Pumpkin Carving and Poe - Muppet Style

Thought the Halloween Countdown was a good time to go 'back in time' and visit the The Muppets on Halloween!   

First up is the Muppet Halloween short... 

"Zero Mostel reads Poe"...in honor of today's Winners of The Halloween Tree, Edgar Allan Poe Book Give-Away!   

Laugh along as the comedian's fears are "counted and compelled", so they can "quickly be dispelled"! 

And next up is the Swedish Chef who's looking to carve himself up some Jack O'Lanterns and turn them into tasty Pumpkin Pies....but the Jacks have a plan to stave off the massacre.  See who claims victory in this Halloween themed retro short...viewer discretion is advised.

"Swedish Chef Carves Pumpkins"!

Oh the HORROR of Frozen!

As most of the world knows by now....Disney's Frozen has pretty much taken over the world.  And I must admit that I really like it too.  I liked that Elsa was basically.....well, a 'Good Witch' in a way!  I felt as though I could relate to her steely reserve and controlled manor....and her need to finally just "Let It Go"!  And besides, the Snowman's name was OLAF!  This obtuse and strange name (at least by American standards), also happens to be my husband's middle name.  And frankly, over here on this side of the pond, not many had ever heard of it before Frozen unleashed its icy magic on the world.  Now his funky name (that I refused to bestow upon our son), is known by millions of children and parents around the globe. Who would have ever 'thunk' that, ha!   

But anyway, it appears we have another classic case of 'good girl gone bad'!  Yep, as the world at large was being mesmerized and hypnotized by those crafty Disney Sorcerers of the big screen....many of you, including myself, may have failed to notice the  
'Dark Side' of Frozen!  It was right there all along, you just had to be paying close attention.  But just in case you think I jest, or you refuse to believe that everything has a 'dark side', even something as seemingly innocent as Frozen ....then have a look for yourself at the video proof below .  Even Frozen could pass for Horror if only it's 'CUT UP' in just the right way, muhahaha!  :o)
(© Disney / Bobby Burns / The Frozen Horror Trailer / YouTube)
 

The Wacky Werewolf & Haunted Halloween

I'm a big fan of Hoops & Yoyo!  Do any of you love this overly-excitable duo as much as I do?  They are those funny cartoon characters from Hallmark.  Hoops is a Pink Cat and Yoyo is a Green Rabbit.  They love coffee, cookies and most any treat, and they like to have FUN...so we have something in common right there.  But these perpetually happy lil' guys are also prone to getting overexcited, talking really fast and yelling....Ha!  I've gotten some of those talking birthday cards from friends with Hoops & Yoyo on them, and they are the funniest!  So since it's Halloween, I thought you might like to join along with them in singing "The Wacky Werewolf" song!  It's got wonderful Halloween animation to get you in the mood for some Trick or Treat.  



Also wanted to give a heads up for the Premier of their Halloween Special coming up on the Hallmark Channel.  "It's not 'normal'...it's 'PARANORMAL"!  Yes, it's "Hoops & Yoyo's Haunted Halloween", and it's sure to be a real 'not so scary treat', so set your DVR's for this Friday night, October 26th to catch the Premier at 7/6c on the Hallmark Channel.  But no worries if you miss it, as they'll be airing it again on Halloween Night, October 31st at 3/2c!  Here is a short preview clip....

Magic and Mayhem at the Movies

Spell-Binding Movies hit Theaters this Summer!

So we just had to go see the new Disney movie "Brave" on opening day. Why opening day you ask? Well, because it looked so dang good advertised relentlessly on the Disney Channel, and we're suckers for advertising I guess. Plus, we totally adore everything Pixar creates, and we are of Celtic heritage...so it seemed the thing to do! But more importantly to note, is the rather lame fact that we are also apparently a family of idiots who don't know any better than to go to the opening day of a much hyped movie. Ugh!

After completely missing the other half of our entourage who got there before us, and were already comfortably seated in the theater....we then missed the movie itself by ONE freaking person in the ticket line. Yep..."sorry this showing is sold out" and "no it doesn't matter that the other half of your group is already seated and saving you seats". So we had to settle for the next showing which was an hour later. But in order to ensure four seats together in the over crowded venue, we had to spend the next 45 minutes standing in a long line, waiting just to enter the theater to obtain said seats. Apparently there are a bunch of people who are gluttons for punishment and just like to stand in long lines and wait. However, this seemingly only happens if you are dumb enough to actually go on opening day, which we were. (Mental note to self....wait a few days, and you will have a far more pleasurable experience!)

Now before you feel too sorry for us, let me just say that we loved the movie. I personally had a fondness for the part with the Witch in it of course...but the whole movie was great. See the 'Witch' scene below!

But what was even greater about that dreaded wait, is that it meant we were actually seated during the 'coming attractions' for once, and that is where I discovered that there are some spooky cool movies coming out soon. First up is "ParaNorman"....a terrifyingly terrific looking tale about "a misunderstood boy who can speak with the dead, takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups... to save his town from a centuries-old curse." They had me at 'misunderstood'! The trailer looks great and the artwork is frighteningly fab as well. This hits theaters August 17th....can't wait! (see trailer below)The other cool preview I saw was "Hotel Transylvania" about "Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count's teen-aged daughter." Again, this creepy lil' cartoon looks like spooky good fun and will hit theaters September 28th. (see trailer below)


Now this last one, I did not see a trailer for at the movie theater, rather, I saw it on the Disney Channel. But being a lover of all things 'magical', I was instantly drawn to this movie, "The Odd Life of Timothy Green". Not simply because of its magical elements per se, but you'll also see that a great deal of it appears to take place in the glorious Autumn time, so that makes it twice as appealing. Then top it off with what appears to be a 'feel good' theme and I was sold! I will be there on opening day, August 15th....just kidding! I've learned my lesson with that nonsense! :o) (see trailer below)
So, if you are a lover of animated movies, as well as all things remotely spooky and magical....then these upcoming movies are sure to please! They'll help make the summer go by faster, and they are perfectly timed for the lead-up to Halloween, which will really help to further get us in the mood for our favorite time of year!
(All images and movie trailers are copyright of their respective owners/studios etc.)

The Hallowe'en Tree Give Away #1

Okay....so I have some "Give-a-Ways" to do between now and Hallowe'en. I've actually been meaning to get to them, but September at the kids' new school has been chock full of events, preventing me from having time to do many posts. I always love to be around 'Halloween Town' here in the blog-o-sphere during the month of September because for me....this is the month of 'great anticipation'! October is just crazy busy with all kinds of wonderful Fall/Halloween activities. But September is when the Halloween goodies make their way into the stores and we get our first seasonal glimpse of our favorite holiday. Also, I decorate my entire house at the beginning of September, so I really start to get full on into Halloween mode during this month!
And that brings me to my first 'Give Away' for the season. As you have by now figured out, the name of my blog is 'The Hallowe'en Tree"! I chose that name based on my love of Ray Bradbury's book by the same title. I equally love Cartoon Network's "The Halloween Tree" movie that first aired back in 1993. It is available on VHS only, which really sucks acorns, because lets face it....VHS technology bites! And although my old copy still works.... it is now stuck in the VHS player that QUIT working at the end of our seasonal viewing this year! As thus, my beloved Halloween Tree video is currently stuck in there until we break the thing apart to remove it. But never fear...right before that tragedy occurred, I had made my husband record the VHS onto a DVD so we'd have a DVD version. For the life of me I don't know why they have not officially released a DVD version for purchase....as it is hands down the BEST Halloween Cartoon EVER in my 'not so wicked' lil' opinion! Bradbury narrated the movie and won an Emmy Award for it. And Leonard Nimoy is nothing short of spooktacular as the voice of the mysterious 'Moundshroud'!

So anyway....back to The Halloween Tree. I had watched the movie before I read the book and I fell in love for eternity. But then I finally read Ray Bradbury's book that the movie was based on, and I was thoroughly enchanted beyond words. His way of describing Halloween, and the history of the holiday, and the magic that it holds, was nothing short of incredible. I LOVE this book so much, and if there is ANY Halloween lover out there who hasn't read it.....then you are truly missing something special! So I wanted to give away a copy of "The Hallowe'en Tree" book by Ray Bradbury to one of my fellow Halloween Heads here in blog land. I wanted to get it to you early so that you could read it right away...before Halloween's arrival! I felt that if I waited until later in October, you might get to busy to read it. So I'm giving it away now. It's a quick read, we finished it over the course of one day while traveling in the car.

(These folks were "Halloween Trees" for Hallowe'en.....ha!)

So here are the rules: I'd like only those who have never read the book to enter because I want to introduce the 'magic' to someone new. And I want anyone who throws their name into my 'witch's hat' to REALLY want to read it. That's all! Just leave a comment saying that you'd like to be entered and I'll randomly draw a name out of the hat on Wednesday, and it will go out immediately, along with a few other Halloween goodies for good measure! "The Hallowe'en Tree" is not just the name of my blog, favorite Halloween movie, and book....but the 'Reading of The Hallowe'en Tree' has also become a beloved Halloween Tradition in our home, one that I hope my kids will always remember with fondness and pass down to their children!

P.S....I've uploaded Pt. 1 of the movie from You Tube. It's about 15 min. long, if you watch it and would like to finish out the movie, just plug "The Halloween Tree" into YouTube and look for the other parts posted by user "halloweenclassic"! You can watch the entire movie and not miss anything. It's become very hard to even find the VHS versions for a decent price anymore, so this is one way to enjoy it for free! Here is a link to the listings for those other parts.

Autumn on my iPhone

So I have something kind of cool to share. This year I became a new smart phone owner when Verizon finally received the iPhone. I was even able to get the 'unlimited data' plan, which ironically has already been revoked in less than 6 months. But I was 'grandfathered' in, so I get to keep mine for now....woo hoo! I have yet to learn how to operate the blasted thing correctly however. And I'm quite certain that the phone is possessed by demons who place random calls to people in my contact list without me ever touching it. The phone truly has a mind of its own.....but none the less I do enjoy it....WHEN I have it. The kids have it confiscated most of the time, playing Restaurant World and checking their heart rates.

And that brings me to my cool news, which wasn't the phone itself, but rather the protective case that surrounds it. I originally had a Purple case from the Apple store. I really didn't like the choices there, so I just went with my favorite color. But you know me (well you probably don't), but I don't really dig things being plain and generic. So I went on-line looking to see if there were some other designs that were just out of stock at the Apple store. And I found an incredible website that allows you to design your own custom iPhone/iPod case, using your own artwork. Spooktacular! That was right up my creative lil' alley, and the cost was the same as my boring purple case with the exception of the shipping charge. So I promptly got to work trying to adapt one of my favorite art pieces "Autumn Equinox" to fit an iPhone case. Below is the original image that I used.
That little adaptation was way more difficult than it seemed it should be, because the company's software for resizing and such was not very efficient. So it took me several hours of tweaking and re-tweaking in PS, and on their site, to finally get it just right, so that everything was showing just as I wanted it. Adapting a horizontal 8x10 to a vertical 2 1/2 x 4 1/2 was a 'you know what'! But in the end, my determination prevailed and I came away with the most fantabulous phone case EVER! I feel akin to Dr. Frankenstein with my beloved new creation! It turned out great, and to know that it is a one of a kind original of my own art, just makes me smile every time I look at it. Not to mention that I made sure it was representative of what I love most....which is Autumn, Owls and the Moon.

Additionally, you can sign up to be a contributing artist at the site, and if your work is selected, you make a whopping $2.oo for every $40.00 case that gets sold with your art on it. Wow, really?! A whole $2.00? Where would I spend all that extra dough? Don't think I'll take them up on that...probably not worth all the work. Though I would consider making custom cases for other people by taking my price that I paid, and putting a mark-up on it. But for now, I'm just stoked about my new Autumn Phone! I'm thinking about making one with my "Autumn Rain Scarecrow" or some of my Halloween Shadow Art to put on during October. If I make any more, I'll be sure to share them. Happy Hump Day! :o)

Haunt Your Own House

Okay....so I had mentioned lucking into the 'Halloween' find in the Romantic Country magazine. But I forgot to mention one other thing I found in there. Right next to the 'Halloween' article was a 'shout out' so to speak for something that I thought was really cool. The title read, "Haunt Your Own House". So of course that got my attention and I read on.... Introducing Lewis Barrett Lehrman. A most terrifyingly talented Artist who creates commissioned paintings for Halloween lovers like you and I! The concept is so fantastic....he will custom paint a 'Halloween' themed portrait of your house decked out in full spookiness. It is a collaborative effort between you both, and relies on your input into what you want to see in your finished painting. Just provide him with photos and details of house, family members, costume choices, pets and desired spooky items.
If you already live in a great Victorian home or Salt Box house....you just forward him photos to use. But what if you live in Apartment 3B in Jersey, but still long to have a painting that brings your most vivid Halloween Visualization to life? No problem, let him know what you have conjured up in your mind's eye, and he will create the Halloween painting of your dreams (or nightmares). Feel free to add in whatever tickles your fiendish lil' fancy and makes the scene complete for YOU. Your desires are his specialty. From costumed family members, pets and trick or treaters....to witches, graveyards, autumn trees, full moons and jack o'lantern.....he can make it happen.
I went to his website HauntedStudio.com and what a treat for the Halloween soul! You MUST go over there and scroll through his Gallery....incredible stuff. Some is commissioned work of clients' real homes and barns, while others are the scenes that people dream up. He paints them in fairly large formats, and you can even buy limited edition reproductions of some of his existing work if a custom painting is not in the budget. Each one is so unique, and totally conjures up the most fantastic Halloween memories of your childhood. As I viewed each one, I found myself wishing I could just step into the scene and be there for real. They are all enchanting illuminated night scenes that evoke that spooky autumnal atmosphere we love about All Hallow's Eve! And you can even sign up for his monthly E-newsletter, "The Halloweenist"! You just gotta admire someone whose job it is to meticulously immortalize your fondest Halloween memories for you in an heirloom art work. I'm going to start saving my pennies for one of these beauties!
All Images © Lewis Barrett Lehrman (all rights reserved)

The Witch, The Cat and The Owl

There is nothing I enjoy more than stumbling upon wonderfully Magical and Creative things by sheer accident and/or dumb stroke of luck. So tonight I went on YouTube in search of something and there I found a sampling of "recommended" videos that I can only presume came courtesy of the YouTube marketing department. How creepy nice of them to invade my privacy monitor my viewing habits so that they could recommend further viewing material for my enjoyment. But lo and behold, the first video I see has a cartoon Witch on it, so of course I had to take a look. And I'm so happy I did too. For what I found is a cartoon that I can honestly say I've never even heard of before tonight. Now I'm sure there will be those of you who've known about this for ages, especially my friends in Europe....but this is the first time I've seen it, and I wanted to share, just in case anyone else has been in the dark since the 70's.

Meg and Mog is the story of a Witch (Meg), her black striped Cat (Mog), and their friend Owl. With 3 of my favorite things represented (Witches, Cats and Owls)...I knew I'd just have to love it. Apparently, Meg and Mog was a children's book series written by Helen Nicoll, that was first published in the 70's. It was later made into an animated pre-school series, which aired in the UK in 2003. It's a cute little cartoon, but what I enjoy most, is the very basic animation style of Jan Pienkowski. Meg is a well-intentioned Witch dealing with the not-so-good results of her spells. Mog is her talking striped cat, and the 3rd character is a talking Owl. The actual story is somewhat weak, but considering the intended audience was pre-schoolers, I guess I can't complain. The Meg and Mog books appear to be available on Amazon, and the Halloweeny art really gets me in the mood for the upcoming season. I am posting Episode 1 for your viewing pleasure, and a link for Episode 2. Happy Hump Day! :o)

Episode 1


Episode 2 - Meg and Mog Espisode 2

Lazy Train Headed to Animation Station

This was one of those lazy yet productive weekends. Lazy in that we didn't have too many places to go and we laid around the house watching movies all weekend. But productive because I got a lot of work done on the computer. It was also the perfect time to watch a few Halloween cartoons. So we basically rode the 'lazy train to animation station'! First up, we watched a DVD that we bought several years ago, but had not actually watched yet called "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad". I bought it strictly so that I would have a DVD copy of Disney's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" instead of the old VHS version that we've worn out all these years. I could live without the Mr. Toad half, but a bonus treat was a DVD version of Disney's old animation "The Lonesome Ghosts".
Then we watched a "new to us" cartoon this weekend that really put me in the mood for Hallowe'en....not that it takes much to do that. But none the less, this had every terrifyingly terrific thing you can think of about Halloween in it. It had a Halloween Carnival, apple bobbing, trick or treating, dark magic, a spooktacular ghost train, werewolves, a jazzy skeleton band, a talking jack o'lantern, the headless horseman, witches, a cat, an owl, a flying broomstick, and of course it's namesake...Goblins. And what might this cartoon be? It is none other than "ScoobyDoo and The Goblin King".
I'm sure most of you have seen it, but if not then I wanted to point it out as one to add to your collection. Having not seen a Scooby Doo show/movie in a long time, this proved to be quite the feast for my Halloween hankerings. Most of the YouTube clips had embedding disabled, but I did find this one of "The Goblin King" which has some of my favorite parts like the wickedly awesome ghost train and the skeleton jazz band singing at the 'spook' bar. Then following that is "The Lonesome Ghosts" which made it's debut all the way back in 1937. I just love that old animation. There's lots of fiendish fun...so check it out and enjoy!

The Shadowman Cometh

It is a known fact that I am always late to everything. So it was no surprise to me that I just now tonight, watched my new favorite Disney Animated Cartoon for the very first time. It was my daughter who watched part of it at school who first came home last week and said, "Mom, we watched Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" today at school, and you would really like it." "It's set in New Orleans, and has Mardi Gras and VooDoo." So tonight we all sat down to watch it and boy was she right! I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!
I have always been a sucker for Disney's animation anyway. I was totally enchanted by both TinkerBell movies. But this one had the BEST villain of them all, in my humble opinion. Dr. Facilier aka 'The Shadowman', embodies everything that's ever intrigued me about old New Orleans. The rich history and magic of VooDoo, the hauntingly beautiful cemeteries, the bayous, the Cajun people and the back drop of the Old South. It illuminates the culture of the French/American city, replete with its lively jazz music, the raucous Mardi Gras celebrations, the spicy Creole cooking, stately plantations, wisteria covered porches, moss strewn oaks, alligator infested cypress swamps and my favorite Southern mascot....the Firefly!
Dr. Facilier, voiced by Keith David (also voiced the black cat in Coraline), is one of the most fantastically evil villains to ever grace a Disney Animation. Dr. Facilier's Emporium is a feast for the eyes with its tarot cards, voodoo dolls, alters, candles, talismans, potions, masks and other visually appealing tools of the necromancy trade. His booming bass voice, long lean figure and top hat with a skull all upped his creepiness factor. (You can make your own skull top hat here!) But it was probably the 'shadow people', or his 'friends on the other side' that sealed the deal for me. I loved them! My son was very disliking of them however....they really struck a nerve, and I think they scared him just a bit. That is how great they were....fantastically creative animation as always from Disney. But I admit that I also equally loved the lighter animation of the Fireflies and the Frogs dancing on the lily pads as well. Everything about this movie was appealing to me, but most especially 'The Shadowman'! I've posted my favorite song clip from the movie below. It's a fantastic song called "I've Got Friends on the Other Side"...enjoy! (Warning: the volume increases at 1:49 so beware.) And I've also posted for your enjoyment, a little behind the scenes video clip called "Conjuring the Villain", featuring Keith voicing his sinister character, and the villain's brilliant animator, Bruce Smith. If you haven't seen the whole movie....then I highly recommend that you do! (All Rights belong to Disney of course.)

Bunnies on the Dark Side

Every Bunny has a dark side! And you thought Easter was all fuzzy chicks and pink bunnies! Muwahahaha!!!

Haunted Easter!

I have a busy weekend coming up, so this may be my last post until next week, depends on how the weekend goes. So I wanted to get in at least one "Easter" post, so here it is. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

When I saw these 'Hallowe'en Eggs' I couldn't help but recollect my favorite Easter cartoon from childhood that I love every bit as much today as I did back then. And that would be the old 1971 stop-motion TV special, "Here Comes Peter Cottontail". What is funny to me about that particular cartoon is the very reason I loved it so much. In case you don't remember it, Peter lost the Easter Bunny competition to old January Q. Irontail. A dastardly evil rabbit with an iron tail, who was voiced by none other than the great Vincent Price. Irontail lived in a creepy cave with his sidekick Montresor the bat, and was comrades with the ghouls that populated Halloweentown. In order for Peter to go back in time and deliver the most eggs so he could win...he had to travel in a time machine with Antoine the caterpillar serving as pilot.

What was so captivating to me, was how they would crash land through the calendar pages every month that had a holiday to celebrate. And of course October was Peter's trip into Halloween town where he painted the eggs similar to those above, in order to get the inhabitants of Halloween town to take them. There he encountered a Witch among other Ghosts and Goblins. And THAT is the part that always stuck in my memory bank. Not the Easter scenes of jellybeans and bonnets...but Old Irontail and the Hauntingly Happy Halloweentown. I've included Part 4 from YouTube as it is the part that has Peter landing in October at Halloween time! I think we will paint our eggs like this tomorrow for Easter and see if we can find any takers!

Macabre "Fallen Art"

Since January is such a miserable month anyway...I find it as good of an excuse as any to spend more time web surfing. And while I was perusing YouTube, I remembered a creepy little animation that I had saved in my favorites file. So I thought I'd share it here, since most of us tend to appreciate macabre, creepy and otherwise disturbing things.

This is a brilliantly macabre little short film of a somewhat disturbing nature . I can't even remember what I was searching for when I ran across it, but I remember thinking that the animation was so top notch and the subject matter was indeed disturbingly macabre. Yet I couldn't help but be impressed by the work itself.

The name of the short film is "Fallen Art" by Tomek Baginski of Poland. The synopsis says...."In an old forgotten military base far from civilization, a group of deranged military officers nurture their insanity." But a better description was written by commenter, QPhilms...."The generals, bored, fat and needing purpose, give orders to their subordinates, sending men to their doom, replete with medals, to create a macabre choreography. The Dance of Death... war."

The short film won several awards, including a BAFTA. You can read more about it on the Fallen Art website. To get it to play, you may have to hit the HQ button ('watch in High Quality).

My Art / Poetry - Halloween Enchantment

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN / SAMHAIN EVERYONE! Hope you all have a most Spooktacular evening. Thanks for sharing in the countdown with me. I've loved every minute of it....TRICK or TREAT!

HALLOWE’EN ENCHANTMENT

© Wendy Amdahl 2009

The Witch began to cackle

casting off upon her broom.

And the Owl, began to bellow

at the big ole’ amber moon.

The Winds they were a whipping

and a zipping through the trees.

And the Leaves did blow, all to and fro,

swept by the chilly breeze.

The Jack O’ Lantern grimaced

with a grin that lit the night.

And the Moon she cast Moonshadows,

giving off an eerie light.

The Old Graves lay so dank and still

within the hollowed ground.

While the Specters they did shriek and moan

with such a ghastly sound.

The Haunted House stood silent watch

from high upon the hill.

And the Black Cat, stood as sentry,

perched up in the window sill.

The Witching Hour drew nigh

and there was Magic close at hand.

As Hallowe’en and Samhain

finally swept across the land.

Go forth and turn the Wheel of Time,

as time does not stand still.

Trick or Treat out in the street,

until you get your fill.

Old customs we do celebrate

And Harvest time is here.

Tis’ also time that we embrace

the dark half of the year.

So revel in Enchantments,

dance beneath the Magic Moon.

Conjure up some midnight fun

for day will be here soon.

Remember All Souls laid to rest;

place flowers upon their bed.

For on Halloween we celebrate

the living and the dead.

Artwork / Poetry © Wendy A.

(All Rights Reserved)

My Art - Just for Grins

"With a lift of his chin, and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or 'quit it',
He started to sing, as he tackled the thing,
That couldn't be done, and he did it!"
~ Edgar A. Guest

Today's image was a vintage inspired card I did several months ago. I love all the different styles of vintage Hallowe'en imagery. From black cats, to witches to moons and pumpkin men, they are all so varied and unique.

So what puts a big GRIN on your face? How about the fact that there are just 5 (count 'em), FIVE more days til Hallowe'en/Samhain? That should be enough to put a big grin on everyone's face. So go out and give the world your best Pumpkin Headed grin this week and enjoy the final countdown!

My Art - Amethyst

This is the image I was attempting to create when The Bride of Frankenstein insisted on being created. I did go back and finish her though. I think it was the streak in her hair that shifted my mind to the Bride. But I liked it so much, that I kept it on this gal too. At first I was thinking of naming this girl along the lines of a Vampira, or an Avian Witch because of the ravens. Then I imagined her embodying the magickal properties of Amethyst, so I was leaning towards that as a name. But her hair is what I loved the most, so I settled on a title that touched on all of her magical properties....Amethyst Ravenhair, the Avian Witch! Ha! That way, I didn't have to choose. But I call her Amethyst for short. (You can click on the image to enlarge.)

My setting for this image evolved from my love of the High Gate Cemetery in London that I dedicated 2 posts to this summer. (see June posts) I wanted a place that was beautiful because of it's decay. A place that was overgrown and being reclaimed by the earth. If you missed those posts, be sure to check out the photos...they are incredible.

And lastly, since purple is my favorite color, Amethyst is a stone that naturally attracts me. So I thought I'd also share some of it's mystical properties. "Because the stone has transmutational energies, it helps to open gateways into intense and transforming spiritual experiences, and can protect the wearer from black magic. Known as a change stone, amethyst can bring about any type of change in your life and consciousness. It also breaks up old emotional thought processes and assists psychic opening in a grounding manner."

My Art - Scarecrows Don't Talk

"Don't be silly, Toto, scarecrows don't talk."
~ Dorothy (Wizard of Oz)

"That proves you are unusual, returned the Scarecrow;
and I am convinced the only people worthy of consideration in this world are the unusual ones.
For the common folks are like the leaves of a tree,
they live and die unnoticed."

I'll be heading out to the Farm today with my 6 year old's class. And I have to be honest and say that I'm not much looking forward to it. Dirty, smelly animals just aren't my thing, and it's supposed to rain to boot. Oh joy joy!

So I figured today's art would be a fitting tribute to what I might find at the farm. At least the kind of spooky ole' farm I'd like to stumble upon. A sinister Scarecrow perhaps, standing ominously in a darkened field, beneath a crescent moon, with it's big pumpkin head flickering in and out, on a foggy, rain soaked night.

Okay, so it won't be night time, and I can do without the rain....but with any luck there will be a sinister Scarecrow such as this somewhere. (Click to view full size.) I then plan to reward myself later tonight by covering up with a warm soft blanket and watching "Trick R Treat". I hope it's as good as everyone says, and I also hope everyone has a great Autumn weekend!

(Oh...and in case anyone was wondering why I title the things that I create with 'My Art', or 'My Photography', etc....it's because I needed a way of easily looking back through my blog posts to make sure that I haven't previously posted a piece before. The memory ain't what it used to be, and I'm too unorganized to keep myself a list. If I don't have them denoted in some way, I would have to look back through every post to be certain. And as the months come and go, that just isn't feasible. Hopefully it will serve to prevent me from posting something more than once. )
Artwork © Wendy A. (All Rights Reserved)

My Art -The Bride of Frankenstein

"It's a perfect night for mystery and horror.
The air itself is filled with monsters."
~ Mary Shelley

This is a new art piece I made for this Hallowe'en. I finished this several months ago, but I wanted to wait until October to share her. I hadn't actually set out to do the Bride of Frankenstein, but as I was working on a piece of another vampy gal, she just kind of morphed into the Bride, so I went with it. (You can click the image to see it larger) And yes, I know she wasn't green, but after looking at her both in a green and not so green light....the consensus was that we all preferred her in a lovely shade of green. Perhaps she is more of a 'monster mash-up' between the Bride and Frankie himself. Either way, it's a perfect day for Monsters don't you think?! :o)

Artwork © Wendy A. (All Rights Reserved)

Halloween In My Fish Tank

So what does a not-so-wicked Witch do in her spare time, when she's not conjuring up potions and putting hexes on people? She plays mindless games on Facebook, that's what! I loathe to admit it, because in general I am NOT a video playing kind of girl. Outside of I-Spy games on the computer, I typically do not waste my time watching TV or playing video games. BUT...I found a game on Facebook that I couldn't resist called Fish World.

My niece suckered me in with the promise that I could have a Hallowe'en Fish Tank. She knows me so well...I accepted the bait and I was hooked. I have now worked diligently for the last week or two, raising and selling fish until I could completely bling out my fish tank with a Halloween theme. I had to earn enough money to get the Full Moon Haunted House background. Then of course I had to have the Witch, the Ghost, the Skeleton, the Cauldron, the Tombstone, the Black Cat and the Spiderweb. I added in a Spooky Tree and some Fall leaves and it is now complete.

But what makes the theme even more fun, is that you can buy Hallowe'en Fish to go in it. Yep...there are Pumpkin Fish, Skeleton Fish, Mummy Fish and a scary looking Purple Sawtooth Fish! Now how stinkin' cool is that! If you click on my photo to enlarge it, you can get a glimpse of those fish in different areas. Some are still babies and some are larger. But if any of you do the Facebook thing....consider gettting yourself a tank in Fish World and decking it out for the upcoming holiday.

My Art - Wendy the (Very) Good Witch

Okay, I've often been asked why I go by Wendy the (Very) Good Witch. Well, first of all, I've always loved Hallowe'en and Witches. And secondly, I am a photographer and artist. So it was only natural for my art to center around the things I enjoy...namely Hallowe'en and Witches.

So one Autumn day several years ago, I decided to create a cartoon alter-ego of myself. Of course my name is Wendy, which by sheer luck just happens to be synonymous with Witches thanks to Casper's red cloaked side-kick. So I figured that I may as well stick with my own name. And I got to thinking that if I were a Witch, of course I'd be a GOOD Witch! Not overly good and sweet mind you, like 'Glenda the Good Witch'....but maybe mostly Good, with an occasional bout of naughtiness...ha!

So I sat down and attmepted to create my cartoon self. That is far easier said than done however. But alas, my alter-ego had taken form. Now of course there are differences. I mean, if I'm going to be a cartoon, then by golly I'm going to have skinny legs dagnabit. But I did try to give the hair and face a decent likeness. Then I decided that if I was going to be in cartoon form....why not wear clothes that I otherwise might be disinclined to wear out in public....like thigh-hi stockings and bustiers....ha! And last but not least....I needed to have a familiar, as all Good Witches should....so I added in my trusty black kitty Coventina, who also happens to be real.

So this was the first drawing of Wendy the (Very) Good Witch. Later, I'll share more of her adventures as she makes her way through cartoon holidays. Hope everyone is enjoying their first week of October!