Attention Shop Owners: A Contest to Win Voice of the Trees Merchandise!

All across this country there are tons of brick and mortar independent metaphysical bookstores that are havens to all of the seekers out there on their paths.  They offer books, candles, incense and other supplies, but they also offer an opportunity to learn and grow, and fellowship.  I know, my husband and I used to run a little shop too.  We know that some extra merchandise and some really cool store displays can really help sales especially when the economy is a challenging one.

With the holiday shopping season just about to commence, we wanted to offer all those great bookstores that support their communities an opportunity to win a box full of our beautiful new Voice of the Trees merchandise! (a $436. 00 retail value)  All it takes to enter is the Voice of the Trees deck you probably already have in your shop to sell, some imagination, and a camera.  If you haven't gotten your copies of Voice of the Trees for your shop yet, there's still time so don't wait.  The contest starts today (Oct. 24, 2011) and we will accept entries until Nov. 23 2011, the winner will be announced on Nov. 28 2011.

Could all this good free loot be in your shop? Scroll down to get a closer look at all of these great items.

The Prize:  This beautiful merchandise is made right in our studio using printing and/or dye sublimation, your customers will love these items!  Sell them in your shop, give them as gifts or keep them, whatever you wish!

4 15 oz ceramic Coffee Mugs, microwavable and dishwasher safe
4 crystal glass pendants
4 ceramic 4 x 6 oval wall tiles
4  8 1/2 x 11 prints
8 satin art bags (a perfect compliment to Voice of the Trees deck)

The challenge: Create an eye catching store display featuring Voice of the Trees: A Celtic Divination Oracle by Mickie Mueller.  You can set it up in the window or anywhere in the store you want.  Get creative, use leaves, silk plants or trees, wooden wands or bowls, add other Celtic merchandise, candles, lights, etc.  Make it eye catching and show stopping.  Take a really clear photo of your efforts, if you need to show it from more than one angle, you can send up to three photos to show different angles or details.  Email your photos to mickiemueller@yahoo.com along with the name and address of your shop, so we can ship your merchandise if your display is chosen as the winner.  Be sure to put "Voice of the Trees" in the subject line to avoid spam filters.

The Rules:  This contest is open to all "brick and morter" New Age/Metaphysical book shops, individuals may not enter this one, only retail shop owners with a wholesale license, if you don't fall into this catagory, don't worry, there will be more contests in the future.  Only 1 entry per shop.  Email up to 3 photos of your store display (which must be set up in your shop)  featuring Voice of the Trees: A Celtic Ogham Oracle to mickiemueller@yahoo.com including a photo of the front of your store and your stores mailing information.  Entries must be recieved by Nov. 23. 
The displays will be judged on creativity, visual appeal, customer appeal and the best presentation of the Voice of the Trees deck.  The photos will be judged blind (the judge won't know which shop entered which display) the judge is president of a Point of Purchase display company who has worked with major corporations and created nationwide programs.  Your display should be in the shop until the end of the contest to win.  The winner will be announced Nov. 28, prize to be shipped immediately to dazzle your December shoppers, so again- be sure to include your address when you enter for fast processing!  Remember, get your entry photos to us on or before the Nov. 23 cut off!

All the store owners that enter will have an opportunity to get their creative juices flowing and create awesome displays that will boost their sales this holiday while making an even more exiting shopping experience for their customers, and one lucky winner will get a box full of great free merchandise! Scroll down to see the items closer.

Everything you see is packed in the box and ready to go to the lucky winner's shop, they are all made by the Mickie Mueller team right in our studio!

These 15 oz ceramic mugs are gorgeous, full color designs all around and are microwave and dishwasher safe.  Included are Ivy, Hazel, Grove, and Willow mugs.  Each mug shows the meaning of the card as well as a quote from the companion book for that card.  (inset)

4 x 6 ceramic oval tiles are very popular items for us especially when people see them in person at festivals .  Each one has a hanger on the back and they look great hanging on the wall or on a small easel.  Included are Alder, Oak, Fionns Window (card back) and Ogham Shield (Companion book cover)

These satin bags are aprox 5x7, the Voice of the Trees cards fit in them nicely, we've sold many of them along with decks.  One side has one of the more popular card images,  clockwise from the left: Grove, Alder, Hazel, Willow, Oak, Ivy, Holly, and Yew, the other side has the "Fionns Window" card back design. (inset) Satin drawstrings and beautiful glass beads complete these beautiful bags.  

These crystal clear glass pendants sparkle with light.  they are 1 inch x 1 1/2 inch and are 1/4 inch thick.  These are made in our studio using dye sublimation, they are not paper glued on glass, through our process the art becomes  part of the glass.   These come in kraft boxes with white padded insert as shown, ready to display.

These 8 1/2 x 11 size prints are always a good seller for us, we've included a selection of four of our more popular designs, Fionns Window, Oak, Ogham Shield and Willow.  Each one is packaged in a crystal clear acid free bag with a sturdy baking boadr for easy display.

Good luck, we look forward to seeing your stores entry!

Blessings,

Fairy Friday: Sacred Source Oak Fairy Prosperity Wall Plaque

What a happy Fairy Friday!  I've been sitting on a really cool project that is now beginning to manifest!  Sacred Source is producing four new Celtic Fairy wall plaques based upon my Celtic Tree Fairy series!

Limited Edition Oak Tree Fairy -- Blessings of Prosperity and Growth
Sacred Source's excellent artisans did a great job of reproducing my art as this lovely wall plaque.  These plaques are full of magic, and I have personally sent magical energy to charge each one of these special limited edition Oak Fairy collectible plaques with energies of prosperity and abundance.

Click here for more details from Sacred Source 

The graceful Oak Tree Fairy rests sheltered in the arms of the mighty oak, cradling the acorn of new life, her wings dappled with sunlight. She offers the ever-present magic of solid strength, dependable century-long growth, and the promise of new opportunity ready to burst into life.

Each 9" x 12" resin plaque is hand painted by the master artists of Sacred Source faithfully reproducing my art, and each limited edition piece is numbered to enhance their value.  The Oak Fairy was the first design to be released, but all four will be coming, so you can collect them all.  They are great for bringing fairy magic into your home and can be used in your fairy spells as well.  The series will have fairies for prosperity, love, healing, and protection, that's a lot of fairy magic!

In Other Fairy News, A Short Enchanted Nature Walk:

We are working on packing up the office where I work for my day job, the boss is moving to a different location and I'll be working part time from home and being a full time Professional Bohemian making more beautiful art for all of you dears, writing, offering readings, and classes both in person and online.

This gorgeous bridge is across the parking lot in the golf course.  We get Canada geese, cranes and egrets out there, so pretty!

Yesterday after everyone had left and I was getting ready to head out myself, The fairies that live in the little stand of trees at the back of the parking lot called to me, "Mickie, come and walk a bit, come and play."

Praying mantis on a pin oak branch

What's a witch to do?  I followed of course, but not before grabbing my handy camera to see what treasures my fae friends had for me on this Autumn afternoon.

Not being ready to traipse through the woods quite yet with my slightly gimpy foot, this was the perfect, non-challenging nature walk my soul needed.

There are so many mushrooms, soon it may be a ring!

I found mushrooms growing, all fall and winter the birds will enjoy the ripe berries that swell where honeysuckle flowers once bloomed, leaves donning a fresh coat of Autumn color.

I decided as I walked along, that even after I'm not working in this building, I will have to come back for the occasional visit, it's so pretty, and I'll miss this gorgeous view out my window.

Birch, for new beginnings.

Ornamental Crab-apple Tree with the pond in the distance.

I hope you can go out for a Autumn walk, even a short one and see what secrets you'll find!

Blessings!

Beautiful Things From Afar

Running a home business and Etsy shop, we have a lot of mail going out every week.  But this week I got a taste of being on the receiving end of beautiful things coming in the mail! 

Owl Post art by  Mary GrandPré

The first of these magical packages came from a dear friend of mine that sent me some very cool treasures from the across the pond!  I was totally delighted to discover an envelope with a small chalk stone from Uffington, (I work a lot with Rhiannon) a little soil from Glastonberry Tor, and a vial of White Well and Red Chalice Well Essence that she made!  I put a few drops on my hurt foot.  I put the soil in a pretty jar I had and made a label for it, yes, I'm a dork.  But I was absolutely giddy at the unexpected thoughtfulness and I'll treasure each item always!

Pretties gathered in the U.K. by my dear friend!

Then- I got another unexpected envelope in the mail!  This time it was from a woman who had ordered a deck from me, she live in Albuquerque, where I grew up.  There was a hand made card with a photo of the Sandia Crest, the mountains that you can see from anywhere in the city.  I felt a little lost when I moved to the Midwest with no mountain to watch over me.  Seeing it just brought back a huge whoosh of memories having grown up seeing it every day.  I'm framing it and hanging it over my art table so she can watch over me again. :o)

Oh look, my old mountains!

She also included a little rock from the Sandias, what a treasure, and included a leaf from a cottonwood tree, the fae tree of the Southwest!

This little rock from the Sandias will have to go somewhere very special!

This great gal also makes these gorgeous journals which she sells on Etsy, it's a beautiful supple leather cover, and you can change out the blank book inside so you'll always have it even if you fill it up.  So clever!  I'm loving this, it's so beautiful, the one she sent me is a pretty shade of leafy green, I'm going to use it for a sketchbook.  Here's a link to her shop if you want to see more of her pretties! Magical Intentions http://www.etsy.com/shop/MagickalIntentions I hope my travels bring me back to Albuquerque someday, I would love to meet up with my dear old friends, new friends and see the mountain again!

This leather book is simply delightful!

Last but not least, yesterday the print I ordered from Colorado inspirational fairy artist Lisa Steinke arrived.  When I first saw it online, I just had to have it, I thought the art was beautiful, and I love the message and decided that I would like to see it every day.  This is a gorgeous print, even better in person.  I need to pick up a frame and decide where to hang it now.

Lisa Steinke has lots of gorgeous inspirational prints check out her websites  http://www.thefaeriegathering.com/ and http://lisasteinkeart.com 

Sometimes it's the little things in life that can just brighten your outlook, a beautiful sunset, a thoughtful word, or just knowing that someone out there "gets" you.  Who knew I would find so much magic in my mail box this week!  Well, the weekend's almost here and I'm sure I'll be mailing out some more of my own magic soon!

Blessings,

Voice of the Trees Party Cancelled Due to Injury

I have bad news this morning:

Yesterday at about 6 am, I went to the bathroom in the dark, forgetting that we moved the iron tables that were in the bathroom so that we could put the new bath mat in place.  We left them sitting in front of the sink.  At six am in the dark I totally forgot they were there.  Oh yeah, you can see this coming, right?  I knocked one of those iron tables over onto my leg and foot yesterday morning.  I smacked me right in the shin and dragged down onto my foot.  I initially thought I had broken my foot. Turns out it's not broken, but it's bruised to the bone and really swollen and I can't put any weight on it and I'm supposed to keep it elevated. Today I woke up with my neck messed up, I guess from moving around on my husbands tall guy crutch yesterday getting to the bathroom, so I'm a mess.  To top it off, the pain pills I'm taking are making me pretty loopy, haven't taken them yet today, I needed to write this and contact everyone first.  The foot hurts worse today than it did yesterday.

I had to make a decision, and the shape I'm in, I have to cancel the Voice of the Trees Deck Release Party that was sceduled for this Friday at Red Fish Blue Fish.  I don't know if I'll be able to move around or even be coherent by Friday.

I don't want to take a chance on Friday, the pain pills I'm taking are making me pretty loopy and I don't think I'm going to be able to manage to do the event.  I'm really very sorry to everyone that was looking forward to it, I know I sure was, but I figured I would be better to cancel sooner than later, because the way I feel now, I may have to hobble to the chiropracter as well.  I will be ok, but I do tend to push myself too hard sometimes and I really need to heal, the timing couldn't have been worse.

If you have a deck you would like signed or you need to pick one up or just to say hi and hang out, I will be at Pathways on Sunday Oct. 30 for the psychic fair signing decks, I would love to see you as long as a meteor doesn't fall on my head or something, I'll be there!

Sunday October 30 11am-6pm
Pathways
Located at 11419 Concord Village Avenue,St. Louis MO 63123
Come and join Mickie at Pathways big psychic fair for a meet and greet and deck signing for "Voice of the Trees, A Celtic Divination Oracle" Mickie will also be having a small "trunk show" featuring select items from her Etsy shop including the popular full color satin art bags to compliment the Voice of the Trees deck.
* Mickie will also be offering a free lecture, "An Introduction to the Celtic Tree Calendar" time TBA
For more information contact Pathways at 314-842-0047

I'm going to put a heating pad on my foot and one on my neck, and lay down for a bit.

Blessings,

Greenman and the Muse, Autumn and Apple Crisp!

A Project Comes to Fruition

I was contacted earlier this year by my friends from Indiana Cern and his lovely wife Anaan Sapphira to design cover art for their upcoming CD release "Magic Planet."  They send the concept of what they wanted mocked up on the computer, basically the planet earth in space with my Greenman art worked in there somehow and looking very magical.  After reading his description and seeing his concept rendering, I got a really cool idea to make the Greenman image smiling through the land-masses.

I really had fun working on this piece, and I was happy with the results too.  Cern and Anaan worked their butts off in the studio and I wanted this cover to be really special for them.  By the way Anaan celebrated her birthday yesterday!  Happy birthday dear songstress!

I just got the finished CD in the mail the other day, and I wanted to share it with you, been listening to it in my car!  These are wonderful original songs, performed by this magical duo.  Listening to their music makes you feel a very personal connection with them and the messages in their songs.  Here's a link to their facebook page where you can "like" them and ask about how to pick up a copy for yourself.  Lovely and inspiring music from Greenman and the Muse!

If you're interested in some Greenman magic to go with the music, make sure to get a copy of the 2012 Llewellyn's Magical Almanac, I have an article in there all about making prosperity and abundance magic with the Greenman, and who can't use some extra prosperity magic these days?!

Greenman Abundance article and illustrations in Llewellyns 2012 Magical Almanac

In Other News: Autumn in Thoughts, Pictures and Taste Buds

Happy Autumn Equinox/Mabon!  I woke up and found a mist had fallen over everything this morning.  We had orders going out at the studio, so I placed them on the porch in a clear plastic tote for protection and so the mail carrier could see them easily, then I made my way to the office.   I wanted to share a few photos of the beautiful foggy cornfield that I passed on my way to the office this morning and the meadow right outside my office window.  I love this time of year, the big second harvest of the wheel of the year! 

"Shrouded Harvest Awaits" 

"Mabon Road"

"Autumn Meadow Mist"

Tonight, I'll celebrate with a small feast with my family at home to give thanks for all the blessings that we have had throughout the year.  I know times are tough for everyone right now, but it's more important in difficult times than ever to make an effort to look for the good things and pay attention to them.  Magically, whatever you are giving your attention to is what the universe will give you, so don't focus on what you don't have, train your eye upon your blessings, and more blessings will follow.  Tonight when I turn the Wheel of the Year plaque to Mabon and change the items on our family altar, that will be my focus.  For desert I'm going to try making Weight Watchers Apple Crisp recipe!  I'll let you know how it turns out in the comments below.

Weight Watchers Apple Crisp

Ingredients:
- 4 medium apples
- 1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cups uncooked old fashioned oats
- 3 tbsp reduced-calorie margarine


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Stir together apples, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice; pour into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
Cut flour, oatmeal, remaining brown sugar and margarine together with a pastry blender or fork in a medium bowl; sprinkle over apple mixture.
Bake until apples are tender and top is browned, about 45 minutes.
Serving size = 1/2 cup
Each serving = 3 Weight Watchers Points

Autumn Blessings!

ACEO Cards From the Archives

Sometimes I forget how long I've been doing this, seriously a very very long time. 

We had decided that we needed a new mattress and I wanted to do it before I go to full time Professional Bohemian and part time home office worker.  That big change in my life will happen exactly at the Celtic New year, that's right Oct. 31 is when the office I work at will close, although the business will remain but running lean and mean, with a small office in the city and most of our work done on our laptops.  My boss has decided that she wants to keep me on part time working from home so I'll still have a suplimentary income and lots more time for my art career.  It's pretty exciting, especially now that I'm starting on the Mystical Cats Tarot with teamie Lunaea Weatherstone. 

"Love Spell" an unpublished spec illustration from years ago that I hand colored last night!

So Dan and I decided that any upgrades we needed at home better happen now while I still have that full time check rolling in, and our mattress had big dips in it where our bodies go, not so nice.  In the process of getting our new mattress, I pulled a couple of those flat plastic tubs from under my bed that store tons of old memorabilia in from days of yore...yep, yore.  You know, the old days when I used to make promotional art for local rock bands, and my early forays into my current path of spiritual art.  I really had fun going through it, so many memories.  I kept about half of it, pitching duplicate flyers, notes that didn't mean anything anymore, etc.  Some of what I found as I dug through were some original pieces that I had created for different reasons, circa 1997-99.  I have some small full color art I had made to use for various promotional pieces back when I was Mickie Hodges, before Dan and I got married.  I also had a few small pen and ink line art samples that I had made as spec pieces to show as examples of my work from 1999.  At the time I was stretching my fledgling wings and sending samples to magazine and book publishers looking for illustration jobs. 

All the ACEO cards made from "lost art!"

I almost put these little gems back in the box to go back into storage until the next time I took a trip down memory lane...almost.  Then it occurred to me, these were pretty darned cool and they were just hidden away.  Someone might really enjoy having these little drawings.  Then I realized that they were almost the right size for ACEO cards.  Inspiration had struck!  I measured them and I was right.  I trimmed them down ever so slightly, three full color pieces, and three pen and inks.  I decided that I would add color to the pen and ink ones, and I must say, it was really fun and I love the results.

Pen and ink unpublished original illustrations, hand colored all one of a kind.

Promotional pieces, used to promote my art business long ago, also unpublished, one of a kind!

So there you have it, I have 6 new ACEO cards to offer, each one a little history from the Old Wooden Art Table that you can own if you're so inclined.  Three unpublished spec illustrations hand inked in 1999 and hand colored with watercolor and colored pencil in 2011.  Three colored pencil drawings created in 1997 as promo pieces for my business.  All six are one of a kind.  I just posted them in our Etsy shop I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed creating them!

For a closer look at these unique one of a kind cards click here:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/MickieMuellerStudio?section_id=6838048

Bright Blessings,

The Magic of Oval Art Tiles

We love our oval art tiles and wanted to share with you all to great things about them including ways to use them for decoration, and yes, even for magic!  When we go to festivals, our 4" x 6" ceramic oval wall tiles are really popular, people pick them up, hold them in their hands, and just love the feel of them.  We think there are many reasons for this, here are a few of our favorite reasons that we love them, we think you will too!

Lady of the Forest peers out mischievously from this wall.

• Great to Collect: These tiles look really nice hanging in groupings on the wall.  We know someone who had an open space over a long doorway and filled it with a row of fairy oval art tiles.  They also look nice hanging with a grouping of other items like candle sconces, wreaths or art.

Solar Eclipse, the embrace of the Sun God and Moon Goddess, wouldn't this add lusty energy to your bedroom?!

• Magical Uses: These tiles can make really great permanent magic for your home. You can write on the back with a fine line permanent marker or metallic paint pen, so why not add your own magical symbols or charms to the back and charge it with your intentions. Bridget could add happy home and healing energy. Use the Rowan Fairy to shield your home from negative energies. The Oak Fairy or Greenman could hang around and add a boost to your finances!  You could also add an herbal wash to the back and let it dry before adding your writing or symbols for an extra magical punch. 

• Affordable: At only ten bucks each, these tiles are a great value. These beautiful gloss finish ceramic tiles are a beautiful decorative piece to hang on your wall. They measures 4" x 6" and are a great way to collect artwork when you're on a budget.





Tatianas New Dress, I have one in my bathroom which is all decorated in greens and fairies.

• They're so Pretty:  The look of the art printed on these ceramic tiles gives it a very attractive soft look.  The fronts are glossy, and the back is uncoated ceramic.  The art is not paper decoupaged onto these tiles, we use the dye sublimation method to make these tiles right in our studio.  The art is printed using special dyes and then with heat and pressure the dye is actually infused into the surface of the ceramic. 

• Versatility:  They come complete with a hanger already on the back, so you can hang them wherever you want, and you don't have to buy a frame, it's self contained and ready to go.  Great for hanging near your altar, or they can be displayed on a small easel.

Here's what the backs look like.

• Gift Giving:  Because they're so affordable, they make great gifts, many of our customers have told us they've given these as gifts.  One bride ordered several to give her bridal party, she wrote the names and date on the back with a metallic pen to make them personalised keepsakes of her special day.  We also had a customer pick one up to give as a gift to someone as an initiation gift.  Who would you give one to?

• Convenient Size: For people who don't have room for prints but want to own a piece of this magical art, these great art tiles are a great solution, you can always find a little nook or corner to display one of these sweet oval tiles.

   That's what our oval tiles are all about, a really classy looking and affordable way to add flair to any room.  We have loads of them now in our Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/MickieMuellerStudio and adding more over the next 24 hours.  If you ever see any of Mickie's art that we don't have an an oval tile, drop us an email or convo, we're happy to make you a custom one.

Blessings,