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.

Annabel Lee Artist Trading Card

Did you know that "Annabel Lee"

is the last complete poem composed

by Edgar Allen Poe?

"It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may

know by the name of Annabel Lee . . ."

Like so many of Poe's poems,

it tells the tale of the death of a beautiful woman.

"The wind came out of the clouded night,

chilling and killing my Annabel Lee . . ."

The narrator tells of a man who

fell in love with Annabel Lee

when they were young,

and even says that this love for her

was so strong

that even angels were jealous.

What a sad love story that

remains so strong even in death!

"For the moon never beams

without bringing me dreams of

the beautiful Annabel Lee . . ."

I created these artist trading cards

for a swap this month.

Edgar Allen Poe is probably

one of my favorite poets.

CREDITS: MOONLIGHT JOURNEY COLLAGE SHEETS

Witch Society Halloween Cards

Once upon a time the witches rode

In sinister and ominous parade

Upon their sticks at night, and queer lights glowed.

With eerie noises by the goblins made;

And many things mysterious there were.

For boyish cheeks to pale at through the grime

That held them brown and shadows queer would stir--

Don't you remember? -- Once upon a time.

~ James W. Foley

These "Witch Society" Halloween cards were created over the past several weeks by using some Martha Stewart holiday papers, and Ravenhead Manor Recollection sheets and frames. I love how they work so well with images from Lynne Tears and Becky Loyall of Moonlight Journey. The background within the frames "Extract of Witch Hazel" were stamped with an image from Tim Holtz's Haunted Mansion Collection CMS091. I glitzed them up with silver and gold mini glittered stars and tied with recycled sari ribbon.

Happy Haunting,

Nancy

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!