Today

Current Location: Dad's house, Rio Linda

  Today I began working on the pile of (mostly crafting) stuff in front of the dresser.  I emptied two boxes that were full of bedding (because I figure they'd be emptied soon anyway, once I get this stuff out of the way of the bed).  One now holds craft supplies (wooden beads, fake flowers, interfacing, electrical wires, a box of rocks. . .), while the other is for "projects" (jeans that need mending, thrifted clothes with no buttons, old Steampunk Things of the Week I never finished, white socks in need of some color, materials for a Halloween costume that never got made. . .).  Tools (button maker, pens, measuring tapes, screwdrivers. . .) went into drawers which already held art and office supplies (tape, rulers, highlighters, staplers, crayons. . .).  So everything is still a bit jumbled and could use more organization, but it's at least off the floor and somewhat contained.  I also found my big bag of nail polishes, which means now I can paint some things that had to be put on hold for a while.

  While I was doing that, my dad went over to Judy's house to pick up some stuff for the Halloween party.  He came back with a sarcophagus and a life-sized butler in the truck bed.

  Judy had her car stuffed with other decorations, too, so we hauled everything inside and started setting it up.  The butler looks pretty awesome as the mad scientist (complete with store-bought, pre-packaged steampunk lab coat), but I'm not posting photos until after the party so people will be have something to look forward to.  I got to figure out how to make my mad scientist wig and his goggles stay on his head at the same time (I ended up using a safety pin).

 "Before".

  Also, the Egyptian area is coming along nicely.  In addition to the sarcophagus, Judy brought sheets with hieroglyphics etc. painted on them, which we stapled up to define the space, smaller artifacts to put in "packing crates" which we will be stenciling labels on, and a couple of small mummies.  She also intends to make a mummy that will contain prizes to be unwrapped - sort of like a piñata, but without the violence.
  Other things Judy supplied: a skeleton called "Abby Someone", a variety of severed hands and large spiders, a giant, glittery orange skull with an arrangement of dried plants and black roses (of which she gave me one), valances, a ghost in a gorgeous dress which apparently was a wedding dress dyed purple . . . .

Again, I can't post photos that show it off to full advantage because these are teasers, not spoilers.

  Supplied by Col. Kurtz:

Yes, it works.

  We also made good use of his pocket knife for opening stubborn packaging and unscrewing the battery compartments of electric candles (also provided by Judy).