Happy Halloween

 Happy Halloween everyone.  I have one more Halloween page to share with you today. 

And before I go any further. I want to share with Chris a huge thank you for such a fun month at Art Journal Journey. Your Hold the Line challenge was awesome!

Today's spread from my Mystery, Mayhem and Magic altered book has a very vintage and traditional Halloween feel. 

See all the lines here on the right side of the spread?  I am linking up one last time to Chris' Hold the Line challenge at Art Journal Journey. 

It was hard to get this page too look straight as I had a hard time holding it flat open.

Although with some bending I did get it here.

On the left I painted the page with 2 colors of watered down  paint. I created the stripes using some sticky trim in my stash. The costume frame is an older TH item that was also in my stash, although I did add a bit of glitter to the cat's eyes. And the girls are TH found relatives.

On the right I collaged bits of paper. I added stickers and some tiny tags left overs from a die I used. The words are also left over stamped words I colored and added. Everything on these pages were in my Halloween box  and in my stash.

And I thought I would share a few walk photos from earlier this week when I walked into my mother-in-laws home. She lives on a private gravel road, so I like to walk there when we go up as there is very little traffic.

At that time there was still quite a bit of color in the leaves, although now (sadly) that is going away quickly.

And how about  couple of seasonal pumpkins I passed while strolling?

The dogs also enjoyed their walk.

Since I have company (the daughter and her beau are here), this is a pre-post. I may not get to blogs until later or  until tomorrow, but be assured I am not ignoring you. (smile)

Have a super start to your weekend.  And hope your Halloween is not too spooky!

Halloween Collage Day 3

 Hi there everyone. 

It is almost Halloween so today's spread from my Mystery, Mayhem and Magic altered book has definitely a more mayhem or scary feel. 

Too bad my quote is too hard to read here. It talks about the witching time of night, and it is on acetate.

I don't know what this woman is more afraid of: the death card or the bug on the next page. 

There are lots of lines here, especially all those in the spiderwebs on the right, so I have another page for Chris' Hold the Line challenge at Art Journal Journey.

I definitely think my Mystery, Mayhem and Magic altered book isn't the most cohesive book I have ever made. My pages go from fun fairies to autumn to some spooky pages, like this one.  Yet I must say it is fun to make a book that covers all these things that happen in October.

That's all for me. I am in birthday binge right now. Not mine, but yesterday was my husband's and today is my daughter's. She and her beau are coming  to celebrate tonight, so I am off to make her birthday cake. Well not a cake but a key lime pie, her favorite. And yesterday I made a Boston cream pie for my husband as that is his favorite.  I'll share next T day. Just preparing those of you who stop by for some more food photos.

Have a great end of your week.

Halloween Collage, Part 2

 Hi there. I am back with my Mystery, Mayhem and Magic altered book art today. Today I am going to continue with the mystery theme with some more palm reading and fortune telling.

On the left is a tag. Is it All Hallow's Eve enough to link up to Tag Tuesday?

And more lines on the fortune car on the right, so I am once more linking up to Chris' Hold the Line challenge at Art Journal Journey.

On the right is a fortune telling spread. I have to laugh at the man on the bottom right. I cut him out of the back of a playing card. His club look like a giant green pickle.  At least to me.

 I made this page with a story in mind.  The man with the pickle club is in love with the women whose face is on the 2 of clubs playing card at the top of the page. He is not sure she loves him back, so he goes to see a fortune teller to find out. 

Her answer is shown in the gold rectangle with the 8 hearts with the sword. Now this answer is open to some interpretation. It might mean he will have 8 women he loves and that don't love him back before he finds his true love.  It also might mean that he rejected the love of 8 women for the women in the card. With fortunes, they are always so vague you can interpret them to fit your life. 

One of my friends had a fortune telling party many years ago.  She brought in a palm reader/card reader. On my turn she said 2 interesting things that I remember. She told me that one of my passed relatives looked over me, and that he, being a brick mason, just loved my living room fireplace. (You might remember from my decorating photos is made of both brick and stones from the property.) She thought it was my grandfather (who was not a brick mason) but when I mentioned the name she said no. When I mentioned my mother's uncle who was a brick mason, she said no. She said he had an unusual name (at least for her) in the US.  I didn't know who else it would be. Later I was telling this story to my cousin, and she said it had to be her dad. His name was Idoff, and he is the only one I have ever heard of with that name. He had been a brick mason, and he had passed when I was younger. And my cousin said he would have loved my fireplace.  Maybe, maybe not. But it makes a good Halloween story.

The other things this lady told me was that I needed to continue with my watercolor painting as I would make a name for myself if I did. I looked at her and said I didn't watercolor paint. She told me I had better start.  That I would be really good and make some money also if I did. At that time I scrapbooked in my own journalish way but didn't even really art journal.  

Hmmm.  Even now I sometimes think if I should take up watercolor painting in a serious way.

OK, enough for me today. Thanks for visiting and hope your day goes well.

Halloween Collage Part 1

 Hi everyone. With Halloween just a few days away, I figured I would share a spread each day from my Mystery, Mayhem and Magic altered book. I have some autumn spreads left, but I'll save those for next month.

How about some mystery. Like palm reading and astrology?

The left book page was left plain, but I did stamp some painted circles and added a molecule printed piece of acetate, a velum palmistry image, a stamped gentleman, and a stamped quote. I finished the page with a little paper trim and a plastic spider.

My right page was painted and then stamped with the same pink paint on a circle as my left side. I added some printed tissue paper, a playing card, a moon sticker, a vintage man cut out of from a page as well as some punch out designs. I finished by stamping a few star cluster/horoscope designs. 

And there are lines too. Like on the palm and also all over the right side. Just perfect for Chris' Hold the Line challenge at Art Journal Journey.

With a few days left this month, you have a few days left to join us for this challenge.

Hope your week is going well.

Very Superstitious

Hi everyone. Hope you are had a nice weekend.  Today was a beautiful crisp autumn day and after a morning walk, I did a lot of fall yard cleaning.  

In this post  I am sharing another spread from my Mystery, Mayhem and Magic altered book with you.

Cue up the music of Stevie Wonder for this one.

Can you see I ran out of T's in my black and purple sparkle letters so I had to substitute a different T? I think the one letter being different works well though.On the left, I cut the tag out of some already printed paper (though I did color and modify it), and also added the upside down  fabric trim that I painted black because it was pink, the owl sticker, the dimensional paper shift key as well as the punched out flower border. 

On the right I drew and painted the broken mirror (hope you could tell what it was). The girl's face is stamped, as well as the cat on the post.  When I cleaned a couple of years ago I put together a bag of stamps I was going to give away, and this cat on the post was one of them. Luckily I didn't do anything with the bag but stuck it in a corner behind some other things. And promptly forgot about it. I found it this summer and thought the cat had a nice look for a page like this. He is now back in my collection. I painted him with some watered down black so you can see the details, so he isn't really a black cat, but pretend he is, OK?  And of course I also added the supposedly unlucky number 13.

I used a bit of the eye paper tape I had in my stash to cover the edge that my ink pads (which I used to color the background) wouldn't reach.

There are lots of lines here, but in particular, the lines of dots I stamped on the pages before adding my paraphernalia.

I am linking this up to Chris' Hold The Line challenge at Art Journal Journey.

That's all for me today. Happy start of the new week.

And thanks for visiting. 

Fairies and Flowers

 Hi everyone. Happy Friday. Another week has flown by, hasn't it? Hope yours has been a good one.

I had a nice visit with Mom yesterday.

Her assisted living had a nice new set up this time in a small private dining room. They had a wall of windows, which were open with fans, so that we could visit and Mom could stay warm. The only bad thing is that we were  on a time schedule, and after about an hour and 15  minutes, our meeting had to end so they could clean for the next visit. I'll take that time however because at least I don't have to worry about cold or wet days now.

So I'll start my art post today with some pages from the Mystery, Mayhem and Magic altered book I have been making.  The book is getting thick and hard to lay open flat, so I apologize that my pages aren't exactly completely straight in these photos.

Today I have some Magic  pages for you, fairy magic.

I had this cool piece of paper with all the grasses on it. I simply modified it just a bit.

And the next 2 page spread somewhat shares a background but not a theme.

I lined up all my painted stamped circles. And I enhanced a pretty fall image a bit also.

On the right,  I stamped the background and used this old apothecary piece.  I added a stamped bit of acetate to the center of the image (which doesn't really show up in the photo), a tag, and a bit of stamped cloth. 

I'm linking them up to Chris'  Hold the Line challenge at Art Journal Journey. Can you find the lines?

And even though our weather has been dry, my roses are having one last big bloom right now. 

As everything else dies back, it is great to have some flowers. They're a little reminder of the summer that was.

Have a great start to your weekend.

Halloween is the Theme

 Yes, it is time again (already) for a new challenge at Try It on Tuesday

Our new theme for the next 2 weeks is HALLOWEEN.

As usual all formats are welcome. We welcome cards, tags, journal pages, dimensional art, scrapbook pages, paintings and anything else you might create that fits the theme.

Today I have a double spread from my Mystery, Mayhem and Magic altered book that I am making to celebrate Halloween.

I began with some Elmer's glue squiggles on the right side. They dried clear and add some nice dimension. Once those wiggly lines dried I inked both this page and part of the left side with some black Distress Oxide ink.

I stamped the hand and the message it is holding as well as the quote. The cauldron I drew and painted, as well as the flames under it. I have to say I was having problems getting these 2 sides to come together. Finally I added the hot pink flames and the hot pink paper tape (on the right)  and that finally worked for me.

I'm not sure I needed the old cigar wrapper labels now that I feel the page is complete, but they were attached with glue so there they will stay.  The bony hands are die cuts and of course, there is lots of glitter and glitter glue bubbling up from the cauldron.

And please don't forget to stop by the other designers blogs also. There is some great inspiration for you.

I am also linking up this spread to Chris' Hold the Line challenge at Art Journal Journey . There are all those squiggly dried glue lines  which work, as well  other lines too.

I hope you are having start to your week. 

I also can't wait to see you creations over at Try It On Tuesday

Thanks for visiting.

Weekend Art Post

                                                                                                                                                                                                               Hi everyone. Happy Saturday and happy weekend to you!

Blogger seems to be having issues centering my text this morning. OK, now it seems to be working. Go figure.

Today we're having a bit of warmth so the plan is to go get the dock and other water paraphernalia cleaned up at my mother-in-laws. It needs to be done since someone has to get a little wet to pull out the dock, and the water temperatures are starting to get cold. The dock raiser usually puts on hip wader boots like you see some fisherpeople wear. I am suspecting it will either be my husband or my sister-in-law's husband that goes in to do that. I'll just move chairs as I am too short for the waders (they'd probably go half way up over my face) and to lift the dock much out of the water.

My first spread today is from my Halloween Mystery, Mayhem and Magic altered book. My pages today are a bit on the mayhem side, at least the left one is.

                                                                                 

I picked up this TH gothic text stencil recently. (I love the look of old text.)  After painting the background this bright yellow, I used  the stencil with black paint.

I used a page out of a plant book to make my left side background,  and then I added the twins. I cut these ladies out of an old magazine cover. I can't remember the name of the magazine, but it was an art photography one that I rediscovered while reorganizing and cleaning. They are probably in real life sweet women, but here I turned them into poisoners who had done away with 56 victims. 

On the right side I used some ferns that I die cut. I also used some paper ephemera from my stash that I layered. Then I added the half curtain that came from a TH Halloween ephemera packet I picked up when I got the stencil. I also trimmed out the bottom of the right page with a piece of scrap paper.

I am linking my page up to Chris' Hold The Line challenge at Art Journal Journey. Although there aren't obvious lines here, you can see them on the top and bottom of the word poison, in the curtains, in the lined up text, as well as a few other spots.

I also have another tag for Pinky's Tree challenge at Tag Tuesday.  When I pulled out my little bin of  tree stamps I was inspired to make a few tags. This one is a more traditional take on autumn trees.

This tag also works to remind anyone interested that the latest challenge at Try It On Tuesday is the Colors of Autumn.. The challenge runs through Monday night.

Ok, enough for me. The day's adventures are calling me.

Thanks for visiting!

 

Art and September Books

 Hi everyone. Hope your weekend is going well. 

My daughter  is here for a few days as she is taking a vacation from work.  She and I were supposed to be leaving today for a mother-daughter trip to Iceland for a few days. Some of you may possibly remember how I visited Iceland with some friends back in 2016, and my daughter has since wanted to go.  Of course with covid that isn't happening. We have a few things planned locally instead. I'm looking forward to some fun with her.

Here's a spread from my  Mystery, Mayhem and Magic journal. This is a new journal I started, as I like making some "Halloweenish" pages at this time of year. I am trying to make some non-traditional style pages this year, incorporating the fall season  as well certain aspects of the spooky-fun  holiday.

I never remember to link up to challenges that aren't in my usual habit, but I am trying to be better at  joining into new things. Here's a branch out that I am hoping will become a regular challenge for me. I am linking up to the Creative Mixed Media Challenge, their 65th. The theme is always Anything Mixed Media Goes. There's plenty of mixed media in my page: cloth, die cuts, ink, paper tape, postage stamps, paper ephemera, stamping.

And can you find all the lines in this spread?  I see straight lines, circular lives, wavy lines all over the place.

I am linking up to Chris' HOLD THE LINE challenge at Art Journal Journey.

Now that September is over, it is time for me to do my monthly book post.  As I say every month, I do this list for my own info.  Yet I learn so much from  the comments you share with me and also have found some super reads from your book recommendations, that I post each month. Please don't feel you have to read through my list if this is not your interest.

I listened to a few books last month, but I only finished one actual book.  I was into a few TV shows in the evenings, and the one book I read was a long one.  For me, it didn't seem like as many as usual, but looking at my list, I still managed quite a few stories.

My first book I listened to was book 7 in Sookie Stackhouse series.  I've read this whole series when each book came out, but that was quite a few years ago. It was time to reread, as I have been doing over the last several months. These are pretty quick listens; some are books better than others, and I'd say this one is setting up for the next book(s). I liked it, but it (like book 5) have not been my favorites of the series so far.  I like the character Quinn, the weretiger, but I am waiting for Erik Northman, one of the vampires, to get back into the story.

Then it was onto Charles Dickens.

I can see why his books are still in print, and why he is considered such a great writer. I especially like having his books read to me. If you chose to ever listen to one of his books, Simon Vance is my narrator of choice. He does a great job with the voices and really puts you into the story. 

I was familiar with some of the characters and thought I knew Oliver's story. Yes, I did know bits, about the street gang with Fagan and The Artful Dodger, but I really didn't know the story. Dickens created some fantastic characters and developed a lot of  suspense. I know this book was originally published as a serial, not as a completed book, and it must have been difficult to wait for the next release with some of the cliffhangers Dickens used. Yes, this was one of those books I ended up commenting to out loud as I heard certain parts. More than a few "Oh nos!" and other phrases came out of my mouth.

Moving on to slightly more modern time (at least more modern than the Victorian age), I went onto to read this historical novel by Marie Benedict. This is the second book by this author I have read; the first being about Einstein's first wife. I enjoyed this novel as much as the one called The Other Einstein. Although not a heavy detailed biography that someone researching Mrs. Churchill might want, this was a great introduction to the Clementine Churchill, her life and mostly her character. She did lead quite the amazing life being married to Winston Churchill. I think Marie Benedict did a super job giving the reader some main details and bringing Clementine Churchill  to life.

Sepulchre  was the actual book I read. It is the second part of a trilogy, the first part  being the book Labyrinth. The first book took place in medieval France as well as modern France, in particular the Carcassonne area of southern France/Languedoc.  This second book jumped ahead to late Victorian times as well as modern times, but was still set in the same areas of France. There was murder, adventure, mystery and great characters once again, and I really enjoyed all 500+ pages of this novel.  Now I need to get my hands on the last book of the series to finish it off. And thanks again  Alison for the recommendation. 

My last listen was an older children's novel. 

I love Roald Dahl's books, and I discovered that they are even better being read to you. I picked this book up on a 2 for 1 Audible sale. I remember the film, but have never actually read (of listened) to the book. This one was read by Kate Winslet, and she did an amazing job. I love Matilda and Miss Honey, and of course, I enjoyed all those terrible characters your are meant to hate. I fact, I enjoyed this so much I am now listening to Roald Dahl's The Witches, which I have read in book form before. Only it is so much better being read to you by someone who can do the grandmother's Norwegian accent. If you are looking for something on the shorter side and want a little fun, definitely read one of Dahl's books. 

And I have made a good dent into this mystery novel set in England during and directly after  the 1666 Great Fire of London.

I haven't finished it so I don't want to recommend or not, but so far, I am really enjoying this book. Plus I have learned quite a bit about that time in history.

That's it's for me today. I'd love any book recommendations you might have. 

Wishing you a good end to your weekend.