Happy Hallows Eve from the Breeze

I created this ATC just for you my little ghouls and ghoulies. Happy Halloween. I'm headed for a party tonight, have the DVR set for the SyFy Channel formally known as SciFi.... I can't miss my Ghost Hunter Boys (Jason, Grant, Steve, and Tango).... This ATC is known as "Nevermore" -- (OK, I got excited a few hours ago when I took the trash out and FOUND one more rusty paper clip. Had to use on Mr. Poe)



I love the Halloween Dolls from Digital Collage Sheets....... too spooky! Thanks, Patty for leading me that way. I so loved your creation!

We all need a piano in at least one of our lives

All things dark and beautiful in the Breeze

Today the madness began in the early morning hour when the due was on the roses. The ghouls and gals showed up for work - OH no..... and yes, luckily the dress still fit! WooooHooooo ..

Be afraid, Boys and Girls, be really afraid. Oh yeah, did I tell you Popeye's Chicken really loved the Ghoul and Me when we floated in for 16 pieces of chicken?

Enjoy the shows on TV the next two nights! Spooky thrills are headed your way....

More for me than you! LOL

I just have to post what I did last night to the ornaments. You note "to the" little round circles. They are becoming the bane of my existence at the moment. Moved the sewing machine downstairs to dining room table. Knew it would be stressful and needed the comforts of the downstairs, recliners, kitchen, cheese, etc. Got the little buggers sewed into "circles" - please note "circles" is a relative term in my sewing world.

Got them stuffed and seven of them whipped stitched together. Kept the first one for myself, it was a pretty poor example of an ornament and had to sew it twice. OH NO, forgot to leave the opening to pull it from outside to inside. AND, now, on my check-list, go to Michaels and buy little ornaments made by Taiwanese ladies to give with mine. Is this a defeatist attitude. Maybe. But I feel better already!

Thinking of attaching the hook with a button to the back - we will see later this weekend if this will work. Playing tennis the next two nights!

Raindrops in the Honeysuckles

My tree caught my eye as I wandered out early to work this morning. The time: 7:15 am. This is what I saw, "raindrops" and what I thought, "keep falling on my head." The lights still on and the raindrops glistening. So I just couldn't resist.

This is a quick progress report on the ornament swap which I am obsessing about. Yesterday, after working out with the monster James, I hurried home, showered, fixed dinner, ate, and began finishing up the final two ornaments. I then ransacked a closet to find backing material. Cut cross-stitched ornaments and backing into circles. All of it is now waiting to be sewn together. So for tonight the goal is to get all 14 sewn and ready for stuffing the batting into each one. I also I have to find some ribbon that will work as the "hangers." I am bound and determined not to have to go out and buy anything for this. I have plenty of stuff to finish these with - the problem is "convincing me" to go look for it instead of heading to JoAnn's to buy it quickly. LOL.

As I said above, all the little squares are now little circles. Will report what I get done tomorrow.... Just remember to stay dry and dodge the raindrops!

I'm Baccckkkkk in the Breeze

OK, I wasn't gone, really, but I did work all weekend..... and made it--Whopeee. Oh, yeah, have to the minutes. Ugh. I'll let Gertrude do it. She was a hit, so to speak... Well, I've almost accomplished one goal I made a week ago. Get four more Xmas ornaments done for my Craft Chix weekend swap - have to make it to 14 by November something I think 13!



Last night I finished two of the "Joy" and am now working on the final two called "Merry Christmas." Then I will need to sew backing material to them, stuff, put a ribbon at the top, and make an ornament. Not in a panic. I can get it done by next Saturday. Still two weeks to go. Of course, uh -- then come the recipe cards..... 13 of those to make.

I did get some items in my travel book on my Wisconsin trip:

Michelle Ward created the wonderful Madonna! I did add the Cheese netting or was that the turkey? Also got a page of "The Life of O'Riley Farm" on another page.

AND last but not least, of course, we are coming up to my favorite day all year long..... did you guess? huh??? huh?? Yes, Halloween. Pulling out the costume I think I will wear this year. The Vampire Bride:

I have to admit this is not new. I wore this costume in 2004 - hey, 5 years ago and I am going to trust it still fits. We will see - Friday morning, of course. Why plan ahead. Okie Dokie, need to run and sew on my last two Xmas ornaments. Have a great Monday evening.

Yes, sweeties, there has been some creations in the breeze

I'm sure you are now recovered from my office post tirade from yesterday..... I'm sure, get over it, babies. I told you I had been creating. You will see the beginning of a journal that I found over at the Paper Source about 6 months ago. It is called, "The True and the Questions, A Journal" by Sabrina Ward Harrison. Amazon carries it. I didn't know what I wanted to do with it ..... UNTIL...... I couldn't fall asleep the other night because I started thinking about all the stuff I have that is "undone" in my creative ventures or all the stuff I have to create before a certain deadline.

And then after finally falling asleep, I woke myself up wide awake at 3 am, thinking about all the stuff I should be doing... I know you know the vicious circle. Well, I decided I needed to make a "to do" list. So I took the journal and on the outside used up a lot of my alphabets by labeling this journal: "So many projects, So little time, So get off your butt, Do it..... (yes, I did think of Tim Gunn over at Project Runway). "Just do it." Here is the start of that list:

1. Work on all my cardboard cereal boxes ready to be made into notebook/journals. You, my firends, have seen a few of them on these pages but I've got bookoos of boxes.

I'm thinking Christmas gifts (yes, I just got inspired by visiting Artful Affirmations and seeing her lovely pin cushion, want one).... I did see some examples of Christmas cards and a journal in my latest copy of Somerset Studios and cut them out and put in the book. I wrote notes on some of the images ... like xoxo -- shorthand!

Already filled up two pages with these ideas for address books, to do books, journals, etc.

2. Next I have many photo-sleeve albums I need to do including: Paris, New York I, New York II, Philly, Estonia, Germany, Lizzie Borden and Salem.... you get the idea..... I did get London done already and it felt so good. I love this four page spread.....


I am working on Paris and will, work on it once again, when I go on the CraftChix weekend in November:

3. Arch Murder booklet. You have seen a few photos but not many because I went to work on other stuff (and I love this project but since there is no deadline, I let it sit):


So the list goes on and on... BUT, after putting it down in this journal, it doesn't seem as daunting as it was before. I love my new journal. Thank you Sabrina where ever you are and where ever you are I am sure you have made it a better place to live!

Be afraid..... be very afraid.... into the night the honeysuckles. . .

The honeysuckles are in bloom in the midnight waning moon. The harvest moon glows brightly in the night sky over Northern Virginia. This little witchey is getting ready for a board meeting at the office. Ho hummers, boys and girls, after 30 years it should be routine and it mostly is, however, we have never had them (AKA board) at the office this close to Halloween. The office is draped in its musty dusty dungeon decorations. We are truly ready for the big day soon (the big day being Halloween not the coming of the Board of Directors this Friday)!

Gertrude (remember my executive assistant) has already moved into the board room to take the minutes of the meeting. Harley donned a witch's hat and joined in the fun. OK you can stop snickering about now. You can call me giddy and yes, I did get the over-100 page electronic board book out to them. Giddy, you betcha, boys and girls. Very giddy.......and a little insane, so what else is new? On November 12, I will have been working for this non-profit for 30 years..... I was brought here from Oklahoma City to interview for the job in the middle of October. The middle of October is spectacular in this part of the world. Check out the view from the office parking lot:


And so, I ended up in Reston, Virginia, 30 years ago.

Meanwhile, back at the office, the munchkins are running rampant in the middle of the night spreading good cheer to all and to all a good night! I know a little abrupt but I wanted to get something posted before I headed out to dinner with my team tennis buddies tonight. Team tennis is over for now. Autumn and winter are approaching...... I will try to post you a little something of the stuff I have been creating.... yes I have, I really really have. ; ]

Batears Olafsen a Neglected Murderess

Now, let me ask you a quick question, boys and girls, "If someone called you bat ears, wouldn't you want to hack their ears off?" A simple question. Just imagine how dear Sarah Jane felt when at school the little chant going around the playground:
Sarah Jane had thirty bats
in her ugly green-gray hat.
Sarah Jane had two big bats
that served as ears to hold her hat.
Sarah Jane, Sarah Jane,
Born un bred in a stinky cave
lost her way to her lonely grave.

Born and bred in Bindweed, OR, it is said that she hacked to death 19 loggers between March 1904 and November 1907. Yes, boys and girls, she HACKED them to death. Now please note that our dear Edward Gorey said she "hacked to collops 19 loggers." NOTE the use of the word "collops" - translated means slices of meat. She ate them boys and girls, yes, she ate them. No wonder it was only 19 in 3 1/2 years.

I bet the doorway behind her is a lovely little smokehouse. The word collop is of Scandinavian origin also meaning a Swedish kalop stew. Beware, loggers, her ghost still walks the land in Bindweed.

There is another twist to the Gorey tale - Bindweed is a pernicious weed, a tenacious plant, which has bindweed gall mites that gnaw on roots. Yes, that is where our fair girl Bat Ears Olafsen is from.

Well, kitties, let us let her rest in peace. Deer slayer she was not. Dear slayer she was. How many hearts broke hers? We will never know since she decided to eat them instead. She and Hannibal would have been great friends, she was just born to early. Nite nite, sleep tight and don't let the gall mites bite. Yum, yum.... logger meat for dinner tonight. Yes, the crock pot is rockin'.

Rain in the Honeysuckles

Yes, still raining and raining and.... has been since Thursday and I think we will still have another good soaking tomorrow before it let's up on Monday. So for this rainy Saturday I had the pleasure of spending some time with a high school girlfriend. We met in the 10th grade and are still friends today. Two years ago, Pam and I, along with her sister and another friend, wandered into spooky ghostly Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast. The photo to your left is us in the Borden kitchen with our wonderful cook, Dave, who has been the cook for breakfast for years and years! We then headed up to Salem to see all of the witches! It was such a fun late October trip. It was great catching up with Pam. We still watch the same shows without even corresponding about them. It is so weird. We have plenty of weird odd stories between us. I'll tell you the ghost story some day as we get closer to Halloween. The year - 1968. The town - Oklahoma City. The time - midnight. The next trip we are planning is to Gettysburg where ghosts abound.

When I eventually got back home, I proceeded to put my nose to the grindstone and finish all 12 ATC cards for our November swap in Baltimore with the CraftChixs. Love my group! One of my inspirational books for ATCs is this one:

One reason I like it is because it basically just shows the cards and most are rubber stamped. Yes, images, images and more images. I always think I am ATC-handicapped and have never enjoyed working in the medium. Don't know why, yes, it is all in my head. I love jumping over to The Magpie's Nest where she does incredible ATCs, postcards, inchies, twinchies, and whatever. Makes me sick.... know it doesn't - it does inspire also. I laid out the plan for my ATCs about a month ago and have been cutting out all the little pieces. I just have trouble knowing, yes you can, just do one ATC and copy it...... Just can't do it. I have to do originals...... ok, I don't do it often, LOL.

Yes, 12 bats, 12 butterflies, 12 vamps, 12 little bats, and 12 backgrounds. These images are from down loadable digital clip art from Digital Collage Sheets. All when put together comes out eventually in a card titled "Suck"......

Well, since it was on black card stock, that presented an interesting problem for the back of the card. I had to go on the hunt for white ink and luckily I found it in my stash. So I began to stamp 12 backs to glue onto the back of the card. NOPE, I did not want the trauma of trying to stamp it and center it just right (I'm so ODC or something like those initials) on the back. Better to stamp, cut, glue, and fill out!

So, that was my day! Time for a cup of decaf, turn on a scary movie, and unwind. I will sleep well tonight with the rain pattering on the window. I'm yawning already. You all have a good evening and stay warm!

xoxo