100?! ALREADY?

 100 posts!

To celebrate: 8 pictures of the witches kitchen and 2 pictures from my display!

Thanks to those of you who come to my blog, you people are awesome. 

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

A picture from the witches kitchen, and Recovering.

Image By Strublay

I am exhausted.

Seriously.

Did a still life last night, as you can see, I set it up around the idea that my witch would surround herself with the objects that protect her, even after the stroke of midnight.

I'm taking it easy the next few days. I deserve it.

Then It'll be time to pull it all down and get back to normality until Yule. 

Good Morning.... Okay, thats just creepy

Image By Strublay

Normally I wouldn't post as soon as I got up, but I had a moment of supreme WTF this morning.

One of my witch jars re-lit itself in the night.

...

O_O

...

o_O

...

My logical side is telling me that either it was really really weakly lit, or that the wick drew up some of the wax and the embers kicked back to life, but seriously, I lit that tea-light 7 hours ago.... tea lights usually only last 4-5 hours...

So my inner witch is SCREAMING AT ME about it, and it REALLY freaked me out after I just woke up.

My husband got a good laugh at my expense, "Well honey, there's only one logical explanation, it is a WITCH JAR!" and he busted in to laughter. 

...

*-_-

...

Punk.

...

Then add in the Lightning and Thunder, and it was a kinda cool way to start the morning...

*SIGH* sheesh.

Trick 'r Treat, WHY DIDN'T I SEE THIS SOONER?!??!???!

Found on http://moviepenguin.blogspot.com

Finally saw it!

What a work of brilliance, I want to live in THAT town. Beautiful.

Honestly, the houses down the street and the festival, and the music, and the intricate stories... 

It just blends together in this confection of a Halloween movie that embodies the fear, humor, and.... I can't put this any other way... texture of Halloween perfectly. 

 I really really really love the character of Rhonda and every one of her Jack O Lanterns. I suppose I identify, especially with the obsessive element of Halloween. I respect a character like her, the kids called her an idiot savant, but those were kids and kids can be very very cruel. I'm always one too pull for misunderstood, socially inept misfits like her:

Found on http://moviepenguin.blogspot.com

Those little pricks who played the trick on her COMPLETELY DESERVED it.

Sam is the best mascot for Halloween ever. 

Found on http://moviepenguin.blogspot.com

A child, thats not a child, goes around ToT'ing, and enforcing the rules of Halloween, violently. 

Instills fear, laughs like a kid.

He honestly is cute at some points in the film, terrifying at other points.

Kills with candy, and will stop hurting you if you give him chocolate.

PERFECT.

Just the thought of that character makes me grin.

I love this movie.

Of rotting pumpkins, and another still life

So, we picked up pumpkins while returning from Knotts, and at the time all of the pumpkins looked sound.... 

But alas, I was wrong. One of my pumpkins was slowly rotting. I happened to actually touch it today, and it was a little... squishy.... 

Checked the others, so far so good.

And THANKFULLY it wasn't one of my stemmed beauties. 

So I carved me a pumpkin last night, and did a full blown still life..

And I fixed the photography problem!

Lower ISO's for the win!

Image by Strublay 

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

Image by Strublay

This is the first part of the still life, I'm saving some of the rest.

I hope you enjoy!

Of entryways, gravestones, and creepy cloth over paintings of oil.

Found On Flickr: Image by Love manor

Found on Flickr: Image by Love Manor

Found on Flickr: Image by Love Manor

ZOMG awesome!

Found on Love Me Some Pumpkin Blog; Author Unknown

I went to Walmart today and found that their Febreze Pumpkin Harvest Air Fresheners two packs are on sale (!!) but as a tester I decided to pick up their Pumpkin Harvest Candle. Now I've had Febreze candles before, and they have never disapointed, and this candle is no exception. OMG, it is.... amazing.

Not even kidding. I live for scent, I'm super sensitive to it, and this captures the scents leading up to Halloween and Fall PERFECTLY.

Also on the scent front, I ran across an apple and clove scented candle in Walmart as well, put out by BHG. 

It's on the Pick up list.

One last thing. I found this pumpkin blog and I'm Intrigued by so much of it that I have to post it. Enjoy. I love me some pumpkin.

And I love me some guns, but that Deadpool/MVC3 reference would be over the heads of many if not all that reads this site.

Of Pumpkin Tealight Holders and stormy nights.

Image by Strublay

Shorty post for now, I might go trolling for some cool images later tonight... Went to Home Goods picked up the big guy on the right, I loved his small nose and big grin. Best 8 bucks I've spent on Halloween so far. Also It was storming in the Henderson area, so walking back to the car with my Jack pail in one hand and holding my husbands hand with the other I felt like I was trick or treating. It was awesome. 

Pumpkin Spice, and everything nice.

Image By Strublay

So I picked up my first pumpkin spice candle of the year from wally world. It smells awesome and brings up my spirits immensely.

Image by Strublay

Found on bathandbodyworks.com

I'm addicted to this scent. I haven't tried the perfume version yet... but I'm loving the body spray and lotion. 

Smells like fall.

Of Grunge, Spikes, and Colorful Devotional Displays.

Found on Flickr, Image By clockworknate

Found on Flickr, Image By Cremini

Found on Flickr, Image by JoelDeluxe
*Edit* This image is actually a Christmas Display, but I liked it so much I decided to post it anyway.

A Haunting In Las Vegas

Image by Strublay

My mother did her house up this year, and this was an off year! all the images in this post is of my mothers work, and the heritage passed down from mother to daughter as years go by.

Above is one of the candelabras my mother purchased years ago. Don't be fooled by the lack of a scale, they are about 6 foot tall and 5 feet wide. Yes, those are REAL candles.

Image by Strublay

My mother didn't carve a Pumpkin this year, these were her substitutes.

Image by Strublay.

This is a wreath made by my grandmother, who has passed on. We display halloween items of our passed family every year, and this year Nana's wreath went up in moms house, Papa's Phantom Hat went up in mine.

Image by Strublay

I love this picture. Just had to share it.

Image by Strublay.

The gemmy ripoff of the Flying Crank ghost. The Lighting in this picture is perfect I think. 

Image by Strublay

Here is a neighbors house, I loved the little stakes.

Of candle holders, count down signs, and a Urban Vegas Halloween

Image By: Strublay

...and so it begins, my Halloween decorating has started in earnest, and the first feeble beginnings come out in the form of candles. Pulled out in September, I have reserved the pictures of them for this first, of many, posts of Halloween images taken by yours truly.

Image by Strublay

The sign. It counts down the inevitability of the dark night coming. I made it from foam core, velcro, a blacklight and a reversible hot orange/green card stock.  Total cost of the sign, with out the black light $2.00, with the blacklight $12.00. The entire project was inspired by several posts on HalloweenForum.com, and the font used was Green Fuz from 1001fonts.com.

Image by Strublay

My second story window, pumpkins, sign, and all.

I'm glad it started.

Of blacklights, jacklights, and creepy creatures of fear.

Found on Flickr; Image by DevilsChariot

Devils Chariot is back on my blog, with this creepy little dude with glowing green eyes. *Shutter*

Found on Flickr; Image by Slworking2

Black lights give everything that un-earthly glow, even foam tombstones with plastic skeleton hands. Yesterday I learned the actual atom level workings of the black light effect from some MIT OCW Vids I was watching, so the florecent glow of objects under blacklight holds a whole new meaning.

Found on Flickr; Image by FranieK

First some black light, and now some Jack Light. Orange and black, how charming.

Of Haunted Mansions, Grim Grinning Ghosts, and a Snow Covered Jack.

 

Found on Flickr; Image by Mastery of Maps

The original Haunted Mansion in unusual hues of blue and green, a rare sight to be sure. Can you believe that its been there, up and running at 1500 guests an hour, almost everyday for 40 years? Amazing isn't it?

*Correction*The Haunted Mansion carries 2000-2400 Passengers per hour, which makes it more epic.

I had a 4 day weekend with out internet, and so I have posted today 15 images of The Haunted Mansion, Enjoy!

  

Found on Flickr; Image by Philip Michael Photo

The Florida Haunted Mansion, I've never been to Walt Disney World, but it is my intention to go in the future.

  

 Found on Flickr; Image by Cuellar

Phantom Manor in Disney Land Paris. Apparently the Euro Disney version is much more graphic than here stateside, a lot of corpses running about...

 

Found on Flickr; Image by Joe Penniston

This is the first image I have by Joe Penningston, who takes incredible images of the Mansion and makes them available on Flickr.  This image is of the ghost horse in front of the WDW Mansion. This really is an incredible effect.

 

Found on Flickr; Image by Joe Penniston

A butler in front of the front of the Haunted Mansion in CA, the composition of this image is epic. Seriously.

  

 Found on Flickr; Image by Joe Penniston

The changing portraits, straight laced respectable Victorian paintings by day, but throw some lightning on those suckers and everything changes.

  

 Found on Flickr; Image by Joe Penniston

The floating Madam Leota effect. It comes and goes in Disneyland (when I went 4 years ago it was in, but this year it was out.... ) but when its up and running what an effect it is.

  

Found on Flickr; Image by Frogmiller

The Haunted Dueling Portraits, an effect you have to be looking for while your whizzing by the ballroom in your Doom Buggy, the ballroom has so many details its hard to catch in one ride.

  

Found on Flickr; Image By Joe Penniston

'Till death do us part, taken to new heights by the ghost bride in the attic.

Found on Flickr; Image by Joe Penniston

The poor shaking grounds keeper, the only "living" thing in the mansion besides the crows and the poor old dog next to him.

Found on Flickr; Image by Joe Penniston

The talking singing busts in the grave yard

 

Found on Flickr; Image by Joe Penniston

Hitchhiking ghosts!

Found on Flickr; Image by Mastery of Maps

The next three images are of the Haunted Mansion Holiday that takes place every year from October through the end of December. Above is the external overlay, in all its beautiful daytime Nightmare Before Christmas glory.

  

Found on Flickr; Image by Imperpay

The Pumpkin King Santa.

 

Found on Flickr; Image by SDG-Pictures

Finally my favorite prop, the Pumpkin mountian. I intend to have a fake pumpkin out this year, hopefully it will snow and I can have this at home for a bit... how nice that would be. Notice that this is the area of the singing busts above, and they have just been replaced with pumpkins... pretty neat trick.