New to Little Salem

Part of the charm of Little Salem is that you never know what we're going to be doing next. We love to discover and expand the mediums in which we work.

About a year ago, I started my research and experimentation in henna. I read everything I could get my hands on, and practiced designs with paper and pen. I found a great website that is stock full of everything you want to know about it. I still refer to it often, it is The Henna Page. (Not that I haven't found other good resources, too, but this is the one I keep going back to.)

Over that past year I have experimented with recipes I've found, and after many different concoctions, I think I've finally tweaked it to my liking. I've worked on many "henna victims", and finally this past spring I decided it was time to add this new dimension in art to Little Salem's repertoire.

Here are a few pictures to start with, but please visit our website to see more examples, or visit our page on Facebook.

Thanks for stopping!
D'arcy

Too Long Gone

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted! Going back to work last year pretty much wore me out, but I must remedy this.

We've been doing some fun things around here, and Mark has been making some very cool leather bags, so next week I will have a "grand re-opening" so to speak. I definitely need to do some catching up here.

See you next week!

Beltaine Jar

Everything she touches changes
Everything she changes touches
Beltaine Jar

The Beltaine Jar was born on Beltaine Eve. For this vessel I started with drawing the design in free form, and then sand etched.

The design changes as you turn it, in a picture-story of sorts.

The story unfolds to your own interpretation.

Blessed Beltaine!






I'm looking forward to showing you, step by step, how this piece came to be.
Watch for it in my next blog.

Pagan Safety Tip #1

Take Heed, My Scryers!

My brother, 10 years my senior, definitely had a large influence on me. It wasn't until I was much older that I realized how much patience he had in terms of having me following him around. Well, most of the time he had patience...other times I think he was using me as a science experiment, but that's another story.


I remember one time, he had made his own skateboard, which was cool in itself, but he wanted to burn his name in it (way back then, skateboards were made of wood). I suppose he could have used a woodburning tool, but at that time I didn't know what that was, so it was at that very early age that I learned how, on a very sunny day, you could strategically place a magnifying glass on top of that wood, and actually burn your intended design into it. I never forgot learning just how cool that was. So, you would think I would know better.


Now, let's jump forward a few decades...


My pseudo-spouse (whom I endearingly call my darker half) and I have a very unique decorating style. Ouija boards are wall art, Halloween is a way of life, and creepy is cool. Recently, I acquired a sweet crystal ball to add to our decor (ok, it's glass, but it's still neat). I placed it here and there, trying to find just the right place for it. It finally looked just right placed on our little round table, amidst a Chianti bottle and a creepy animal skull, right in front of my stained glass panel which hangs in our picture window (western exposure).

Well, just the other day I was talking to my darker half while he was sitting at the desk which is right next to the little round table with the Chianti bottle, skull and crystal ball. On this particular day, our cat, "Baby" happened to be lounging on that table, just to the front of my crystal ball. And on this particular day, the sun was making his appearance (which hasn't been happening a whole lot lately, which is why I probably didn't even think this would happen).

"Something smells like it's burning," I said.
"It's probably supper! Go check the stove," replied Darker Half
"Nooo, it smells like it's plastic, or wires...maybe it's the computer!" I sniffed at the air, trying to find the source.

For reasons I don't recall, I looked towards Baby, peacefully sunning herself with little whisps of smoke coming from her back end...

"Oh geez! Baby is smoking!"

We quickly looked for the area where the source of the smoke was coming, and there, on Baby's little back side, was a perfect circle about the size of a dime where her fur was singed! Baby was giving us very nasty looks, totally ignorant (which is not unusual for her) that her fur was slowly turning to ash.

My mind quickly flashed back to the time I was intently watching my brother burn his name into the wooden skateboard with a nothing but the sun and a magnifying glass.

Not that I should have to 'spell' it out for you, but the moral of this story gives birth to my list of safety tips:

Pagan Safety Tip #1: Be Careful Where You Place Your Crystal Balls!

Stop by and visit the "Cats of Little Salem"

Watch for future installments of Pagan Safety Tips!
Feel free to comment and add your own Safety Tips of the Occult!
Soon to come: D'arcy's Adventures with an Iron Lung!

*To all who are concerned, only Baby's fur singed. She is fine and her fur has now grown back.

D'arcy
Little Salem

First INterview!

Recently, I was asked to do an interview for Kelly Malouf's blog! She is a very talented artist, who has been giving recognition to other artist's by interviewing them and posting the interviews on her blog.



Thank you Kelly, for this opportunity!

Little Lost Soul and Key to my Heart

My grandma taught me how to crochet when I was little. I am so happy now that she took the time back then.

It's been years since I've picked up a crochet hook. For the past several years I've been delving into stained glass and things that are far removed from the more domestic arts. It feels like I've come full circle now, and can see where the skills I learned from Gramma can blend perfectly with the glass art I have come to love.

These chokers combine the things I've learned from childhood (crochet), things I learned a few years ago (stained glass), and things I'm new to (beading and wire wrapping).

The next thing I would like to learn is how to make patterns and instructions so that I can help someone else who would like to learn!

Late Winter/Early Spring Blahs

This time of year is not my favorite. Everything seems to stand still for a while, waiting for the snow to melt. It's not that there aren't things to be done, it just seems like I'm doing everything in slow motion and it's taking forever.

Sales have slowed down, so I've been working on the website, trying to make it easier and more enjoyable to navigate. It's in a state of confusion right now, as I make new pages and new links. It should be straightened out by next week.

So, with all this work I've been doing on the business end of Little Salem, it has left me little time to create new items. Luckily though, Mark has been diligently working on creating new buttons for his MonsterButtons shop, and has come up with some very cool new buttons! He's been selling them on Ebay, with rave reviews by horror fans as far away as Italy!

Here are a few of his new creations. It brings new meaning to the phrase, "I've created a monster!"

Mark puts his all into making these. Every monster, vampire, and zombie is lovingly placed into a background and setting that he has created on his digital canvas. For Mark, this is a labor of love and a true tribute from a life long horror fan.


Here is just what a few of his extremely satisfied customers have had to say!

"This is freakin' awesome!"


"Very cool keychain!Thanks for the lightning fast delivery!Vampi is dead sexy!"


"I can't wait to get more buttons! The buttons are so high quality with the images crystal clear. I am very pleased with all of my purchases!"


"I wish I would have found your store before I dealt with some of these other sellers. I wear your buttons everywhere. It's the color and style on the background of these buttons that makes them solid."





Be sure to visit him at Little Salem and Ebay to see more of Mark's adventures into the macabre.