Eek! Quicky Coloring GIVEAWAY!

Hellloooo!!

Congratulations to MIMI GAREAU, the winner of my witchy GIVEAWAY!

This one is super easy--just click the YouTube video below--it's only a minute--then SUBSCRIBE to my channel and leave me an email. Voila! You're in.

                                              

           Important! Click YouTube logo on bottom when video starts. You will be taken to YouTube and you can SUBSCRIBE and leave email address.

OR

Click HERE to be taken right to YouTube.

The winner will receive one PENELOPE'S GARDEN Coloring Book, and five runners-up will receive a downloadable coloring page from my Etsy shop.

Good luck and Happy Halloween!

xo

Five Wonderful and Spooky Halloween Coloring Books

Oooo there is a little nip in the air--so that means Halloween can't be too far away!

I have gathered up five wonderfully spooky coloring books for you to enjoy.

1. The Beauty of Horror: a GOREgeous Coloring Book by Alan Robert.
This is for anyone that might be a bit sick of flowers and mandalas. But buckle up! Not for the faint of heart.



                                                                    Click to Buy

2. Jasmine Becket-Griffith Halloween Coloring Book. This is perfect for Becket-Griffith fans, or anyone who loves the dark side of pretty.



                                           Click to Buy


Penelope's Garden, An Enchanted Coloring Book by Dea Lenihan. This book is filled with zombie mice, a nightshade garden, and an adorable witch named Penelope. Spooky cuteness for all ages.



                                           Click to Buy

4. Night Magic Gothic and Halloween Coloring Book by Selena Fenech.  Sweet, sexy, and magical witches, vampires, and more!



                                                   Click to Buy

5. Hanted House by Jade Summer. This easy to color book shows all the spooky rooms of a haunted house. Old fashioned Halloween fun!



                                            Click to Buy

With three spooky/witchy books and one straight up horror and a haunted house--how can you go wrong!

Each of the designers listed has more coloring books to buy--check them out!

Happy (very early) Halloween shopping everyone!

xo

Congratulations to the Penelope's Garden Coloring Book Giveaway

Congratulations to the three winner of Penelope's Coloring Book Giveaway!

Each winner will receive a copy of Penelope's Garden Coloring and a glow in the dark marker to light up the coloring book in the dark.

Thank you for entering!

Witches Brew Tea While You Color

Today as I set up my area to start another drawing, and realized that part of my drawing ritual involved tea. 

In the summer as I sit with the doors opened overlooking the cove I drink iced tea. But now there is a bite in the air and I find myself putting on the kettle.

As I waited for the water to boil I moistened the rim of the teacup and dipped it into a plate covered with brown sugar--kind of like an autumn margarita. Then I added spice to my cup of Afternoon Tea by Crabtree and Evelyn. Just a pinch of allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. I added a star anise and stirred with a cinnamon stick.

This nice warm tea was just what the doctor ordered on such a cold and blustery day. 

So grab your colored pencils and your favorite Halloween coloring book, or my new one if you like, PENELOPE'S GARDEN, and get to coloring with a nice warm cup of Witches Brew Tea.

Enjoy!

Here is a quickie video with instructions for delicious Witches Brew. If you make it tell me if you like!

xo

Penelope's Garden Halloween Giveaway

Penelope's Garden will be on sale October 1, but until then I am offering a glow in the dark giveaway.

I will give three copies of the coloring book along with black light markers to make the images glow!

Check it out here.

Enter the giveaway here! If you click the little YouTube sign at the bottom of the video as your watching it will take you over to YouTube and you can subscribe there.

Thank you and good luck!!

xo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here Comes Halloween and Penelope the Witch

Jack o'lanterns, ghosts and ghoulies, and things that go bump in the night! 

We are entering that delightfully shivery time of year when the days grow shorter and darker, and the veil between the worlds thins. The perfect time of year for Penelope the witch to make her debut!

Cute enough for even the most faint of heart, but still surrounded by pumpkins, bats, and even a Venus fly trap or two, this little witch may steal your heart.

Working diligently to get her done for you by October 1st so you can light your pumpkin scented candles and drink your Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte while you color.

Penelope picking Love Heart Daisies for a potion

 Please tell me if you like her, or if you can think of anything you would like to see growing in her midnight garden.

xo

Creepy Honeymoon Drive and How to Draw a Big-Eyed Frog

My parents celebrated their 55th anniversary this week. When asked about their most fond memories, the first thing they talked about was their drive from New Jersey to Florida. 

They were going to stay at a friend's hotel for their honeymoon, and they decided to drive the whole way. 

First of all, the bridge going through Savannah was covered in ice, and they were one of the last vehicles allowed through. The policeman directing traffic saw their Jersey plates and assumed they could handle it. 

As it got darker, they entered the Okefenokee swamp. They told me they were surrounded by moss covered trees, swamp grass, and the roads were covered with over a foot of water in some places. By the time it was completely dark they were so into the swamp that there were no street lights. 

They kept going anyway. 

After driving for what seemed to be forever, and listening to unusual night noises including what sounded like a very large frog, they saw a light in the distance. 

When they got close enough they could see it was one light bulb hanging from a wire, illuminating a toll booth.

They paid their dime, found out they were indeed going in the right direction, and found the next creepy little roadside inn. They spend the night, woke to see a giant swamp behind the motel, and continued on their journey.

Happily, when they finally got to their honeymoon destination the lodging was lovely and they had a wonderful time.

So in honor of their great adventure I decided this week to draw the Okefenokee frog.

Hope you have fun drawing him.

Don't forget to enter the JETPENS brush pen giveaway! It ends this Sunday. You can sign up HERE to win. Frogs were drawn with the TOMBOW brush pen from the set.

xo

This week learn to draw a Big Eyed Frog. Have fun!

Here is another image from The Open Pillow.

A SPOOKY CRAFTY Find!

Today as I perused Instagram I came across one of the cutest, easiest spooky crafts of the season.

Posted by muminthemadhouse, these Clay Tealight Ghosts were done by one of her nine year olds.

What you'll need:

Air dry clay (Crayola makes one for under $5 HERE)

Rolling pin or smooth bottle

Butter knife

Shot glasses or bunched up paper towel

Just roll out the clay to about 1/8 of an inch. Cut appx. six inch diameter circles. Form ghost shapes over the shot glasses or paper towel, then make marks where the eyes and mouth will be. Lay flat again, then cut out eyes with butter knife. 

Drape ghosts over glasses again and let dry.

When dry (about 24 hours) place a battery operated tea light beneath ghost and place in a very dark corner to create a spooky atmosphere.

I love these! Hope you do too.

Thanks Mum in the Madhouse!

xo

CRAFT for KIDS ~ Make a CUTE HALLOWEEN GHOST!!

Ooooo!! It's almost October, that spooky time of year. Trick or treating and Jack o'lanterns abound.

Kids love this chilling time of year so every weekend of October we will post a creepy craft for kids.

This weeks craft is Adorable Apparitions. What you will need for this cute craft is:

Mod Podge fabric stiffener (Buy here)

Cheese cloth

A bowl

Balloons

Wine glasses or other cups or containers to hold the balloons

Scissors

 A small amount of black felt or a black marker or Sharpie

First blow up as many balloons as you will make into ghosts

Insert them into the glasses so they are about halfway in, and popping out of the top. You will be resting the damp cheese cloth on these balloons so make sure they are blown up enough that they will not sink into the glasses. Tuck the knot into the side so you don't get a bulgy ghost.

Cut the cheese cloth into thick strips, about 3 or 4 inches wide. Make the bottoms of the strips uneven. This makes for a spookier ghost. If you are going for cuter use more of a square shape rounded off at the bottom.

Pour some Mod Podge fabric stiffener into a small bowl, and dilute a bit with water. Now dip the strips of cheese cloth into the Modge Podge, and wring until slightly damp.

Place one strip over the top of a balloon with the ends hanging spookily down, then place another strip criss-cross over the top, the ends hanging down also. Set aside to dry.

Repeat on the other balloons.

When they are dry to the touch, you can glue some little black pieces of felt for eyes, or use black markers or googly eyes from the craft store.

Now take a pin and pop the balloons, and remove them carefully from the bottom. Thread a bit of fishing wire or floss through the tops of their heads and Voila! You have a happy little family of spooky ghosts.

You can hang them anywhere, but I will be painting a branch black and adding them as the season goes on to make a Haunted Halloween tree. (I'll show you next weekend.)

Show me your ghosts! I'd love to post them.

Happy Haunting!

The craft next Friday will be Pet Ghosts--see you then for more spooky fun.

xo