Thursday, October 28, 2010

It's getting cold (and spooky) around here...



Okay, maybe not really spooky, but certainly Halloween spooky. First - the weather, it's what people talk about a LOT in these parts. Being a native Californian, it fascinates me. But you really do have to pay attention to it - if not, it could turn a relatively normal day into a disaster.

Like when your car door locks freeze up while you are picking up the Holiday turkey for dinner. Or perhaps there could be a time when you leave the house deliriously happy in anticipation of spending the day with family, you've packed up the car with Christmas presents for the grand kids, carefully arranged all the food in the back seat to get to your destination safely only to have your battery die after you turn the car off to fill up the gas tank. Oh ...and it's below 15 degrees outside, you've lost one glove, you discover your boots are NOT water (or winter) proof and the Auto Club has at least a 40 minute wait. My goodness... I digress!

Yesterday it was windy and close to 70 degrees here - today it didn't make it past the mid 40's - brrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I know it's coming, I'm just not ready for it - I never will be ready for it. "It" being the cold weather, the snow and the darkness.



I do like Halloween though, pumpkins, goblins, kids in costumes, spooky decorations. I usually hang out with my son and his family. As a group, we go out together to Trick or Treat in a small, old neighborhood with brick streets and lots of decorated houses. It's so much fun! Pictures above and below were taken last year.



I don't wear a costume, but I do try to at least wear a Halloween themed pin. This year I have a new heart skull pin just waiting to make an appearance!



It started with a polymer clay skull heart made by the very talented Jen Martin of GraphixOutpost. I love her faces, I adore her skulls! I really like the spiderweb background on this one too.

I used black stiffened felt for the base, glued the cab to that, then began beading around it using matte black delicas. The white beads used in the bezel are charlottes.



I remembered I had these really neat glass spider beads so I added one of those for the dangle, backed it with black Ultrasuede and now I'm ready to Trick or Treat!


All photos are "clickable" for a larger view.

8 comments:

Jennifer Cameron said...

Grace, that is the coolest Halloween pin ever! And what a cute neighborhood to go trick or treating. the weather has been insane, hasn't it? I've lived within 200 miles of this city for most of my life and I will never get used to the cold dark winter. In fact, I think it gets worse for me every single year. Actually, I wouldn't mind the cold as much if it wasn't so dark and we saw the sun more often.

*~tabby~* crooked heart art said...

aww grace this is sooo very cool and spooky! love it ! have a great time trick or treating i'm sorry this time of year does not agree with you but i think you know i LOVE IT :)

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

omg! I have missed you posting your work soo much! I saw this on FB, but I don't post much there.

You are so right about our weather here in Northern Indiana. I think its a little worse for me because we get hit with lake effect snow too.

For me, the day after Christmas starts my count down to spring!!
happy Halloween!!

Timaree said...

That looks like a spooky pin to me! Very nice work.

abeadlady said...

Great pin, Grace!

Jackie (Tillie's Daughter) said...

Really kewl :-)

Quilter Kathy said...

Hi Grace! Stopping in to say Hi and see what you are up to! Still making your amazing, miraculous masterpieces I see!

GraceBeading said...

Thanks friends! I just noticed I neglected to respond to all these wonderful comments.

Jennifer - I'm right there with you, I don't know how you've managed for so long!

Tammy - I really wish I was more like you and loved it, I really do!

Carol - I like the idea of your countdown!

Timaree, Arline, Jackie, Kathy - THANK YOU!

I hope to post a lot more this year.

Leaves of Grass

This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body - Walt Whitman