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Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween ~ Congratulations to our WINNER ~ Penny!

Happy All Hallows Eve everyone:

I started my day today the way ever Halloween should start! With a large piece of Chocolate cake for breakfast!



Then I went to find my cup of names of all who joined in on the FREE GIVEAWAY of the 8 oz Circle Of Brooms room spray
...


Then I wispered good luck to all the entries and dumped them into my cauldron...



I waved my magic wand and gave them all a big stir...
And called for the Warlock to join me to draw the winning name...


There is was... oh who could it be...
the tension was high and we tittered with glee...


And just as it should be...
A lucky Penny did win!

Congratulations to Penny from Palaver From Pellie & Genghis Khat!


I had a wonderful dinner posted by another blogger that I will share with you tomorrow but now I must got to see one of the local houses who gets a ton of children and really does the house up right.
They also collect food for Gleaners so we can share a little love with those in need!

Congratulations again Penny!... you were the lucky penny I found today!


Saturday, October 30, 2010

Sharing Space with Bones

Well, I thought if I am ever going to share the bones that I live with, with you then it best be now when its Halloween... although I live with these on a daily basis. As some of you may have read previously my husband collects skulls so I live surrounded by them and have grown rather attached to all my bone daddies in this house and even at work!

I have taken the time to create a collage for you so it would not be too scary! Hehehehe



There are candle holders, bottles, glasses, juggling balls, magnets, shirts, statues, boxes, skull statues, sketches, tables, grocery bags, night lights and even old business cards! And I realized today that I forgot the tattoos! Hahahaha

Okay enough of that; I also wanted to share with you the wine label I designed this year, just for a bit of fun!


I haven't forgotten about the pictures I promised to show you of some of the makeups we have done for films including scary monsters etc... I am just not sure how to post some of them without scaring anyone so I have to figure that out first. I might have to do another collage and just show parts or maybe I just won't be able to show you those ones. Maybe I will find the fake tattoos and prettier makeups if I can instead.

Today we head out to a live wresting match and I am sure I will get some fun and interesting photos there to share with you at some point. We have to drive to another city to see this but my J has been watching wrestling since he was a little boy with his grandmother. He knows everything about story lines and characters etc. ... 
It's actually quite interesting if you can get past the blood.

Ah,

The things we do for love! Hahahahahaha

Hoping you all have a wonderful day... I'll be back tomorrow with the announcement for the winner of the Circle Of Brooms room spray.



Friday, October 29, 2010

REMINDER ~ Circle of Brooms FREE GIVEAWAY room spray

Just a reminder that there are only today and tomorrow left and we will be drawing for the Practical Magic ~ 8 oz ~ Circle of Brooms room spray.

If you have not left me a post and would like the opportunity to win this spray just pop on over to my Practical Magic Blog Entry 
and leave me a post. I will be checking one last time tomorrow evening and then I will draw the winner on All Hallow's Eve! 

How very exciting ! The time is almost here ....

Halloween Year Round


I wanted to share with you some of the Halloween art that is in my home on a regular basis.



My favourite pillow that I made a few years back



My favourite wall hanging that I purchased before I ever quilted for myself



These are the paintings I purchased at a yard sale a couple of years ago ... $2 for all of them! I Love them!


This is my Day of the Dead quilt top that I finally finished and now need to quilt. It is made from the most wonderful scull fabric. Did I ever mention that I live with skulls? My husband loves them and I have gotten use to them... maybe tomorrow I will post all the skulls in my life...

Funny Huh? A teddy bear maker with a world of skulls surrounding her...


My beautiful star which hangs in my kitchen

You can make a wish here whenever you feel like it!


I simply love this painting
The Magic Circle



Thursday, October 28, 2010

Vavacious Divas

Hello everyone

Well it's almost here... Just a few more days till all hallows eve and the parties seem to be in full swing.

Today I wanted to share with you a party my Mum attended a couple days ago and she was nice enough to share them with me and all of you. This is but one of the very fun ladies only groups my Mum belongs to called the Vivacious Divas.


Here she is in full Mad Hatter gear! Nice job!


Look at all that participation! Looks like fun! Lovely aren't they!


Well... there's always more than one of us who is a bit mad...

I am just thrilled to see the Alice fans out there in full swing this year! It has really been a fabulous year for me in that regaurd as there is ALICE ALICE everywhere!

Thanks for sharing Mum!


Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Halloween Trivia

Halloween Holiday Trivia

* Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.
* Jack o’ Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.
* Pumpkins also come in white, blue and green. Great for unique monster carvings!
* Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes.
* Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America.
* The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
* Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.
* Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters with Snickers #1.
* Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first.
* Bobbing for apples is thought to have originated from the roman harvest festival that honors Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.
* Black cats were once believed to be witch's familiars who protected their powers.

Monster Trivia & Folklore


* Signs of a werewolf are a unibrow, hair palms, tattoos, and a long middle finger.
* Vampires are mythical beings who defy death by sucking the blood of humans.
* In 1962, the Count Dracula Society was founded.
* To this day, there are vampire clubs and societies with people claiming to be real vampires.
* There really are so-called vampire bats, but they're not from Transylvania. They live in Central and South America and feed on the blood of cattle, horses and birds.
* Many people still believe that gargoyles were created by medieval architects and stone carvers to ward off evil spirits.

Halloween Movie Details

* "Halloween" was made in only 21 days in 1978 on a very limited budget.
* The movie was shot in the Spring and used fake autumn leaves.
* The mask used by Michael Meyers in the movie "Halloween" was actually William Shatner's mask painted white.
* The character Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis was named after John Carpenter's first girlfriend.
* While the setting for the story is in Illinois, the vehicles have California license plates.
* Halloween is on October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. It was originally a pagan holiday, honoring the dead. Holloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago.

Creepy Tidbits

* If you see a spider on Halloween, it is the spirit of a loved on watching over you.
* Worldwide, bats are vital natural enemies of night-flying insects.
* The common little brown bat of North America has the longest life span for a mammal it's size, with a life span averaging 32 years.
* In about 1 in 4 autopsies, a major disease is discovered that was previously undetected.
* The Ouija Board ended up outselling the game of Monopoly in its first full year at Salem. Over two million copies of the Ouija Board were shipped.


Other fun trivia

Q: Why are many coin banks shaped like pigs?

A: Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense orange
clay called "pygg". When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the
jars became known as "pygg banks." When an English potter misunderstood
the word, he made a bank that resembled a pig. And it caught on.

Q: Did you ever wonder why dimes, quarters and half dollars have notches,
while pennies and nickels do not?

A: The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing gold
and silver to discourage holders from shaving off small quantities of the
precious metals. Dimes, quarters and half dollars are notched because they
used to contain silver. Pennies and nickels aren't notched because the
metals they contain are not valuable enough to shave..

Q: Why do men's clothes have buttons on the right while women's clothes
have buttons on the left?

A: When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily
by the rich. Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put
the buttons on the maid's right. Since most people are right-handed, it is
easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left. And that's
where women's buttons have remained since.

Q: Why do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses?

A: In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write,
documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath
to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X and the kiss
eventually became synonymous.

Q: Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called "passing the
buck"?

A: In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a buck,
from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal. If a player
did not wish to assume the responsibility, he would "pass the buck" to the
next player.

Q: Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?

A: It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering
him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became
customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass
of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted
his host, he would then just touch or clink the host's glass with his own.

Q: Why are people in the public eye said to be "in the limelight"?

A: Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and stage lighting
by burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the
theatre, performers on stage "in the limelight" were seen by the audience
to be the center of attention.

Q: Why do ships and aircraft in trouble use "mayday"as their call for
help?

A: This comes from the French word m'aidez -meaning "help me" -- and is
pronounced "mayday,"

Q: Why is someone who is feeling great "on cloud nine"?

A: Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain,
with nine being the highest cloud If someone is said to be on cloud nine,
that person is floating well above worldly cares.

Q: Why are zero scores in tennis called "love"?

A: In France , where tennis first became popular, a big, round zero on
scoreboard looked like an egg and was called "l'oeuf," which is French for
"egg." When tennis was introduced in the US , Americans pronounced it
"love."

Q: In golf, where did the term "Caddie" come from?

A: When Mary, later Queen of Scots, went to France as a young girl (for
education &survival), Louis, King of France, learned that she loved the
Scot game "golf." So he had the first golf course outside of Scotland
built for her enjoyment. To make sure she was properly chaperoned (and
guarded) while she played, Louis hired cadets from a military school to
accompany her. Mary liked this a lot and when she returned to Scotland
(not a very good idea in the long run), she took the practice with her. In
French, the word cadet is pronounced 'ca- day' and the Scots changed it
into "caddie."





Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Interesting fact about October 2010




An interesting fact about October 2010

This October has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays, all in 1 month.
It happens once in 823 years. These are considered money bags months.
Based on Chinese fengshui.


Monday, October 25, 2010

Oh Darn and What a great show!

Oh darn, I hurt my back today at the gym! It's really sore but tomorrow I have to work so better get better fast.Took some anti inflammatory and have been taking it easy as best I can. It's a bit hard to breath but it seems to be getting a bit better. The manager at the gym seem to think I popped a rib... yikes! Anyway, I have unfortunately felt this before and seem to remember it getting better in a few days so lets hope!

I spent the day today... after the gym, Jointing some new bears and thankfully yesterday I did all the laundry, cooking and cleaning. I priced all the bears for the show and got all their tags on AND got them packed. I have just two bears left to take pictures of and then pack them and I'll be pretty much set for the November show. I don't like to do things last minutes as you might be able to see.

I went to the Creative Sewing Festival this weekend and minus the fact that I left my new favourite shirt on a chair there, everything was really fun. I was so lucky to not only have one bear supplier there but also found another... you don't want to know how much I spent on my mohair!!! But I will say that I got some gorgeous stuff and already am anxious to get started on making those into bears. That mohair will be for the spring and possibly winter shows in 2011.

Anyway here are some photos I took with my small point and shoot camera of the show: 

I took these photos of this beautiful polar bear for reference and thought I would share them with all my other bear maker friends out there in blog land so his life would not have been taken so much in vain. I am not sure what the circumstances were for this bear but I was grateful to see him so close and really take a look at his fur and claws, the soft curves of his back and beautiful face! Maybe you can all use these for reference for pattern making also.






Then there was Bears and Bedtime bear supplies located out of Alberta for all you Canadian bear makers who are looking for a good supplier where I purchased some of my mohair



We enjoyed evil pizza for lunch as I knew I was starting my new CURVES eating plan today


The place was packed with people and there were classes and exhibits everywhere.
There was also more animals, a muskox and a wolf




So thats it for today as I cannot sit here any longer. I'll have more fun tomorrow!
I just cannot wait to share more with you!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

FAVE Halloween Movies

I LOVE HALLOWEEN! I have loved it all my life. My father and Mum were both really into it and so I was born with the joy of it. When I was just barely old enough to walk my dad dressed me up as Cinderella and carved the pumpkin like the carriage and made the horses out of pipe cleaners. I pulled all that behind me in a little red wagon from door to door in the neighbourhood apartment buildings... theres something that ages me right there huh? You cannot go door to door in apartments any longer, they just sit someone in the front lobby to hand out candy now. At least that's how it is here in Canada.

Anyway, as most of you know I also grew up to be a makeup artist and hair stylist so as you can imagine Halloween was a really really busy time for me. So much so that I barely had time to do my own makeups but it always got done. I'll try to dig up some photos before Halloween this year to show you some of the makeups I have done but be for warned... some are gory as required and requested.

But for today I just thought I would share with you some of my very favourite movies for this holiday! Don't worry they aren't scary at all... I like the fantasy aspect of this holiday with witches and goblins not chainsaws and screams... those are saved for my husbands list of movies which I doubt I will be posting on my beautiful happy blog! Hehehehehehe

So here goes... Movies that Michele Seraphim Loves to watch and re-watch at Halloween...

1.  Witches of Eastwich


2.  Edward Scissorhands


3.  Nightmare Before Christmas


4. Sweeney Todd


5. Hocus Pocus


6. Sleepy Hollow


7. Headless Horseman


8. Practical Magic


9. Corpse Bride


10. Vincent


And of course I enjoy all of the True Blood series and Twilight too...
I won't show those just in case some of you are not fans of vampires!

That should keep you busy for a while! Ha, I hope you enjoyed that and I hope it got you in the mood for this coming week... It's almost here... Halloween and the Practical Magic Seraphim Room Spray Draw! Yippppeeeeeeeeeeee

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Playing Dress Up ~ Oklahoma ~ Me as Ado Annie

Once upon a time...

Long Long ago

I played Ado Annie.

It was a long time ago, 1984 to be exact, and our high school did not get the rights to record any of it although I am going to share with you some photos of me as Ado Annie.Thankfully my Mum had already started taking her photography classes and so I was given a beautiful gift of all the 5X7 photos in a photo album covered in fabric the same as one of the dresses I wore in the play for my birthday that year. I did also manage to find on line a school that did the play in 2007... with a VERY similar set to ours and a similar outfit to mine... even her voice is a little like mine, enough for you to get the gist of it... But our kisses were WAY better! Hehehehe 


This was one great kiss by a really popular boy in our school... lucky me!

So here I am, at the beginning of my art journey as Ado Annie



"It aint so much a question of not knowin what to do... I knowed what's right and wrong since I bin ten..."


I wore red eyeshadow that contained real 24K gold ~ WOW that was really cool for a gal my age!



"Oooooooklahoma when the wind comes sweepin down the plain..."


 My Boots were borrowed from a museum in Calgary and were amazing... they fit like a glove!


and this is my favourite song and my favourite scene!

Enjoy!



I'll be at the Creative Sewing Festival today so I'll be back soon with some really great photos of all the wonderful things I saw and possibly purchased! NEW MOHAIR for NEW BEARS Yipppppeeeeee!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Michelle Palmer is having a FREE giveaway!

A Free GIveaway by Michelle Palmer...

Michelle Palmer is having a FREE GIVEAWAY and has saved me today with a post that is required!



THANK YOU TO MICHELLE PALMER for this post... soon you will see several of my bears wearing her art! Thanks Michelle for your wonderful contributions to Seraphim Bears!

Blessings to all