CAUGHT IN TIME ~ A POCKET WATCH , A CHAIR AND A PEEK-A-BOO BOOK

" In 1952 the world fell in love with a Terrific, Radiant, Humble.......Pig. "

" It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer, Charlotte was both."

~ Kate DiCamillo

This year marks the 60th Anniversary of Charlotte's Web (OCTOBER 15/1952 ~ OCTOBER 15/2012), a beautiful fairytale story written by the American Novelist E.B.White that resonates much of the same emotions and beliefs of James Herriot's "All of God's Creatures Great and Small" and like James Herriot , White too loved the world.

This year Newbery Medalist  Kate DiCamillo has written a beautiful poignant tribute for the 60th Anniversary celebration of E.B. White's Charlotte's Web. See youtube trailer here CHARLOTTE'S WEB 60th Anniversary 

I have always felt a strong connection to CHARLOTTE'S WEB since I read it as a small child and to this day, even at fifty- five years of age, CHARLOTTE'S place in my library remains on the VERY TOP SHELF . I have said in my previous post how much I love fairytales and creating magical worlds and I surely hope when the day arrives to depart this earthly world I will fly away with Peter....

 If "such tangible magic is the proper element of childhood and any grown -up who can still dip into it- even with only so much as a toe- is certain at last of dying young even if he lives to be ninety."

~ P.L. Travers , author of Mary Poppins

CHARLOTTE'S WEB INSPIRED ART WORK

#1 ~ CHARLOTTE'S WEB BEST FRIENDS FOREVER ~ Caught in Time ~ ANNABELLE ORIGINAL  2012 ~

"Fern loved Wilbur more than anything".....They were the best of friends.

And Charlotte the Ingenious Spider and Wilber the Humble Adorable Pig also became friends ;)

Original colour of Vintage Westclock Pocket Watch Dax ( ART WORK affectionately named by my daughter M ~ ( E.B.) 

A little tricky in photographing the crystal Charlotte spider, will try more shots later.

Made in Canada ....Born twice in Canada, in it's first and second life ; ) The hands of the clock still move and can be placed in any direction one wishes . Written on the face of the antique pocket watch BFF IN silver mimics the colour of the time piece.

A crystal glass heart with projecting rays of the sun hangs on tightly to the vintage time piece ; now no longer working as it's original designed purpose but maybe, more importantly now keeping a cherished timeless treasure forever caught in it's time!

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER  BFF 

We all could benefit from keeping in our hearts CHARLOTTE'S words of Love and Wisdom, Nature and Time and the Loyalty and Friendship in life.

# 2 ~ CHARLOTTE'S WEB READING CHAIR with CHARLOTTE and her cute PEEK-A-BOO MINIATURE BOOK ~ BEST FRIENDS FOREVER  ~ ANNABELLE ORIGINAL 2012

 Made from vintage burled wood, repurposed whimsical twisted iron and vintage rusted ball and chain rope.

CAN YOU SPOT THE TWO LITTLE CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT BELONGING TO CHARLOTTE ON THE WALL BEHIND CHARLOTTE'S CHAIR? I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT ...REAL BABY SPIDERS...MY CHARMING LUCKY LITTLE CHARLOTTES ; )

Charlotte A. Cavatica keeps faith and takes care of All God's Creatures Great and Small.

A bit of black tule wrapped into tiny bows gives Charlotte's Reading Chair a bit of a Victorian Parlour Ambiance.

A beautiful old heirloom soft pink rose, tattered and torn and weathered and worn makes for a simply delightful comfy cushion for CHARLOTTE'S ReADING chair.

Oh and here is Charlotte who has in the past wanted a bit of privacy and went by the alias Maxine Payne ; ) I think she likes being herself once more, truly the one and only Charlotte A. Cavatica : )

Charlotte contemplates making a web on the old vintage Westclock Pocket Watch

What a luscious comfy and cozy retreat Charlotte thought and settled into the soft layers of the perfumed vintage rose cushion of her Reading Chair, what A LOVELY DREAM!!!! 

# 3 ~  CHARLOTTE'S WEB PEEK-A-BOO MINIATURE BOOK NECKLACE ~ Best Friends Forever  ~ ANNABELLE ORIGINAL  2012

LOOK CLOSELY AND YOU WILL NOTICE SOMEONE VERY FAMILIAR TO YOU **

WILBER AND CHARLOTTE ~ BEST FRIENDS FOREVER : )

Charlotte's Web Peek-A-Boo Miniature Book~ BFF! Charlotte was quite impressed to find that the tiny  book held 10 very thin lined pages for her delicate writing. A little keeper for secret thoughts.

Charlotte began to flip through the pages of her Peek-a- Boo Miniature Book she received as a gift  and in one arm she held a note containing her top ten picks of her best loved poems . Dipping her pen in the ink, Charlotte began to write ....

CHARLOTTE'S WEB captured my heart and inspired my art : )

P.S. *** Something Strange.....a little unknown fact to most of you out there.....Until tonight I had no idea CHARLOTTE'S WEB 60th Anniversary was this coming October 15th/ 2012 until I found a link to the celebration while searching for material on my art work...strange coincidence of  the sixth sense? I would like to believe I have those extra feelers ~^..^~

WILL SOON BE ADDING THESE CHARLOTTE'S WEB INSPIRED ART PIECES ON ETSY AND WILL GIVE MORE DETAILS ON MEASUREMENTS , MATERIALS AND PRICES.

*******MORE CHARLOTTE 'S WEB SPIDERS AND WEBS , CHARLOTTE'S WEB PEEK-A-BOO MINIATURE BOOKS,FAIRYTALE OWLS AND BOATS, FAIRY MOONS, STARS AND ENCHANTED COTTAGES , HALLOWEEN PAINTINGS, HAUNTED SCULPTED TREES AND I FORGET WHAT'S ON THE REST OF THE LIST ... LATER : ) ******

tELL mE, iS iT jUST a dREAM?

“Tell me, is it just a dream?"

Surely most can say they have at one time or another felt like they were being watched …………Somewhere in the Twilight Zone…..

“You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension, a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. Your moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and Ideas. You have just crossed over into the twilight zone”…

I made this Spooky Portrait in 2009 when I purchased the Antique Gold Gilded Frame at a Gothic church sale in the country and was pleasantly surprised in discovering a secret hole for spying but not your usual hole found in an antique painting that undeniably often makes an appearance in old Gothic VAMPIRE MOVIES such as the FAMOUS HAMMER HORROR WITH PETER CUSHING AND CHRISTOPHER LEE ( MY FAVOURITE SPOOKS ALONG WITH DEAR OLD VINCENT) But this Antique frame came with a little something extra special, a unique natural keyhole in the wood that backed the mysterious lost portrait it once held : )

Imagine what dark, delicious haunting mysterious thoughts ran through the dark hidden secret corridors of my mind at that very moment ???? All sorts of tiny little spider webs in the back of my mind that kept secrets and journals of lost and forgotten curious and spooky items resurfaced and gave sustenance to more dark and peculiar haunting imagery and that's where this lovers eye arose from.


Did I see it or dream about it? Maybe it was a little bit of both.......

Once again my lovely mother's eye makes it's appearance in another lovelier way , most definitely a great conversation piece this coming Halloween, maybe on a full moon lit night : )

This Lovers Eye is a miniature photographic print that I have encased in copper foil and soldered in the Tiffany style.The Lovers Eye sits safely behind a crystal glass bevel and hangs from a vintage pink and clear bead rosary necklace with a lobster clasp . I've sculpted a tiny Charlotte Spider who seems to have become enamoured with the Lovers Eye and has begun to weave a magical enchanted web. This pendant was made with regular solder and is best for home decor rather than body unless you have some dead spook you want to dress for A halloween runway or just the old witch sitting in the chair ; ) Here as you can see I dressed an Antique bottle for the Lovers Eye debut.

Experimental in much of my art , you will always discover I have gone a little further in what I create, making more of a unique and signature art creation.


" Hope you like "Tell Me , Is it Just a Dream? " Annabelle Original 2012

P.S. DOES THE EYE  IN THE GOLD GILDED FRAME LOOK FAMILIAR???

~ Red Sails In The SunSet ~ In a Dream you are never Eighty or Fifty~Five

"Red Sails in the Sunset ~ The Fairytale Boat  "The Singhalese " Original Annabelle 2012 ~ Art Sea Life Vintage Bottle 

Luv the silhouette , never intended to take the pic this way but oh such an enchanting discovery when i started the shoot this morning : )

 .......Wish i knew more about photography....must take that course!

In a dream you are never eighty .......or fifty five. 

Anne Sexton's first part of this quote resonates so true with me, in mind, mind you, I really do not feel my age, never did and I truly hope and pray I never will. 

I hope I'll still be in pretty good health to continue on my way down the oak lined country lane. 

It is only now I realize that time has in a way been my friend and allowed me to continue growing, gathering wisdom and truth although there was a period when I had thought differently, only negatively towards it but Time was and still is an ally and foe; it weathers and wears and tatters and tears but in the end it has been always a friend.

I have lived in my soul's dark cottage for all of my life until only recently I discovered in living that I always possessed some form of artist resource well hidden secretly within . 

The cottage I live in now is a 1920's craftsman english cottage on a hilly mountaintop over looking the deep blue sea where the early morning sun streams within the creamy walls and casts them in a light pink glow and it is here where I create magical worlds of enchantment.

The soul's dark cottage, battered and decayed,
Lets in new light through chinks that time hath made.
~Edmund Waller

I'm an Artist, there I said it!

I have always admired art and some just takes my breath away.

All Artists are inspired by life, wild, tame or both; consistently I am initially inspired by the wild side and then quickly given sustenance by the tame. The art that originally grows from the natural world later is adorned by an amenable earthly realm. When securely fused or in many cases of my art work, soldered, the art I believe, becomes an energy source giving life to a void and empty space.

We are all artists, some born with more resources than others but the secret lies in the artist who knows well  how to use them to their greatest possible potential. I am no master of the arts and wish I could play a piano or organ beautifully and enchant myself but because I can't play i am constantly swept into a dreamy Disneyland by others who can. 

When it comes to staying young, a mind-lift beats a face-lift any day.  ~Marty Bucella

You are never too old to learn  and if ...........

How far away the stars seem, and how far is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart.  ~William Butler Yeats...

Never feel the skipping beat of your aging heart........ 

Oh! weep not that our beauty wears
Beneath the wings of Time;
That age o'erclouds the brow with cares
That once was raised sublime...
But mourn the inward wreck we feel
As hoary years depart,
And Time's effacing fingers steal
Young feelings from the heart!
~Robert Montgomery, "Lost Feelings," March 1828

But Never let Time steal away your unmeasurable love for Never~ Ending FairyTales❤

Red Sails in the Sunset , Way out on the sea

Oh, carry my loved one home safely to me.

She sailed at the dawning, all day I've been blue,

Red sails in the Sunset, I'm trusting in you.

"Red Sails in the Sunset ~ The Fairytale Boat  "The Singhalese " Original Annabelle 2012 ~ Art Sea Life Vintage Bottle 

Inspiration taken from the wild sea, 60's arts and crafts walnut mice boats ( Christmas tree ornaments we made when the kids were little ) and Florida shell boats, music and especially from the gorgeous Twilight and Night Sea Paintings of Romantic Movement Russian /Armenian Artist Ivan Aivazousky 1858

Materials... North American Pressed Glass (NAPG) in a pink hue with daisy pattern...look like stars to me : ) 

Solder, shells, coral, copper wire and metal for sail.

German glitter ,crystal beads for inside and outside of bottle. 

Hope you like this latest art piece. Available on Etsy very soon.

Remember .......Old age ain't no place for sissies.  ~Bette Davis

NOTE BENE: A huge thank you to the music artists and DISNEY that allow me to play their enchanting music on my blog: AL BOWLY, ONE REPUBLIC AND THE PIERCES ; IN TURN I HOPE I OPEN THE DOORS TO YOUR WONDERFUL WORK TO OTHERS : ) 

The Portrait ~ The Secret of the Haunted Lover's Eye ~

The year was 1786. King George IV had the artist Richard Cosway paint the eye of his secret lover , Maria Fitzherbert ; only he and his inamorata knew the secret.

   Lover's Eye ❤ ~ A charming, whimsical and mysterious Love Token popularized by London High Society during late 1700's

The exquisite and rare weird beauty of a unique Lover's Eye is truly only one of a kind  ❤

 The Lover's Eye became popular during the reign of King George IV when he commissioned an artist to depict a rendering of his secret lover's eye to wear in a locket secretly keeping her identity unknown.

Love, in many cases of marriage was non existent and therefore affairs of the heart were conducted in obscurity and concealment from the public eye. To keep one's love a secret and close to their heart, they wore an affectionate reminder, in this case the eyes of their paramour inside a secret locket.

Clandestine Lover's Eye Love Tokens were all the rage in 18th and 19th century. And why not , they were the perfect secret love keepers. They were virtually impossible to ever give the secret identity of the lover away!

And so here is another one of my Lover's Eye I've made. The eye isn't really a secret anymore, it belongs to my mother. Because of my undying adoration for eyes , spiders, webs, Victorian Gothic Ghostly Tales , eDGAR aLLAN pOE and black I dreamed up this Secret Lover's Eye, actually a Haunted Secret Lover's Eye.



The Lover's Eye, an elusive Antique Georgian Jewellery collectible dating back to the late 1700"s is not surprisingly a much imitated piece of antiquarian jewellery of the few remaining originals in existence today. As with any coveted Treasure that is much sought after, the more the Charming, Whimsical and Mysterious it becomes to the passionate collector of Lover's Eyes.Their allure completely mesmerizes one into a Romantic Gothic Tale of their own making.



Who was she and why was this portrait left behind in the old mysterious mansion???

Flipping through the pages of a book on Antique Jewellery I learned about the Secret Lover's Eye.

To hold within one's grasp .......real love  ❤

Maybe once upon a time she had a secret admirer, a lover who she had shared a real love with and her portrait was cherished and treasured by him always but then one day it was left behind,  here to fray and decay and be completely forgotten?

But she knew the secret.........

"I told my love,
 I told her all my heart,
 Trembling, cold, in ghastly fears ~
 Ah, she doth depart.


                                 ~ William Blake

 Note Bene "The Portrait " will be for sale on Etsy shortly

Secrets ~So I'm gonna give all my secrets away, well maybe one ~ Fairy's Wings & A FairyTale Pumpkin ~

Time .....


Sometimes I feel that life is passing me by, not slowly either, but with ropes of steam and spark-spattered wheels and a hoarse roar of power or terror. It's passing, yet I'm the one who's doing all the moving. ~Martin Amis, Money



It's been a while I've had any interaction with blogging friends and art groups, mainly because I have been racing against time.

Many obligations, too many to say the least and if I dare tried to cancel a few on my lengthy list my conscious would get the better of me. Besides the motherly duties, wifely duties , daughterly duties that one must abide with if you are in my opinion, a good person with a soul, then you must take heed and confront them head on rather than ignore them completely, they will return to haunt you , believe me, I know!


I have been quite overwhelmed, mentally that is. So much to contemplate and ponder on and not surprisingly in the long run it eventually got the better of me physically. Thankfully my son has started me on a diet these past few weeks and I've taken a personal initiative to fit in a daily walk with my Gracie; can't believe just by doing those few changes how better I feel these days. It really does curb the negative mind and that is a key secret to over coming many obstacles, not all but a good some.


And just when things were going hunky dory, it had to get a little messy once again. Where oh where shall we soon be moving to, that is the ? Too old to really be adventurous but none the less the spirit is willing to ride the warm seas, rid of arthritic knees and snow for a short while and hopefully that will be one of the options but truthfully, I can't foresee myself living anywhere colder than where I am presently living with the exception of NFLD, CA.....haha !!!

No doubt , the clock is ticking, not the biological baby timer mind you but kick the bucket timer...haha : ) Time is simply much too short and my measuring tape is nearing the 85; need to keep some of that time for me.


And some of that time has been used working on my art........





Once Upon a FairyTale  Pumpkin





Charlotte the Spider also took the time to smell the FAIRYTALE.....PUMPKIN






Charlotte the Spider









Charlotte seems quite content to spend some of her precious sprinkling hours in the garden among the FAIRYTALE PUMPKINS


Always a charming way to spend some perfect moments creating and indulging in some fun with my mind, makes for true sanity and well being, at least for me , it works ! ; )


p.s. Oh , I almost forgot. That walk I took this morning after the rain was perfect weather for taking some pics with my camera. Trying to fit a little time into learning the darn thing!!!!


"Fairy's Wings" ~ Love the way these turned out 

So now I'm on a mission to untangle the lovely web and what I can't break free of , hopefully.......

 Time will heal what reason cannot ~ Seneca.....I sure hope so!!!

Remember, in the end


Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils. ~Louis Hector Berlioz

So if you really want to keep this Treasure close to your heart and never lost take a moment to read this....


Affirmation of Time ~ by Jeffery Cannon





A Little Secret Shared ; ) ❤

Once Upon a Pumpkin Fairytale ~ Halloween yet ?

A few Halloweens ago I made this FairyTale Pumpkin ( a real one ) for Halloween .

"Cinderella's Haunted Ride " was a blast to create and my Antique collectible Victorian picture frames  suited the Ancient gourd nicely in creating the carriage's whimsical windows and door.

If you want to try your hand at growing these Very Old French Heirloom Cinderella Whimsical Pumpkins, I suggest buying the seeds from this organic grower in the states. I recently found them on Etsy...Kenyon Organics FairyTale Pumpkin Seeds ..... I will soon be ordering some for myself to grow next year. 

And now for a different take on Whimsical Pumpkins that last a little longer than the real thing, that's if you can't wait for their return in Autumn. Myself I luv them both, especially the real ones ; )

Fairytale Pumpkins are Magical and Whimsical and perfect for any decor in my mind especially when created in worn tattered vintage fabrics like I have done here.

Last Autumn I asked a local pumpkin farmer for the remaining pumpkin stems lying out in his field and lucky me I just got hold of him before he was turning them over that afternoon.
I made a few pumpkins and the rest of the stems I stashed away for a later time.

 Well, it seems Harvest and Halloween isn't too far from my mind these days and the month of August would seem ideal time to get started on this particular home decor but alas I'm afraid I am running late and out of time for you see I have a date to meet this coming October. I have been asked to have a showing at my town's library.I had one this past January but since much of my work has some sort of magic element to it the committee thought it would be perfect for an Autumn show.
And so I am busily getting ready for it and conjuring up some magic .....

Double Double Toil and Trouble
Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble!!!!

Yes, double toil....... and trouble following me along the way.
Too many side tracks interrupting the flow of artistic endeavours, NOT TO MENTION THE HEAT.....NO AC...HAHA : ( Well at least I had a reprieve from the heat yesterday after getting caught in the down pour as we were picking up cut grass. I was so covered in the green stuff and it felt icky so I quickly rinsed myself off partially in my bird bath...but it too was almost like a cauldron :) I spotted the blocked spout of the roof and took a shower underneath it....ahhhhhh relief and so much cooler, I felt better : ) and was abled to carry on with my agenda.....hooray!!!

It has been many months since I participated in Paint Party Friday and terribly miss the interaction with my fellow artists. The warm seasons here in Canada aren't to be taken for granted and when we have such beautiful weather there is nothing else to do but to enjoy the outdoors; in my case early mornings and evenings when it is cool and because of the weather much has taken a back seat for the season....no regrets.
So now needless to say, I am behind schedule and must double my work load, still within certain restrictions; a good work can't be rushed!

Fairytale Pumpkins have been around for many , many years and in many shapes and forms and probably the tomatoe pin cushion is a smaller version of the stuffed pumpkins of today.
I have a book titled "Two ~ Hour No Sew Decorating " by Diana Dunkley.
In it, she has a section titled "Autumn Harvest" with whimsical pumpkins you can create. She doesn't sew hers and I probably would have done it her way if I didn't know how to sew a few stitches but I gathered the patience and learned to sew and now throughly enjoy the total process.
It is a matter of trying something out first before turning your back to it, or you'll never know what you missed if you didn't give a try.

So here now is one of my whimsical pumpkins.
Cottage country, whimsical, enchanting, romantic, no matter the style, it is after all a FairyTale Pumpkin that welcomes all upon entering the threshold of a house to think "There's No Place Like Home "; )

Some more pictures to enjoy....

Hand dyed seam binding

Boiled Wool handmade roses and hearts

Vintage Antique tea dyed lace with embroidered swallows and posies  and vintage millenary cream  flowers...can you spot the butterfly?

Tiny heart made from boiled wool and tea dyed seam binding bow...adore it's whimsy

Many Tiny Hearts.. for more pumpkins in the works

If you are interested in purchasing this pumpkin please see here: FairyTale Pumpkin

NOTE BENE : IF INTERESTED IN A "FAIRYTALE PUMPKIN TUTORIAL" PLEASE ASK AND IF ENOUGH REQUESTS ARE RECEIVED I'LL MAKE ONE