Parade Of Masked Babies!

Good Day Everyone!
Hope you've had a fantastic week.
It's been an extremely busy one for me. Happy as a pig in a pile of....pooh! LOL

Let's start with the Great News...
I am a grandpa...again. Yes, my daughter had her baby! This is her first child, my fifth grandchild.
My daughter, Jenifer, was very strong and had a beautiful baby girl. Her name is Kennedy Laine. She was 8 lbs 7 oz and was 21 inches long. She was born on Tuesday September 10 2013 just after 10 pm.
She and my daughter are both doing great! The hospital attempted to induce her, that lasted less than 5 minutes. My daughter and Kennedy both had a reaction to the pioixn (sp?). They took her off of it and Jenifer did the rest by herself. Less than 12 hours later we had a BABY!! I still can't believe that my baby has a baby now. Man, kids sure know how to make you feel old! :)

Introducing Kennedy Laine....

her first picture

holding my newest grandchild

my daughter, the day after walking

Kennedy to the nursery

Auntie Amanda awaiting Kennedy's arrival

enjoying her new swing

wrapped up like a burrito  :)

I have finished my painting this past week as well. It is titled 'Regent'. It is the first painting I have created with Corel Painter 12. The new version has some new options that I am still playing with but promises to be fantastic. I figure by the time I get them down they will have come out with at least two more versions. Regent is a digital oil, 11 x 14 inches.

I have also finished the label for my newest batch of mead. I am quite please with the Gypsy mead label. The mead itself will be bottled next week and then it will have six months or so before I let anyone taste it. I've had a few sips as I've been fermenting it and so far it is the best one. I think the next batch will use apple cider (fresh, of course) instead of spring water. It promises to be great!

REGENT

11 x 14 Digital Oil

Gypsy Mead Label

I have also finished the masks for my Etsy Shop and they have been posted for sale. If you haven't taken a look yet I encourage you to do so! *how was that for subtle?* LOL! I have also posted some ACEO's and reposted a couple of other items. You can see them all in my shop. Here's a couple of peeks at what's there...

Bloody 'Ell

Neoprene Mask available in my Etsy Shop

Red Headed Devil

ACEO available in my Etsy Shop

I have also been creating a piece for my grand daughter (at my daughters insistence, haha). Here are a couple of in process shots. I will post another later when it is complete and lit up properly.  

all the pieces in one place..

one little part of the whole..

have you guessed what it is yet?

I have been talking to Stephen as well. He is my daughter's fiance's brother. Does that make him my son-in-law? Not sure about that one. He is quickly becoming a part of our lives. He is a 'plant person' and has traveled around planting and cultivating large scale gardens. He has done 'permaculture' set ups, which I'm really interested in. He has promised to come to my house and help me set up some in my yard (since I can't seem to get much to grow, including grass). I'm really looking forward to working on this. I would like to plant some fruit trees and vegetables and various other plants. He is going to show me how to set this up so that they basically take care of themselves. Won't that be a plus!! I will let you know how this progresses in the future. I already have a few ideas of what I want to do in the backyard. I would like to set up an arched doorway with lots of tall grasses and flowers. We will see if this is doable. Stephen has also mentioned that he has over 100 varieties of plant seeds for me to look at. YAY! Can't wait.

I attended my niece's parade on Saturday too. She is in the band and did a wonderful job! It was the Temple parade. Just a small parade through town. Lots of people showed up to cheer them on. I was glad I got the chance to see her decked out in her full uniform. Thank goodness it wasn't miserable hot!

Ariel at the Temple Parade

full uniform making me feel hot!

one of the classic cars from the parade

bringing up the end of the parade

I think it was last month that I came across a picture of some Halloween Tennis Shoes that I really liked. I am going to attempt to make a pair of my own. They are painted canvas shoes. Then I can wear them all throughout October! That should make everyone certain that I am completely insane. :) LOL!!

inspiration for making my own

I think I'm going to use low tops for mine though

I've been watching Face Off and Heros of Cosplay too. But I think I will save that for another post. I have been recording them so I am behind a couple of weeks on both shows. 

Did I tell you that I relocated? Rustic little shack at the bottom of a dead end street....

Ha Ha! just kidding

although this could be promising  :P

I came across this sign at JoAnn Fabrics recently too. It made me giggle. I'm sure the women that were in the isle with me probably thought I was having an episode.....

made me laugh! 

i know...really bad picture

had to be quick. some places get

really weird about you taking pictures of products

And one last one...

I'm sure it will be here in a flash...

and then it will be 'It's over already?' LOL

Well, I think that's all for now. I'm sure as soon as I log off that I will remember something that I was going to tell you. It always seems to happen that way. Have a great week! Go check out my Etsy store and if you're feeling really rambunctious buy something. :)

Til next time...

Be Good, Be Safe, Be Happy!

TTFN

times a tickin'!!

Dreams of the Masked Spider

G'day Mates!
Hope everyone is doing well!

Well, it's been a busy, productive lapse since my last post.
Work on the masks have continued. They are almost complete, just lacking the elastic head bands. Once those are attached they will be ready to be loaded into my Etsy shop! YAY! I have a few (ha ha) photos to share with you. The first set is of the process for the antiqued skull...

the first two - gesso-ed and ready for paint...

applied and wiped a layer of 'titan buff'...

applied and wiped a layer of 'taupe'...

applied and wiped a layer of 'antique medium'...

beginning the 'crackle'...

applied a layer of 'barn red' to deepen the cracks...

and another layer of 'antique medium' to 

further enhance the cracks

Bloody'Ell

Antiqued

Green with Envy

Orange Mist

Orange Swirls

This past week my daughter and I made Halloween wreaths! Spent the day with her and had a blast. Word of advice...stay away from glittered tulle! What a mess! It was everywhere...sofa, tables, floor. I looked up several sites to get a feel for how they were done, so I can't point to one particular site. I did a 'longer' wreath and Jenifer did a 'shorter' wreath. Both have lights. They both turned out fantastic and we both had a good time making them. We started with a trip to Michael's Craft store. They didn't have any orange tulle. The guy who tried to help me said he'd never seen orange tulle. I just gave him a 'yeah, right' look. Fortunately there was a Home Goods store next door and they had orange tulle. The wreaths centers are both 12 inch. Various flowers and decorations were added. Jenifer now wants to make wreaths for all the holidays. However, I believe we came to the conclusion "NO GLITTER"!  :)

before the lights were added

Jenifer's is on the right and mine on the left

Jenifer's complete with lights

I have to get a good shot of mine with lights

(I'll post it next time - I promise)

Speaking of Jenifer - no baby yet. Her due date is September 3. So any day now. I swear she looks like she could 'pop' if you look at her sideways. :) Can't wait to meet my grand daughter.

Sally and I went out to dinner at Applebee's. Shortly after we got seated it stormed. They lost power so we got to sit in the quiet for a bit till everything came back on. It's amazing how quiet people get when they realize that everyone else can hear what they are saying. Yes, I know, Applebee's is not on my 'should eat' list. But every once in a while won't hurt - too much. HA!

Does anyone else have 'waking dreams'? 

When I was in my early twenties, I had a recurring dream. Both waking and sleeping, at least once a week. I was in a vast field bordered by trees. I was always standing in front of castle ruins. The grass was waist high. The wind would start to blow and as it did I could feel my hair 'grow' from my head. I would close my eyes and feel the wind blow through me. It was one of the most calming things I've ever known. But it also brought a sense of change, something new. 

Well, just a couple of days ago, I was letting the dogs out for the night. I stepped onto the back porch and the wind picked up. I was instantly transported to that field. Again I could feel my hair lengthen and a sense of newness swept through me. After it was over, it occurred to me that I hadn't had that dream in a very long time. Makes me curious, and a bit anxious, as to what new changes are coming. 

And to all of you thinking that it's just wishful thinking that my hair would grow....well, when I first had these dreams my hair was arse length. So I say 'no' to you! LOL

Any dreamers out there with dreams to share? I would love to hear them!

Oh!! I have to tell you about my spider! Yes, I said spider! After our trip to Jenifer's for wreath making, we pulled into the driveway. Half way up the drive as said 'holy shit'. My wife looked at me like the house was on fire. I directed her to the garage door....she responded with OMG! We have a yellow orb spider that has taken up residence in the corner of the garage door. You could clearly see her from the middle of the driveway. I kept thinking 'she's got to be huge in order for me to see her from here'. Well, she is. She is as big as my lighter. Yes, I got close enough to compare the two. She's stunning and a bit frightening too. After I put my hand up by her, with my lighter to compare, the first thought was 'damn, she's big enough to carrier me away' and my second was 'step away from the spider before she eats you'. LOL

our (outside) house guest

Well....I do believe that's it for now.

Until next we meet, I will leave you with this...

Be Good, Be Safe, Be Happy!

TTFN

p.s. ~ 62 days!  ;}

Baby Skeletons Painting

Good Morning All!
Hope you've had a great week!

Work continues on the new mask. I have gotten it molded, poured and trimmed up. I still have some 'cleaning' to do...sanding and such. And then to paint it. I wanted a 'smaller' mask, a half mask but I think it may be smaller than I thought it was going to be. I am happy with the way it has come out, but I'm not convinced of the size...yet. :) On to the photos....

messy mold making...didn't use retaining walls

so there was a pool of plaster

after the clay was removed

neoprene drying in the mold

first pull

lots of plaster haze

haze washed off and drying

flash trimmed and eyes / nose cut out

second pull in white

the black neoprene leaves residue in the mold

that's what all the dark spots on the mask are.

trimmed and cut out

Shaylor trying on the mask

she was spooky  :)

We (my wife) had a baby shower for my daughter this past week as well. It was a nice turn out. I did my best to stay 'invisible' but it was family so you can guess how well that worked out. Here's a few pics, haven't gotten all the photos from everyone yet, so these are the ones that I could scrounge....

Amy and Jenifer....

everyone loves the belly  LOL!

me and my baby girl

still can't believe she's going to 

have a baby

the cake i made for the shower

white cake with pink vanilla and key lime frosting

a photo by Melanie...

a friend who is a professional photographer

she did a series of Jenifer and put them on a CD for her

it was so sweet

you can see more of Melanie's work here

Progress is being made on my latest painting as well. I promised a sneak peak last time around so here it is...

coming along splendidly

I came across some really cool cookie cutters too....I SO WANT THESE!! They're a cookie cutter on one side and a stamp on the other. They're not new, a year or two old, so you may have already seen them. But they're new to me! I WANT, I WANT, I WANT!!!

I hope to go Halloween window shopping soon. Maybe this coming week?   **fingers crossed**

I'll let you know if I find anything worth buying (they sell so much junk lately).

til next time...

Be Good, Be Safe, Be Happy!!!

TTFN

p.s. ONLY 81 DAYS TO HALLOWEEN! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? :)