Signs of Spring
Welcome back to My Haunted Cottage! It’s been two whole months since I’ve written a post, and now spring is officially upon us. Although autumn is forever my first love, spring is a close second for my favorite time of year. I can’t wait to show you all what I’ve been working on as the world reawakens from its wintery slumber.
Since I’ve been so focused on enjoying the season & making progress on my sculpture, there hasn’t been a whole lot of new pieces. I did carve this wood luna moth, and I’m happy with the results! Woodcuts are so fun, and I appreciated the level of detail in this one.
I also have two more little linocuts to share from my Mini Print Club! In March, I made a goliath beetle print to match a drawing I did in my sketchbook. April’s print was of that month’s birth flower: the sweet pea. I certainly plan on doing all of the birth flowers for my nature compendium, but that’s still a work in progress! My Treehouse subscribers got a sneak peek of some inverted print ideas I’ve had this past month, though I’m not sure if I want to pursue them just yet.
March’s Mini Print: Goliath Beetle
April’s Mini Print: Sweet Pea Flower
One of my favorite parts of my day job is doing illustrations! Back in March, I finished the spring illustration for the UPS.com virtual assistant. It’s the second one I’ve done (after winter), and I love how it turned out. It’s so fun to see your work in the wild, and I’m happy to add a pop of color to the website.
Below is the full design, and it can be seen live here (at least, until the summer design is published)!
The 2024 vending season has also officially begun! My first market of this year was on April 20th, and it was wonderful to see so many familiar faces again. I’ll be a vendor at the Roswell Farmers & Artisans Market once a month until the last event in November, so stop by to say “hi” one of these weekends if you’re local. I always have my latest pieces there!
My next market will be May 25th. I’ll be sure to announce future dates on my social media, so be sure you’re following along to hear the latest news!
Springtime always gets me in a cheerful mood. The world is coming to life again, and everything is bloom once more! Here are a few things that have sparked joy lately:
Mythology: Every March, I try to read at least one mythology-inspired book for “Mythology March” (is it obvious I love alliteration?). While I didn’t quite have enough time to finish a novel, I still had a lot of ideas based on the tale of Persephone floating around in my mind… perhaps a new project will be in the works soon!
Flowering Trees (Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking): Need I say more? Particularly the trees - in Georgia, we have the most beautiful white pear, dogwood, and pink cherry blossoms. Every time I go outside, I feel the itch to just grab my soft pastels, sit in their shade, and sketch the petals. We also have an abundance of wisteria that simply lights up the forests with lilac hues.
Seth & I have been going on walks every week to be more active, and quite often the trails we use share information about the local plant life. It’s inspiring me to create a poster about Georgia wildlife & flora! We’ve seen so many squirrel, chipmunks, and deer lately.
Manacled by SenLinYu: This was the first fanfiction I’ve read - ever. I don’t think I have enough words to describe how much it impacted me. All I can say for the moment is that it’s the most emotionally-driven piece of literature I’ve consumed in a while, and did an excellent job of illustrating the devastating effects of war. For that, I am grateful to have read it. It’s not quite a tear-jerker, but is certainly harrowing. My heart was heavy for weeks after I finished it.
Womanhood: I love being a woman, and something about this time of year really lets me lean into my femininity. After watching a ton of Swan Lake-inspired movies (including but not limited to: Barbie of Swan Lake, Black Swan, and The Swan Queen), I am reminded of my youth; how I always had a book in hand, how I scribbled naive poetry into journals, how I refused to put down a novel until I finished the last chapter. The nostalgia that is invoked by these fairytales takes me back to that childlike wonder or curiosity, and I’d like to think that these fragments of my girlhood are coming home to me. I simply adore this era of my being, where I am unraveling the intricacies of womanhood while exhuming all of the magic I’ve lost along the way.
On a side note, something that hasn’t exactly “sparked joy” but has been on my mind is the rise of anti-intellectualism & its impact on spaces that are primarily occupied by women. I feel as though I could write a whole essay (or satirical novella) about the topic, but I’ll spare you all my potentially sanctimonious commentary for now. In short: it’s okay to be a critic! Question everything!
Easter: Because the holiday came so early this year, I feel like I almost missed it. It’s one of my favorite holidays (not just because I’m a Christian & it’s the most important one), and I love the symbolism that comes with it - who doesn’t love adorable bunnies, sweet baby chickens, and cozy motifs? I’m also a sucker for religious imagery (again, not just because of my faith), and have been motivated to include more of it in my work. I hope I can actually get around to painting the wooden eggs I bought to decorate last year!
The Renaissance Faire: This past weekend, I got to visit the Georgia Renaissance Festival with my friends! It’s one of my favorite annual traditions that we do. As most of you already know, I simply adore fantasy themes; I will use any excuse to dress up & pretend I live in a magical world. The apothecary is always the best, aside from the turkey legs.
Here are a few things that I’ve been up to lately:
Reading: Morrighan by Mary E. Pearson (illustrated by Kate O’Hara - it’s gorgeous)
Playing: Seth, Kassidy, and I have reignited our enjoyment of For the King on the Switch!
Watching: So many of the early 2000s Barbie Cinematic Universe movies. They’re so nostalgic & magical; they also inspired me to finally watch Black Swan, which I loved.
Listening to: Spider Suite by the Duke of Uke and His Novelty Orchestra - Seth discovered a really cool YouTube video featuring this song, and it’s been in our mix ever since. I really love the motifs in the song, and it’s got me jotting down notes for a potential story I want to write in the future.
As the weather grows warmer, I find myself spending more & more time outdoors reveling in our big, beautiful world. My creative spirit is abuzz with new ideas I wish to bring to life, but it’s hard to focus on just one thing. As a result, I will most likely not be writing another blog post until near the end of summer so that I can focus on a few projects I’m hoping to get done by then. Don’t worry; I’ll be sure to tell you all about them! I will say, though, that I’m quite excited for what is come.
Love always,
Stephanie
