Planting Experiment...

Ok, so I've been away from home too much this year and last year....blah, blah, blah. 

This spring I thought I'd try an experimental planting.  I broke apart two bucky skulls...not that easy!  I added them to a couple of pots, added some steppable (this is the correct spelling) plants, and I took a few photos.  The next part was easy....I 've been gone, remember?

 

These photos were taken in May 2012
 

These were taken August 2012

Ooops ~ Almost devoured

 

Thankfully white shows up!

This what I learned:  Add a few fingers, hands, feet, something with some height

                                  Place the body parts (skull bits) higher than I think they need to be

                                  Not so many plants in one pot ~ they do grow

                                   

Ghost Girl....

I found this great static prop on Pinterest this morning.  Clockwerk is the creator of this amazing prop!  More photos and the how-we-did-this link below:





To see more:  Ghost Girl

Steampunk Challenge...



Johanna Parker is one of my most favorite folk art designers.  She has a passion for Halloween (I believe it's her birthday!) but she designs for other occassions as well.  She is holding an online auction for this original piece of sculpture.  The artists of Ehag held a "Steampunk Challenge" and this beauty is hers.  Amazing piece of artwork!!

Check out her blog:  Johanna Parker Designs

Candles...

I'm trying a simple project.  Nothing everyone hasn't done already.  I am doing nothing new...just doing.  I looked at some "how-to" ideas.  Seems everyone does pretty much the same.  I wanted white candles.  I ended up with black 2" PVC.  It came in small pieces rather than the 8' length.  I bought the transparent glue sticks.  Didn't think it would matter anyway because I planned on painting them.

So here's what happened to my white, painted candles.  I used transparent glue on black PVC and the Mister liked them that way.  He says they will look great under a blacklight.  I say....but I want white.  I pulled out the blacklight and .........he was right.  Crazy...

With a blacklight...

With no extra lighting...

With light from a lamp...

Can't wait to try them out this Halloween in the graveyard.....

Gift...

Have you ever gotten a gift that literally takes your breath away?  Good friends are sometimes made heartbeat fast, sometimes made cautiously slow.  My cautiously slow friend has been similar to gaining the trust of a feral cat.  Well, I finally got the gift of the dead rat (prairie dog) on my doorstep.....
This tiny prairie dog skull was found in his pasture.  He saved it, brought it home and he and his wife (my heartbeat fast friend) made it into a necklace for me.
Gift of friendship.............

Girls love jewelry





Happy New Year...

On my walk today I found 8 pumpkins surrounding a sagebrush that were NOT there yesterday.  Today, January 1, 2012, pumpkins surrounding sagebrush.  I'm thinking it's a sign for the year.  I'm thinking it's a good sign..........

Free Range Pumpkins

Caged...



So, I haven't been too fascinated with bird cages in the past.  I couldn't quite get why people seemed to go nuts and snap 'em up when they found them.  And, when I get that way it always comes back to haunt me.  This summer I saw the most amazing bird cage at a local gift shop.  It was HUGE!  It was about 6 feet tall, maybe 2 feet in diameter, painted green and stood on a stand.  My mind saw skeletons, crows, bats, ghosts, ghouls.....you know...you have those moments of clarity.  The mother of all bird cages was completely out of my price range so I began a search for something that would work for me.  Originally I thought round but this one spoke to me and said....bats.  I thought a lot about how to make bat guano on the bottom of this cage.  I settled for skull, moss, and wood bits.  I love my bat cage.............

The Eyes Have It....

This year I tried using florist gel (Tropical Ice).  It comes in crystal bits, add water, and it grows into gelantinous random sized chunks.  The colors are limited (red, purple, green, blue, yellow,  clear) but can be layered.  I love the way it keeps eyeballs, cockroaches, fingers, etc. suspended.  I used a chopstick to poke whatever into position...and it stayed!  I did try an experiment using food coloring and that actually worked okay.  The food coloring only went so far down and then stopped.  I have a few ideas that I'd like to experiment with this coming year.  I'll keep you posted....

BTW ~ in the second photo the fake rubbery green bean things absorbed the purple dye.  As did the glow in the dark snake things I added.  Weird....

Headless Red...

This summer we took our English Auntie and friends to Walla Walla, WA for a long week-end, wine tasting, and general look-see.  After seeing an add for Headless Red wine...well, what can I say?   I was on a mission.  So worth the visit!  I love the label, the wines, the winery, the people, the horse, ah-h-h-h.  The other wine with a Halloween label is the Four Horsemen.  A beautiful label with (duh) 4 charging horses done in black and orange.

The tasting room has a huge coffin for display and wine storage and a tiny coffin with one bottle of Headless Red.  So, yes, we stole their idea.  The Mr. and grandsons built a dozen of the tiny coffins this summer.  We went back to Walla Walla October 1 for the new release of Headless Red (great party), met the Headless Horseman (Jennifer) and came home with the spirits for the coffins.  Success!

Check out their web-site.  It has a link to a video they made for the Headless Red wine.  It's worth a look!

Ash Hollow Winery







Headless Horseman and Anya (The Horse)



Toes...

Nothing beats a comfortable pair of Zombie Feet.............

Shadows....

Made by Pumpkinrot...........

The Mr. has a Sudoku fascination...



I  like the red lighting on this sinister face...



Yeah, I know, don't use a flash....

So, I have a fascination with these creatures from the minds and skills of Pumpkinrot.  I believe anything more than three constitutes a collection........uh, I have five.  These beauties came from Pumpkinrot's Pumpkin Hollow Store.  Primitives by Kathy has their creations also.  The three sistahs and their cauldron will stay in my office during the year and hopefully some Halloween magic will eat into my brain...

Truly wish I had the photography skills to show how awesome they were lurking around the house.  I have a vision of someday making something similar only 7 feet tall to greet the kiddies on either side of the front door.  Alas, I also need some skills for that too.........

Poison....

Every year the very first things I put out for Halloween are the cauldron, apples, and brooms.  They give me that feeling of "oh yeah, now it feels like home..."



A really good broom is so hard to find.....



Random bits....

Orange lighting, shiny jars, gargoyles, a little greenery, tiny skulls, severed fingers.......what more could a girl ask for...sigh....

Bits and pieces...

Reach out....

Sh-h-h.........

After a long, long time away I am back..........