an old bat...

is anyone else enjoying the increasingly chilly weather? i MUCH prefer cooler weather and i always marvel at the leaves changing color - never ceases to amaze me!  couple that with the new season of all the tv shows and i am a happy camper!  i have been checking out some of the new ones - a fave is Revolution.  not so much because it is so good - it is mediocre - but because the whole premise just SO intrigues me!!!  as much of a tech junkie as i am i am also aware that a reset button might not necessarily be a bad thing.  of course i would also like to think if it happened i would be a total bad ass!  truth is i am probably past that stage at this point in my life but i can dream right?!  we also watched the pilot of 666 park avenue - scared the hell out of me!  not sure if i will be able to watch again....i don't do sports OR reality type shows though.  anyone else watching revolution?  i would LOVE to hear your take on it!

fall also means halloween is coming!we were doing a little shopping in Kohls this weekend and kevin spotted a sign in the halloween decor area and said my mom would LOVE it - you can see it HERE.  i grabbed it and was carrying it around and then it occurred to me i could make something that looked way better so i put it back and got to work!  here is what i came up with:

the best part is i didn't spend a dime on my version!  i already had the wooden plaque.  i started by adhering two french book pages across the front.  then i swiped on a bit of gesso in spots to cover some of the book pages.  i sprayed them liberally with water and then added some of the NEW Silks colors from Luminarte - I used Spiced Pumpkin and Sunflower - every one of the new colors just released by Dreaming In Color is absolutely deeLISH!

adding the water helps dilute the paint so it blends easier without diluting either the color OR the incredible shimmer Luminarte is known for.  The areas with Gesso have a lighter color whereas the bare book pages soak in the color and keep it vibrant.  Because Silks are a glaze the wording is still easily visible.

Once dry, I sponged on some pale sage acrylic paint and then added a darker sage using bubble wrap to get sort of distressed looking dots.  I used Black Silks around the edges.  Once everything was dry I cut out the bat silhouette and printed off the wording and added them using matte medium.  i sprayed it all with a sealer to protect it and added a hanger on the back.  i think my mom will love it!  what do you think???  and no, she won't be offended - she is fun like that!