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I'm shocked!

Wow! I haven't posted a thing since the end of May.  Not to blame the little darlins but those Oompa Loompas of mine have kept me REALLY busy since they've gotten out of school! I suppose I could also blame the most Eeehhhvahhll Queen for keeping me busy as well but then I may have to face her wrath and she'd give me even more work. Just to you know. Be evil!

Posts will be periodic until they're all back in school :D

Remember the Fallen

As well as those who are still serving, and those who 

have come home that still struggle. 

Naughty Children - Finely Ground

Tsk, tsk. It seems that one of the Residents of Mockingbird Manor has taken to grinding up naughty children.  I do hope that it's not our cook, although now that I think about it she has been making some devilishly good seasoned soups lately.

We are not exactly sure WHO it is that is doing such a dastardly thing - but believe me. Once we find out who it is you will be the first to know!

A Busy Little Girl's Art Apron

 This cute little apron has a long panel sewn behind the vintage hankie pocket sewn into compartments for crayons, pencils, and other stash items that your budding artist may have lifted from your art supplies! (Believe me, I speak from experience on this....lol)  I'm still finding hidden things that the kidlets have 'borrowed' from me what has to be 3 or 4 years ago!

The vintage hankie is a big open pocket to put things that won't fit inside the smaller pockets.

Apron is made out of red ticking.  Sorry for the bad pics - the apron was hard to take a pic of and this was the best I could come up with, but you get the idea ;)

The Fairy Specimen

This little fairy must have been very important to someone, who took the time to create a shrine for her tucked away in the Mockingbird Manor Forest.

Mockingbird Manor is chock full of fairies so I'm really not surprised that I have come upon this.  What sort of fairies, you ask? We have naughty fairies who like to play trixies on everyone, nice fairies who leave surprises for the kidlets in the most interesting places, and old-bat-Southern-grouchy-lady fairies who love to try to make everyone just as irritable as they are. Let me tell you......when the naughty fairies hang out with the Ghosts from the Old Cemetery who enjoy partying at the Manor and those crazy old-bat-Southern-grouchy-lady fairies start drinking  - watch out because that's when things disappear from my studio and horrendous messes are made from one end of the house to the other!  Those ghosts are a *bad* influence.

So what do you think? Would this have been a naughty, nice or grouchy fairy? I'm inclined to think she was a nice fairy - perhaps with a penchant for mischief!

An awful lot of care was taken to make this fairy doll shrine out of a teeny, tiny little coffin. Just look how the stitched leaf ribbon has grown around it, her sparkly glitter wings and just a glimmer of fire polished Czech beads at her feet.  I do believe that much of this came from my studio! There is that gorgeous tulip bead cap and mini lily that I was missing - and those clever fairies used my seaweed fiber set for the grass!

Ah well.  I can't complain too much about the lifting of my supplies. At least it was all used to make something unique and left for me to find!

Everything except for the vintage lace and brass finding at the top of the shrine can be found at Alpha Stamps. (Yes, even the doll!) :D

Hello Alpha Stampers!

Welcome and thank you for visiting the Crushed Velvet & Roses Art Blog!

If you'd like to leave a comment you will be entered to win 2 sheets of GINORMOUS Antique French Ledger Sheets from the 1860s.  Each sheet is 18"x12" - they're HUGE and have stunning writing on both sides.  I don't part easily with these sheets (as in NEVER! LOL) so now's your chance!

Also please let me know if you'd like to exchange blog links when you comment! As you can see my blog links are pretty much non-existent due to changing my blog server from my website to blogspot.

To be considered for the giveaway you must be a member of the Alpha Stamps Yahoo Group.  The winner of the 2 French Ledger sheets will be announced on Monday, April 4th via random.org.  Thank you again for visiting!

Bella

btw - sorry for the bad picture of the ledger. Marshmallow-Moon-Pie the cat kept batting at the paper and I just couldn't get a good shot!  She's so diabolical.

Antique French Ledger Paper

Is it *really* so bad that I'm tearing up ginormous pages of antique French Ledger (c. 1884) paper to use on a mini-coffin?  And other things?

Can't wait to finish it!

Doll - Almost Done

Am having fun with the fake paper-mache!  Have to find the right head embellishment - Zoe wanted the doll to have Frida brows so I suppose I'll be looking for flowers ;)

Dolls in the works

Fake paper-mache dolls in the works.  Oompa Loompa #3 can't stand either one - they "creep him out!"  lol

 

For my June Cleaver Pearls

Whipped up an apron that I can wear with my June Cleaver pearls and high heels when I mop the hardwood floors.

There's no excuse.

The Sin by Franz Von Stuck

 

There is no excuse for doing anything

which is not strikingly

BEAUTIFUL.

-William Morris

Antique Doll Leg Necklace

For when you need a leg to stand on......lol

Vintage necklace piecing, antique doll leg, from my collection.  Dragonfly, brass findings and chain available from Alpha Stamps

Skelly Goil Cameo Necklace

 

Everything EXCEPT the vintage bling piece can be found at Alpha Stamps.

Naughty Children

Just laying around

Another Doll Finished

Her name and story haven't come to me yet - but here she is!  She sits on an antique wooden spool from a closed GA cotton mill, is dressed in upcycled clothes and her arms are vintage perm rods (or vintage rollers.)

GAWD I can't even imagine doing a perm on metal with todays perms! Zzzztttt! Your hair would go up in a puff of smoke!

Happy Birthday Edgar, I Love You Madly

"I became insane,

with long intervals of sanity." 

-E.A.P.

She still needs a crown.

and something to come out of her waist, that is an upside down drawer pull.  Arms are antique perm rods.

Playing with Memories

Dali's Fallen Angel

RIP My Sweet Seanda

Seanda 1965-2011

"When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, 

and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for 

that which has been your delight." - Kahlil Gibran

Experimenting with Canvas

In the works:

Miz Elfriede Thornypaynebottom

 

Meet Miz Elfriede Thornypaynebottom, who has recently taken up residence at Mockingbird Manor.  She is waiting for her new mansion to be built and we just happened to have room for her here.  I'm not one to tell what's been said about Miz Elfriede but it's all so shocking if it's indeed true.

It seems that Miz Elfriede has not one, not two, not three but FIVE dead husbands behind her! All have mysteriously died on her one. by. one.  Poor thing we really should be trying to comfort her since husband #5 Mr. Thornypaynebottom dropped dead as a door nail at their breakfast table not two weeks ago!

Miz Elfriede says she can't bear to be in that home anymore where her sweet Mr. Thornypaynebottom was found blue with his eyes bulging and tongue hanging out of his head.  That's why she's having another home built.   By the time it's finished I'm sure she'll have her claws into someone else ready to be husband number SIX.  Every silver lining has a cloud but Miz Elfriede seems to leave her clouds quite tarnished. Oh! Please don't let her know I said all  that!  The last thing I want is to be found dead with my eyes bugged out and tongue black as that woman's heart! 

Miz Lottie Whakyerbak

 
Meet little Miz Lottie Whakyerbak.  While she may look as if butter couldn't melt in her mouth, be careful not to make her mad as It is rumored that Miz Lottie has a horrible temper.  Screeches as loud as a banshee that can be heard two streets over while she's kicking whoever or whatever is within her reach. Don't dare turn your back on her or you could find yourself face down on the ground with her all over you - or worse! At the bottom of the staircase with a broken neck.......at least so I've heard. 

Terrible accidents have a way of happening to those who do not give her what she wants!

Miz Lithia Vervain

Currently resides with Madame Talbot making sure that works relentlessly to put out her fabulous dolls, curio cabinets, posters and other goodies!