NaNoJouMo 2013... has begun. Day 1

It's that time again... NaNoJouMo!

 http://dawndsokol.squarespace.com/nanojoumo2013

Good time to dust off the blog. :) 

It's been a loooong busy time moving into the New House and an even busier summer FULL of fun, foods and canning. I will be doing some updating on the New House and how we're geek-ify-ing each and every room later. 
We have a plan that will reach full fruition by the beginning of 2015. 
Oh yes, we have a PLAN! *evil cackle* 

ah-hem... soooo, On with NaNoJouMo shall we?

Today's prompt is:

“Let It Be” — Superchic(k)

I choose to use some of the Lyrics...

 We could believe in ourselves more
We could try for unique
Instead of trying to conform
We could defy what they tell us
Don't buy the lies they sell us
If we're brave we can believe in what we are

I'm also had BRAVE come to mind right away after dressing as Merida for Halloween last night. 

It worked so that's what I did! 
The background was one of the papers I already had prepared and (as usual) I painted right over.

Scanned Image:

BONUS: The Costume :)
Pretty durn good for last-last day-of minute. 

Haunted Design House HDH119 - Freaker's Free-for-All

HDH119 - Freaker's Free-for-All

Ok, macabre fans... your challenge this week:

HDH119
"Freaker's Free-for-All"

You are to create a dark, Gothic, or Halloween-based art piece

with no restrictions.
That's right... the Mistress has been slacking, so everyone gets to benefit with a laid-back, no-holes-barred, do-WTF-ever-you-want challenge!
************

Little Surprise for the minions, er... children this week:
Re-furbed this 9 X 7" Wooden Sign.
Just *knew* it was worth saving the cheese machete when the handle broke and I was never that into cutesy dolls...
oooohhhh boooooooys!

Forever Night Challenges: #22 " A Little Strange "

Challenge #22

" A Little Strange "

Your challenge this week is to create something a little strange.
Remember to keep to the "dark guidelines" and have fun.
******

...aaaand a little strange it is!

Rubber Stamp images are all from Kraftin' Kimmie.
Markers from Pentel.
Inks and Ribbon from Stampin' Up!.
Pattern Paper from BoBunny.
and Creepy Bar Sign was found in a Flickr Clip-Art group.

Haunted Design House Macabre Monday: HDH116 - Chic Freaks

HDH116 - Chic Freaks

Ok, macabre fans... your challenge this week:

HDH116
"Chic Freaks"

You are to create a dark, Gothic, or Halloween-based art piece

that includes a chic freak or a freakishly chic theme.
Get your freak on... in a chic way.

********

Reached for the Digi-Stamps as I have for many projects this week...
'Sassy Ghost' is from Sassy Studio Designs.
Background is from Ceremony Share.
Image was tinted with Stampin' Up! Watercolor Pencil crayons (Had to blow the dust off the tin... Forgot how fun they are!) and a wet blender pen.
Card Base is from The Paper Company.
Who says you can't still be Chic once your Dead?

Book of Days: January 9th (Biggie Page!)

Well... this page just took on a whole life of it's own.
Quite the 'process'...

It's also my Week 2: Something that challenges you and Mosaic Page.
It's about stepping outside of my comfort zone and doing a vendors fair with my Art. I'm painfully shy in person and my creepy-art side can put some people off so I'm even shy-er about sharing it. On the 9th I 'sucked-it-up' and signed up! I had been asked to participate a month ago but 1st timing and 2nd my fears needed to be overcome.

Started by painting it Bright Blue,
the same color that's on the Display Boards for my Art.
Also printed off mini-pics of many (but not all)
of the Art I plan on bringing to the Event.

Then I journaled my Fears and Excuses...
and some git'er'done commentary.
Added my 'nice' Logo in the center.

Then I drizzled a Circle with a Slash through it in RED paint.

...and sponged that sucker on!
Made sure that every last bit of writing and the Logo were covered up.

Then started the Mosaic of mini-art.
However there was now TOO much... so I made a flap for the extra.

'Nuff Said!

Macabre Monday at Haunted Design House: HDH113 - Heinously Haunted Houses

HDH113 - Heinously Haunted Houses

And just a heads-up: HDH will be taking a break from our formal challenges for the rest of the year after this week's challenge. Now don't fret! We will still be posting, and throwing out a few challenges, but the Macabre Minions definitely need a little yard time away from the dungeon :)

You'll definitely want to keep checking in with HDH... because even though the winter holidays seem to take over everything, we at HDH pride ourselves in keeping the creepiness alive all year long!!

Ok, macabre fans... your challenge this week:

HDH113
Heinously Haunted Houses

You are to create a dark, Gothic, or Halloween-based art piece
that features a haunted house as the focus.
This IS Haunted Design House after all :)
The more decrepit, deteriorating or disturbing... the better!
********
Last one *sniff sniff* for the year *sob*...
Makes me sad *pout*
But ya' know that everyone will come back all refreshed and revived,
or re-animated, as the case were... in the New Year.
Thank-You Ladies for a Fab-u 2011!!!

Stash Dive!!!
Had this house for awhile, getting dusty... so it had a head start. lol
Paint-washed the outside in shimmery purple, the top in green mixed with black. Then each compartment was paint-washed a different color.
Then... the residents moved in!

Full Frontal... oh my!

From the Top:

Mr.Bones... he's a romantic...

My favorite bit was making the cute-sy Green Bird... Morbid Black.
Popped his eyes off then washed him in Slate Glimmer Mist.
He's all simmery and dark now...

Nested in all cozy...

The Happy Vampire... he's got some good, er... scary neighbors you know.
Perfect Neighbourhood Watch group while he sleeps the days away...
His coffin was the packaging for my son's vamp-y teeth.

BOO!
'nuff said...

I LOVE how this section turned out...
Bit of mossy bark leftover from the www.landfillart.com project, trimmed to fit in, then covered in cobwebs. I have a heap leftover from Halloween Decorating.
...and resident spider *shudder* of course!

awwweee... come on!
You KNEW I would slip something a wee Steampunk in...
Kraken in the Bathtub! Watch-Out!

More angles and sh-tuff...

...and the dust settles...

Decided to post 11 pictures for the 1st day of the 11th month.
What's been a-doing around here as of late... mix-and-match of sh-tuff.
Some Art-sy, Some not so much...

It's 'that time of the year', SAD kickin' in and my other conditions have been popping in their votes so...
decided to spend my temporarily waning energies focusing on family.
Very little in the way of 'art' going on the past 2 week beyond the 'necessary'. Missed the 4th piece of the Sassy Steampunk Progressive Challenge (boo) because, honestly, I'm not up to it.
No other challenges either.
I've cleared the decks:
Tomorrow... I will be doing my Landfillart.org Project.
There, said it, it's out there now I have to make good on it! ;O)
Laid all the natural elements out to dry and they are ready, glues have been acquired, ancient technology gathered: I.am.ready.

On with the pictures...

Robert's 'Murder Kit'.
He decided to be Detective William Murdoch of the Murdoch Mysteries for Halloween.
It's an old Audio Cassette case, cleared out with a corrugated cardboard false bottom in it. The Bottles are actually Gem & Mineral samples I use for my Steampunk Doctor's kit... plus a few other odds and sods that just 'worked'.
This was a real treat to work on!
The Badge was from the $ store, added the City & Station House #, finished with a coat of 3D Crystal Lacquer.

William's Phantom of the Opera mask.
Started as a super thin plastic 'paint it yourself' $ store mask. Cut to fit his face, shaded with ink then coated in 3D Crystal Lacquer for a more 'porcelain' look.

ahh... Yes, Christmas in October!
It was a wonderful time with my Aunt & Uncle.
This was the 'traditional' dessert:
DIY (Decorate-it-Yourself) Cupcake Buffet!

No Christmas in October is complete without:
A Fiber Optic Mini-Tree and tacky ornaments!
Dave & Anne loved the Rednek Wine Glasses.
The Boys were drowned in LEGO. lol

Halloween Night...
Arthur, dressed as the 4th Doctor Who: Tom Baker, met his match... a Dalek!!!
We ran across this group a few time while out trick or treating so it was an evening long running gag.
I think the Dalek costume was great!!! Very 'vintage' Dr.Who.

Da Boyz...
We went to the Halloween Fun Day at the Billings Estate, lots of crafts, treasure hunting and exploring. Great photo ops in the Main House/Museum... and a trek through the family graveyard. whooooooo....

Arthur: The 4th Doctor, Tom Baker.
He's got the height and boy does he ever have the hair!
Scarf crocheted by my Mom.
THANK-YOU MOM!!!

Robert: Detective William Murdoch.
He was poi-fect... my little over-actor. lol

William: The Phantom of the Opera.
He got sooooooo many compliments.
Everyone loves a tragic hero... lil'heartbreaker.

Thomas: Jedi Knight.
Getting him to do pictures was a bit of a... trial,
He smiles when he should be serious and is serious when it's smiling time. lol

Made a Parshell to hang above our front door.
Sticks are from our Lilac out front and along the Lime Kiln trail. Corn Husks from our Apple Picking trip to Mountain Orchard, bits and pieces gathered from the ground in the corn maze.
We've resolved to incorporate more Celtic Traditions into our Day-to-Day.

HDH109 Macabre Monday: Inner Workings

HDH109 Macabre Monday Inner Workings

Ok, macabre fans... your challenge this week:

HDH109
Inner Workings

You are to create a dark, Gothic, or Halloween-based art piece
that either is quite literal (clock works or guts) or just
simply decorate the inside of your project as well as the outside.
*******
Card is 4 1/4" X 5 1/2"
I've had this quote tucked away in my "ooooo I wanna use that!" file, thought this was a good excuse to brush the cobwebs off it. ;O)
This guy was a freebie digi from Dawn Moore @http://lostinpaperscraps.blogspot.com called Hairy Manster. I love him!
The 'brain bowl' was snipped from a comic book and coated in 3D Crystal Lacquer.
Eyes are also coated in 2 layers.
Heart was created by rubbing red on pink cardstock before punching it out, adding more ink around the edges. Then it was coated with 3D Crystal Lacquer which I messed with/swirled a bit and broke-up before it was 100% dry.
CREEPY! and 'i' are stickers.

Digi from Artist Dawn Moore
Cardstock, Heart Punch and Inks from Stampin'Up!
3D Crystal Lacquer from Sakura
Stickers from Karen Foster and SandyLion
Cardbase from The Paper Company
Pattern Paper from BoBunny
Lace from my vintage auction stash