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: