“And above all,
watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you,
because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.
Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”
― Roald Dahl





Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Haunted Humpdays are here again!

Welcome to the 3rd annual


I've really been looking forward to this time of year.
Been on the lookout for the first pumpkins of the season to reach the grocery stores.
We always get one and carve it right away.
If you add powdered cinnamon and nutmeg to the inside lid,
 it smells incredible once the candle is lit!!! 


  Haven't found the pumpkins yet but I did find these,



Last week
I took Helena with me to the apartment office to get a parcel :-)
It was gorgeously overcast & sprinkling...
on our way she started picking up as many pine-cones
as she could hold...
one of the guys in the office was kind enough to offer us a
plastic bag for her to use...
well she ended up bringing around 40 pine-cones home!
She kept going back for them, because she felt bad for the ones left behind.
This is what became of some of them...






 
Next week I'll show you the 
pine-cone Bigfoot she's putting together.

If you know me, even just a little bit, you know
that it's always Halloween around here.
We use any and all  happy occasions 
to have a Halloween 'party'
I've always been this way.
even if it's just a few creepy stories
or a drive out to a local 'haunted' area.
If it's creepy, I like it and it puts me in a festive mood.
Especially with books.
I remember being around 8 or so and reading books
I wasn't supposed to be reading.
If it was in the bookshelf, I read it.
My mother tried buying me books
she deemed age appropriate.
one of them was this one..


It was pretty good...it wasn't the Amityville Horror, but I enjoyed it.
Twin girls buy an old trunk at an auction and find a Ouija board inside under
a bunch of scraps of fabric.
One girl gets hooked playing it
and she becomes possessed.
Yup, I was eight when I read it:)
I'm guessing my mom didn't read the back of the book.
It was for kids though.
Anyhow, good overcame evil...so it had a positive ending.

 It's funny how the Ouija design is so popular,
there's cakes


 (via pinterest)
Cookies 
Here's a link to the recipe 



 

pillows..
 

Ive even seen furniture.

I have a story about a Ouija
from an old Haunted Humpday
 here
if you're interested. 



 When I was fifteen I had an actual Ouija board...
A friend of mine would come over and we'd ask it all the usual sillyquestions.
There was one 'spirit' that seemed to hate my friend,
It would tell him it was going to kill him and it would curse at him endlessly.
My friend often accused me of manipulating the planchette, 
But I never did...
I ended up throwing it out one morning after a few weeks
of feeling the end of my bed move,
 sort of like when an animal jumps up on it.
Since I had stored the board under my mattress, it kind of 
freaked me out a little. 

Unfortunately, I didn't cover up the board when I threw it out..
when my mom went later to add some trash to the bin.. she saw it.
 After She lectured me on the evils of the board,
she told me a story about my uncle's best friend...and why I should never use
any kind of spirit board again.


Now come sit here next to me...
if we're close enough, we shouldn't get too scared.


according to my uncle
this happened when he was around twelve.
One night
His friend Joe, decided to 'borrow' his older sister's Ouija board.
They brought it out late one night...it was a small group of kids, 
including my uncle, Joe, 
Joe's younger brother and a couple of older cousins.
They started off asking if there was anyone there...it didn't repond..
they asked it if it wanted to speak to them...no answer...
after a while of this, they got bored and started taunting the 'spirits'
mocking them and laughing loudly at their own jokes.
Joe decided it might be fun to burn the board.
He got up and went to grab the board off the table
when they heard a tapping at the kitchen window.
Tap
Tap
Tap
They turned to look and of course didn't see anything.
another three taps rang out of the darkness 
this time on the ceiling above them.
all of a sudden
the board fell off the table and struck Joe's brother.
He got up and ran towards his parent's bedroom. 
Joe stopped him before he could wake them and get them all in trouble.
The board was put away and everyone got ready for bed..trying to 
pretend that nothing had happened.
The next day
my uncle went home and life resumed..
He didn't see his friend for at least a month..
by then he had heard that Joe's brother had been killed
by their own father.
It seems that they were all on their way to a family gathering and
the youngest was told to go open the gates to the driveway.
Their dad backed out but did not see his son and ran him over.  
When my uncle finally spoke to Joe he got 
 more detail on the days and nights leading up to 
the death.
Joe said that for a couple of weeks his brother
was having nightmares 
& he'd wake up screaming.
He kept saying the evil had marked him 
and was coming for him.
His dreams included playing with the board 
and seeing a strange creature hovering over constantly.
 The day before he died, he'd told told Joe that he 
felt like he was going to die soon.

I guess my mom told me this story
to scare me...I found it morbid and sad.
It must have worked because
I never played with a Ouija again.



That's it for this installment of Haunted Humpday...
you know the drill,
leave a comment
and you might win this woolen planchette I felted.
Silly, yes,
evil...
I doubt it.



 Thanks for stopping by!!





Saturday, September 5, 2015

September...

It's September!
Summer is coming to a close, thank goodness.
 
The sky is finally getting some color back in it.
Arizona summer skies are bleached pale, pale blue.
Now that the season is changing the blue is deepening.



 
I love September for many reasons.
#1.Obviously because summer is almost over...
#2.Because it ushers in the start of Halloween merchandise in ALL the stores.
 #3.Most importantly... because it's my man's birthday!
That's right..the most influential man in my life, other than my dad. 
 
He's so amazing!
His birthday is on the 21st and we are going to celebrate it
with audio stories, movies and a creepy dinner in his honor!!
I'll be very sure to post about the evening.
Ok...
Awesome stuff happening around here..
& speaking of amazing people..

Remember this guy??


Well, he sent the incredible artwork I talked about getting a couple of weeks ago.
He is...awesome.
The painting is so gorgeous and vibrant.
To have it in my possession fills me with such happiness!
 

 This photo doesn't do it justice.
  Isn't she adorable!!!!
He even framed it for me.
I set her up in my bedroom, though I said I wasn't going to,
I wanted her to be in the living room so everyone could see her and admire her,
 but I guess I'm feeling a little selfish:)
That's not all!
He also sent this sketch..
'Cause I love vultures,
And the bitty pink skull canvas.
Look at the details on these pieces...


If you haven't visited his Instagram yet, go as soon as you can!!
you are in for a treat.
It's all original artwork dreamed up by him.
 Please don't wait any longer.. 
He has a gallery show coming up next month and he's busy getting ready for it..
 but like I said he is a lovely person
&
You can ask about his artwork..he actually answers...!
And he'll be incredibly sweet with his responses.
Here's the link....
There's also a button on the sidebar. 

So, Now I think it's time...



The third annual Haunted Humpday postings
will begin Wednesday, September 9th!!!
 So fill your favorite mug with cocoa
and come sit by the fire with me, where it's warm and "safe"
Are you excited!?
I really am.
Come back next week
and see what's brewing!
Have a great holiday weekend.



Saturday, August 29, 2015

paint paint paint

How is it Saturday already?
The week really flew by for me!
 
We're only just getting monsoon-ish activity here...
unlike Tucson, where it seems to rain constantly.

Since it's been a while away from here for me,
I want to show you what I've made these passed few months...



































All of these are acrylic on canvas
with the exception of the last one..
she's paper mache, pipe cleaners, clay and plastic tubing.

I know I have other pieces but either I've not photographed them 
before they sold
or
I'm too tired to remember them at the moment!

currently, I am suffering with a bit of an 'artists block' I guess.
Cannot concentrate and I'm VERY distracted...
it's not too bad of a feeling in a way:-)
Hopefully I'll get back to painting soon.

ok...
the weekend is here and that means no homeschool and we get to
make our Halloween plans!
I'm hoping to start Haunted Humpday very soon..
are you as excited as I am!?

Have a wonderful weekend!!

 

Friday, August 21, 2015

I'm back!

I know it's been a while
but I'm really excited to get back to visiting here regularly.
Hope you've been healthy and happy.

I'm getting everything prepared for the upcoming season...
stories, crafts, giveaways,
& recipes...



I wanted to share this lovely piece of artwork
that will soon be gracing my wall!




It's titled
 "Hello Motherf*cker"
It's oil, paint marker and ink 
on a spray painted zinc plate.
 I can't wait to get her!!!!!


The creator of this amazing piece is a very talented artist that
I had the good fortune of finding on Instagram..
This guy is Awesome!!!
His name is 



His work is both fun and creepy..my favorite type of everything.
He will use anything as a canvas ..
as he puts it:
 "...Everything is potentially artwork.It's like energy at rest."

Below is a small sample of his work...
from toe tags to pumpkins.

(The bull-rabbits of the apocalypse)









(Tending the electrolotus)


(Still)





(stick to the devil you know)


(I'd rather be alone anyway)


 










If you get a chance, go take a look at his work..it's very inspiring.
If you happen to inquire about one of his pieces, you'll find that
he's very sweet and personable.


That's it for tonight...
I hope you have a magical weekend!
see you soon!!






Friday, January 9, 2015

New Year

How is everyone?
I'm doing great, to be honest.
This new year started off on a happy note.
lot's of things have been happening..
I'll give you a condensed version of the highlights.
And....my word of the year has been chosen!



Christmas was different,
I have spent every year of my life
at my house on that day
but this year I didn't 
and I really liked it.
I got some incredible, heartfelt gifts.
One that particularly touched my heart and made me cry
was this:

 
It's a runestone from the Hobbit movie..
I find it hard to explain why I love it so much...
just know it was the best gift I've ever received.



On New Year's eve 
My daughter got an email letting her know she's on the A.S.U. dean's list!!
We were so excited we called everyone we know.
I'm so very proud of her!


An old friend that I never ever thought I'd hear from again
found me on Facebook and it's like we never stopped talking!
The last time we spoke was on myspace, lol... probably eight years ago.
I truly believed he was dead!
So it was a very nice surprise.
 
I've also made some new friends recently
really honest, supportive and totally unexpected friends...



Oh! it snowed here on New Year's Eve!!
Big fat floppy snowflakes, actual snowflakes falling from the sky!!
It was completely magical and gorgeous! 
Like a gift :-)


My word of the year is
Magic
  I'm afraid of affirmations sometimes..
because you get what you ask for
that's for sure..
My word last year was bloom or blossom
and yes I did that,
I bloomed, grew, transformed.
 .................
I chose Magic because
I want more of it in my life.
It may sound like a silly word
but I know
it's going to force me to become stronger
and
to take leaps of faith.
I'm ready.



I'm done for today..
just wanted to leave you with a song
I've been obsessed with lately.
It reminds me of .... starlight and fire moons.
.




May your year be everything you ask for..