Day 122 - What Rake?

Rake? What rake? I don't see any reason why we'd need a rake...or a leaf blower...or the force of a giant hurricane to find our yard again! Two acres of leafy carpet where grass once stood! There are officially more leaves on the ground than in the trees. I bet if we took a big piece of cardboard we could sled right down the hill into the lake! About the only one happy about the leafy mess right now is Little Bit, another furry member of our feline herd. He's having a blast searching for little critters under the leaves and chasing leaves on the wind. I'd be happy, too, if I didn't have to clean it up!

Maybe for Christmas I'll tell Santa to just forget the presents and just send the elves to help instead!

Day 121 - New Toys

Every time I go into Michael's I feel like a kid in a toy store! Every toy my little heart desires is right there at my fingertips! I haven't had paint pens in awhile, so when I saw gold I had to buy it! I traced the leaves I found yesterday, then loosely drew in the veins before filling the leaves with the gold paint.

Beautiful!

Day 120 - Tis the Season

I am in awe of Fall. I can't get enough of the colors around me...rich, earthy browns, sunset golds, Tuscan reds. My eyes bounce from leaf to leaf, each prettier than the last. I'm going to cherish these last few days of fall while the final tendrils of color slip through my fingers...and dream of next year!

Day 119 - Black Friday

So today, shoppers everywhere were buying computers, cameras, sweaters....me? Well, I'll give you three guesses! I bought 13 to be exact...lol appropriate number for me, don't ya think?

Day 118 - PotatAHHHS!

Happy Thanksgiving! No Thanksgiving dinner would be complete without Turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, biscuits and skulls...er....I mean potatoes! And now that this little guy has been carved, it's time we add him to the pot! Nothing like butter and mashed skulls...um...I mean mashed potatoes....to complete our Thanksgiving dinner!

Day 117 - Hairy Herbert

Spent all day taking pictures of pumpkins...again! I sooooo want to take a day off - Thanksgiving would be nice - but I can only do that if my brain lets me! When you work from home as an artist, you are definitely at the mercy of your imagination as far as scheduling is concerned!

Today I found a bag of black feathers that looked more like hair than feathers to me! As it was about time to toss out this pumpkin, I thought I could hide a few bad spots and make it useful one last time! Tomorrow, it's going to be pumpkin pie for possums!

Day 116 - Goobers

There's an old saying, "Never work with children or animals." What if your working with three grown children that act like animals? It took eight millions photos like this one here before I finally got one or two to work with! They laughed. They giggled. They poked and wiggled. Stuck their tongues out. Made noises I won't describe here. Talk about working with a big bunch of goobers! And yet, I still claim them as my guys...three generations that still love each other...and me.

Day 115 - They're All In On It!

Since the beginning, The Pumpkin Lady has been a family business...our son was the one who first begged for a carving kit that led us to where we are today! And after eleven years, we've managed to somehow drag everyone into it! Take our little pre-Thankgiving visit to see the in-laws. Upon discovering that our nephew, Jeremy, was back from college for the holiday, we threw him into a little impromptu photo shoot with his cousin. What a good sport! As you can see, they put their own little spin on things...we knew from the beginning that there was no way that we'd ever get a serious shot! But they had fun and that's what pumpkin carving is all about, isn't it?

Day 114 - Troll Baby

Since we're a Halloween family, it's only proper for us to have black cats! CVP (Cat Voice Phenomena) is our baby...our Troll Baby that is! Troll Baby is his nickname because he Daily gives us this freaky look. We have NO idea why he does this, and we often wonder what is going on in that furry little head. Have any guesses?

Day 113 - The Hounds of Hell-o

At Halloween, things aren't all that they appear to be. What looks like an insane dog is really one that is...bored! This is what she thought of today's photo shoot. We were all just a big Yawn to her! You know things are bad when you bore a seven month old puppy. Guess next time I should bring out more treats?

Day 112 - Unconventional Items

When decorating your little mini pumpkins, forget the craft store and visit an office supply store! A million mulit-colored push pins become perfect pumpkin accessories. My little artist friend, Sam, created this mini pumpkin spaceship out of his favorite colored pins. It was quick, easy and, best of all, lots of fun!

Day 111 - Little People

Oddly enough, grown ups stress over carving pumpkins. Adults think, "It has to be perfect!" Our subconcious mind translating that statement into, "This will be my greatest masterpiece!" And they then proceed to freak out over the whole event, making everyone miserable because someone could possibly slightly ever so subtley crash and burn into a big carving mistake. Sad isn't it?

Kids, on the other hand, don't think about failure. About carving it "wrong." Don't worry that every line has to be perfect. Heck, they don't even have to carve the pumpkin to have fun! A stuffed animal- sized wig, chalk or markers, can turn little pumpkins into little people in the blink of a child's eye. Does my Godson look like he's stressing out here? Nope, and neither should you. Pumpkin carving is a perfect experience if you don't worry about carving perfectly. Have fun and, however things turn out, you'll have a perfectly great time that you'll never forget...for all of the RIGHT reasons.

Day 110 - Go for the Glory

When I carve a pumpkin, about 90% of the time I create and then apply a pattern onto it before I start carving. Granted, it may be the wimpy way out, but it works for me and I make a lot less mistakes! However, there are much braver souls out there than I. People that grab life by the carving saw and just go for it, carving without a pattern, with an idea they grab out of the stratosphere and then just carve for all they're worth. Today's photo is just that...a pumpkin carved by Emma, a dear family friend and a girl who has the guts to just go for it. Carving saw moving like lightening, she whipped out this pumpkin carving of the crest from Hogwarts (all you Harry Potter fans should know this image well!)...and she did a marvelous job!

I raise my glass to all you who throw caution to the wind and give it all you got when pumpkin carving! When I grow up, I hope to be just like you!

Day 109 - Out With It!

A few weeks ago, I spent the weekend with a few wonderful families, taking photos for future reference. One of my subjects was my most adorable three year old God son. He is one of the most beautiful children to photograph...BUT he is still three. And you never know what a three year old is going to do! He fussed. He fumed. He grumped. Until the sun shone upon us and for one magical moment the most beautiful grin appeared on his face...triumphantly victorious in pulling OUT the stem on the little artificial pumpkin he was holding! Beauty in the face of destruction! NOTHING made him smile....until he pulled apart the pumpkin. Too funny.

And yes, I am totally going to photoshop something else in that little guy's hands...after all, it would be a shame to waste that smile!

Day 108 - PuMandMpkin

I was sadly disappointed today when my local Food Lion had yet to receive their shipment of Christmas M and M's (it's just not Christmas without my red and green M and M's and my Coca Cola with Santa Claus or Polar Bears on it...don't ask me why...yall know I'm crazy anyway!). But all's well that end's well. My regular M and

M's did a great little job of making my chocolate puMandMpkin. And the best part? Now that the photo has been taken...it's time for dessert!

(Wanna know something else weird? Blogger won't allow me to use the ampersand symbol in my post...now THAT's weird!)

Day 107 - Seeing Eye to Eye

When it comes to pumpkin carving, my son and I still see eye to eye. He's a great help for sourcing new ideas...and he has some mad carving skills of his own (gee, I wonder where he gets it from?). And just right for our Halloween niche, he has a wicked sense of humor. It's nice to have someone pass down the torch, er, carving tools, to...instead of The Pumpkin Lady, I guess we'll have to call him The Pumpkin Dude!

Day 106 - One Bad Apple

It's been awhile since I've gotten to play with my food...so I thought it was about time to do so again...until my son beat me to it! Here's his cool little version of the proverbial Bad Apple...

Day 105 - Necromancer

Yet another of my all time favorite carvings. I carved this portrait of Necromancer for the game Guild Wars awhile back. It was one of the most challenging carvings I've ever done. What the picture doesn't show are the braids extending around the pumpkin.

Isn't she gorgeous? Especially for a pumpkin!

Day 104 - The Agony

Another Halloween has come and gone and still there was no sign of The Great Pumpkin. His little minions will have to wait a whole other year to even hope of seeing him again. Linus, where are you when we need you?

Must find a more sincere pumpkin patch next year!

Day 103 - The Horror

Halloween is truly over! Oh, the Horror! And I still have a dining room of pumpkins to carve! lol maybe that's what the pumpkin dude is so worried about! Think I'll save him for last....

Day 102 - I'm Bringing Sexy Back

It's official. I have the best son in the world. How many other teens would volunteer to put a pumpkin on their head? And if that wasn't enough, pose? We got a lot of great shots in other poses, but this has to be our favorite.

Watch out people, I'm bringing sexy back!

Day 101 - Gremlin

As a child, we firmly believe that there are monsters in the closet.

Here's proof.

We don't know how a five inch tall kitten makes it six feet up into the air to nestle in a pile of sweaters and shirts. Or how she can fling herself off said shelf and not kill herself upon landing.

It's creepy, I tell ya. Down right creepy!

Day 100 - Simply Sweet

Day 100! Can you believe it? Only 265 days left of my 365 Days of Halloween Blog! Today's little picture is a great reminder to myself. So many times, we try to create these huge, complicated carvings...and yes, I do like them and hold them dear...but there is still something so wonderful and magical in just the sweet smile of a little Jack O'Lantern. When we think of pumpkin carving, what comes to mind aren't portraits of the Presidents, or intricate Celtic lacework...we think of triangle eyes and nose and a jagged grin...a pumpkin that sums up all the images of Halloween into one simple smile.

It just goes to show that good things come in small packages.

Day 99 - Plateful Pumpkin

Last night I showed you the skull and crossbones our friend, Emma, made at dinner...now I'm showing you what I did with her leftover dessert (with a little leftover chocolate Oreo mousse from my son's cup as well!)! Emma also had a great idea to set one plate on top of another, creating a cute little stem for our pumpkin.

Anyway, who says that all pumpkin faces have to be carved?

Day 98 - Skull Surprise

While out to dinner with friends tonight, I realized that I'd yet to create a subject for today's Halloween blog. I was able to whip up something fairly quickly...but I'll wait to show you that tomorrow! Instead of showing just my own little creation, I surprised our friend, Emma, by handing her a large paper napkin. "Quick!" I said. "Create something....a skull!" And she surprised me by doing just that; a wonderful little paper skull and crossbones. It just goes to show that art can be created anywhere with anything.

Isn't it great? Love it!

Day 97 - No Wonder!

There are only two inner doors in the entire house that actually shut properly. The dishwasher leaks. The faucets drip. Our rental house has a few kinks in it. And yet, in its own way, it's perfect...because the view is amazing. Every room on the back of the house has a view of the lake...and let me tell you, as the season has progressed, it has been breathtaking. No wonder I love it!

Day 96 - It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

What character can you decide to be at the last second on Halloween? Charlie Brown of course! An old sheet, a couple of snips for eyes, and draw on more "holes" and you're done! So, we're trick or treating through town, my son, now Charlie Brown, carrying a bag that says, "I gotta rock." As we go into a store we hear a shout. "That's my buddy! My partner! Charlie Brrooowwwnn!!!" Lo and behold, Linus was right! The Great Pumpkin DOES exist and was more than happy to strike a pumpkinesque pose with his ole buddy Charlie Brown.

Don't you just LOVE Halloween?

Day 95 - Halloween Still Life

It's not easy going to school late in life, juggling the demands of work, family, and constant schoolwork. It's even more difficult when one of your classes consists entirely of still lifes. Every week, we sketch bottles....flowers...vases...are you yawning yet? UGH! I hate drawing those! So I actually enjoy our homework assignments because even though I still have to draw a still life, at least I get to choose the subject matter, so, Halloween here I come! Pumpkins...skull cups...black cats...now those are the perfects subjects for me!

Day 94 - Creepy Tree

People ask me all the time, "Where do you get your inspiration? How can you possibly come up with any more designs?" I say that inspiration is ALL around you. Take today's photo. Isn't that one of the most amazing creepy trees you've ever seen? I could get a hundred designs out of that single photo alone. Anything and everything can become an inspiration if you just keep your mind open and your imagination humming. ( lol and being wide awake on coffee doesn't hurt either!)

Day 93- Post Your Pumpkins

Well, by now the decorations are coming down and the candy has been half eaten as another Halloween has come and gone. Hopefully the pumpkins will last a few days longer...at least long enough for you to take some pictures to remember all the fun we've had this year! To everyone who took pics of your carved pumpkins, please know that we'd LOVE to see what YOU do! Please post them on our Pumpkin Lady Facebook Fan site where dozens and dozens of other fans have already been showing off their mad carving skills. Whether it's a simple Jack O'Lantern grin, or a leering dragon, post your pics so that we may brag on you a little! You already know what I can do...let's see what YOU can do!