Wheeeeeeeee! Dress-up time!

Here's the latest in a series of masked kidlettes

that I've been playing with lately:

I've been having too much fun

making these little bits of Halloweeny cuteness.

Even though they are all now

scattered about the country,

I thought they needed to be

brought together to have a little parade.

Who shall I mask next?

Hmmmm. . . I haven't done a Frankenstein yet. . . .or a Wolfman. . . . . .and of course, Jack-O-Lanterns have so very many possibilities.

One place we lived when I was a kid had very limited trick-or-treating resources. There were only about 6 houses within walking distance. So my brother and I were ghosts, you know the kind made out of sheets with holes cut out for eyes. Only our sheets covered our Hobo costumes (complete with charcoal 5 o'clock shadow and a little bandanna bundle tied to the end of a long stick). So once we had exhausted our meager options, we cleverly removed our sheeted exteriors and became new trick-or-treaters.

Tah-dah!

I don't think Hobo costumes are too popular (or politically correct) nowadays. Come to think of it, I don't see too many little girls sporting 5 o'clock shadow either.

Counting Crows

.

One crow for sorrow.

Two crows for mirth.

Three crows, a wedding.

Four crows, a birth.

Five crows for silver.

Six crows for gold.

Seven crows, a secret

never to be told.

.

There's always one that's just gotta stand out.

Cheap Genetic Engineering

Sea horses are very cool, but what about the sea donkeys? Are they looked down upon by the thoroughbred seahorses? Dismissed as beasts of burden? The jack-asses of Mermaid Land? Are they mopey and stubborn, or do they flick their donkey ears defiantly, daring the seahorses to underestimate their strength of character?

Halloween Carnival

I'm in this group on E-bay. We all make Halloweeny stuff. Every now and then we have these challenges, to amuse ourselves mostly, and to entice ourselves to do something that maybe we wouldn't ordinarily do. We do these challenges every few months or so, and this one's theme is Halloween Carnival. The entries are so much fun! So I thought I'd share them here.

***

Retro Lori's

***

Vintage Lori's

***

Kim's

***

Suzanne's

***

Iva's

***

Johanna's

***

Notforgot Lori's

***

Melissa's ***

Chris's

***

Laurie's

***

Patty's

***

Leah's***

Patti's ***

Jen's

***

Emily's

***

Joyce's

***

And our's

*

First Day of School

With the stirrings of Autumn in the air, I'm starting to think about school days ahead. It doesn't seem too long ago that my eldest was swallowed up by the primary colors of her very first schoolroom. Her teacher was brand new, and couldn't have been sweeter. By the time my youngest started school, 3 years later, the young teacher had moved on and was replaced with another rookie, also lovely as could be. This one was a little bit older, and had children herself the same age as mine. She lasted much longer. It takes a special kind of person to enjoy teaching Kindergartners.

May a lifetime supply of apples be theirs!

Do you remember your first day of school?

I do not, but my long-suffering mom has relayed the story to me many times.

.

Mom: So, how was your first day of school?

Little Jo: Fine, 'cept for I stepped in some dog s**t.

Mom: Ummmmmm. . .

.

Come to think of it, Moms could use a lifetime supply of apples too.

Boo!

Another mask wearing babe this week:

Wouldn't it be odd if the witchy mask was our latest standard of beauty, worn by this little cutie to hide her ugliness? I hear green is in this season. We all wear masks sometimes, even if they're not literal. Issues arise when our masks cease to be removable, or when we fool ourselves into thinking they are our true self. Our real faces are so much more beautiful than we can know. If we are lucky, someone will see a trace of our true face and love us for it. If we are very very lucky, we may catch glimpses of it for ourselves.

Crater Face and Punkinhead

I'm gonna have to pick this pock-marked princess as my fave this week.

She's really not as hoity-toity as she comes across. She's just overcompensating for shyness and subtle insecurities I suppose.

This sweet punkinhead is running a close second though. It's all about the cheeks! What is it about fat cheeks that make little people, vegetable-headed or otherwise, so darn cute? Is a pumpkin a vegetable? Would my kids still eat Thanksgiving dessert if I called it Vegetable Pie? "Want some whipped cream on your vegetable pie, kids? "

In case you were wondering, I sculpt my heads out of Paperclay. It's kinda like paper mache pulp, only ground up really fine and smooth. It dries hard like plaster, but still feels and takes paint just like paper. It's a real joy to paint on after it's sanded. I use different armatures, depending on the project. Aluminum foil works great, as does Styrofoam or regular paper mache.

If you haven't tried sculpting with Paperclay, I highly recommend it. So fun!