Happy Halloween!

Hope your Halloween is filled with loads of candy and just the right amount of mischief.

P.S. Just ignore the dirty floor. There's far more fun things to do with a broom today than sweeping.

Groovy Grave Halloweeny ATC's

I don't have anything new to show off today so I thought I'd do a little Halloweeny image giveaway instead.

You know the rules. Use as you like. Make loads of stuff and a big fat mess. Don't distribute these images, sell or give, alone or as a group. (You can share these BUT the bottom stuff must be kept intact and a link back is appreciated.) These are NOT for commercial use. They are for fabulous crafty folk to make lovely things with. Violators may notice strange burning sensations in terrible places. Believe me, it's better if you just play nice.

And, in case you missed it last time around, here's a page filled with spooky words typed up on my old Underwood.

Charming

Because I know you'll appreciate the sweetness and loveliness of this. I loves Shelly Duvall :)

Morphine and Progress

I haven't been feeling too awful but last night those damned stones reared their ugly heads and I gave in and took some morphine. My mum is terrified that I'll now become a prescription drug addict.

I've been continuing work on my wee house. The roof has been mossified and I spent today making little books.

I think the new place is going to be called The Story Tellers House. I can't wait to see where it takes me :)

Stones, Deals & Progress

Long story short, I woke the husband, packed the kid in the car and went to the ER at 1am last night. Apparently it wasn't some alien life form about to explode out my left side, it was kidney stones.

The doctor assured me I'd live since it didn't seem like I was in too much distress. He likened passing a stone to giving birth. I told him I'd given birth before and that's very nearly what I was feeling like 30 minutes prior.

Can I just say, I HATE it when men compare pain to childbirth. How the hell would they know? Buggers. And why to dr's assume you're fairly fine and dandy if you're not rolling around in agony? Some of us deal with pain differently.

Anywho, on to better things.

Yesterday we ran some errands and I crammed in some supply shopping. I managed a couple of pretty great finds...

The wooden spice rack in the back was $5.99 which is a bit more than I would normally pay (because I'm a cheap bastard) but it's just such a great size measuring 16" across closed and 32" open. And aren't those cut out bits fabulous? Sort of a Moroccan feel to them. I'm going to turn that baby into another shrine.

And what's that in front of the shrine? Paper cement for an absolute steal!

From the directions and description I'm assuming this is just rubber cement. I've been in dire need of the stuff for months but haven't seen it... or refused to pay $17.99 for it (cheap bastard, see above).

Lastly, I've been working hard on another little house. Here's the progress so far...

I think it'll be rather cute when it's finished but I must admit, the teeny weeny scale of this particular house isn't as enjoyable as the very first houses I worked on. While the tinier stuff may be more impressive visually, the larger, more spacious ones are so free and airy, and a joy to work on.

Off to continue work on the house and let those lovely little pain pills kick in.

Damned stones.

The Kindness of Strangers (or why older ladies are the bees knees)

We participated in an art show this weekend and I dragged along the Stargazers Cottage.

One of my very favourite things about this piece is that prompts people, especially ladies of a certain generation, to share childhood stories and memories. It's such a gift to hear these fabulous gals talk about craft and imaginative play.

One lady told me about how envious she was of her friend's doll house. She described the huge thing and said she remembered that it even had electricity. As a child she was quite certain that her friend must have been very, very wealthy to have such a grand dollhouse. Another dear sweet lady shared her memories of her mothers crafting, about the dollhouse and playthings she had as a girl, and about the arts taught in schools in Nazi Germany. Still another told me about her homemade doll house made out of two cigar boxes.

When I arrived on Sunday the last lady approached me with a plastic bag in hand. She had dug through her basement and found that cigar box house! It had obviously been well loved. The roof was missing, as were the doorknobs, but I ooh'ed and ahh'ed all over it. She told me it had been made in 1943 by her aunt. Many of the little bits of furniture had been lost over the years but there were still a few items inside. Couches and beds made from matchboxes and covered with little bits of fabric.

She mentioned that her children probably wouldn't be interested in the house and that it might very well end up in the bin. *gasps!*

Would you consider a trade for it?
A town in a tea cup perhaps?
Then again, anything at all!
Just please think about it.
Consider it.
If you can part with it, come back and you can pick something out!

She must have thought I was a little bit of a nut really.

Not five minutes later she was back and said I could have it. Have it! My mum was there and told her it was going to a very good home. I literally hugged the wee thing and vowed to love it forever and ever.

It was the absolute kindest gesture. I don't think that lady knows just how much I'll treasure that little place. It is one of my very most favourite things in the whole wide world right now :)

Airy Fairy Shadowboxes

Finished up some more work last night for this weekend's art show. I really wish the sun was shining today so that I could get some better photos. On the other hand, those shining rays just might distract me from the housework (that has already been neglected) in preparation for Mamma Knickertwist to arrive.

... One more thing, mandrake roots

One of the 'others' I put in the Potter package was a wee paperclay mandrake root.

Since this fellow I've made some more out of polyclay which are rather more grumpy, but lovely all the same :)

Some of these fellows are available in my etsy shop in the dolls and figures section

The muggle post has landed = Potter Goodness

My partner in the Back to Hogwarts swap at craftster has received so I can post the Potter themed goodies I've been waiting to show off. The challenge? Make Potter themed items based on your partners favourite house, class and shop.

One of my favourite things was this little shop display. It's made from a dollar store key cubby. (Thank the gods for the dollar store). All of the tiny labels are spell ingredients used in the Potter books.

The penny on the counter is for size. It's not a giant galleon.

Then crochet Gryffindor slippers! These look way better on.

Here's the whole lot (minus the books). There were a few other things that went in the package, I went a little overboard, but I just had so much fun making stuff!

Huzzah for Harry Potter!

It's done!

I was up until 4 am working on this last night. Time just sort of stood still and I couldn't stop :) After being stuck on what exactly was going on the inside, doing and redoing it again a few times, I'm really, really happy with how this has turned out. It makes my heart glad.

Happy Turkey Day

I've just been writing a big long dreary thing on being thankful for this and that. It was long, sort of depressing and a bit of a yawn to tell the truth. So lets just say that most of the time I think I'm the luckiest gal in the world. I'm thankful for all of it, everything, and all of the people who make life grand.

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

P.S. Here's a photo of the teeniest tiniest mushrooms ever... just because they are the sweetest things imaginable!

Teeny weeniest moony shrine

Ok, this moon may not be smiling but it's still a happy little mystical place :) Available in my etsy here

I spent the morning helping serve a hot Canadian Thanksgiving dinner to the kids at D's school. I've eaten far too many cookies and turkey and am in dire need of a short nap before the kiddo comes home. *yawn!* I wonder how many winks I can cram into 45 minutes?

Haulin' ass (not really)

I've got a pant-load of stuff on the go and I really need to start finishing stuff up. I am simultaneously surprised at how much work I've done lately and in a complete panic that I need to do more for the show next week. *sigh*

Here's one of my works in progress....

The base is a second hand cupboard that I originally used in another piece. I wasn't happy with it so it's being repurposed again. The inside isn't done at all so no peeking in there just yet :)

Another happy moon

Last night the moon was so bright, shining through my window, that it kicked my ass into gear and I finished up this second moon shrine.

Listed on etsy here

Potter goodness and Elves!

Woo hoo! I've finished putting together a Harry Potter package for the craftster Back to Hogwarts rnd 2 Swap. I'm really proud of it and I can't wait to show it off... but that have to wait until my lovely partner receives.

In the meantime... more strangeness from life on the Hill.

The kidlet went wandering yesterday. I sent him out with a camera and a walkie-talkie to snap some photos for our upcoming show in two weeks (yikes!). After a short while I heard the blip of the walkie talkie and then...

Mum! Mum! I found something but you CAN'T use if for your crafting! Come out and see!

This is what he found...

Isn't it fantastic?! It's quite small, maybe 5" long, and utterly beautiful and gloriously mossy.

I've been quite sure where the faeries, pixies and goblins reside on our hilly acres and now I know just where the elves live too.