Halloween Week

Hello everyone,
 I first want to tell all my friends and fellow bloggers who live in the path of Hurricane Sandy that I'm praying for your safety. I hope and pray it's not as bad as predicted, but the pictures I'm seeing on television look very scary. Here in Ohio, we're already having very strong winds, although nothing like the east coast, of course. Stay safe and well, everyone.

On another note, it's Halloween week and I want to share these appropriately spooky images I found online. What are your plans? Do you celebrate Halloween, and if so, how?  I used to have a lot of fun when I worked outside my home...usually everyone in our office would dress up. One year I was a kitty cat (big surprise there, I know!) and another year I was a....lady of the night. :) Somewhere I have photos and I should dig them out and post for you to see! These days, I tend to decorate more for autumn than Halloween. That way, I can keep the decorations out until Thanksgiving. I live in a semi-rural area and never get trick-or-treaters at my door either. I sort of miss that - seeing all the children in their costumes. So, please share what you do for the holiday.

 

I love this fence!

 

Until next time,

Cindy

 

Linking to Seasonal Sundays on The Tablescaper. Click on the link to see an amazing display from the "Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns" at Westbury Gardens.  



A Pink Fairytale ~

Once upon a time in a land not so far away...there was a young girl that lived in a small USA town who dreamed every Halloween of being Cinderella, Snow White, or a magical fairy who lived among the animals inside a hollow log by day and was transformed into a beautiful princess by night.  I never wanted to be a witch or anything ugly or scary...I always went for the pretty costumes. It's still fun to dream.  If I were a pink princess, I would wear this...

...or, perhaps this

...with these

...and perhaps these

...or this!

...and this would be worn in my hair.

After a long night of walking door to door (or dancing with Prince Charming!) I'd sleepily climb into this to be driven home, where I'd drift off to sleep thinking of my one night per year of pure magic!

So, please share - what did you want to be for Trick or Treat on Halloween as a child?  Scary, spooky....witch or wizard, pirate or princess?

Until next time, have a pink fairytale weekend!

Linking this to Pink Saturday on How Sweet the Sound!

Gourd-eous Gourds for Fall ~

I've been a gourd artist for approximately 12 years. I'd never even heard of them prior to that, except for the small, decorative ones to display in the fall. But, one day I picked up an instruction book at a local craft store about painting on hardshell gourds ~ and I was hooked! I call them "nature's canvas" and I love the organic feel of them in my hands as I work on them.  I'm starting to experiment with different styles and methods of painting them now, but here's a few pictures of some of the fun gourds I've painted for Halloween and Autumn.

Birdhouse gourd with sunflowers

...and, this is a bowl I made as a gift for a friend.

For anyone who isn't familiar with gourds, this is what they look like, fresh off the vine. The hardest part is cleaning them, as they're covered with dirt and dark mold, which must be scrubbed off completely prior to painting and decorating. I used to love going to the gourd farm and climbing through the piles and piles of gourds, looking for the perfect ones for my creations. I must admit that today, I'd rather buy them already cleaned!

Here's one cleaned and ready to go!

Ghost on pumpkin - this is one of my most popular gourds!

Until next time, have a wonderful weekend!