Moonshadow Madness at the Emporium

The EHAG Emporium is now open!
Original one-of-a-kind Halloween art is
available for purchase on a first come, first
served basis from the EHAG artist group.

Easter Celebrations

A favorite Easter tradition in the VALERIOTE household
is the annual Confetti Egg Smash. An event where hallowed
out, confetti filled eggs are broken over the heads of family,
friends and at times innocent bystanders. There is always
excitement in the weeks leading up to Easter as we begin
to collect hallowed eggs during meal preparation. The
competition is fierce as we wait to see who will bring the
largest basket filled with eggs and who will end up being
covered in the most confetti as the final egg bursts.
Guaranteed to fill your home laughter and your yard with
more confetti than a ticker tape parade.

CONFETTI EGGS
Use the back end of a spoon to crack open the top of an egg.
• • • •
Drain egg into a bowl.
• • • •
Rinse out hallowed egg shell and air dry.
• • • •
Dye, paint or cover eggs with tissue paper with water diluted glue.
Throw in a Halloween patterned egg just for fun!
• • • •
Air dry eggs completely.
• • • •
Fill eggs with confetti, money, fortunes, small toys, etc.
• • • •
Cut a piece of tissue paper slightly larger in size than the
egg's hole. Run a glue stick around the edges of the hole
and over one side of the paper; seal the hole by pressing
the paper firmly over the opening. Air dry.
Let the fun begin!

Calling all Angels

Producing an army of bald headed angels
was not on my to-do list for the week but
somehow managed to trump all plans of
painting my long neglected gang of ghoulies.
Sometimes sculpting is a chore, a necessary
part of business. Other times it is a joy,
bringing me comfort in uncertain times.
I am happy to have indulged in the detour
and released these little chubby cherubs
from the swirling confines of my imagination.
I can now move on to my original plan of
tending to the other restless characters that have
been residing on my desk for far too long.

Cliffhanger

Finding myself on the precipice of a precarious
path. Not exactly a difficult dilemma but a
situation where difficult decisions must
be made in a very timely manor. My Crystal
Ball is foggy and my Magic 8 Ball is stuck
in a continuous loop of "cannot predict now."
Time to locate that internal compass and
head for that horizon.

Critical Path

Only 6 weeks remain until the house is crawling
with miniature rapscallions clamoring for attention.
Six weeks until summer distractions become
priority number one and business plans, schedules
and soon to be fleshed out sketches collect dust
in the corner. It's time to get crackin!

Spring into action

Started this piece well over a year ago.
I'm happy to say that Large Lolli Lou is
finally complete and ready for his close up.

Spooky Squeezebox Serenade

The Halloween artists of EHAG have set aside
their vibrant color palettes and challenged
themselves to a create a spooky piece of
Black and White themed art. You will find
these one-of-a-kind BLACK & WHITE FRIGHT
pieces on ebay, etsy and various blog sites.
Have fun haunting!
• • • • •
SPOOKY SQUEEZEBOX SERENADE
Email me for purchasing information.
• • • • •SPRINGTIME GIVEAWAY
The very talented PFATT artists are at it again!
Stop by the PFATT blog for a chance to win
one-of-a-kind Spring inspired art.

Ebony Bird Beguiling

"... only this and nothing more."

Sneak peek of things to come.

Play date

It seems not so long ago that I was arranging
play dates for my wee ones. And then in a
blink of an eye they miraculously grew up
and became every mother's dream of being
self sufficient... (big, beaming smile)

So being on the eternal quest for finding
balance, fairness and all that is good
and right with the world, I decided to
schedule a play date of my very own.
And who better to play with than the sweet
and gregarious master dollmaker herself,
the one and only Colleen Moody.

Colleen is hosting a "workshop" slash play
date in her lovely home studio on Saturday
with a handful of lucky ladies (that would be me).
She will be walking us through the steps
and techniques for creating her sweet
signature bird doll. I am positively giddy
with bats in my belly! I felt like a kid in
a candy store as I shopped for my fabrics
and trimmings pictured above.
Oh the possibilities...

Birds of a Feather

I couldn't have imagined a more perfect day.

Sitting in the hallowed halls of Colleen's
studio, making bird dolls with fellow artists,
Carol, Eleanore and Natalie,
sharing techniques, vintage finds, family
stories and delicious food was like living
in a dream. We worked our little fingers
to the bone but oh what fun we had.Just look at what we got to make!

If you ever have the opportunity to attend
one of Colleen's doll making workshops
do so. She is an incredibly gifted and
generous artist who is extremely organized
and has the patience of a saint. Twice
now I've had the good fortune of being a
guest in Colleen's magical home and both
times I've come away walking on air.

Mad Tea Party Giveaway

Vanessa, the Queen of twinkle and sparkle and
all things Fanciful, is hosting her annual
Mad Tea Party.

Check out the madness at A Fanciful Twist
and be prepared to do some serious blog
hopping with some zany and uber creative
party goers.

You know I couldn't resist whipping up some
sort of party favor.

Simply leave a comment to this post for a
chance to win either this Queen of Hearts Scepter
or mini Glitter Crown.

Be sure to let me know if you are one of my
FANTASTICAL FOLLOWERS!

There are just some pieces that are hard
to let go of. At least I know that MY DECREPIT
will be well looked after.
Fly away home...

Location, location, location.

We've all heard the phrase location is everything.
Well for the next several months I will be dancing
under my lucky stars rejoicing in the fact that I have
a Bay area zip code address. Which means I live within
a short driving distance to one of San Francisco's
crown jewels, the de Young Museum of Fine Art.

Right now, for a brief moment in time,
the de Young museum is the only museum in the
world to be graced with a coup of a lifetime
two consecutive special exhibitions
from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris:

Oh happy day!

This dazzling collection of one hundred works
by the masters of nineteenth-century French
painting tells the story of the Impressionist
movement that changed the way artists view
the world and the way the world views art.
Do what you can to see this exhibit.
C'est magnifique!
And speaking of magnificent art
be sure to stop by the EHAG Emporium
for an opportunity to purchase some
wonderful new Halloween art.

A big warm hug and heartfelt thank you
goes out to all of you FANTASTICAL FOLLOWERS
who stopped by and left sweet comments during
the Mad Tea Party giveaway.
Crown and Scepter recipients are Lori R. and Tristan B.
Thanks again!

An Adventure

Off to see what's new in the world.
Be back soon.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

A sneak peek of my soon to be released rapscallionWicked Webster

The EHAG Emporium updates this Saturday
July 31st. Save the date and stop by to see the
latest offerings from the Halloween artists of
EHAG. Be sure to enter our giveaway for a chance
to win festive holiday art donated by the über
talented Halloween artists Chris Klinger, Shelia
Bentley and Allen Cunnigham... woohoo!

Spider Catcher

• • • •
Wicked Webster
sculpted from paper clay
• • • •

• • • •A not so happy victim dangling
from a wire web
• • • •

• • • •
Comes armed and ready with a netted
bug catcher
• • • •

• • • •
Sporting a grungy muslin drawstring sack
stamped and embossed with a spiderweb pattern
with additional hand detailing. Trimmed with
a crepe paper yolk and bottom ruffle.

Nightmarish Lands

the spider weaved a tangled tale
of nightmarish lands where the moon is pale
and wicked grins that haunt the night
sharpened by the glow of the candle's light

Back to Basics

80 days and counting!

Anticipation

Having all I can do to hold myself back from

pulling out the Halloween crates and start

decorating. Seeing all the holiday decor

popping up all around town has me longing

to join in on the fun

Halloween Candy

A cheerful little treat for those who have

outgrown their desire to wander the streets

in search for something sweet. Now available

in my ETSY shop. 

Halloween Noisemakers

Time to scare up some fun!

Festive wooden clackers now available in

my ETSY shop. 

Halloween Cracker Party Favor

Hand sculpted and painted paper clay

party goer is startled by a twisted,

glittery coil of Halloween confetti

popping out of a festive holiday cracker.

Cracker Boo
7" Tall

To purchase email Melissa at:
valeriotedesign@comcast.net
• • • •
Stop by the EHAG EMPORIUM
to see other available pieces of
Halloween Folk Art
• • • •
New Halloween goodies available in ETSY.

Halloween Gift Cards

The creative energy swirling in the 

atmosphere is palpable this time of year

as my fellow artisan friends prepare for the 

Holiday season. Soon calendars will be

filled with shows to attend and window 

shopping adventures. It truly is the most 

wonderful time of the year! 

Grinning from ear to ear Jack O Lantern 

gift cards now available in my SHOP.

Vintage Inspired Treat Basket

Trick or Treat

Available in ETSY

Haunting Confections

Not so sweet inspiration. 

 Having fun unwinding to the Cupcake Wars on 

Food Network channel. You might want to check

out some of their crazy good cupcake recipes

for your upcoming Halloween parties. 

Glitter Skull Toothpicks now in ETSY.

Halloween Folk Art

The October issue of the CatStone Press digital 

publication of Artizen Magazine is live. 

A visual Halloween treat from cover to cover.

Even the ads are a feast for the eyes. 

From Absinthe to Chocolatiers, Costumes to Folk Art

this issue has a delightful blend of festive

holiday folklore and Halloween collectibles.

   

Click HERE to subscribe to the free online Artizen magazine. 

Some of my Halloween characters that are feature

in the Artizen issue are now available.

Click HERE for more details.

Love at first sight

So there I was, sleepwalking through my mundane 

chores, meandering through the all too familiar maze 

of predictable produce and elegantly displayed 

dead things behind glass, when I literally ran 

into a floor display of these beautiful bottles. My

heart skipped a beat as I reached out with both 

hands and grabbed a bottle to add to my Halloween

wine collection... or so I thought. Turns out this

black beauty is an Ale.... but who cares. Some things

are just too wonderful to pass up, don't you think?

Halloween Decorating

Time to decorate! 

My favorite chore on my Holiday to-do list.

Oak Galls now available in ETSY.

Cloth Paper Scissors Virtual Studio Tour

I have a studio in a corner of my home.

It isn't a large studio, nor is it very glamorous. 

If you were to measure my success on paper,

the forecast would be bleak. 

But this 12 foot by 12 foot fortress, 

with the door knob that sticks,

is my sanctuary, my soft place to land

and has thought me much about the 

quiet surrender of an artful life. 

I hope you enjoyed peeking into my playground

filled with cherished gifts from dear friends and

 collected keepsakes from fellow artists who

have also found joy in this business of
nostalgic merry making.

Check out the Cloth, Paper, Scissors
Spooky Studio Tour link for more
fun filled studio tours.