The Brown Lady Ghost of Rayman Hall, England

This ghost is known as "The Brown Lady of Rayman Hall, England. The picture was originally taken in 1936 by Indre Shira and Captain Provand, photographers working for "Country Life" magazine. The photographers were shooting in the hall when they noticed the apparition.

The first reported sighting of "The Brown Lady Ghost" was in 1836, when Colonel Loftus said he saw her in a brown dress. Loftus reported that her eye sockets were empty. The next reported sighting of "The Brown Lady Ghost" was in 1926 when two small boys saw the apparition.

This was the project I completed last Saturday, October 23rd, when I was lucky enough to be included in a very fun Saturday event entitled "A Halloween Tea" at our local scrapbook store, Artful Scrapbooking.

Even though I cannot take credit for the original design by Ellie,

I did add some of my own images from Moonlight Journey.

A Halloween Tea

The punch was spooktactular with a fine white rising mist, sandwiches, shortbread finger cookies, all amazingly arranged by our hostess Pamela. We even watched some classic scary Halloween movies while completing our haunted houses. Thank you again, Pam, for such great effort and a spooky project to make.

To my delight, I also received this gorgeous altoid tin last week from my sweet friend Becky Loyall, of Whymsical Musings.

This tin created by Becky Loyall.

I was so inspired with her amazing gift, that I created these two tins to share.

Halloween tin images from Seneca Pond and Shabby Cottage Studio.

Ahhh......the fun of Halloween!

'Just can't get enough.

Wizard of Oz ACEO Swap

Ahhhh…..the beauty of the beloved movie, the Wizard of Oz!

This was the first time I ever went to the movies when I was a young girl. My mom said I clenched my teeth when the Wicked Witch of the West flew her bicycle down that graveled road in Dorothy's fantasy. I viewed that huge Cinemascope screen thinking back in awe and still remember that evil witch scaring me!

This movie has special thoughts for me, due to not only it’s glowing music, but I lost a favorite Scottie stuffed animal dog when we left the theater. Talk about a memory!That is why I have chosen the subject of using "ToTo" as my main focus in representing the Wizard of Oz "And ToTo Too....." in my very first online ACEO Challenge hosted by Kris Dickinson.

I guess, the movie is pretty obvious that the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion already had what they thought they were missing. Their respective problems were in misapprehending their own nature. That is a very powerful statement when you think about it! Makes me think about my own possible imaginary hangups.

I recall feeling emotional when the Scarecrow was showing wisdom, the Tin Man feeling deeply, and poor Cowardly Lion going far beyond his comfort zone when facing the flying monkeys at the Witches Castle in the Haunted Forest. His accomplishment was truly harder in his case. What “is” true courage really?

It is very touching to watch the Wizard of Oz at my age. It was wonderful to see Dorothy step from the black and white world of Kansas to the bright colors of Munchkin Land, almost like she was taking a voyage in self-discovery. The Wizard of Oz is learning about evil, friendship, and fallibility, and how we see this identical voyage repeated in our own lifetimes.

I often wonder if the screenwriters actually were tapping into our frustrations, our excitement, our dreams and needs, and our sense of wonderment. I wonder if they knew the impact this movie would have 60 years later!

I wonder if they knew that

their heart’s desires

were not that far from our own!

The main background and wing images are from Moonlight Journey. I Googled the "Haunted Forest" sign and "ToTo" dog. Then I added silver mini glitter stars and lastly embellished with a very light touch of iridescent Dazzle glue.

Winning is the Greatest!!

Because of the overwhelming response to my One Word One Heart Giveaway, I decided during the comment process to increase my prizes from two to three. I used the random generator and these numbers magically appeared.

Here are the winners:

Knitted Hat and Scarf Set

to

Nancy Lee Malay from Fairbault, Minnesota

"Victorian Whimsies"

Comment 303 and Booth #419

Coffee or Tea Cup Cozy

to

Twyla and Lindsey from Missouri

"Two Crazy Crafters"

Comment 143

Since there are two of you, I will be mailing two cozies!!

and

Marie Antoinette DVD

to

Kimberly Lynn from Florida

"Sea Gypsy Studio"

Comment 130 and Booth #555

I am truly honored that so many of you have stopped by my blog and left such lovely comments. I wish I could have sent a gift to all of you!!! I tried to visit as many blogs as I could, but it was really quite overwhelming. I am very happy that I joined in this annual giveaway, and will be looking forward to next year's magical caravan.

I have added so many new and amazing artists to my favorite links and added myself to countless blogs. Thank you for sharing all your brilliant artwork with the world. Thank you, Lisa, for hosting this fabulous event!

Happy Birthday, America!

To you and yours, H A P P Y 4TH O F J U L Y !! Hope you have a fun and safe holiday.



Nancy