Do You Believe In Magic?

The sign beneath the altar said "SERIOUSLY, DO NOT TOUCH". Another sign in the shop asked that pictures not be taken. Seriously? How could I NOT...take a picture, that is?! Unless the sign were in a museum or some other venue where a flash would cause harm to the artwork, a sign such as that seems more like a dare. And only solidified my determination to take a picture. Camera at my waist, flash off, I stealthily snapped one of a really creepy assemblage of artifacts. Odd statues, dead flowers, candles, jewelry and coins were scattered beneath a weird painting of a snake-haired lady.

This was Marie Laveau's VooDoo Shop in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The place obviously attracts a lot of tourist traffic, but look around and you will see that the shop definitely caters to those who believe. "Recipe" books and the ingredients for any sort of "potion" you can imagine are in the back, along with knowledgeable staff who will read your palm and help you choose whatever talisman or charm you need to help ward off those evil spells...or cast one yourself. Voodoo dolls anyone?

Here's how I scrapped that furtive photo:
  

I was inspired by THIS sketch from the talented Susan Stringfellow's Sketch Savvy blog.

Most of the patterned papers are from Echo Park's Chillingsworth Manor collection. Other supplies include patterned paper and die cut paper from BasicGrey, wood veneer birds from Studio Calico, alphabet stamps, an old script background stamp, a foliage stamp, date stamp, ink, ribbon, and shipping tags.

Eeek! Do YOU believe in magic?!