Mutterings of a Mad Woman

Last September I hosted a make & take where Hector of Blackstone Cemetery showed us his tricks for making PVC candles.

While it's possible to make candles using paper towel rolls or cans, you may want something sturdier. PVC pipe is a good choice (assuming you have the tools to cut up the pipe).

He showed us his different methods of creating a shelf inside the PVC pipes where the LED candle lights would sit. The first option was using expanding foam (see the image below, far right). Basically, you fill it up, let it dry and slice off the overflow so it's flush with the edge of the PVC pipe. Then you need to cut out a circle in the middle to drop the candle light in. There are various drill attachments you can use to do so, or you're faced with the task of doing it by hand.

The second method (favoured by Hector over the first method) is using simple pipe insulation.

I just went for styrofoam balls.

Get in, get supplies, get out. That was the plan when I headed to the local dollar store. Upon entry, I was hit with a siren song of orange and black.

I made two unscheduled purchases. The first were these Halloween themed bags. I'd forgotten to bring my own cloth bags with me (in Toronto, there's a 5 cent charge on plastic bags. It's a deterrent to encourage people to use less of them which I support and have a collection of reusable bags I normally keep in the trunk of my car but forgot that day). So of course, logically, it made sense for me to buy new bags, right?

Besides, these bad boys are huge. 20 inches tall, and slim. I don't have bags like these, never mind Halloween themed ones. Done.

The biggest blessing of being part of the convention is meeting people. Not only meeting them, but having the same people come back year after year to say hello and tell me they are excited to see what's new on my table.

It's so funny that people are shocked when I remember them, but the secret is I'm just as shocked they remember me and my work.

Here's a great example. I was sent this picture from a lovely young woman (who is probably lurking on the blog right now. I see you). It's a photo of my creations she's collected over the last three years: she started with a mini pumpkin the first year, graduated to an eyeball plant and pumpkinhead minion the second year, and this year I was thrilled she was the one who adopted Wilhelmina the Witch.

It gives me immense pleasure when I know my beloved monsters go to good homes.

This year was certainly the busiest one for me in terms of people: general chatting, introductions, requests for interviews and interesting propositions for future shows or projects (many of whom are waiting for some sort of email from me, and if they are reading this, I hope they'll remain patient. There was a family emergency and I'm out of town. I didn't even get a chance to unpack from the show. Poor Yetch is surrounded by the mess I left in my wake).

As a rule, it's these interactions I'm most excited about as my anticipation grows each August. Celebrities are fun to see, but it's all the different people I meet (fellow artists, horror folk and - dare I say it - actual fans of my work) who make the weekend so great. I also feel guilty leaving people to man my table for too long, so it's been 3 years since I've lined up for or attended anything at the convention.

Of course, every now and then, there's an exception.