my eye. If you peruse the Process section, it appears he shoots everything in a garage? Yet look at the wonderful things he creates. I leave his site inspired and encouraged about my own studio...

I have discovered a wonderful book that I wanted to share with you parents out there, but really with everyone, because it's intended for kids, but I'm also loving it. The Monsterologist: A Memoir in Rhyme is on my must-buy list. The book itself is beautiful, but the cover really caught my eye. It was designed by Adam McCauley and every time I look at it I see something new. Great stuff.

So, I finally watched The Runaways (the Joan Jett story movie) last night and I was actually impressed. I'm not a huge Kristen Stewart fan, but she was subtle and seemed to embody the role of a rocker (though that's sort of her personality anyway I think). Dakota Fanning was really good too. I recommend it if you haven't seen it yet!

Plus, you get to see Kristen rock a great 80's mullet.

Until next time... unpleasant dreams...

Ornery Glitter Cupids...

2011-02-03T06:57:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies!

We had a blizzard up here in Maine yesterday and I had a snow day! So, of course, I took that opportunity to paint the little cupids I was telling you guys about on Monday. They're done, they're cute and they're up in the shop. Take a look and tell your friends, I really want these little guys to have a home by February 14th!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Pretty Poison

2011-01-31T13:02:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well. A lot of sneak things are happening behind the scenes here at the Mill that I will be able to share shortly.

Sneaky like this, only less laptop/blue ski mask and more awesome.

Something I can share, is in anticipation of Valentine's Day, I am doing a set of three very small original cupid paintings that I will be listing in the shop this week. They're somewhat inspired by vintage cupids like the one below and they will of course be overflowing with glitter and cuteness. Only one little set will be available, so stay tuned. I will post pics next week.

As you regular followers know, I have started amassing some rubber stamps that I use for packaging and for signing my prints and the like. Well, they were sitting all over my office and I didn't want them to get damaged. So, I found an old stamp carousel on Ebay to store them. They look great now and they keep my stamps clean and ready for action at a moment's notice!

I have found a photographer who has blown my socks off this past week. Alex Prager won the Foam Magazine Call for Talent contest last year and I'm not surprised. Her work is 1960's pulp-inspired, dramatic, and spot-on. Her narratives make you want to see more like a good Alfred Hitchcock movie and her colors and photo treatments make the whole thing look 50+ years old. I flipped through her entire site twice. Love it.

And while we're on a 60's kick, Tracey Snelling is another artist whose work is inspired by desert motels, women on the run and danger. Tracey's work is part model-making, part installation art and part narrative. Really, you need to see her work and read her artist statement to get her mission and even then, you may not completely get it. I hate to say that I really just like the look of her work and nothing more. Take a peek.

All this talk of femme fatales and the 1960's makes me want to watch Pretty Poison. Have you guys seen it? I haven't seen it yet, but I'll let you know how it goes. I'm really just seeing it because I love Anthony Perkins, the posters are great, and the lead chick is a drum majorette, which I find hilarious for some reason...

Also, they're both bonkers apparently... so there's that.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Candy Brite Collection

2011-01-24T12:16:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well this week. I have a ton of things to share, as usual here. The biggest news of the week, is I have just listed my new Candy Brite Collection! What is the Candy Brite Collection? you ask? I'll tell you; it's a series of 11 art prints inspired by Roy Orbison's song Candy Colored Clown. (Which is to say, on the surface, they're fun and colorful, underneath, they're worn and unsettling...) In addition, with the prints, I have listed Gun Clown Garland. Yep, you read it right, bright garland with guns and clowns on it. Take a peek you guys, it's kind of awesome:

And more good news! The Stapelia Company now has a professional photo studio space. So, as I've said to my Facebook followers; if you're local (or like to travel), bring me your ideas, your dreams and your paying clients and I'll make them fly higher, sing better and live longer. (Or at least look pretty neat... like this for example, or this.) I always love new collaborations, so give me a shout and let's do something together. (I will of course also be using the studio to create great things for you folks, never fear.)

It will be a lot like this, only, I'm not a man who looks like Buzz Aldrin...

Bright, colorful and retro is the theme for the day, so in that vein, let me introduce you to the work of Ragnar. Heard of him? No? Then, feast your eyes on his prolific body of work, including toys, books, commercial design. It's insane. And all impeccably done. See some examples below... I want all of his books. ALL of them.

So, as you faithful followers know, I got a brand new record player for Christmas, and I'm going to marry it. It's wonderful. One album I am particularly hooked on lately, is the James Bond Goldfinger soundtrack by John Barry. The title track features Shirley Bassey and the album cover features the famous "woman painted gold" and I can listen to it all day long! If you own a turntable, do yourself a favor and skip over to Ebay and get one. Stat. That's an order!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Brite things are coming...

2011-01-17T09:53:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well this fine Monday! A lot to share as usual. First, I've had people ask me in the past where I get my inspiration for new pieces (because my work is obviously pretty unique). Of course, literary sources and movies, but I also love junking and I've picked up a ton of bright, colorful things for my studio that make me happy when I'm working and/or inspire me. I just posted some of these things to my Flickr stream. Take a peek!

These pieces have also inspired a new art photo series that I will be releasing in roughly 2 weeks time. It's bright, it's fun, and it's perfect for spring. I think you're going to love it Kiddies!

And lastly, I am working on a little set of cupid paintings for the shop that I think you will love. Only one set will be available for V-day, and they'll be cute, so standby. I will let you guys know first, because you're my favorites...

Inspired by this evil little guy. Yikes.

So, speaking of inspiration, I found Flora Fauna World recently while perusing the web and I fell in love. They are a design studio that also creates art posters and letterpress. Combining organic shapes and design elements with a clean, modern aesthetic and a mastery of typography seems to be their signature. Take a look. I love that snow globe card.

And speaking of flora and fauna, artist Iori Tomita combines specimens and art in a new and beautiful way. In her New World Transparent Specimens series, she utilizes a method of specimen preparation developed by the fisheries field, that breaks down proteins, rendering the specimen transparent. She then injects dyes into the bone structures, creating beautifully preserved and brightly colored aquatic specimens. When science meets art, great things happen people. Wow.

And holy smokes you guys. I sometimes post strange news stories and it's been awhile, so I dug up this doozie for you. Did you read about the poor guy on the NY city subway that was sleeping and had a giant rat crawl over his face? Yeah. Holy. And the worst part is, someone video taped the whole thing instead of waking him up. What the?! Poor man. I can't even imagine.

And we thought this was creepy...

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Bright colors... dark thoughts.

2011-01-10T10:23:00.001-08:00

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you are all well. I have many things to share as usual. First, I am getting ready to put a new collection up in the shop for the new year. It's bright. It's deadly. I'm really excited about it and I think you're going to love it Kiddies. But first, I have added a Soon to be Discontinued section to my shop to clear out the old. Take a peek at that, once those items sell, I won't be re-listing them.

I ship a lot of prints and other flat things out that really shouldn't be bent in half. So, I decided I needed to get a Do Not Bend stamp. But then, I realized that's not how we do things around here. So, I designed one and I named her Bendee. Bendee will greet you with her smiling countenance on all orders from now on!

One last piece of business, I have two 16" x 20" overstock art photos listed: Medusa and Penelope the Sword Swallower. I never keep these on-hand so this is a rare treat. They're beautiful and ship immediately.

I have found a wonderful illustrator via Gallery Nucleus. Lorelay Bove (besides having a great name), did a series for that gallery inspired by Alfred Hitchcock movies (so of course I was sold). But her other work is just as delightful. It has a loose but obviously skilled look to it that makes me love it immensely. Take a look!

If I had one wish, it would be to own the tools necessary to make an ambrotype and the skills of Misha Burlatsky to make it wonderful. Holy smokes. This is a technique that cannot be mimicked by digital and that makes it wonderful. Look at that selective focus you guys... and that clown with the hearts blowing out. Holy. Smokes.

Let's wrap up with a haunting and unsettling movie recommendation, shall we? I watched Moon over the weekend and was pleasantly surprised. The acting was great, the plot had several twists and Sam Rockwell, while not movie star gorgeous, has the appeal of a Steve Buscemi in his ability to look different in every scene. I highly recommend it and give it all 5 corncobs!

Plus, the poster design is pretty top-knotch.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Okotteru...

2011-01-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

Happy New Year! I am more excited about starting 2011 than I've been in several years. I know it's going to be a great one and it's wonderful to have all you fine folks along for the ride.

As promised, here are some pictures of my new Okotteru series. This series is for my gallery's Least Favorite Things themed show opening Friday. I went a very Asian art route and created little kids doing their least favorite chores. Okotteru means "I am angry at this/you" and the Japanese symbol on the art means "I hate this." Very tongue-in-cheek as usual. Origami paper shows through the cut out areas to contrast the otherwise stark illustrations. Let me know what you think!

I have been doing quite a bit of junking recently for a secret project I am very excited about that I will reveal in time. In the process, I have found some great things, including this book of short suspense stories compiled by Alfred Hitchcock. The cover? Wow. Vultures, ghouls, and A. Hitchcock as a baby? That's a 10 on the creep scale... and of course I love it.

I also found this hilarious cover from an old Popular Science magazine. These mags are crazy to read. They're chock full of lead paint ads, articles about building bombs, alligators for sale, it's nuts. But the caption: How You Are Thrilled... But Not Killed took the cake. I have yet to read the article. I'll let you know how it comes out Folks.

Have you seen the work of Deborah Parkin? Well, if not, you should skip on over to her site ASAP because her stuff really is top knotch. Some of it's mysterious, some of it looks vintage, and all of it is moody and beautiful. Below are some of my favorites...

So, because it was the holidays, I busted out one of my holiday favorites; Gremlins. You heard me. If you haven't seen it in awhile, it definitely deserves a re-visit. Holy smokes. I forgot how hilarious it was... and how absurd. Namely the mom character and the mean old lady character. (All the people in this movie are so one-dimensional that referring to them by name is unnecessary.) Absolutely ridiculous... and wonderful. Give Gremlins another shot very soon you guys...

Because there's this: a ski mask with teeth.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Clown Lion...

2010-12-27T14:43:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are doing well and that your holiday weekends were relaxing and enjoyable. Mine was delightful. My family came to town and we pretty much laughed, opened presents and ate delicious food for 4 straight days. Here are some pics from the weekend:

Champagne with Titanic ice... those cubes are a bear to get out without breaking.

One of my favorite records (it's blue), on my new record player. Best gift of the year!

Creepy clown lion (does my family know me or what?)

And clown cupcake toppers...

But don't think all that celebrating means I don't have wonderful things to share. To start, I am down to literally 3 Zom-B-Vex Calendars and I would love for them to find a home before January so I have dropped the price again: $10. That's right Folks! $10. Treat yourself to an after-holiday gift this year!

And I have started a new series of illustrations that I'm really excited about! I don't want to spoil the surprise so I'll give you a sneak peek of a sketch I'm working on. I'm pretty sure you'll love them so standby.

I have enjoyed an illustrator for awhile now who I wanted to share with you. Harry Clarke actually died in 1931 at the age of 41, so he's not a modern day illustrator. However, I think you'll agree that his style has influenced many illustrators working today. I love the dark richness of it, and the fluid movement as well. I aim to get a book of his works if one exists (because I love a challenge)... take a look:

And a movie recommendation. (More accurately, a series of movies.) I received part of the Charlie Chan DVD collection for Christmas and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. It's funny and dated and in many ways politically incorrect, but the mysteries themselves are clever and fun to watch. There are tons of different movies starring the fictitious detective Charlie Chan, and he was even played by several different actors, so I'm sure you'll find a couple to enjoy. Check them out if you have time!

Plus, the graphics are great.

Until next time: Unpleasant dreams...

Sweet but Deadly...

2010-12-20T09:33:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

Well, the holidays are literally almost here and things have been nutso here at the Mill. (In a totally good way of course.)

First off, I have less than 10 Zom-B-Vex 15-Month calendars left and I want them gone. So, I have reduced the price on those to get them moving. If you've been debating, now's the time to act!

I have mentioned my Dark Harlequins on here a number of times and I just finished a harlequin commission for a friend. She found this huge one at the Goodwill and wanted me to pretty her up. Which, I did. This will probably be my last piece in this series. I love painting on found objects! If you find something that you'd like me to darken up for you, shoot me a message and we'll chitty chat.

Those of you who've followed the blog for awhile know that my Sweetie and I are slowly renovating our mill condo. Well, we put down trim throughout our upstairs to finish off our hardwood flooring this past week. It looks terrific, take a look:

I have a few more additions to my Christmas decor this year that I wanted to share. (As you all know, I love old and strange things... ideally both.) I received this wonderful present from a friend last week. Yes, those are bearded lady ornaments she made herself. I about passed out from glee when I got them and they went right on the tree.

I also found this old Santa head that lights up for a steal! Once I got him cleaned up and hung, he looked great. He'll be creeping us out at Christmas for years to come!

For the final installment of the Holiday Gift Guide do I have some doozies for you. The item of the week, is not for sale (unfortunately), but I wanted to point it out nonetheless. I am finding some wonderful Japanese crafters and illustrators and Hine Mizushima is the latest great find. You may know her shop as Hine on Etsy, I mentioned her a few posts back, but check out this Octowreath... holy smokes. Coveting.

The shop of the week is Kush Kush. Their felt brooches and hair accessories and just general cuteness make me want everything in their store. It may be too late to buy gifts, but I may be gifting stuff to myself from this shop...

I will leave you with this great animated gif via Who Killed Bambi from Fritz Lang's 1927 Metropolis. I wish all of you Lovelies a happy holiday week. See you next Monday!

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Happy Haulidays!

2010-12-14T05:48:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies~

A brief post to give you the good and the bad news. Bad news: I didn't win the Chronicle Book Giveaway I posted about last week. Boo.

The good news is, for readers of this blog, Chronicle is taking 35% off your order + free shipping through December 16, 2010! Use the promo code HAULIDAYS at checkout! So go forth and buy books my friends, Stapelia is looking out for your as usual. :)

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Caged Skeleton Harlequin...

2010-12-13T12:37:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies!

Hope you are all doing well. Things are busy, busy here gearing up for the holidays. I found another great harlequin litho from the 70's the other day, so I added yet another piece to the Dark Harlequin series. This piece is entitled Caged Skeleton Harlequin, and I pulled out all the stops; glitter, metallic paint, dark evil. He's mighty fine, take a peek:

If you are local to Portland, Maine, all of the remaining Dark Harlequin pieces will be on display at the Sylvia Kania Gallery for Merry Madness this Thursday. Merry Madness is a great way to get that last minute shopping done while supporting local businesses and artists. Stop by and say "hi", I would love to meet you!

It's been awhile since I've listed fresh photography in the shop, so I put up 2 new prints; W and Ripley for your viewing pleasure. They make nice gifts for yourself... or for others. Take a peek:

The Holiday Gift Guide shop of the week is a brand new boutique called The Nimbus Factory. This is their first year in business, and in fact their first product collection so show them some love. Because... they're going to blow up. Narwhale gift wrap? Animal Kingdom playing cards? The colors and design are impeccable but they still have a sense of fun. I want one of each please.

The item of the week is the strange and wonderful tarot deck of Bea Nettles. A little back story, back in the late 70's a photographer named Bea Nettles photographed models posed to resemble tarot cards... and she did the entire deck. One of the cards was even used on a Bruce Springsteen album cover. Original copies of this deck now sell for thousands of dollars. Bea recently found uncut press sheets of her deck and they're for sale here. Such neat work and what an original gift! Beautiful.

Let's wrap up with a movie review, shall we? Now, I am not a big David Lynch fan, in fact, I dislike much of his work to be honest. In my opinion, his movies use strong/obscene/confusing visual cues to elicit a response without the story line to back them up. So it was with reluctance that I watched Blue Velvet. (Yes, it's the 'dirty' David Lynch flick.) All I can say is that the scandalous aspect was completely overblown, but the plot was one of his more interesting ones. Dennis Hopper plays a complete creep. I'd give it 3 out of 5 corn cobs. It's worth a watch if you have nothing better to do...

...than watch Isabella Rossellini sport a bad wig.

Until next time... unpleasant dreams.