Monday 31 October 2011

Hallowe'en

Its that time again…. Halloween! Happy Halloween to you all! I love Halloween, and with just barely a few hours to go of it I thought I would share some of the things I have been getting up to over this Halloween weekend…

On Friday Beth and I attended a Halloween party organised by The Friends of the Coliseum. The Coliseum Cinema in Porthmadog was built in 1931 and remains a fine example of an Art Deco style that harks back to the golden age of cinema. Admittedly I wasn’t a patron of this fine establishment until 2005 but I was instantly blown away by its look and design and so I was saddened to hear of its closure and uncertain future. Thankfully some of Porthmadog’s residents decided they would do something about it and so they formed a group that raises funds and awareness. The event was called ‘Spirit of the Coliseum’ and was held at Portmeirion’s Hercules Hall a one night only fancy dress disco with all proceeds going directly towards saving and re-opening the Coliseum.

For a costume I decided to go as Ash Williams from the ‘Evil Dead 2’ movie complete with chainsaw hand made from various things I found around the studio. Using the dvd for reference I applied the necessary tears to my shirt and cuts to my face. Then from boomsticks to broomsticks Beth decided she wanted to go as a witch but not the ‘conventional’ witch one would normally associate with Halloween instead going as Samantha Stephens from the television show ‘Bewitched’ wearing a beautiful 60’s evening dress and supporting a broomstick worthy of Elizabeth Montgomery!
Hercules Hall was a magnificent venue with its dark wood panelling, portraits and carved ceiling that complimented the music provided by DJ Y Bwgan. There was an excellent turnout, great many imaginative costumes to be seen and everyone was having a great time. I was also able to meet up with some of my fellow zombies from the ‘Zombies from Ireland’ shoot back in July. A little later into the evening partygoers were invited to view the premiere of the mini documentary about the Coliseum, which was shot recently by local filmmaker Stuart Murray, the film highlighted what the Coliseum meant to the local residents.
Then it was back to the dance floor to dance the night away, we had a “groovy” evening and I ‘doff my hat’ to the organisers who managed to raise £1055 for the cause!
If you would like to find out more, sign the petition or better yet make a donation please follow the link.

The big day! It was time to carve pumpkins! I love carving pumpkins (second only to decorating Christmas trees!) and this year I thought I would add some life to our jack-o-lantern by creating a mutant pumpkin complete with glowing mutant green eyes, mouth and twisting roots ready to catch a Trick-or-Treater that dared to get too close! He kept guard on the table as we tucked in to a bowl of home made mutant pumpkin soup.
Unfortunately the weather cut short my daughter’s plan to go out Trick-or-Treating so it was back to the house for a warm drink and bowl of popcorn!

Later on I then joined a National Séance that is quickly becoming an annual tradition for me! To celebrate the nineteenth anniversary of Ghostwatch's first UK television broadcast the Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains site repeated the success of last year’s event!
Just like many other Ghostwatch fans I like to watch Ghostwatch on Halloween night, so this event allowed us to do so along with countless other fans by taking part in a 'live' simultaneous repeat viewing! All that was required was a Ghostwatch dvd and a Twitter account set your Ghostwatch dvd to start at 21:25 (the time it originally aired in 1992) and then tweet comments and share thoughts on the proceedings as it plays. Great fun, lovely to see so many fans joining in! I anticipate next year’s 20th anniversary!

I now plan to return to the sofa and watch a few more dvd’s before the first of November arrives, Happy Hallowe'en to you all!

© Arfon Jones 2011. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Sunday 23 October 2011

The New Logo: Cake and Mug

I’m really pleased that my newly launched logo continues to prove its versatility!
What better way to take a break from creating than to have a cuppa from my own personalised mug accompanied by a customised cake? The edible icing cake toppers feature the logo and measure 1.5" in size. Not only do they look good, but I can also verify that they taste great!
I unveiled these beauties on facebook a few days ago and they have already sparked some interest with friends requesting their own! Have I set a new trend? Oh crumbs!

© Arfon Jones 2011. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

Friday 21 October 2011

Ladies of Steampunk: Now On Sale!


Back in July I mentioned that my shrunken T-Rex was to make an appearance in a forthcoming steampunk themed calendar produced by Sean McCaffrey and Sean W Makiney of Monkey House Media. Well I’m happy to report that the Ladies of Steampunk calendar is now available to buy!

To celebrate the release of the calendar a party was recently held at the Mondo Bizarro Café in Sacramento. Featuring live music by Unwoman. Guests were able to buy their own calendar and posters including some of the props that were used in the photo shoots. Unfortunately I was unable to attend (it’s quite a way for me!) But I understand a good time was had by all and the calendar was very well received, so much so that plans are already under way for the 2013 edition!
As I eagerly await the arrival of my calendar I urge you all to follow the link and buy one! My heartiest congratulations to Sean & Sean for making their idea a reality!

Image courtesy of Monkey House Media/ Ladies of Steampunk calendar
© Arfon Jones 2011. All images are copyrighted throughout the world

Sunday 16 October 2011

Shadow of Chernobyl

Earlier this year the Chernobyl Children's Project (UK) a charity that supports children and families in Belarus, the country most affected by the Chernobyl disaster, organised a children’s creative writing competition to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. The task was to write a story imagining that they were one of the children whose lives have been affected by the disaster. ‘Shadow of Chernobyl’ by Zin Htut from Brooklands Primary School in Sale, was selected. and was later illustrated by me. The story opens with “Under every nuclear plant, there rests a dragon” and so I painted a dragon stirring from its slumber. My thanks to Linda Walker at Chernobyl Children's Project (UK) for inviting me to be a part of this wonderful project.

Chernobyl Children's Project (UK) deliver humanitarian aid, set up projects to improve the lives of children with disabilities and bring children to Britain for recuperative holidays. To find out more about their work or to show your support and make a donation please follow the link.

© Arfon Jones 2011. All images are copyrighted throughout the world.

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