Possible future project.....

It had been a while, but we stopped in one of the local Salvation Armies earlier this week and I found some more pieces for my Halloween village. 

Right now I'm pretty happy with the wide assortment of pieces I have.  But I can't help but wonder if I could maybe hit each piece with black matte spray paint and redo the details?

That would make them more matchy-matchy but the amount of detail on these things is insane!!  I don't know if I'd want to start a project of this magnitude and then come to find out I don't like it...or worse yet - the spray paint & acrylics don't like each other and it turns out looking like crap?   Although the one in the top photo is pretty hideous right now. 

Has anyone out there tried repainting ceramic / porcelain things ??   

Here is Beagle Bonez!

Yay!  Beagle Bonez!  

Randy sent me a text at work with the side of the box clearly marked - 

I couldn't wait to get home to play with it!

Jack thought he was in trouble when I made him sit. 

 The website says it's a pose & stay but I couldn't get anything to move except for the tail. 

 Chester had to give his approval.  

 He begged from Miss Angela. 

 Maddie wasn't sure what to think. 

 Jack thinks he's a cat and sits on the back of the couch to look out the window, 

why shouldn't BB? 

 Noms!

 Brr, it's cold outside!

How perfect is that pose??

 Jack's expression clearly says "what are these shenanigans???"

He recognized that it was supposed to be a dog, because after he checked out his old harness that its wearing, he sniffed it's butt. 

Other than not being about to move it - and that may be operator error - it's a nice solid piece and in real life doesn't look as mean as it does on the website.  It's pretty close to life-sized, I just have a freakishly large Beagle to compare it to!  I love it and its going to be a nice addition of the display this year.

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I totally missed out on all the cool Friday the 13th posts because Miss Angela went with her new dance team to Nationals!  We actually left home Friday and come home Monday.  HERE is a link to my other blog with all the deets about the weekend, but to sum it up in one photo.....

Senior Small Group Lyrical National Champs!!

I adore this pic since it really captures the spirit of the moment... 

you can just feel the excitement!

I'm so proud of them I could bust!

...found some stuff

Hidey-ho friends & neighbors!  

I had the afternoon to myself  (kid at dance & under-the-weather hubby at home snoozing) so I stopped into both JoAnn Fabrics & the Christmas Tree Store.  At CTS, I got some St. Pats decor (woohoo - a leprechaun nutcracker!!)  

and at JoAnns I got some stuff to jazz up my apothecary.  I'm pretty sure that's going to be my main project this year.  I have a truckload of beads & charms that I've bought just for this - I'm going to have the snazziest apothecary ever! 

SQUEEE - turquoise skulls!

 I kept looking at this tree - I really like it!

 Tiny little jars and hand-cuff clasps!

The white beads look like bone, which is pretty cool and wood always works well in an apothecary.  And the little clear ones are useful here & there.   

 

And I can make a teeny-tiny spell book.  

It's like 3"x4" with actual brown notebook paper inside. 

I was on the HalloweeForum recently and I saw a thread about different stores that offer skeletons.  So I went to one called Crazy Bonez and ordered me a Beagle skeleton!  I'm sorta miffed I didn't get a tracking #, but I'll be patient - it's only been a week.   Once I get it, you can be sure I'll be playing with it!   Can't wait!

Christian Memorial Gardens

Christian Memorial Gardens is a fairly new cemetery - established in 1963.  It's located not far from me, in Rochester Hills, MI.  I'm pretty familiar with this cemetery since my dad, uncle, cousin and some close old friends of my parents are all buried there. 

There are very few above-ground stones - most are flush to the ground. Several buildings of file cabinets (I guess they're technically niches but I don't know how to pronounce that!!), a few above-ground crypts and mausoleums.   And some very cool artwork scattered about.

Since I visit there often. some photos my look winter-ish (taken March 2008) and others summer-ish (taken September 2014)

These eagles are as you go in the main drive. 

Love this herd of horses. 

Close up of the lead horse - clearly an Arabian. 

A life-sized bronc.  Because nothing screams "Michigan" like a cowboy & bronc.  

Close up of the bronc's head. 

This Pegasus & lions are along the road.  

Close up of Pegasus

Close up of lion

   This little area is shielded from the road.  

The shrubbery is cut to just above the height of the art. 

I didn't see any writing on this, or notice any stones around, 

but I would guess this is near Babyland. 

 A very pretty & unique take on the Nativity. 

This is a fountain that I should have gone to see first thing - 

by the time I got around to it, they'd turned it off for the night. 

These people look like they're underwater, but they're not mer-people.  

This horse is slightly larger than life-sized.  

You don't know how tempted I am to go jump onto its back sometime!

Hi, Dad!

We always wave when we drive by, since we can see his niche from the road. 

People hang windchimes in the trees. 

 There was a circular path like the one above that had 

the 4 saints standing on crypts, each facing outward. 

  

This was the only occupied crypt. 

The Veteran's section.  

Not sure why all the flagpoles with the military branches are leaning in, 

but it looks pretty cool. 

 I had a lot of company when I visited in September.   

Several HUGE ravens. 

Lots of geese. 

And these pretty babies!  

 It looked like a doe, her yearling and her fawn.   They liked to graze on the flowers. 

The yearling was most flighty and the fawn stayed near mom.