From the Davis Graveyard booth

Yes, the move to Florida is getting close, but the West Coast Haunters Convention was finally in Portland, and there was no way I was missing it.

13th Door brought a friend

I went on Saturday. Sadly, I missed a couple classes on Friday that I would have loved, but time is what it is. I ended up taking a class on Zombie Skin. The class was great fun, but I wasn’t impressed with the durability of the product. I left a good swatch of the stuff on my arm, and it was peeling off badly in less than 30 minutes. Next I went to a class on facade design. Grr. The guy googled “spooky house” and made a PowerPoint presentation out of it. I wish I’d walked out of that one earlier, but I did get to see 15 minutes of Alex Hansen using his stencils. And do click on that link, because iStencils is amaaaazing.  Last class was scenic painting, and that was just stuffed with information. I learned tons.

Had a great time wandering the vendors. Wish it had been four times bigger!  I got to sit and have a horrible burn applied to my hand (sorry, pics were blurry), and I got to play with an airbrush for the first time. That could be addicting.

I think the best thing I got out of my visit, besides the t-shirt, was the stencil link. I’ll be using that a lot.

A teddy even I could love

I’ve shown you what I got from my Secret Pumpkin, but what did I make for my recipient? I had to wait a few days to make sure she had it in hand before spilling the beans. As it turns out, my giftee is one of my favorite people in real life, the very talented Lisa Harkins of Fibre Isle. Naturally, I wanted to make something special.

A few years ago, I started a novella called A Quiet Haunting. The Spousal Unit wishes I would finish it. I decided to write a tiny story based loosely on the ghost I’d written earlier, and create an accordion book around it. The story:

She stilled, willing everything quiet
Her hair, her dress, still, still.
They were home, they were here,
And if they noticed
The gentle slope of her shoulder
Outlined softly in dust motes,
They would shriek, they would startle,
And her gossamer self
Would scatter to bits again.

The lines of the story were divided into nine Artist Trading Cards, and fitted into the pockets of the book.

Here’s the box, stained, decorated, and sealed. I didn’t take a picture of the inside, but it’s done in orange and purple, because hey, Halloween!

Inside, wrapped in black cloth, was the book. Closed with black twine, decorated with a web, spider, and burned-ribbon flower, and tagged with “A small ghost story from your Secret Pumpkin.”

Inside, ATCs nestled in delicately creepy pockets.

The back of the book shows a windswept evening landscape, and another glimpse of our ghost.

I’d never made anything like this before, and it was an absolute joy to put together. I’m sure my little ghost will be happy in her new home.

Last October, I signed up for the Secret Pumpkin exchange run by Shadow Manor.  The idea is that you receive something when Halloween is far away, to warm your creepy little heart. In exchange, you send something to another pining Halloweenie. Yes, I made something, but you don’t get to see it until the recipient gets it. Be patient. What you get to see today is what I received from my awesome, awesome Pumpkin. Behold:

Yes, it is what it looks like: a vampire hunting kit, delightful in its completeness and authenticity. I am completely bowled over by this thing.  I kept saying “oh man, oh man!”  and giggling as I opened it.

Contents:

Wooden stake
Mallet (because really, pounding that stake in is harder than Buffy makes it look)
Wooden cross with St. Raphael medal
Wooden box to contain vials
Large vial for holy water
Thunderstone
Salt
Flour of Garlic
Holy Incense
Poppy Seed
Brimstone Powder
Cemetery Earth
Coffin Nails
Vial of collected vampire fangs
Mysterious key in pouch
Note in latin that basically says: “I am leaving you my holy kit to fight the evil Nosferatu that walks the night.”

A few more pics:

Wow. I want to figure out what every little thing means. Then I want to get an all-leather outfit and take the kit out hunting. Also, because she had to make sure I hadn’t moved, I got to know who my Secret Pumpkin was, so here’s a big, public THANK YOU, YOU ARE SO FREAKIN’ AWESOME to Jenna, the mistress of Shadow Manor herself.

Sorry about the lighting. It’s late, and I just wanted to get this up for posterity. I’ve got a big Halloween project this year (don’t I always?), and this is where I start. What you’re seeing is a large slab of pink insulating foam, cut into quarters. As we were checking out, the clerk patted the foam and said it was so pretty, it was a shame we couldn’t do something crafty with it. The Spousal Unit and I both smiled, and I explained that, in fact, this foam is going to become gravestones.  We then got off on a tangent about arts and crafts, and she showed us her great earrings and bracelet set she’d made from polyclay. I always love shooting the breeze with other creators!

It’s been a long time since I was able to make stones. These are from 2006. Having a shop in the garage makes things ever so much easier, but honestly, that’s the only thing I miss about living in that oversized house. I will find a way to manage these pieces in our apartment. Though I’ll probably make a massive mess doing it! Eh, that’s what vacuum cleaners are for.

Though I plan on treating myself to a new hot wire knife, I’ll get going with the equipment I have. This year’s stones will be a bit more complex, as they will be hiding secrets! Shhh! Can’t tell.