Fairy Tales

I've been captured by fairy tales lately. Maybe it's because we've been watching "Once Upon a Time," based on the recommendations of friends. We got the first season on DVD and we're a few episodes away from the end. It's pretty good, and I enjoy the fairy tale theme... but there's a part of me that wishes it were just a little darker. More surreal. Unsettling. The way Grimm's fairy tales were originally meant to be.

Today's fairy tales are all watered down and palatable to children. But I miss the edgier versions. The ones where the evil queen is also an ogress who likes the taste of human flesh. The ones where the wolf eats the grandmother. The ones where death is matter-of-fact and where dark things happen to sleeping princesses. I like those kinds of fairy tales, so I've  taken to Etsy to make Treasuries along those themes.

I get inspired by images--Etsy and Pinterest have certainly fueled my creativity. It's funny--I think creativity comes in stages. First there's the fertilization process, where you soak up ideas: look and listen and absorb. It's the ingredients going into the stew.

Then things start to simmer. Ideas form, nebulous and hazy, but if you can latch on, and if you get lucky, you turn them into something. With jewelry, this is where I experiment. Try out designs and see what works, what piques my interest. If I like it, I keep going. Let it become something. Let the idea blossom.

Then there's a sort of "ripening" stage. Tweak, polish, replicate, perfect. Let it get established. Bask in the afterglow of having made something.

And then, inevitably, the crash. After it's all done, time to rest. Hibernate. Recharge. Before, ideally, you start the whole thing all over again.

Anyway, what does all that have to do with fairy tales? Not much, I suppose. That's just what I'm soaking up right now. Who knows where it might lead?

Oh, and if you click on any of the images, you can see the Etsy Treasuries I made, centered around some of my favorite old tales. The darker versions.

Fall Sale!

In honor of my favorite season, I'm doing a fall sale in my Etsy shop! Just use the coupon code "FALLSALE" when you check out to save 30%!

www.etsy.com/shop/astraeadesigns

October Dreams

Etsy has a wonderful feature wherein you can create your own "Treasuries" -- they're just collections of work that you can put together, usually with a theme (often color-related) to showcase other artists whose work you admire. I'm always pleased when I find one of my pieces featured in a Treasury, so I decided to make one that included work by a bunch of folks who've included me. Just "paying it back," as they say. I opted for a fall/autumn theme; it's my favorite season, and it seemed appropriate timing. So here's my "October Dreams" Treasury -- enjoy!

Halloween Treasuries

It's still August, and yet I'm already getting into a Halloween frame-of-mind. Doesn't hurt that it's one of my favorite holidays, and one to which I look forward every year. Already coming up with ideas for our costumes, but that's a whole 'nother subject. Jewelry-wise, I've been cranking out a few more "vampire" themed pieces, along with a couple of werewolfy ones, for good measure. I've also been putting together some Treasuries.

Treasuries, on Etsy, are a way for you to showcase a collection of favorite items. Often they'll have a theme: a color, or mood, or specific object. It's generally bad form to include your own items, though I have centered a couple Treasuries around pieces my friends have produced. Gotta share the love and all.

Treasuries are also selected to feature on the front page of Etsy, which is a high honor -- and one I've not yet received. But I'm workin' on it! Maybe eventually I'll get to that point, but in the meantime, I'm just having fun with the whole thing.

In honor of Halloween -- which is coming up sooner than we think -- here are a couple of spooky collections I put together: one for Ghosts and one for Werewolves. I'm sure I'll be putting together more like these in the weeks to come. They're great for inspiration!

Enjoy!