Exciting Time of Year for me

I am here resting up since my health has been scary and questionable as of late. I need to rest these bones for the big event. My 2nd annual trip to Petaluma, California (Can you scream Dreamy?) for the 15th annual Halloween and Vine Halloween Art show! This show is a personal favorite for me as it is wrapped by the cutest, quaintest, friendliest town I have ever been in America. Of course the drool worthy art is the big draw- no doubt but this charming "old town" makes it the epitome of 100% perfect for me.


Last year I was lucky enough to attend both Halloween and Vine and Ghoultide. Both represent wonderful artistry that will leave you spellbound to say the least. With my own holiday show in its first year (SpookyTime Jingles Holiday Soiree) I needed to choose which one to attend as there was no way I could do all three (boo hiss).


So for many reasons the choice was Halloween and Vine baby! The stellar Petaluma Antiques Faire certainly did not hurt! The day after H&V is Sunday the 26th, and the center streets of Petaluma close down for streets filled completely with gorgeous antiques! It is nothing like I have ever seen!
Wonderful News, that it worked out well as Halloween and Vine and SpookyTimeJingles has since partnered to help spread the word about these amazing artists and the magic they bring. It was only 2 years ago that I dreamed of being able to simply visit this Super Bowl of Halloween Shows and now to think that we have partnered is heart warming beyond compare. The owners, Ginny Betourne and Christy Silacci both seemingly come from the same school of belief as myself, that there is room for all of us in this industry and to help others along the way. These are the type of women whom make you proud to be a professional woman. No shananigans just support, Hoo-rah ladies!

I just know this is going to be the trip of a lifetime!

There are 4 of us flying into San Fran from all over the country to meet up in Petaluma for the show. We added a few extra days this year so that we didn't lose time due to full days of travel. Plus, some of us are working the show, so we will need all the time we can get!



We have rented a sweet lil cottage that sleeps 5. It will be really nice to stay in a small house versus a hotel. I am in love with this yard already!


I imagine this amazing opportunity of rooming with friends, giving us many laughs and memories to reminisce on for many years.

I can see me now asking my roomie...are you asleep yet or can I keep talking? HA!

I am excited to be among such dear friends and new ones, whom I know will be dearie's too in no time flat (a girl just knows these things).

~click above to go to the Facebook event page or paste the link below~
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=148858378488093&index=1

After the big show day of the Halloween & Vine artistry, is an after party at the Adobe Pumpkin Farm in their exquisite Halloween Barn! I LOVE this farm and I cannot imagine a better location for friends, new and old to gather, enjoy a lovely dinner and dessert served with local wines.

If you are attending this years Halloween and Vine, please do stop by! We would love to see you! Details below:

You can also get information about this Event at: Creating TheHive

http://creatingthehive.com/event/1199/halloween-vine-after-party-2010

Confession: Chronic Pain, Ambition & Living well

Wowza, is every one else feeling the pressure of the season? I was speaking to a dear artisan friend the other day who mentioned that over the past few years they were unable to enjoy Halloween, do to the hectic work schedule this time of year brings. Shows, online markets, social networking, marketing not to mention family and everyday life.

It really hit a cord with me. I know for a fact if I am honest with myself, I can say the same about Halloween last year. Now, Halloween and Vine and even Ghoultide later undoubtedly made it quite fun (I soo enjoy shopping Halloween art ;) but when I got home and back to the real world of hectic schedules and expectations, the razzle dazzle of my beloved holiday was tarnished. There was no time left for fun it seemed.

This is such a sad and embarrassing thing for me to reveal. I work hard to be a machine as far a my body will allow me. I feel like it is a failure to not be enjoying the best time of year. I know that if my health was up to par that the heavy work schedule wouldn't mean a thing. You see, I have always enjoyed being an innovator even before I knew really what that meant. When I am smitten with my work it feels like fun, which means I end up devoting all time to that "work" and everything else gets neglected to some degree and I make no apologies-I just love it too much. I have never been good at balancing my home, work and social life and it is a character flaw that I wish was different for my loved ones but is not nor ever will be and I made peace with that long ago.

What I cannot make peace with is this bloody chronic pain. I think it is the chronic pain ruining my MoJo. It was just 1.5 years ago that I got the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia (aka: FM, Fibro). Leave it to me to get some disease-disorder that the medical community for over a 100 years believed was a falsehood and was simply made up in the imagination of needy women.
I told every specialist I saw over 12 weeks that they were wrong if they thought it was FM. You don't just wake up one day with "hospital pains" (the type of pain that the minute you feel it you know you are going to the hospital ER) always so fun, those are.

I later learned that the FM was brought on from a serious head trauma I had just suffered 2 years prior (10 foot steel pipe was dropped on my head (frontal lobe: memory, concentration, ect.. at a home improvement store). The gift that keeps on giving.

So, I now fully understand the depths of chronic pain (thought I understood before.. ha!) and how it through and through changes you as a person. It even changed a chunk of my belief system. There are things I would have never considered before that I surely would now if it made the pain go away. In truth, the pain has been in a harsh flair up for many weeks now. When it is bad, the pain brings me to an ugly place that should not exist--despair. During these time I cannot help but think about how I should be enjoying the upcoming sweet & spooky season and enjoying all of the good fortune and recognition that has been coming my way. I mean this is what I work for, to reach these goals and I cannot even enjoy it but for moments at a time.

Over the next 6 or so weeks I will be challenging myself by far the most I ever have since this illness took hold.
Even in great health, I believe the schedule I have made for myself would challenge Lance Armstrong. But I must secretly believe I can pull it all off because I NEVER give up.

So, in the next 6 weeks: I shall begin dismantling my current studio all together, painting the new one and moving all of the stuff back in. Staging the new studio for a photo shoot in TWO WEEKS for my biggest interview yet(eeep), Fully Decorate the house (we have approx 40 bins of Halloween decor), a coast to coast trip for Halloween and Vine which this year is 90% work related, Our first ever SpookyTimeJingles Holiday Soiree Art Show (HU-MUNGO undertaking), our 3rd annual Nelson's Manor Halloween adult Party (this is a very large undertaking), Multiple house guests at one time which will be a blast but the house has got to look good- fat chance in hell ;), Plus all of the normal stuff that goes on day to day...woo wee! I am wiped just from typing it out ;)
Yet, I am not sure I would change a single solitary thing! Yet, here I sit and vent, uh I am a frustration to myself!

So, as I prepare myself and try to align my health issues with my ambitions and learning to live well I ask for any positive thoughts and suggestions you can send my way as I try to find my way into the happy medium~

Love & hugs~
dingy dani~

Wonderful wake up call

Today was a first...I slept in a bit after a late night and was woken up in the late morn by a friendly gentlman who is the Editor in chief of a large magazine. Kinda went like this:

Hmmm..yes, I am Dani.
Yes, I would love to do a two part interview with you about SpookyTimeJingles.com.
Your calling from where? Really....your kind of far, how did you hear about STJ?

You are doing a story on Halloween Collectibles and the fast growing industry that it has become for original folk art and my name keeps coming up to interview?
(heart and tummy are doing the mambo at this point).

ok...
blah, blah, Halloween, Blah, Worlds finest artists, blah blah.
(I blathered on like a tween crushing on Justin Beiber)

40 minutes later.......
yes we can finish this in our next conversation when you have the rest of the questions ready.
(he actually wants to hear more from me...holy hell!)

Get you pictures of Halloween pieces and 3 artist referrals for additional interviews...ah sure... (who the hell do I choose?)

Yes, I look forward to hearing from you too. Thank you~ hung up.

SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a way to start the day! I love my job!!!!!

Halloween & Vine Trip 2009 !!

I have just returned from The amazing Halloween & Vine, here are the deets! Ghoultide Gathering deets to follow in the next few days!

I flew from Newark, NJ International on Friday, Sept 25th into San Fran. I met my friend Wendy of My Brain Child from Shrevesport, LA who also flew in and we were on our way!





We picked up our rental and upgraded for a nominal fee to a Nissan Altima Hybrid-we both Loved this car. We drove for 4 days all over and never went past a 1/2 tank of gas!

After leaving the airport we started the 30+ mile drive north to The Hilton Sonoma. This drive took us through San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge! Very cool but so super foggy no pics were of any value on the way. Oh and the traffic...$#^@&*^@*&*^...enough said.






Our hotel was nice enough but we couldn't wait to check out Petaluma and to be ready for the next days festivities! Petaluma is DELIGHTFUL! This town was full of great food that is very affordable and tons of charming shops with friendly staff and oodles of Halloween delights! Finally, the next morning we awoke early to get in line. We were 45 minutes early and still were at the end of the building almost around the corner!












To be a part of the most famous Halloween show of the last 14 years was a truly amazing feeling!























Jorge of HoHo Halloween and I vamping for Camera ;)



















Jorge reworking his table after many sales ;)










And look at Miss Laurie Hardin's table of Monkey-Cats Studio! I missed the chance to get my pic taken with her (I am so blond sometimes)







Laurie sold her work like crazy and I was honored to help her and her sweet hubster Kelly along the way. Of course only when I wasn't walking around in a daze shopping!






Here is some of what I brought home with me!!





William Bezel Pumpkin JOL






Scott Smith 2 sided Ornament












Kerry of Paper Moon
Needlefelted Sculpted Bat Boy!!







Arbutus Hunter Paper Mache JOL






Susie Scott Paper Arts Ornament







When we returned from H&V and the local gift shops we put all of our goodies together on the desk in our room and had a lil photo shoot! We had a ball!












The days following the show we were on such a Halloween high! We visited everything we could of visual interest in Petaluma and had a ball!




































Here is my roomie Wendy!








And me, dani!





We fell in love with the AWESOME Halloween Displays in the shops of Petaluma. Totally Inspiring!



*Petaluma Antique Mall*






























*ILeoni*


Oodles of Glitterville goodies with super kind owners who gave us wonderful attention.

This store is a do not miss!


























ILeoni also has this signed Glitterville piece! Only one in stock!!!!

*PaperWhite*



Look at this killer window display!















PaperWhite has this great Day of the Dead collection~






Of course I bought yards of fun ribbons and trims!







*Papyrus*


20% off all Halloween goodies!! Yee ha!













~Marisa's Fantasia-Halloween Store~







And look they had a Janell Berryman of Pumpkinseeds Folk Art Display!

























*Heebe Jeebe*

















































*Heebe Jeebe*

Also has an everyday artsy store of fun!































After shopping & dinner on the water at Dempsey's,








we even even went to a rock show to see these awesome young (very young) men named

~The Lost Boys Band~

From Lake County, California

While walking through Petaluma we saw TONS of moving billboards for these kids who looked like they were 12.



They were playing that night at McNears Mystic Theatre!



An Awesome Venue for sure~








Anywho while walking down the street we met the father of the drummer and other family members who were taking the bands SERIOUSLY pro equipment inside the theater. They said you have to see them, you cannot believe how good these "kids" are. The short of it is we said no thanks as we were not convinced ;) They insisted on giving us free tickets.



WELL...HOLY COMOLY! These kids ROCKED!








We came to find out they have opened this summer for 3 doors down, Kelly Clarkson, Lynard Skynard, All American Rejects, Toby Keith and other HUGE artists! WTH?


I have no doubt these young men will make it and continue to grow their sound which will make them world famous. I was the old chick in the theatre who went up and bought their CD from the Drummers mom..LMFAO!



During the show the Uncle came up and said " I TOLD YOU SO"!! They offered to have us stick around to meet the band (too funny) and get the CD signed. Wendy & I were wiped out and left after the show, just stunned by the talent. My hubster is annoyed that I didn't take them up on it and get it signed. He agrees they will be HUGE! Still laughing that a grown women (supposedly me) was totally crushing on these kids talent.



Oh and you HAVE to see the keyboardist..he spins on a rotating floor at like 20+ miles an hour while playing. Crazy good show.




Finally, After a Full Day of Shopping on Sunday we packed up our mess for our flights home...eep!

















And readied for the morning drive back into San Fran for our return flights ;(



We finally Got a few great shots in the fog!












And even found an awesome cupcake store
(drove by the van and followed the address...lol).











I had them pack up some for the hubster and kiddos and flew them back to NJ! they were a lil banged up but tasted awesome!



This was undoubtedly a trip of a lifetime and I am so happy that Wendy was my roomie. She is not only a sweetheart but truly very easy to travel with. Good Stuff!