Carey Burns

Earlier this morning, a roar of thunder shook my office and I got to thinking of all the times it rained on Halloween when I was growing up. Many years, it kept us home. Back then, it was the end of the world but looking back as an adult, I have to give my mom credit for carting six kids into town in the station wagon to let them run slightly amok with the other trick-or-treaters. The weather report says we're due for temps in the high seventies on Halloween and I hope its true. I love seeing the kiddos come up to the house, even though I usually turn candy duty over to the hubby. (he's truly a kid at heart) Halloween is more special to me than any other holiday. Its a night where you welcome a total stranger to your door. To me it isn't always the scare or the costume or the candy. I know the origins of the holiday and what it evolved into in the US. For me, its neighbors being neighborly. Its sharing your bounty. Its a sense of trust and goodness. Its a childlike sens...

Greetings! Recovery is still going pretty well and I'm "walking" without using crutches or that zippy kneeling scooter thing. I'm still not in a real shoe yet, but last night  I slept without wearing the walking shoe. It felt nice to let my foot breathe!!! On another foot-related note, I'm now a big fan of Epsom salts. My toe still looks pretty ugly and maybe one of these days I'll post a picture for you non-squeamish people to see what I'm talking about. Since it is October, you know I've had big ideas for decorating and going fun places and doing all the things, but I've had to really tone it down. The first heartbreak was saying no to Iron Invasion this year. I couldn't see myself tromping around a fairground in the rain with crutches or getting my walking shoe all mucked-up. The second thing I had to say no to was working with a local reporter on a Halloween story. I just didn't have the time or energy to do what was needed for th...

Hello, blog world. I've been absent a while, huh? Well, last month, I learned that my feet aren't just arthritic, they're pretty messed up. Dislocated bones and bone spurs have been adding to my pain all along. Who knew? I decided to skip the conservative route in regards to treatment because I'm tired of the pain interfering with my life. Phase One of The Right Foot Fix happened September 13. I had my big toenail and the sneaky bone spur that lived underneath it removed. Painful? Yep. Gross? Indeed. Worth it? So far, yes. It'll be nice to (hopefully) be free from ingrown toenails and all the pain they bring and it'll be nice to not have pain from the spur when I walk. Recovery is going well and I only cried (we're talking ugly cried) twice. The first time was when I couldn't put any weight on it and had to use crutches for the very first time to get down steps and a sidewalk to our car. This girl has no upper-body strength and no skills with crutche...

Things are finally calming down and I'm getting back into a semi-routine again and that means crafting. (of course!) "Ticket Takers" is coming along, but in a different direction. First, the skeleton I intended to use was too big and I was going to have to decapitate it. While at a monument shop, I discovered their fairy garden supplies had a few skeletons in them. This one fit the coffin perfectly! I glued it into place and then added a layer of chunky black glitter. After botching a photo, I rummaged through my Other People's Family photos and found these two kiddos. I wanted to make them more skeletal but didn't want to botch them up too so I found these skull charms. Almost there, but not quite. I found some skull and cross bone charms in my stash and snapped off the cross bones. They look a bit more menacing. I added some iron paint and I'll rust them tonight along with some other do dads for the "His and Hers" project. The flowe...

Howdy! If you're a regular reader, you'll notice I totally scummed you on WIP Wednesday. Sorry about that, I had a family emergency crop up on Monday. You probably won't get a Free Fiction Friday this week either, so be prepared. I'm hoping to maybe have posts for next week, but you never know what life will throw your way, am I right? In lieu of actual content, I'd like to pose a question to you. If, like me, you were a vegetarian (eggs and dairy allowed) and saw a vegetable egg roll on the menu of a hospital cafeteria, would you expect it to have pork in it? I'd like to say I'm "asking for a friend" but it was me. I trusted it to be just vegetables and took a bite because egg roll goodness and swallowed it. The taste let me know that there was some surprise ingredient and when I dissected the remaining egg roll, it realized it should really have been listed as a pork egg roll . My guts weren't pleased, I can tell you that.  All in all,...

Today's Maker's Monday post is probably one of the easiest thus far. I've been in my head for almost a week and kinda forgot about posting today. Oops! So, at 9 p.m. last night I was racking my brain for a quick and easy project. I present to you: Creepy Cameo. You've probably guessed I'm already in Halloween mode at my house. I actually went to one of my favorite stores and bought three huge orange and black crepe pinwheels and a few reproduced vintage decorations and put them up. This cameo is sure to keep me in the spirit and goes well with the orange shirt I'm wearing.  Supplies: 1 Tim Holtz Crypt Cameo 1 Tim Holtz Jump Ring in Nickel Satin Cord (cut to your desired necklace length) Tools: Jeweler's pliers (one or two pairs, depending on your preference) Scissors Instructions: 1. Cut the satin cord to your desired necklace length. I've been wearing longer necklaces lately so I opted for about 29 inches. 2.  Open your j...

This past Saturday I started crafting around 6 a.m. and didn't stop until well after noon. I wish I had more days like that, but I'll take what I can get! The day started with alcohol inks and an idea - Halloween cards! I chose my favorite spooky colors: lime green, orange, purple, and indigo and then made a band of black to make some creepy landscapes. I have a wonderful Tim Holtz stamp and after trimming the landscapes down, I stamped it on with archival ink.  The ink was faint so I worried it wasn't playing well with the paper or alcohol ink. I tried again. I'd say this time was a success! Next step for these pieces is a nice sealer and then they will become cards. Next, I created a Halloween collage out of Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Curiosities Ephemera , some Bristol board, and Glossy Accents. It was fun trying to make things layer together. Now that it is done, I might make another and frame both for a decoration. We'll see...

I must admit, I love how this pair of earrings turned out. Too bad I don't have much blue in my wardrobe. Supplies: 2 sterling silver ear wires 2 sterling silver components (these, sadly, seem to be discontinued) 8 sterling silver headpins (2 inch) 8 Round Swarovski crystals in Montana (4 mm) Tools: Jeweler's pliers (one or two pairs, depending on your preference) Flush cutters Instructions: 1.  Slide a Swarovski onto a headpin. 2.  With the tips of your pliers, make a 90 degree bend in the headpin just above the bead. Repeat for the other seven headpins. 3.  Trim a headpin so that it is just under 1/2 an inch long. 4.   Use your "scrap" piece of headpin as a quick-and-dirty way to trim your other headpins. Line it up with an untrimmed headpin and cut so they are the same length. Repeat for the rest of the headpins. 5.  Now you'll make your loops. Line the very end of a headpin up with th...

I remember watching some TV show when I was a kid of some guy spinning a bunch of white plates on poles. He'd get one started and hurry to the next, then another, and back to the ones that were slowing and on and on. That's kind of what I've been doing lately but with projects. Right now I have at least seven going in addition to writing and working a full time job. Eesh. I took this picture of everything to keep myself honest. Most of my focus has been on my Edgar Allan Poe piece, "Telltale Heart for Nevermore." I had one extra heart pan and decided to rust it up and see what inspired me. After going through my Other People's Photos, I stopped at a photo of group of girls. They just look bad ass and I immediately thought, "Squad Goals." Weird how the mind works. Anyway, I dry brushed on some white gesso and when it dried, I created a very green wash of paint to give it a verdigris look. I added Tim Holtz ® Distress Stain in Walnut t...

Some might say I'm becoming obsessed with the Vintaj line. All of their findings and charms just work so well together, I just can't help myself! This week is no exception. I present to you, a charming Butterfly Necklace. Supplies: 1 Leaf Sprig charm 1 Fluttering Wings Butterfly charm 2 Squared Bead Caps (7 mm) 1 large brass hoop (Confession: this is Vintaj but I don't know where I bought it!) 1 brass-toned headpin 1 round Swarovski in Peridot (8 mm) 1 length of brass-toned chain (28 inches long) 3 brass-toned jump rings (7.25 mm, 16 gauge)  1 brass-toned lobster clasp 2 small brass-toned jump rings   Tools: Jeweler's pliers (one or two pairs, depending on your preference) Flush cutters Instructions: 1.  Open one of the larger jump rings by clasping it in the pliers with one hand and holding it firmly between your thumb and index finger of your other hand (or another pair of pliers). Gently twist the pliers away from you and the jump ring sh...