WINNER!!! for MY Tea Party Under the Full Moon

I have chosen the winner of the prize of their choosing from My tea party post. well it was actually the hubby who drew the name out of one of his ball caps.

here's a hint>>>

The winner is one of you LUCKY people that asked for a CHUNKY ATC  
(in a Halloween theme of course)

 and the winner is...

is

the

lovely

and

sweet

Jennifer from both

Confessions of a Kitchen Witch

and

1313 WitchWood Drive

CONRATULATIONS JENNIFER!!

You'll need to give me a couple of weeks to make this especially for you. Please email me with your mailing info.

Altered Art Thursday---ON SATURDAY! LOL

hello, here is my last Halloween swap for the season. It is a 6 page mini album, you make all the 6 pages, send them in and get 6 others in return. Personally, I thought we should have been able to make and keep page 1, since it serves as the cover basically...however it is not my swap to run. Perhaps another time. 
We started out with the "my mini edgy album" in "licorice" by BO-BUNNY.  It comes with 6 chipboard pages in "licorice". These pages start smallish and each pages increases in length. Additionally each page has some kind of scalloped or decorative edge. It also comes with an acrylic page cover and 3 binder rings. I am thinking of dressing my acrylic cover up with a bit of alcohol inks and perhaps some stamping.  Anyway, I like these albums, they also make a larger one, and they make both sizes in "chiffon" which looks to be a champagne color.  The only con I found with them is: they really absorb the oil in your skin, even after washing my hands(which I always do before working with paper crafts. (I have this same issue with Bazzill card stock), another con, but maybe it was just me...the edges did not hold up to well to my sanding (with the Basic Grey filing and sanding tools), the paper sanded fine, but the corners bent very easily, and this was surprising as they are not thin chipboard. OK...

Here is the Album:

In the package

here are the 6 blank pages

Now for my transformation of the pages. the name of the swap was "Skeletons in the Attic" mini album. However we did NOT have to use skeletons on every page, just as long as there were some.

I prefer to call mine the "Creepy Halloween Mini Album". :D  I have another to make, and haven't decided to make it just for me, or to make it and save it for my Etsy inventory (which I am slowly building so i can actually open it and have things in there)  

What do you think I should do?

here we go, My "Creepy Halloween" mini Album:

 NOTE: 99% of all collage images used are from ALPHA STAMPS

 Page 1 front: used spider paper that is a grayish-greenish color bkgd. added the skull and raven collage image. mixed STAMPIN' UP Ruby Red Ink to JUDIKINS Diamond Glaze, then used my finger to spell out "Beware" and dripped some from the Raven's beak. Then I used RANGER distress ink in Walnut Stain and smudged it 

all over, and then immediately wiped some off the skull, so it wouldn't be too dark. The last touch was to hang some glass skulls beads(ARTchix studios) with a Mother of pearl like finish on them to the book page.

The back of the page, just covered in "eyeball" glitter paper (both of these papers are from CLOUD 9), then I used the Tree from PAPER HOUSE "Happy Haunting" glitter rub-ons.

 Page 2 I used antique diamond paper (MARTHA STEWART), a poison label and scientific study specimen from a  collage sheet. I used some of the "blood" I made (listed above) and had it pouring out of the "specimen". Once it was dry I used RANGER Old Photo distress ink and smeared it all over. I used distress inks in "Fired Brick" and the "Old Photo" on some cheesecloth, like an old bandage-bunched it and twisted it a bit and glued it down on the sides.

Red fancy German Scrap for a touch of Culture, Ha! ending with some cut-out bugs from a self adhesive border by MARTHA STEWART.

The back of the page, I used some grayish paper on, then a collage image of an astronomer, and some adhesive borders by RECOLLECTIONS.  I sanded it all a bit and then smeared the Fired Brick Distress ink all over it.

page 3 MARTHA STEWART paper again for the bkgd.Collage images and words, fancy gold German scrap. Scrap of MARTHA STEWART blood border and bug border. Mini glass bottle filled with thinned glue and STAMPIN' UP Green Galore ink. cork glued in place and collage label glued on, hung on green cording. All around the edges distressed and inked with RANGER Black Soot distress ink.

 extract of BELLADONNA leaves

 

page 3 back, MARTHA STEWART paper, PAPER HOUSE glitter rub-ons, collage words, stickles and rub-ons (red) by MAMBLY Screen Prints

  

page 4 paper by CLOUD 9, black and white collage imaged colored in with BIC MARK ITS!  Border by MARTHA STEWART  beads, gold German scrap, collage word and a 3D Halloween doo-dad. I covered the Skeleton images with RANGER crackle glaze.

Close-up of the skeleton image

 another view

 Page 4 back, no paper used, MARTHA STEWART border, collage image (This one is from COLLAGE STUFF), Arch from ARTCHIX studios, and gold German scrap

Page 5 paper by MARTHA STEWART, which has raised bats in a glossy enamel, skeleton collage image, collage words, glitter card stock by MARTHA STEWART that I used my creepy halloween fence Shapabilities cutter by SPELLBINDERS, repeated just the birds and cats with black card stock. A Halloon bat doo-dad hanging down. I used Fired Brick distress ink on the edges and the moon to make it like a blood moon.

 another view

a close-up of the words

page 5 back, again paper by Martha, gold German scrap, collage stage drapes and creepy spider-man-skeleton, and spider web lace ribbon from my stash.

Page 6, MARTHA STEWART paper, transparency borders by ALPHA STAMPS, hanging skull Halloween doo-dad, some of my home made "blood" listed under page one. Collage images and words. I also used a BIC MARK IT! and some RANGER Black Soot distress ink around the edges.

 close-up of words, the bottom says "fills me with artistic horror"

page6 back...Martha paper again, borders rec'd in Halloween prize pack I won on Tabitha Lenox Blog (Kim) 3D coffin shape made out of Masonite, collage images of creepy dolls received in a Halloween thank you pack from another swap by ALPHA STAMPS, German scrap, BIC MARK ITS! Black Soot distress ink, Milagros charm, and RANGER crackle paint in Fired Brick. I cut the eyes out of the dolls and the mouth on the big doll head. Cut out one bug from the same paper, and colored in the eyes and behind the mouth, then glued the bug coming out of the mouth. Sanded the dolls and used the crackle paint and the distress ink.

What do you think?  I am kind of sad that I do not get to keep one of my pages. That is why I am not sure what to do with  the second album...I do however get to do some decorating to the acrylic cover. I'll also add some ribbons and fibers to the rings once put together.

Alphabe-Thursday (on Friday) very appropriate for F

these week our lesson at Jenny's place is the letter "F"

F has always been a favorite letter around here...As my Hubby tells people most of his favorite words begin with the letter "F"  one is not PG 13, so I leave it to your imagination. LOL
 but first and foremost it is for the word.....FREE,  as in "If it's FREE it's for me"

Second, Since Ron was born with a rod in one hand and a net in the other... FISH and or FISHING is of the utmost importance.  here he is:

Nice Striper! (a handful of years back, but it is one of my favorite pictures of him)

Since we live in an old farmhouse that is basically "The Money Pit" that brings me to the next thing. the original house had and has no central heating in it, so we rely on a good air tight wood stove, it makes more dust, and the hearth is always messy but there is nothing on earth that comes close to the coziness it generates, and the fact that I can slow cook anything on top of it, is a plus!  Using a wood stove means FIREWOOD. This is another favorite of Ron's, he actually LOVES cutting it, splitting, working it, and having the wood stove, but now at his age, I can honestly say he doesn't like schlepping it anymore. but he really enjoys the FIRE.

here is "Pretty" rolling around in front of the wood stove's fire soaking up the warmth:

This next picture is one that I have a few of, I awoke from a nap, to find Ron sitting in his Car Harts (hat off-showing hat hair), eating cheese doodles with wine! (he is soooo cultured--NOT!! LOL)  taking a break from stacking wood and loading our outside wood box and our inside wood box. I refer to this small set of photos as my Firewood King, and they make me chuckle. When I awoke to see him like that I couldn't help but truly LOL and I was just cracking up, and he thoroughly enjoyed making me laugh and kept asking, "What, What"...it was the whole emsemble...car harts, cheese doodles and wine! Oh and this is "HIS" chair by the way. the mess on top is mostly mending or unmatched socks, sorry it is in the picture.

The picture has had no editing done to it yet. Is it just me, or is this concept just hilarious,  Wine aficionado anyone??

so the firewood, better show some wood. This is the optimal way to air dry it, these stacks are not ours, we usually put a little more space around them for maximum airflow, but then again we have more space than this person does.

Lastly "F" is for FOOD certainly a favorite to all of us. On that note, and since it is October, I want to share that FRESH pumpkin beats canned hands down! Furthermore Cheese Pumpkins beat regular pumpkins hands down. Here is what they look like:

Generally they are paler than most pumpkins, and flatish, like they were semi squashed during their development.

Here is the best way to cook them:

I am a fan of homemade pumpkin pie and bread from fresh pumpkins, the "cheese" pumpkins really are the best to use, they are flatter and less orange. Try using one next year(or this year if you can find any left at your farm markets) and see if you like it better, less fibrous and better flavor.  To cook, cut in half vertically, clean out and set aside, preheat oven to 350-375 degrees, take  cake roll pan or baking pan with lower sides, and put an 1/2 " to 1" of water in the pan, put one half of the pumpkin open side(cut side) down in the pan and cook til tender (checking to make sure there is still water in the pan from time to time) usually 1.5 hours  more or less per half (if it is a good size pumpkin-obviously it make take longer) allow to cool, and scoop away, you'll find you'll be able to scoop right up until the skin or fairly close getting you more pumpkin. This is freezable for a few months also.  You can also make your pie filling etc and freeze it.

Hooking up with  Follow Friday 40 and over also.

I didn't get to altered Art Thursday, so I'll be back for that later also.

toodles~~ Susan

Tuesday-er um THURSDAY...TREAT...I've been awarded

I received 3  blog awards today(Tuesday) all from  
Lyn over at Witch Blog !!

How cool is that?! I have to  Pay it forward to 15 bloggers and tell you 7 things about myself.

first here are the awards (based on the award will be who gets them, I won't be taking the easy road)

Couldn't give them out, due to "dashboard" acting up, so here is a Tuesday post on a Thursday, LOL

ONE LOVELY BLOG will be going to the following Bloggers:  Frosted Petunias, Scrap Vamp, Jacque's Joie de Vivre, Trash to Treasure Art, Fiona & Twig, Around the Island, BeedeeBabee,
Blue Creek Home, Down a Long Country Road, Feathers & Flight, Images Through an Open  Window, Irish Muses, Midlife Poet, My Own Little World, Needful Things

Stylish blogger will be going to the following Bloggers: Le Chateau d es Fleurs, The Year of the Cats, A Delightsome Life, *Tales From an OC Cottage*, Cape Cod Rambling Rose, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Debbi Thinks Deep, Going a Little Coastal, My Domestic Bliss, The Twice Remembered Cottage, Raspberries & Rose Petals, Savvy Southern Style, Seaside Diaries of a  Kimberline, Sense & Simplicity, Shabby Cats & Roses

Versatile blogger will be going to the following Bloggers:  Jenny Matlock, off on my Tangent, A Fanciful Twist, Hope Studios, The Purple Lady's Art & Life, Craft Critique, A Few of my Favorite things, Aileen's Musings, Bits of Me, ByLightofMoon, Life on 19th, Never Growing Up,
Merry Musings, Mille Fiori Favoriti, My Cosmopolitan Diary

***Ok BLOGGERS...copy and paste the awards into both your sidebar where you list your awards, and copy and paste and put them into a post, and pay them forward like I did to you, and list 7 things about yourself that your followers may NOT know about you.**

Ok 7 things:

1...I am allergic to cats but own them anyway(or they own me), I basically outgrew the worst part and basically made myself semi-immune to them by force (I did get allergy shots twice in my adult life, but never finished either prescribed time periods--in my 20's I did it for about 2 years, in my 30s, for about 9 months)

2...I am trying to find MY correct path of spiritualty, I have been battling with my Christian faith for over 6 years now, and finally realized that organized religion is not right, there is a lot wrong there, contradictions etc. I find I now longer believe in "God" as I was raised to believe. I believe there is a higher power, and there is where I am at...I am now doing some research and reading and soul searching.

3... I am a little worried that some people may walk away from me because of the above. Which is not right, and part of the issue that is pushing me away from my Christian roots.

4... My Depression has been winning lately, but that is because I am not seeing any positive changes happening in my life, and some of the bad is getting worse.

5... the number 27 is in my head this week, feel free to play it in the lottery or at a roulette table. :)

6...I am a kidney stone producer, usually left kidney, there are 4 in there right now, but they are in the meaty part of the kidney, so they won't do anything about them til they move into the open area of the kidney, this makes me very prone to infections, and I think I am dealing with one again. {sigh}

7...I have had a long time crush on Sam Elliot


Thanks again, Lyn!!

HUGE 1-1-5 blog candy weekly update

 The HUGE 1-1-5 blog candy has been updated!
check it out here!!

Blogger help needed!!

Hello friends... I want to go to my "dashboard"  and when I go there, it keeps telling me.


"You are not following any blogs"  which of course is a crock, because I actually follow over 900.


Is anyone else experiencing any Blogger (google) issues today?


Anyone know how to fix this issue?

MY Full Moon Tea Party!!

Tea that helps our head and heart.
Tea medicates most every part.
Tea rejuvenates the very old.
Tea warms the hands of those who're cold.

J. Jonker, Amsterdam, circa 1670

In Tea...

I have glanced into tea leaves,

and found a forest.

Tea is all in a moment,

and a way of life.

It is recollection,

and attention to Nature.

A murmur of the breeze through the trees of Autumn,

and the warm of the hearth.

Silent mornings at home,

when rain streaks the windows' panes.

If you analyze tea, you'll find chemical components,

but not a hint of Life.

Analysis is achieved through concentration,

Synthesis arrives through relaxation.

Tea relaxes the stomach,

but it revitalizes the Heart.

Tim Maxwell
September 21, 1999

 A Tea-for-two party under October's Full Moon

It is a Witchy brew, see it bubbling

 Mr. Jack doesn't look too inviting, but is a softie at heart

Do not let the skulls or mini-me skeletons in the Tea pot bother you, they add extra flavor

 Our own little cafe--TOXIC (see sign in bush upper right)

Under the full moon of October 2010

Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.

~Mark Twain

 full as in, one night shy of the actual full moon (this was last night)

Gray hairs seem to my fancy like the soft light of the moon, silvering over the evening of life.

Jean Paul

The un-invited guest's place setting , could it be yours?

 and my own

The Vietnamese Buddhist monk and philosopher,
Thich Nhat Hanh,
writes about enjoying a good cup of tea.

You must be completely awake in the present to enjoy the tea.

Only in the awareness of the present,
can your hands feel the pleasant warmth of the cup.

Only in the present, can you savor the aroma,
taste the sweetness,
appreciate the delicacy.

If you are ruminating about the past,
or worrying about the future,
you will completely miss the experience of enjoying the cup of tea.

You will look down at the cup,
and the tea will be gone.

Life is like that.

If you are not fully present,
you will look around and it will be gone.

You will have missed the feel,
the aroma,
the delicacy and beauty of life.

It will seem to be speeding past you.

The past is finished. Learn from it and let it go.

The future is not even here yet.
Plan for it,
but do not waste your time worrying about it.

Worrying is worthless.

When you stop ruminating about what has already happened,
when you stop worrying about what might never happen,
then you will be in the present moment.

Then you will begin to experience joy in life.

 

 The center holds...what?

Our Moon here in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, lent itself nicely to a 
blood moon

a Blue moon

and the old myths told to children
the moon made of green cheese

 **I am offering up a giveaway that is not made yet.**
a.) I am offering to make a flag Banner for you to use next Halloween...The flag parts will be black and say "All Hallows Eve" with colorful tulle, and ribbons and Halloween doo-dads
b.) I am offering to make a Halloween CHUNKY ATC (an example of what a CHUNKY ATC is will be pictured below)
c.) I am offering to make a "creepy coffin" similar to the one in the post previous to this titled Thursday- Altered Art, you can go and look there.


**If you would like a piece of Halloween art made by me you MUST put that in your comment, and you MUST put down which of the above three you would like to win.
and you MUST be a follower.


I will draw one name out of all the comments THAT say they wish to win  a piece of my Halloween art, one week from tonight(10/30)
ok here is an EXAMPLE of what a chunky ATC is, It is one I own made by a friend for me.

A CHUNKY ATC is a 3.5" high piece of 2 X 4. that is decorated on all 4 sides and the top. the bottom has the artist's info on it.

I hope you enjoyed my Tea party. I'll come and visit each and everyone of you, even if it takes a week.
Halloween Hugs,
Susan


Thank to Anna at Frosted petunias for this great blog tea party! Please visit the other "Teetotalers"
http://frostedpetunias.blogspot.com/2010/10/tea-party-under-halloween-moon.html

Magical & Perfectly Enchanted Halloween party...WINNER!!

The winner of my giveaway for the Halloween party hosted by Vanessa @ Fanciful Twist

 Here is the picture again of that giveaway:

The rule for the giveaway was to comment on the Halloween party post and name the guest star on the ADDAMS FAMILY video bite I had on that post. Out of 32 comments LESS THAN 5 people either guessed and were right or just said they didn't know.  That didn't seem quite fair to me to pick names, so I bent that rule a bit, and included anyone that at least MENTIONED the ADDAMS FAMILY in their comment. That was exactly 10 people, a little better.

Before i tell you the name drawn.

I

want

to

tell

you

the

guest

star

on

that

episode

of

the

Addams

Family

was

the 

one

and 

only

.

.

.

DON RICKLES ( as one of the robbers)

Ok, now for the winner

.

.

.

Susan, from SUSAN'S CRAFTY CHAOS!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

YIPPEE SKIPPEE!! 

Please email me your mailing info!!!

Altered Art Thursday (late)

Hi There gals and guys!  I am all F**ed up this month on my schedule due to all the wonderful Halloween blog Parties.  I hope you have been joining in on some of the wonderful festivities!

Anyway, this week I am sharing  a creepy coffin I made for a one-on-one swap...I actually made 2 of these identical (keeping one for myself)

 These are made out of Masonite, and you have to put them together, I got them from RETRO CAFE. The kit comes so that you can make 2 not-so-deep coffins that sit on top of each other, loose with a lid, or you can put the pieces together so that you get one deeper coffin and lid, which is what I did, but I hinged the lid with electric tape and glue (for extra hold)

 I put the bottom pieces together, and asked the hubby to use the scroll saw to make a cross in the lid, he used the drill press instead, LOL! but it worked. then I hinged it (as stated above)

 I used a large web stamp (STAMPIN' UP) and stamped it with VERSAMARK embossing ink, then used Kaleidoscope Embossing powder(by STAMPENDOUS), then I moved into the inside. but you can see the last steps which were to put the spider on the web, and a clay word with metallic pigment powder on it..."Spooky". I used a silver paint pen around the cross, and all around the sides of the coffin.

 Here on the inside I lined it with red fleece, and used one of the "grow-your-own" skeletons...but I didn't grow it at all. I wanted to use a vampire but they only made witches and skeletons. I glued the skeleton down, I then cut another piece of the fleece to be a cover.

 On the inside of the lid i glued on a metal skull and Cross-bones charm, a pair of tiny cat eyes in green, and then spread out some of that stretchy web stuff.

 Next week I'll try to remember to share pictures of the one I rec'd. The gal used metal on her's...VERY COOL looking.

I hope you like my little creepy coffin!

Later folks!!

Susan