It’s time to spook things up a bit, me thinks…
Halloween looms near.
Crispy nights, and apple cinnamon delights.
Masked faces guide us through starlit sky.
Glittered goblins and sparkly skulls.
Spooky tales at midnight.
Pumpkins here and pumpkins there, all sizes and shapes, we don’t care.
A taste of magic in the air.
A shadow here, a creek there.
Late night strolls, darkest skies and weeping trees.
How I love this time of year.
The spirit of Halloween is short as short can be here.
Maybe only one day long you see, warm skies and summer lingers…
In this curious desert land.
But if you stay up late enough, you feel the cool send shivers up your spine by night.
And then you know, you know, the time is very near.
A chill, a fire, a dance around the cauldron.
What with real witch tales in our family, and my grandma’s endless true scary stories, my mind is full with memories of spooks and phantoms a plenty.
Tales so scary, we would sit around a giant wooden table by night, and my Nana would scare me so much I could not move.
My breath would have shivers.
Tales of great great grandmother’s almost being buried alive.
Witches casting spells.
Hauntings way up in the double door attic.
Old ladies trying to strangle you by night.
And spells, oh spells so many.
More family tales here.
I remember when I was in elementary school, I found out about
(pronounced yorona)
Oh, we would spook ourselves into oblivion with that fascinating tale.
Was she stealing children, or howling in the night?
We didn’t know.
But in our youngest heart of believing hearts, we felt her.
We knew she was there.
Young imaginations running wild.
Appropriately so…
Kim of Gerushia’s New World is offering a 4 print set for giveaway.
How wonderful, wow, how kind!
But guess what?
One of the characters in each piece….
…La Llorona…
Oh, fascinating!
And the prints together paint a wonderful tale, of your own mind’s making…
Simply leave a comment to enter.
If you’d like, feel free to share a spooky tale of your own.
Absolutely perfect, especially for this time of year.
When youthful imaginations come out to play extra much.
Kim also has a piece available from her –
Alice Through the Looking Glass show…
Mi Corazon Por Alicia, original, available here.
Take a peek.
Time to set that Autumn Magic free!!!
Oooooooo, I feel it, I feel it!!!
I am getting soooo excited, are you?
I get frantic during the last handful of days before Halloween and parties.
A good frantic.
Must absorb!
Looove, V
Magical Autumn……you are magic too ~
It really is magic the way they tell a story of the season! Amazing! Happy Fall!
Yes, beginning with the autumnal equinox – the days change and I love the cooler weather. The colors, it is all part of the cycles and is necessary for new life.
I love the work Kim of Gerushia’s New World does – she has a sense of things unseen… does that sound spooky – it shouldn’t… or should it… bwahahaha
Deni @BreitWerk
I love your cloche, Vanessa! Eerie yet pretty at the same time!
Toss my name in there somewhere Vanessa!! What an awesome grandmother you had. You lucky little girl; and now, grown woman…the experiences that helped shape you today. Wonderful. Have you seen the movie CHOCOLATE with J. Depp and others? There is a grandmother in the movie played by Dame Judi Dench where she finally reunites with her grandson whom has been forbidden to see her; she has been carrying around in her pocket a hardcover book of horror stories for her grandson who loves gory stuff. The scene is the two meeting and her giving the boy the book and her reading a sentence to him over a cup of hot chocolate. Memorable. That is how your grandmother probably was (in my mind’s eye anyway). Hugs, Norma, x
Norma, I am so lucky I still have my grandma, and she is a beloved
wonderful gran still. I adore her. She is still totally active and
up to all her shenanigans 🙂
I love the movie Chocolat, I own it so I watch it a lot. 🙂
Its wonderful!!!
You sure know how to work your magic!!!!
La Llorona sounds like Baba Yaga, ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_Yaga )a terrifying Eastern European witch who also steals children and lives in a house which stands on chicken feet. Her long hair hangs over her face in the manner of that woman in the terrifying The Ring film. I saw a very scary film last night-Darkness. Have you seen it? It is from 2002 so quite old. Really scary and really good!
Was it really scary???? I might have to buy it – as I cant find it
on Netflix – but only if it was reaaaaally scary ;)))
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 10/21/2012 12:12:57 P.M. US Mountain Standard Tim,
You always have the prettiest photos…sigh.
Hey–the La Llorona song is from where???
Is it on a soundtrack? Frida, maybe?
I know it’s on some really good soundtrack.
Vanessa:
You are the best! Thank you so much for hosting a give-away for my “La Llorona” inspired prints. You do soooo much good in this world! You make people smile and think and laugh and sometimes cry.
Thank you for just being who you are!
xoxo
Kim
Gerushia’s New World
Oh myyyyy pretty…………please oh please include meee. Kim’s prints and your photos…oh my……candy to my minds eye…thank you from the bottom of my coal black heart……🖤Debi
I LOVE YOUR BLOG! This one is so magical and enchanting.
The other day I was in a hurry and grabbed a Stampington mag to take with me (hoping that it would be in this season.) Lo and behold, thumbing through it who do I find but the article about you and your Halloween garden. I read these magazines over and over and over but it was still a surprise to grab just the right one!!! Diane
My True And Spooky Story
A number of years ago, I was crossing an old bridge near my home. I was almost to the middle of the wooden pedestrian walkway when I noticed a lone heron standing in the river. They’re such beautiful birds, and so tied to Old Magic that I stopped to watch it, and after a few minutes of admiring it, I heard someone coming toward me on the walkway. I looked up and saw a woman wearing a longish denim skirt, a jean jacket, and a denim bucket hat. She had platinum blonde hair, about chin-length, and my impression was that of someone perhaps in her 20s.
When she was about a foot away from me, she looked up and I realized that her hair was not platinum, as I had originally thought, but stark white. Her face was covered with lines and wrinkles (obviously not a woman in her 20s at all) and she had these incredibly bright blue eyes.
She asked me what I was looking at, and when I pointed out the heron, she looked at it for a minute, then nodded and said, “You only ever see one of them, alone.” She paused for a few seconds, then said, “Only ever one alone.” Paused, then again, “Only ever one alone. Paused again, then repeated a third time, “Only ever one alone.”
She nodded at the heron again, then at me, and continued on her way. I turned back to the heron again. Almost immediately, it spread its wings and took flight, and to my great surprise a second heron appeared, and they flew away together. I turned to call at the woman to tell her to come and look, but found that I was alone on the bridge and alone on the street. She was nowhere to be seen.
I went looking for her, of course, but the fact is that there were no houses she could possibly have reached in that short space of time. I even searched in the trees about a half-block past the houses nearest the bridge. I didn’t find her, but while I was looking it occurred to me that after she passed me, I hadn’t heard any more footsteps on the wooden walkway.
Happy spooky days, Vanessa (and everyone!)
Meg
I don’t have any spooky stories to share, but I am getting in the spirit and decorating watching spooky movies, even though it is still 90 degrees! We make the best of it.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!! I think she was one of the
Herons!!!
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 10/21/2012 3:00:55 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
Miss Alia, dont we though?? I guess it is better than being ice
freezing cold, and the nights and mornings are glorious arent they????
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 10/21/2012 3:05:43 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
Oh bravo, Vanessa!
Do you know it took me literally YEARS to arrive at that conclusion?
When it finally occurred to me (one day when my “rational” mind was looking the other way) that she was the second heron, my whole being resonated “YES!!!!” with the idea. I’ve never been able to come up with another more likely explanation.
Oooooo, wonderment shivers!!!!
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 10/21/2012 3:47:28 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
Your photos and stories are so magical. Thank you for so much beauty.
Magical Autumn!
Por aqui tambien se conoce la leyenda de La Llorona.
Si se puede contame a Giveaway
Besos
Claro que si Jorgelina!!! Besos!
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 10/21/2012 6:13:02 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
OOooooooooooooooo so exciting 🙂 I am such a lover of this blog for years now 🙂 Thanks V for making each holiday so magical and planting seeds of magic & inspiration in my own life!
How exciting 🙂 We just purchased our pumpkins today, it’s great! The season is definitely here :)) Sign me up for that giveaway, please!
I just had to come and tell you…I saw an ad just a few minutes ago for this coming Friday’s episode of Grimm on NBC. (I haven’t watched the show yet – but here it is pretty good) anyway, this weeks episode is about La Llorona!!! 🙂
tee hee!
love & blessings
~*~
OH MY!! I HAVE to watch it. I have seen about 12 episodes to date on
Hulu2 on my Wii. Even though I dont have cable, I can see some things
;)))) Thank you for the tip sweet Laura!!!!
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 10/21/2012 7:05:47 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
Eeeeep! I know, it’s almost here. It’s also the most Wonderful Time of the Year!Busy busy busy crafting all sorts of costumes and fun!
Magic and mystery. I just love visiting your blog!
It is finally cooling down a bit here….starting to feel like Halloween….love this time of year!
Oh how lovely these prints are. Thank you for introducing us to Kim and her work. 🙂 This is a time for magic and mysteriousness. The BEST time of the year, definitely! 🙂 I am excited for the party – and I must get working on my treats for the fete! 🙂 xoxo
Neato!!! I have just recently learned of La Llorona in a great witchy mystery set by Juliet Blackwell. Awesome folktale! Definitely creepy. :)))
Ooooooo, I hope I win…
I am such a fraddy cat, I won’t or can’t tell my grandchildren about La Llorona, because then I’ll scare myself!!!
Before my father died he was in a VA hospital almost a 100 miles from were we lived.We could only go visit a couple of times a week.My mom,one brother and I and my husband went to visit one weekend.We got there and were talking to my dad and he said my younger brother had visited him earlier to day We told dad that was not possible as we had left him home.My father insisted and said my brother had shown him his hand with a bandage on it.We left thinking there was no way my brother could have visited in time frame since we had left him.We came home.My brother was there with a large bandage on his hand.While we were gone he was helping a friend roof their house and put a nail through his hand with a nail gun.He had not seen our talked to my dad nor had anyone else.It had happened while we were driving home.
Tina, ooooh my word!!!!! What a true tale!! wow!!
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 10/22/2012 3:07:48 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
Blogger is playing disappearing acts with my comment so may get a duplicate! As a thirteen year old I dreamt that I was flying through the night sky fast to my grandmothers house with a silver cord coming out of me and wrapping me safely – these dreams went on for about a year – my grandmother had no phone so we wrote fortnightly – she wrote and said she had seen me in the house and it frightened her (she lived 100 miles from me) … no more night flights – years later I learned this is known as astral projection. Scary? Lovely giveaway something a bit different – would you put me in the cauldron for a chance please. Thankyou. Betty
Betty, thats amazing!!!!!!!!! Oh yes….. I heard of this in
my early angel store days….. where they did spiritual healing in the
back part of the building. So fascinating!!!
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 10/23/2012 9:20:47 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
Really scary! It is worth it just for the old photo that is part of the story. Terrifying!
Oh I love the magic I see here each year in October. A scary story you say, yes I have one. Most don’t want to hear it, but it is true I say. My daughter started working in a building that was haunted and one day was there alone. When she went into the little bathroom she could feel him there and knew he didn’t want her there. She felt a gentle push on her back as she left and the door slammed shut behind her. Now there was no one to say it was true, but certainly it must be, as my daughter wouldn’t lie to me or would she? Oh how I love a spooky, scary tale.
oooooooooooooooooo!!!
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 10/23/2012 1:02:08 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
Kim’s digital artwork is amazing! I like her signature ‘hand’ in her artwork. Your witches are delightful and yes, there is a comfort in their quirkiness. (BTW, I have been writing a short novel about witches for three years now)…it’s just taking me some time to ‘get it off the ground’ so to speak. Like you said, there needs to be more witch movies! I sent a rough draft off to my brother to edit but I have totally changed the story line around in the past two years. I have this urge to just push myself to the limit and get the crazy book done! I am more creative in the fall then in the sluggish hot summer.
The poor butterfly…what delicate creatures they are…I think they are old souls in disguise. They just seem to ‘know’ things about life but won’t tell!
I always work better under pressure.
Ta! Ta!
Miss Teresa
http://amagicalwhimsy.blogspot.com/
Miss Teresa, cant wait to read your tale someday 😉
You will be so impressed to hear that Kims collage is all done by hand,
can you believe it???
I am always amazed at handcut, hand tinted collage…. love it!!
Cheers to the witches, bwahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa!! 😉
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 10/23/2012 4:47:30 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
Just reading your entry made me think of the hundreds of scary stories my grandma has told me my whole life (after listening to them when i was younger i would end up sleeping with her, too frightened to be alone)she came from Central America and has some spooky tales to tell of people changing into animals, haunted houses, curses, witches, ghosts and la llorana plus a few other characters that make you shiver when hearing them, I keep saying that I have to sit with her and write them down so I may pass them down to my boys. Here is one: a few days after her mom had passed away a family friend was walking into town and caught a glimpse of someone walking towards a field that resembled that of my great grandmother she started calling after her and was running towards her and as she was getting closer she noticed there was a fence but the person didn’t go underneath it as she had too and thought that was strange but she still kept walking towards her and she finally stopped at a well, she noticed she was wearing a veil almost like mourning clothes and when she turned it was my great grandmother and then she started speaking in a not from this world language and when she heard this her tongue rolled back into her throat and was unable to speak for hours, upon hearing about this my grandma and her sisters slept together for months and adventures.
Sorry for the long post, also your blog is amazingly beautiful and so inspirational, thank you for sharing all your wonderful tales.
I have a slew of magically strange things happening in my life. Here is a good one. When I was a kid, my aunt took me and my cousin to see Dracula starring Frank Langella. Now, we went in the daytime. We came home in a cab. And we all got out and all of the sudden we heard a wolf howling! It was still daytime and we lived in The Bronx. Where I have never heard of any wolves around here. We were all freaked out and literally ran to the door of my aunt’s house to get to safety.
OHhhh!!!! Awesome!
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 10/24/2012 5:32:27 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
What a wonderful give-a-way! Please enter me for this one!
I love your garndmother’s stories that you have shared. I’m trying to give wonderful stories myself to my 2 grand-daughters. I’ve started writing them out now so that I don’t forget. I forgot the entire middle of a story that I made up while camping with my oldest grand-daughter.
It was about a very grouchy river rat that played dirty tricks on everyone who tried to cross the bridge that he lived under. At the end of the story it turned out that he wasn’t a river rat at all, he was a porcupine that accidently put his coat on inside out and it was prickling him all the time, so that was why he was so grouchy. Once he got his coat on the right-way-out he was so happy and made friends with all of the other animals that lived by his bridge and played no more dirty tricks ever, except on Halloween when even the kindest forest animal needs to play a trick or two.
There was a great deal more to the story, I know I told it by the fire before we got into our tent for the night, but I cannot for the life of me remember all of his antics so my grand-daughters are helping me to make up more adventures:) It’s a good idea for grannies to write down any stories that aren’t true as they will be begged for months to tell the story again:)
OH!!! How wonderful!! And I love that his coat was in inside
out, I mean, for sure that would make anyone grouchy ;)))) You are a
wonderful grandma for doing this!! 😉
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 10/24/2012 8:30:53 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
Oh I love your Halloween decor so much! You do such an amazing job! Just popping in to let you know what a delightfully spooky mood your recent posts are putting me in 😉
Jenn, that is AWESOME!!! I know what you mean totally, about getting
into the mood!! 😉
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 10/25/2012 10:27:07 A.M. US Mountain Standard Tim,
If I am down and in a funk all I have to do is come to your blog and I perk right up……this is a personally tough time of the year for me so thank you for all your amazing pictures and post 😉
Xoxo
Gina