Happy Halloween & Giveaway Winner!

 Happy Halloween!  I wanted to share with you a funny little project I did over the weekend.  It's a duel silhouette, and strangely, my husband had the great idea of using our silhouettes.  Wonder if I should be worried?

 The winner of my giveaway, it Bertie.  Congratulations!  She's getting one of my tiny ghost charms.  Thanks to everyone who commented on the last post.  It's an interesting ghost story, and scroll down to read it if you haven't.  The Del does have a very eerie feel to it, sort of like Disney's haunted mansion with a pretty facade on the outside, and scary stuff going on inside.

Well I do hope you have a fun safe Halloween.  My kids have been eating all the candy we got for trick or treaters, so I hope we have some left to give out!
Take care,
Martha

Haunted Hotel Del Coronado

Welcome to the Haunted Hotel Del Coronado, where guests check in but they don't check out! Beware, this story is actually based on historical fact and even beautiful San Diego has its dark side. The "Del" as locals call it, was built in 1888. The massive wooden structure is built in the Queen Anne style. It is a whimsical, fairy-tale like building, and is painted a beautiful white color.

The location is right on the beach, and is enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. Some of the hotel residents refuse to leave, which leads us to our ghost story...

Kate Morgan checked in on Thanksgiving Day under an alias in 1892. She traveled alone, which was strange for a woman in those days. Eyewitnesses noted Kate seemed quite sickly. The beautiful, young 24 year old stated she was waiting for her "brother" to join her. She waited and waited, 5 days went by, and he never showed up.

On the 5th day, Kate took a pistol, walked to a staircase leading to the beach, and shot herself in the head. Her death stunned everyone, and was well covered in the newspapers at the time. It turned out Kate Morgan was married, but she wasn't waiting for her brother, but a lover instead. Speculation that she was pregnant at the time still lingers as a possible motive for her suicide.

To this day, mystery surrounds her, and some even say she was murdered. One thing is for certain, many hotel employees and guests say Kate still resides at the Hotel Del Coronado.

But let's investigate for ourselves. Won't you please join me as we take an elevator ride? The Del was the first hotel to use electricity.

5th Floor please kind sir!

A beautiful chandelier hangs at the top of the elevator. We're going to the 5th floor, because that happens to be the room where Kate Morgan stayed and where a lot of strange bumps occur in the night!

I'm tall (almost 6 feet) but people in the Victorian age were much shorter because I could touch the ceiling, and had to duck walking up some of the staircases. Please watch your head, you don't want to lose it!

Notice the pretty architectural accents here and there. OK we're almost to the room.

Here it is, room 3327! Many people try to book this room months in advance in hopes of seeing Kate's ghost. I was told by an employee of the Del, that one guest who didn't even know about the ghost story stayed in room 3327 during a business trip. He never made it through the night because he came down to the front desk in his robe, with no shoes on demanding another room. He wouldn't even talk about what happened to him.

Notice how the numbers have been scratched off? Perhaps a warning for us not to linger.

There are rumors of lights in the room flickering on and off, phones ringing throughout the night, and strange fragrances of lavender filling the air.

Let's head downstairs to another area where ghost sightings have taken place. It's the gift shop Est. 1888.  I spoke to the manager there and she's had quite a few strange things happen to her. You really do get a very creepy feeling walking into the shop...

She told me books literally flew off one of the shelves, especially where Marilyn Monroe memorabilia are kept. Marilyn shot the movie "Some Like It Hot" at the Hotel Del Coronado. Perhaps Kate doesn't like all the attention Marilyn is getting! Another employee actually saw a figure of a woman in a black Victorian dress behind the counter when she arrived to work early one morning. Now she won't even look into the shop when she passes it in the hall.

Let's get a breath of fresh air out on the balcony. It's getting too scary in there.  

A final good bye to the Hotel Del Coronado. I hope you enjoyed our little tour. But wait, look closer at this photo. I don't remember seeing anyone looking out at us when I took this picture! OK, now I'm scared. Let's get out of here...

Happy Halloween!  

~Martha

Glitterfest Fall 2011

 Here are some pics from Glitterfest.  We had a great time seeing old friends, and meeting new ones.  It's such a great event, and thanks to Diane and Sheryl for putting it on.

 I think it helped making more, because I had record breaking sales.  Thanks to everyone who purchased from me, and all the kind feedback.  It makes all the hours of hard work worthwhile.

 This is the entry way into the building, with amazing works of art featured, including Iva's from Halloween Alchemy.

 Here's my beautiful daughter, who helped me out once again.  It's so much fun hanging out with her, and honestly one of the main reasons why I enjoy this show so much.  She had to hurry home to get to her other job too.  Thank you Kristin!  By the way, these free cookies were gone in a snap.

So that's all I have, I didn't take too many pictures because we were so busy.  Hope to see you at the next Glitterfest if you didn't make this one.
Take care,
Martha

Steampunk & Glitterfest

Finally got a few steampunk pendants created.  They were so fun to make.  I made them out of tiny antique watch parts. and they're covered in resin.  The fun part is layering the collage like a puzzle and creating a one of a kind piece. I'm getting all my goodies ready to go to Glitterfest.  My beautiful daughter is helping me out again, and this will be our 4th time as vendors.  If you've never been, you should try to come, it's such a great show and filled with unique gifts.  It's held in Santa Ana, CA.  212 South Elk Lane on Saturday Oct 15th, from 10-4.  Get there early because the best stuff sells out quickly.  Hope to see you there!
Take care,
Martha