Merry Christmas!

Seeing as how the year has ended on a fairly bum note for me (see previous post), I've decided to make this last blog post for 2009 a list of some of the wonderful things that happened in my life during the year.

* flying to Melbourne to see Ryan Adams in concert.

* successful re-construction surgery that gave me back that which had been taken away.

* the 'Mutant Barnyard'.

* watching my daughter Taylor have an amazing year that included "Youth Opportunities', Medspace camp, and acceptance into Eynesbury College for her final two years of schooling.

*Patricia Piccininni exhibition.

*joining Facebook and making some amazing (albeit long-distance) friendships that I absolutely treasure.

*SALA Festival.

*seeing my youngest daughter Grace achieve her Brown Belt in Karate.

*Bonfire night and 'Top 5 Songs' with the wonderful Blackeby family.

*a sleep-over at Monarto Zoo.

*a truly fabulous Halloween.....made extra special with gifts from friends in the US and a film of the party shot by the amazing Linda Pill.

*Neil Gaiman....his books and his blog.

*my eldest daughter Megans year 12 success.

*celebrating my 3rd Wedding Anniversary.

*date nights with my husband.

*watching my 10 year old son Noah do his 'robot dance' on the kitchen floor on Friday nights.

*hearing Grace sing.

*the addition of Frankston the Siamese kitten to our family.

*selling out of everything in the studio.

*continued friendship, fun and support from Linda, Nick and Lily.

*still having mum with us after a very close call.

This isn't a definitive list and some things are of more significance than others, but that's how life is. Of course we're grateful for the big things like love of friends and family and triumph over illness, but the little things like reading a good book and laughing at cartoons are what make day to day living such a gift.

Thankyou to everyone who has read my blog over the past year. Your comments and support mean so much to me. I hope that Christmas is a wonderful, joyous time for you all. The pics above are some shots of our house and some of my favorite decorations.

2010 will be a year of change for me and there are already plenty of new pieces just waiting to emerge from my new studio space. I hope you'll all keep in touch.

Till next time.

New Faerie.....and studio woes....

Well, it seems that time is just racing by of late. The comedown of Halloween and the subsequent lead-up to Christmas are partly responsible for the absence of blog posts on my part.....apologies for that.

Those of you who are in contact with me through Facebook may be aware that I have been having "issues" with my studio space for the last month or so. The real estate agent who has taken over management of the group of shops that includes my studio/gallery is acting to significantly change my lease agreement (including a 25% rental increase), but is refusing to provide estimates of actual costs and is basically trying to bully me into agreeing to terms without actually telling me exactly what those terms are. To make matters worse, it appears that she has now involved a third party, who have come in with a counter offer, in an attempt to orchestrate some kind of 'bidding war'. As it stands at present, I have again requested (for the fourth time!) a breakdown of the costs and the exact nature of the increases, so that I can make an informed decision as to whether I can afford to continue renting the premises......or not.

So, this is a very stressful time for me....all of this came completely out of the blue and I must say that her timing is impeccable....not exactly the kind of Christmas joy I had in mind this year! I'm very emotionally attached to my little space. When I moved in there four and a half years ago I had just completed six months of chemotherapy after a breast cancer diagnosis. It was a new start for me and a way to refocus on my art. My husband Guy worked tirelessly to make the tiny area into a functional and inspiring space for me to work in and constructed a gorgeous little gallery to showcase my creations. Over the past few years I've met hundreds of wonderful people, learnt a great deal and produced some good work....so it's very sad to have all of those experiences tainted by a woman who can't even spell my name correctly. Yes, that's a little self-pitying (and a tad bitchy, perhaps) and although those aren't the only emotions I'm feeling at the moment, I have to say that they are the ones currently taking centre stage.

Anyway, while I've been waiting I have managed to complete (except for her wings) a new Faerie....her name is Helena and she is a gentle, peaceful and happy soul. I feel as though she knows something I don't....a common occurence, as I don't know a great deal more than I do after all.

As soon as I have more information regarding the studio situation I will let you all know.

Thanks for your support.

Till next time.

Check out the awesome movie that my friend Linda shot at our Halloween party this year.....it's on my Spooky blog.....

My other blog

Come on over to the spooky side.......

Halloween in the studio...

Just some final shots of my Halloween pieces as they are in the studio. "Trick & Treat" were sold over the weekend and I only have two 'eeriefae' left.....not too bad, seeing as Halloween is a bit of a foreign concept over here.

Oh, and the two little pumpkins at the bottom are gourds that I painted last week just for my own amusement.

Till next time.

New Halloween blog.....

What a busy and tiring week this has been!

I've been thinking for some time now that I should have a separate blog for all my Halloween stuff, so I've set that up and you can visit by clicking on the link to the right. I'm hoping to post on there every couple of days between now and Halloween.....I have lots to share!

I've been working on 'The Faery Catcher' this week....the painting is almost complete and I've started to put his costume together. I didn't realize how big I'd made his butt....constructing his pants was a logistical nightmare! All going well, he should be completed next week.

Received a beautiful surprise package today from my friend Cody.....a gorgeous 'dearly departed' piece made by Cody, a lovely ceramic skull bead and two little skellys.....all of which are very at home here in the 'castle of doom'. Once again, I am blessed with a wonderful and generous friend....

I've made more Halloween stuff *sigh*.....but I'll post that on the other blog.

Till next time.

'Trick' & 'Treat'....final Halloween piece!

"This year I’d like

for you to meet

All Hallow’s piskies,

‘Trick’ & ‘Treat’.

Their acrobatic skills

I’m told

are really something

to behold.

With deftness

and dexterity,

come high-jinks

and tomfoolery.

Into the air

they fly and tumble,

never a mis-step

or a stumble.

Their daring feats

will leave you gasping -

to your seat edge

you’ll be clasping!

They’ll leave you breathless,

but still keen

to see it again...

next Halloween!"

ⓒ copyright 2009 Lorell Lehman

I couldn't resist doing one last Halloween themed piece....I have a number of other projects that I should be working on....but the lure of Halloween is just too strong. The problem is, the more I do the more ideas I get and then they rattle around in my brain, tormenting me until I let them out.

Thanks to Pattee for the 'felty-webby' stuff I used on the little box...it was just perfect! xx

Oh, and yay!....I managed to get a 'proper' Halloween pumpkin today....it cost me twenty bucks!! (which I'm sure is shocking to my friends in the US!), but at least I can make a decent Jack-o-lantern now.

Till next time.

Living like the Addams family (click, click)......

This past weekend I managed to get most of the house set up for the Halloween season. Due to being so busy with studio committments, this year I have downsized things a bit (not too much...my kids would never forgive me!). So, we will now live like the Addams family for a couple of weeks, which is great fun and something I feel strangely comfortable doing. It's always interesting if we get unexpected (and unwary) visitors - last year, the night after Halloween, we witnessed someone breaking into our car which was parked in the street outside. The police officer who arrived at our house to take the details must have wondered what on earth was going on as he walked up a spiderweb enclosed staircase (complete with web-wrapped corpse), past the mummy in his coffin and up into "The Lab" with our demented Doctor and his table of dismembered body parts!....oddly, he made no reference to it.....

As I've mentioned before, Halloween decorations are relatively hard to come by here in Australia, although the past couple of years have been better with Toys 'R' Us and some of the 'cheap shops' getting in a reasonable range. Most of our props and decorations have been made by me over the years and this year I've received wonderful goodies from friends in the US, which are proudly displayed. My biggest bugbear is that it is utterly impossible to find candy corn here....let alone the magnificent chocolate/caramel variety that was sent to me last year (dear Keri xx). I did manage to get hold of some bubblegum eyeballs and 'gummi' body parts....but it's the candy corn that sends my kids (and me) into raptures of delight....thankyou Pattee! xx

Of course I'll be adding things as we get closer to the 31st - blacklights, dry ice and such - and I'm hoping to do one or two new 'redead' dollies....I found a large, broken, walking one at the op-shop last week. Fun.

Till next time, Happy Halloweening!