Taking the Day Off for….Zombie Watching!

My, my goodness,

before you know it.

It's that time of year again….

And…

they're baaack!

 What a beautiful day it was to

head down to Carytown 

to check out the Zombie Walk...

while sipping on...

a bloody mary…

bahaaaaa!

Now some people may think 

a zombie is a zombie.

Au Contraire!

Take a look at some of the highlights..

Woodrow Call, is that you?

You're …
three times a lady?

 Hippie zombies…..

 Redhead zombies…..

 Frilly, pigtailed zombies.

 Droolers…….

Organ lovers….

 Hip chickster zombie…..

 Special delivery!

You've got mail!

Yuk yuk.

 Graduating zombies…..

 Wipe that grin off your face!

I've heard of a pie in the face,

 but this is ridiculous!

 

But not as ridiculous as…

a crab in the face.

There you go,

putting your foot in your mouth again.

Oh, not your foot. 

Right.

I wish I had thought to bring a jacket.

And my face.

He hears, "I see dead people,"

all day..

 Zombies who need a haircut…..

 And zombies that don't.

This one has that "fresh from the barber" look.

Very brainy.

 This guy loves his job.

 No dental insurance.

Introverts…..

 and extroverts.

 And you know what they say,

the family that sucks flesh together...

 Left at the altar and never got over it.

 Nose picking zombies.

This gal didn't even use her own finger for the deed.

 This feller had his shower interrupted………

and he ain't happy about it!

 Advertising personality zombies………

There's Flo!

 You want guts in that grande single shot mocha skinny decaf latte?

Here's your order.

Tough day at the office…...

 Ninja Turtle zombies!!!!!!!!!

 French maid zombies…….

Sombrero'd zombies.

Security…….

military…

(I love a zombie in camo.)

 Who you gonna call?

 Ghostbuster zombies…..

Mr. Stay Puff

 Service with a smile!

 Flowers, for moi?

You shouldn't have!

 Boney zombies…...

Raggedy zombies…….

 Snow White,

with…

I'm guessing Grumpy….??

The possessive type…

(Get a life!)

Hey, Lady!

Your zipper's open!

 My favorite……..

Siamese Twin Zombies!

 So there you have it.

Zombiewalk, 2014.

Carytown.

Now git them pumpkins carved!

Halloween's just around the corner!!!!

Wintergreen and Autumn and Painting and Sixtieth Birthdays…..All wrapped into one!

Autumn.

In Greenwood, Virginia.

 Crimson colored leaves……..

blue blue skies……..

black kitties….

Sunday was my friend, Molly's,

SIXTIETH birthday.

So I scooped her up for a little overnight

escapade.

We hit Devil's Backbone Brewery,

IPA makes any day better;)

…and then up we went to the tippy top of Wintergreen Resort,

where my friends, Kim and Jon, have a condo.

They had this dresser that had been painted in a metallic finish, 

and had some funky mismatched drawers…

So while Molly chilled after our big lunch,

I got to work...

I mixed up a custom blend of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint 

using Graphite, Old White, and French Linen.

Here it is after base coating.

 Before I went to bed, though, 

I couldn't stand it.

And tried applying dark wax to one of the drawers….

 But I felt like the finish was a little too flat, 

so I simulated distressing 

by dry brushing Graphite over the surfaces.

And then I decided to paint just the pulls

with Old White.

Amazing how this brightens the whole piece!

Next morning, 

I got to waxing: 

clear first, then dark.

The dark wax really warms up the color substantially.

All waxed...

After the wax was dry, I buffed to bring out the sheen.

Gorgeous!

Hitting dark wax on the pulls really

"knocks down" the white and ages the pulls.

Okay, now I will admit it:

I was the one who painted this metallic finish….

years ago..

how embarrassing...

Practice makes perfect indeed.

On to assignment two:

This console that Kim had painted.

The color is great, 

it just needs some aging.

I sanded down all the edges...

and then waxed with clear and dark.

I added lots of dark wax in all the grooves and

imperfections. After everything dried,

I buffed to a lovely sheen.

Farewell, Wintergreen!

 Heading down the mountain, 

we decided to partake of a few fish tacos 

...and IPA, of course, 

 at Blue Mountain Brewery.

What an absolutely amazing day.

Picture perfect!

One final stop, 

at Pollak Vineyards...

For a reflective stroll around the lake..

…and a final glass of celebratory wine.

Happy 60th, Molly!