March Medical Madness - BLOODS

A vampires dream. I'm seduced by the blood portraits from London photographer John Ross. The 'Bloods' series breathes new life for my love of anatomy. These are just to die for.

Happy Valentine's Day

“This is one of the miracles of love: It gives a power of seeing through its own enchantments and yet not being disenchanted.” –C.S. Lewis. ❤ Drooling over another yummy piece by Vinicius Costa.

The Illusionist

I am madly drawn to this floating fabric series by Vinicius Costa, I'm swept into another dimension as if a magic was happening before my eyes, a magician pulling away his scarf in slow motion, or the pendulum that puts me into a trance of each jaw-dropping crafted world.

Melt With Me

Melt. Relax. Let it go. I sink into my flesh, melting away at the visual explosions of artist and creative director Leif Podhajsky who explores the relevance of nature and the psychedelic experience. I find myself getting lost in each piece and matching the mazes with the sounds of newly discovered Blood Ceremony, whose Sabbath like drones are fused with distinguished singer Alia O'Brien's alluring flute solos and contrasted organs.

Tiny Ghost Stories

These are the places of ultimate exploration, the search for perfect haunted house and unveiling of the supernatural…Tiny Ghost Stories is the center of imagination from artist Sara L. Turner, her recent body of work consists of comics, paintings and sketches that hold the world of storytelling and ghosts. Her work comes to life and I imagine myself in each colorful world, flashlights twinkling, shivering in the cold, with whispers and shadows dancing.

~ First image: “Take a Walk with Me to the Edge.” 10" x 10" painting.

~ Second image: “Simon Says.” 4-color screenprint - "16 x 20".

Eye of the Beholder

Thought I'd share this simple chart of ways to wear eyeliner. In the New Year I'm want to get my hands on an old vanity and set it up in the corner of my bedroom. I'll be an old Hollywood star in my own light. I'm planning on spending my week vacation going antiquing with my girlfriend. I also have my eye on this Lori Greiner makeup organizer from QVC, it's like a lazy Susan for makeup. To many dreams of pink rouge and soft lips.

NEW IN SHOPPE!

My hands have been busy, working away at new special pieces for this holiday season. Below are just some of the new arrivals. Keep your eyes peeled for new jewelry going to be listed this week.

Click NEW ARRIVALS to see over 15 new pieces from Red Heart 13.

CYBER MONDAY SALE: Don't forget to use the coupon code BLACKHEARTSALE to get 20% off sales today only.

Recommended Order By Dates For Holiday Delivery:
United States: December 20 | International: December 5 CUT OFF date

Enter to WIN the November Holiday Giveaway!

It's that time of year again, a time of FREE GIVEAWAYS and a big THANK YOU to all my supporters. I know I've been absent these past few months and and slowly getting back into the spirit of things. Today is the start of the November Giveaway Contest, the theme is all about dreaming big for 2012. How can I improve my shop and what you want to see happen.

ENTER TO WIN!
Monday, November 21st ~ Wednesday, November 30th

RULES:

1) Customers know best! I want to know what you want to see happen in 2012! Do you want to see a certain jewelry, holiday themed jewelry, certain materials, more paintings, price range, sales, discounts, etc. I want to hear from your ideas!

2) Leave your name / contact email address / etsy shop

Drop a line via this blog or Facebook Fan Page.

THE PRIZES
Two winners will be chosen and will be announced late in the evening December 1st. So what are the prizes you ask…

~ 1st Place Winner: we will work together to make a custom piece of jewelry OR custom Skeleton Krew original painting.

~ 2nd Place Winner: will receive a $30 gift certificate to Red Heart 13.

Awakened At Last

HELLO CULT FOLLOWERS. Wow, I can't believe it has been almost two months since I last written you all. My world has been hectic with many projects, I've found myself drifting away from the social online world, which is not a bad thing. I'm back now in full force, I've awakened!

THIS WEEK:

I'm slowly sharing NEW ARRIVALS, check out what's new at Red Heart 13.

COMING SOON:

The November Giveway will be running from November 21 – 30. (Details to come.)

Please shoot over any ideas on what you would like to see as the giveaway contest.

MORE TO COME:

I'm looking forward to sharing the thrills and chills of October, including two paintings and some fun pics from our Halloween party.

Photo by: Brooke Shaden from her Flickr.

The Weekend In Pictures

Hello friends, pardon my absence lately, things have been kinda crazy and fun at the same time. Painting, crafting, rock shows, antiquing; busy hands and happy hearts. Much to talk about soon on the success of the Brandywine Festival of the Arts, BlackHand, upcoming art shows and Oct 1st starts the annual celebration of horror films with "Zemo Presents 31." Stay tuned.

Photos top to bottom:

~ Rocking out at a BlackHand show with my younger brother and friends.

~ Starting off the fall spooky season with this primitive pumpkin lantern from Almost History, we just installed at our front door, we welcome all ghouls and ghosties.

~ I'm in love with the painted glass bottle of KICK by Lips of Faith, and the pumpkin and cranberry mix is pretty swell too.

~ The find of the weekend, vintage black trunk lined with happy bright 70s paper, 7 bucks!

~ A little friendly and cooky, Frank lights up the room.

~ Spotted this razor sharp signature on a vintage painting; lovin the style!

Crafting Your Display

I'm gearing up for the annual Brandywine Arts Festival, only 1 week away, eek. I been planning my table displays in my head for a while, I've been collecting little trays and things, last year I just had one table, this year I plan on utilizing my space two tables creating an L shape. I want to stack books, suitcases and trunks that range in height and of course fresh flowers. On the side I also plan on using my old wooden door again to hang paintings and necklaces. I thought I'd share some new found inspiration and also some photos of my own display too.

Last year I revamped an old sewing traveling case, works perfect to hang necklaces and things; I removed all the old fabric and put in some lace curtains I had sitting around. My butterfly wing necklaces were a big hit especially with little curious hands viewing with magnifying glass. I caressed the necklaces with dried green moss inside an open drawer.

I've been saving money to order this fabulous wooden candle jewelry display from Urban Outfitters but when I returned they were gone, so I found them on Mod Cloth for a little bit more, but I had to have them. I also have my eye on the Astrological Jewelry Stand from Urban Outfitters, perfect for rings and other shorter jewelry items. They also have a similar one with botanical pattern.

I'm in love with this idea! Drape necklaces from vintage spools of thread, color coordinate with pale pinks and robin's egg blues, delightful. This would be perfect for my wooden door, pop in some nails and arrange, easy to break down and rearrange.

Speaking of suitcases, I adore this collection put together with lined cute fabric and the smaller shelf is a wonderful idea for smaller art pieces. I love this color combination, so happy and welcoming to the consumer.

I'm also admiring the earrings cards that read Sale, these look like vintage furniture cards stamped to give it that handmade feel. The layout of these necklaces is great too, especially the ribbon/string, I would like to hang a string in the suitcase to hang earring cards and necklaces for each displaying.

I just adore the handmade flags and the warm colors, it's like eye candy that I just want to eat up.

Perfect for quick reads and handmade; I purchased a set of four chalk board stands that I will use throughout my booth for either sale items or different price ranges to keep people in budget. I also love the vintage sterling trays from The Vintage Parlor, perfect to rest rings and things, mind you an easy project to do yourself too.

Painted Black

I cannot get enough of black liners that make the eyes super bold, especially for the fall season, match with a pale lipstick or a punch of red and you are ready to go. My friend and I were going through page by page of the fall issue of InStyle and next week the bible issue of Vogue, I wanted to share a feature on my fav eyeliner styles that are in and certainly fierce.



~ NEO-ROCKER: With the wing open just a smudge, the iconic cat eye gets an edgy, new vibe.

~ PUNK HARLEQUIN: Flat solid cat eye line that accentuates the shape of the eye and worn by '70s cult band Siouxsie and the Banshees.

I also want to get my hands on Sephora's Brush Wand, a stackable four brush set that come together magnetically to form a wand for creating your fav painted black eyes.

NEW ARRIVALS

I've been doing a little revamping getting ready for fall in my shop, I've slowly been reshooting my jewelry on new backgrounds with using an antique chest as a resting place for hanging and laying jewelry down. I've gathered finds from my studio like a found bird's nest, a dried alligator head, a glass test tube set I found at a yard sale and an 1856 medical anatomy book from my personal collection. The fun part is finding unique pieces that speak who you are. What do you like to use in your backgrounds? Or when shopping what are you personally drawn to?

Photos from top to bottom:

1) A splendid array of decay and romance, thisCutie Pie Bow Necklace features a metal bow detailed with an ornate pattern that once was speckled with rhinestones.

2) Totem Ladder Earrings: geometric and parallel lines are a minimalist's dream.

3) Solar Ring Pyrite earrings hang with a modern flare and hold special metaphysical properties.

4) The Gypsy Traveler Tumble necklace has the perfect aged look mixed with a bohemian dream. Three vintage cubed wooden beads hold a special turquoise color perfect for fall.

Earthquake Anyone?

Well I have my first experience with an earthquake, it was the oddest sensation I've ever felt, the building was shaking and my heart stopped. I really think it is the end of the world coming. That is all for now.

Photo: 1906 San Francisco Earthquake

The Getaway.