DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

A group of vampires has variously been call a clutch, brood, coven, pack or clan. (a clan if their Scottish!) The Muppet vampire, Count von Count from Sesame Street, is based on actual vampire myth. One way to supposedly deter a vampire is to throw seeds ( usually mustard) outside a door or place fishing net outside a window. Vampires are compelled to count the seeds on the holes in the net, delaying them until the sun comes up. A rare disease called porphyria vampire like symptoms, such as an extreme sensitivity to sunlight and sometimes hairiness. In extreme cases, teeth might be stained reddish brown, and eventually the patient may go mad. One of the most famous "true vampires" was Countess Elizabeth Bathory (1560-1614) who was accused of biting the flesh of girls while torturing them and bathing in their blood to retain her youthful beauty. She was by all accounts a very attractive woman. Vampire legends may have been based on Vlad of Walachia, also...

   This diy comes from www.thevintagedresser.blogspot.com  .   When ordinary leaves just won't do. Musical Leaves Tutorial When we were in one of our favorite shops in Snohomish a couple of weeks ago,  Joyworks,  I spotted some leaves they had hanging above their check-out area. They had been cut from music sheets from a song book. For some reason they struck me as a fun project to do, so here we go: On a trip to town a few days ago, I cruised some streets, looking for trees with pretty leaves. I was in a residential area and felt a LITTLE conspicuous parking in the street, jumping out and ripping leaves off of trees, but sometimes one has to sacrifice dignity in the name of "art"! LOL! Now, FYI, It would have been easier to use these leaves if I'd come right home and jumped on this project! But no---I waited a couple of days before I got to it, and the leaves were curling and getting kind of crispy! So, I smoothed th...

    Tuscany draws you with an irresistible air to Arezzo transforming a land into a theater filled with a lifestyle of tradition, culture and cuisine. Arezzo which is about 80 kilometers from Florence hosts the Giostra del Saracino or the joust held at the Piazza Grande. This medieval festival displays facets of its old world charm, its famous history, tradition and its tasteful cuisine.     Held on the first Sunday in September, the procession of La Giostra del Saracino winds its way right down to the Piazza Grande. Originating from the ancient Crusades, this Saracen joust began in the Middle Ages. The Christian Crusaders battled with the Islamic tribes or the Moors of the North African Arabs in an attempt to drive them out of Europe. This Baroque joust started between the 15th and the 16th centuries and gained popularity. But during the 18th century, the royal air that surrounded it declined and lost its notoriety. A brief...

   This was found at www.countryliving.com .  I really like this idea.  Even having the eyes glowing or blinking on and off.  Paranormal Portraits You'll never look at loved ones the same way after transforming their images into a ghostly display. STEP 1: Make a black-and-white copy of a portrait on printer paper and cut out. STEP 2: To "age" the picture, lightly brush it with a sponge dipped in a solution of a few drops of black craft paint mixed with water. Let the paper dry. STEP 3: Cut a piece of card stock the same size as the photo, glue to the photo's back, and let dry. With an X-Acto knife, cut out the eyes of the picture's subject(s), piercing through the card stock and creating holes about 1/4 inch in diameter. STEP 4: Open the frame's back, remove the glass, then fit the photo inside. STEP 5: Insert red mini LED Christmas lights (try Superior Holiday Lighting's flattop version, $11.26 for a 25-foot string; 10...

   This recipe was found at www.dinnerwiththedonnells.blogspot.com .  This is a quick and easy party dessert, almost like a truffle without some of that extra work. Oreo Balls!! Many of you may have had these before, but for those who haven't, YOU ARE MISSING OUT!! A few years ago at Bunco, my friend Melissa brought these and I was instantly in LOVE! They are insanely easy to make and will literally fly off the plate. If you need to take a dessert or a snack somewhere, take these...they are always a big hit! ~~~ Oreo Balls 1 package Oreo Cookies 1 block cream cheese, softened 1 package Chocolate Almond Bark or Bakers Chocolate Baking Squares ***I halved the recipe this time around, so that is why everything looks smaller. :) Place Oreo Cookies in a baggie and smash until it is the consistency of dirt. Mix softened cream cheese into smashed cookies. This is what it will look like when the cream cheese is mixed in: Form into balls. (I like to ...

     The World Stone Skimming Championships 2012 will take place on Sunday 23 September 2012 on Easdale Island, near Oban in Argyll, Scotland.     Easdale Islan is the smallest permanently inhabited island of the Inner Hebrides. It was once the centre of a thriving Scottish slate mining industry, and one of the disused quarries forms a perfect arena for the World Stone Skimming Championships.     The championships are held every year on the last Sunday in September. Anyone of any age and any level of skill can enter. Each competitor is allowed 3 skims using specially selected Easdale slate skimming stones. For a skim to qualify the stone must bounce at least three times - it is then judged on the distance achieved before it sinks. About The World Stone Skimmin...

   This recipe comes from www.foodologie.com .   Can you just smell those different aromas seeping through the house with this cake is almost ready to come out of the oven! It feels like fall. That’s probably because it is. Lately, we’ve had daytime highs of 43F. To most Californians that would sound like winter. Most mornings it’s below 30F. Most Californians (including my former self) don’t even know what that feels like. Regardless of what fall looks and feels like, I generally have a vague idea of how fall tastes. At work, there is a cake called the Fall Collection. I’ve never tasted it in it’s full glory, but I’ve tried pretty much all the component parts: Gingerbread Cake, Pumpkin Ginger Cheesecake, Caramel Pecans and Vanilla Buttercream. Sounds like fall. I was inspired to recreate it. I won’t lie. This was sort of a process. It pretty much requires two days since the cheesecake has to cool completely and set. BUT totally worth it...