These days have been thick with chores, duties, work and creation. I huddle over my desk making little boxes and take short breaks to sip soy milkshake. Does anyone like how soy milk tastes? It took me about a week to get used to it, now it just tastes like milk. This leads me to believe that if I drank murky pondwater for a week it would end up tasting like milk.

There's another giveaway ending today

What, another giveaway? So soon? Yes indeed, by an accident of fate a fellow blogger is hosting a giveaway for one of my Alice in Wonderland music box pendants this week. If you've been curious about them here's your chance to check one out with no obligato. She also hosted a nice little interview with me. It's my first interview ever :-)

The giveaway ends tonight at 11PM EST I believe

You can enter here: interview and giveaway

I hope you're all well and feeling good :-)

How to Install a Music Box Mechanism quick tutorial

~swan lake~

Some people forget that I sell music box supplies as well as making musical gifts. I was explaining my weird music box hobby/habit to someone recently and she didn't run or slowly back away so I guess the frayed edges of my obsession are still tucked in neatly enough, even though not many people seem to share it. And as for supplies, I found out (the hard way) how tough it is to find a really good and affordable selection of tunes so I had little choice but to open a shop for people trying to pursue this hobby and art.

When it comes to creative work, there is so much that people can do with music boxes, but they are old fashioned and only on the radar of a very few people, so no one thinks to use them. To be fair, sometimes music box craft gets a treacly rep, but it doesn't have to be that way! With a little bit of creativity and attention to detail a hand created music box can have both the moxie and the charm .

The most basic question I get from people who visit my supply shop is "how do I install my movement?"

Well, if you aren't interested in making your own music box, the next bit is going to be BORING. Sorry!

Wild at Heart Mermaid Musical Locket

A new locket is just about ready to be added to my jewellery store. And I just love this one. It's a very old piece with a lot of wear that has been re-designed into a musical locket. It's foundation is vintage 60's and I think the previous owner was a bit of a wild one. It just needs some finishing touches I think before making its way to someone new.

This locket and others like it are available at My Secret Music Box

A giveaway winner is announced

We have a winner! Lucky number 6 was picked as an eligible entry using the True Random Number Generator. Ashley wins her choice of Daisy Chain pendants. Congratulations Ashley!

 

Don't worry - there's still hope for everyone else - no sad faces here :O) News about sales, giveaways and FIRST dibs on the newest items will always be listed on the music box blog.

Giveaway

There is one day left to enter a special giveaway - the gift is a Daisy Chain miniature music box pendant from my Garden Collection (the winner gets to choose his or her favourite one below)

The giveaway is being hosted by my friend over at Chez Chani. There are a few steps necessary to enter the contest, but it's pretty easy.

1:Take a look over at Clockwork Fantastica, and then

2: Leave a comment on Chez Chani's post about an item in the shop that caught your fancy.

If you're a reader here, you can also leave a 2nd comment letting me know what type of content you would like to see on my blog, and that will count as a separate entry for you in the draw.

The winner will be chosen by the magical random number generator and announced on Thursday. Good Luck to you!

40 Years of Sunny Days: Happy Birthday Sesame Street :-)

A headline in the Globe & Mail reminded me that tomorrow is Sesame Street's 40th birthday. 40 years, kids!

I think Grover was my favourite even though he was a bit neurotic. Seriously, does anyone remember The Monster At The End Of This Book? Poor little guy. I found an online version of that classic here --> Oh, Grover just when I'd given up ever finding it again.

My little sister was on Sesame Street in the 80's with a dozen other children in her kindergarten class. It was a french clip where all the little kids ran around one of the circa 1970's log sculptures that adorned our playground. She was wearing a pink dress and long braided pig tails; all of the kids were a little bit dressed up since being on tee vee was a _really big_ deal then. I think the clip taught us all the difference between "Aller!" (Go) and "Arrêt!" (Stop) by using freeze-frame camera-work, which was perhaps the only way they could make running, dancing 5 year olds in front of a camera stop moving.

Sunny Days. I have a vintage Sesame Street music box movement that plays the ORIGINAL Sunny Days not that new-fangled version. For anyone with a creative spirit, this is perfect to put inside your own handmade Sesame Street character or music box. If you're not a music box maker, you can still hear what it sounds like here -- Sesame Street Music Box Sounds ; I dare you not to smile when you hear it.

Midnight Roses and "Hart" of Brass

I've made some recent additions to both the Heirloom and Fascination collections at Clockwork Fantastica.

The first was dubbed Midnight Roses almost as soon as it was deemed ready to leave the studio and my favourite features, aside from the charm of the musical element, are the two little abalone-inlaid butterflies fluttering on the hematite plate chain, almost like they're on a vine.

The "Hart" of Brass is a piece of whimsy that I've added to the Fascination collection. I'm one of those city-gals who can't immediately see the difference between a moose's head and a buck - so I wasn't certain when I first held the brass stamping, but the features are very fine and certainly don't look like the back of our Canadian quarter. So I realized that it is in fact a noble deer jutting out his proud nose and antlers.

(I think he has a right to preen though, he is rather dashing.)

CUTENESS and genius resources (non-music box related)

It's hard to restrict my blog to music boxes when there are adorable handmade softies in this world too.

I can't resist sharing these little creatures made by Tiny Warbler. This bunny's tummy makes me ticklish.

There's also a snowy owl. And a wee elephant!


Another non-music box related thing  happened today, which is I had my links put up on the Toronto Craft Alert so, let me take this moment to tell you the Toronto Craft Alert is where you ought to visit if you're in Toronto and make or appreciate handmade goods. It's a genius newsletter and blog that highlights crafty events and resources in the city and nearby. It's where I find out about most of the shows that are happening. They have a mailing list, but I like to visit the site.


I think this is the most beautiful Autumn I've experienced in years. And the sky is bright blue, and my belly is full, and my cat is curled up in a snoozy ball asleep by the window.

More Tunes!

More music box tunes arrived today at Tuned Teeth which means more variety, and more music box love and cheers from music box lovers everywhere (wild dancing)!

Available for your crafting and artisan needs: 

• Fur Elise
• My Wild Irish Rose
• Tomorrow (from Annie, take note 80's children!)
• The Candy Man
• Amazing Grace
• You Are My Sunshine
  
• Danny Boy
• Historia de un Amor (very haunting)

and for the holidays (just remember to order these early so that the presents you're making for your loved ones will be ready in time)

• Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
• Ave Maria
• Ode to Joy
• I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus 
  

If you'd like to hear what these clockwork mechanisms actually sound like (of course you do), take a trip over to my listening page: Listen To Them Play!

My favourite at the moment is the Historia de un Amor. So wistful (I'm actually planning to make a ballerina music box using this one). Which tunes do you like? (just curious)

The Heirloom Collection

This will be the first piece in my new Heirloom Collection found at Clockwork Fantastica.

The Heirloom Collection is an offering of classic and embellished pieces from the early 1900's to the turn of the century. This particular pendant plays Fur Elise. What do you think?