A Ghost Story, A Headless Marie, and Vintage Halloween

Have you ever seen a ghost?

When I was around 7 years old, I was staying overnight at my best friend's house. This house was a huge doctor's manse that had been built 100 years prior. It was the type of house with lots of hidden doorways and intriguing little cubbyholes that kids love to play in. Elizabeth's dad was not home that night and her mom said that Elizabeth and I could sleep in her room and she would sleep in E's room. Cool!

I don't remember why, but Elizabeth got up through the night and went to sleep with her mom in her own single bed and I woke up all alone. What woke me up was extreme cold. I was freezing and thought there may be a window open - looked around in the dark, but the windows were all closed. I was so cold I had goosebumps and I remember feeling almost electrified. It was then I noticed the small door to the attic that was in one of the bedroom walls was ajar, just about an inch. As I looked at it, it started to open more. That black one inch band became two, and then three......and that was it for me.

I scooted off that bed and out of that room so fast, ran down the hallway to Elizabeth's room and her mom woke up. I didn't want to tell her that I was scared (I was a BIG girl of 7!), so I suggested that she and Elizabeth move back to her double bed, and I would sleep in E's room. Elizabeth's room was half the size of her parent's room, with no weird cubbyholes or doors to the attic - it was also warm. I eventually fell asleep and the next morning woke up wondering just what had tried to visit me the night before. What do you think? Overactive child's imagination, or a ghost?

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Headless Marie Antoinette Costume

Instructions to make this inventive Halloween costume by Nicole Magne is on Etsy's The Storque. It is too late this year, but definitely something to keep in mind for next year.

No instructions for this, but how about being a tree:

An idea for next year's Halloween party (sculpt the head out of paperclay, unless you have a friend that doesn't mind you getting creative with them. mwwwwwhhhahaha)

On that note, I will wish you all a happy and safe Halloween!

Hallowe'en Tidbits

I have been busy finishing up a couple of commissions for this week and also working on my ADO Challenge piece, which I hope to have completed tomorrow or Thursday. I'll post pics as soon as she is done. I'm also working on my swap piece for the Monsters Under the Bed swap (that has to be done first week in Nov). Yikes! Time flies!

For many, Hallowe'en is a much beloved time of year that has its roots going back thousands of years. The video below offers a short and concise history of this holiday.

Witches, pumpkins, black cats, ghosts, ghouls......quite an assortment of beings/items commemorate all Hallows Eve!

These old gals look so authentic! Love this pic!

(I never thought a lamb costume would look kind of scarey)

I'll end this post with a favorite Hallowe'en song from a favorite movie:

Wordless Wednesday

Decay

I love everything about the Fall, the colours, the crisp air, the

crunching sound of the leaves as you walk through them, and the fabulous smell of decaying leaves. I saw this leaf today and was enchanted by the textures of the leaf, the wood, the cobwebs and the lacy membranes that are so tentatively holding onto some of the holes.

Another view of the leaf......

A couple of other photos of vegetation - not as decayed........

And do you see the little woodland sprite peaking out......

I did get some pretty pics of red, yellow, orange leaves, but these are more interesting to me.

See It If You Can

It is supposed to be fabulous. A couple people I know saw it and absolutely loved it. Laughed, cried, enjoyed. For the child in all of us!

Wordless Wednesday

Thanksgiving

This coming Monday is Canada's Thanksgiving holiday, which makes this our Thanksgiving weekend. Time for family, friends and loved ones to get together, have a great time and eat the traditional turkey dinner.

There are three traditions behind our Canadian Thanksgiving Day.

* Long ago, before the first Europeans arrived in North America, the farmers in Europe held celebrations at harvest time. To give thanks for their good fortune and the abundance of food, the farm workers filled a curved goat's horn with fruit and grain. This symbol was called a cornucopia or horn of plenty. When they came to Canada they brought this tradition with them.

* In the year 1578, the English navigator Martin Frobisher held a formal ceremony, in what is now called Newfoundland, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. He was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him - Frobisher Bay. Other settlers arrived and continued these ceremonies.

* The third came in the year 1621, in what is now the United States, when the Pilgrims celebrated their harvest in the New World. The Pilgrims were English colonists who had founded a permanent European settlement at Plymouth Massachusetts. By the 1750's, this joyous celebration was brought to Nova Scotia by American settlers from the south.At the same time, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed "The Order of Good Cheer" and gladly shared their food with their Indian neighbours.After the Seven Year's War ended in 1763, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving.The Americans who remained faithful to the government in England were known as Loyalists. At the time of the American revolution, they moved to canada and spread the Thanksgiving celebration to other parts of the country. many of the new English settlers from Great Britain were also used to having a harvest celebration in their churches every autumn.Eventually in 1879, Parliament declared November 6th a day of Thanksgiving and a national holiday.

Over the years many dates were used for Thanksgiving, the most popular was the 3rd Monday in October. After World War I, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11th occurred. Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day. Finally, on January 31st, 1957, Parliament proclaimed....

"A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed... to be observed on the second Monday in October." (from Canada Info)

A Lovely Thanksgiving Medley by George Winston

And this is one of the funniest exchanges ever between Johnny Carson and Doc Severinsen (1979). They are talking about the US Thanksgiving, and boy, were they having fun. It is their laughing that makes me laugh more than what they are actually saying.

Wishing all my fellow Canadians a Wonderful, Happy and Safe Thanksgiving Weekend!

On This Day...

38 years ago......

The classic song, "Imagine" by John Lennon was released (Oct. 8, 1971). As relevant today as it was then.

Peace

Wordless Wednesday

Trinity Heart Studios

Trinity Heart Studios

I want to introduce everyone to Trinity Heart Studios, a brand new blog that my eldest daughter, Nicole, just started tonight.

Nicole is a talented artist and is just getting into the fun part of putting herself on the web (I've been bugging her for over a year to start a blog!)

Please check her out and say "hi"!

One of those Days

James Christensen

Today was one of those days. A day that we had all planned out (first mistake) as it would be very busy, and then one thing after another went wrong.

- tied up in traffic on the highway due to an accident up the road caused us to be late for an appointment.

- the pump we rented to take the water level down in our pool so we could close it, was defective and blew a fuse. The fuse box sparked, now we need to have some electrical work done on the fuse box. We also have several areas of the house without electricity, including my laundry room.

- What seemed like a mini tornado blew through town, no major damage, but lots of branches down and leaves in our yet-to-be closed pool. Also some nervous moments.

- My van was backed into and I now have a driver's side door that is trashed, plus part of the A-frame is wonky.

I was going to sculpt tonight, but decided against it. Probably a good thing.

Tomorrow is another day and rather than making down to the minute plans I think we will just take it as it comes. LOL

It Won't Be Long..........

Fleet Foxes - White Winter

Cold and blustery here today....a taste of things to come.