A Wonderful Gift

So I had the one of the coolest and most unexpected experiences in a long time just a couple of weeks ago. I have been wanting an antique Vatican sick call altar for years and I've been outbid on them one time after another on ebay, disappointed and left with that empty spot in my collection of catholic artifacts. Then to my surprise I saw someone on Craigslist locally selling one for an incredible price of $65.00. Not only was it in mint condition, it had all the original pieces along with it including the ornate candle holders, the silver engraved plates, the spoon, the box of cotton, the oil cloths, the crucifix and even the original booklet that came with it in 1909! I contacted the seller and Sara wrote me back and let me know it was still available. I asked her about the Guadalupe and Jesus statues she also had in the ad and she told me she would just give them to me for free since she could tell that I was such a passionate collector like herself. I arranged to go up to meet her and her husband Cork the following Sunday, though I didn't realize how far away Kelso is from Portland or I would have planned things a little better. I could have spent hours hanging out with this wonderful couple, their house was absolutely incredible, and they even had an AKC Standard Poodle named Molly June! Anyone who knows me, knows I am absolutely infatuated with poodles, they are so iconic and pure kitsch.....I love the ones with styled hair and the dainty way they prance and show off their good looks. They are unlike any other dog. They also had a Malamute mix I believe who had the most incredible coat of large puffy hair, she seemed like a mammoth, yet the Poodle runs that house....=). Begining from the mosaic walkway to the beautifully manicured storybook cottage, their house was full of inspiration and symbolic pieces of art - and Cork could tell me the story and origins of nearly every piece they had on display. They had a room dedicated to one large shrine, made from symbolic pieces they had gathered throughout their travels to Mexico and beyond, it was so neat to hear how they acquired each item, and what it meant to them. I was so mad that I hadn't brought my camera, but luckily Sara had one and took a picture of me with their poodle and the two statues. All in all that was such a great day, Sara and Cork are amazing people and artists who treated me like we had been friends for years. Even after everything she had given me, she gave them these gorgeous antique, ornate sacred heart that she had a double of! I really hope to visit with them again, and bring some new statues and crucifixes that will match the style they like, and to take pictures of them with their dogs, and hopefully use the poodle for some creative artistic shots I have planned.

My Favorite Things

These are pictures of different sections of my bedroom, then there is one that shows a large portion of the room so you can see my awesome new stripper pole! I'm not planning on becoming an exotic dancer, but I figure it will be a great way to get in shape and get in touch with my inner-sexuality (and I will have a killer skill if I ever decide to show it off...ha ha). My room is becoming more of a museum than a bedroom, what else do you do though when your room is the size of an apartment, I figure I ought to take full advantage of it!

My Altered Art Work Area

I have been working on my new altered art shell shrines, paper weights, crosses, collages, and photo prints that I hope to sell on etsy or at Portland's Last Thursday in the Alberta Arts District at the end of this month. It's so hard to sell things like this though, when you use your favorite charms and collected findings and put your heart and soul into each piece....it makes me want to price them really high so no one will buy them. At this point I need to start learning how to let go, my house is becoming horribly cluttered and over run with "found objects and craft supplies" (I can justify just about anything I buy by saying it's for my art or photo studio - a prop or a piece I need for a new shrine I am making). Unless I start using all this stuff I've collected I am going to officially be a hoarder/rat packer....or I better make plans to open a really eclectic museum, ha ha. I love to be surrounded with visually stunning art and objects that get my creativity flowing, I am always afraid that if I don't buy something that catches my eye and gives me that fluttery feeling of excitement and inspiration that I will forget and never find it again. The other reason is that everything I find is at flea markets, garage sales, thrift stores and on craigslist at insanely good bargain prices and a lot of the times one-of-a-kind, so the chances of getting it again are usually impossible. I'm sure there are a lot of others who struggle with this same problem, let me know if there is a name for it or some kind of support group I can join =).
Here are some photos of my work area, so you can see what I am talking about.

Dia De Los Muertos

Me and my friend Amber Mercedes decided to practice doing our makeup for an upcoming Day of the Day photo shoot I have planned. Amber is my makeup artist, hair stylist and set designer on my photo crew, and we had a lot of fun as you can see in the photos below.

More Pictures

These are more awesome treasures that I picked up at the sale last week! fetwjcysup