Soul Humming

Pondering The End - Day 13

"It will be found, in fact, that the ingenious are always fanciful, and the truly imaginative never otherwise than analytic."

- Edgar Allan Poe

Day 13 draws to close our POEtic exchange. Miss Martha (aka Martha Brown) is waltzing in to be analytical, or in the eyes of Edgar, truly imaginative. See for yourself...

 

Washed ashore screaming Nevermore is lucky thirteen. What will be inside this wrapping? We can't wait. Let's see it...

 

It is a soft and black book made of fabric.

 

The spine is sewn up with jet black braid.

 

The back whispers Shadow Dreamer to lure you along.

"And all my days are trances
  And all my nightly dreams
Are where thy dark eye glances
  And where thy footstep gleams—
In what ethereal dances
  By what eternal streams."

- Poe, from, To One in Paradise

 

And finally inside there is a note from sweet Martha telling you that this is a book for keeping your pins and needles. How perfectly fitting! And how fabulous! As I never know where to find a pin or needle this little black book arrives right on time. Thank you, thank you, oh so much, Martha! I love it.

And, because Martha is so sweet, she's giving away one of these dear books at her blog. So go visit and get one for yourself!

So as we say goodbye to the POEtic celebration, I encourage you to start right now to gather up your friends for an exchange such as this. It is wonderful for Christmas or Hanukkah. The 12 Days of Christmas is a great exchange. I am in such a swap with Christmas ornaments each year. It is such a happy group and we have so much fun. Cousins, aunts, uncles, sisters, friends...Gather them all. You can make your ornaments or buy your ornaments. You open one a day as we did in the Poe exchange. Only you open them in the 12 days leading up to Christmas day. I hope you will join in the game and spread some joy. Thank you for spending time with me during our darkly lovely POEtic exchange.

Poe - Eleven and Twelve

"Never to suffer would never to have been blessed. "

- Edgar Allan Poe

 

Day Eleven came all the way from the Netherlands. It is created by the effervescent Catherine van der Hoeff...

sigh...typepad will not let me center my images. it's going to be that kind of post...my apologies. but you can still see how beautiful catherine made her gift's wrapping. they are all sewn up in red fabric bags with lovely tags to make you happy.

And once the thread was pulled and snipped I found this pretty, pretty...

It's a lovely mixed media canvas complete with Raven...

 
Poe and a tiny, soft wire-wrapped egg. And I can hang it either way. So clever, so great. Thank you again, Catherine!

Onto Day 12 which comes from dear Liz Gale. I might have had way too much fun with the little Poe box Liz sent to me...

Poe, in hand

Poe, as crab

Poe, as mermaid

My kitten also enjoyed the little Poe box. I kept finding the box in the floor and under furniture. She would bat it off the table where I kept all the gifts and play soccer around the house. But, this seemed very agreeable to Mr. Poe box. I'm sure by the time Day 12 arrived I saw his smile peeping out. And then, inside the wee Poe box, there was this...

Can you see what it is, perched here on the lips, ready to be spoken?

It is my own little pocket Poe!

 

Inside is the poem, The Raven, every word, ready to be carried and read and loved wherever I may roam. It's so delightful! It is just fabulous! Thank you, thank you, Liz, for this tiny treasure. It is, unfortunately, being enjoyed by everyone...

Naughty Margo Polo ran off with Poe in her mouth! Luckily, my little book was fine.

Poppy gets lectured about how she cannot play with the book. But she looks rather hypnotized instead. Must be that Raven.
 
 I will have to tell you about the last gift tomorrow. I've been here far too long and it is late yet there is still much to do away from this glowing box. All God's blessings to you all. xo-k

 
 
 
 

 

 

 

Poe is Back - Days 9 and 10

When I left you last I believe I had just wrapped up (or unwrapped, as the case may be) Day 8 of the POEtic gift exchange. And I can attest that the gifts opened in your absence have been Fierce!

First up for your perusal and admiration is super fun Day 9 from my lovely friend, Julie Molina

 

the kids had quite the tug of war over that red pencil topper monster

but, lucky me, i didn't have to fight with anyone for the gorgeous gift inside!

it's a Raven-inspired fabric cuff!

And it is reversible with sweet red stitches on both sides!

It's all Treats for me! Thank you, thank you, Julie!! I love it!

And, if that weren't enough...there's much more!

Day 10 comes from my BFF Pilar Pollock...

 

 

Her gift was with me when I was almost swept out to sea. And inside was a new friend to guide me back to the beach through the darkness...

 

My Very Own Dark Tell Tale Hearted Bat!

 

Isn't it so fabulous?! I can't begin to imagine all the work Pilar put into this. She never does anything halfway. It is so wonderful! I can't thank you enough for your splendid spooky gift, Pip!

Okay, I'm off to celebrate the third birthday of the weekend (one son, one friend, one nephew). It's been busy but also very joyful. I'll catch you up on the last of the Poe gifts and new pieces of jewelry from me as soon as I can.

xoxo - kelly

Eight Eight Eight

Eight is one of those words that just looks completely wrong. E-I-G-H-T. How the heck can that spell eight? Can you tell that blogging every day is starting to take a toll on me? Bring on the snark! Bring on the funk! Bring on the eight!

Today is the eighth day of our POEtic gift exchange at The Altered Guild. And today's gift comes from the delightful Dawn Sellers.

 

I was very curious about this one. It was in a little box which, once opened revealed itself to be a box you keep slides in. I love those boxes so that's a bonus present for me right there. But the Real Present is fabulous! Check it out...

It is an awesome pin made of red leather, a metal zipper, and this very cool blue eye. It is so cool. I love it. It is definitely going to be next week as we are leading up to Halloween. I'll be working in my kids' classrooms for their holiday party. I'm sure it will be a big hit with everyone.

Thank you so much, Dawn! It's super!

And here's a POEm to keep you until tomorrow...

To the River

Fair river! in thy bright, clear flow
Of crystal, wandering water,
Thou art an emblem of the glow
Of beauty- the unhidden heart-
The playful maziness of art
In old Alberto's daughter;
But when within thy wave she looks-
Which glistens then, and trembles-
Why, then, the prettiest of brooks
Her worshipper resembles;
For in his heart, as in thy stream,
Her image deeply lies-
His heart which trembles at the beam
Of her soul-searching eyes.

- Edgar Allan Poe

Poe Holla

Are ya'll getting tired of hearing me holler about Poe? Are you just in it for the presents? I'm onto you people. ;0)

Let's briefly journey back to last week or whenever it was that I reveled in the gray day spent in Corona del Mar. That will lead us to today's giftie, number Seven...

 

from head

 

to toe

i knew

lucky seven

would be

a hit.

 

Just look at how awesome it is...

But I do not know which of my marvelous friends made it. There is no name on the little red tag. Tsk, tsk. How can I scream Thank You when I don't who the You is? Well, I will tell you who it is when I found out. In the meantime, off to run some errands with Edgar in my pocket for company.

Happy Tuesday, people!

UPDATE: My fab, fab, super fab Poe was made by none other than the uber talented Michelle Remy. When I said I could guess who made it up above, my guess would have been Michelle. She has a great style and this little dude was singing her name.

THANKS, MICHELLE!!!

Blackbird - Day Six

 

"But as in ethics, evil is a consequence of good, so in fact, out of joy is sorrow born. Either the memory of past bliss is the anguish of today, or the agonies which are have their origin in the ecstasies which might have been."

-Edgar Allan Poe

Poor Edgar. He was orphaned, then adopted, then his adopted father spurned him, died, and left him nothing. He couldn't keep a job, received rejection letter upon rejection letter, finally married only to later lose his wife to TB. It is easy to see why his work is melancholy and dark.

But this quote here today...Thank heavens I don't agree with him on this one. Often evil is a consequence of good and sorrow can be born of joy. But I much rather believe that evil is evil and sorrow is sorrow. More simple perhaps but it rings true to me. Deeper to the root of it all is the heart of the one exhibiting these emotions and characteristics. And, my agonies rarely grow from what might have been. I am not one to look behind me except in the most extreme instances of sadness and then I can see the joy that is much preferred.

Such as a day at the beach...

Today is the sixth day of our Poe exchange. And yet a whole week to go! I'm running out of things to say about Poe. I'm not a Poe scholar, after all. You may soon be seeing little drawings of him with only my pretty gifties to ogle. Speaking of the ogling...

 

this package sewn up and feathered is from my dear friend, mija. mija and i adore crows specifically and birds generally. i was delighted with her feather label. and i knew without a doubt i would not be disappointed with what was inside...

it's a wonderful felted blackbird necklace!! it is beaded and stitched and has a teeny wee red bell that sings as you wear it. i happened to be wearing all black today and was clapping my hands when i donned this festive creation. as i was wearing it i realized it is also a little pouch to keep secret notes and tiny treasures in. so cool!

thank you, thank you, sweetest mija, for my gorgeous present! it is such a beautiful, happy piece and will always make me smile and think of you.

"No pictorial or sculptural combinations of points of human loveliness, do more than approach the living and breathing human beauty as it gladdens our daily path."

- Edgar Allan Poe

Five is My Lucky Number

And so Michelle assigned me Day Five of our Poe Gift Exchange to provide a gift for everyone. And Day Five was a trying day. It was a good day but a day of intense emotions with the little people and some big people. I'm rather done in. And when that happens, all you can do is say a prayer and hope it is bed time soon enough.

Hymn by Poe

At morn--at noon--at twilight dim--
Maria! thou hast heard my hymn!
In joy and woe--in good and ill--
Mother of God, be with me still!
When the Hours flew brightly by,
And not a cloud obscured the sky,
My soul, lest it should truant be,
Thy grace did guide to thine and thee;
Now, when storms of Fate o'ercast
Darkly my Present and my Past,
Let my Future radiant shine
With sweet hopes of thee and thine!

There. Now do you feel better? I feel better. So much so I'll show you my wrapped gifts I made for the girlies.

I love it when someone goes all out and makes elaborately wrapped gifts. But I will most often wrap small gifts in old book pages and tie them with twine, no tape. Especially if I have made the gift. If I have worked to make the gift the wrapping of it is a nuisance. I know. I'm lame. So here's what's inside...

I thought we would be overrun with crows, which were my first choice. But I struggled to make what I wanted to make. I can't even remember what the first two test gifts were.

 
But I ended up with a Tell Tale Heart

 
(and one raven).

 
Really, can a girl have too many necklaces? Not in my book.

when i paint, i want to there be a lot of texture. when i take black and white photographs, i appreciate high contrast. when i write i want subtext and more subtext. and when i made these necklaces, i wanted visual layers. i also wanted simplicity. so the chain is a ribbon of recycled sari silk. the hearts are polymer clay, unvarnished and matte. and each is finished with a dangling gemstone. there are peruvian opals, bright green chalcedony, and freshwater pearls. each one glossy and shiny. in this way, the elements create tension, structure, subplot, and texture. all the sorts of things i like. but as a whole, they are simple, unfettered, and easy. i like that.

i hope the girls like that, too.

and, on a timely and homorous note i will leave you with this. did you know that poe published an article, a piece of fiction in the new york sun in 1844 titled The Balloon Hoax? it appeared as if it were a true story, but it wasn't. oddly familiar? 

 

Day 4...Nevermore

You knew I'd say that, didn't you? It's been a long, long day. I've blown my wrist out this past week and can't really keep up. So, this will have to be short and I'm sorry for that.

Day Four's gift is courtesy of the delightful Terrie Lightfoot. I first met Terrie online via Art Chix years ago. She's a sweetie and talented to boot. Be sure to check out her Etsy store for great mixed media supplies.

I confess that I was enamored of how Terrie wrapped her gift...

so I took several photos to display it

she must have printed the fabric herself

and then sewn this awesome ribbon-trimmed drawstring bag

with matching gift tag. can you tell i was having fun with my present?

And inside was something equally squeal-worthy...

It's a mini-shrine necklace which is decorated with the same cool raven image from  the  giftbag.

And on the back is Edgar! I love the vivid colors. I can't wait to wear it.

Thank you, Terrie!!

Tomorrow everyone opens my gift. I am not a wrapper like Terrie. Wrapping gifts is right up there with mailing packages. It's terrible but it's true. Hopefully everyone will like what they receive. I'm going to be on the road tomorrow so I may not be able to post until Monday. Until then, I leave you with another quote from Poe...

“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity."

Cheers to that.

Day Three for Annabel Lee

One of my favorite Poe pieces is the poem Annabel Lee. It is so beautifully romantic and tragic.

 

Annabel Lee         

by Edgar Allan Poe

It was many and many a year ago,
   In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
   By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
   Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
   In this kingdom by the sea:
But we loved with a love that was more than love--
   I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
   Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
   In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
   My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
   And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
   In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
   Went envying her and me--
Yes!--that was the reason (as all men know,
   In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
   Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
   Of those who were older than we--
   Of many far wiser than we--
And neither the angels in heaven above,
   Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling--my darling--my life and my bride,
   In her sepulchre there by the sea,
   In her tomb by the sounding sea.

And so begins day three of our Guild's Poe remembrance exchange. Day three's gift comes to me from fellow Cali-girl Saundra James. Look at the clever little giftie she has given to me.

 

here's mister three at the beach atop a little castle...

and here he is in the garden with the fallen heather...

 

and this is my rose called fourth of july still blooming in october

but i digress...

 

inside the box, i'm being watched...

 

by the beating of the Tell Tale Heart.

Saundra made us all this fabulous polymer clay heart pin. I love it! I don't wear pins too often as it is typically hot here and I'm in a t-shirt. But now that fall is encroaching on my sunny city, I am delighted to pull out a sweater and don this lovely gift.

Thank you, Saundra!! It's wonderful!

See you all tomorrow...

Poe 13 Ways

"They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night."

- from Eleonora, by Edgar Allan Poe

Today was tough. I had a clear, specific vision for the metalwork I was forging. But, the enamel and I did not agree as to how it would work into the piece. It did not do what I needed it to do. In the kiln, out of the kiln, in the kiln, out of the kiln, over and over at 1450 degrees.

Sometimes, learning a new process is very difficult. I spent three days working up to this point only to fall flat and not accomplish my goals. But, mistakes are good. You learn from them. You change your design. You adapt and bend. Problem is, I really loved my design and didn't much feel like bending. So, I'll keep at it. Luckily, I have more ideas and will not give up. I am not ready to accept defeat.

What I am ready for is Day Two of my Poe Celebration!

 

Here's today's black wrapped present from dear Linda Duffy cozy in the sand.

And, let's just see what lurks behind those cemetery stones...

 

It's a Poe Collage!

Lovely on both sides.

Thank you, Linda for bringing smiles to me after a frustrating day. I so appreciate your wonderful gift.

I will leave you all until tomorrow with a poem from our guest of honor...

Alone

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.

-Edgar Allan Poe