Maren Owens of Mimi's ole Nickel creates whimsical Halloween and Christmas characters overflowing with personality. Each sculpture speaks to her during the creative process, letting her know who they need to be. Her characters run the gamut of emotions. They can range from serene to sassy, or perhaps even grumpy. All are beautifully dressed in antiques and carefully chosen found objects. Maren draws inspiration from folklore, the Victorians, Old World Europe, and everyday people.

After studying art in Chicago, Maren shifted from the traditional gallery world to sculpting holiday characters. Whether it's potion-testing witches, vigilante vampires, or mischievous elves, her creations are layered with meaning, humor, and conversation. Her time working at a makeup counter sharpened her understanding of facial anatomy and even inspired her unconventional sculpting tools.

"Once I sculpted a face, I just couldn't go back—it's so much fun because the characters start telling me who they want to be." - Maren

Mentions:

• Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween (Marshall, MI): http://www.bewitchingpeddlersofhalloween.com
• North Penn Holiday Art Show (Lansdale, PA): https://northpennifc.org
• Vampa Museum (Doylestown, PA): https://www.vampamuseum.com

Visit Maren at "Mimi's ole Nickel" on Facebook and @mimisolenickel on Instagram.

Welcome to Season 7 of the Halloween Art and Travel Podcast! I'm your host, Kristen Stafford, and I'm thrilled to kick off another season of celebrating the artists and collectors who bring Halloween magic to life.

This year, I'm launching the season a little later than usual, but for a good reason. In this trailer, I'm sharing the behind-the-scenes story of a new project I've been working on with my friend Jorene Lomenzo of Shivers of Delight. It all started with a simple text message... and today, it's officially live.

We are introducing "The Halloween Art Guide for Spellbound Collectors" (HAG). This guide supports Halloween art collectors with an artist directory, a collecting guide, and a section on Halloween art shows, past, present, and future.

This season podcast episodes will drop the 13th, 23rd, and 30th, August – October.

You'll also get a preview of my interview with Maren Owens of Mimi's Ole Nickel, debuting on August 13.

Mentions:
-Halloween Art Guide: www.halloweenartguide.com
-Halloween Art Guide on Instagram: @halloweenartguide

Meet Marion Held, the creator and curator of the Devil-ish Little Things Museum in Vancouver, WA. Marion shares her passion for collecting whimsical devil, Krampus, and satyr objects. Marion's collection is brightly colored, mostly from Europe, and is based on fairytales and folklore. Her collection began 26 years ago when she fell in love with the Devil and Cards ceramics by Royal Bayreuth.

Marion is dedicated to inspiring others to appreciate and collect art. Her collection exudes a playful European charm that reflects her upbringing in her native Germany. She loves the craftsmanship behind each piece and is still actively adding to her collection by partnering with a network of dealers around the globe. She has a keen eye for unique pieces and works diligently to preserve the history of each object.

Marion is a well-known beadworker. When she lived in LA, her beadwork was discovered by a Hollywood costume designer. That lead to work in movies like Hocus Pocus and Batman Returns. She also created special creature effects, for movies like Hellboy. After moving to WA and opening her museum, Marion took on doing pottery, which she sells out of her museum gift shop.

"...if young people don't start collecting, everything is going to be lost...I always say go out there, go to antique shows, look around, discover some cool stuff and then maybe you'll see something you like that will stick with you. And then before you know it, you have a house full of stuff like I do. Then I'll come see you..." - Marion Held

Visit Marion at: https://www.facebook.com/DEVILishLittleThingsMuseum or https://www.instagram.com/devilish_little_things_museum

Meet Kymmburleigh Clark, upholstery teacher, designer, and restorer of furniture. When her dogs destroyed two of her chairs, she taught herself how to restore them. This started her on the path to learning the craft of upholstery. As a co-owner of a furniture fabrication shop, Kymm learned about the dire state of the upholstery field. Demand far exceeds the number of people with the skill.

After their successful business closed due to a lack of skilled labor, Kymm made it her mission to teach as many people upholstery as possible and Lullco was born. Today you can find Kymm teaching in-person and virtual classes, taking on her own clients, and developing new techniques to keep dated furniture out of landfills.

Kymm offers cautionary advice and inspiration for dealing with furniture, making this interview relevant for upholstery enthusiasts, DYI adventurers, and people who sit on chairs. You'll hear about scary things found in chairs and other secrets they keep.

Our conversation also delves into Kymm's love for Halloween, with a haunted cemetery travel tip, and all about her upcoming spooky mansion vendor show, showcasing her unique furniture collection.

Mentions:

• Allied Aethernautics Art and Design by William Kevin Petty: https://www.alliedaethernautics.com
• Maker Works (Ann Arbor, MI): https://www.maker-works.com
• Sunset Hills Cemetery (Flint, MI): https://929nin.com/flint-michigan-cemeterys-haunted-crack-the-whip-sculpture-may-come-to-life-at-night

Visit Kymm's web site at: https://lullco.co/