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!