Episodes

  • Kaf Grimm: Dolls Stitched with Heart

    Kaf Grimm: Dolls Stitched with Heart
    Sep 13 2024
    Meet doll maker Kaf Grimm of Grimitives. Every doll born in her studio has a stitched heart. That’s Kaf’s way of putting a piece of herself into every creation. “Grimitives are my grim children, and each and every one is different. So, it's hard picking my favorite, and it's also hard letting them go when I'm finished with them,” said Kaf. Kaf is passionate about preserving history, which is evident in her choice to collect and use vintage materials. Her studio, built on top of a historic foundation, is full unexplained happenings. Where are strange voices coming from? She is also deeply connected to the ocean for inspiration and relaxation. She can be found beachcombing for objects to incorporate into her works. Her dolls reflect her playful sense of humor. A Santa doll with a crab craw for an arm becomes Sandy Claws. Warm childhood memories also appear. Her nostalgia for being in the Girl Scouts manifests itself in her Zombie Scout dolls. Kaf also shares her encounter with one the greatest spooky artists of all time, Cape Cod travel tips, why she had to be under the supervision of a security during one of her first jobs, the job that was the height of her career, and more. Mentions: Barnstable Village Ghost Tour: https://www.facebook.com/CapeCodsHauntedHistoryTourCoBridgewater Triangle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgewater_TriangleEdward Gorey house: https://www.edwardgoreyhouse.org“Houses with History” TV show: https://www.hgtv.com/shows/houses-with-historyMayflower Market Days show: https://mayflowermarketdays.comMistletoe Acres Tree Farm: https://www.mistletoeacres.comWho’s Afraid of an Old House TV show: https://www.hgtv.com/shows/whos-afraid-of-a-cheap-old-house Visit Kaf online: https://www.grimitives.com
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    41 mins
  • Deven Blackwell: Old Techniques – Modern Context

    Deven Blackwell: Old Techniques – Modern Context
    Aug 30 2024

    Meet Deven Blackwell, the creative force behind House of Blackwell, a gathering of her limitless artistic endeavors. Some of her current offerings are spooky decor, tutorials, and patterns. Her diverse set of experience includes graphic design, art, writing, hair styling, and sewing.

    Deven is especially known for her spooky cornhusk creations. She loves to create phobia-inducing creatures such as bats and spiders. While she learned cornhusk crafting as a child in Texas, her talent remained dormant until 2020. Bored and unable to celebrate Halloween in the traditional way, Deven fashioned a witch out of cornhusks. Soon she was hooked and creating non-traditional works out of an age-old medium. Her mission is to dedicate herself to innovation while honoring traditional techniques.

    Deven also shares her best costuming tip, why she loves her 100 century-old sewing machine, how costumes are communication tools, and introduces us to her studio assistant, Nugget.

    “I noticed that a lot of my work has to do with taking old techniques and reapplying them in modern contexts. Sometimes new things are not better. Sometimes older things can be the right fit for people and their needs.” - Deven Blackwell

    Mention: Etsy’s Gone Gothic Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/etsysgonegothic

    Visit Deven online: https://www.thehouseofblackwell.com

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    35 mins
  • Stephanie Tiongco: Art Imitating Life

    Stephanie Tiongco: Art Imitating Life
    Jul 30 2024

    Meet artist Stephanie Tiongco of Stevi T Fiber Art. Stevi’s needle felted animals look so real, you’ll swear they are breathing. In this episode, you’ll hear how Stevi creates anthropomorphic dolls and her unique approach to incorporating antiques into her artwork. She discusses her involvement with doll organizations, giving valuable insight into the world of doll making and collecting.

    Stevi’s artistic journey has taken her from making dolls for her daughter to showcasing her work on national television and art shows. Her creativity and tenacity knows no bounds – from dying her fiber in a cauldron to transforming her home into a haunted house.

    Stevi’s work blurs the lines between art and reality and is driven by her love for animals. Many people who come into her booth at shows mistakenly think her work is taxidermy. She stated, “I love the art of taxidermy. My animals are not, but I want them to be as real as possible. So, if you think it's real, then I have done my job well.”

    Mentions:

    • George Dante Taxidermist: https://wildlifepreservations.com
    • New York Faerie Festival: https://www.nyfaeriefestival.com
    • Old Mill Village, New Milford, PA: https://www.oldmillvillage.org
    • Original Doll Artist Council of America: https://www.odaca.org
    • United Federation of Doll Clubs: https://www.ufdc.org/
    • Wunderkammer Taxidermy Show (NYC): https://wunderkammernyc.com

    Visit Stevi online:

    • Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/stevit
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stevi.tiongco
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Stevit_alpaca_encounters
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    42 mins
  • Jorge de Rojas: A Wonderful Life of Halloween

    Jorge de Rojas: A Wonderful Life of Halloween
    Jul 23 2024
    Meet paper mâché artist, Jorge de Rojas of HohoHalloween. Halloween has captivated Jorge since childhood and was a key influence in helping him adapt to his new country. His career journey has taken him from make-up and costuming, through a detour in nursing, and then back to art due to a fateful life event. The common thread in Jorge’s diverse career is the desire to make people smile. His world includes everything from devilish ornaments to mischievous goblins. His inspirations include 1930s cartoons and his vintage Halloween collection, especially the die cuts. Collectors cannot get enough of his one-of-a-kind creations and reproductions by ESC and Company help expand his reach. This episode is filled with Jorge’s light hearted storytelling, his art show adventures, and his vision for a Halloween world. “Halloween is where dreams of childhood and past memories come to life. It culminates with the smile I see on people's faces when they connect with my work. That's the happiest and the most satisfied that I feel” - Jorge de Rojas Mentions All Hallow’s Art Fest (Petaluma, CA):https://www.halloweenfolkartsociety.com/about-the-show-1Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween: http://www.bewitchingpeddlersofhalloween.comESC and Company reproductions of Jorge’s work: https://escandcompany.com/collections/jorge-de-rojasOld Ghosts Odditorium (was in FL, now online): https://www.oldghostsfl.comOver the Garden Wall, Episode Two: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/over_the_garden_wall_2014_2/s01/e02Wicked Bread Company (Plantation, FL): https://www.wickedbread.com Visit Jorge on social media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hohohalloweenbyjorgederojasFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/HohohalloweenbyJorgedeRojas
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    28 mins
  • Jana Seven: Stories Drive the Dolls

    Jana Seven: Stories Drive the Dolls
    Jun 30 2024
    Jana Seven's journey into doll-making is a captivating tale of passion and creative drive. From her early childhood days spent doodling on office paper to her illustrious career as a children's book illustrator, Jana's art has always been a part of her life. The transition from illustration to crafting one-of-a-kind Rag and Bone Dolls stemmed from a burning desire to create something tangible and to exercise bringing the sweet beings that live inside her head to life. Jana uses the rawest materials, like twine, sticks, clay, wood, and antique fabric to involve a feeling of timelessness. Jana finds inspiration in eerie places, like an abandoned subway, ghost towns, and seaside cemeteries. However, her intent is to never scare anyone. All of her dolls have loving souls and driven by their stories. Other inspirations include folk music, odd stories from history, and musing on mortality. Mentions: Darksome Art & Craft Market: https://www.darksomecraftmarket.com/Dogtown, MA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogtown,_MassachusettsMorbid Anatomy: https://www.morbidanatomy.orgMutter Museum: https://muttermuseum.orgProvincetown Smallpox Cemetery (MA): https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/provincetown-smallpox-cemeteryRochester Subway: https://www.rochestersubway.com/rochester_subway_history.phpTarantella music: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantella Visit Jana’s website: https://www.janaseven.art
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    42 mins
  • Stacey Bear: Spinning History into Keepsakes

    Stacey Bear: Spinning History into Keepsakes
    Jun 24 2024

    Stacey Bear, a talented artist and antiques dealer, traces her creative roots back to making dollhouse miniatures as a child. She still has a fondness for creating treasures in a small scale. Her spun cotton ornaments and dolls are highly sought out by collectors.

    Her work is a fusion of historical techniques and her own innovations. Stacey started collecting cotton ornaments and wanted to learn how to make them herself. There was no internet or instructional book at the time so she experimented and figured it out.

    Her creations are born inside her 1812 farmhouse surrounded by beautiful antiques in Pennsylvania. Stacey’s studio is stuffed with stunning antique fabric, tinsel, old buttons, and trims. Sometimes Stacey will have an idea for something to make, but other times, an amazing piece of fabric will speak for itself.

    Mentions:

    • Susanna Wright: https://wams.nyhistory.org/settler-colonialism-and-revolution/settler-colonialism/susanna-wright/
    • The Artisans Tent at The Zoar Village (Ohio): https://the-artisans-tent-at-zoar.com/
    • The DC Big Flea Antiques Market: https://www.thebigfleamarket.com/dc-show
    • Wright’s Ferry Mansion: https://www.wrightsferrymansion.org

    Visit Stacey’s website at: https://www.momentosartandantiques.com/

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    45 mins
  • Introducing Season 6 of Halloween Art and Travel

    Introducing Season 6 of Halloween Art and Travel
    Jun 24 2024
    This is Kristen Stafford, your host of the Halloween Art and Travel Podcast. This is your source for the stories behind the Halloween artists and collectors who capture your imagination. I’m excited to share my 2024 season with you – the 6th season of this podcast. Over the summer, I’ll be releasing new episodes on the 23rd and 30th of the month, now through October. Once we hit high spooky season, September and October, there will be even more Halloween art fun for your ears. In addition to episodes on the 23rd and 30th, there will be surprise bonus episodes – always on dates that contain the number 3. Subscribe and follow in your favorite podcast app so you don’t miss a single one. My June guests are Stacey Bear of Mementos Art and Antiques and Jana Seven of Rag and Bone Dolls. Which one do you think may have a skull buried in her bedroom? Listen to find out! This season, I am trying something new, an episode built by our community of listeners. Let’s build an episode on kitchen witches. I’d love you hear YOUR stories of creating or collecting kitchen witches. You can send message me on Facebook or Instagram, or through my website at halloweenartandtravel.com. Better yet, send me a voice clip. The kitchen witch episode will be released in October, but I need your feedback by September 23. I’m also excited to share a special project I’m working on with blogger, collector, and past podcast guest Jorene Lomenzo of Shivers of Delight. Jorene and I have often dreamed of a guide for collectors…that dream will become a reality later this fall…with the ta-da – Halloween Art Guide for Spellbound Collectors. The Guide will provide biographies from Halloween artists along with the history of Halloween art shows that have helped the Halloween art movement grow into a year-round passion for spellbound collectors. In addition, the site will host essays about Halloween art collecting, documenting collections, and the growth of the movement from a variety of authors as well as provide news and updates about Halloween artists, shows, events, and publications. When the guide is ready, we will share it on our social media. Now go enjoy, episode 57, an interview with artist Stacey Bear.
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    2 mins
  • Austin Phillips: Voice, Motion, Magic

    Austin Phillips: Voice, Motion, Magic
    Oct 30 2023
    Austin Phillips, a skilled figure maker and expert in ventriloquist dummies, has turned his lifelong passion into a full-time career. His fascination with these mechanical dolls began at the age of five when he received a ventriloquist dummy from Santa. From that moment on, Austin was captivated by the artistry and entertainment value behind these unique creations. As he grew older, he honed his skills in figure making by experimenting with different materials and his dad’s power tools. Austin's dedication to his craft led him to seek out renowned figure makers, learning directly from them and gaining invaluable insights into the art form.   Today, Austin not only creates one-of-a-kind ventriloquist dummies, but also restores historical treasurers including puppets and figures from coin operated games. His attention to detail and commitment to authenticity make him highly sought out by both collectors and performers around the world.    Austin has performed as a ventriloquist since childhood and most recently headlined in a spooky Victorian show filled with tricks and illusions.  In addition to his figure collection, his studio in Maine is filled with his stunning collection of vintage Halloween decorations.  Mentions:  Haunted Overload, Lee, New Hampshire: https://hauntedoverload.com Musée Mécanique, San Francisco: https://museemecanique.comVent Haven International Ventriloquist Convention, Fort Mitchell, Kentucky: https://vhconvention.comVent Haven Museum (world’s only ventriloquist museum), Fort Mitchell, Kentucky: https://www.venthaven.org  Visit Austin’s web site at: https://www.phillipspuppets.com 
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    55 mins