Halloween: Haunted House

 

Every haunted house needs a garden gnome, especially a zombie gnome!

** Today is Day 16 of #septemberspookyseason24 on Instagram. Daily posts and some giveaways via @wyrdworldminiatures. (Click photos for full size.)

* Follow me also - @cwrite12. I'll try to post my daily (hopefully) Halloween inspiration here also with a reminder. Join in! 

TODAY'S PROMPT: Haunted House....

Which is still underway. Making progress on the Van Buren half-scale dollhouse. I'm close but I'm not-quite-done yet.

So sharing the previous photo of the front. I am working on a brick patio in the front of the house, so here's that progress.

I had this brick sheet forever and decided it would fit perfect for the house and would look even better painted black so it matches. I think it looks much better, doesn't it?

The small garden bed has a zombie gnome (top photo). I was lucky to find a couple sets from Lemax one year. The corner giraffe is a "topiary" animal like The Shining. I have a lion for the other side but I'd like to find a bear. These are smaller zoo animals so closer to half-scale size. The chair set (it comes with two planters) is from TMC Miniatures. I'll add some impatiens around the fountain and am making a bench/seat for the left side.

That's it for the moment! Will show more as I get more done. Thanks for stopping by again.

Halloween: Spooky Season Monster Mash!

  

 

 Mention the words, "Monster Mash," and I know you can hear that 1962 song playing by the famous Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers...  (7" record label image, Garpax Records) (Click photos for full size.)

** Today is Day 15 of #septemberspookyseason24 on Instagram. Daily posts and some giveaways via @wyrdworldminiatures. (Click photos for full size.)

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TODAY'S PROMPT: Monster Mash

I decided to invite a few "old" friends from the blog and around to join the party.

Let's see who showed up....

I'd like to introduce you first to Mrs. Skellie. She usually chaperones most of the shindigs and makes sure the monsters don't overdo it on the punch! (Skellie lady by me. www.cverstraete.com) 

Speaking of punch... What's a party without punch? (Be careful now; I heard this one has a real wicked kick! By Patricia Paul via my past blog. Artisan Patricia Paul makes a variety of "creepily" delectable things to eat and drink, perfect for that monstrous bash-mash! (Sign up for her newsletter at her website for some freebies. And be sure to visit her gallery while you're there!)

*** For an even bigger kick, check out an eerie Halloween story by author friend Jean Rabe: The Ascension of Mary Grace. With spooky miniatures, too. 

Someone's knocking at the door... Who is it?

  What a treat! It's Frank! If you stick around long enough, it turns out he's quite the joke-teller. Yeah, I know, some of his "jokes" are sure to make you groan! (The amazing hand-sculpted figure is one of many by artisan Sharon Cariola. See more of the guests she's made and read about Sharon here.)

It's turning into quite a party! Thank goodness, Mrs. Skellie got that lazy server to pass around some more drinks and snacks. Still, she says we can't fire her. It's so hard to dig up good help these days! (haa!) Wine by me and snacks by me, www.cverstraete.com.)

 

Ok, that's enough for now. Gotta go see what the other guests are up to. 

(You can find past Halloween in Miniature links here and on the top banner or type Halloween in Miniature into the search box in left column for a pot-luck tour!)

Hope you enjoyed today's mini-party! Thanks for coming by! Oh, don't forget your parting gift: a mini version of the famous record album for your collection! (Wikipedia image; mini album made by me, not for sale; personal use only.)

Interesting side-note: Wikipedia claims a favorite singer/songwriter/pianist, Leon Russell, played on Monster Mash. (I had no idea!) Though there is no mention on his biography page that I found, it's worth a look for all the contributions he made to the music industry. He played and recorded with just about everyone, even some I didn't realize.

Halloween: Spooky Miniature Witches

 

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** Today is Day 14 of #septemberspookyseason24 on Instagram. Daily posts and some giveaways via @wyrdworldminiatures. (Click photos for full size.)

* Follow me also - @cwrite12. I'll try to post my daily (hopefully) Halloween inspiration here also with a reminder. Join in! 

TODAY'S PROMPT: Witches/Wizards

I skipped yesterday since I didn't have anything to fit, but this one today is easy!

For some reason, I have made or have quite a few witches! Synonymous of Halloween, I guess. I do have a wizard, too, but not sure where the photo is.

The above witch was in my 1" scale haunted house, which is now packed away. (No room).

 Here's another flashier witch I dressed a while back. 

I still like this cute little girl witch, too. (Ignore the frame.)

And more recently, there's the 1/24th half-scale witch I dressed last year for the Witch's Cottage. (More photos and video at name link.)

* Thanks again for visiting. Be sure to stop by for more posts and photos!

Halloween Reading: Behind the Shadows II Release Day!

 Today is release day (perfect on Friday the 13th!) for the anthology, Behind the Shadows II, containing my eerie, Twilight-Zone-ish story, "Blink!" 

 In "Blink!", Tommy wakes to a new world and wonders why no one else "sees" what is going on but him.  A little weird and even funny at times!

* Get the ebook: various outlets

* Paperback, ebook - Barnes & Noble

* Paperback  - Amazon US

Halloween: Spooky Cobweb

 

 (Click photo for full size.)

** Today is Day 12 of #septemberspookyseason24 on Instagram. Daily posts and some giveaways via @wyrdworldminiatures. (Click photos for full size.)

* Follow me also - @cwrite12. I'll try to post my daily (hopefully) Halloween inspiration here also with a reminder. Join in! 

TODAY'S PROMPT: COBWEB

I had a hard time figuring what to add today... Then I remembered the rug I'd made for the current 1/24th Van Buren Halloween dollhouse I've been decorating.

I like making rugs from Halloween cobweb fabric, this one being transparent so I glued it to the matching bed fabric. The cool tree bed is from Michelle's Miniatures.

As for other cobwebs, I plan on putting some of the white webby kind on the ceilings and walls, but I'm sure they won't photograph well.

*** But... just realized I have the spooky table for the house, too. But will save that for another post as I also made the 1/24th Miss Haversham-style figure! Pix to come!

* Don't forget - you can sign up for email headline updates and see other post links in the left column.

#Halloween Book Review: A Skeleton Rides a Horse & Other Stories

  Halloween season is underway, so what better time to add some book reviews and such?

And nothing fits the season better I'd say than a book with a skeleton! Well, this skeleton does a lot of things including helping solve mysteries, in author Toni L.P. Kelner's latest collection, The Skeleton Rides a Horse and Other Stories.

* Get the paperback on Amazon and B&N, and get books and e-books at publisher Crippen & Landru.

The collection of 12 stories range from the title-inspired story "The Skeleton Rides a Horse," based on Toni's six-book Family Skeleton mystery series written under the name Leigh Perry, to stories, with curses, werewolves, pirates, a carnival, elephants, and more.

** Another fun fact is the author has a mini version of the skeleton named Sid that is her traveling companion on a lot of her book-related excursions! Read more about that here.)

This is an eclectic collection, sure to give readers a chuckle or two as they pick a favorite. The title-inspired story is especially fun if you're not familiar with Toni/Leigh's animated, re-living skeleton character, Sid, who travels around with main character, adjunct professor Dr. Georgia Thackery in pieces, in her bag. (See the cover photo.) And yet, Sid can still see, hear, talk, think, and reassemble himself as needed. Btw, he's a great help when there's a mystery at hand to solve as in this story involving a retro TV show reunion. 

(For Sid's origins, see the first mystery in the series, A Skeleton in the Family, A Family Skeleton Mystery.) 

I also enjoyed the story, "Where Does a Herd of Elephants Go?" I love elephants, especially watching videos of the playful babies and the wonderful rescue groups in Africa for orphaned elephants, so I hoped that this little mystery where the long-time owner of a small circus is killed isn't because of the elephants. I won't say what happened but there's a satisfactory ending and there's a good clue buried if you spot it. 

If you prefer a story with an interesting name, then the Agatha Award-winning story "Sleeping With the Plush" will have you going, huh? until you understand that it's set at a carnival. With a murder. And an ingenious way to get rid of the body and solve the crime.

There's more, much more, like werewolves, a sleazy bar owner who gets what he deserves, and other shenanigans. You'll enjoy the ride. I did. Giving this 💀💀💀💀💀. (Hey, it's as close to skeletons as I can get here.) 😊

Halloween: Spooky Season Pie!

 #SEPTEMBERSPOOKYSEASON24

** Today is Day 10 of #septemberspookyseason24 on Instagram. Daily posts and some giveaways via @wyrdworldminiatures. (Click photos for full size.)

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I may not be able to match all of these but I'll try....

Today's Prompt: I baked a pie

Well, I didn't but I had been wanting to make one of those creepy face pies for the dollhouse.

Luckily, I did a Halloween swap a couple years back in the Half-Scale group and my swap partner Randi did a great job of it!

I'm still setting up the 1/24th Van Buren Halloween dollhouse, but thought this pie (above) would be perfect on the kitchen table! If you haven't seen these in real life, they are even creepier!  Here's a video on YouTube from Wilton:

 

Halloween Spooky Season: Skellies!

 

Today is Day 9 of #septemberspookyseason24 on Instagram. Daily posts and some giveaways via @wyrdworldminiatures. 

* Follow me also - @cwrite12. I'll try to post my daily (hopefully) Halloween inspiration here also with a reminder. Join in! 

I may not be able to match all of these but I'll try.... (Click photos for full size.)

Today's prompt: Spooky Scary Skeletons! 

I don't know about scary... my miniature skeletons seem to be enjoying themselves!

I love putting them in the dollhouses, like the guy above visiting at the half-scale Witch's Cottage.  See more pix at the link above.

He seems to have made himself right at home, why, even spying on the neighbors! haa! (Well, he's doing better than his dead-looking friend standing in the back corner!)

Even better, he also has a dog! Every skellie needs a dog, you know.

Halloween: Spooky Season Historical Lizzie Borden

 

Remember that rhyme? Lizzie Borden took an axe...

Today is Day 8 of #septemberspookyseason24 on Instagram. Daily posts and some giveaways via @wyrdworldminiatures. 

* Follow me also - @cwrite12. I'll try to post my daily (hopefully) Halloween inspiration here also with a reminder. Join in! 

I may not be able to match all of these but I'll try.... (Click photos for full size.)

Today's prompt: Historical 

Previously I shared some amazing photos of a miniature Lizzie Borden scene by Debra Hinton and an  incredible handmade Lizzie Borden figure (above) by Sharon Cariola (see her Facebook page.) More photos worth a second look here. 

And if you're looking for the perfect Halloween read....

Reading the autopsy reports and looking at the crime scene photos made me think--what if there was another reason the victims were brutally killed in such a manner? The book is based on the real-life records and includes accounts of the actual events.

Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter by C.A. Verstraete, 

One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become… zombies? (See my website for more details on the book.)

Spooky Seasons: #Halloween Silhouette

 

Today is Day 5 of September #septemberspookyseason24 on Instagram. Daily posts and some giveaways via @wyrdworldminiatures. * Follow me also - @cwrite12. I'll try to post my daily (hopefully) Halloween inspiration here also with a reminder. Join in! 

I may not be able to match all of these but I'll try....

Today's prompt: Spooky Silhouette

Well, not the exact definition of a silhouette (which I don't have) so I'm doing another version - the form/ghost looking out the window of my 1/24th Van Buren Halloween dollhouse.

Merchant of Venus Review

 

About the Book: 

Imagine losing a parent and discovering he had a secret life you'd never known about. You and your siblings embark on a quest to uncover what it all meant, becoming enmeshed in a series of images and anecdotes found in newspapers, magazines, books, and documents. Ultimately, you realize your parent was not just famous, but VERY famous! Walter Thornton was famous during a time when it was easy to be forgotten (1920s to the 1950s), making the discoveries about his life all the more engaging due to the involved process of uncovering them.

 Through alternating perspectives presented by two sisters, the Thornton saga unfolds in a whirlwind of surprising revelations, unexpected drama, adventure, and glamour. Just imagine beautiful models, pin-up girls, Hollywood royalty—Thornton was a true trendsetter. This book unveils the captivating story of Thornton's rise from an orphan to a charismatic male model, to a visionary who transformed advertising by founding the first-ever agency for advertising models. But hold onto your hats because there's more! Get ready for dramatic twists, encounters with models who transformed into Hollywood legends such as Lauren Bacall, Susan Hayward, and Grace Kelly, and a hint of McCarthy-era intrigue—it's a gripping tale worthy of the silver screen itself!

** Purchase a copy of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add it to your GoodReads reading list.

Review:

 I'll admit, biographies, autobiographies and memoirs often sound interesting, or they're done by/based on an interesting individual but... they often don't pan out.

They can be boring, self-indulgent and short on any unique facts. Don't stop reading here because I said that. This book is different.

I was drawn to The Merchant of Venus, The Life of Walter Thornton by Nancy Thornton Navarro and  Adriana Thornton-Cornejo with Philip Mershon, as I love old Hollywood, like history, and this is a topic and subject I didn't know much about. I'm glad I agreed to read it.

This is definitely worth reading ,with tidbits about such people as the beautiful Susan Hayward and even the legendary Lauren Bacall and Grace Kelly's beginnings as Walter Thornton models... to a sprinkling of other lesser known stars.

An intriguing, fun fact is that Robert Thornton---the subject of the book and originator of the well known and well regarded modeling agency, which started the trend for managing and advertising models--- was a model himself. And pretty well known. Remember seeing all those vintage magazine ads with the dapper guy in the spiffy hat? Yup, that was him. Thornton's near-perfect classic features put him in the place of being the most requested and highest paid hat model in the industry.

What I found amazing was that after the daughters were grown, they were lucky enough to find their father's papers and photos still hidden away in the former family home.

There's also a unique family mystery his daughters try to solve along the way about why their father was in a Depression-era photo with a sign saying his car was for sale as he needed money. It turns out they found he never went broke and in fact seemed to weather the Depression well. 

If you like old Hollywood, history, and more, you'll enjoy this book. It's an interesting, compelling, and easy read. Hat's off! I give it 5 stars, or more appropriately, let's give it 5 hats. 🎩🎩🎩🎩🎩

About the authors: 

 

 Nancy Thornton Navarro is a former trademark and copyright attorney who has also served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Irving, Texas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Nancy currently lives near Dallas with her husband and is a proud mother of three.

 Adriana Thornton-Cornejo (R) is a Programmer, 2D Artist, and CAD Drafter at Focus 360, a company serving the Home Building Industry. Adriana hopes that, with renewed public interest in her father’s life and career, she can one day open a Walter Thornton Museum. She lives near Los Angeles with her husband and their two sons.

 Philip Mershon is an entertainment industry historian and storyteller who loves going down a good rabbit hole in search of the truth. He lives in Palm Springs, California.