Happy Halloween

Tonight is the night that witches go riding and corpses rise from their graves.

How about this moon shot?
Just needs a tiny black witch on a broom silhouette to make it perfect.

And here's another oldie from my blog.
Spooky cemetery for the skeletons to rise from.
I need to add one walking over the crest of that little ridge.
Just picturing a creature made of bones-old and brown and dirty bones at that-walking over the ridge towards the camera freaks me out a little bit.
So I found a few more Halloween artsy-crafty pieces that I haven't yet shown you. These are pieces I made but aren't quite sure I LOVE. They're not bad, and they're certainly good enough to posts, but they all need something I haven't figured out just what that is.Seems like today is a good day to show them off...

Here's a card. 

The Tattered Angels is shiny and it kind of glared in the photo. But it is so

Halloween.

The background die cut is from Die-Versions.

The candy image is from Crafty Secrets.

There's parts of this card I like and parts I don't like.

I love the spiders, candy, corn and pumpkins. I like the label, but this card needs something more.

Don't you think?

I just don't know what-and still don't know what.

Anyhow, I mailed it off to Katie at school so it is what it is.

And this from  my collage Halloween book that I showed you the other day. This book was made last year but needed some finishing. I love the pumpkin head...it is from Artistic Outpost.

Bats are all a Spellbinder's die.

I like how the spray background came out but I haven't shown you before because it looks too busy OR needs something to tie it all together.

More from that book-but not a very great photo. This page is a bit too kid like for me.. Think it is the ribbon.

And finally his candy tag from the same collage book.

I actually like this tag, and this is just the back of another tag-the witch one I showed you last week.

I like to put something simple on the backs of tags so when you pull them out you have something on both sides.

Trick or Treat!

You decide if these are tricks or actual treats.

Have a really spooky day everyone.

See That Girl on the Left

See that girl on the left-she's turning 21 today.

Wow. 

Here she is with me and her grandmother who just turned 29 again earlier this month.

Born in the middle of the storm that was written about in the book and shown in the movie 

"The Perfect Storm".

This year she has no classes at college because of the fall out from Hurricane Sandy another Perfect Super-Storm.

21 years later.

Does that mean her 42cd birthday will be something life changing too?

But believe you me, I am NOT rushing forward to find that out.

Do you think I look tallest in this photo?

That's what we were trying to do, see who looked the tallest.

Oh well, I am NEVER the tallest-

even among 2 short women.

Anyhow-

I am have a delayed opening and wishing I had the day off again but after watching the mess in New York, NJ and lots of other places, we got LUCKY!

Hope where you are everything is OK.

If not, my thoughts and hopes are with you.

Make it a Happy Day to celebrate my baby's birthday.

Thanks for visiting too.

Look Who's Having a Birthday

Today is the hubby's birthday.

I finally don't feel so old since he's caught up to me now.

I can't believe either of us are now in our 50's...we were just in our early 20's.

But that's how life is isn't it?

Moves faster than the speed of light and you just don't know where it has vanished to!

Here's a not so great photo, but its us- the old couple.

Bet Dave never had the fall out rain and wind of a hurricane on his birthday before.

Last year he got his first blizzard on his birthday.

This is how it looked like year when we woke up on October 30th after it snowed all afternoon and night of his birthday.

 Wow- this global warming-weird weather -really is happening.)

So I am off from school today because of the weather- they are saying rain and wind...happy to chill out in my sweats-with Katie. Let's hope we don't lose power. 

So far so good and it is just a dark rainy morning with a bit of wind-

maybe a fizzle?

So I have been trying to finish reading the new J.K. Rowling book- a Casual Vacancy. She writes really well and I think she has the heart of a story there BUT when is she going to get to it? I think she is used to writing that fabulous multi-volume, 700 pages per book set (Harry Potter of course) that she can't get to the point of anything fast enough. A good learning experience for her I guess. 

Anyhow, while lounging in bed on this rainy no-school day I started reading this book.

Which has caught my attention in the first 5 pages and so far is really good. Interesting especially for me since it is set in Boston- a city I love and kind of know- and talks about the  Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum which is great private home/turned to art museum in the city. Will let you know if it keeps going the way it is but right now I recommend it.

So stay dry and keep your hair from blowing around-

Enjoy your Monday everyone and 

thanks for visiting.

Lots of Cards!!!

Since Halloween is just about here I thought I'd better post the last of the holiday cards I made. Who wants to look at Halloween cards once we get into November? Actually, I am kind of tired of them now-lol- but I think these are pretty cute and I want to share them with you.

What a lucky kid I have who gets these sent to her at college! Ha-ha-I am such a nice mom. I don't worry about making too fancy of cards, but I like to make fun cards for her.

.

Here's card my first card. I used a Provocraft embossing folder for the background-on black paper with white ink rubbed over the page. The tombstones are one of the new fall releases from Tim Holtz/Sizzix.

And then something a bit simpler. The village is from a Martha Stewart set. I added lots of silver Stickles to make the stars. The stickers are from Making Memories and you might notice the witch flying on the left hand side. I didn't color her in since I didn't want her to POP too much on the card. She is on a small Halloween cube from Northwoods Rubber stamps.

I also wanted to play with my dies and card cutting. I made 2 cards doing this. The top pumpkin is using one of Sizzix's new news. The face is Tim Holtz/Sizzix's magnetic dies. I used a Memory box spiderweb die to make the web and the Spellbinder's mini-leaves die to make those little leaves.

And here I used a Spellbinder's Tombstone Nestabilities set. I embossed the skull (Paper Artsy)...stamped on the date and the postmark using Versamark (for a watercolor effect). I doodled the spider web and added the little plastic spider. (Wish I could find more of these. Several years ago I found a big bag of these mini plastic spiders and they are great for these projects. I am getting low.)

I stamped the crow on paper and then cut it out and added it to my tombstone.

. 

Finally, here's a card I actually feel pretty creative making. I used the arched window dies from Memory Box. I colored the window panes and then used Crackle Glaze on them to make them look old. The skull is from October Afternoon. The spider is from the Sizzix Tim Holtz candelabra/ spider die.  The colored background is one of the pages that I mono-printed with my Gelli plate. 

So I'm writing this yesterday and we're on the hurricane watch here. Hurricane Sandy is suppose to effect us somehow tomorrow into Tuesday. Well not the actual hurricane but the rain and wind effects from it.  UNH cancelled classes for both of those days and is asking people to go home in case of the power outages they are talking about.

We shall see.

Katie is psyched though since her birthday is Tuesday and she won't have to go to classes.

Think she's going to be hanging home for a few days.

Nice little mini-vacation for her.

I don't know if we'll have any issues or school cancellations or not...I would love a day off BUT I don't want to have to make it up in June. Since who knows what we'll have for snow days this winter.

We shall just have to wait and see.

Today we're having our big birthday dinner for both Katie and Dave.

Can't believe my little girl is going to be 21-GASP!

Thanks for stopping by.

The Story of Bananas

I am off today on a road trip to Providence, Rhode Island.

First live Black Bear hockey game of the season. 

Maine versus the Friars of Providence College.

It is VERY exciting.

Start of a new season of games to go to and a new venue for us. We haven't taken the trip all the way down to Providence before.

GO BLUE!
(They need it, so far this year they haven't been doing all that great!)

Here's a fun little snippet story about our mascot Bananas and why we are the Black Bears.

I copied it from this web site

http://www.goblackbears.com/information/mascot/index

Bananas, The Black Bear

The black bear has been the mascot of the University of Maine since 1914.

Jeff, a black bear cub who was found on the slopes of Mt. Katahdin in that year, was loaned to the university by Old Town police chief O.B. Fernandez, who hoped that the beast might bring good luck to the ailing football team.

Jeff made his debut at a rally in preparation for the Colby game, and as he entered the auditorium, the surprised crowd applauded enthusiastically. Thinking it the only proper thing to do, Jeff gratefully stood on his head; the crowd went "bananas!"

Maine went on to whip Colby 31-6, and Maine has been going "bananas" for Black Bears ever since. Former track and cross country captain Lloyd E. Houghton '12 presented the university with its own black bear cub the following year, and, remembering Jeff's enthusiastic welcome, suggested the cub be named Bananas.

At least 15 different black bears carried on the name "Bananas" until the practice of having live mascots was banned after the death of "Cindy Bananas" in 1966.

In 1969, the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity began providing a "human Bananas" as a service to the university, and they continue to do so today. Bananas was recently given a "new look" and was unveiled just before kickoff to a raucous crowd of Maine fans at Alfond Stadium prior to the first home football game of the 2004 season.

Bananas entertains at University of Maine athletic contests and other University special events, and also takes part in a variety of community activities and events. Additional support has been provided by the Graduate M Club and the Maine General Alumni Association.

http://www.goblackbears.com/sports/m-hockey/2010-11/releases/20101117pv8g0m

I hope we have a victory to celebrate on our 2 1/2 hour trip home tonight.

GO BLUE!

Blogger's Challenge

This week's Blogger's Challenge is Witches and Goblins.

Perfect with Halloween next week.

Here's my card.

I made these fun legs and feet with a Quickutz/LifeStyle Crafts die. I used white paper so I could colors and decorate these witch legs. The spider and saying are from a Hallowen Jillian Vance stamp set. The background is made with the back side of a stencil that had lots of black paint all over it from a page I did stencil. I just took the messy stencil and flipped it over and then rubbed it down right on my card stock. Not too bad of a Halloween background.

Thanks for popping over to take a better peek at my card.

10 Things Friday

This week I am going to do an art exercise for my brain. This 10 Things Friday is a day for me to make lists- which I so love to do.

This week, 10 art supplies I am loving right now.

1.

My Dylusions art journal. Fairly sturdy pages so you can paint and spray, just wish someone would make a journal that you can color with Copics and Sharpies and the ink won't bleed through.

2. and

Need to restock up I've been going crazy using these.

3.

I have been in a using lots of paints to play lately. I really like these plastic squeeze bottles and the price to buy them at places like Michael's is easy on your wallet.

4.

This rubber stamp from Hero Arts. I love it because you could use it as a tree or flip it over and use it as a banner design. To me, it has great symmetry.

5. + +

This tree die from Sizzix and Tim Holtz. I do love this tree, one of my most used dies. As are these 2 sets of Sizzlets. What would I do without them?

6.

This stencil, Circle Explosion, is my all time favorite so far.

7.

My Copic markers. I LOVE color and I love to color, and these markers make it so much fun.

8. 

Deli wrap? I learned about this in the Julie Fei-Fan Balzar class I took and it makes the best layering, painting and tissue paper coverage.

9.  and 

Love the effects you can add with these 2 products. In any color!

10.

I love love love these inks. I need to replace my sunshine yellow, blue and bubble gum pink already-have just sprayed right through my first bottle.

So what a week this has been! Glad it is Friday, payday, and the weekend is just about here!
Make it a great day.

I Like a Theme

I like a theme. A story. I haven't quite made it to the point where I can just swirl and mix colors on a page and call it complete. I can swirl and mix colors, but it needs a theme.

I also like nature. I am one of those people who feels better when I can become one out in the environment. Be a part of the natural world, that is one of my mantras.

This page is about that on a beautiful fall day.

I played with swirling acrylic paints of natural colors and doodling some clouds and stenciling some trees.

It is kind of messy and not very structured but it is what looks like when you look out into the trees in the autumn. When you don't focus too hard but just see all the colors.

I love this Hero Arts tree stamp that I used a lot at the bottom of the pages.

I also like the black on the very colored background.

We have lots of yellow brown oaks right now and lots of other trees that have gone to bare. Not a lot of green left any more. Not a lot of red or orange either, but we didn't have much of that this year to start with.

Luckily, there's still a long way until then- I hope!

Just a reaction to the crazy busy week I am in the middle of. 

So this week has finally slid over the peak. I am not towards the bottom of the mountain yet, but a lot of my busy things are done. YEAH! After today, more can be checked off the list.

YEAH!!!!

I really don't like super super busy weeks likes this one.

Can I tell you a secret?

What I really want is to stay home all day by myself. I want to sit in my pj's and play in my studio and turn up the music and just have some me time in an empty house. Well, the dog and the kitties can hang out with me. But NO people, no one to distract me or want something that might take me away from my studio.

Maybe in another week or 2!

(at least next week is not so busy, thankfully!)

Happy Thursday.

and Thanks for visiting.

Collage Book

So last year I made this little collaged Halloween book. I finished it but never felt really happy with the pages. They didn't have a lot of depth.

So this year I decided maybe it just needed some sprays. Just enough to pull all the collaged items together.

I now love this page. It is a mix of pieces of paper, tape, confetti ravens, tape, embossed stamped ravens, die cut numbers, stickers and some Viva paint pens. 

And of course, Dylusion's spray ink in black.

Here's the rest of that page spread. I think the black really gives it a dark, night-ish kind of look.

Spookier than before.

Which I should have photographed but didn't think to do.

Oh well.

Here's some other views.

And what would a Halloween book be without a witch, even if she does fly on a bicycle rather than a broom.

'

And every book needs a tag.

Stamped images by Red Lead.

Here's the cool striped bag I added to hold the tag. I made it shiny with some white Tattered Angels  The pumpkin stack is an image from Cherry Pie stamps that I stamped, colored and then cut out. The stamped images of list is from Rubber Moon.

And how about coffins and spider webs.

Both the stamped images and the  die cut skeletons inside are from Prickly Pear.

And fun little skeletons inside.

And this page is a collection with the instructions how to make a witches brew. Stamped image is from Stamp Francisco. The scroll is from Postmodern Design. The hat and cauldron are from Martha Stewart. I personally like the bubbling green Stickles.

So yesterday was one of those day at work when I wanted to cry. One of those days where one thing just popped up after another. We've all had them. Hate it too, since I already had a busy day but when I have to pick up the pieces for someone else, it bugs me.  I did go get my hair done though after work-which made me feel better- and luckily I had made that pot of chili on Monday so dinner was cooked and ready to go. But I was SO exhausted last night we just left our dirty dishes in the sink. I don't even care that I have to deal with it today.

And tonight we have National Honor Society Induction. Another busy day ahead. 

BUT hopefully, not like yesterday.

So glad you were able to stop by and see my artwork.

And listen to me unload for a bit.

Have a great day.

I am a Geek

Look at this funky mushroom I found in my garden this past weekend. It had this weird hole on the top.

Must be where all the spore get released. Mushrooms are really kind of interesting and come in such variety. This year we haven't had any where as many as last year, but still, you find all kinds of interesting fungi in the fall.

On this photo you can even see the fly sitting on it. Surprise it didn't fly off when I got in close with my camera.

I love the grey and white and also the weird spongy looking cap on this mushroom.

OK, I am a geek.

I scrap-journal some geeky pages. Here's one I recently made from a photo that goes into my summer journal. 

I used a Crafter's Workshop stencil and some acrylic paints on deli wraps to back the background images.

I hand doodled and colored the top writing. The bottom is stamped. Then I gave it a light spray of brown Dylusions ink.

Must say lately a lot of my ink caps are blocking up on me lately. GRRR. Drives me nuts! Need to get some disposable pipettes at work to drop ink on pages.

So last night was a creative night-made meatloaf and chili in my kitchen and a sympathy card for a long time friend who lost her dog over the weekend. The card was really hard to make-not the making but the emotion that goes with it. I am such a softy for animals, let me tell you.

But I also have found that my latest creative trick is to start projects and leave them not quite done. You know, make half a card, or paint the page in my journal and do nothing else to it, start a scrap-journal page. I find by doing that they when I go into the studio next time I pick up and finish what I've started and that inspires me to start something else...

You just got to be sure you actually finish projects as you go though-otherwise you get a big pile of need to do projects.

That would be a creative turn off for me.

That's it for now.

Thanks for dropping by and visiting.

Busy Week Ahead

A new week arrives. 

Wow this month is buzzing right by. This is the LAST full week of the month.

This week will be a busy one for me-hair appointment, National Honor Society Induction, trip to Providence Saturday to see a hockey game (and lets hope those Black Bears are playing a lot better than they have been).

 In fact, the next few weeks are pretty busy, and I can week by week until Thanksgiving tell you what events are breaking up every week. But this week  is one of the busiest.

So it was a quiet weekend but I needed that.

 Katie was home which was nice. Took her out to lunch Saturday. Had some studio time and enjoyed some sunshine-even started my raking, but let's be real, with leaves still on the trees I will have a lot more raking to do. Just nice to get rid of that first layer so there will be a few less leaves for the next raking.

We even had some WARM weather Saturday so I could open up the windows for awhile.

Love that.

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

And I took a bunch of photos of some of the latest of my works. Here's some journal pages.

The light hit them kind of weird and there is a bit of a glare.

This page is one that went through a lot of changes. I finally got it where I wanted, and then I went to glue down my stars and the spray ink blurred and so I ended up working on it some more. Not a bad final result but not what it had been. It kind of looks all muddy to me-all my stenciling and painting and spraying-just a big blob. I don't dislike this page...but I liked it a lot better before. Oh well, that is the beauty of a journal. You live and learn and move onto another page.

And that is the beauty of blogging too. When I've said enough, it is time to move on.

Ha-ha!

Happy Monday.