Cozy Holiday Gifts

It's my favorite time of year again. The urge to cozy up in a comfy armchair, pick up my needles and knit with some gorgeous new yarn is irresistible.

I have been knitting like a crazed woman for the past few weeks, making my list and checking it twice. First of all, I really like to give handcrafted items as my holiday gifts. This very warm cowl scarf was an inspiration from the very talented Jen Geigley of Hey! Jen Renee. I love the chunky look of it, which knits up in a jiffy. Her work is just beautiful and innovative! This scarf was actually completed in between working, and trying to catch up from my Halloween swaps. Boy! I really bit off more than I should have during that commitment.

After knitting about a hundred-plus dishcloths this year for customers, I finally decided it was time for a change. I have took the plunge and knitted my first sock! I was so proud of myself considering the heel flap and gusset decreases have scared me for years. Someone who has been asking to knit them a pair of socks will finally get their wish this year. I would love to find some beginner patterns that I could actually attempt would be blissful.

More good things to show you soon . . .

"Trick 'R Treat" Swap on Hallow's Eve

"A Work in Progress" called all witches, vampires, tricksters and ghosts to play Trick or Treat. As you can probably tell, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I can remember "begging" for candy, as we used to call it more than 50 years ago. We would fill pillowcases or those big brown grocery bags practically full. Maybe not really, but as I kid I used to feel like I had really hit the jackpot.

Remember those cranking noise makers? We used to yell, "Help the poor!" No one used to say "Trick or Treat" or ring door bells. It was plain old-fashioned calling or yelling at the front door. And we used to get the huge candy bars, not these mini ones. Practically everyone had hand sewn costumes. There wasn't a Halloween costume superstore even available. Aaaaah, those were the days!

I am so excited to share some of the beautiful treasures I received. A big "thank you" goes to Christine Edwards, who collected all the goodies, and then sorted and mailed them to our group. You did a great job!

Back in August, I signed up to play by sending in two "TREATS" and one "TRICK." Then she randomly chose two treats and one trick for each participant.

This is my first amazing "TRICK."

The Gypsy Witch Book of Magic Potions

I think this book box is the best ever! Nestled in a bed of moss, rests a Mr. Bones extra set of spare hands, a vial of "Graveyard Dust," one black votive candle, one canister of "Spider's Silk," and a test tube of "Moon Dust," and another of poisonous "Zombie Dust." I loved this!! What a very clever and imaginative trick! I will have to show my grandson, who will think this is SO cool. Thank you very much for creating this spooky treasure.

I sent this funny "trickster" pumpkin as my "TRICK" in a fabric bag of rubber snakes. She was cleverly designed and painted by my sister Peg.

And, this was my first outstanding "TREAT!"

Vintage-Inspired Pumpkin with Witch's Hat

This pedestal pumpkin is wearing a pointed witch's hat, encircled with sparkling black tinsel at base, and hat brim. A crepe-paper collar surrounds the neck of a hand-painted pumpkin that resembles something very vintage. I think it is perfect for a table centerpiece! Thank you so much for this very unique piece of artwork.

And, lastly my other beautiful "TREAT."

Unfulfilled Dreams, She Only Wanted to be Loved

I encountered some technical difficulties while trying to photograph this piece due to reflection and color. This picture does not do this piece of artwork justice. Inside rests a frail skeletal figure, dressed as a bride that only wished for a happy life. Along the left edge is a glittered gray flower, and on the right a gossamer black velvet rose. It is really quite lovely, in spite of this sad tale. The poem inside this shadow box reads:

"Everybody wishes

to have a happy destiny.

She always dreamt with a ring on her finger.

She wanted to love and be loved,

but her dreams would never come true."

Thank you so much for this sentimental gesture describing a woman who felt she may have been short-changed in her life by never finding true love. I think it is just too sweet.

And for the two "TREATS" that I sent was this altered composition book filled with sinister tags in the inside pocket. The digital collage sheet image was designed by Becky Loyall, from Whymsical Musings, an Outsiders Artist.

Then I included a bag of my "signature" hand-knitted dishcloths in colors of the autumn season as my second "TREAT" with a box of candy. I may have sent a different color, because I sent my gift not realizing I didn't take any photos. Yikes!

As a "thank you" to the hostess, I sent Christine one "Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid Clock" altered from an old music CD.

And Christine sent me this lovely bag of goodies.

I am so grateful to have been part of this event.

I love these little trinkets, especially the vintage buttons,

bingo cards and that terrifying spooky witch image!

So, today on Halloween Eve, I have revealed my amazing stash! Hopefully, I will be able to show you more photos and links to these participants at a later date! Supposedly, there are no identifying signatures on items received to add to the festivities.

I will miss not be able to seriously play on my computer for the next few days. I will be out of town visiting family in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the Halloween weekend. Can't wait to share some munchkin photos. Happy Halloween everyone!

Happy Hauntings!

Nancy

Hostess Halloween Candy Gift

I really enjoyed assembling these colorful candy canisters as hostess gifts for my nieces yesterday. It was easy to prepare them from recycled glass jars purchased from the Salvation Army as Halloween hostess gifts.

I did a little digital magic by altering a downloaded label, and adding new words that I enjoyed from one of Christine Edward's "Wicked Halloween Swap" gifts from Val. I wrapped them with clear cellophane, gathered them at the top, and tied with black raffia. They were really accepted with great enthusiasm! Thanks, Christine and Val, for your inspiration!

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Yesterday, I went to the theater with my friends Deb and Vikki to view this one thrilling movie! It was brilliant. The artwork in the prologue is mesmerizing. And by the way, this is another movie filmed in New Orleans! Oh, what fun....just in time for the holiday! A must see!

A Voice of the Bayou

"Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte"

Charlotte Hollis, played by Bette Davis, is a wealthy southern spinster. She has been shunned by her hometown for a grisly murder some 40 years prior of her intended, John Mayhew. Even though her guilt was never proven, the townspeople compare her to a modern-day Lizzie Borden. For this reason she lives a life secluded from town and society. She lives with her faithful servant, Velma, played by Olivia de Haviland. Now, progress in the form of a new highway, threatens the Hollis plantation since the Civil War times. She refuses to leave, summoning "Cousin Mariam" (Agnes Moorehead) to fight the public battle to save her home. The tale is somewhat predictable, but is Charlotte insane? Doctor Drew (Joseph Cotton) feels she may need some help across the threshold of insanity....scary stuff when I was a young teen. The movie filming production was at non-other than the Oak Alley Plantation in Louisiana.

Remember how Bette danced so awkwardly in this movie? You almost felt sorry for her.

Driveway Entrance

Oak Alley is a wondrous structure in terms of architectural detail and then some. I sit and muse about what people DID there--how they lived, how they worked, what they cooked and ate, how they played? What went on in this awesome, but very isolated, rural setting? I often wonder about the people who had inhabited it and worked it.


Oak Alley Plantation, acquired in 1820, is probably one of the most poignant images from the past. This next photo is a proud keepsake, a tribute to Louisiana's unique Golden Age, but mostly it is a thing of beauty to me. The interior spaces have huge, wood burning fireplaces and mantels adorned with beautiful carvings reflecting the wealth and taste of their owners. The main house has twenty-eight two story Tuscan order columns. The solid brick walls are sixteen inches thick. I am so fortunate to have captured her beauty, her magic, and majesty for you to see.

Back of Mansion

Years before I came to Oak Alley, I fell in love with its setting. Was it the majestic trees, the perfectly manicured lawns, the movie, or the "Big House?" It is so much more than that. There is a magical aura that surrounds the place. You can see it in the faces of guests as they round the bend of the River Road or walk up the levee. After that first audible gasp, you want to clasp your Canon to capture the incredible vista. There is just something enchanting that makes you want to capture the "feeling" that is so unique to this unforgettable setting.

We were told on tour that there was a presence of spirits long gone that visited the lavender bedroom below. I crept into the bedroom, and dared not make a sound. I stood in the shadow of history. There is a reverence you find yourself wanting to accept in order to understand the importance of this place.

Josephine Roman Aime is said to haunt this bedroom.

.

Suddenly, that feeling of potential spirits sped away, much as a deer would when startled by an approaching human. I walked away, out of the shadows, lost in thought and lost in time.

They stood so proud --

the trees --

majestic creations

of some quiet miracle

that breathed life

into a barren land.

Jim Metcalf

The Trees

And for another peek on today's and early opening of October 24th's, 13 Days of Halloween Swap, I present this vintage rick rack package, and handmade white dishcloth scrubbie made by Hope Malott. Nice job!

New Orleans, One Magical Place

New Orleans still haunts my mind with it's style. Five years ago, while attending a national racquetball sporting event with my hubby, we had the best time ever! I distinctly remember the historic sites, the rhythmic sounds, the tantalizing tastes, and the exotic aromas of New Orleans. We took a streetcar to St. Charles Avenue from the famous above-ground cemeteries to the Riverwalk shopping pavilion and then onto riverboats moving lazily along the Mississippi.

There were voodoo tours, readings, drum and chant rituals. Marie Laveau, the great voodoo queen, is still a staple at the New Orleans historic Voodoo Museum. Visitors can get their own good-luck bags of herbs and oils, and arrange for spooky tours of swamp country. You can even get palms or tarot cards read in Jackson Square. There are artists who sketch visitors in watercolors, oils, or even purchase prints of French Quarter scenes. Or how about that special purchase of an alligator head, or maybe feet as souvenirs!

What an mysterious and magical place. One of the most beautiful streets is St. Charles Avenue. I don't really know if the Garden District survived the great Hurricane Katrina, but it will always be here in the photos I shot that one hot and rainy day back in July 2004.

Can you even imagine having a driveway to your house as grand as this one?

A few blocks away on Napoleon Avenue, vampire mystery novelist, Anne Rice, bought Saint Elizabeth's Asylum, once an orphanage. Wealthy sugar and cotton planters had built stupendous homes in the Garden District. This is such a grand city, not only for it's Victorian mansions, but most of it's architecture. I felt like I was trapped in a movie from the 1920's or 30's.

Tomorrow I will take you to Oak Alley Plantation, one of the most gorgeous plantations you could ever visit, that once was the movie site for "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte," starring Bette Davis. They say it's definitely haunted!

And, for my next gift reveal during the 13 Days of Halloween Swap, here are Hope Malott's gifts to me. I did not have any of this silver garland or the black or white raffia. How could I be so lucky?

Thanks again, Hope!!

Having A Bad Hair Day

My vampire daughter Amy, 2004.

Did you ever go to the hairdresser and you look worse than when you went in? Well, that happened today. I came out with that flat hair-do that I don't particularly like on myself. I made a beeline for home, hoping I wouldn't see someone who knew me. I don't understand why a hairdresser would do this! I went into my favorite salon with my "Texas-style" big hair, and came out like a drowned rat. Maybe someone is trying to tell me something?

So, to liven up my day, I just thought I'd have a little fun, and do something totally silly. For me, playing a game is a luxury. I guess, I am just too devoted to producing something tangible for my time. Give this link a try. It makes you a little crazy.

The Original Cat Bowling

Enjoy!!