Lucky New Year

Yes! Here’s to getting through another year relatively unscathed! But that’s not going to be enough for this new year…especially with my impending nuptials on the way as well as perilous journeys in the new kayak that Santa brought. I’ll need as much help as possible, which is why I need these lucky cats (and a chance to practice my calligraphy, which won’t win any awards any time soon).

Back in the old days in Japan, several emperors and such have passed by cats who seemingly waved at them. They took it as a sign and went to it, thus diverting them from journeys which might have been laid with traps. From then on the Maneki Neko became a sign of pure good fortune.

This set of ridiculously small five matryoshka dolls consists of these lucky cats who will hopefully deliver everything good.

Some details…

Thought I’d kick in a “Lucky in Love” cat as well. After all, it’s not really money that makes the world go round, is it?

The last doll may be tiny, but it’s also carrying the Daruma doll, which is the Japanese’s talisman for good fortune. It is said that one eye is left unpainted so the recipient of the doll may make a wish and paint in the eye in order for it to come true.

(The Daruma doll)

I hope you all get what you wish for in this new year!

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More Faeries!

Here are some 2.0 versions of faeries from the past and a brand new one!

The What’s Cookin’? Faery has always been my favorite…I don’t know why, maybe it’s the hat. She’s here to help you come up with awesome recipes when your culinary inspirations are out to lunch.

The Sing Your Heart Out Faery is good to have around when you feel your voice is not up to par and help you find the music within.

What’s a good new year’s resolution? Quit smoking! The No Smoking Faery can help you kick that filthy habit by hiding your wallet whenever you feel the urge to run to the bodega for a pack…or even just a loosey.

Happy Holidays!

The Naughty or Nice Faery

Of course Santa doesn’t have time to keep a tab on who’s naughty or nice, but he’s got a little helper who does!

With him around, you’ll be sure to be on your best behavior all year round!

A Little More Magic

Babushka Girl of Russian Treasures just sent me a huge shipment of bead dolls…which I couldn’t wait to make a dent in. Alas, with only so many hours in a day and about a zillion projects on my plate, I was only able to paint a few this week. Here are some more new (and old, but improved) Good Luck Faeries!

Say hello to the Sunshine Day Faery. With a swift flick of her sunshine wand, she’s bound to sweep all the cobwebs in your life away!

The First Date Faery is here to make sure you don’t make any first date faux pas. She’ll let you know when there’s spinach stuck in your teeth or talk you out of wearing those brand new Jimmy Choos when you haven’t had a practice run in them. Even though you might not be garanteed a second date, your first date will certainly be rendered flawless!

While we’re on the subject of dating, here’s Lucky in Love Faery. She knows just how hard it is to find the right partner, and she’s here’s to make things a little easier. You don’t need any self-help books, just a little luck and a a bit of liquid courage to get the ball rolling!

Here’s an oldie but a goodie…the Bake Good Faery! If you have her in your kitchen, you will most likely not accidentally substitute salt for sugar, or absentmindedly stir one too many eggs into the batter. She will make sure you are on top of things at all times to prevent you from overbaking that bundt cake or muffins.

(The new and improved Bake Good Faery now sports some jolly cupcakes on the hem of her apron!)

A Chorus Line

Hello! I’m back from my holiday. Can’t say I had a lot of R&R. Just the opposite! But I am more than ready to buckle down and do some more painting! This is a set that I did before I left which I hope would help ease me back into the groove of things again. Jet lag be darned!

One great thing about having to commute into Manhattan for high school was that I was only a couple of subway stops away from the Broadway district. I’d nerd out in theaters after school instead of getting into all sorts of no good with friends. All my allowances were earmarked for theater tickets, which, back in those days, were reasonably priced—especially when accompanied with a student ID.

One musical I never got to see the first time ’round was “A Chorus Line.” It’s one of those shows that’s been around forever and you didn’t think it would ever go dark. But alas, it did and the tickets were really hard to come by for the final performances. My Dad scored a pair, but alas, he used it to entertain a friend instead of his own daughter.

Nevertheless, there was a revival of it years later and you betcha I was the first in line to snag a ticket! Even better—there were no changes to any of the lines, choreography, and costumes, which made it an icon all in itself.

I got a little homesick and absolutely had to tap into my inner B’way nerd. The Gold Coast isn’t exactly a hotbed of culture. Any live theater is strictly limited to Dracula’s Haunted Castle by the convention center. I have a feeling there will be a bunch of B’way related sets in the near future.

In the meanwhile, I’d like to give a shout out to my friends for letting me use their photos as head shots for this set: Melissa (as Cassie, a once successful dancer but now down on her luck), John (as Richie, who was going to be a kindergarten teacher), Po’Trowski (as Val Clark—who sings that delightful number “Dance 10 Looks 3”), Pacheco (as Paul San Marco, who had that heart-breaking monologue), Jean-It (as Morales, who is my favorite character in the show), Anthony (who graciously allowed me to use his picture as Al Deluca), and Melody (as Connie, who was ageless). It rocks to have such beautiful friends—on the inside and out!

This was the advert that stuck with me from my childhood.