Halloween Train and Trick or Treat

Down the stairs from the Company House we rented to the store/depot/museum, which you can see  in the picture... very close!!

Our little guy loves trains, as I'm sure I've mentioned.  Growing up, my family visited Cass, WV- a historic lumber town, home to the Cass Scenic Railway, and where one Irish line of my family can be traced back for many generations.  The Slavens were the original settlers of the area, so with the veil being so thin between the worlds close to Halloween, I'm sure many ancestors accompanied us on this visit.  We stayed in one of the company houses and as soon as we got there, I was overwhelmed with nostalgia.  

The Halloween train only runs once a year on the last weekend of the season.  They did a great job of making the day full of fun. The train was decorated and full of costumed passengers and staff.  At the station, they had candy for the little ones and a fire to stand by.  Our costumes were thrown together and not too fussy, but still a lot of fun.  Angelo was a lumber jack and I didn't really think about Cass being an old lumber town until we got there.  Him staying warm was my main concern; not sewing a separate costume was the other.  

Angelo's costume didn't arrive until Halloween, so he got to wear it to the mall trick-or-treat and the rescheduled-due-to-Hurricane-Sandy neighborhood trick-or-treat.  His late change of mind for his costume meant we got big discounts on the pieces.  And the obscure choice was really impressive to me; though we went with bought pieces, it was still assembled from various sources, not an all in one package.  This is what he was going for.  The red rubber boots Doofenshmirtz got later and you'd have to see the Phineas and Ferb "Wizard of Odd" episode to get the reference. 

Even though not that many people were out for trick-or-treating on Saturday, it was still fun and even felt like the real thing.  Can't complain about more Halloween!

Halloween ATC's From the Darkside

These are the other ATC's I made for another one of this month's "from the Darkside" swap- "Halloween" of course.

These ATC's started out as regular playing cards, were sanded and then color washed with acrylic paint, then stamped with a Tim Holtz stamp.  The witches are vintage photos I altered in photo shop, siloutted and then adhered.  Then, the final details were added; glitter glue on the top one and glitter marker on the bottom one.

Check back tomorrow for another Halloween report. :)

Pumpkin Party 2012

 As you can see, the pumpkin party _did_ actually happen!  There were power tools involved.  Many pumpkin seeds were roasted and then eaten while watching Halloween movies.  This was a great party- a fun theme made even better by the awesome company.  Our last one was about 2-3 years ago and while I'd love to do another next year, I'm not going to write it in just yet... we will have a 6 month old then!!! :)

While I didn't get my house all piled up with sparkly and rusty bits (or do a lot on my "would like to" list due to growing a human being and most of my energy being devoted to baby and Angelo), we did have more decorations up outside for this party than on Halloween due to Hurricane Sandy blowing by.  We were very lucky and only had rain and one night of 25 mph winds; no power outages.

This post started out as a Halloween round up since I just found my camera cord today and wanted to report our festivities before the mood was completely fizzled out.  But, there were too many pictures for one post, so look for another one tomorrow and the next day. :)

Hoping your Celtic New Year celebrations were great!

Masters of the Macabre

These ATC's are for a swap I'm participating in and just sent out:

As you can guess, the theme of the swap was Masters of the Macabre and of course, I chose Poe as the Master of choice.

Mod Podge papers, vintage paper*, ink, Stickles and a journal stamp and Raven sticker* made up these ATC's.  (*on the second card)

In other news, A has recently changed his mind about what he wants to be for Halloween (or forgotten his original choice), and his new choice is a LOT simpler, so that has freed me up to work a little bit on my Folk Art witch.  Tonight, I sculpted the head- something I'd never done before- and so far so good. It has to dry for a few days.  Next, I'll tackle the hands.  Whether I actually finish it before Halloween or not, I'm not sure, but considering I'm not sure where the book is, I'm impressed I've gotten this far.  I may have to make up the clothing patterns, but all this just means my witch will have a more individual personality- great by me!

Art Nouveau Artist Trading Cards

copyright 2012 Narah Kimberly A. Minardi  all rights reserved

copyright 2012 Narah Kimberly A. Minardi  all rights reserved

After working so long on my Art Journaling workshop, I finally signed up for a couple of swaps.  One was for an Art Nouveau ATC swap.  Enchanted Gallery made the stamps I used for the main images and for the swirls on the 2nd ATC.  The floral background on the 1st is from a stamp by Stampfrancisco.  The very first layer (on the illustration board ATC form-which I love- so sturdy!) is a wash of acrylic paint, followed by the stamped background using solvent based Staz-On ink.  Then, I covered the cards with a piece of mesh fabric that Angelo picked out- a wine gift bag he picked up and said, "Mommy, you can use this in your artwork!"  He was right, of course! :)  Next, I adhered the Inktense and water color crayon colored images (color blended with a damp brush), that were accented with glitter marker and dimensional paint. Last came the gold ribbon and gold glittered dimensional paint around the border.

Lest you think I'm somehow not obsessing on Halloween still, today I picked up some polyester stuffing and am one step closer to creating my Folk Art witch.  Also, my dining room mantel is already decorated with Halloween festiveness. 

My belly dance class at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Educational Center starts in 11 days!  We moved the time up so people working downtown wouldn't have to kill so much time between work and class.  

Hopefully, my next post won't be so long in coming.  Hope you didn't suffer too badly while I rested. ;)

You're Reading the Blog of a Published Artist!

Really!  For real!  This morning, I walked out the door to take Dana on her walk and there it was- a large envelope from Stampington and Company.  Of course, that delayed the walk for a few minutes while I looked for my artwork.  Seeing Edgar Allen Poe on the front of Somerset Studio Magazine, I knew which piece it was, but seeing it there on the actual magazine page was something I just had to do!

It's very interesting to me that this is the first official art magazine I'm in when Halloween mania is in full swing 'round here (and never officially goes away).  How could I not enter this challenge, though?  Edgar Allen Poe!!  I'm a fan. :)

This issue isn't available on newsstands yet, but when the September/October Somerset Studio magazine is out, be sure to pick up a copy!

The cover of Somerset Studio Magazine

The middle image to the far right is mine!  Yep, right there on a magazine page!

And because it's hard to read my name (My Name!) and the description due to the spine, here's a close up.

This is my original scan of the art before I sent it off.  If you know Poe, then you'll understand the words.  :)  BTW, I would be flattered if someone shared this, but please credit the original source and note that others should do the same.  Thanks!

I do realize I'm being a bit of a geek about this, and I am perfectly ok with that. ;)

So, the news about the magazine was this morning and then this afternoon I found out that we have enough people registered for my Art Journaling workshop to hold it!!  There are still spaces left, so if you'd like to take a workshop with a published artist, be sure to sign up!! :D

I am overwhelmedly grateful. :) 

Pumpkin Party Dreaming

A few years ago, we had a pumpkin carving party.  It was a great way to celebrate early with friends and still enjoy Halloween night without the responsibility of a party.  This year, I'd like to have another one and have "saved the date" before October gets too filled up, as it tends to do.  Having a large party sends me into a panic thinking about it... I would like this to be a very kid-centered soiree... que sera sera.

This post over at A Fanciful Twist has me thinking of more magical ways to make the party fun, even if we will probably have it in the early afternoon for the kiddies.  Be sure to check out the links in that post for her previous parties as well! And Keep Dreaming!

clipart from Dover's "Old Fashioned Halloween" book and CD.

P.S. Clearly, after looking at those posts, I need more "stuff".  Guess I'll just have to make and collect things full time... good thing the Fleatique is coming up again soon.  ;)

Vintage Halloween Goodness

Halloween, my favorite holiday hands down, is only 84 days away!!

House of Hawthornes: I Love Vintage Halloween: Since this post contains so many photos from the Country Living Magazine that sent me into vintage Halloween overdrive, I thought it would be great to link it here.  When I saw that article, I cannot even describe the excitement I felt!  Since Angelo has been old enough to express that he doesn't like super creepy Halloween stuff, my decor is leaning way more in this direction, which is just fine by me.  It's a great excuse to make more stuff!

A book that I absolutely love, and have mentioned here before, is Bethany Lowe's Folk Art Halloween.  It is only about $7 on Amazon right now- I just can't believe that!

This witch on the front is just spectacular and it's been on my list of projects for years.  Last year, I actually had (most of) the pattern templates enlarged and got the styrofoam ball for the head.  Hopefully my paper clay is still good and I can actually get it made this year.  Angelo has asked to be Winnie the Pooh this year, and I already bought a pattern off of Ebay, so that means only one costume to sew.  We were Tigger, Kanga and Roo when Angelo was 2.  So less sewing means I'm more likely to actually finish this.  *fingers crossed*

As part of my Birthday present to myself, I'm planning a trip to the Ghoultide Gathering this year- finally!!!  Previously, something else had already been planned or the drive was too far from Morgantown.  Hopefully, I have a driving companion, but if not I may just go solo or even take the family with me...  

This Halloween inspiration is really keeping me going.  No Pennsic for us this year, which is really disappointing and "just as well" considering I have the Art Journaling workshop coming up.  

You'll get the full low-down on the no Pennsic situation later.  Until then, enjoy the rest of your week! 

Handmade Halloween Costumes

You'll recognize the mask DH is wearing as the one A  painted.  A's costume is made of wool felt from a pattern I drafted.  Dana's "ghost" costume is just material tucked into her collar.

Here, A shows off his spider legs.  The black widow marking was my husband's idea and handiwork.  It is automotive reflective tape- decorative and a nice safety feature for an all black costume. It consists of a pair of pants, and oversized long-sleeved shirt with a casing/elastic at the bottom and a separate hood (though, I did tack it down after he had it on. No sticking him with the needle, believe it or not.) The legs are stuffed with poly-fill and tied off for the segments.  the ends are all connected with quilters' thread.

My ghost costume was inspired by this one. (I opted out of the fishnets and heels.) It's the one I ironed the material, drafted the pattern for, cut and sewed in about 3 or so hours (lots of anti-perfectionist methods in play).  Now, deciding on a design... well, that took quite a bit longer.  There are no finished seams or hems, but there was a lot of snipping and ripping.  If you'd like to know more, please contact me.

Out collecting Treats.  You can see the Trick-or-Treat bag a little better here.  The outside and lining are both quilter's cotton for cuteness and strength.

Hope your Halloween was awesome!!!!!

Unrelated, I found a site that lists sheet music images from the Library of Congress. It is massive and though I'm not sure I'll ever get through it all, I'll have fun looking!


Also, check out www.VinegarandGlitter.com for the Altered Book Workshop flyer.  Today is the last day to register!!  

Mad Hatter Gone Batty and More Halloween Fun

Happy Halloween!!! It's the BEST day of the year!!!!!!

We already have been celebrating with lots of creative activities around here, and Trick-or-Treat will be a great topper tonight.  For us, it isn't even about the candy, but a way to face and celebrate the shadow side of life.  Plus, all those trick-or-treaters are pretty darn cute!  Even before we had Angelo, we have always loved Trick-or-Treat.  It's a great way to be a part of community if only for a short bit of time.  Our plans for the candy (since we eat such low sugar food and candy is so rare in this house) is to let Angelo have a few pieces tonight and give him the option to trade the rest for a super special toy.  Yes, it is bribery, and it's not a regular feature here, but today is an extraordinary day!

This was for the Altered Alice challenge- the Mad Hatter at his tea party with Twinkles.  So, Twinkle Twinkle little bat it is!  The background (on a plain index card) is a couple of stamps plus some sprayed mica ink (twinkly).  The image is colored with colored pencils and the polka dots have added Stickles (twinkly).  The bats are punched from a book page I sprayed with Tulip fabric paint/dye over cheese cloth.  The border and outlines are made with a Sharpie micro tip pen.

I didn't actually finish this in time to enter the challenge with all the other projects I had going on, especially sewing our costumes.  That's OK, though, since I really like doing challenges for the "challenge" aspect. Sure, winning is great, but going by someone else's guidelines while still having artistic freedom is a great way to stretch your creative wings.  :)

Here are a few more projects I've worked on lately.  I'll keep the descriptions short. :)

A with Sparky the Fire Dog at the Halloween parade, wearing the spider costume, but not the cute Trick-or-Treat bag.  Oops! 

One of A's Halloween decorations.  He cut out this, the skeleton and wolf man (because those are the only ones that actually link) from *Kaboose.  He stapled them together- easy and fun! They're hanging in the living room. :)  He's currently working on some of these coloring pages.  *Warning, the video ads are very annoying!

A having fun cleaning out the pumpkin.

A carved one of the eyes and drew the nose on this 1st one.

I absolutely LOVE this one!! A carved it with only the teeniest bit of help from Mama (holding the pumpkin and encouraging).  Love how children have such natural creativity and it looks extra creepy cool!

A Haunted house I painted, stamped and glued images to.  House form from Art Chix.

A Halloween bunting made from material I bought a few years ago.  It dons our entry-way.

I need to take a moment and mention my self-control.  In past years, I bought every Halloween magazine I saw, OD'd on Halloween art supplies, over-stocked on costume material and generally went nuts buying Halloween stuff.  This year, not a single magazine or decoration was bought, only material and art supplies in our stash were used, with this exception:  I only bought a few paintable forms for A and I to use (and some styrofoam balls for an art doll witch).  And we actually used them (except for the styrofoam... by the time I was into the sewing mode it was costume time.  But, we are a few steps closer to having her done.)!  BTW, the total for all the new purchases was about $15 or less. See below:

Couldn't resist this paper mache witch hat- I'd _just_ been looking in Bethany Lowe's Folk Art Halloween book and the supply list included "paper mache witch hat".  I thought, "yeah, right.  Because all stores carry that sort of thing."  I guess in the Bethel Park, PA Michael's they do!!  Also couldn't resist the antique photo finish here. :)

A picked out all of these himself and chose when and what colors to paint them.  

I know this was a long post!  (Aren't you glad I didn't add the "how to make a ghost costume in about 3 hours" tutorial?) Hope it adds festiveness to your Halloween mood!!! 

A Witch Link

Thought I'd try using a "Not Martha" method and keep track of some favorite links here on the blog.  Funnily, it is a "Martha" link.  :)

This is for making a Witch/Wizard hat: http://www.marthastewart.com/268139/wizard-and-witch-costumes-witches-hats?czone=holiday/halloween-center/halloween-center-costumes

Angelo's costume is made and I hope to get some pictures/video at tomorrow's Halloween parade.  Right now it is pouring, so I'm crossing my fingers for at least a break for the parade.  His trick-or-treat bag is also made- if only everything I made were that simple and satisfying.  Pictures to follow.

The material for my costume is mostly ironed.  Apparently, I shouldn't run the space heater and iron at the same time in the attic.  DH has switched the breaker back on (I avoid the basement if at all possible due to a mold allergy... it's really pretty under control, but just in case), but I took it as a sign to get back downstairs and get things set up for the morning, including print flyers for the next Mixed Media Collage workshop I'm teaching at Sterling Yoga: Altered books.

So, those are printed and now I should get some sleep.  'Night!

Dia de Los Muertos

This is a collage I made for the Art Chix Day of the Dead challenge.  The skull I was able to draw here and there in my large spiral art journal pad.  The multiple purples on the canvas I painted many years ago and wasn't sure where to go next.  Figured it out, though.  Some orange splattered paint, mica ink spray, paper and "silk" flowers (also mica ink sprayed) and my cut-out skull were added.  The color was added with oil pencil on the skull.  An additional layer of mica ink spray was added to make the skull more cohesive with the rest of the piece.  

Please "Like" my picture on FaceBook and help me win! :)