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? :)

Accidental Anneversary Sculpt

Ladies and Gentlemen...
Boys and Girls...
Children of All Ages,

Hello.

Hope you all have been doing well.

I do believe that I am back from my hiatus. So much has happened since last we spoke. I will touch on some of it today, not all, wouldn't want anyone falling asleep. :)

Let's see...where to start, where to start. And these are by no means in any particular order. Just whatever happens to populate my head.....

June 25th my son was in a car accident. Scared the bejesus out of me. His car was totaled but fortunately he is ok. He was banged up and bruised - slammed his face into the air bagged steering wheel. The call came with no other information than 'he's being rushed to the hospital'. You know, the one that's over an hour away. Which only made the feeling of dread that much worse. Discovered afterwards that this particular hospital is the one that handles 'traumas of his level'. We waited, and waited, and waited while they tested and x-rayed to make sure there were no injuries that couldn't be seen. In the end, he was stiff and his face hurt. Headaches for a couple weeks after. I am just thankful that's all it was. Ryan, I love you!

There have been a couple of birthdays, Lawton and Sally's. A bar-b-q and a bar. Don't worry, didn't take Lawton to the bar. LOL. And an anniversary. Sally and I have been married for 22 years. Sally and I went out for a nice dinner. Nothing fancy, just the two of us. Had a great time. And Jenifer is getting huge! It's almost time for my new grand daughter to make an appearance. Just a few more weeks. :)

Lawton's eighth birthday!

Sally's bar bash (i was taking pictures and was the DD)

We were on vacation at the beginning of July. We went hiking at a couple of the state parks here in Georgia. We have a map and we are checking off parks each time we go. I think we've done 8 or so. We went to Panola Mountain State Park and to High Falls State Park. Panola Mountain had some really amazing fungi. We also spent time working on the decks around the house (not vacation stuff, I know, but when else would it get done?). Got the front deck (porch) power washed and waterproofed. Got a good bit of the back deck done, still a long way to go though. 

Panola Mountain Fungus 

more fungus

and a granite outcropping. this just dropped over the

side and into the forest. it was huge

the remnants of the old mill at High Falls State Park

the falls - taken from a walk way that extended into the river

the other side of the river (across the road from the falls)

and of course, fungus

amazing how much dirt is actually there  YUK!

Made a trip to the Renaissance Festival. Yes, I got dressed and then didn't get one picture of my garb. Duh, what was I thinking? Other than, 'OMG it's hot!' It was scorching when we went. I took off half of my clothes within an hour of being there. Everyone had a good time though. 

the opening ceremony

Jenifer and Perry on the dragon ride. the guy that pushes

the ride just looked at us like we were all insane  :)

Jenifer made new friends. they were pushy too!

the lord mayor and some wandering gargoyles

During vacation I started my third batch of mead. It has been named Gypsy. It only seems fitting considering the amount of ingredients it has....

Spring Water, Orange Blossom Honey, papaya, apricots, hazel nuts, vanilla beans, orange peel, coriander seeds, grains of paradise seeds, ginger and rainier cherries. 

I did the first rack earlier today and it smelled fantastic. The reading was 1.002, which puts the alcohol level at 11.95%. When I removed the fruit bag I was shocked to discover that the process had turned the cherries 'white'. Never seen that before, live and learn I guess. HA!

all the goodies going in...

removing the fruit bag, gooey mess!

and the discolored cherries - kind of reminds me of olives

I've also been working on a new painting in Corel. So far, so good! I've really been happy with the results to this point (granted, it's not finished yet). And I have also been sculpting. It's a mask I am working on, for HALLOWEEN of course. I can't believe how close it is already. I guess that happens when your head is in a fog. :) I have no 'sneak peaks' of the painting but I do have some of the sculpt. I am happy with it so far...

measurements laid out...

base layer of clay

blocking in larger shapes

teeth roughed in

smoothed out over all...

adding cracks and details...

this is where it is as of Saturday night

I just realized that I've had more daily visitors since I haven't posted than when I did....not sure how to take that one. Maybe you're all just checking up on me. Yup, that's a good answer, and I'm sticking with it. 

Well, I do believe that's all for now. Until next time....

Be Good, Be Safe, Be Happy!

TTFN

p.s. I think I hear pumpkins! HAHAHA! (it's better than hearing voices, isn't it??)