Haunted House Online Party

Thank you Kat for organizing this online party :-) 

This is my first time ever participating in something miniature and Halloween.

This time last year I was only making pretty flowers and had no idea that I'd be taking a walk over to the dark side in 2010.

I hope you all enjoy my contribution, just click on the photos to enlarge.

Happy Halloween !

 

The best laid plans and all that....

Well as excited as I was to go and see The Nightmare before Christmas in 4D it won't be happening this year. Luckily they do it ever year at Halloween time so perhaps next year we can make a full weekend of it and do the whole shebang with the Pumpkin Kings dinner as well.

My computer monitor has been acting up the past few weeks and has been flickering at me. Then it started flashing and then it started going on and off making it impossible to use. Mick took it apart and ordered the capacitors to fix it but when he came to do so the back light had blown out as well. Likely my fault for carrying on using it when there was a problem :-(

So, we had to to buy a new one. All you can get now are the wide screens. I don't like them but figured I'd get used to it. I set it so the fonts were readable but then it wouldn't run my camera software of photoshop. To do that it had to be on the highest resolution which meant the font size was too mall for me to read. And on top of that my photos all looked squat. I tried ever combination of settings but no way could I work with squat photos lol.

Luckily Mick found me a second hand, old fashioned square monitor so I am good to go now.

On top of this I had to visit the dentist. I have a totally irrational and crazy dental phobia. I can give blood, have shots, do surgery etc but when it comes to the dentist I am a quivering wreck....literally.

I found a dentist that deals in patients with 'high anxiety' and went to see her. I have to say they were fantastic. I've had dentists refuse to treat me as my blood pressure goes so high. Dentists who claim to deal with the likes of me leave me sitting in the chair, surrounded by the sights and smells of a dental office, for ages. Dentists who get totally embarrassed when I am sitting there in tears.

So, to find someone who really understood and wanted to help me is a great step forward.

Unfortunately I have bone loss in my jaw so they are unsure whether anything can be done. My teeth don't look bad but they are not secure in my jaw. Apparently it is a genetic thing and no amount of brushing or flossing will help. They are going to try putting some drugs into my gums and see if it can be built back up and doing some gum surgery before making the decision whether to take them all out or not :-(

So tomorrow I will be dragged to the dentist by Mick and given a wonderful drug that will render me useless. I will then sleep the entire day away and have zero recollection of the whole day when I wake up.

As I have no collection of ever being hurt by a dentist, my new dentist also thinks I need to see a hypnotist to find out why I am like this so I will be seeing a therapist shortly and see where we can go from there.

So with having to buy a new monitor, a dentist bill of about $750 so far (after insurance) and the fact that I will likely still be whacked out on Saturday there will be no going to Hollywood this weekend.

I am not too upset though as next week we are off to San Francisco. A very dear friend of mine is flying there from the east coast to attend a wedding. She will have a day free so we are driving up there to meet her. I met her in a miniature group a long time ago and although we've never met we have become very close friends so I am very exited about it.

I've been finishing off some minis and have some rather spooky ones to show you but I am going to save those for Kats Halloween party. I really want to join in so will schedule a post in case I am not up to it :-)

I've also made some small sets of grungy pots which are now in my etsy store. They can be used for decoration only or actually used to put plants in.

I apologise that I've been so slow replying to emails or reading blogs but with no monitor and then the whole dentist thing I've just not been able to do it :-(

And in case I don't make it on here before....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN ALL !!!

Nightmare......in 4 D

Yup you read that right 4D. 

In the next couple of weeks El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard is showing Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas in 4D

So what is 4D ?  Well the film will be shown in 3D and on top of this there will be a whole bunch of additional sensory effects going on all around you in the cinema....things like  wind, snow, fog, and much more.

How cool does that sound :-) And it is showing near me :-)

The only downside is that it is in Hollywood and I will generally do anything to stay out of L.A. ....but this is soooo tempting.

Something different

With all my recent commissions I am somewhat all floozied out so thought I'd spent a day playing with some clay.

I am still working on plants but need something to do in between drying times. 

I watched Beetlejuice last week which got us talking about Tim Burton and The Nightmare Before Christmas movie...which I'd never seen. So we decided to watch it.

I know I am soo behind the curve here but what an awesome movie...my head is swimming with loads of new ideas now :-)

Who knows...maybe I'll even watch Harry Potter soon too :-)

Our crazy summer

Well, we've been having some crazy weather the last couple of weeks....crazy enough it hit the UK press :-) Some awesome photography in this article.

Rainbow AND a lightning bolt? Must be a Hollywood production: Days of record heat followed by spectacular storms in California

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 4:48 PM on 1st October 2010

Days of historic heat in southern California came to a spectacular end on Wednesday with thunderstorms, lightening and huge rainbow.
Rain fell steadily in downtown Los Angeles yesterday afternoon as dramatic storm clouds formed over the region, only two days after the highest ever temperatures were recorded.
At the start of the week thermometers hit an astonishing 113F (45C) - beating the previous record set 20 years ago.

 

Spectacular: A rainbow and bolts of lightening were seen over the Hollywood sign as days of historic heat in Southern California came to an end

Unique weather: A monsoon storm made its way through the Hollywood hills area bringing rain, lighting and rainbows

The National Weather Service in the U.S. said the humid conditions would now continue in the region until at least Friday, with the storms increasing the threat of wildfires.
Local residents took to Twitter on Wednesday to post their own pictures of the spectacular weather, including a double rainbow over West Hollywood.

Showers and thunderstorms have been reported in parts of northern Los Angeles and San Bernardino during the last 24 hours as temperatures dropped by some ten degrees on Wednesday, with highs of 92F recorded.
Forecasters said they had predicted the dramatic change in weather as subtropical air pushed into the region.

End of the world? The intense heat made way to thunderstorms and lightening on Wednesday 

What a difference a day makes: The amazing weather is expected to continue until the weekend

Local residents took to Twitter to post their own pictures of the the amazing skyline 

'Today [Wednesday] went pretty much as planned,’ said Southern California Weather Authority Meteorologist Kevin Martin.
'Today was well forecasted by our Special Weather Statement that was issued on Monday'.
Some superstitious local residents though have begun speculating that the spectacular weather may in fact signal something more sinister.
Enrique Santana is quoted by local news station KABC as saying: ‘It's very strange for me - 113-degree weather - it makes you think of 2012 [predicted by some to the date the World will come to an end].’
On Monday thousands of people sought refuge from the incredible heat, with the city of Los Angeles urging people to use parks and recreation facilities, senior centres and libraries as cooling centres.
The blast of intense heat followed an unusually cool summer that often found beaches covered in overcast and whipped by chilly winds.
The above-average temperatures in the region are expected to continue until Saturday and will then fall to lower than normal next week.


Copeed from Daily Mail

: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1316520/The-end-world-Days-record-heat-followed-spectacular-thunderstorms-huge-rainbow-California.html#ixzz1182O1lrS