Art, Antiques, Roses and an Anniversary

How is everyone today?

I'm doing pretty good...been keeping busy..

painting, gluing, baking and a little shopping.

First, I created this art card using one of the Lisa Kettell doll parts.

I turned it into a little fairy bee. I created the background by gluing a bingo card

onto a piece of  6x8 cardboard, then I decoupaged flowery tissue over it.

washi tape,paper flowers, a paper mache bird and bumblebee stickers finish it off

This witch is acrylic, marker and water color on water color paper.

The pink sequin trim is from a pack of about 40 yards I found at hobby lobby for $3.00!!!!

I thought it was per yard but it turns out it was for the whole thing:)

I painted up this mermaid doll to look like a sugar skull..

she has paper flowers glued to her head, she's on her way

to her new home right now.

Yesterday was special..

It was our 2nd annual cryptid party!

We had one last year with creepy food, big foot feet party favors and so many decorations..

I didn't post about it because last year was so hectic I did not have a chance.

I did take pictures yesterday of the silly cookies before the frosting went on them...

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On Friday I went to a antique mall with my older daughter..

We walked around forever! The place is huge & the prices are what you would expect

for antiques..

I saw this gorgeous, gorgeous cage..It's very large  and those holes on top are actually mirrors.

I fell in love with this but it was a bit out of my price range at $260

I did however, purchase this lovely green bowl..

This adorable cookie cutter,

 can you tell it's a couple of children under an umbrella?

It was a little difficult to photograph..

We were making our way to the registers when we 

found this beauty!

She was under some gross looking barbies and dusty old teddy bears..

She's about 25 inches tall.

I checked her price tag and found out she was 

$6.50

I literally did a double take!

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I went to a Rose Garden in Mesa the other day..

The day was windy and it was cool in the shade.

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I'm about ready for bed right now..

today is the anniversary of my mom's death.

It's been 20 years that she passed away..

It was just yesterday and yet it was lifetimes ago..

Friday is my older daughter's birthday, so I will be back this weekend.
I hope you all have a magical week.

Haunted Humpday the fourth (on the fifth)

Is it just me or does this month seem to go by faster than any other month?

And is this really the fourth Haunted Humpday of the season?

So, it was cold in here today..granted, we have on the AC until we just can't take it anymore:)

But when it's super cold in here, it means it's not that hot outdoors..

today was a whopping 86 degrees!

So...We did this....

And this....

Hot cocoa and scary stories!

Have you ever had s'more cocoa?

Make your cocoa like you usually do, then toast a marshmallow before you put it in the cocoa.

If you want, you can dip a graham cracker in your coca too, to get the full effect.

 I've been creating lately, some stuff even sells:)

Here's a Vampira I painted a little while ago...

 and this little thing..I don't know what it is..a monster of some sort.

 oh! this is our latest Jack-o lantern ,

it's huge..about 40 lbs.

 So, do you have your cocoa and a blanket?

yes? Okay, come on over to the fire

 and don't mind the whispers coming from the dark beyond the flames..

This happened to me..

Let me know what you think about this.

When I was about 4 years old, I still slept in my parents room, they had set up a small bed in the space where my crib had been.

One of the reasons I was in there was because I used to have night terrors.

Every single night...

once it got dark, I would be filled with fear.

 It did not matter if my sisters slept next to me

or if someone read me a story, once it got dark I was in hysterics.

Leaving the overhead light helped a little, but that wasn't going to happen.

My mom always left the closet door open slightly and the light on.

One night I woke to find that the light had gone off, but there was enough moonlight shining 

through the windows to illuminate most of the room.

Then, before I had a chance to panic,

I heard the squeaking creak of the door knob turning..

My uncle's face popped in and he gestured to keep quiet and to follow him.

My mom's brother would often stay over on weekends, he had lost his right leg

to illness years before and it was not a surprise to see him at our house,

 although I was surprised to see him go into my parent's room at that late hour.

I slipped out of bed and tiptoed out of the room.

After closing their door behind me, I followed my uncle down the hallway.

I remember my feet being so cold on the tile.

Everything was dark but

his crutches shone faintly in the moonlight coming in through the window.

He never spoke, he just pointed to the corner and I saw a doll.

It was one of those big, big dolls that were made to be the same size of a small child.

She certainly looked tall to me.

she had on a lavender gingham dress, and had dark hair.

What struck me were her eyes, she was staring straight at me

and she was cursing..she was saying terrible things, all in a whispery hiss.

Her lips moved quickly as she threatened me and said profane things.

next thing I knew I was waking up in my bed and it was early morning.

I got up and cautiously opened the door and saw my mother in the kitchen.

No doll anywhere to be seen, so I ran over to her and told her what had happened.

She listened to my whole story, then told me I had to be dreaming, my uncle was out of town

and wasn't due back for a few days.

Plus I'd always had an aversion to dolls, seriously, ANY doll that had rooted hair or a plastic body 

was and still is a no no.

 (She also wanted to know where I had heard such vile language)

When my uncle arrived back in town

he had a brought me a gift, as he usually did.

It was a big doll with dark hair wearing a lavender gingham dress. 

I can still remember the look my mother gave me.

Little bit of fear and little bit of disbelief.

We didn't keep her very long.

It's late and the fire is low.

The whispers you hear could be anything.

Take care getting back to your safe, warm bed.

I hope you enjoyed yourself on this cool October evening.

Oh! a few more things...

We made witches shoes to show you, but I'll wait until later to post them.

There's a Stephen King movie marathon on all day Sunday!!

&

This was day four of the Countdown to Halloween

 

have a spooky rest of the week.

This & That

I sincerely apologize to those of you that I've not visited lately...
things are a little hectic around here...
It's been so cold!

right now as I write this, it's 34 degrees..

the rain has been off and on and it really feels like December.

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My dad continues to improve
but if you've ever been in this situation
you know that once they become ill, their baseline
gets lower and lower...
he has an appetite, but it's nothing like it was,
he's always been a man of few words and he's become even quieter lately.
He's winding down...
but I'm so grateful for this time he's giving us.

 and guess what?
my birthday is coming up on the 10th

There's going to be a little giveaway for it too!
I'll put a birthday post up with more details.

I'm also adding a couple of goodies to my etsy shop soon:)

I'm trying to keep positive..
it would be so easy to crawl into bed and sleep for a few days!
Oh!we just found out one of our cats has asthma...
and lucky him, he gets to share
my emergency inhaler with me!!


 The winner of the book and a blanket for last week
is Linda from moments in an eye.
I'd also like for everyone that commented on that post
to send me their address (if you haven't already)
you are all winners of a little surprise!

it's 3 am so I'm going to go to bed now..
have you started decorating yet?

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Halloween

Happy Halloween!!

We got a visit from the Great Pumpkin this morning!

It was awesome...loads of candy and toys...

I even got a mooshka doll!

I took Helena to a Halloween carnival and she also

got to visit the zoo to trick-or-treat and see all the 'spooky'

decorations and characters.

Unfortunately she's come down with a cold now..but

at least she had some fun! 

I remember some of my Halloweens being a bit crappy.

with either a cold or some other mishap occuring

just in time to ruin trick or treating.

One time though...I was dressed as a gypsy witch

and we went to a neighborhood that was giving

 great gobs of candy and BOOKS!

one of the books was called 'The Game'

and boy was it scary!!

I eventually read all the books in that series...

I wish I still had them!!!

So what are your plans for tonight?

I've always wanted to go to the 

Winchester Mystery house for Halloween.

There's a website with a list of some super scary attractions here.

Okay, Ive been awake all night

buzzing with sweets and spooky stories.

I'm going to nap

then get ready for tonight.

It's time to get out the old umbrella and jump

 into

 

a new year!

   

 

 

 

Happy Halloween!

Haunted dolls - Jade

Are you ready?

The Haunted Halloween Doll Challenge is upon us!

I tell you...the time is just 

slipping by!

This was a lot of fun...

Maybe Frankenstein's monsters

were put together

in a laboratory,

but this little one

was created with love...love and creepiness.

In my version

The bride of Frankenstein falls

madly in love with Frankenstein's monster.

  (Google image)

they head off into the mountains

to a cozy little cottage

away from any nasty pitchfork wielding villagers.

after living in seclusion

for more than a year

they venture into town to show off

the newest addition (Jade) to their

incredible family. 

everyone is so awestruck by this beauty

they forget they ever chased poor old

Frankie around with sticks.

The family is lovingly welcomed.

And they lived happily ever after.

Thank you Kim for hosting this challenge!!

I had this baby doll rolling around outside for about four years.

Bought her at a yard sale..had big plans for it, lol

I never really had a chance to do anything with her,

other than throw her in the washing machine every few months.

The rain and the dogs got to it, 

the body literally fell apart.

I used an old coffee jar for her body...

giant pipe cleaners for her arms and legs...

acrylic paint, hot glue

& magic for the rest of her:)

She's about 14 inches tall.

I had SO much fun

do not be surprised if more of these

girls start showing up on my blog.

Head over to see the rest of the Haunted Halloween Dolls.

It's sure to be a scream.

goodnight!

Party Girl cuff & Charlotte ring

I wanted to share my first Lisa Kettell Designs project with you!!!I had a lot of fun with these!

Cuff
Lisa Kettell Designs party girl doll head
small doily
flat back rhinestones
sequin ribbon
plain fabric cuff
twinklets diamond dust glitter
white craft glue
hot glue
jewelry glue

attatch sequin ribbon to edges of cuff with hot glue
glue doily to center of cuff
cover party girl doll's hat with white glue and dip in glitter, then affix to the doily with a bit of hot glue.
randomly place flatback rhinestones on cuff with jewelry glue
TIP:instead of rhinestones you can use resin flowers which can be found at most craft and hobby shops .




Ring
Lisa Kettell designs Charlotte head doll
small doily
tinsel pipe cleaner
micro glitter
plain ring base
white craft glue
hot glue

Cover Charlotte doll hair with white craft glue, sprinkle micro glitter over it
then hot glue doily to the back
shape tinsel into flower shape
glue to the back of doily
add a small amount of hot glue to center of ring base and place on the back of doily

TIP:use felt stars or flowers in place of doily

Don't forget you can find the adorable Party Girl and Charlotte doll heads in Lisa's Art Fire shop.