Creepy Dolls, Witches, AWAD and My Studio is a Disaster

So the Hubs came home from work yesterday and these guys were on the kitchen table and he said, "Ooooo, creepy!" At which I smiled a bit , toothy, creepy smile.

"You think?" says I.

"Definitely!" says he.

"Cool" says I.

So, Spelling Bee and Whoh, Whoh, Whoh She's A Ladybug are now drying in the studio. I just have to fashion wings, paint and embellish them. I like how they are looking so far tho.

These guys to the left are two paper clay heads I did about a month ago.

Crow and this weird faerie dude are in need of bodies and I am not quite sure what those are going to be comprised of as yet. As I said in an earlier blog, the dolls take over and become who they want to be. These guys are not talking yet. Hubs is anxious for me to finish Brother Crow as Crow is his chief Talisman. Patience, Hubs, all in due time.

As you can see, the studio is a shambles. Not hard in a space that is like 6x6. I can't wait to move to the new house. My new studio will be about 14x16 and has windows on three sides. I am muey excited about that.

This is a collection of some of my Halloweeny stuff in my studio. Cool, huh? They inspire me to craft my Creepies.

The AWAD is (heh heh heh) CALLITHUMP. Isn't that a fabulous word? And it is exactly what it sounds like (Max in Where The Wild Things Are would have loved this word.) It is, in essence, a WILD RUMPUS! I think we are all about due for one of those, doncha think?

Let's plan one soon!

More later...

-Dev

Sassy Molassy

Today's word is (hahahaha) SASS. As in sassy. Sassy molassy. I am tickled as this is a personality trait I possess in spades and hold near and dear to my heart.

Needless to say, I did not have to read the definition of today's AWAD, as I am the embodiment of it. Funny bone moment tho. And so much more enjoyable than CATHECT, which I still don't feel I used correctly in a sentence.

I am busy making two new pieces, insects this time, kind of wackydoodle ones (of course). A bumble bee and a lady bug. I think the bee will be a Spelling Bee (why not). Not sure what Miss Ladybug will be up to. They are going to be assemblage pieces with a paper mache base.

Your recipe for the day, appropriately, uses molasses as an ingredient. It is a poofy-poo-poo kind of appetizer you can serve with a nice Auselase or Claret.

This appetizer looks beautiful on a footed cake plate. One with a little bit of a lip works best. Get a nice hunk of good bleu cheese. Now seriously, spend a little bit of money and get good cheese. Unwrap the cheese and place it on the cake place. Drizzle the cheese with some light molasses and sprinkle coarsely chopped walnuts over the molasses. (If you really are opposed to molasses, you can use honey as well.) Next, thinly slice crisp pears (Asian pears are nice) and Granny Smith apples and arrange around the edge of the cake plate. Guests slice off a little hunk of the cheese and place it on a slice of fruit. This is a great appetizer for guests who are avoiding gluten products like crackers and breads.

And the bleu cheese? Well, it has SASS!

More later,

-Dev

If the AWAD Fits.....

OK, so I got into this A Word A Day thing (AWAD), and this morning's word just make me kind of giggle:

CATHECT (kuh-THEKT)

It's a verb that means to invest mental or emotional energy in an idea, object, or person.

Wow, if the shoe....er...AWAD fits, baby.

This is a perfect word for me, as this is something I struggle with. Just had a giant conversation with Patticake about this yesterday. (Kismet!) Ok, to use it in a sentence.....hmmmmm...

"I realize I cathect with my job to compensate for a nonexistent social life."

Not bad. (and no, I don't do that anymore.) So, I am wondering.... cathect...cathected? cathecting?

Essentially, if I am grasping this, when you cathect, you are creating a mask or wall to hide behind, to compensate for something that is missing in your life, it is a denial. I've done that a lot. Sometimes it sucks to have your eyes wide open and just face it- but then again, it is pretty rewarding too. Even when, or maybe most especially when, one has to face something distasteful or unpleasant. I guess what I am saying is, I would rather have the sugar than the Splenda. If you are getting me..... More later.

-Dev

Witches and Wings

I was going through some pictures this evening and found this one of my Friendly Witch custom made for my witchy friend, Patticake for Yule (Christmas) this past year. She is made from a collaged paper image sewn to upholstery fabric and watercolored. She says "Friend" across the breast with rub on lettering. The broom is made from branches and grass from my yard and tied with red embroidery thread.

I will be crafting more of these witchy Victorian ladies in time for Halloween if you are interested in purchasing one. They are approximately 8 to 12 inches high and have a weight in the bottom so they will stand on their own on a shelf, desk, or table. I can make customized witches with your face on them as well, which is pretty funny/cool. Thought I would share this one.

I also make tree branch ghouls. I will try to find a pic to share on the blog.

I have neglected my recipe share for a day or so, and I would be remiss if I neglected to post this wing recipe. Yes, we had the Wild Wingy Dingys tonight and they were frickin' awesome (a technical culinary term.) We did a dozen wings which turns out 24 pieces.

Get a dozen wings, and if they are a little frozen yet, they will cut easier. Separate them at all the joints and throw the little wing tips away. Spray a broiler pan with cooking spray and place the wing pieces on it. Sprinkle with salt, lots of pepper and lots of powdered garlic. Seasoning at this juncture is most important. Bake for about 25 minutes at 425 degrees.

While they are baking put (and these are approximate measures- doctor up as you see fit) about 1 cup of applesauce, 1 cup bbq sauce (we love Sweet Baby Rays), a healthy shake of garlic (yeah, yeah, get the breath mints again!), cayenne pepper (a little or a lot depending on how hot you want them to be), a squirt of mustard and a few shakes of Red Hot. Zip up the bag tight and start rubbing the contents of the bag together between your hands to mix up the mess.

Take the wings out of the oven and let them cool for about 10 minutes. Then throw all the wings into the bag with the sauce. Zip up the bag. Make sure it is really zipped or you are going to have a holy hell of a mess. Start tossing the wings in the bag, and when they are well coated allow them to rest for about 15 minutes in the sauce.

At this point you can finish them off on the grill (yum!) or in the oven. If you are putting them back in the oven, reduce the heat to 375 while the wings are resting in the sauce. If you are putting them on the grill, you should have been getting it ready already for Pete's sake. Bake or grill them for an additional 15 minutes.

You will only be sorry you did not purchase more wings!
All we heard at our table was NOM NOM NOM....

-Dev

Sasha and Selene

This is Sasha, our Husky/Karelian Bear Dog mix. I lovingly call her Shirly the Fuzzy Office Assistant because she is invariably under my feet whenever I am working. Every now and again she gives me a big "woo woo!" to let me know I am doing a good job. OK. She could be telling me I am screwing up, but being a glass half full kind of girl I prefer to think she is complimenting me. Look at that face. Doesn't she seem to be saying, "Hey, you're fabulous!" Or maybe "Hey, mom, do you have any of those green dog biscuits left. Wanna fetch one pronto?" Yeah, it could be that.

Here is Selene, nearly complete. Sasha helped me with her. Ok so she didn't do any gluing or painting. But she hung around and watched me work. Jimbo is napping his rotten cold off. Poor guy. (It has hung on for 2 weeks now.) Selene will be mounted on a round stand with an invocation to her written around the base in a spiral.

Well, that's three dolls fairly complete in as many days. It's really felt great working on them after about a three year haitus. I have some article deadlines, etc. And I probably ought to be a decent mousewife here spiff up a bit. As always...

-Dev

Kali- Full of Piss and Vinegar

Here is Kali, in progress and finished. Soft body with a Fimo mask, glass beads, ribbons and dyed feathers. She has a red and gold glass snake at her feet.

Creationism Update....

Meet Odin, my newest creation. Odin is soft scupture with a Fimo mask and breastplate. This is the guy I worked on today. Still want to make a spear for him, but don't have the right materials yet.

He is about 10 inches tall and turned out pretty well I think, for not doll-ing for a while.

Also started a Kali doll that is about 8 inches tall. I'll be doing some beading on that one. Got five doll forms sewed and stuffed and now it is all embellishing and painting.

Getting ready for the fall art shows here in good ol' Mich.
Enjoy!

My Journey Into Creationism

Back in the day, I was quite the art doll maker. I would show you examples, but I don't have any left. I sold all of them. As an artist, you would think that this told me something. Hmmmmm.... let's see, there are about 60 finished paintings in my basement and.....zero dolls. As a working artist, I probably should have stuck with the dolls.

The thing about making one-of-a-kind dolls....wait. Let me explain that. Some doll makers use a mold to pour the head, limbs and sometimes bodies (tho they are often soft bodied) of a doll. They make several from one mold that are hand painted and numbered. The one-of-a-kind is just that: you create it from your own pattern or mold, sculpt it, paper mache it, whatever it. They are often made from mixed media, soft and hard materials. They're damn cool is what they are.

For me, a doll never came out the way I "planned" it. I would make a sketch, a pattern, set off down my own doll making path and then.....

...the doll takes over.

It becomes what IT wants to be, who it wants to be. It's scary and exciting. You are creating this little being with a personality. It's a very cool feeling.

Some ideas have been brewing in the noggin (ideas are always brewing in the noggin- the real trick is to turn them into something concrete-ooooooo concrete! There's an idea! I could....) Wow. See how easy it is for me to get off track?

This is a great book- Anatomy Of A Doll. If you are a doll maker or just like dolls, you have to check it out. Some very cool folks in there. And my fav of all time, Lisa Lichtenfels who makes the most fabulous dolls ever. She used to work for Disney. Her stuff is amazing.

Anyhoo, I went out early and got some really fabulous fabric remnants, the latest Cloth Paper Scissors, some Fimo (on sale!!! 97 cents a brick for petes sake), and a new face mold. Last week I made some face molds using air dry clay. I tried them out today and they worked great.

So, I have some heads baking in the oven at this moment. Who knows who they shall become... I'll keep you posted as I continue on my journey to creationism... it's a little heady.

AWAD: A Word A Day

I re-subscribed to A Word A Day (AWAD) this morning. (We used to call idiot schoolmates wads I recall... "Yeah, he's A WAD.") Nevermind... I suppose I need more coffee.

AWAD is a writer's spice cabinet, and although some of the words are quite obscure there's a lot that get you thinking about crafting sentences in different, more exciting ways. And admittedly, I need it. I'm getting stale, getting bored with myself which leads to a lot of self-doubt and lack of confidence as a writer.

Today's word is "Achates" (??????? Have YOU ever heard that one? Am I am idiot?) which means "a trusted friend or companion". So how does one use that in a sentence? (Which is my daily goal, you see.)

How about this:

"I jumped across the stream, losing my footing in the slippery mud and rock on the other side. Jimbo, my Achates, was immediately at my side, his hand on my forearm steadying me. "

Wow. That was terrible. And I wonder if you are supposed to capitalize Achates?

From the AWAD site:

"After Achates, the faithful companion and friend of Aeneas, in the epic poem Aeneid by the Roman poet Vergil (70-19 BCE). In the story, Achates is called fidus Achates (faithful Achates) and he accompanies Aeneas everywhere in his adventures."

Hmmmmm.

Anyhow, spicy cooking, spicy writing...I want to be all over that.

-Dev

Bring Me Some Figgy ..... Figs

I long for fresh figs. It's Michigan. It's spring. There are no fresh figs for mamma. However, my figgy sweet tooth can be satisfied via Poached Figs with Cream. Yum!

Try this. No, no, no don't tell me you don't like figs. They are sweet and complex and intriguing- have an open mind. THESE ARE NOT YOUR GRAMMA'S FIGS....

You will need a package of dried figs, a little sugar, water and heavy cream.

Put the figs in a sauce pan and barely cover them with water. Add about 3 tablespoons of sugar and set on medium heat. When the water starts to steam, turn the heat down- the idea here is to poach the little buggers, not boil them. Be gentle. After about 20 minutes, they will plump up nicely. Turn the stove off, but leave the pan on the burner. Let the figs cool slowly to room temp.

To serve, place a few figs in a pretty dish. The pretty dish is important. It's all about presentation and ambiance, baby. Drizzle a little of the fruit syrup in the figs. Now drizzle with heavy cream.

Enjoy these with a nice dessert wine, like a Spatlace. You will not be sorry, nor mad at me for making you try figs.

Oh, yeah, the painting above is mine. It's called The Bitter Fruit and is for sale. That's my pitch for the day.

....And the Leftovers

Ok, you know that Italian dressing you just made? Well you have some left over. I know you do, cuz I did. Wash and cut some tiny new red potatoes in half and boil them. Let them cool to room temp. Wash and cut some compari tomatoes in half, chop a few scallions (you have those two things left over from last night's salad, right?), and grate a carrot. Layer all that stuff on top of the potatoes on a nice platter and douse liberally with the Italian dressing. Matchstick a few slices of good Swiss cheese and sprinkle on top of that.

We had this dish with some green sun tea into which I infused one Yogi Tea (brand) Mexican Sweet Chili tea bag. YUM!

And of course Jimbo did the obligatory Cornish (they're not really from Cornwall) game hens on the grill slathered in Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. Enjoy!

Redefining Success

The day is starting out to be one of "those" days. You know the ones...you accidentially spill the old coffee grounds on the floor as you (blearily) attempt making a new pot, dropping things, articles rejected, bad hair, arthritic knee, and mental lamenting about crap that happened in the past putting a general pall on things. And I am kicking myself because it is sunny and fabulous outside and here I sit in my wacky pajamas and old man sweater being a big, fat curmudgeon with breasts. A couple of months ago I lost my job. I'd worked my way up (in about 4 short years) to the position of VP at a large nonprofit that shall remain nameless. I'd developed 7 successfully functioning programs in the community and I was damn proud of them. It was devastating to walk into my job on a Monday morning and find my office pack and the CEO telling me my "services" were no longer needed. Talk about a defining moment- or an opportunity to REdefine my working life. Since I was a little child, I dreamed of writing for a living, and honestly had been thinking about phasing my job out over a period of 24 months. Was this the Universe shoving me off the Cliff of Procrastination and forcing me to make the move now? I guess it's how you choose to look at it. Admittedly, I have had a few really bad days. I still miss many things about my job and the people I worked with. I grieve them in fact. But there is another part of me that is relieved. Relieved that I no longer have to deal with the incredible, political, serves-no-purpose bullshit I put up with on a daily basis. I'm sleeping better. I am finishing projects that have been sitting on my drawing table, easle, and computer for months and years. I am accomplishing something. And....I'm writing; as a freelance journalist, researcher and creatively. I finished a draft of my first full-length play and am in the process of rewriting. I finished the illustrations for my children's book YOU ARE LIKE A RAINBOW and sent it off to a publisher (waiting to hear). I have been through boxes and piles and have pulled out a bevvy of things dreamed and wished and have begun to COMPLETE them. What a feeling that is. This morning one of my articles got rejected and it just put me in a bad frame of mind. Rejection of any kind has a way of pushing REPLAY on those bad tapes in our heads and making us feel less than, even for just a moment. However, taking the time here, just now, to remember that I am going forware, I am accomplishing, I am making a positive movement on the path I am creating- it's monumental. This sign on my office wall says "If at first you don't succeed- Redefine success." Indeed.

The First Recipe: Dev's Delectable Fresh Italian Dressing

So, last night Jimbo put some steaks on the grill. I don't know exactly what he does to them, but the man is the best steak-a-teer I have ever met. As soon as the weather breaks, we haul out the grill and head to Jack's for some prime beef. I am not much of a red meat eater, but damn that Jimbo can cook steak, I'm tellin' you.

My job, when Jimbo is scaring the steaks on the grill, is the salad. Last night it was fresh lettuce, baby portobello mushrooms, campari tomatos and scallions- and this fine dressing inspired by the early (Holy shit it's only April!) reappearance of the herbs in my petit gardin du herbes...

You need a food processor or blender for this one- I probably should have opted for the blender, but I forgot to put the food processor away from the day before (hummus- yum!) so I kind of blew dressing all over the counter, but it was fun licking it off my fingers while I was cleaning up.

So here it is:

A handful of (combined) fresh thyme, lemon balm, chives, basil
4 cloves of garlic (that's right FOUR- stop whining and get yourself some breath mints)
1 tablespoon (or there-bouts) oregano
About 1 1/2 cups of oil (I used half olive oil and half veggie)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Blend the whole thing till it is really creamy and pour over your salad. Wow! You will want to take a bath in it. Yum!

Don't forget the breath mints.

-Dev

Why "Devereaux's Caldron" ???

So, it came upon me yesterday how much I missed blogging. Hey, Facebook is pretty fine for finding and messaging and posting blurbs- but I miss the MySpace blog. And I guess I wanted something that was...seperate.

So, why the "Cauldron"? A caldron is essentially a big, heavy pot used for cooking or spelling or conjuring- and I guess what is what I want most to do. Create....something.

When I was a little kid, I dreamed of being a writer slash artist slash singer slash movie star.... necessity (i.e. shitty relationships slash divorce slash single parenthood) forced me to be a babysitter, seamstress, preschool teacher, pastry chef, counselor, grant writer. And some other stuff. Like working at a party store. That was an interesting one. You can't believe some of the people that come into a liquor store in the middle of the night. When you're not quaking in fear, you're laughing your ass off.

I am of Cherokee/Huron/Celtic descent as well... and as such have a great interest in the Earth-based religions. My spirituality plays a big part of my life- not that I thrust it on others, cuz I hate that- but it is a large part of who I am, who is in my life, what I do and how I deal.

The Cauldron is a place I can stir up ideas, chop up emotions and thoughts and observations. Throw them in and cook them for a while. And like anyone who likes to cook (and I really really do), we love to have people over to share the result.

So, why don't you come on in. You might find a cool recipe or a story or poem or song, a new piece of artwork. Something in progress. Because it's all about movement, isn't it?

And yeah, okay, some of the stuff in the pot is going to taste pretty rotten. Sorry in advance for that. But some of it is bound to turn out tasty as well. Come hungry. We can feed each other.

-Dev