A Walk In The Woods

Good Day All!
I hope that your Halloween was fantastic and that you had lots of visitors!
Now that the festivities have subsided somewhat, I feel a trip to the woods is in order.
As you may (or may not) know, I have been sick for the past week or so.
But I've been feeling run down and drained for a while now.
I need to spend a day just wandering through the trees and streams, the plants and the brush.
I need to reconnect to the wonders that wait just outside our doors.
A battery recharge, if you will.
I've always found that a journey into nature helps bring balance back - and it's been way too long!

A Gateway Into The Unknown....

http://www.landscapehdwalls.com/arch-in-the-woods-1/

 Maybe Make Some New Friends?

http://carlos-quevedo.deviantart.com/art/Goddess-of-the-Woods-413652583

The Locals Are Always Around To Greet You!

http://hdwallsource.com/woods-wallpaper-20366.html/woods-wallpaper-20366

The Colors Are Crisp And Vibrant

http://eliseenchanted.deviantart.com/art/Day-21-Magic-forest-349720008

And The Nights Are Full Of Awe And Wonder

http://www.allthesky.com/nightscapes/forest2.html

Yes, a getaway is in order. I can already hear her calling.

TTFN

p.s. a post Halloween post will be coming soon.

Wishing My Family And Friends A Happy Halloween And A Truly Blessed Samhain!

May The Joy In Your Life Spill Forever Outward!

My wish for my friends - written 10/13/2014

Read it aloud and hold it near

Share it with family, friends and those you hold dear

Remember Those Who Came Before

May Your Harvest Be Bountiful And Your Year Be Bright!

TTFN

Delusions of the Bizarre Vermeer!

Good Day All!
Today's post is brought to you by the letter "S" -
for sneezes, sniffles and such. Not to forget Sick.
Yes, less than a week away from the greatest holiday on the planet...I have managed to catch something. I've been in flannel pajamas since I got home on Saturday from work. It's been glorious, can't you tell? LOL  I feel absolutely horrendous, even after several doses of NyQuil. It looks like another early to bed night - likely the moment I am done with this post.

I do hope that everyone else is holding up well as we slide into the few days before Halloween. Can't have everyone sick, now can we?

I think we shall work backwards tonight....

Sally and I made our trip to Sam's Club for the collecting of this years goodies. Since Halloween is on a Friday this year, we picked up an extra box of chocolates for all the little critters.

this years selection of Halloween goodies

Friday evening, our neighbor Amy, had us over for a Halloween bash - bonfire and all! Amy got dressed up and Sally did too. Al and Livy were dressed as well. I never managed to get to my costume. Various other things kept me running back and forth all night. We did have a good time though. The fire was nice and toasty - along with the majority of the guests. ;)  I have no pictures of the party...hhmmmmm? I wonder if Sally or Amy got any? Will have to check on that one.

I noticed my 'Mother's Tongue' had a new flower. I wasn't aware that they flowered at all. It's kind of nice though. What do you think?

Amy surprised me with a gift early in the week as well. Apparently there was a 'garage sale' in front of her flower shop with all kinds of things - including costumes. It's a gorgeous conquistador helmet made entirely of leather. It was a fantastic surprise! Thanks Amy!

wonderful surprise!

I have come across some really fantastic websites in the last week or so while diligently searching for Halloween related items. There is Immortal Masks, which has some really cool silicone masks. Maybe someday I can afford one? I like the Count, Oni and the Satyr...

The Count

Oni

Satyr

Then there was Delusion...which looks to be an amazing theatrical experience. I believe they are on the west coast. Which is a real bummer - I would love to go to this! It's an interactive experience. You actually play a part in the story. Up close and personal. Spooky!!

Then I came across THIS

this is the closest thing I have seen to what I want to do. I would freak out at the chance to put on an annual show along these lines. This one is in Detroit. I would be super tempted to go if I still lived in Michigan. It looks unbelievable! The link above is for the story - from Hour Detroit. This link is for the venue itself. Take a peek...don't be scared!

And now for a complete side track....

Has anyone else seen this? It's a documentary on Vermeer's painting technique. I happened across it when I was flipping channels - hundreds of stations and nothing on. The man involved recreated everything down to the tiniest of details. The technique is quite painstaking and drawn out. I am an artist - so it never occurred to me that the artists of that time period wouldn't use what was available. I mean really, do you really believe that DaVinci or MichealAngelo wouldn't take advantage of digital instruments if they were alive today? I loved watching the painting come to life. But what really blew my mind was the fact that this man created a replica of where Vermeer painted in order to prove his point. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It captured my spirit to the point that I seriously want to try a painting like this. 

Vermeer - you must see this documentary

Well All...

I do believe that will be the end of this post. The congestion is creeping back in and I'm having a hell of a time concentrating on anything.

Have a fantastic week! Only a few more days til the Great Pumpkin rises from the pumpkin patch! 

til next time...

Be Good, Be Happy, Be Safe!!

TTFN

p.s. - there are still a few goodie bags left in my ETSY shop (see upper right hand corner of blog)! 

Time is of the essence!

Good Morning All!

Well, so much for not letting my blog get behind again....
What can I say? Not much! Not going to make excuses - mainly because they all sound lame when I say them out loud! All I can say is "Missed You All!"

Don't even know where to begin...So I think I will just start with the current things.

HALLOWEEN! (what? did you expect something else?)
I put up the decorations yesterday. The yard looks great. And all the spookies can't wait for the kids to come calling.
I have been working on a vest for THE NIGHT! And it coming along well. It took a few tries with the pattern though. I did a couple of run throughs with muslin to make sure, glad I did. The first cut fit my manikin perferctly! Not so much me. Apparently, I'm not the same size as I was. :(  So I made some modifications and finally got it to fit. I'm using 'Nevermore' (Poe inspired) material and 'Black Magic Damask' in Green. I still have some finishing to do - including hemming and buttons. I think I'm going to make the buttons since I can't find what I'm looking for.

from the driveway

up the stairs...

my grand daughter was helping

she got her screwdrivers out

and was fixing the coffin from

inbetween the railings

up the stairs...in the dark

the Big Guy hoovering over the bushes

Devil in a box

vest front

it 'hangs' terribly on the manikin

vest back

I have some new items in my Etsy Shop as well! Goodie bags for all the little ghosts and goblins. They just have to have something to carry all that candy around, right? You can check it out here. They're all around 20 inches deep (tall) and have a 10 inch round bottom with black pull strings. Feel free to share it with everyone you know!

And of course, Jack made his annual trip to work and is smiling on his new perch next to my office door! He even has lights this year! And a mat!

Happy Jack!

What Else?...

My grandson, Rylee, was officially diagnoised with autism recently. Now we can finally get him the attention he deserves! He's so full of energy! 

Rylee, waiting for his doctor

And my grand daughter, Kennedy, has a big girl bed now. She was done with her crib and made it clear that she wanted something else.

ready for bed

I managed to get my plants repotted. I had to put my cactus in a new pot - it had really grown this summer and needed more space. And all the little plants that needed their own space.

my poor cacuts...

in it's new pot and

all it's little friends

I had some success with my strawbale garden...not as much as I was hoping for but some.....

watermelons and Carolina Gold tomatoes

Indigo Rose tomatoes and 

Dragon Cyanne

And the latest batch of mead...

I found a faerie on the back porch too! Poor little thing...didn't make the rain.

I even made an ACEO. Turned out pretty darn good too!

happy little skeleton

I think that's where I will draw this to a close. There were hundreds of other little things but I don't want to put anyone to sleep. LOL 

I will leave you with this... 

Kennedy Halloween Shopping!

Til Next Time..

Be Good, Be Safe, Be Happy!

TTFN

See you all soon!

TOTAL RECALL...OR AS MUCH AS I CAN REMEMBER

Good Morrow Friends!
Hope you all have been well since last we visited.
I have been...slacking, terribly on my blog duties. Did you miss me? I certainly missed you. I haven't been keeping up with my blog or any others (head down, frowny face). :(  Just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. I think I shall buy a timer and set it. Otherwise I will certainly be on the computer for hours and hours. I see that many of you have been wonderfully creative as of late. That brings a huge smile to face. And of course, makes me realized that my project list is HUGE!

There has been so much going on that I don't even know where to start...
I think rather than bore you to death with the details I will just do a recap...maybe throw in a picture or two for good measure.

The flower circle and the strawbale garden are doing well. I have tomatoes, peppers and as of yesterday, the start of a watermelon. The pumpkin vines are everywhere, but alas, no pumpkins yet.

My fruit trees are doing well too. We actually got a plum! It was delicious. Of course I sliced my finger cutting it up.

I have a new project that I hope to have completed for Halloween (you knew I was going to say, didn't you). I won't give away too much right now, but I am excited about it. I also have to figure out some way of keeping things dry, since it seems to like to rain on me every year.

I was a victim of Identity Fraud. Apparently someone in Detroit used my name and social security to open a Comcast account. Which they then ran up to $1000. Nothing like an 8am telephone call from a collection agency. Still trying to figure out how they got my phone number, in Georgia,  from an account in Michigan. Finally got it straightened out after four days trying to get an actual person on the phone from Comcast.

We had a weekend trip to jail. And are now dealing with the consequences of. Not going into details, but it is something that I don't want to ever repeat.

The computer that I use for my artwork crashed and died. I am still trying to piece that all back together. I'm hoping that I don't have too many issues trying to reload all of my programs. **fingers crossed**

I was so wrapped up in all the issues going on that I missed - yes, missed completely - the Litha (Summer Solstice). It was a couple days later that I realized that it had passed.

We celebrated my grandson's birthday. Lawton turned 9 this year. Doesn't seem possible.

Celebrated the fourth with our neighbors - bar-b-que, pool, music and sunshine.
And Kennedy's first sparklers. She was awestruck. She wasn't thrilled with the BOOMS from the local fireworks (she could hear them but not see them).

What else?
Oh, my doctor now has me on medication for my cholesterol and blood sugar. Yippee. More pills. On the plus side my blood pressure has been down. The cholesterol pills smell horrible. And don't taste too good either. :)

We had several family and friends in the hospital during this period too.

Sally had surgery on her wrist (her second one) - which is healing very well.

And she managed to slice her ear open. Even had to get stitches. In her ear, ouch!

cactus flowers

lots of flowers in the circle

Lawton's 9th birthday party

complete with magic tricks and fireworks

Kennedy's first fourth - sparklers galore

my wife's trip to Michigan -

my sister and my nephew

I do believe that's all. 

Off to do laundry, take the trash to the dump and basically run in circles. HA!

I will see you all next time.

til then....

Be Good, Be Safe, Be Happy!

TTFN

(you know there's only 116 days left, right?)

I asked this once before but never got a response...what are your opinions of a video blog? 

Yay / Nay? Something I am contemplating. Let me know what you think.

Glitter Kings and Straw Flowers

Top 'O the mornin' to ya!
I see I've had a bushel of visitors - well over 600. Lightens my heart, it does!
Hope y'all have been well since last we visited.

It has been a busy lil' time in my tiny corner of the world.
The weather has been odd so far this year. Like it has in so many other places. I wonder how much longer we (humans) can screw things up before Mother (Nature) steps in and puts a stop to it. That time is coming...and you know how Mother gets when things aren't right. I think it's time we all step back and acknowledge that we are what's causing the problems.
Ok, no soap boxes today...Just something to think about while we continue on our journey.

Speaking of journeys...in no particular order...

On the 10th, we celebrated my grand daughter's 5th birthday. She had a Michael Jackson themed party. Lots of fun and LOTS OF GLITTER! My wife made some amazing gifts for the adults to take home. They were made from tuna cans, cloths pins, baby food jars, markers and of course, glitter. We did cupcakes instead of a cake. I made some and my daughter made some. There were balloons and ribbons and about 20 people. At least ten of whom were under the age of 9. It was a really nice party. Everyone, kids and adults, were in a good mood. My wife made MJ gloves for the kids to were. Latex gloves with GLITTER - in case you missed it, there was glitter from hell to breakfast. This was supposed to be an outside party but of course it rained. So I had kids and adults, flinging glitter everywhere. There was glitter on the back porch. There was glitter on the front porch, down the stairs and into the driveway. My house sparkled. It was like being in a bad version of 'Twilight'. HA! We played (the kids) pin the glove on MJ. And limbo. And....
All in all it was a pretty good day!

Shaylor in her MJ outfit...

the start of the glitter invasion (look by her feet)

blowing out candles - she was embarrassed because

everyone was singing 'happy birthday' to her

blowing out her second set of candles

my daughter made red cupcakes. i made

the white ones and my daughter decorated

both sets

The straw bale garden is doing great. It's been a month this weekend that they were planted. Lots of green everywhere. I think I am going to have to cut some of the surrounding trees back a little. They are blocking the sun from the back part of the bales. The beans seem to really like the bales. They have really taken off. The Butcher corn and the pumpkins are doing very well. The smaller bale with the tomatoes doesn't seem to be as forth coming. They are doing well, they're just not at the same level as the others. I think that may have to do with the amount of sun that the trees are blocking. 

The flower circle is doing really well. Things have started coming up and it is beginning to fill in. I've gotten some fairly large growth at the back of the ring. I believe these are my sunflowers coming up. There are many other plants (and weeds) popping up all around the ring as well. 

My fruit trees seem to like their place on the slope of my front yard. It will be nice to be able to go and grab some fresh fruit when they get that far. 

I finally got my bulbs in the ground. They have been added to the rose area. I have added various Caladiums and some lilies. I noticed some growth a couple days ago. I can't wait to see them. 

as of this morning

(l) broom corn, sunflowers, butcher corn

(r) various beans, butcher corn and PUMPKINS!

small bale

tomatoes, eggplant, black bell peppers, dragon cayenne,

watermelon and various greens

flower circle

filling out but still looking a little ruff

you can see the big plants right behind the bird bath

they are about thigh high at the moment

one of my roses

you can see it in the photo above

right in the middle

these are the newest addition

I have a visitor to my flower circle as well as my straw bales. The little bugger has been digging holes in both. I came home to find him sitting in my flower circle. He didn't move, even when I was less than 3 feet from him. I have seen him several times since then. All through out my yard. My neighbor told me that she has seen him out by the bales on several occasions. I will have to look at putting up some kind of fence so that he doesn't eat my pumpkins. 

my lil' hole digging culprit

I have actually managed to get some work done on "the Forrest King". He is coming along nicely. I have given him a tail and have created, cut and sewn his hair. I hope to have him completed soon. He is the second in the Forrest line. I did five pulls from Forrest's mold. One of which is a test piece for paint. So there will only be 4 of them. The remaining two have the bodies made but the hair that I want is proving much harder to get than anticipated. Anyway, I am concentrating on King right now. 

tail pinned in place

the tape and paper pattern for the hair

his curly white hair

working on a crown

leaning towards something organic

Well, I do believe that is all for this post. I am off to do the fun things of the day...laundry, bathing the dogs and various other fun filled chores.

I hope your upcoming week is filled with family, friends and all the joy you can stand!

Until next time...

Be Good, Be Safe, Be Happy!

TTFN

p.s. ~ Only 165 days til Halloween! OMG, so many things to do!!  :)