velvet on the page: 2012

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Vintage Assemblages for Hidden House 2012

In my younger days, I could think of nothing more fun than going to wild parties that lasted deep into the night, going to very loud rock concerts, and hanging out in night clubs listening to local bands.

Oregon Vortex Rock Concert-
Image from OregonLive.com/OPB

That was then. Now I have a different idea of what is fun and it is....

Image from Daytonestatesales.com

....going to estate sales and thrift stores and hunting for vintage treasures!

What?!? You don't possibly see how that could be exciting?

Looking around an estate sale is like peeking into someone's heart and mind. You see what they loved and treasured, and therefore collected and saved. You see glimpses into what they held dear, and what they valued. I especially love to find unlikely things that someone kept, like a vintage report card or an decades old shopping list. Some people find it macabre, but I feel that if you approach it respectfully, it is the ultimate in recycling and sharing. After all, you can't take it with you. Plus, I rather like macabre things.....

This year at Hidden House Artists' Gift Sale and after that in my Etsy shop aVelvetLeaf, I have taken many of these old things I have found and created "assemblages." Some you hang on the wall, and some you set on a bookshelf or table. In any case, they can turn into one of your treasures. Come see us at Hidden House Artists' Gift Sale in Portland, Oregon this year. For details, click here to go to our facebook page or go to www.facebook.com/hiddenhouseartistsgiftsale.

Enjoy browsing these photos of just a few of the treasures, and hope you can join us in mid-November at Hidden House to see more treasures in person!

Saturday, September 29, 2012

I love creepy things in October

I have loved strange, creepy, spooky and macabre things since childhood, especially in October. I love ghost stories and psychologically scary movies like The Turn of the Screw, The Birds, The Blair Witch Project and The Others. October is my favorite month and the beginning of my favorite season, autumn.

Most people think of autumn as the time when the leaves change color and the pumpkins get plump. How quaint.

To me, October is the approach to Halloween, the Day of the Dead, and All Souls Day. It is a time to consider the darker side, even though we live in the lighter side. To me October is full of mystery, graveyards, ghosts and an Alfred Hitchcock-like view of things.

When you are sweet with a dark side like I am, you can see anything and find some strangeness in it. Looking at my etsy shop, things look completely normal, until you look at them with my October point of view.....

we start on a moonlit night, but the sky is very, very black. Why are the color so neon bright on such a dark night....very strange.....