Vintage Christmas Inspired Apothecary Bottles...

So my next all day Saturday project started with coffee and bottle brush trees this morning.
Then it hit me, I have a use for all those old apothecary bottles I have been collecting.

Here is a preview of the first one:

Witch Hollow Primitives on Etsy

Edgar Allan Poe's Raven...

~ Edgar Allan Poe ~

This is an original of a kind altered art book, and don't judge this book by its cover, it may be deceiving! hidden within is a trinket chest inside its covers. It appears to be a book, but once opened reveals a hidden compartment to stash away your secrecies.

 

Victorian inspired, Poe's raven altered art box.

Now on Etsy click here to take a peek

Salem Witch Trial Victims Memorial Book...

A new series of books I will doing this season will focus on the hysteria surrounding the Salem Witch trials in 1692 and other surrounding areas. Here is another in a series of Unique one of a kind Primitive Books.

Dream... Altered Art

My last project was not Halloween themed at all but a larger altered art piece that looks like a big heavy book, but actually is a hidden compartment much like a jewelery box. I love altered art, but this is by far one of largest pieces I have worked with. I hope you enjoy!
hugs,
Heather

Visit my listing for this creation on ETSY

Skellies skellies everywhere!

Ok so I don't know how but I am adicted to skellies this month. All kinds of skellies are dancing in my head so heres a peek at a few that are coming to etsy and ebay this week. I am so ready for Hallow's Eve! And getting all this glitter cleaned up its everywhere.

Halloween Ephemera for 2011...

Halloween here we come! Here is a new little altered art skelly treat box that I just completed for my 2011 Vintage Halloween Follies Collection! He is now up and available on ebay.
~Heather~

Witch Hollow Primitives on EBAY

A Few of My Favorite Things...

August is almost coming to a close, the kids are all back in school and yup, you guessed it... Halloween is on its way. Here are a few of my favorite things, I love this store and the selection they have in Halloween ornaments, very vintage!

They can all be found for sale HERE

Slipping down the Rabbit Hole...

Good Saturday Evening...

Just wanted to update everyone, contrary to popular belief I have not fallen down the rabbit hole with Alice, shrunk, stretched, scratched or stuffed into a teapot! Just feels like it.

I have been absent for a bit and missing you all terrible! This is day 8 after my little guys surgery. Its going to be a long few weeks yet but he is doing great. Its been a little rough on him and mom is pretty tired too.

More news from the Hollow, my blog and my website is getting an overhaul, please be patient until I get the website finished and back up and running with a brand new look. Until then, Im late, Im late... you know the rest.

hugs,
Heather

Christmas Already...

I am finally trying to get caught up after the big computer crash. Christmas is fast approaching so I started some new Christmas themed luminaries this week. I love Christmas, not as much as Halloween but it sure is close. I also love the old classics like "its a wonderful life" and "white christmas" I won't lie I have been in love with Bing Crosby since I was 7 yrs old lol. Don't laugh.

Anyway here are my new luminaries I thought I would share them with you guys.
hugs,
Heather

Victorian Halloween Candy Cones...

My mom shared with me a tradition she used to do when she was a little girl along with my grandmother. Especially on May day neighbors and friends would make victorian cones, sometimes filled with treats and goodies, sometimes flowers and they would leave them on a friends front door for them to find.

The Victorians had a great enthusiasm for gardening. Floral designing was taught and recognized as an art. Young ladies were required to study flowers. However, cultured young girls had to know how to arrange flowers, make tussie-mussies, grow, preserve, press, draw and paint flowers. It was considered a genteel occupation. This was a time of sentiment often labeled the "Romantic Movement" by some historians

This large hanging paper cone is just cute for Halloween! It has been glittered up, decorated with high quality cardstock Halloween printed papers, has a vintage Halloween postcard image on the front with a glittered boarder. The bottom of the cone is also glittered.

The top is done in vintage black and orange Bethany Lowe tinsel trimmings and the top is stuffed with some drieds, sweet annie, orange moss grass, and coriander flowers for fall.

Click HERE to view the auction

Victorian Witch Stocking...

How was everyone's Labor day? mine was good despite the fact that I am just dying from my broken tooth. I go in for surgery Wednesday morning yeah! so out it comes and I will be pain free. I should be more excited about that but the thought of surgery for extractions now means you don't get gassed and yanked, they put you out with an IV. When did they start doing that? I am a bit squeamish, but if it means the tooth will be out I guess its a good thing.

The kids and I spent the weekend with the fire pit going and roasting marshmallows. Fall is coming quick I can tell the mornings and nights are getting cooler and some of my summer garden flowers are already spent. I did work on some new projects this weekend too, Halloween ones! I am such a child when it comes to Halloween thank goodness I have little ones to give me the excuse I need to act like a kid myself.

So I have been stitching away, took a break from painting for a bit and made some Victorian Witches Stockings. This one in particular I love because of the antique looking photo of the witch on it. So I am sharing with you the new one. Hope you like it. I think I will drag all the decorations out this week, I put a few up already.


I let you know how the tooth is doing, Have a wonderful day everyone!
hugs,
Heather

The Salem Witch Trials...

A new offering from me now up on ebay was one of the most fun projects I have embarked upon. New England's history as well as that of the Salem Witch trial as you can guess is one of my favorite subjects. Another reason why I want to be on the east coast every fall.
So I created one of my extreme grungy books with a memorial theme. It has all the victims of the Salem Witch trials names, as well as the method and date they were put to death. It was such a sad time then during the hysteria of Salem Towne and I hoped to capture that in a keepsake.


So here is a photo to share with you of the book and a link to the auction if you want to see more.

Salem Witch Trial Book on Ebay

Are You the Black Sheep of your Family...

Something new and amazing is afoot...its the Black Sheep Beadery.
I wanted to share with you all, some of the lovely creations that come out of this unique jewelry designers mind.
You will find some of the most detailed, hand crafted and custom made jewelry. Owning a singular piece of jewelry that will become a part of you and know that is was created with an extremely talented mind.
Lori makes fashionable beaded jewelry that is skillfully crafted and handmade by her. All of her designs are carefully beaded with intricate detail and quality, allowing each piece to tell a story of your own individuality and style.

There are pieces inspired by the Renaissance, beautiful goddess and pagan themed jewelry and unique one of a kind designs. Lori works with glass beads as well as natural materials. She also does custom work. In fact I own one of the most beautiful creations that was custom made for me by her.
ICE BLUE One of my favorites, aquamarine (dyed) branch coral highlighted with moonstone and silver beads. Iridescent frosted glass half moons and light teal and aquamarine cloisonné set off the moss agate pendant.


Moon Goddess











Crescent Moon With Moonstone Accents

Here is some of her past work, and some things that are available now on Etsy, so stop by and "heart" her shop and browse through some of the lovely creations she has come up with, or inquire about commissioning a custom piece.

Click Here for BLACK SHEEP BEADERY on Etsy
or visit Black Sheep on myspace

Back From the Dead...

"The Pumpkin King"


After being down for 10 days with that nasty bug thats going around, I am back in the swing of things. So much stuff I had to wait to get back to but I am still taking it slow. I was already yelled at by my doc when no one would bring me a laptop lol. I can't help it I am just a work-a-holic I guess. When you enjoy something its hard to not do it.

I wanted to thank all my friends and those of you who sent me all the well wishes while I was sick. It was very thoughtful and I appreciate it greatly! Also for Sherry and Cat who had a stoke while I was gone, they worry about me so.

So I have new listings up on ebay this week and a few new paintings to share with all of you. I will put the link to my auctions here because I won't list all them but Let me know which is your favorites!

Have a wonderful weekend, I am actually relaxing I got a ton of movies the kids and I are going to watch and plenty of junkfood to snack on!
hugs,
Heather

"Harvest Moon"















Here is a peek at "Grave Diggers Union, local #13"

Here is the link to the rest of my auctions on ebay.
Witch Hollow Primitives On EBAY

Definitely NOT an award free blog zone...

I have given it some thought as to why people want there blogs award free zones, sometimes we are so busy we can't keep up with them all, we would be blogging all day long!
I on the other hand love each and every one of them, and cherish the people who give them to me. I feel very honored to have someone stop by and say, hey you made my day so much brighter, or you inspired me so.

My friends, customers and fellow blog pals drive me to do what I do, they are all muses in my little artistic world. So with no further ado...I got a really cool award today. (subtle ain't I? lol)

So I wanted to do something different with this award, I want to blog about the wonderful gal that gave it to me. Sweet Darla from Artistic Accents by Darla. So lets talk about her shall we!

Darla does some amazing artwork and I have seen her etsy shop, wow you should visit her shop too by clicking Here Darla is a decorative artist from the Red River Valley region of North Dakota. She does the type of painting I wish I could do, I have not mastered color as some strange phobia I have prevents me from using it lol (inside joke there). I can't seem to get away from the black and orange. Her art is so colorful and unique and truly a masterpiece in every detail. She is working with mixed media now and has a wonderful selection of Original paintings and aceo's.

This is one of my favorites: (obviously)
The colors are so vibrant and really pop but they are also subtle as well.



















Look at the detail and the sweet expressions on their faces, her art just amazes me to no end.
There is something very special in the way she created mixed media pieces, very magickal indeed!

Stop by her blog, or her etsy shop and breath in all this wonderful art. Darla is breath of fresh air to me in the art world.

I thank her for this award to from the bottom of my heart!

I am passing this "your blog is amazing dahling" award on as well and would like to acknowledge QueenBe and her altered art blog: QueenBe's Altered Needs Check out her amazing altered art pieces!
hugs,
Heather

Thank You!

I often wonder what pushes me to continue my work, well thats hard to say. I guess it would be my passion for creating, I simply have to be creating something or starting some new venture.

I often wonder what keeps my wanting to share it with the blogging world. That one is easy, all of you. I can't remember when I have gotten so much recognition. I think I recieved 5 awards this past month and each and everyone of them is much appreicated. It is all you, my caring loving friends, my artists buddies, my devoted followers. It makes you smile more to know that there are those of you out there who will take the time to acknowledge what someone means to them.

With my heart wide open ~ I thank everyone of you for giving me purpose in my life.

Then there is Cindy lol, what a gal to know. She shares this awful addicting passion with me for vintage halloween art. Cindy is not just another lady in my art group, another fan of Halloween and the nostaligia that surrounds it. She is a special, kind, sweet, amazing person to know. I am blessed to have met her. She has given me the Watermelon award! (always thinking of others)

Stop by and visit this wonderful lady on her blog I Dream of Halloween

Here are the 6 things I love:

1. My 4 children, without them I would cease to exist, at least on this plane.
2. My Dad who has supported every decision (no matter how stupid) I have ever made in my life.
3. All the members of HA31 because I have learned, grown and blossomed there in personal as well as artistic measures.
4. My home becuase it is a respite and safe haven for me.
5. The Black Hat Society because since the very beginning has always been a home away from home for me.
6. Halloween, enough said

Now I pass along the watermelon award and would like to see 6 things that these wonderful friends love and pass it along to share with others what they love as well.

Jennifer from Confessions of a Kitchen Witch (and other wonderful blogs)
Cat from Merely A Dream
Lynda from Butterfly Dreams
Carmen from Spooky HOllow

Twilight

I have to admit I became adicted, I loved Twilight and I also miss scrapbooking, I have been so busy with other things that scrapbooking my children's photos took a back seat to other work. So I came up with an idea to incorporate my scrapbooking and altered art projects into a themed book.

I am very pleased with how it turned out. I really wanted to show my love for the book and the characters by making an altered art photo album. It is still a little prim with a modern twist.

I listed it on ebay tonight, under one of my new art groups BWBA. If you are not yet searching BWBA (Because We Believe Art) you need to check them out. I am a proud member of this group as they have so many unique and creative artists who believe: Belive in fairy tales, Santa, the tooth fairy, the easter bunny and all things magickal!

Search BWBA on ebay.
Witch Hollow Primitives Ebay listings click here

"Midnight Ride"

Here is a peek at my new one, and I wrote a little poem to go with it.
I will be listing it tonight on ebay.

"Midnight Ride"


Witch Hollow Primitives on Ebay

All Hallow's Eve Assemblage...

Do you know where the term Make-do comes from? I like it, the primitive definition of a make-do is this:

Make-do, (n): A substitute for something unobtainable at the time; a makeshift. During colonial days, for example, if a woman was unable to afford a pincushion, she would make do with what she had and create one with items such as a broken glass as a base, and scraps of fabric for the cushion. In the “primitive world” this word often describes a vintage style pin cushion, or something that was made out of household items. It can also describe other fabric sculptures mounted on a base such as a candle stick, doorknob, and more.

My great grandmother had to make do with a lot of things, because they just didn't have them back then. Oh the stories I could tell you about Great Grandma, she always smelled of something homemade and had the brightest smile you have ever seen. She was one of those Grandma's everyone wish they had. So I ask myself why throw away things when you can breath new life into them? Thats where this idea sprang forth in my waking sleepiness. What to do with all those old glass bottles I have? Candle holders of course, the grungiest I can make them with a Halloween flair. Super sweet smelling, and I just made do.

New Offerings...

Things are starting to get back to normal somewhat, poor Sissy's finger still has a long way to go after she dislocated it, ouch! I can't help but remember what it was like to break my wrist as an adult but to dislocate a finger at 4 yrs of age. I cringe at the thought. Thank goodness kids heal quickly, especially broken bones.

I can't complain about the snow anymore, after two days of rain the sun is shining today for a change and I have two brand new sets of cardinals chirping away out in the back yard. I also have 7 squirrels who think they run the place lol. Well they do really and take turns coming up to get a snack at the back door.

I have been busy trying to catch up, but I did come up with a really neat idea I wanted to share. I have never been one to throw out things that can possibly be used. which is why I think my closets, shed and garage are full of boxes of little treasures. I think they refer to that as uh hmmm... "pack ratting" lol. Ok so I am a pack rat, I have always been able to see the use in something that others might cast away. So my idea sprang forth and I turned some really great containers into some really cool old time vintage spice tins. I got to mix a little of my love for altered art / scrapbooking with my painting and primitive antiquing and this is what came out of the thought.

I love how they turned out, I had to list them in my etsy shop and on the site. Well after making them really grubby.