Thursday, September 20, 2012

A little artwork now and then in relished by the wisest men.

OK so I plagiarized. I've been very busy lately, signing up for swaps left and right. Can I help myself? No, there is too much fabulousness out there. So here are a few more pieces and one old one from a fun turtle swap. We had to send three things turtle related to our partner. This is one of the three, I just packaged it as a trio of filled turtle eggs.
I found these turtle Easter eggs, packed them in a wooden crate with some easter grass and filled them with goodies.


Close up of swimming turtles, ready to be shipped.


Steampunk ATC with black accents and black heart

Altered ROLO's with D 4 and purple. The D & 4 are very subtle on these. The top ROLO with the flowers I used part of a book page with the number 4 in the corner, and scrolled letter D as part of a book plate. The second one is a camping scene complete with mosquito. I used an atlas page showing the D4 coordinates.

Halloween ATC, with raven and mirror piece

Another Halloween ATC, lots of layers and paint, screening in background.

More on the way. See you soon!

Boring Drive

I ate a bag of candy corn today. I'm not proud of it. I'm feeling a little sick actually, to my stomach, but that could be the burrito I ate on top of that. Not feeling bad about the price though, only paid .99 cents. It is a FACT (Brian WIlson reference) that cheap candy corn tastes exactly the same as the more expensive brand, and it's much fresher. I didn't break one tooth today. I find the expensive brand not as melty in the mouth. Today was unique, as I was driving and didn't realize I had emptied the bag until I tried to shake more out of it. Nothing more pathetic, folks, than realizing you just downed 10,000 calories and you're still thinking what's for dinner. Blast that candy corn!
20081030-candycorn-day.jpg
To make matters worse, this stupid holiday falls on October 30, my birthday! It's destiny I tell ya.
So, other interesting things: The .99 cents store has the most fabulous Halloween crap I've seen in a long time. Not to be outdone by the Dollar Tree, who is no slouch this year. I spoke to the manager of the Dollar Tree who told me this year they purchased so much more Halloween decorations and novelties. It shows, if you've been in there lately. Here's a few of the things I got (besides the lifetime supply of candy corn HA!)

Cute little bobblehead owl

scary cameo necklace

These little guys will be part of a Halloween plush photo swap, cute and cheap at the thrift store.

It was a bargain bonanza day. And so much fun being around all that Halloween stuff. Really, we should just have this stuff all year round, agreed?




Sunday, September 16, 2012

It's A-Mazing

One of the greatest things to do during the Fall season is to visit an apple/pumpkin farm and enjoy all the activities they have to offer. On our list is the annual visit to Apple Annie's in Tucson. Sometimes we don't have the cool weather associated with those outings, it is still enjoyable, and the atmosphere really gets you in the mood for a wonderful fall season.
One of the best things about these visits is the corn maze. I know this takes months of planning on paper before the actual design is approved and actually cut into the corn fields. This year Apple Annie's corn maze looks like this  with several levels of expertise, so the whole family can enjoy. This is cut out of 15 acres of corn. Big! Yes, but not the biggest. The largest cut corn maze in the country is Richardson's Farm Experience in Illinois. This beautiful farm has 33 acres with 4 separate mazes for you to "Come on out and get lost!"
And lost you could get. Remember, most of these mazes close at midnight, so there's a lot a dark wandering.
Enjoy yourself. Take your time to wander and eat a carmel apple-fresh from the farm. Have some cider, listen to the music. Enjoy a day with your family. These memories are so precious, I guarantee you will not be sorry. And the fun part, most of the farms have free postcards of the mazes, so if you're a swapper, you're set for another year.
Get out there- and be a-mazed!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

More ATC's

These are ATC's from a Frida Kahlo ATC swap and a Vintage Paris ATC swap.
Frida Kahlo ATC
I used a puzzle piece with a photo of Frida Mod Podged to it  to add dimension to her painting in the background and an antique button at the bottom. Gold paper picture corners frame three edges to add color and set off the painting.

Fri Kahlo ATC
This is a combination of an ad for a Frida Kahlo exhibit and a photo of Frida that I framed in some fun little
paper frames I bought for a song at Aaron's Art Mart . (Really folks, some of the best ATC supplies are here!) I sprayed the frame with copper ink and mottled it with a sponge. The finishing touch was a rose added to look as if she were holding.

Vintage Paris ATC
The first was a layered look using stamps, paper, and various ephemera. The glass embellishment at the bottom is a glass marble mod podged with the eiffel tower on the bottom then glued to the ATC.
The second one basically the same, layered paper and ephemera, the infamous painted frame with a charm from an old (well, now it's old, I pulled it apart to get the charm!) bracelet charm and glued to the corner for dimension.
Can you tell I don't like flat ATC's?

Ready, Set, Post

Here are a few ATC's I've sent that I actually have photos for. They are for various swaps, as noted. Some are from when I first started making ATC's and a few more recent ones. Now that I think I have the hang of it, I can post as I make before sending, always my major fault. It's made, packaged and sent. On the way to the mailbox I think, Darn, should have taken a snap. So here goes, round #1.
This was for an altered book page swap.

Another altered book page ATC

Trick or Treat ATC

Vintage or Retro Halloween ATC

Boreal Owl ATC-series

Friday, September 14, 2012

This Old House

As if Halloween could get any better, this house came along.
note-a-bear:

spookyhome:

(via Wall Photos)

This is Halloween, this is Halloween Pumpkins scream in the dead of night

My. God.

I have found the perfect venue for entertaining little trick or treaters. One problem-this isn't my house. Yet, I have dreams, big dreams. And it includes living in a lovley house  just like this one. Imagining all the fun exploring to do here, all the nooks and crannies that these homes made famous.
So whether your home is completely orange, naturally decorated with the colors that nature has to offer, or you have a Halloween blow-up in your yard. Celebrate and be grateful with exactly what you have. You never know what's around the next (spooky) corner.
Happy Haunting!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Let's Go (Halloween) Shopping

Sometimes you just can't wait for the Halloween merchandise to hit the stores. If you're like me, you keep a few pieces out all year round to give you that, "It's almost here" vibe in the room. I love looking at the vintage orange and black decorations and reminiscing about the fun trick-or-treating I had as a kid. Halloween shopping is just as fun, seeing all the new items, wondering how you can afford that wreath that you absolutely cannot live without.  And now I have found a store, an actual walk in the door store, HALLOWEEN store, that is open all year round. It's Halloween Store, and you lucky devil's (ha) in California have it in Burbank.
It is totally worth the trip out there, do I feel a birthday road trip coming on?
Let's get some shoes on, pack up the trailer and go shopping.
Converse Angry Birds Low Black Orange Canvas Shoes

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Have Halloween, WIll Travel

Here is the cutest little teardrop, painted orange and yellow. Kind of Halloween. I'd add a little black striping to make it more holiday friendly. But it still looks good!

But how fun would this be to serve little Trick-or Treaters out of this kitchen. Sitting, relaxing and handing out the candy. I really need to get me one of these. And maybe take a trip and visit another state, or city, and join in with that local Halloween atmosphere, see how someone else celebrates.
I'd like to see some ghosts hanging from that window. And on the other side, a full on haunted set-up. This is the perfect place to celebrate Halloween, at home or on the road.
Here's to the countdown!

Monday, September 10, 2012

Pet Peeves

I love Halloween, Fall, the colors and smells of a new season. And because of that, I love all the excitement in stores when the new displays are up, new decorations and lights. What bothers me most about this holiday, is the magazines. Those glossy covers fool me every time. They claim to have newest Halloween ideas, costumes, decorations, and what? You get a beautiful cover with two pages of Halloween inside. Even one of the lasrgest Halloween magazines this year is a disappointment, displaying mostly last year's ideas. Did she not pay someone enough to re think the spread?
So, short of starting my own glossy, which would be terribly expensive, I am going to post the best, in my opinion, Halloween ideas and treats. Get ready kiddies and let's get ready for trick or treatin'. Halloween is coming and I'm not going to settle for mediocre.

Let's do some steppin'-Halloween style.

Chuck Taylor Hi "El Gigante" designed by Alán González

Friday, September 7, 2012

Friday night crafting and baseball

No jinxing, so I cannot of write about the Giants while I watch. I guess that explains why I never became a sports writer. But I am watching them and blogging, and pinning and swap botting. is that a word? No, but it's fun to say. I have a lot material for a baseball blog, which I will be penning soon. Wait for after the season? or go ahead and start now in time for the post-season. So many decisions.
Crafting-I have so much to do. I continue to look at my Swap Bot dashboard like something is suddenly going to make itself. I always say the same thing-why do you wait so long? But I do and I don't think I'll ever change. Things I'm having difficulty with: Poe realated craft, Raven ATC's (why are there suddenly no ravens anywhere) And a Halloween purse charm. I can/will complete everything-just letting the cortisol become belly fat.