Day 7 - Hard Headed

I loved making today's hardheaded little creations! Of course I have some favorite Halloween icons: black cats, bats, pumpkins, but skeletons are at the top of the list as well! I found a great little skull necklace at a local shop selling Halloween decor. I cut it apart to make these awesome earrings. Think I should make a necklace to go with it? Bring out the goth! Wanna pair of your own? Check out my etsy site and you'll find them there before the weekend's over. Looovvveee these!

Day 6 - Well Owl Be!

The doldrums of summer vacation have set in. My 14 year old son, Tyler, has succumbed to the boredom August often brings before the excitement of school begins. So of course he loved the idea of 365 Days of Halloween if for nothing more than the creative spark is seems to bring. While browsing the art stores just down the road, he happened along a book for creating stuffed animals from scratch. Ten dollars of felt and a few pricked fingers later, he has been happily idling away his time creating little monsters that are beginning to fill my office shelf. Thus he gets credit for the creation of the day because I just loved today's little creation...a bewitching little stuffed owl. There was a lessoned learned from this little guy today...art has a tendency to take on a shape of its own. You begin with one thing but end up with something entirely different. There's no one right or wrong way of doing it! The owl began it's life as a cat. But as the last stitches were sewn, the character of the creation changed. Two wings and a hat turned the feline into a charming little owl just waiting to brew up a little trouble. Art has a little magic all its own, doesn't it?

Day 5 - These are the Pits!

So, last night, in an effort to improve my diet, I decided to munch on a bowl of cherries (admittedly, after a small bowl of Edy's Fully Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream!). Of course, there are always a few that have seen better days. But their lives were not in vain! Their lumps, bumps and scars became today's Halloween creation - Monsters! Using an Xacto knife, I carved little faces into them. The best part of these monsters? If they bite, I can bite back!

Day 4 CVP

This is a perfect digital rendering of CVP since that cat has nosed into everything since we got him! Abandoned by his owner, he arrived with 400 fleas and a screech like a pterodactyl! And he was no bigger than my hand! CVP, Sock Monkey's little brother, may have been the runt of the litter, but he swears that he's a Great Dane. I call him little Napoleon. CVP is yet another of my black cats. I'm sure that you, like everyone else that hears his name, wonders what CVP stands for. Well, the day we got him, my husband received membership to a local ghost hunting group (yes, we truly have Halloween all year long here!). In honor of that special occasion, CVP was named after an EVP. An EVP is an electronic voice phenomena. Ever watch a ghost hunting show and they capture a mysterious voice on the recording that no one audibly heard at the time? That's an EVP. However, CVP is a Cat Voice Phenomena. Only about seven weeks old when we adopted him, he had the voice of a banshee. The little monster could be heard screeching through the whole house! Sounded like a poltergeist running amuck! I'm grateful to say that after a year his voice has left the screech behind and has adopted the melodic trill of Paintball, another of our cats who has mothered him along the way. Thank you Paintball!

Day 3 - Sound familiar?

In folklore, witches have always had familiars buy their side - an animal, in most cases a black cat, that possesses a supernatural spirit that helps the witch to do magic. Well, I couldn't do my carving magic without my familiars by my side! I have a herd of cats, one of witch, er which, is today's subject. His name is Sock Monkey, just one of my black cats, and I've created a digitalized photo of him. A daubed paint filter really brings out the natural glow of his eyes! We rescued he and his brother CVP (whose name I will explain another day!) just a few days after Halloween. Though tiny, his runt of a brother would smack him around, howling at the top of his lungs, to show who was boss. Hearing the commotion, we'd rush to his aid. Sock Monkey would be found sitting like a Buddha, eyes closed, then reach his long arms up and beg to be rescued, never returning the swat to his brother. Being three quarters siamese (and one quarter black persian - hence his black fur), he has legs as long as that of a Sock Monkey! His gentleness has certainly bewitched our family!

Day 2...Hollywood Here I Come!

Hollywood Cemetery that is! Now I'll admit, I'm not your average mother. How many moms spend a sunny summer afternoon schlepping their family around a cemetery? Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery dates back to the mid 1800's wherein everyone, from Confederate soldiers to U.S. Presidents, has found a place to rest. But I sure didn't! I find that cemeteries are like art museums. Beauty and grace are found in the most amazing sculptures. With camera in hand, we strolled the quiet grounds, the rushing sounds of the James River rumbling beyond the hills. And there she was. A shrouded stone figure, arms spread like wings, beckoning. Instantly I fell in love with this hauntingly beautiful sculpture. One of those carvings in which the eyes follow you wherever you go and you feel like she's looking into your soul. I snapped away on my camera and only last night noticed the fine silvery cobwebs brushing her face. The soft green of the moss growing along the folds of her clothes. The leaves gathered around her neck.

Beautiful! Simply, utterly, incredibly beautiful!

365 Days of Halloween Begins Today!

As promised, 365 Days of Halloween begins today! I've decided to start of our "New Year" with what I do best, a carved pumpkin! Der? is one of my favorite patterns and I carved him into a foam pumpkins so he will last for years to come! Every day for the next year you'll see a whimsically wicked Halloween creation. Some days you'll see simple sketches, others may find a sculpture, like Der? I know you'll find something to love in my work this year! Now, as you may have guessed, I don't have room to house all these creations, so, a few, like Der?, will be sold on my Etsy site to make room on my shelves for more creations. And please share your ideas with me...I'm open to new ideas to celebrate our favorite Holiday every day this year!

Happy Carving,

Lisa Berberette
The Pumpkin Lady®