Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

 

I wasn't on the ball enough this year to join any Halloween blog festivities,

 

but here are a few pictures anyway!

 

♥

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I really had fun combining Halloween and Dia de los Muertos
themes...



Next year I want to find some Day of the Dead and Saint votives...



and I really want to order some sugar skulls...



I hope I remember in time!



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Here again is my sweet little pumpkin that Grandma Collier



gave me on my second Halloween...



So glad my Mom took good care of it for me, because I would have



used it year-round for collecting things...



Tadpoles in spring and other critters the rest of the year, probably...;^)




(The cool Edgar Allan Poe art card is from Susan of Flutter Before You.)



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My dear friend Elaine made the lovely Halloween "make-do" for me,



and also sent the sweet little Mousie-girl with her bucket of candy corn...



(She also made the Kitty-girl last year!) ~ ♥




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Fun planter-shoes and Marigolds ~



with a pink Chrysanthemum tucked in for good measure...



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This pretty cone is also from Susan at Flutter Before You...



I was the lucky winner of one of her Halloween drawings last year ~ :^)



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A flock of Vultures adorn my tree!



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Black licorice "Crows" and Halloween Ghostie Peeps



I couldn't resist!



I think they should call them "Boos" or something, though...;^)



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This plastic candy dish is from the early 1960s



(also well taken care of by my Mom),



a Woolworth's purchase...a whole 29 cents!



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And lastly, cupcakes...(and marshmallow Skulls) ~



Don't worry, I checked first before adding the Marigolds...



(They're edible and have vitamins, but can be bitter!)



Since I can't have any goodies right now ~ I resisted, not even a tiny taste ~



Jonathan and his dorm-mates got the spoils of my photo-shoot!



That's all for now!



Have a fun rest of the evening, this All Hallow's Eve!



Love,



 

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Dia de los Muertos Pumpkin, Step-by-Step

Hello again!

 

Here's how I did the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) pumpkin...

 

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I began by folding a piece of typing paper in half and cutting out



a simple skull shape. I folded it a little to fit the curve of the pumpkin



and lightly traced around the pattern with a liner brush,



then base-coated the skull background with white acrylic ~



(I used Golden Liquid Acrylic).



While that was drying, I sketched my design on the paper pattern,



this time cutting out the eyes, mouth and nose shapes.



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I placed the cut-out shapes on the pumpkin and used a liner brush



and pink acrylic (thinned) to trace around them...



(I used pink paint instead of black as it would be easier to blend into



the finished design ~ also easier to cover up any stray lines later.)



I used the brush to free-hand "sketch" in the different elements;



Swirls, flowers, hearts ~ the more the merrier!



It looks pretty messy at this stage...but it all comes together!



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I filled in the main shapes with bright, light to medium colors.

 

Now for the fun!

 

Using slightly thinned black acrylic and a liner brush, I outlined all the shapes ~

 

I then used a small round brush for the larger areas and the negative shapes around the eyes.

 

I got "dotty" with a brush handle dipped in various colors!

 

You could just go wild with details...I had to keep reminding myself that

 

this was just a (perishable) pumpkin!
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Even though it's not going to last all that long, I wanted the skull to have a



nice gloss, so I put a coat of water-based sealer on the painted design only.




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It's a good thing the sealer was dry, Leo!



He has to check everything out.



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Now, this part is really short-lived... (Aren't many really good things fleeting, though?)



but it was fun ~ I had oodles of marigolds, and they are such a significant part



of Dia de los Muertos that I had to do it.



Just a tiny bit of hot-glue holds each flower-head in place.



And they did last until the next day!



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Leo didn't know what to think about this part...;^)
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Leo does love to pose! (This is his "Lassie" look.)
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And that's it!



Join me for Halloween tomorrow night!



♥

Love,



 

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Dio de los Muertos...♥

Hi, everyone!

 

I apologize again for being MIA...

 

I do love blogging but you would think it was such a chore, wouldn't you?

 

It isn't.

 

 
I will get straightened out soon!

 

I wanted to show you my Dia de los Muertos pumpkin, though...

 

Check back (hopefully later this evening) for steps on how I did him!

 

♥

 

 

Love,


 

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Happy Fall, Y'all! (Just a Little Late...)

Hi, Everyone!

 

I have been a baaad blogger...

 

How can a person suddenly have too much time on their hands,

 

yet accomplish so little?

 

That's what's happening with me here.

 

Empty nest.

 

My children will tell you I spend too much time checking on them...

 

(I worry!)

 

Sweet little Cyrus has been sick...

 

(More worrying, especially since he can't tell me how he feels...)

 

He is well, now, thank goodness.

 

Everyone is in place for the moment.

 

So what happens now?

 

I decided at the beginning of summer that I was going to lose weight ~

 

(the weight I gained when I ate and then didn't die after breast cancer in 1999) ;^)

 

...and I did!

 

Well, I still am...not quite at my goal yet.

 

But you know what?

 

I have learned (first hand)

 

that when a woman "of a certain age" loses a lot of weight,

 

it makes her gall bladder very unhappy...

 

Who knew?

 

Not me, that's for sure.

 

But that's what happened.

 

I get to take medicine for a little while

 

 and eat unsweetened applesauce and Jello.

 

Then surgery, probably.

 

(Much preferable to gall bladder attacks.)

 

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Sweet Cyrus...feeling much better now.



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Did I ever think I would say "Too many tomatoes"?



Nope.



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Marigolds to decorate with!



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Heirloom okra, destined to become Vultures...



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Ready for drying in the oven...



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Leo has taken to sitting on the okra vultures like a hen.



no matter what stage they are in...



even with still-wet sealer on them!




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And finally, Cypress Vines...



everywhere!



Like last year, if any of you would like seeds,



I would be more than happy to send you some ~



just leave me your address in a message ~



it may take me a little while,





























but I'd be glad to share!



♥



And how is your Autumn shaping up??



Love,

 

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