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"TraVeL ThRouGh ThE LaNd Of “Soft in the Head”
...the home of “Singing and Dancing Mice & Humorous Frogs!”.
Where “Original Designs” of patterns and soft sculpture characters come to life..…
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Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before "breakfast". Lewis Carroll
Watching As An Artist Emerges......
Can anyone ever remember the very first thing you did that was considered art? Were you or are you the parent that sticks everything your child does on the frig, as though this obscure place is "The Louvre"....I know I was!
I remember when my daughter was young, she would make up drawings of imaginative things, wrap them up, and give them as gifts to everyone. Boy, would I love to have some of those today. She always loved to draw and has quite a vivid imagination. I have this painting that she did twenty plus years ago of some Mexican worry dolls that I had sitting around. It was so impressive that I had it framed. It now hangs in my livingroom bringing frequent smiles to my face every time I see it. So many memories come from those pieces of construction paper and scribbles that seem to accompany our kids home from school. Our refrigerators get covered and all the desk drawers become treasure troves of childhood memories.
My daughter, Casey, is now writing a children's book. The pieces of artwork I have above and below is part of the book she is writing..."ANDY the ANT". She got to read the book to a group of children at the school where she and her husband had worked and they loved it. I've always encouraged the "Arts" with my kids. They all have wonderful imaginations and still hold onto that inner child that many of us are force to abandon in later life. Gotta love it!
Sense of Peace......
There are times I find myself, late at night, sitting in the dark and reading from the computer (which I hear is bad for the eyes) and off in the distance I hear and begin to feel a low rumbling in the ground and the whistle of a train piercing the night as it passes through Boones Mill. That sound always gives me a momentarily sense of peace and contentment and then my mind begins to wander....at my age this happens frequently...the mind wandering that is, but that rumbling and distant whistle takes me on a adventure to times gone by and moments that have NEVER been! I begin to think of places I haven't seen or the undiscovered treasures waiting to be uncovered! In this moment of nostalgia I get a warm fuzzy feeling of being at peace within myself and with those around me.
It has always been interesting to me that I have this fascination for trains, but I do. This could come from my experiences with my grandfather who was an engineer for the Santa Fe railroad and all the great times I had with him or maybe I just have "wanderlust" in my soul and want to travel! Whatever the reason there is a certain sense of inner peace that comes with that whistle blowing in the dead of night and the ground rumbling under my feet as the train signals its arrival into my town! It's a peace that makes me sigh with contentment and whisper to myself that "All things are right within my humble little world"!
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| SOLD "Millicent" |
It's Halloween this month on Simply Primitives. I'm in the Halloween frame of mind and I think it is going to stay with me for awhile, maybe forever!
Meet "Millicent" the newest mouse in my Harvest series that was started back in 2010.....She is a larger witch mouse filled with personality and carrying her basket of mini pumpkins! The apron is exceptionally pretty being vintage lace!
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| SOLD "BeWitched" |
I have always loved making Ravens and crows and it feels good to be creating them again. This little lady is different being mounted on top of a vintage funnel. The funnel has an awesome patina and looks great with the raven!
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| SOLD "Philbert" |
Like many others I can't have enough pin-keeps in my house and I love making them. This little guy is no exception...he is soooo cute. Meet "Philbert"! He is made from mohair and is holding his favorite pumpkin! He is decked out with a paper hat and silk bow tie. Philbert is perched atop of a brush cotton pin cushion that is attached to a painted and fabric covered mache box! Just love this little guy!
Hope you will take some time to visit the wonderful artists on "Simply Primitives" and pop over to my page and say "Hi"!
" Kinda Silly This Month on PFATT"
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| Truvee Toddlebottom |
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| Toad Tart |
Every once in awhile I get a bit silly....oh wait that's all the time not just once in awhile, but this month I think I kinda went over the edge with this new witch,,,,Meet Miss Truvee Toddlebottom the maker of some rather delicious "Toad Tarts"! Yep you heard it right "toad tarts". Doesn't that just make your mouth water? I used one of my own patterns to create this funny lady...my Sister Bats Beecham pattern, and then added a new twist! I really like how she turned out and honestly think I might just have to have one myself!
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| Samuel Phineas PODD |
I always like adding to my ever growing PODD family and this month meet "Samuel Phineas PODD" the newest in my Uncle Sam PODD series. He is quite colorful in his blue coat and red pants with pin striping. I find his expression one of my favorites. What is it about those large noses that steal ones heart. One can NEVER have enough red, white and blue in their home!
Last but hardly least is....yep you guessed it, a mouse! This one is one of my favorites....the camera just doesn't do her justice, meet "Miss Mary Mouse Muffett on Her Tuffet" and yes there is a spider coming to sit beside her! I thought the expression
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| Miss Mary Mouse Muffet |
of pure terror on her face wasn't enough I had to have her screaming! The really great part of this vignette is Miss Muffet's vintage lace dress. Her dress is made from a vintage petticoat, of course the red polka dot pantaloons are a bonus!
All in all I think this month on PFATT Marketplace is a fun one and hope you will take a moment and visit all of us there!
Life Is A Hoot......
The thing that always surprises me about any path we take in our life are the detours and bumps we come across along the way. Most of the time there is always a beneficial reason for the incident but then again there are times it just feels like quicksand.....and the more we fight it the faster we sink. This can also be said about relationships with people. Relationships are hard work which means all involved need to give 100%...if this doesn't happen than the relationship falters and disappears... like sinking into quicksand.
In my chosen profession, folk artist or crazy doll maker, I have always felt that in order to succeed personally and professionally one needs to respect "Artistic Boundaries". This can be a difficult "path" especially with close artist friends because being an artist we are often inspired by almost everything we see and always imagine how it would look with our own creative spin on it. There are many times we as artists step on other artistic toes in our pursuit to find ourselves but recognizing those toes and acknowledging them is key. In my experience as I traveled down that path I didn't always say thank you to those that inspired me, which I regret, or receive an acknowledgement from those I inspired, which hurt. I've learned a lot from those mistakes which were made mostly from ignorance more so than vanity.
My first major launching point in the Folk Art arena, besides being a member of the amazing group PFATT (Primitive Folk Art Tea and Talk), was getting a call from the editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine which I was honored enough to be a part of for 4 years. Getting this call not only validated me as an artist but also proved to me that hard work and integrity can be a better foundation for success than short-cuts, like riding on the coattails of someone else's popularity and success. It also gave me the
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| "Nighttime Mouse" |
incentive to continue to grow and develop my art....I still have such a long way to go....
The mice that I designed for BHG were a HUGE success and became a signature character for me....but how many different ways can one make a mouse? I began to discover that there were many ways to develop and design a mouse from standing, sitting to singing and dancing, I did them all! With this, of course, came a huge amount of collectors and followers....and with followers comes the copy hounds! !
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| www.softinthehead.com |
The reason I quit designing patterns was because of some of those followers...some had built their entire businesses from my mouse patterns, very sad. Patterns went from being a fun way to share my imagination to a nightmare of dealing with unscrupulous people who just suck the positive energy right out of you.
Since my "one of kind" designs have taken off and do really well, and also because of my PODD line, I was able to leave pattern designing
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| Cheshire Cat PODD |
behind with a half case of antacid. I miss designing patterns everyday, what I don't miss are the headaches and tummy problems from nasty people who live in the gray area of right and wrong! My website www.softinthehead.com has all my patterns and continues to do very well and is always attracting new followers and customers without any new additions! I might surprise everyone and design something new, who knows????
Since my pattern designing days I have been asked to join the prestigious group known as EHAG (Eclectic Halloween Artists Group) and the absolutely amazing venue "Ghoultide Gathering"! I will never forget the day I received my invite to be a part of
Ghoultide......I must of read the email 10 times before I responded and then my response was one of total disbelief! I honestly think that Ghoultide has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Just imagine yourself in a room, as an equal, with artists that you have admired your entire artistic life, some you even watched on television. People whose work you have dreamed about owning and they are all shaking your hand and welcoming
you to their Halloween family.....
I was in the bathroom puking the whole night before the show worried that I would not measure up to everyone else and I would be left with a full table and not be asked back...didn't happen! I not only measured up I sold out! I couldn't believe it! This will be my 5th year with my Ghoultide family. To be a part of this caliber of professionalism and camaraderie which exists at this show spoils you for anything else.
"Soft in the Head" will be doing only three shows this coming year....
"Ghoultide Gathering" Sept 28, 2013.....My Christmas Blog Show Nov 17, 2013 and
Pittsburgh "Jingle Mingle" Christmas
Show Dec 7, 2013.....I'm looking forward to creating and designing new characters that will create many smiles and warm fuzzies for their new homes for many years to come! Well.... I had better get back to work since there are many characters tapping on the windows and doors of my brain begging to come out!
"Just Doodlin' "
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| "I Want It All" Mouse |
Out of a doodle can come pure magic...well at least for me anyway! I love to doodle. I'm not much of a pen & pencil artist but I can doodle with the best of them! As you can see by this image I will doodle on anything....nothing is safe from me whether it's a card (like the picture shown), a letter, receipt or invoice. I'm sure some of my monthly payments I have mailed in have gotten a few chuckles from the recipients because of the doodles they find all over the statements. I actually had Chase write to me one time and say thank you for the colorful and fun car payment!
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| "Candle Stick Ghosties" |
Out of these silly doodles that I make while talking on the phone, or just waiting for appointments has come some pretty successful characters like my singing and dancing mice. Also the design for my raven Ulysses came from a doodle I made while I was waiting for my car to get new tires. Doodling is more than just pictures or funny squiggly lines it's therapy for an over active mind...and that mind would be mine!
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| "Ulysses" |
When my imagination is struggling to come up with something new and different I find doodling is my best way to find that different design, I never surf the internet for ideas cause that would be using someone else's hard work and not very original of me. I usually start with a circle or square and just start doodling from there and it is so much fun to see where that circle or square will take me. Every mouse design I have started from a doodle. Halloween is my best season for doodling. I actually have a new witch I just finished doodling....no peeking! I can tell you this, a rather large nose is involved! Doodling is my escape, relief and an adventure! Try it, I think you might find you have a "doodle" or two inside of you just waiting to escape!
Think It's About Time.....
I have been putting off sitting down and just writing in my blog about what is really going on in my life. A lot of it is due to pride and the rest maybe fear.
Since I was young I have battled with some problem or other in my skeleton, whether it be my back, legs or whatever. It never truly stopped me from being active and playing sports, riding like a wild woman on horses or jumping out of perfectly good planes but now it's different, time has caught up!
I find myself unable to do the simplest task, like vacuuming or doing the dishes. I can't stand for more than a few minutes and God forbid that I need to walk anywhere cause I just can't. For the last two years, since my surgery, I have been battling one issue after another and never really winning the war just the battle.....This war has now taken over the battlefield and rages on.
Last January I faced yet another life altering dilemma which could only be corrected with massive amounts of steroids. Needless to say steroids are not my friend for long term use and have given me a whole new set of problems to deal with....not walking is one of them. I'm trying to keep that proverbial chin up and to think positive but there are times that even with my strong life ethic I find myself falter a bit. I truly hate having to dump even the simplest task on my already over-worked husband but most of you know we live in a rather remote area of Virginia with no friends or family readily available.....besides I honestly think if my kids were here they would probably put a gag in my mouth , a bag over my head and lock me in a closet cause I would drive them completely NUTS! I'm not a good patient....
To all those wonderful collectors of mine that have waited ever so patiently for there commissioned pieces all I can say is "someday"....I am no longer taking any more custom work for the time being because I refuse to disappoint anyone else.
"Ghoultide Gathering" is still happening even if I have to wheel myself around in a tastefully decorated wheelchair! Okay who am I kidding it won't be tastefully decorated! This part of my life is not the end but just a new beginning and like most people with ADD we love beginnings it's the ends we have problems with!
"April On Simply Primitives"
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| SOLD |
There has always been a soft place in my heart for ravens and this little lady is from one of my earliest patterns, but instead of being a little witch she is now sewing away on top of a sunflower pin keep! I truly love Fall and always find room to add a bit of it to my daily creative spirit! Meet "Cawla Sews" who is a wizard with her straight pins and needles!
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| SOLD |
The "Uncle Sam" is a personal favorite because of the antique quilt used for his coat. The entire quilt was hand stitched and is just gorgeous even in its tattered state. I've always loved quilts and their stories.....and nothing says Americana like an old quilt. The beard is sheep roving which I also love working with.
What would a Marketplace be without me adding a mouse. This mouse is my favorite....meet "Snoops" my take of Sherlock Holmes. I have always loved the stories of Sherlock and Dr. Watson so I just couldn't resist a mouse carrying a magnifying glass. He turned out so adorable and will bring smiles to his new home.
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| SOLD |
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| SOLD |
As summer approaches my toes stark to twitch and my head starts to spin (pretty picture huh?) because that means Halloween is rapidly coming my way and that means "GHOULTIDE"!!!!! I have started in on my inventory for Ghoultide Gathering and this Mini Jack-O-Lantern is just the beginning. Thought I would offer one here on Simply Primitives since I usually only sell these at Ghoultide. Be sure and stop on over at Simply Primitives and enjoy all the amazing artwork!
The Magic of Art......
I, for one, have always wanted to be able to sketch....it wasn't in the cards for me!
The other day while I was waiting in the doctors office I looked around me and saw all the people sitting there and something magical happened....I looked deep into their faces and literally saw their history come alive! Each crevice and wrinkle told a story, whether it was one of happiness or pain it was etched into that face. More than ever I wanted to have that incredible gift of sketching so I could forever keep that magic alive. There was so much beauty in their faces....the stories were over-powering!
My talents took a different path but I still yearn to learn more about sketching whether it be with ink or pencil I am totally fascinated by it. It opens a vast amount of doors for an artist.
As an artist you choose whether to grow with your "God" given talent or remain in a "comfort" zone....if I had this kind of talent I think I would soar.....those faces I saw that day were just amazing and needed to be immortalized in pen or pencil!
One of my "biggest pet peeves is when I see someone with this kind of talent and they don't use it but instead would rather skate along using ideas and concepts from some other artist.....After talking to many of my more established art friends they concur that this is a common dilemma, one they often run into....artists with no imagination but oodles of skills.
Well... I'm one with limited everything except a HUGE imagination and would love to have the skills. There are some art classes being offered not to far from me at a college this summer....if my health will allow it I think I will enroll. I so want to be able to draw what I see because it seems my imagination enhances everything.....yes everything! I see birds reading books, mice riding bikes and frogs playing chess....some might think I need stronger meds, lol!
The last few weeks has made me want to go and live in the land of "Make Believe"....and my bags are packed!
As many of you know I have been back in the hospital....this time for a bacterial-infection in my legs called cellulitis. I'm sure all of it is connected to the HUGE doses of certain meds I had to take last time I was in the hospital which was a mere 5 weeks ago. Steroids tax your immune-system and set a person up for all kinds of interesting infections and maladies, mine is cellulitis. I must admit this stuff is VERY painful and causing me to spend oodles of time in bed with my legs up and doing little else.
I am, however, catching up on Downton Abbey and my DVR"d episodes of Bones and Once Upon A Time.....but what I really want to do is create! Unfortunately that is not going to happen anytime soon and my poor commissioned orders will have to wait yet again....I am so sorry! Also, all of you that have standing "pattern orders" please be patient... my dear sweet other half will get to those as soon as he can but he has this annoying patient to cater to first!
This has definitely been a trying year for this Ol' Softee and she truly hopes the worst is over and I can get on with my life!!!!! Hopefully my next post will have more positive and up-lifting news to report! For right now I get to live in my head and have a drawing-pad and pencil handy....after all codeine can be an artist's best friend when trying to come with new Halloween designs, LOL!!!!!
It's been some time since I just sat here in front of my computer/blog and told a story or related some deep seated feeling I was having at the time. So many things have been going on here this past year at the home of "Soft in the Head" and not all of them deserve a story or even time to mull over, some better left alone of just forgotten...but alas life is life and we take all phases of it and adapt and carry on! It's that old adage..."When we get lemons we make lemonade"! Well this Ol' Softee has had her quota of lemonade to last many lifetimes this year and the year just started less than two months ago!!
As some of you know this old girls health has been making a slow (hopefully very slow) decline since I had that massive tumor removed back in 2011. Some of it I can chalk up to just bad luck and some to getting older but nonetheless I am far from the Ol' Softee I was a few years ago and it has me thinkin' the think and talkin' the talk......what is it I really want to do with the rest of my life. Of course ones financial state often limits ones options in choices but your over all attitude about your life is still and always will be yours. Well my friends I want to be a GRANDMA!!!!! To those that have known me most of my life will find that statement hilarious cause I was one of those that fought hard and heavy against the "grandma" title! Heck, in college I was voted most unlikely to ever get married or to even have children......children ICK! I found children disturbing and obnoxious with a never ending supply of snot and sticky fingers not to mention that annoying squealing sound they make when they don't get their way! I know you're probably all wondering at this point how I could have ever been a mom....me too!
My kids grew up knowing that they only had 18 years with me and then they became societies problem and responsible for their own actions (totally). They were led to believe that home cooked food would never happen that when I cooked it came in a box with handles or a bucket! Cleanliness was definitely worth extra bonuses of the monetary amount and that I never took sides in any of their disagreements unless bribed! There was always an unlimited amount of humor in our home and all their friends were not excluded from my constant need to pull the occasional prank....like calling our daughter's current boyfriend by any name but his own or explaining to a new girlfriend of our sons that we hope he will eventually figure out how important underwear really is.....Ahhh life in our house was never dull! Now, I want to use what I know to torture my grandkids with hopes that just maybe they will grow and become half the kind of people their parents have become!
I've often thought that my love for creating my silly little characters is a product of my undying need to laugh! Humor is the best medicine for what ails any soul and guess what "there is no deductible or fee.....laughter is right there in your heart and soul and has a clear path easing your current discomfort! There is humor to pretty much everything except maybe death and taxes...but even those, if searched hard enough can at least make you crack a smile.... The world is all about the balance we keep and even though bad stuff happens the good stuff has to wiggle its way in or the balance is off....and we all know what being "Off Balance" can cause...falling, dizziness and the ever diabolical crying!
So my dear friends, blog followers and Facebook comrades this my insight for this month....no pearls of wisdom or spiritual insights just life as it is right now! I do think I will begin the road to spending more time being a Grandparent and causing chaos for my kids....they deserve it after the time they gave us growing up.....but then again I am their mom and my apples DEFINITELY did not fall far from this tree...
