Happy Halloween

Last night, while my family was asleep, I decided to do a little more Halloween decor for them to wake up to. I put a big banner up that says, "Happy Halloween" and then put spider webs at the bottom of our stairs, full of spiders of course and added another web on the wall behind the couch. They loved it!

This is something we traditionally do for our birthdays. We wake to banners, streamers, and balloons all over, even mama and papa. My husband started this years ago while we were dating. Now, it is family tradition that I love. And I think it is safe to say that the girls would love for me to add Halloween to this list as well.

I thought it would be a perfect day to post the items that I made and received for Bella-Enchanted's Wicked Witch Switch. My partner was Gloria from Les Arts By Gloria. She is so talented and I really lucked out having her as my partner. I guarantee you that you will be inspired if you pay her a visit.

This is the cigar box that I altered for her. I love the young beautiful witch, and of course anything with black cats is loved by me.

Gloria loves things with a french theme as well, so that is why I added an Eiffel tower. What a perfect match we were!

And this is a pennant I made for her as well. Thanks again to lauralemur on flickr for letting me use this fabulous picture!

Here are all of her Halloween goodies.

And check out all of the wonderful things that Gloria sent to me. I was blown away not only with her talent, but with the amount of items she sent.

I love, love, love this altered piece that she made. It is one thing that I will not be putting away, just because Halloween is over. It will take a place with my black cat collection.

Thanks again to everyone who made this awesome swap possible. Now go and have a ghostly but safe Halloween. And remember, black cats are not bad luck. They just watch over their witches well.

BOO!

Rhonda...

My Love of Japan

In 2005, my husband had one of his usual business trips. This one took him to Japan. I knew this was one opportunity that I could not pass up. When would I get this chance ever again. My daughters were ages one and three and I didn't like the thought of the long flight to Japan. But, it was actually a piece of cake.

We started our trip in a little town called Kofu, and then spent a few days in Tokyo. I was happy to spend some time in a "real" town in Japan, small full of all of the culture more so then a big touristy city.

The above statue is of one of the last samurai who had lived in this town. In our hotel, were some hot springs. It was fascinating to think that this man used to sit in these same springs hundreds of years before.

Oddly, and unfortunately for me, I didn't actually go into the springs until our last night there. The thought of my tall self, naked, with a tattoo of an elephant on my rear end, and all of these tiny Japanese women seeing it, made me very nervous. I know the Japanese do not think too highly of tattoos, and those with tattoos were not aloud in the swimming pool. But, I gave it a go.

No one noticed me. Everyone showered together, sitting on little stools facing a mirrored wall. There was a certain respect and privacy there. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, sitting in those springs. The water was so hot, but not the same as the water heated by man. It was so spiritual. I know that the day my husband and I return, I will be going in those springs every night.

While my husband worked, the girls and I would wander about the streets of tiny Kofu. The only part that became difficult for me as the days went by, was not being able to read their characters or hear English on T.V. It made me a little home sick in all honesty.

This is a little temple that we went past. It was so beautiful there, nestled in the trees by the side of the small city street.

I loved the way the spider web illuminated with the light of the sun. I took so many pictures on this trip, both color and black and white, and it was hard to choose which ones to post. Naturally, I will be sharing more of Tokyo at a later date.

I loved seeing the children after school let out. They seemed so responsible walking home from school in the late afternoon. These kids were so sweet and loved hearing us speak in what little Japanese we could. The people there really appreciated our attempts to speak and the way we respected their culture. It was just so wonderful.

And of course, like every small city in America, there was a McDonalds. This one was so much better though, because they had shrimp sandwiches and Hello Kitty toys in their Happy Meals.

This was a little rock garden at our hotel. They also had a little chapel for weddings. It is very popular to go to these hotels for a wedding. There would be families in traditional kimonos in the lobby and it just fascinated the girls. The hotel was huge and would host several events. For us, it was just another way to become absorbed in the culture.

This was my typical breakfast. The only American type item they had was eggs, but most of the choices were different small, dried fish, lots of rice and this delicious seaweed that I loved. I wish I could get some of it here in the states. Luckily, there is an Asian store close by that sells "real" rice, and my husband was able to get us a "real" steam cooker from one of his many trips to Asia. We LOVE steamed, sticky rice. Of course, I am a big sushi fan as well, and nothing compares to real Japanese sushi.

I know, I know... you are wondering why on earth I have a picture of a toilet. Now, in some locations, they had toilets that were basically just a hole in the floor, but in newer areas and in our hotels, we had these state of the art toilets. It really cracked me up, but at the same time I would love to have one in my home. The seats were heated, they had different bidet type features, automatic flushing (which scared the crap out of my oldest, not literally) light flush, heavy flush, and the list just went on and on. You can learn some crazy stuff when you visit another country.

I always remember this trip this time of year, because we went in October. The leaves there were at their peak. We spent Halloween in Japan, and we were in Tokyo for my birthday. It was one of my best birthdays ever and I can't wait until the day I can return to this magical place.

Hope you enjoyed a small part of my trip!

Rhonda...

Some Of My Latest Work

Here are some things I have been working on in my studio. The first is my contributing page for the Love & Hope for Our Little Angels - Etsy Cottage Style book that will be auctioned off for the National Children's Cancer Society. Several artists have joined together to create this one of a kind book. I wouldn't mind bidding on it myself because the art work I have seen by other artists, so far, is amazing.

Front

Back

I also spent some "me time" making another piece for the ECS Fun Friday Challenge. The theme was to use a hat, or a picture of a hat, in any way that you wanted. I found this adorable picture posted by freeparking on flickr and he gave me permission to use it. After I found it, the whole thing just flowed together and I just love it when that happens! There is a copy from an old photo that I have and an old advertisement for hats. I also used some of my favorites, old buttons, lace, playing cards and more. I really like the way it turned out.

I think it is kind of funny, because it says, "Smile, if you love your hat". But, no one is smiling. Why was everyone so serious back then?

I am excited to say that Sherry and Carolyn have invited me to post the next Fun Friday Challenge. I am really excited to do this. Stop on by if you would like to see what idea is up my sleeve.

Have a great one! Off to watch Ghost Hunters - BOO!

Rhonda...

A Day Of Pink For Deena

Today is a day of pink for Deena at Can I Be Pretty In Pink. Today, it has been one year since Deena's breast cancer diagnosis. But, she is a fighter and still fighting for this cause as well. You can visit other pink places today by giving Deena a visit. And even more importantly, you can help Deena by making a contribution to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

I thought that today would be a good day to share my Itty Bitty Pink pages. The group made this book in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Each participant makes several of the same page and then we send all of our pages to one host. This book has been made by Mary Ann and she will then send each of us our own copy of the book with everyone's art work to see. The best part about this book, is not only all of the love and support that has been put into it, but we made an extra book to be auctioned off, and the proceeds will be donated to breast cancer research. It makes us all particularly proud of this Itty Bitty Book.





This is the front of my page. I love how it turned out and it's message to...

Be Sure To Check The Girls

And even more importantly is the message on the back of my page. That early detection saved my mom's life. Many of you know that my mom has been battling breast cancer, and is hopefully going to be putting this horrible road behind her. She is doing well, still very tired and feeling horrible from her treatments, but so happy that her treatments are over. If my mom didn't have her yearly mammogram, she would never have known she had breast cancer. She would not have even been able to feel it through a self exam, and that is where I feel women should be educated.

I always thought, until this happened to my mom, that I didn't need to worry about a mammogram. My breasts are so flat, I thought I would feel if something was wrong during that rare month that I decided to do a self exam. Well, I was SO WRONG. It, the cancer, can be so tiny you would never be able to feel it. The only way you would know it was there would be to have a mammogram. Well, I am happy to say that I had my first one and it was no big deal at all. And, I will be having one every year, for the rest of my life! Early detection is KEY! And thankfully, my mom had herself checked out.

And speaking of mom... Here is the front of her Itty Bitty Pink page. It says, "Even Mermaids Love Pink". She has really enjoyed making these books during her battle with cancer. It was very therapeutic, to just get lost in her creation.

And here is the back of her page. It says, "Home Sweet Home" because this beautiful shell, obviously, is the mermaid's home.

I love how my mom's page turned out. I am really proud of her, not only because of her page. But for how strong and positive she has remained throughout her ordeal. We really stuck together as a family to take care of this. I just pray now that at her next check up she will be cancer free. Please keep her and all of those suffering from cancer in your prayers.

You can also check out the many shops that have "Shop For The Cure" items. If you visit this site, it will take you to Sherry's shop and she has gathered an amazing group of ladies together who have items for sale with proceeds going to help with breast cancer research. You will find links to those shops from Sherry's page.

So, I hope that those of you reading this will take care of yourselves. Be sure to visit Deena today and all of the other women who have joined her. What a wonderful, caring community we have here to learn, gain strength and encouragement and to be amazing women. God bless you all. Now, go and schedule that mammogram!

Rhonda...

The Most "kILLER" Pumpkin Ever!

As many of you know, yes, I am a HUGE Killers fan. I did a crazy post about it and have mentioned it a few times. So, after a fun family weekend of picking out pumpkins and scooping out seeds, we all sat down to decide what to put on our pumpkin. My oldest did a skull and my youngest did a clown. But Mama had a plan all her own and it involved Papa's drill.



Notice how The Killers write their name out with all of those little dots. It's like a bunch of light bulbs making their name shine. Well...

Let There Be Light!

I know I am a groupie, but I am really proud of how it turned out. I never knew I could craft with a drill!

Just a few more days till Halloween.......

Altered Autumn Cigar Box & Artsy Mama's Gathering

Today is Artsy Mama's Autumn Gathering Party. I thought that I would share an altered autumn cigar box that I made this past weekend. Autumn is my favorite time of year, and I found that I really lost myself in creating this piece. Hope you enjoy and will also visit Artsy Mama to see her beautiful home and the links to visit many others.

I have been altering cigar boxes a lot lately. This is one that I have been dying to do something with. After many coats of gesso, and painting it with colors of autumn (which was the theme) I was ready to add lots of my favorite items.

I have always loved old watch parts and used several from my collection on this piece.

British robins are my favorite. I have several images that I have collected. I made copies of them, and attached them to the box using modge podge.

Autumn is my favorite time of the year. My family helped me to gather lots of items from our back yard, which has a wooded lot on it. I needed moss and also found pine cones, bark, sticks, acorns, leaves and some flowers that my husband had given to me.

"As Autumn Approaches, My Soul Awakens."

I also added more watch parts, vintage rhinestone jewelry and earrings for flowers, an old key and more.

I love this little girl and added some wings that I covered in mica flakes. She is standing in an egg, which had been hard boiled, cleaned, and I added dye to make it look like a bird's egg. The little girl is my soul, hatching because it is autumn.

I love these challenges on Etsy Cottage Style. It is the Mixed Media and Paper Arts group that does these challenges and I just love them. In fact, I love the whole web site. You really should check it out if you want to meet some wonderful artists and be inspired to grow as an artists yourself. I know I have. Thanks to Sherry and Carolyn for making this group so much fun!

Thank you also to Artsy Mama for having me to her gathering and for always inspiring me as well!

Hope you enjoyed my art! Have a great day!

Rhonda...

Like Omigod! It's An 80's Birthday Bash, Fersure!

Like, Omigod! My totally cool BBFF, Carolyn from Magpie-Pixie and I are throwing a party! Like, FerSure! Like, if you look at that totally cool banner above, you will see my prom picture on the top left, and like, Carolyn down there on the bottom right. We both had, like, these totally curly perms and like, we're like, totally crazy about Duran Duran, like FerSure.

So, like, here's what our party is all about. It started as an 80's bash, and like the date we had, like free to do it, it was like, Omigod, like, my 40th birthday. So, we like, decided, that like, we would have an 80's themed birthday bash! Like, Omigod, like totally cool. It's going to be, like, SO bitchen', like FerSure!

So, like, here's what you have to do. You have to remember that everything, like everything, has to be, like, from the 80's. Pick out your dress, shoes, accessories, don't forget that big 80's hair and makeup, and like tell us your favorite like, song and band, like, who you would bring for your date, and like, most importantly, like, what totally awesome gift that you would like, give to me, cause it's like, my birthday and everything. But, that gift, it like HAS to be from the 80's. Like, okay. Cause if it isn't, like Omigod, like, Gag me with a spoon! Also, include, like, what movie we should all go and, like, see together.

So, like, if you want to join our party, like, you can comment, like, on this post or Carolyn's, and like, put our cool banner that Carolyn, like, she is so like, totally awesome at making banners, and like, you can like, post it on your blog with a link to either of us. We have to let everyone know, that like, we are having the most Tubular party, like ever!

On the day of our party, like, it's not just one day, but two days, like, okay. On that day, you can come to our blogs after you post all of your like, totally cool pictures from the 80's, and like, we'll have like a "Mr. Linky" set up so that you can post your info, like, right there on our blogs. Then, we can all like, visit each other and have a like, FerSure, like totally cool walk down memory lane. Like, okay!

So, like, the party is on like, Friday and Saturday November 7th & 8th, FerSure. If you want any ideas as to, like, what we do, you can like, check out Carolyn's Oscar Bash birthday party from last January, by clicking, like, on the words "Oscar Bash". That way, you can like, FerSure, get an idea about, like, the like, totally awesome parties that this BBFF of mine has. She is like, so killer at like, these parties.

Okay, so like, here is the list again, of like, the things that you need to like, remember:

Dress

Shoes

Accessories

Hair

Makeup

Favorite Band

Favorite Song

Movie

My gift

Your date ... and like, any other, like, totally awesome things that you would like to share from like, the 80's.

I'm from the 80's and I'm proud! Like, hope to like, see you at, like, the party!

Sign up, like now.....

Love from, like, Rhonda...

Some Treasures & A Ghost

So, Mom and I had a great time on our adventure the other day. It was funny how everything that I had to do that day and been canceled and I had my day free for Mom. We went to an older part of town in search of some old shops and to visit a deli we had been to a couple of years ago. I found some great stuff and here are a few of my finds.



I figured I could alter this in some way. I wonder what favorite thing it will hold one day?

One shop had some great old toys. I loved this little cat whistle with the bird cage and just had to have it. The top just made me smile.

I love old stereoviews and hope to have a viewer for them one of these days. The majority of the ones I have are older and related to Paris, surprise, surprise. I really liked these though and they were cheep so I gathered a few.

This was my favorite find of the day. As soon as I saw them, I knew I had to have them. I really like vintage black cats and these were just too cool. But, they came with an adventure.

Here is where the strange part of my story comes in. I have always been "sensitive" as in just "knowing" when there is, well, for lack of a better word, a ghost. It used to scare the crap out of me, and I hated it! But a few years ago I learned to not be afraid and now I welcome it. I figure God made me this way for a reason, and maybe there is a soul that needs a little help. I've even been on a few ghost hunts with a local paranormal group. My mom and sister are the same way and we often have the same "feelings".

So, Mom and I went in this one shop, and I did not like the way it felt. We went next door, and this place felt worse. It was just an old, large store, one big open room that was very long. I did not like the back of the shop, but walked back there anyway. My mom agreed with me and we ventured to the next area. There was a doorway that connected this shop to the one next to it. As soon as I walked in, I felt even worse. The back of the room just felt so horrible, but Mom and I still had to check it out.

Once I got about half way back, my head all of a sudden felt this huge pressure, like someone was squeezing my head. I just felt so weird. I didn't say anything to my mom, but she then said the same. She said, "Whatever it is, it's in that area" pointing to the back left corner. I felt the same and you couldn't have paid me money to go back there. She then said, "I want to walk back up, I'm starting to feel nauseous". So we turned to go back. As we were walking, I told myself, "Okay, stay calm, walk slowly, it's okay". Mom and I were just having a chat, when all of a sudden I heard someone walking up behind me, heavy shoes, and they were getting faster.

I don't know what got in to me, but I let out the loudest yelp, jumped about three feet in the air, and practically ripped my Mom's arm out of the socket as I ran past her. I then turned around and my Mom said, "What's wrong?" I then gave a nervous laugh as I asked her, "Oh my gosh, did you not hear that?" I explained to her what had happened and then we both started cracking up. I looked to the back of the store and said, "Shame on you for scaring me like that!" My Mom thought it was her fault for pointing to the back and saying something was there.

As we went back to the other side of the store, the owner, who was from Brooklyn, asked me, "Are you okay?" I said, "Is this place haunted?" He said, "Well, why?" I told him what happened and he got up and said, "It's funny you should say that."

We walked with him back into the ghost occupied side of the shop and he told us that he had once rented that side out to a lady who just couldn't stay there. She apparently didn't like the way things moved around all of the time. He then explained that this area was once a movie theatre. The lower floor was where patrons congregated and the upstairs area housed the movie theatre. He went on to tell us that at around 5:00 every day, you can hear things moving about, but no one is there. He has always thought that it was just customers of the day still coming to visit the theatre because that was around the time that the movie started.

I always love it when someone just confirms what I have experienced. We stayed and chatted with him for a bit, and I kept seeing something moving to the side of me, but nothing was there. I also felt really nauseous a few times, but tried to just be positive and breath.

My Mom and I were really late getting home where my amazing dad was watching the girls. We told him all about our adventure, and Mom and I are still cracking up from my reaction. I will have to visit this spot again some time, and maybe bring the paranormal group with me. As long as I don't have to stand behind everyone else, I will be okay.

Hope you enjoyed my odd story, that shares a little bit more about me.

Boo!

Rhonda...

Shop For The Cure

I have officially listed items in my etsy store for the "Shop For A Cure". As many of you know, my mom has been battling breast cancer. I have always donated to this cause, but do so even more now. If the research that has been done, had not, who knows where my mom and so many other wonderful women I know would be. But, more needs to be done. The money from these items in my store will go to help with breast cancer research.

If you would like to purchase any of these items, please visit my store here:

RhondaMum.etsy.com

You can find more ways to give by visiting Sherry's shop, who inspired me to join in. You won't regret it, her artwork is great. Also, the amazing Carolyn and Kathy have listed items in their shop's as well. More great artists, helping women all over.

I have to keep telling you, early detection is so important in the battle against breast cancer. Please be sure to check the girls and have a mammogram.

Have a great October day!

Rhonda...