It's a Conspiracy

Four days to Halloween and it's raining--AGAIN!  AAAGGGHHH!

I'm about to throw my hands up in surrender.  These hands:

Or maybe these:

Things I've learned while making my first papier mache props:

   1.   Plan the position of the fingers before starting and if possible, plan the use for the hands.  Fingers too close together make it difficult to wrap glue-soaked paper around.

   2.   Using a telephone book is great for layering with paper, as you can alternate between white pages and yellow pages to know which layer needs more, er, layers.

   3.   Never let the yellow layer be your last one.

   4.   Take your time.

   5.   Don't wear vinyl exam gloves while building papier mache props, even if you're allergic to latex.  They don't fit and dexterity is a joke.  Just go ahead and get your hands all gluey.

   6.   The jury is out on using paper towels as your final layers.  I hate working with it, as the paper towel pieces tend to roll up on the edges.  On the other hand, I do like how they look as they're drying.  Time will tell.

I used a universal wood-burning type tool to carve the letters on my foam tombstones, wearing a mask, of course.  They didn't turn out too badly, but I cannot find any of my paintbrushes.  I don't think I got rid of them, but where are they?  I wanted to paint the letters so they'll stand out, but it's too wet and cold to make a run to the hardware store.

Besides, the local hardware store has a few corn stalks left, and I need some more.  The frame to the yard windmill (which I have never finished putting together) is great for attaching the stalks to, but it looks rather bare right now. 

And droopy.

And the big "X" that I made with the black-painted PVC pipes and cornstalks?

Toppled.

I don't know if the stalks got too wet and overloaded the pipes or if the sand in the big flowerpot they are sunk into, shifted with all the water. At any rate, I need more, dry cornstalks.

Even the 'barrow of bones is suffering:

It's a plot, I tell you.