Halloween Ornaments

Wicked wooden delights to decorate your
Halloween tree on the night of nights!
Now available in Etsy

Halloween Banner

Okay, the spotty looking pennants are actually black fabric with silver skulls adorable, but my picture is blurry so you'll have to take my word for it.

Anyway - this is an easy, no-sew project. I measure out double my desired length in a cotton twine/cord, folded it in half and tied a loop in one end (something to hang once it's done).

I cut triangular shapes out of black and skull fabric, folded the top over the twine (one at a time), gluing it closes with fabric glue. I tied a knot after each pennant to keep them from trying to fall into the center as they hang. When I reached the end of my pennant (15 in all) I tied a second loop for hanging.

Ta-dah!

(I'm obviously too tired to blog - it's been a long weekend, please forgive me... I just kinda wanted to share the project)

Mixed Media Monday - Stitches

http://mixedmediamonday.wordpress.com/

Faux Wax Seals

What a fantastic weekend for accomplishing wedding things! (but not in the craft room, which is still trying to dry out and smells all musty).

Also, a fantastic weekend for breaking things. I'm such a butterfingers: 1 wine bottle, 1 plate, and then I forgot about the wine bottle and went around barefoot - yep, that was the smallest glass shard I never saw. I added really realistic blood to the craftroom. Yay! (that last part was dripping with sarcasm - it's hard to hear over the internet *smile*).

Anyway, projects started on Saturday:

• Bridesmaid gift boxes - roughly 25% complete
• Halloween pennant banner - DONE LIKE A TURKEY
• Invitation faux-wax seal tests - 65 in-progress, 9 (the tests) done, out of a total 200 needed
• stair decoration - FINITO
  

w00t!

For now, I'll tell you about the seals. 'Cause I'm pleased with the way they are going to look.

I guess everyone knows that you can buy hot glue that is kind of like wax? And use it instead of real wax seals? Well, anyway - you can. But it's not in my local craft store and I didn't want to order it, so here's a fairly easy way to DIY your own faux wax letter seals in the color of your choosing. Mine are silver (the ones below haven't be affixed to anything):

You need:

• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue refills
• a wax seal stamp
  
• a bowl of ice or an ice pack
  
• a cotton ball or rag soaked in a little bit of olive oil
• a rag
• a sheet of wax paper
• spray paint - color of your choice
  

You will:

1. Cool the stamper in the ice - get that metal cold!
2. Put a spot of hot glue on the wax paper (it doesn't take much, definitely not as much as you think - play around with this) - let sit 10-15 seconds
   
3. rub some olive oil on the stamper
4. stamp as you would do with wax - the colder the stamper is the less time you'll have to leave it in the glue, but 5-10 seconds is pretty safe.

All these steps can be found in better detail here. To get the wax seals in your dream color choice - peel them off the wax paper (they likely won't come off clean), wipe them down to get olive oil off (if you don't they may never dry), go somewhere well ventilated, and spray paint them. I'm using just good ol' cheapy silver spray paint, but there are plastic paints that would probably work much better. I'm just doing with what I have around the house.

Once they are dry, affix them with a little extra dab of hot glue. Yay! Imitation wax seals.

Want your own custom stamper for a party? Here's a good how-to.

gods and monsters

It was a dark and stormy night . . . Thanks to another tropical storm travelling north along the Atlantic coast.

The perfect time to kick off my Halloween movie season. I traditionally devote weekends in the month of October to Halloween-themed or otherwise spooky movie viewing, but life often intervenes and I don't get to watch nearly as many as I would like.

So this year, I'm starting earlier.

Last fall, my goal was to work my way through my new and growing collection of the classic Universal monster movies. Particularly those I had not seen before. Or had not seen in a long time. And since I didn't watch nearly as many as planned, the classic monsters have been held over for another season, beginning with Bride of Frankenstein.

This is a movie that I have never seen in its entirety. But thanks to the ubiquitous image of The Bride in popular culture, I feel like I have.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the film was how little we actually see of the bride. Somehow, given the title and her popularity, I had expected her to be a far more prominent character. Instead, it's really a continuation of the monster's story. And he becomes more and more lovable with each scene.

It was truly heart-warming to get to know the monster a little better. His dedication to a vegetarian diet when he chose to eat leaves and berries rather than the succulent sheep grazing nearby. His fondness for good wine. Even his weakness for tobacco and fiddle music.




As for the bride herself, her bird-like movements and squawking did nothing to endear her to me. Possibly because I'm not fond of birds. So the less seen of her, the better.

I may now have to make a short detour in my classic monster viewing, however. The occurrence of the famous line ". . . gods and monsters . . . " has reminded me of the James Whale bio-pic of the same name. Another film I've never seen despite the best of intentions. Until now.

Halloween Skull Parade Baton

Rule the holidays in style.
Skull Baton now in Etsy.

The Haunted House

**All stamps by Stampin' Up!

ROBBIE THE RABBIT! Oh Joyous Day!

Sure, my basement smells like a dank, dark underground tomb today -- in a bad way -- but Creepy Cute Crochet has a Robbie the Rabbit expansion!! For FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

I could not love this more if I tried.

I... I... I... *swoon* He's my favorite.


(picture will be removed promptly upon owner's request)

ATC - Gothic Arch, Marie Antoinette

Here's Marie Antoinette as an Autumn Mother Nature...

Do You Know What Part of Silent Hill: Homecoming I hate most?

Wading through the flooded basement, with monsters lurking in the water. The monsters weren't even that scary - but the ambiance was freaking fabulous.

Guess whose basement is flooded today?

Well, technically it's one shop-vac closer to being unflooded, but I'm scared to even go into the craftroom. Projects were on the floor, as were several surge-protectors, and I can peer into the darkness enough to tell that it was the room worst affected by the torrential rains.

Which, incidentally, were not good - but hardly seem like they would have caused our first-ever basement flood.

Did I mention husband-to-be works long hours Fridays and Saturdays? My dad is coming up to help me, but I'm still having a really hard time holding it together. Must remind myself that I am much less worse off than the nice folks down the street who had their house crushed by a large tree in the storm (thank golly no one was hurt!).


Funny - I was starving when I left work. Nothing like an inch of water winding its way through your prized possessions to ruin your appetite.

update So, several soggy hours later, the basement is mostly dry. I have had dinner and wonderful conversation with my parents (who drove up to help with the dampening of my day) + wine, and I'm feeling much better all around. But still in need of a long nap. Ahh. 1 step forward, 2 steps back - that's my motto.

Shh! Don't Tell Martha...

...but I totally customized her wine labels to meet my wedding needs:

I'm kind of gleeful about it, really, though not 100% sure we'll use them. It depends on what kind of feedback I get from the interested parties (husband-to-be, my parents, his parents). The other option is printing custom cards to go with the vampire teeth placecard holders.

I'm thinking I should start a 'wedding project a day' countdown; if not here, then somewhere... it feels good to accomplish things, and I'm running low on time. :)

twenty years and a ghost

With a 20th wedding anniversary to celebrate, what better time to pack up the car, entrust the teenagers with the house for two whole days, and head off to visit a haunted inn?



The Blomidon Inn was built in the Victorian era by Rufus Burgess, a sea captain who realized he could make far more money by building his own ships in addition to sailing them. And what better way to display his wealth than by building what was then called Perth House, named in honour of his wife's hometown in Scotland. He used teak and mahogany throughout. There were marble fireplaces and gold gilt mirrors. A local German artist was invited to paint a ceiling mural of a ship wreck.

For a time, all was well. The family lived happily and ostentatiously in Nova Scotia. But soon, tragedy struck. Captain Burgess's young daughter became ill and died. Alas, poor Elizabeth. But she was clearly attached to her old home and returned, often on her birthday or on the anniversary of her untimely death, to haunt her old room on the third floor. She would appear in the window or in the third floor hallway. Sometimes holding a teddy bear or a doll. Very traditional was Elizabeth.


But that was then.


Apparently Elizabeth hasn't been spending much time at the inn lately, because when I asked the staff about her presence, I was met with some skepticism at best. I believe one of them actually scoffed. Undeterred, I explored the inn's third floor, always vigilant for a sign of Elizabeth's presence. A chill in the air. A ghostly hand on my arm. A fluttering curtain. Fleeting, unexplainable noises.


Nothing.

I stood outside the inn at night, squinting up at the windows on the third floor, where Elizabeth's ghost is rumoured to have gazed out upon the grounds of her old home. But did she appear?

No. She did not.

It seems Elizabeth has become complacent in recent years, if not downright lazy. She needs to take a little more pride in her haunting. Make more frequent appearances. Smash some dishes. Knock a few paintings off the walls. Maybe try some screaming and wailing. That would wipe the dismissive expression off the desk clerk's face.

And I Wonder Why I Haven't Lost Weight Lately

Tomorrow might end up being a 5 Guys or Ted's Montana Grill kind of day. Don't even get me started on In-and-Out Burger! If there was one on this side of the U.S. I'd be there tomorrow evening.

Because it's 2am and I'm still up, feeling at my wits end with the general state of things. I won't bore you with details.

Anyway, tomorrow I want to drown my sorrows in burger. Not the best thing for a girl whose cholesterol is a teensy bit high -- for a man -- a man who is much older than me.

I'm not as fat as you might think given that revelation, but I am on a doctor-written mandate to watch my cholesterol, exercise more, yadda yadda. Also, my wedding is coming up, and I'm allowed enough vanity to want to look my least tubby in the pictures.

But tomorrow? Burgers. Sinful, delectable, happy burgers.

Candy Corn Cones

CANDY CORN FACTS
October 30th is National CANDY CORN Day.
9 billion pieces of CANDY CORN are produced annually.
CANDY CORN has 3.57 calories per kernel.
A cup of CANDY CORN has fewer calories than a cup of raisins.
My candy cone containers hold about 1 serving of CANDY CORN.
It is impossible for me to eat just 1 serving of CANDY CORN.
An opened bag of CANDY CORN has a shelf life of one day in my home.
Tums anyone?

Reception Table Update - they are largely decor-less

Centerpieces - eclectic - haven't even started. Grandmother wants to do 10 tables with ikebana-light floral arrangements - black containers, white or silver candles, white or orange flowers ... that leaves me 10 tables to make something Halloweeny happen.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I keep changing my mind about what that means, even though we all voted and decided PUMPKINS and some of everything else, too. That was supposed to put my mind to rest.

No one will notice anyway (I can't remember centerpieces from but one wedding I've ever been to - and that's because they were M&M's with the bride and groom's picture on them), but I guess that just makes me that much crazier - no one will care but me and I feel like it's my biggest chance to make the reception feel Halloween-friendly.

Anyway, I'm not freaking out - just feel like there's a lot to do and I still haven't made final decisions. Things pop into my head like "ooo... we could do a table with Ghosts!" and then I wonder if it is all going to look terrible because I feel the need to make everything myself.

Blah. I KNEW GETTING MARRIED TURNED GIRLS NUTSO, BUT I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD HAPPEN TO ME.

I went to sleep last night thinking about what I might want to do; oh wow the weird dreams I had after that! :) But on a good note, I think I have a plan.

Halloween Tag by Louise Granlund

Isn't this tag wonderful? I rec'd this in the mail today from my friend, Louise Granlund. Thanks SO much Louise. I really love it!

Costumed Balls

Deck the boughs with balls of folly...

My tree branches are buckling from Halloween
and Christmas swag. The creative frenzy
is just about to come to an end as I begin to
take stock of the Tinsel and Treasure
inventory. Here's another peek at the Holiday loot.

I have no idea where this came from...

...but husband-to-be thought I would like it...


He was so right.

snap, crackle, pop

Back in my day, Rice Krispie Squares were square. Or sometimes rectangular. Rice Krispies. Marshmallows. Butter. That's all. And perhaps some festive sprinkles thrown on top for holidays. And that's the way we liked it.




But eventually, simple quadrilaterals were no longer enough.

It all began innocently enough. Rice Krispie balls rather than squares. Cookie cutter shapes. Festive themes.

But it didn't end there.

Because there are those who have taken it upon themselves to raise the Rice Krispie bar ever higher. And higher. And higher.

When will the madness end?


Source

Everyone else is doing it... Grimvisions Super-cool Giveaway

This awesome picture keeps popping up in my reader. The more I see it, the more I want it (sorry, Ghoul Friday). Let's face it, folks - one of these would look fan-freaking-tastic at my wedding, and I could win it! Or you could, if you go follow his blog and make a post of your own. May someone I really like and respect win!

I have to admit I wasn't sold enough to 'follow' him until I finally looked past the giveaway post and read a bit of the blog. The most recent entry on smoothing paper mache pushed me over the edge; I love artists whose blogs instruct as well as sell.

The more I look at his work the more I curse my lack of talent and patience - it's incredible!

It's lucky for me to have found so many talented Halloween and horror artists; the internet is a source of near constant inspiration - what bliss.

ATC - Marie at the Witches Ball

Here's Marie dressed in her Halloween finery...all ready for the Witches Ball.

**Vintage image by Kelly Burton's Collagevision: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5945339

Halloween Silliness

HALLOWEEN FACTS & TRIVIA
If you see a spider on Halloween,
it is the spirit of a loved on watching over you.

Honeymoon Planning

I'm busy; this wedding is sucking the life from my bones.

And speaking of bones, this week we're planning our honeymoon. Get your mind out of the gutter - when I say "bones" and "honeymoon" are related, I'm totally talking about the Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini in Rome. Because what is more romantic that spending either the first or last day of your honeymoon looking at the skeletal remains of Capuchin monks?

That's right - we're planning a cruise that departs and ends in Rome. Getting to Our Lady of the Conception of the Capuchins to see their crypt won't be easy since we only have (maybe) a few hours both going and coming in Rome and husband-to-be wants to see St. Peter's Basilica and the Colosseum (oo! I want to too, don't get me wrong - I just have my priorities), but he's promised to help me live out my dream of seeing a church full of dead things.

*sigh* I'm a fairly frugal person and spending money on myself makes me ill - planning this honeymoon is making me a sick wreck; but truthfully, I've always said I would spend my savings traveling the world and our honeymoon is only going to happen once - if I'm ever going to spoil myself, this is the trip, isn't it? Pardon me while I come to terms with the money I'm about to hand over between the wedding and the trip. It's making me queasy just thinking about it.

It's really exciting to spend husband-to-be's first out-of-country experience with him, and I've never seen the Mediterranean before. The fact that we can see sites from the dawn of "civilization" just makes it that much more exhilarating; the plan is that each of us will be responsible for knowing the history and culture of half the places we are going, so one can inform the other. Not everyone's cup of tea - but to us it will totally rock. We're book nerds who love history and cultural studies.

Other than the crypt, the only other departure I wish we could make on our tour of classical antiquity is a trip to the Parco dei Mostri - but that will have to wait for our next trip to Italy for sure (hopefully it won't take me a decade to save up the money for that trip).

Beware

All stamps are by Stampin' Up!

august wishes

A mid-August evening has a rhythm all its own. The repetitive swish of lawn sprinklers. The agitated buzzing of horseflies. The monotonous drone of neighbourhood lawn mowers. And a familiar thump on the veranda. Just outside the screen door.

A sound which can mean only one thing at this time of year. The arrival of the Sears Christmas WishBook. An ideal accompaniment to 40C temperatures.



But if you look hard enough, Halloween can be found anywhere. And there it was. Between the tattoo kits and the Fur Real animals. A small selection of costumes with trick-or-treating potential. With, of course, some clear distinctions.






It seems boys are invited to choose from a variety of television and movie characters from the past year (weapons included). While girls can choose from a selection composed largely of princesses and fairies.

With Batgirl and Supergirl thrown in for the truly radical.

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

As promised, a brief moment in the spotlight
for the Chubby Cherubs. A not so happy cluster
of conspiring Halloween Hooligans lurks near
by. This menagerie of mischief makers will
be traveling with me to the
Tinsel and Treasure Show.

ATC - Double Trouble

the best laid hurricane plans . . .

With Hurricane Bill churning northward along the Atlantic coast, promising destruction, devastation and power outages, I eagerly took out my notebook and began to make a list. We would lose our electricity. I was sure of it. Since the privatization of Nova Scotia Power, all it seems to take is a strong breeze, salty fog, or a raccoon chewing through power lines to plunge large sections of the city into the eerie silence of pioneer days.

But on this occasion, it would be welcome. An ideal opportunity to devote some quiet, uninterrupted time to Halloween preparations. In recent weeks, I've been excessively lazy. Maybe it's been the unusually long period of heat and humidity. Maybe it's been the frequent summer road trips. Maybe it's just me. Whatever the reason, previous procrastination records have been shattered. There have been plans, but no follow through. Projects started, but not completed.

But this weekend, all would be forgiven. Thanks to Hurricane Bill, I would be assured of at least a day, maybe two, with no distractions. No temptations. Nowhere to go. I envisioned enormous productivity. Assembling the materials and perhaps completing my Halloween costume. Sketching new jar labels for a Halloween kitchen. Creating more hands for graveyard inhabitants. New projects yet to be imagined.

Waking to the sound of torrential rain and wind against my windows, I hurriedly made coffee. It wouldn't be long now. I switched on the Weather Network for a quick update before my connection to the outside world was severed.

But it wasn't severed. The Weather Network meteorologist kept talking and talking. The lights didn't even flicker. Glancing out the window, I saw a neighbour doing yard work. By noon, we were on our way out for lunch, surrounded by others going about their daily lives. My children went swimming in the afternoon. And I poured a glass of peach wine and watched the Weather Network all afternoon. Perhaps Bill was simply delayed. When they began reminiscing about hurricanes past, I knew it was all over.

Another weekend with no Halloween progress. Thanks for nothing, Bill.

Photo Source

ATC - Beware the Belle of the Ball

This is #3 in The Witches Ball ATC series...

skull, book and candle

It's impossible to resist this one. So I'll jump into the fray and join the hordes of bloggers posting about, and hoping to win, Grim Visions skull book light. Which would look absolutely perfect on the desk next to my computer. And there's always room for one more entry. The contest runs until September 13th.

Amazing Dolls

Fine art dolls from Shain Erin; remarkable.

heads will roll

Another sign of the season. Halloween can't be far away when Value Village drags out its bin of wig heads.

Mr. Macabre is Wunderbar!

NEWS FLASH

I got a package! The one and only Mr. Macabre sent husband-to-be and me wedding presents, and they could not be more awesome.

It's times like these I wish I had a camera that didn't suck as badly as the one on my phone.

So, husband-to-be goes outside to put trash in the big green trash can and finds a box. This box has been outside in the rain all night long, and really - what was my postman thinking? Couldn't he have left it by the door? I am grateful he didn't leave it out front for the hoodlums to kick at, but still. Husband-to-be is as likely to throw things away than ask questions sometimes - this could have been a tragedy.

We cut open the parcel to find a sweet note from Mr. Macabre himself, wishing a hauntingly beautiful wedding and listing all the good things to be found inside. They include:

• the most delicious-smelling simmering oils (coffin, dark holiday) and incense (mmm... apple cider!)
• a small glow skull (his name is now Ethel)
• La Santisima Muerta prayer candle
• A collection of peach and jasmine blooming tea (two of my absolute most favorite teas ever!! But I've never had a blooming tea before - I'm excited)
• A pot full o' trouble! He's the cute little guy in the picture; he's beyond rad

I'm so excited! I can't wait to show all this stuff off tonight at our rehearsal dinner meeting with my parents and husband-to-be's. ;)

You meet the nicest people when you blog. Mr. Macabre, thank you!

The best cupcake wrappers!

I can't speak to quality, but next time you are in Hobby Lobby, seek out the Pirate Party supplies; hopefully you'll find black cupcake wrappers with skulls on them like I did!
Oooo... this is the perfect excuse to come up with a new batch of cupcakes. Yum!

Halloween Grins

This card incorporates alcohol inks, embossing and dry embossing.

Personas

How does the internet see you?


Sabrina over at Introverted Wife posted this link to MIT's Personas application.

I don't really know what any of it means, but still - interesting. Apparently people with my full name are highly into doing illegal things; "Carrie Mae" folks are much less so.

Creepy Cupcakes? Terribly aggressive. It must be all the sugar in the buttercream.