Some New Items, A New Wallpaper, and an Update

I recently made to new listings on my Etsy and Artfire shops, and I also made a new desktop wallpaper for you to download.

I need to tell you about the site where I've discovered a lot of the graphics for these wallpapers that I've been working on--it's called The Graphics Fairy, and it's a blog that (in part) provides free vintage images for your own personal work and crafting.  Karen, the woman who coordinates it all, sometimes buys old out of print vintage books and scans the images of the illustrations to share them with us.  I've found them particularly delightful!  She has them all organized into categories and everything...

Anyway, I thought I'd share and point you in that direction if you're interested.  Here are the two desktop images--one for a Mac (with the graphics on the left of the screen) and one for a PC (with the graphics on the right of the screen.  

If you want more desktop images, you can go here to choose from several more!  You'll have a selection!  All of them are completely free--no charge!!

Mac

PC

Secondly, I want to share the two new items that I've posted on my storefronts.  Both beautiful and unique neck laces are hand-painted, rhinestone enhanced "drama" to wear as a choker!  Visions in either black and copper or black and sea green, these little ditties are continuing the Relished Artistry feel that means eye-catching and distinctive.  I've got a whole bunch more prepped and ready to go for paint application and embellishment, so there will be more coming soon!

I've been hard at work decorating more styrofoam display heads (this time with fancy printed colored tissue paper), as well as making some unusual fabric bunting for my tent display (someday in the future).  I'm starting to develop a "dark circus" feel for my booth, and it's feeling very "Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland" slowly but surely...  The new display heads have stripes and polka dots and filigree, but I've distressed them down with transparent ink and dabs of acrylic paint to make them look a bit less shiny new.  But I've then coated everything in that triple thick gloss sealer, so they're sort of "vintage-looking", but not quite...  It's an interesting visual juxtaposition.  I'll post photos next time.

I finally ordered a male mannequin so I can take pictures of some of the vests and other mens attire that I'll be making in the future.  It's not perfect (it's not a dress form--which makes it difficult to use it for actually working on anything) but it's knit-covered foam so I can pin into it, which makes it a lot more practical than a hard, fiberglass display mannequin that so many stores use.  This one is still made for display purposes, but it had the biggest chest I could find (a 41" chest measurement) and a good waist measurement (36") so it's a tad bigger than most display mannequins.  I'm excited by the potential--it's just going to take a while to get here, I think.  

And finally, I ordered some braided rope "trim" that is militaria-inspired (aguillets) for my upcoming Ringmaster coat (tee heee--more on that later).  I ordered some soutache to help with the Hussar jacket look, so I anticipate I will be doing a lot of hand sewing in the future.  

Okay, that's enough!  Until next time, Live Life with Relish!