October Countdown to Halloween Days~ 21-28

This Halloween thing didn't turn out like I imagined it or wanted it to. I'll try again next year.....

Our ceramic pumpkin was crafted by my mother-in-law many, many years ago. I would consider him vintage, as he was made in the 1970's. He has a carved face on both sides, so one has a choice, and it makes for a spectacular glow on the wall behind it. Here he is.....

Thank you for visiting

Lori

October Countdown to Halloween~Days 19 & 20

This Halloween wreath was a bit of a challenge. It's not as easy as it looks to follow a circle while looping and gluing crape paper. Okay, so, I didn't know how to spell crape paper. I looked it up in the Webster's, yes kids the actual book, I like the dictionary. The definition was of the material formally used in mourning, I think they are spelled the same. Anyway, here it is.....
[with poor lighting]

[with poorly positioned lighting]

[oh well]

sharing here:
Overflowing With Creativity
Seasonal Sundays
Passion Parade Link Soiree 
Thanks for stopping by!
Lori

A Feature to Share

Cinthya, of Eye Heart, featured my Super Simple Mummy's from her Anything Goes At Eye Heart Monday's, blog party. Thank you so much! I find so many fabulous projects there, you should check out the latest, HERE. Just scroll down after the features and browse away, better yet share your latest project.

October Countdown to Halloween~Day 18

A Few Famous Ghost Sightings

One of the most frequently reported ghost sightings in England dates back to the 16th century. Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I, was executed at the Tower of London in May 1536 after being accused of witchcraft, treason, incest and adultery. Sightings of Boleyn's ghost have been reported at the tower as well as in various other locations, including her childhood home, Hever Castle, in Kent.

Anne Boleyn

The  Beheading of Anne Boleyn

America's own rich tradition of historical ghosts begins with one of its most illustrious founding fathers: Benjamin Franklin. Beginning in the late 19th century, Franklin's ghost was seen near the library of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; some reports held that the statue of Franklin in front of the society comes to life and dances in the streets.

Benjamin Franklin

Though many ghost sightings have been reported at the White House in Washington, D.C., over the years, perhaps no political figure has made so frequent an appearance in the afterlife as Abraham Lincoln, the nation's 16th president, who was killed by an assassin's bullet in April 1865. Lincoln, formerly a lawyer and congresseman from Illinois, is said to have been seen wandering near the old Springfield capitol building, as well as his nearby law offices. At the White House, everyone from first ladies to queens to prime ministers have reported seeing the ghost or feeling the presence of Honest Abe--particularly during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, another president who guided the country through a time of great upheaval and war.

Abraham Lincoln

The notorious mobster Al Capone has reportedly appeared to disrespectful visitors at his funeral plot in an Illinois cemetery. Spectral banjo music has supposedly been heard coming from inside Capone's old cell at Alcatraz, where he was one of the first inmates.

Al Capone

Information from History.Com/photos from Google Search-Images

October Countdown to Halloween~Day 17

What Is a Ghost?
The concept of a ghost, also known as a specter, is based on the ancient idea that a person's spirit exists separately from his or her body, and may continue to exist after that person dies. Because of this idea, many societies began to use funeral rituals as a way of ensuring that the dead person's spirit would not return to "haunt" the living.

Found on Pinterest

NOTE I found this great photo on Pinterest but couldn't track down the 'owner' of it. Please, if this is your work, let me know, so I can give you credit. It's amazing!
 
What Is a Haunting?

Places that are haunted are usually believed to be associated with some occurrence or emotion in the ghost's past; they are often a former home or the place where he or she died. Aside from actual ghostly apparitions, traditional signs of haunting range from strange noises, lights, odors or breezes to the displacement of objects, bells that ring spontaneously or musical instruments that seem to play on their own.

Information from History.com
Image unknown-see note above

Tomorrow.....a few famous ghost sightings.....

October Countdown to Halloween~Days 12-16

Days 12-16?!?! Yes I'm a little behind in my blogging. But...
Here is another little history lesson for you all. Fun to read and no test, I promise!

The Legend of "Stingy Jack"

People have been making jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years. Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern." 

In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o'lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack-o'-lanterns.

I thought this picture that I found at  DevianART by *GENZOMAN was a pretty good match with the story. THANKS for the VISIT!!!

October Countdown to Halloween~Day 10 & 11

Here I am again, with a giant black bat. This baby is about 21 1/2 " from wing tip to wing tip. I got a template from Martha Stewart. I had to cut the pieces separately, because my paper isn't big enough. I used 12" x 12". Martha sells a larger size of card stock, but it seems impracticable to make a scrapbook that large. Being the crafty person that I can be at times, I just cut and pieced it together.  Ha, so there Martha!!!

See, I couldn't even get him into a single picture at my photo prop area. Once I reveal my entire decor you will see him all in one large piece. Here is another shot.....

And here are a few more of my tags. Yes, I am tag crazy. No, I don't really know what to do with them. They go into my decor, they can be used as bookmarks, or on Halloween presents. Yeah, 'cause we give so many gifts at Halloween.....riiiight. I just like to make them, I am primarily a paper crafter after all.

I also wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten to visit you all, just have to catch up on actual commenting this weekend. Thanks for visiting!
Hugs~Lori

October Countdown to Halloween~Day 8 & 9

I really didn't think this thru. I am not a professional blogger, I just like to have fun. I missed a day, what can I say, it was powder puff football. I totally forgot to take pics of a project to schedule a post for yesterday. Today after school it was laundry, dishes and mother daughter time. Daughter time is at a premium when she is 17 years old, a senior, plays on two soccer teams, and has lots of friends. I have to take it when I can get it, so forgive me if you have been waiting with baited breath for my posts. All, maybe 10, of you.

Super Simple Mummy's!!!
Recycle a glass jar and wrap it with rolled gauze, how simple is that? I have seen them done using google eyes, but made mine with a large oval, small oval, and circle punch. 

I made this guy first.
Thanks for stopping by!
Lori
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal charm
Your Gonna Love It at Kathe With an E
Anything Goes At Eye Heart Monday at Eye Heart
Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill
Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House   

October Countdown to Halloween~Day 7

Hello! Tonight's post is an ATC collection that I made last year for a swap that didn't happen. An ATC is an Artist Trading Card, a 2.5" x 3.5" piece of artwork. I did post pictures last year but lost the post, so I decided to re-post them. The digital image backgrounds are from Moonlight Journey. Awesome collage sheets and they are having a BOGO sale until Oct 10, hurry! The "heads" and the "witch" are free from The Graphics Fairy. Thank you so much Karen, your blog and your willingness to do all of that work is amazing.

8 Spooky Houses, Witches, and Full Moons

 Have a great week everyone! See you tomorrow for more spooky fun....
~Lori

October Countdown to Halloween~Day 6

Ancient Origins of Halloween

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter. [click here to read the rest at History.com]

 Thanks for visiting!
~Lori

October Countdown to Halloween~Day5

I had fun taking these pictures. I took them in the dark, (not total), without a flash. It worked, my camera was set correctly!!!

Candle Flickering

I used one of the recycled jars, that I have been collecting. Glass jars are so useful and much better than plastic for food storage, but let's save that rant for another day. Anyway.....With a 1/2" paintbrush and watered down multipurpose glue I attached these vintage Halloween postcard images. The images are once again from, Magic Moonlight Free Images. I placed a wide ribbon on the inside of the jar at the top.

Candle Barely Flickering

This is the first time I have purchased and used battery operated candles. They are awww-some! They were $5.99 for a set of six L.E.D. Flickering tea lights at Hobby Lobby. I never knew how good they looked in real life until now, huh, discover something new everyday.

A Second Postcard

A Third Postcard

I enjoyed showing you shots of the different levels of flickering candle light. Maybe not a big deal to many of you, but I was pretty happy with my new discovery. *wink*
Have a great day, make something spooky! Tell me what you try!
~LORI
I'll be sharing at these great parties:

October Countdown to Halloween~Day 4

Here is little project, that I made using vintage images put together by Magic Moonlight Free Images. Thank you Blanca, it is most generous of you to find, fix and share vintage images.

This is what I did:
-searched around Blanca's blog
-printed the images I liked onto regular copy paper
-glued to clothing tags from a new pair of pants I just purchased (you can use tags, card stock paper, chipboard, cereal boxes, Kleenex boxes-anything)
-'painted' glue around the edges and added chunky glitter
That's it! Pretty simple, huh?

This says- s'posin 'a ghost ran after you-oo-oo'  Okay, scary, I guess.....

The next tag looks a bit 'wintery'. I wasn't sure how the white chunky glitter would look. It came out as clear pieces of glitter mostly, so I covered the entire thing. Looks like snow to me, but I like the image anyway. It says, 'The goblins will catch you if you don't watch out!'.

Thanks for visiting, hope you enjoy a spooky month of fun!

~Lori
Sharing Here:
Wildly Original Bewitching Fall 
Thrifty Things Friday 
Home Sweet Home
Happy Hour Friday 

October Countdown to Halloween Day 3

Welcome to day 3! This is my hand cut, silhouette, Raven. I used a template from  

Country Living-Halloween Headquarters  

Fussy cutting is one of my favorite techniques in paper crafting. I love how this guy came out, and plan on making more. There is also a smaller template, but the branch and stand don't cut out as nicely. We'll see what comes of that.

Thanks for stopping by, it was a short post, but so was this project, enjoy!
Hope you give this a try, let me know if you post it on your blog or a linky party.

Playing Here:
Look What I Made at Creations By Kara
Treasure Hunt Thursday 
Home and Garden Thursday

 

October Countdown to Halloween Day 2

I hope you all enjoyed reading my first Halloween post, 'Some of the History of Halloween Part 1', all about superstitions. Look forward to more of these history lessons and crafty goodness.

The first craft of my October Countdown to Halloween series is a Glittered Spiderweb Hurricane. I can't take credit for the idea, but I knew I wanted to make it for Halloween this year. This idea comes from my friend Priscilla, the brilliant mind behind the 'Thrifty Crafty Girl' blog. This is one of the ideas from her, '31 Days of Halloween' series of last year. You can download the spiderweb template from Martha Stewart Halloween.

Check out Thrifty Crafty Girl for photos and detailed directions. I purchased this frosted glass at a thrift store, but TCG shows you how to paint frost onto clear glass.

My container is a different size and shape than TCG's, so as you see, it
can be done with a bit of tweaking here and there.

I had to mess around with my template, trying to make it fit, so my lines aren't perfect. But guess what? It looks fine anyway!

I will probably refer to Thrifty Crafty Girl throughout the month, so you might as well follow her, too. She is so funny and honest! Have Fun creating for Halloween.................B O O

~Lori
Sharing at these linky parties:
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
You're Gonna Love it Tuesdays

Some of the History of Halloween Part 1 [October Countdown to Halloween~Day 1]

Here is a bit of information for the month of October, the month of Halloween, spooks, and treats. It has become one of my favorite seasons of the year. This is a fairly non-scary start to ease our way in. It all started out normally, but we will see how society, heavily influenced by the Christian Church, has twisted it. I be posting what I hope you find interesting and informative history lessons over the next month. This is from History.com, with a link at the end.

Halloween Superstitions

Halloween has always been a holiday filled with mystery, magic and superstition. It began as a Celtic end-of-summer festival during which people felt especially close to deceased relatives and friends. For these friendly spirits, they set places at the dinner table, left treats on doorsteps and along the side of the road and lit candles to help loved ones find their way back to the spirit world. Today's Halloween ghosts...

...But what about the Halloween traditions and beliefs that today's trick-or-treaters have forgotten all about? Many of these obsolete rituals focused on the future instead of the past and the living instead of the dead. In particular, many had to do with helping young women identify their future husbands and reassuring them that they would someday—with luck, by next Halloween—be married. In 18th-century Ireland,... [more at History.com]

~Lori
Visiting these parties:  
Meet Me Monday 
Anything Goes at Eye Heart Mondays
Make the Scene Monday
Make it Pretty Monday 
Krista is having a Halloween Linky Party! I'll be linking all month right here...While He Was Napping Halloween Linky Party