BlogTV Thanks

Well, I did my first BlogTV show last night, armed with my blue raspberry martini. Big thanks go out to Fright Guy, The Bloodshed Brothers, and Chris Baker for co-hosting and making the show almost halfway intelligent.
For those not able to make it, we had two home haunt celebs join us to chat: Mr. Chicken and Spider Rider, both of whom are gracious enough to be helping me with a new prop and revamping an old one. Chris Davis of Davis Graveyard checked in for some fun, too, and debated the value of blue drinks vs. wine. 


We had two new TV stars appear, as well: Christmas Ape and Samhain. Neither of them has much comment, although Ape thinks Jeromy looks pretty hot in his little blue dress. (Credit for the pic goes to Jody Bossert of Haunted Night.)
I'll get some new pics of Sam up shortly. I have to say, it was pretty wild being gone for a week and coming back to see how much he'd grown in just that short time! He didn't seem to mind being on TV, and didn't demand his own trailer and makeup people, unlike Ape, who can be a little full of himself sometimes. Ape, by the way, has new Facebook pics from the Shasta trip, if you want to check them out.


I took the opportunity to show off the latest creations out of the kiln, so if you missed that part, you'll just have to wait until I put pics up for the Etsy store! (Big thanks to DixieDawn for her mini-ghost purchases!)
O.k. kids, it's time for me to get back to making Hallowe'en!

New Treasuries!

It turns our I've been featured in a couple of Etsy Treasuries lately! How nice for folks to find my work, then like it enough to put it with other unique items-let alone in the same treasury with Dave the Dead! How cool is that?

Click on the pics to go to that treasury. Better yet, buy something!

Plague Mask

Finals are over, so I can now put some of my creations in the shop for you to adopt, such as this nifty plague doctor mask!

 I also performed a "pottery purge" yesterday. The stuff has been piling up and I made some pretty ruthless decisions as to what was going to be kept, sold, or pitched. Now I have some space to put out some more!

New Shop Pumpkins

Off to make some more! Meanwhile, buy at ShellHawk's Creations!

New Items in ShellHawk's Shop!

Face it. Even Hallowe'en fanatics need serving ware for their tables. Get it at ShellHawk's Creations. Right now! 

Why are you still here? Go already! Sheesh!

This Is Hallowe'en (2011 in the Making)

With the rain temporarily gone (more expected this week), my work is actually drying enough so that I can carve a few faces to my new lidded jackos! Some unfinished friends have also been floating around the shop and should go into the next glaze firing.

A sharp-eyed person might notice the tombstone salt and pepper shakers I plan to put on Etsy soon...

Just a Couple of Things to Mention

Sorry if this sounds a little like a commercial for a bunch of stuff, but please read through so you're hip to what's happening in not only my world, but another one, too!

As you know, Hauntcast is up for the "Best Produced" and "General" cate-gorys (Get it? It's a play on "gory." Pretty clever, huh?) for the Podcast Awards. Apparently, they're tallying up each day's total votes to get the winner, so please take a minute to vote for us each day. Click on the banner to take you to the site. We really appreciate it! When we win, Chis is buying everyone drinks!

O.k., he's not, but you can't blame a girl for trying.

Next, I wanted to remind you all that I have some nice items in my Etsy store that would make unique Christmas gifts for just about anyone. Since it's going to be raining all weekend, I will not be pulling my items out of the Etsy store to take to Jack Russell Farm Brewery, so you can see what my "normal," non-Hallowe'en stuff looks like. My Hallowe'en items are still listed, too-I actually dropped my price on the pumpkin ghost everyone liked so much, so take a look and take him home! (Please! I need to buy and install a utility sink so I don't have to wash my clay tools off in freezing water outside, in the rain! Can I tell you how much that sucks?!)

If you like, you can take one or both of my banners and post them to your site, linking them with my etsy store address: www.etsy.com/shop/shellhawk. Here are the images, made by the exceptionally talented Guy of House Bloodthorn:



 Lastly, I ran across this charity event and had to pass it on to you. The Mission Fish part of eBay is auctioning off this original artwork to benefit the Haven Foundation, which helps artists in need. Artist and illustrator Glenn Chadbourne has donated this illustration, inspired by Stephen King's Dark Tower series, to raise money for the Foundation:

Here's the press release:

Now being auctioned through eBay's Mission Fish with proceeds to benefit The Haven Foundation is this signed original artwork by Maine artist Glenn Chadbourne. This pen and ink drawing is inspired by Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga. It has been professionally framed with conservation quality materials. The piece including frame measures 13-1/4" x 15-1/2". 

Chadbourne has also illustrated the limited editions of Secretary of Dreams Volumes 1 and 2 and The Colorado Kid.

You can bid on the piece here, the full Haven Foundation info on this auction is here, and Glenn Chadbourne's website is here. He does some deliciously dark illustrations, so head over there to take a peek at his work!

Have a great weekend, All!

Gifts From ShellHawk's Shop

Buy some. Now. You can even legitimately tell the giftee that their pot came from an artist who has a piece on display in a museum! Head over to my shop, ShellHawk's Creations on Etsy!

New Pumpkins on Etsy!

Hey, All! I just listed a bunch of new pumpkins on Etsy, so head over to ShellHawk's Creations and get yourself a Halloween treat!

End of Summer and Welcome Hallows!

Another great weekend at Jack Russell Farm Brewery has come and gone. On the way home, I stopped at Sacred Paths organic farm to pick up something for dinner. When I ran across these amazing one-pound tomatoes, I couldn't resist one last caprese salad!

 Holy goodnight! What an amazing meal this made all on its ownsome! Fresh tomato (no idea what variety, sorry), basil from the garden, a little olive oil and basalmic vinegar, and you've got a small slice of heaven!

I also found this cool set of skeleton gloves over at the Dollar Store. They glow in the dark, which appeals to my inner child, but who am I kidding? The inner child is the same as the outer one, so what's the diff? 

I don't even care that they seem to be cutting off my circulation. Below is a "customer action photo," taken in my laundry room.

I have to admit, they are pretty darn slick!

I'm putting some things back in the Etsy store, by the way, so check out the store before pickings get too slim! 

Jack Russell Weekend

Well, other than a couple of thefts, the weekend was a successful one. The small bat candy dish sold on Saturday, along with a few mini-ghosts and pumpkins, plus a couple of sets of salt and pepper shakers and a pumpkin pot.

Everything is back in the Etsy store until Friday, so grab what you can!

Another Day, Another Treasury

I've got some great company in this treasury on Etsy, and this one, too! Wow! I'm really pleased that folks are finding my stuff!

News From the Nest

Hi, All! Just a little personal update and a pretty cool heads-up for horror fans.

First, Amazon is having a sale on horror dvds, so if you want to pick up Trick 'r Treat for a song, now's the time! They also have some great Vincent Price collections, the 25th anniversary edition of Poltergeist, and a ton more, just to make it that much easier for us to stay in the Halloween mood this month!

In other news, it turns out that I don't, in fact, have to quit school entirely. I'm dropping my second class of the day, which allows me to stay in  my alternative firing class and get home by noonish, so my idiot dog doesn't destroy his pen and give himself another few injuries in the process. I'm relieved and excited, because this also means that I can enter my sculpture in to be reviewed for the Crocker Art Museum. I know there are a lot of artists far more talented than I, but I still hope to squeak in there. The dog, btw, is doing well enough that we have to keep a close watch on his activity so he doesn't hurt himself more.

Meanwhile, my stint up at Jack Russell Brewery is going well. My mini-pumpkins have been selling, and I have added some mini-ghosts, too. It occurred to me that if I have some of these things available at the end of the weekend, I'll put them up on Etsy, including my pumpkin-headed ghost. Whatever doesn't sell by Friday will come back to Jack Russell with me. That way, if any of you all want something, you have a shot at getting it!

The cyclops, btw, is a hanger, and larger than my usual pumpkins.

Shop News!

Just wanted to let you all know I'm offering free shipping in my Etsy shop this weekend only, so please! Take advantage of me!

Oh, and while you're scouting around my Etsy store, take a minute to head over to the Davis Graveyard's new Etsy shop for your tombstone needs!

My Graveyard Delights Treasury on Etsy.
My Skulls and Bones Treasury on Etsy.
My Cocktails, Anyone? Treasury on Etsy.

Bad News, Good News

So, the bad news (for me) is that The Folsom Fine Arts and Gourd Festival has been cancelled. I'm disappointed, as it was to be my first art show, but, as they say in the Old Country: shit happens.

The good news for you all is that all the stuff I have made and been making for the show will now be available in my Etsy store in the coming weeks. Keep in mind I am still messing around with my shipping profiles in the shop and will do my best to keep the costs down for you.

Happy shopping, kids!

Etsy

I'm still new to Etsy and all of the neat things that go on there. For those of you who don't know, Etsy is a place to buy and sell all things art and hand made and crafty. The cost to list an item is very reasonable; far more reasonable than eBay (the listings last far longer, too) and without the annoyance of people "watching" an item and not buying it.

There are also some fun things you can do, like "favorite" a shop or item, or you can create a "treasury."  A treasury seems to be a collection of items you can get together from different sellers. Maybe it's yarn, or buttons, or pots. Whatever strikes your fancy can go into a treasury.

I was really pleased to discover that someone put one of my pumpkins in a treasury! I mean, that's pretty cool! Thanks, jalinde, for featuring me in your treasury!

Now, if only I can figure out how to make a treasury...

Banner Update

Congrats to Pam, Erick, and the Frog Queen for being the first three to respond to my banner post.

Please email me your addresses and I'll get them out to you this weekend!

My Banner + Your Site =

Banner by House Bloodthorn

A very cool addition to your page!

But seriously, if you like the things I make and you'd like to help spread the word, please feel free to snag this 468 x 60 banner, link the image with my Etsy store address (http://www.etsy.com/shop/ShellHawk), and post it to your blog page where it will fit. The first three people to post it will receive a mini-pumpkin of my choice. Just leave a comment letting me know you put the banner on your site as a semi-permanent fixture!

Thanks! Blatant self-promotion moment now over!

Did I Mention I'm Doing a Giveaway?

Just to encourage you to officially get off your duffs and join the growing crowd of folks taking part in this giveaway, I have posted my new mini-pumpkins, one or several of which will be added to the giveaway. Though you can't see it in the pic, their smiles glow in the dark. See the giveaway details here.

I don't think I'll be doing another giveaway of my handmade stuff this year, so if you want to win something, now's your chance! If you just can't wait to own one of my hand-thrown jacko pots, head over to ShellHawk's Creations to see the new guys I've put up there.

News From the Nest

It's been busy at the Nest. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, and quite recently, but it remains true. I'm busier now than when I had a full-time job, and I'm still looking for one of those.

Some folks have contacted me for special orders of my pumpkin pots, which is great! Even better is that I've managed to throw some larger pots without them collapsing, so once I can do that consistently, I'll be offering them in my Etsy store. It shouldn't be long. I've also been working on some small, hand-carved pumpkins that I'll fire and either paint or glaze; I'm not sure which one I'll do yet. Maybe I'll do some of each. Since both Pumpkinrot's beloved Bean and Ghoul Friday also do tiny pumpkins, I made a conscious decision not to look at their little guys so I'm not copying their designs or faces by accident. It's kind of tough to avoid similarities, since jacko faces can look very much alike, but I think they hold my style, rather than others'. I'll do a reveal soon, and you can let me know if I've succeeded.

The reason I decided to make some tiny pumpkins is in preparation for a show I hope to be accepted into in September. (It's the Folsom Fine Arts Festival, so there's a chance my stuff won't be considered "artsy" enough, but I'm crossing my fingers.) I wanted small, inexpensive things that folks can buy in addition to my larger pots, and I think if I make enough of them, they'll move. I'm working my ass off to make sure I have enough different products to fill a 10'x10' stall. If all goes well (i.e. if I can get a few people to help me), I'll set Stewie up in the back of the stall as a draw. I'm hoping they have electricity so I can plug him in.

Teaching has been going well. Last week I put together an idea/resource guide for them as a handout, since it seems they needed one, and I found out that the Parks and Rec department has a projector that I can use and I can hop onto their Internet. So, I got to show a couple of videos to them last week, and plan to show them another one today: Beatrice Wood: Mama of Dada. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned Wood in these pages before, but for those who don't know why she's such a hero of mine, it's because she was already forty years old when she started to learn ceramics and she continued to work in her studio until she was 104. She passed away at age 105. (Considering my grandma is turning 101 next month, I'm hoping that continuing in art and ceramics will keep my mental acuity up for a long time, in case I make it as long as Oma!)

I'm in process of writing my Hauntcast segment right now, too, and managed to justify buying a book I needed for research. (I've had a bit of a shift in attitude about book purchases. Since I've made a major effort to get rid of many of the books I've been schlepping around for the past thirty years or so, I'm very picky about the books I purchase these days. They have to meet certain criteria, and this one fit the bill.) I had another topic in mind initially, but wasn't able to find as much research material on it as I would like, so I'm bumping that topic onto the back burner for a couple of months until I can find what I need. July's segment topic has already been decided; I just need to get it written up and recorded in the next couple of weeks. I'll probably be asking for your help in finding that elusive information for my August segment, so stay tuned!

Lastly, please remember the postcard giveaway that's going on right now! Rules here. I include my postcard from My Postcard Printing in every package of pumpkin love I send out to people, so they have my various haunts right there for them. I only have one contestant right now, but I'd like to see more. Good luck, all!