Stargazing...

 

Wadsworth Chapel

Hannibal Lecter: No, he covets. That's his nature. And how do we begin to covet, Clarice? Do we seek out things to covet? Make an effort to answer.

Clarice Starling:
No. We just...

Hannibal Lecter:
No. Precisely. We begin by coveting what we see every day.

OK. That was the only quote I could think of, offhand, about the desire we can develop when we see something every day which wasn't religiously based. I promise I'm not a whacko serial killer making a girl suit. (I already have one. I was born with it!)

But coveting. Yes! I have very definitely done that, usually in relationship to property. I love coveting properties! Hawaii, Apple Hill, Taos. Doesn't matter! I always see potential in different homes, different lots, different locations. I see beauty in the flawed, the abandoned, the decrepit. I see beauty in what they could be like when restored to full glory, to their fullest purpose, which is what they were, after all, made for.

From the Wadsworth Chapel Restoration Project

I drive by Wadsworth Chapel every day on the way to work. It always draws my eye and my imagination.

As the L.A. Conservancy states:

It is the last remaining example of a neighborhood of Victorian structures officially named the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, founded in 1887 to care for volunteer soldiers of the Civil War and Indian wars.

It has a great history of service to our veterans.

And I want it for my very own. I covet it. I would absolutely love to buy it, move it to a larger and above all, quieter location, restore it, re-consecrate it, and move in!

Yes, I know. Not possible. (I seem to be short several million dollars.) But wouldn't it be a grand place to hang my hat and make some ceramics?

Also, in case of vampires, I'd be living on consecrated ground, right?

It's sad to see an gorgeous old place like this falling prey to weather and termites. In a city where so many historical buildings are falling prey to being torn down and developed into strip malls or torn down and replaced with horrible neo-brutalist, very non-L.A. architecture, seeing a grand old church like this in such a sad state of decay breaks my heart.

But the dream of owning and restoring it will live on...

And Even More Jewelry!

I admit to having way too much fun making jewelry while I wait for the weather to consistently warm up! (I did throw a few bowls this weekend, though!)

This vintage-look man in the moon really made me happy to make. It all just sort of came together with the beads a friend sent to me and some from my mom's old stash.

This pendant had been hanging around for a while before I could pull it out and make something with it. I just love how natural stone looks in the light, and I am so in love with these ocean colors!

Click on any of the pics to be taken to the individual listing, or just go to ShellHawk's Creations Etsy store to browse around! Every sale goes to replacing my kiln after expenses!

Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2021

I'm not a fashion slave. I'm pretty sure when people think of me, they'd agree that my clothing is not my first and last thought. I've long passed the stage in life where I care about people judging me for the shoes I wear. If I go out (which, obviously, I haven't for a long time), I'll dress according to the occasion, but other than that? Meh.

I don't generally care about designers, either. I know a few by reputation and I can appreciate their work, but going out of my way to buy a specific designer's items? It's just not a priority for me.

That said, a friend of mine sent me something beautiful yesterday. And I really enjoyed the eye candy of it all!

Click on the pic to see what I mean.

Happy Imbolc!

Kahili Ginger

 Happy, happy Imbolc!

Celebrated from February 1st to sunset on February 2nd, Imbolc, also known as Candlemas, celebrated the beginning of Spring, the lambing season, and the beginning of new life! The light is returning, the world pregnant with hidden possibilities!

And can't we use that this year, more than any in recent history?

It's a time to light candles with intentions of rebirth, have something with ginger in it to stoke the fires of that First Chakra energy, to remember that the Triple Goddess is in her Maiden form and bursting with possibility!

So meditate on the new opportunities you desire, let go of the past (I always like to write it down and then burn it to set it free), and move forward into a clean, new space. Create anew!

Witchy Cooking Show

 I feel ya, Witch Hazel!

More Fun Stuff!

 

I'm still having an inordinate amount of fun making necklaces for Hallowe'en lovers, witches, and Hallowe'en Brides! In between, I've thrown in some things I call suncatchers, which can be hung from rear-view mirrors or in front of a sunny window.

The cold disappeared for a couple of days, so I was back out on my pottery wheel, but then it came back and brought the much-needed rain with it! 

So back inside I went, to continue playing with ideas from my mom's old stash of beads, then adding from my own. A couple of friends have even sent some selections from their stashes they thought would work for what I'm doing, and I'm looking forward to creating fun things from them!

I feel that I can offer both the lighthearted and the darker versions of Hallowe'en equally well!

You can click on each picture to be taken to that listing, or just head on over to my ShellHawk's Creations Etsy store to browse around!

Grins All Around

 

New Yorker Halloween cover, November 4th, 1985.

Baby, It's Bloody COLD Outside!

And as much as I live to have my hands in clay, I can't express how torturous it is to have to wash off my tools in forty degree water! I have never missed the utility sink I bought for my old studio more than I do now!

But creativity needs an outlet, so I started playing with jewelry. Downtown L.A. has a mind-boggling amount of top-notch beading stores, run for the fashion districts needs. You can get pretty much anything you can imagine if you just have the time and patience to look. And believe me, before the plague hit, I looked!

My mom had a leftover stash of jewelry makings. Beads, findings, wire, all of it. I added some beads and chains to that stash. A dear friend sent me some Halloween pendants to play with, and those have almost all been incorporated into some new pieces!

So far, these things are the only necklaces in the ShellHawk's Creations shop, though I have more to post and will be posting over the next week or so!

I have fallen in love with agate beads, and love the blues and all their variations! It reminds me of those beautiful Hawaiian ocean waves!

I made some little suncatchers, as well. Or they could hang from a rear view mirror. Or somewhere out in the garden...

So pop over to my ShellHawk's Creations Etsy store and pick up a nice treat! (There might just be a 15% discount code for my blog readers!

January 6th, 2021

 Ow. 

(Please see previous post.)