Calaca Love

As my witchy cinnamon broom above my front door suggest welcome to my contribution to Marfi-topia's Haunted Humpday. I've been dying to display and show off the skully jewelry I've been creating. The earring set is part of the purple skull set. I already posted these Frida inspired box top heads in a previous post but this is all about calaca love so I wanted to share them again. Fall is pressumed to be the settle down cozy time but around here my schedule has taken on many new tasks. Can I get a hip hip huzzah, I was hired at a magical Artisan Fantasy Portrait Shop inside the Texas Renaissance Festival!

 Happy Haunted Humpday Y'all 💀

Lavender Dreams and Summer Haze

Summer vacation has and hasn't ended in Casa Sol y Luna. The older three started school two weeks ago and {M} has another week of helping on the homestead and extending the summer fun with me. I'm going to miss his helping hands when he goes off to first grade. My oldest son is a senior this year with a possibility of graduating early and then joining the work force. {E} is in her freshman year of High School and {L} is in her first year of Jr High, and I'm back to being the Mom Taxi.

When I do find a little free time I have been getting into projects and crafting. I finally finished my " Oceanic Dreams" dreamcatcher. This project was created while I mourned the loss of a young man who was my son's friend. That alone was hard for my children to go through this summer. When a tragedy happens unexpected to someone close to their age it's an eye opening life moment.

Landscaping is done after the school drop offs. My lavender plants around the fountain have become overgrown and the sun had scorched the plant to a brittle bouquet. I see quite a few lavender smudge bundles in the making. We replaced them with baby lavender plants that will fill in the space by next spring.

 Driftwood came into play for the handles of these besoms. The first one is lavender stalk tied with a beautiful hue the color of English Lavender  flowers in bloom. The second besom is a combo of hummingbird sage, lavender, and dried roses. I've been called to use the natural elements that are gifted to me from mother earth  to make sacred tools that assist in healing. The Angel communication lines have opened immensely for me and I have my ears perked up and my eyes open to messages .

Projections on Projects

The recent Beautiful Freaks Fest hosted by our Magaly has put my mind on Halloween. I've been working on this cross stitch project since the end of last summer and today I finally completed it. I feel now I finished this project I can move forward to new creative outlets and projects. 

What loose ends are you tying up with a pretty bow? Are there projects in the making or growing brain children waiting to be born?  I plan to make this July a productive one for sure.

The Kitchen Reveal

The kitchen has officially been done since last weekend but Iv'e been busy with my hands in many projects and wearing many hats while doing so. I love the light over the kitchen sink, to me it is a piece that reflects utensils or cheese graters.

We were going for a slight farmhouse kitchen feel. I had purchased the egg basket fruit basket at Ross. The other wire basket and flour sifter I already had on hand. Decorating mostly with things already in home really cuts down on the overall budget.The cabinets are painted in Behr Rave Raisin.

So here you are the infamous before pic.........the floor and cabinets are a flow of honey color. Avocado ceiling and fluorescent over head lighting had to go.

Taadaaa! This renovation brought us more than a new kitchen. My husband and I got away on the weekends to Home Depot dates kid free which gave us time to connect....and argue over lighting and paint. Now that the heart of the home is comfy and cozy, my focus is on holiday to do's and makes. Were into the first week of  December, remember to take sacred pauses and not get overwhelmed.

***

I want to take a special moment and thank all of you that take time out of your day to visit. I  want you to know I hold you all dear to my heart even if I can't make my rounds to visit your space. Brightest Blessings this Holiday Season!

Out with the old ... In with the new

 So long old appliances, you've served me well. They don't look to shabby from their outer appearances but let me tell you the truth. The fridge was our first purchased fridge when we moved from an apartment to our first rented house. Over the years the condiment holders broke off, veggie bins were replaced with random plastic bins, and the over all stainage...yuck. The freezer section had many years of beverages left in overnight and explosion aftermath. Truly we are lucky it lasted 13 years. Next a gas stove that my husband acquired from my Suegra's backyard claiming it could be fixed. The thermostat was off and you had to guess the temp, it took forever to bake or burn. The stove top was missing a knob and only two burners worked. We have a saying around here "ride it till the wheels fall off".

Enter the new stove and fridge ..ohh so shiny, and they match. In my last post I wrote about how I manifested free couches and had exactly the right amount of cash to purchase these appliances on spot. Once in place, we decided it's time to do an upgrade to our kitchen. It has been 7 years since we first slapped "Crisp Autumn Leaves" paint over the wallpaper that lined the walls when we moved in.

When I say I have a cozy little kitchen, I mean it. The square footage is small but the warmth from the heart of the home is definitely felt.

We are currently here at this phase where the avocado ceiling is being painted crisp white, and the fluorescent lighting has got to go. I wouldn't budge on my wall paint color so were patching it up and slapping on a fresh coat. Good thing I'm not hosting Thanksgiving because of right now the cabinets are off the hinges and being transformed. Hint hint... I love me some chocolate!

If I don't post later on in the week I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a weekend filled with leftovers & laughter.

Make No Bones About It

Art from my Llywellyn's Witches Calender

Now that I got your attention with a straight forward quote "Happy Humpday & October". How is this month treating your skeleton so far? The mornings here in the valley are chilly with warm afternoons and then crisp evenings. It is still to soon to pack away the summer wares which is also making the Halloween transitioning so hard, I like to move things out before moving things in and rearranging. Later today I'm taking the decorations out of storage and getting prepped to decorate. I have a few skeletons lying around to show you, and hopefully next week I'll have more to show.

I bought this piece at Ross last year and love the vintage washed look. I have it hung over the dining table in the living room {I threw out my couches that were so dingy one day and haven't replaced them so I put the table in there}. The art hangs on the wall throughout Thanksgiving as a reminder to be thankful to our ancestors who have provided instinct and culture in our lineage and have since past over.

One of the many projects I have my fingers on are these guys & gals. I used nail glue and nail jewels to add some sparkle to those desolate eye sockets. They may have whole outfits or just some Dia de Los Muertos flare. These skeletons come in a garland of four at the Dollar Tree.

 Heart jewels upside down make the perfect nose. This one has stars in his eyes and a gleam in his smile. Maybe it's those lovely set of hips near the fruit bowl that has his bones rattling.

 This season can be hectic so try not to become a basket case and lose your head. Whether it be pure Autumnal fun, Witchy, or scary Halloween bliss, enjoy what the season holds and remember magic is all around when your eyes and heart are open!

P.S.

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Haunted Humpday Has Returned

As the title expresses Haunted Humpday has returned, actually it started a week ago and I feel a little like the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date". For those new to Haunted Humpday it is an every Wednesday up to Halloween post about Halloween goodness and haunting tales. I usually don't have a ghostly story in my post but our hostess with the mostest Marfi of Incipient Wings always has a tale to chill your bones. So without further ado....

 Every year I go with the flow when decorating for Halloween and this year I have a strong urge to do a lot of Dia de los Muertos flair. This giant calavera is displayed at a dart balloon game booth on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and the prize is a colorful skeleton...I must get one. Were going to the boardwalks 150th birthday celebration, there will be fireworks and fun!

I picked this book up on my latest thrift store trip. Everyday Grace seems to be the kind of book to take notes along with hence the notebook or perhaps will turn onto a few post, I just opened it yesterday. The feathers I collect everyday from my yard,  I give thanks and gratitude from my feathered allies for gifting them to me. The tiny pumpkin is actually aged rosehip from my roses. 

I'm in love with these witch hat earrings I made. I found a bag of six hats on discount at Michaels and was going to use them as adornments for mini besoms but they did not hang correctly but they fit perfectly on hooks. This was going to be an Etsy item but I decided against opening an Etsy shop after much mental debate and financial calculations. 

I actually made a physical sign for the online shop as a banner photo. Perhaps one day I will have a craft booth and then I can hang my sign an lure people to my goods and wares.

 Some more handicrafts I finally finished. The sachet is filled with lavender harvested from my yard. I come to realize cross stitching takes  quite a bit of time to complete a whole project, so I will probably resume it once the weather is cold and there is less outdoor work to be done. I'm off now to plan my Mabon celebration which I always seem to due last minute. 

Happy Haunted Humpday!

Hallow Miscellany

The past two days have been an autumnal dream with the breeze making everything dance around me. Short lived is this, a tease if you will of things to come. Still going hard with  90 plus degrees the rest of the week. Don't get me wrong I do enjoy Indian Summers which this most likely will be again. Oh how mother nature loves to mess with my mind. Fall is in the air.....some days, and is creeping into the homestead as well. Below is random hallow miscellany.

 I found this guy at the Dollar Store and he was the only one. I might just have to check other stores because these are poseable and would be awesome in pairs around the house.

 Iv'e taken up cross stitching again which I haven't done since my early twenties. It started by making items for an Autumn swap and I realized I still enjoy keeping my hands busy ( even though it does hurt to do so).

 This skull banner was bought at the Goodwill and is displayed across the tele to show the size and detail, but where it's going to be hung is still a mystery.

My intentions for the stop by the thrift store was to find some fall reads suggested by Goodreads becuae  my local library branches didn't carry any of them so I tried my luck elsewhere. I know your not supposed to judge a book by it's cover but that is exactly what made me grab this book. It's Stephen King and you can't go wrong with him right?

{ Other News }

 So some hallow goodies have made their way into the home before the intended Autumnal Equinox, and it's a good starting point. Turns out  September is not a slow down time and weekends are full of events to attend. Holly the Hermit must come out and socialize face to face which is really hard for me if I haven't let you in on this secret before. If it's family members I'm okay and mostly comfortable but new faces and situations start the heart pumping so loud  my whole atmosphere buzzes to a hum and I can't quite focus. I do a lot of grounding and wrapping myself in a protected bubble before I step out into the world. Well this post is full of miscellany isn't it? Have a great Hump Day and I hope the weather is treating you well in your corner of the world.

Craftastrophy

Well hello there, if you frequent this blog then yes I changed it up a bit again! One minute I'm content with something and the next moment I'm not .Okay on to a new subject, after a summer of whims I'm finally sitting down to do some crafting. Ive been wanting to make a collective of hippie sandals all Summer and I finally have one (yes only one) pair made.

I didn't just stop there. My wrist and hand had to have accompanying jewelry as well. Maybe when the weather turns to cold wintry sit in the house type of days I will make and stock pile crafts. Actually I should of pondered months ago about what I was making for Christmas gifts, let alone Halloween crafting should start now. My brain is stuffed full with ideas like a vintage attic full of boxes obscuring the long mirror, no clear vision at the moment. Alright enough ranting, school is just a week away for the children and then.......

What type of craftastrophies are you getting into?

The Welcome Mat

Dear Home,

   It has come to my attention that the back door should be treated with as much love and respect as the front. Entryways into the pulsating heart of the humble abode should be inviting and also fashioned in such a bold and fierce red. In fresh new hues the welcome mat is placed in it's rightful place. Once your portals are open the magic of Casa Sol y Luna entrances though who are lucky enough to enter. Such is a sanctuary...my home.

Prompt from  April Love 2016

Dear Love

~   A Love Poem To Love   ~

You are the hardest emotion to feel yet necessary to thrive

When emanating at your fullest I'm truly alive with a strive to survive

A main component  in which to lead my tribe

Yet

When your presence is absent all is a miss

Plunging off a cliff into a whirlwind spiral to a dark abyss

To not feel loved, feels like this

But

Love is love no matter the gain

Whether it be filled with pain or in vain

One things for sure love, you drive me insane

Prompt from April Love Challenge 2016

                                                               

Recent Paint Project : Love Seat 

Weekend Work

Say hello the the work table, the tiny open box has seeds from last years flowers saved in foil packets from tea bags. It feels like spring around here, time to start some blooms.

I was gifted a big packet of forks for Christmas ( they always go missing around here) so a creative us was in order. A little sharpie on the handle to remind me whats sprouting.

My aloe plant is a Mother! I spied a few plants growing around her base and poking out of the pot. You can never have to many of these healing plants around.

The babies with already had a great root base established. I have miscellaneous planters ready to house an aloe until they grow and need big pots.

 Succulents and aloe mixed has a real coastal vibe, This was actually a candle 

 holder but I could not find the right size candle to replace it  once it burned down. I kinda have a thing for shells.

The transplants in their variety of pots. One of my favorites is these elephants. All but the plastic pots are thrift store finds throughout the years.

Meanwhile Chico stands charge, over seeing the yard activities taking place. He is very in tune with what we are doing and follows me from one task to another.

The time has come to say goodbye to the Christmas tree. The 8 footer got chopped down to wood logs and boughs. The fresh cuts smelled so good.

Into the fire pit they went. Pine infused smoke signals filled the air and blew along a breeze. We gathered around the fire and took a moment to purify and cleanse ourselves physically and mentally.

 And wouldn't you know as luck would have it , a rainbow shined and arched over our homestead. They say that riches can be found at the end of the rainbow, but mine lay underneath it. Many blessings to your weekend work, whatever it may be.