Small Magic - It's NEVER Too Late

My dear blog friend Andrea, at Falling Ladies, has begun a monthly collection of stories and experiences of what she has termed as "Small Magic". You can find this month's post by Andrea by clicking HERE

And the original "Finding Small Magic" Post on her Falling Ladies blog is HERE:

I hope you will take a moment and check them out, add your own (even just a link to a picture or a sentence or two is PLENTY! It need not be as wordy as I tend to be. :)

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So this month I have just been so busy that there has been little time to create the Small Magic post I really wanted to  which I will save for November. 

One of the major influences in my writing and future ideas for figures and such in my Bewilder and Pine shop is a gentleman named Monte Cook. A role playing gamer for 40 years and the owner of Monte Cook Games, he recently set a Kickstarter record for fundraising for his latest RPG creation, "Invisible Sun". He is taking gaming to new creative levels with this project and I'll talk more about that, and it's influence on my own work, in the coming months.

His weekly newsletter from his website links to some other articles and projects that he finds interesting and I was quite happy to come across this article about a 26 year old man who hosted a Dungeons and Dragons game for his 70 year old grandparents, a couple of their friends and his 50-ish year old mother and another couple who is in their 60's.

All were playing for the first time. . .and they LOVED IT! :)

You can read the article, called "70 Year-Olds Play D&D for the First Time and Love It" by clicking HERE

The "Small Magic" of this, to me, is that it shows that it is never too late to try something new and to engage the imagination in new ways. My favorite part of the article is how the grandfather now texts his grandson between weekly games to discuss his character and it's backstory. lol That's AWESOME!

I never was a gamer. Still am not. (but maybe by the time i am 70?) Still, I appreciate the people I've known who do play it . . . as well as the worlds that are built around it and the creativity it inspires down the line.

For another interesting take on the role of gaming in adult life, if you are a podcast lover, you might try the episode of "Imaginary Worlds" ( a podcast I HIGHLY recommend) called "Rolling the Twenty Sided Dice" found HERE:

There are some very interesting takes on the influence of gaming on kids from that 80's generation who are adults today. 

The Imaginary Worlds podcast covers a range of subjects that are all surprising peeks into the worlds we create and why. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy those and I'll be back as soon as time allows in this hectic holiday making schedule to share some more magic with you all. . .

No Dungeons around here, just Dragons. :)

Book Recommendation - "A Green and Ancient Light"

Some books and stories are just MAGIC. . .

I cannot say enough about this book. Now, I know, I read a LOT of varied books that all delve into "otherworlds", genres ranging from YA to Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Graphic novels and comics, and most of these are inspiring reads in one way or another for my own work and creative world.

"A Green and Ancient Light" defies those categories. Part fantasy yes, but just a very small part that is treated with such normalcy in it's reveal that it seems like it may be us who deems it to be fantasy. At the end I was slowing my reading down because I did not want it to end. . . and that's a rarity. :)

It is  mostly an intriguing story about coming of age, family, discovery and possibility. It's set in a vague time and place, though recognizable, with an interesting choice by the author as to the names of characters.

You won't be surprised to hear it was the cover that drew me to it. . . as often happens with books that go on to be my favorites. A great cover sets apart so many books.

So, if you love timeless and beautifully written stories with nature/natural magic, hints of the realm of faerie, a faun, and a mystery woven thru every page, then this book will be right up your alley.

I guarantee you this, even if it isn't, you will not find many books more beautifully written out there.

I will be keeping this book close as I proceed with my own storytelling, for many reasons, and I can say that I will keep it close throughout the remainder of my life for a gentle reminder if, and when I lose sight, of what magic truly is in the world around us. . .

There are times when I wonder, stumbling upon a book like this, if it is the last I will find that hits this particular spot in my soul. . . I could probably count the number that have done so on three hands in my life. I've read many wonderful books but only a dozen or so have had this lingering internal effect. The tingling of magic. . .

New Work - October 1st

Ahhh, it is my season! Autumn is in it's full, brilliant glory right now. Leaves are falling, days in the low 60's, nights cool and crisp. And today, finally, rain is falling!

I'm so ready for the holiday season and having pushed a whole slew of custom work out in September I get to begin the month with a few days of just happy-making work!  Letting my mind wander and take me wherever it wishes to lead me.

The "Ledgerkeepers" writing project is going well too.  I upped the daily word count to 1000 and hit it all but once in the last few weeks. Some days nearing 2000 words! Stories are taking shape, the "history" of the Bewildering Pine is rounding into shape and I've been exploring mythologies, folk tales and geography so much more too. I had hoped to have some digital sketches to show but would rather wait until I have a few completed so I can keep them coming at a regular interval.

For now, here are a few of the September creations that came and went thru the shops.

I hope the Autumn season finds you enjoying all it offers in your "neck of the woods". :) And I hope to catch up on blog commenting soon too. This time of year is always so terribly busy in preparation for the holiday rush and with the writing project added, it seems I have so little time for anything but my work these days. . .

Enjoy and, as always, thank you so much for stopping by!

nicolas

A requested ankh amulet that, once completed, I liked so much that I am going to be offering it in the shop this winter. :)

I adore making these Hecate statues! Just one or two requests a year but I never turn them down. :)

It took me awhile to realize that my gargoyles have been looking more familiar lately. . . then it hit me it is because that face, that smile, is totally JOXER from Xena, Warrior Princess. Oh subconscious, how do you do it?

And I think my Foxgoyles have been coming into their own recently too. Abstracting animals is really a challenge!  Simple lines, less fuss. . . better results I think!

A simple place for relaxing and day dreaming!

I'm no classic ancient world sculptor . . .  but I loved taking on this Artemis request! Her  mighty bow is actually strung with fishing line!

Found these lovely little Patina-glazed tealight holders recently and they are perfect for making little "castle "cupcakes! :)

Fairy Houses Upon Stars abound again this year, of course!

And the newest of the "Little People", a Domovoi Elf (with friends in the background)

I'll be posting an update in a few days about "Alexandra the Great" ( and some great pics of her next to a snail that was her size when we first rescued her from a lake of vinaigrette dressing) but, as you can see, she is thriving and BIG and living in a lovely glass coffee pot these days!!  :)