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It has officially begun, a new series.

I have been wanting to do a birthday series for over two years now. Last year I did the colored pencil birthstone series, but only got half of them done. I find it difficult to finish a series.


I need your help!

Please keep me accountable for this series. Comment here or on Facebook, say how much you want to see your month, give ideas or suggestions, or just yell out "Hey, where's the next month?! It's been WEEKS!". :P

I want to do all twelve months. Here are the guidelines for my flower fairies...

Each piece will show:

• The month's flower
• The month's birthstone colors
• A moon or sun
• A braid of some sort in the hair (to me this is a symbol of God's warrior princess, or a daughter of God)
• Something in the background having to do with the month and/or season
• Must have a "Mucha" feeling. Yes, it has been done before, but I've been wanting to do it for a while and this is my chance.
• Incorporate something from my pencil drawings (the birthstones).

Once the piece is finished I will post it as a 3.5x8.5 open edition print, and the original painting up on Etsy. I will try to get the pieces up in time for birthdays.

Since August is almost over I started with October. She's done entirely in watercolor, no colored pencil. It's been a while since I've done that.


"Calendula"
open edition print on Etsy

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Wasn't the best day at school whatever day had a field trip scheduled? Yes. It was. And wouldn't the best field trip have been one wherein you and your gang of scrappy best friends solved a mystery? Wouldn't it???

I remember my field trips mostly for the bus rides. When I first started concepting the Field Trip Mysteries series a couple of years ago, I asked a friend who's a middle-school English teacher if I could go on one of her school's field trips. We saw an IMAX movie on the ocean, and I remember the 3-D made someone feel sick. But mostly I remember that the bus smelled exactly like I remember field trips smelling back in the last century when I was a girl.

Did you know that October is Field Trip Month? And it's also Mystery Month? Isn't that perfect for October? It does feel like field trips and mysteries.

Tell me something about how you're spending your October by next Friday (the 15th) and I'll pick a winner at random to receive a copy of the Field Trip Mysteries special limited edition (four stories in one gorgeous book!), On the Bus, On the Case.

Happy October!
Beth

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October marks the launch of Auntie Anne’s Bookmark fundraising campaign to benefit First Book. The month- long effort, illustrating Auntie Anne’s commitment to community giving and improving literacy, offers Auntie Anne’s customers the opportunity to donate $1 to First Book in exchange for a keepsake bookmark. The bookmark also includes a coupon for $1 off the next purchase.

To make a local impact, the proceeds raised through the bookmark campaign will benefit communities of Auntie Anne’s participating stores. Participating stores have been matched up with low-income schools and programs registered with First Book, and proceeds will enable these schools and programs to purchase books on the First Book Marketplace. So visit your local Auntie Anne’s store today, enjoy a delicious pretzel and help support First Book and the programs we serve.

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Since 1985, teachers, parents and other individuals who make a difference in the lives of children and adults with learning disabilities, have taken the month of October to educate the public about dyslexia, ADHD and more.  This month, help spread awareness about learning disabilities by sending an article, interesting fact, or story to a friend, colleague or family member.

For more information about Learning Disabilities Awareness Month, including articles, book recommendations, and even a children’s art gallery, check out: http://www.ldonline.org.

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So...October looms.

I love the month, of course. I love being an English teacher during October. I love the camp, the cobwebs, the creepiness of it all. For one month, overwrought horror tropes are okay: spiders and skulls and moldering tombs...

I've rearranged my teaching schedule to squeeze in a little more of the macabre this year. We always read a little Poe, a bit of H.P. Lovecraft ("In the Vault" is pretty accessible to high school students), and the occasional monkey's paw, but I need a few more stories, nothing which might find me out of a job, but something the kids might like to read.

So...suggestions? Anyone have a great ghost story we should tackle? Something delightfully dark yet more camp than vamp? Maybe I could throw in a little M.R. James or E.F. Benson. Public domain works tend to be a little less risky (because of their age, not the copyright status). Of course, I'm always open to something a little more contemporary...what are your favorite short works of terror and the supernatural?

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Last week my husband and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary!  It’s hard to believe that a year ago I was immersed in mini-wedding planning.  We had dinner at the very same place where my husband proposed.  I,  finally, got one of our wedding pictures properly framed.  And I even bought a beloved cookbook to honor the occasion (because paper is the traditional first anniversary gift, right?).

Anyway, I remembered that I was going to post some post-wedding, “non-reception” celebratory photos.  Looking through them, I don’t have very many with actual people; I think I was too busy having a blast to take many photos which often happens!  So, I’m just going to post some of my more craft-related ones.

These pics are from non-reception #1 which took place at our home last October.  Rather, they were taken during preparations before anyone showed up.

Since it was October I wanted a slightly spooky theme but not in a costume-party kind of way (see our party invitations here).  The colors were black, white, silver, pink and orange.  In the photo, above, you can see our pretty bunting crafted with paper doilies, silver glitter card stock letters and black & white striped twine.  The wee cake is pre-wedding topper, silvery glitter initials much like the ones used in the bunting.  Originally I wanted to make a larger 2-tiered cake but became petrified by the thought as I’ve never made one.  But a sweet little cake plus cupcakes galore did the trick.  (By the way, the frosting was pearly and marshmallow-y, while the cake was yellow with chocolate chips.  So good!)

My lovely friend Kara, who came down for the weekend, was very kind and totally game for any party-decorating ideas I threw her way including decorating our high ceilings with paper streamers.

The mantle was decorated with various pumpkins, candles and a fabric-covered accordion-style scrapbook filled with photos from the wedding, backed with craft paper I printed and designed myself.  The plastic cauldron on the coffee table was later filled with candy for the young and young at heart.  (We did have real food, I swear, like cheese and dip and charcuterie, but those things were set out just before people arrived.)

Kara and I spent the previous night making these fun cupcake toppers with Victorian clip art butterflies in October-ish colors.  We (and by we, I mean Kara) put that scalloped paper punch to good use!

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BOO!!!
Have a happy and safe Halloween...

MC

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