Hello everyone! Hello and Happy Halloween! Are you all set to go Trick-or-Treating and get some candy?
I am dressed and ready! See?
Don’t be afraid. It’s only me.
I made this costume all by myself. You-know-who says what would really be scary was if there was more than one of me!
I will be able to share my preview piece for the Christmas Treasures Online Bear Show. It will fill this space:
I have been working on it for a little while in between other commitments like having dinner here at one of my favorite places for food and atmosphere.
In a few days . . .
it will be Halloween too!
Since I worked on Halloween pieces in September and Christmas ones in October, it seems a little backward to be getting ready for Trick-or-Treaters now.
From 2009
In a few days . . .
it will be November and we will turn the clocks back an hour. It will be darker earlier – great for bear making.
In a few days . . .
these guys will be just another orange face in the crowd.
In a few days . . .
I hope you have a
Since my husband is a huge fan of our State Fair, we usually go a couple of times – for the food and the people watching. It definitely brings out all types of people and puts them in one place. The first night we went, there was hardly any crowd and we walked around without bumping elbows with anyone.
The last time we went was a different story but it was fun all the same – as soon as we found a shortcut around all these people.
You do hear some interesting comments from people when you are standing so close. Some of them can be quite comical. Then I saw this trying to make its way through.
It struck me as funny. It isn’t as if I haven’t seen a ton of huge stuffed animals at the fair before but seeing this huge pig seemingly floating in the air above everyone’s head was too ripe not to take a photo.
A while later there was this.
Poor ol’ SpongeBob. I think he’s been out of the ocean way too long. Rest in Peace you super soaker.
Finally, before we headed towards the exit, we saw this enormous shiny green frog being lugged about.
The way I took this photo makes it seem as if he is gobbling up this young lady. I can just hear him saying, “I love you so much I just want to eat you up. Ribbit. Ribbit.”
I will begin with this photo which was one of the last things I added but was the inspiration for this piece.
I had to know which way I was going at the beginning when I was designing these paw pads.
As always, a jingle bell, but by lucky happenstance this one was the exact color of the hand dyed fur.
Here is the one-of-a-kind teddy as seen from the back showing off her Hallo-wings.
And this photo shows her from the front – my version of a Halloween fairy in response to a special request.
Lastly I decided to have a little fun by adding a few slightly spooky effects to her photo.
Thanks so much for stopping by. Thanks for reading!
I was in an art gallery in Asheville, NC when I took a photo of this quote on a wall. I added a few bells and whistles to it.
Regarding a creative life, my daughter is studying art there in Asheville and I thought I would share some of her artwork. Not that I’m partial or anything . . .
Do you remember Willie, Sebastian’s friend from this post?
This is the beginning of a sketch she made of him from the side. This is very rough compared to the final but I like the looseness of this drawing. It only took her a few minutes. That’s one talent I wish I had.
Here she is in the process. I love this photo of her so focused.
This piece is from an Art History class – a shrine – but I’m not sure what the assignment was specifically.
Now she is using it as inspiration for a print in her printmaking class.
This is a plate she created from a drawing she did for one of her first assignments in printmaking.
And below is a print from that plate. The process still has me a bit baffled. It’s like trying to understand the ins and outs of computers. As long as someone is there to explain it as they go along, I can get my head around it but if I try to tell someone else how it’s done, I’m completely at a loss.
Thankfully, it’s not something I have to know to appreciate the work!
I just don’t know if life gets any better than this. I’m still giddy when I think back to just the other day and how things can go from being ordinary to extraordinary in just the blink of an eye.
Let me start at the beginning. I was, as usual, stowed safely away from harm down in my handbag. I know she likes to think it’s hers but I live here. I was entertaining myself trying to get a mint out of the roll and giggling at her driver’s license photo when I heard someone say “Hold this and this, please. I think Sebastian would like to meet her.”
Then I was being jostled around and finally I was pulled from my warm and cozy niche. Let me tell you the lights were so bright I had to squint.
Then I saw her. No, not you-know-who, but her! Miss North Carolina! I thought I was dreaming. I had to clean my glasses to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. She looked just like a princess.
She made me feel like royalty too. There I was in the palm of her hand! It was absolutely heavenly. And she said such nice things about me – how cute I was and sweet and all that. (All true but you know, when someone with such loveliness says it, it carries more weight.)
She let me wear a teeny tiny crown very much like hers
and then she decided I might like sitting in her scepter. She was so right.
I was delighted to have such an honor. I have to believe that not many of her fans have sat there before.
Isn’t she lovely?
I know that Miss North Carolina or Arlie, as I like to call her, is not a real princess but she’s definitely royalty in my book. So sweet and kind. Best of luck in the Miss America pageant! From your number one teddy bear fan,
Last weekend, my husband and I got up very, very early. This early…..
and drove a couple of hours to STARworks in Star, NC. Star is supposed to be the center of North Carolina.
STARworks is a place where glassblowing is taught and practiced among other things. We had read about a special four hour event that takes place there once a year.
It is called The Glass Pumpkin Patch and it is one of their best fundraisers for their High School Glass Program.
People line up in anticipation of being able to purchase hand-blown glass pumpkins in all shapes and sizes.
When they cut the rope, those first in line hurry to find a special glass pumpkin (or two or three or ???).
Some were looking for a unique color
like amethyst or one that was iridescent.
Some hoped for a plain ol’ orange pumpkin but I must assure you that none of these were plain.
Even their stems varied from pumpkin to pumpkin – some loopy and some curly.
Who ever thought a blue pumpkin would have such allure?
When the rising sun was shining on them, it was difficult to decide which one we liked best.
We felt pretty lucky to be able to bring a couple home with us – including this pale teal colored one.
The morning after our adventure, my husband said I should go and have another look at our pumpkins because they made beautiful carriages, but he had no idea where we were going to keep the horses!
