I would have preferred to shoot this puzzle on the coffee table in our library, but that room is getting an overhaul and is unavailable.

How I adore the attention to details, such as these faces in the molding located in the 4 corners of the frame.

While this is a sturdier collectible, I don’t recommend dropping the blocks in the puzzle as my 11 year old assistant did. No harm done here, folks.

Here are the six different scenes you can make with this puzzle. I love the wallpaper and adding the 40th logo was a nice touch, I thought!

Here are the specs for this piece:
Title: Haunted Mansion Tabletop Block Puzzle
Artist: John Mauvezin
Medium: Mixed Media
Edition Size: 300

As Giddy Girlie mentioned in the comments of my last post, there were some pieces from the Haunted Mansion 40th event still available at Disneyland as recently as the last weekend of February. And thanks to my dear, dear friend, Guy the Ghoul for sending me this perfect housewarming gift.

It has come to my attention that in my spam purge, some of my existing comments were also deleted and I was unable to send private emails last week to the following: MG13, Serenity Jess, Halfbeard and Darker Image.  Please accept my apologies.  If you try to leave a comment in the future and have trouble doing so, please email me at carrie@hauntedmansioncollectibles.com so we can get it straightened out!

And Congratulations to Charlotte!  She is the lucky winner of the handmade Oogie by Karl.  And Karl, thanks again for paying it forward.

Now…I’m so excited to introduce our first Fanmade Friday guest for 2010.  In the crazy, fast paced and often nonsensical prosing on Twitter, Mouse of Zen tweets stand out with refreshingly simple, yet captivating lines about one of my favorite subjects, Disney.  The author of Mouse of Zen, J.B. Conway, writes haikus, hundreds of them, all about Disney.  So of course, I had to inquire about my favorite ride, the Haunted Mansion.  Last year, in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Haunted Mansion, MOZ released a series of Haunted Mansion Haiku and teamed up with yours truly to combine his haunting refrains with some of my favorite photographs.  The results were pretty exciting!

My pen name is J.B. Conway & go by “Brad” to family & friends. J.B. was my grandfather’s name & I decided to use it for the name tag on my police uniform along with my “author” name of choice. Been in police work since 1998. Before that, I was a “sandwich artist”, LOL!

How did you first come to writing Haikus?  Why that format?

After 9/11, I began writing poetry in reference to how mad the incident made me feel. After about 100 poems into the book, I came across some haiku & began to write my own for the book. I wrote 205 haiku & enjoyed the process of trying to write something rather powerful in such few words, I had several published in various haiku “e-zines” that were well known for rather good haiku. I am after a similar feeling that gave me by attempting to get some of my Mouse Of Zen haiku into Celebrations magazine for the 1000s of Disney fanatics to enjoy!

There seems to be a big leap from your first book of poetry, Crime Scene Lyrics, to your new Mouse of Zen project.  Why the shift?

Simple. “Crime Scene” was prechildren & “Mouse Of Zen” was postchildren! Wanted to create a “database” of how Disney me me feel after bringing our children there for the first time in 2006. Something my kids could share with their own children off in the future!

I love the haiku you wrote about your daughter eating a Dole Whip. Not only do I see her sitting there with her sticky face, but I can also picture you, watching her, soaking in the moment. Does your poetry come to you in the moments, or is it more a reflective process?

I write the “Mouse Of Zen” haiku based on memories of our family trips. Recently, I have found myself enjoying brilliant WDW photography & writing something “on the fly” based on the photo. This past trip in September 2009 was the first trip we have been on since I created the “Mouse Of Zen” so I wrote around ten haiku that was more of ” in the moment”.

How many Disney haikus have you written?  Do you have a favorite theme within Disney?

The first MOZ book has been completed and that will consist of 300 haiku. I have already started the process of writing the next 300 for volume 2. Think I am about 12 into book #2!

How many Disney parks have you visited?  Do you have a favorite?

Only been to WDW but would like to go to Disney Land one day. Due to finances, parks outside the United States will probably always remain a dream of mine. Epcot is my favorite park of WDW!

Speaking of favorites, do you have a favorite haiku you’ve written?  Can you share it?

I don’t recall an exact favorite haiku but it seems my favorites seem to be the ones based of memories of my children!

When can we expect your Mouse of Zen book to be released? How can I get a copy?

The book will be avaliable within the next couple of months. I plan on offering signed copies of around a 100 limited run. If there is demand for more “signed copies”, I will gladly increase that past 100!

reprinted with permission – © J.B. Conway

If you would like to learn more about his Mouse of Zen projects, you can find him on Twitter, Facebook and of course, www.mouseofzen.com

Every time MOZ’s  ”Disney inspired, mouse-size poetry” pops up on twitter, I’m instantly transported into my own personal Disney oasis.  Even if its just for a moment.  I can taste the dole whip, smell the churros and popcorn, feel the magic of Disney.  I’m really honored J.B. joined us today for Fanmade Friday.  I know I can’t wait to get my hands on his new book.

]]> http://www.hauntedmansioncollectibles.com/2010/02/fanmade-friday-mouse-of-zen/feed/ 1 http://www.hauntedmansioncollectibles.com/2009/10/kreepy-karl/ http://www.hauntedmansioncollectibles.com/2009/10/kreepy-karl/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:05:11 +0000 Carrie http://www.hauntedmansioncollectibles.com/?p=732 Fanmade Friday is here again and I’m so jealous of our guest’s talent, I could spit. Don’t worry, I won’t.  Because spitting’s gross.  Why do we say ‘I’m so fill in the blank, I could spit!’  anyway? What would spitting accomplish, really?  I stay up late pondering these things, you know.

Sorry, my brain wondered off there for a minute, and my fingers decided to follow.  You know, I used to stop and censor what I wrote, but I don’t now.  I’m sorry. I know its torture. But I no longer have the luxury of proof reading anymore, now that I’m homeschooling my kids and trying to run a home business.  See, there I go wandering again.

My apologies to this week’s fantastic guest for my disjointed intro.  I’m so excited to introduce you to Karl, who joins us all the way from Korea!  I just love the interweb, don’t you?  It really has brought people together. So, with out further ado, here’s Karl, or Kreepy Karl, as he’s know on the Doombuggies forum.  Where ever did he come up with that name, I wonder?

I was born in Scarborough Ontario on October 22.  I’m sure the proximity of my birth to Halloween instilled my love for all things creepy and spooky.  As a child, I loved the Saturday Monster Matinee and watching the Hilarious House of Frightenstein.  I read anything about ghosts, myths, and monsters.  I used to draw quite a lot of monsters when I was little.  Halloween has always been my favorite holiday.  I spent hours of my youth playing out stories with my toys.  But one of the problems I had was they never made toys of all the things I really wanted.  Because of that, I started making toys, accessories, clothes, vehicles and monsters to play with.  As far as I can remember, I’ve always loved making crafts.  I used clay, toothpicks, wood, fabric, paper and metal.  I made some conventional models, but I always preferred to make my own.  I stopped doing crafts in High school, but I still had the urge to make “something”.  I was even lucky enough to be a Stained Glass Artist for a couple of years.  These days, I’m working in Korea as an English teacher. It is a lot of fun, and it is both rewarding and challenging.  I also get to spread the meaning of Halloween to a different country.  I also have time to make crafts.

When was your first trip to Disneyland?

I first went to Disneyland when I was 3 or 4.  I immediately fell in love with the Haunted Mansion, POTC, Space Mountain, Dumbo and Mr. Toad.  I don’t think I liked Snow White (a girley ride) until after I went on it.

Do you remember riding the Haunted Mansion for the first time?

I remember sitting between my parents shivering in fear throughout the Haunted Mansion.  I especially remember the shadowy hands on the 13 hour clock.  Ezra was my favorite character.  I always wanted him to be in my doombuggy.  Afterwards, I loved seeing the masks and Randotti skulls in the magic shop or at Leota’s cart in WDW.   My family had a Lakeside Haunted Mansion game which I played all the time until it was damaged in a basement flood.  So last year I got some images of the game and built one.

What is your favorite model you’ve created?

What’s my favorite HM model?  Hmmm.  That’s really hard to answer.  I love my Walt Disney World Paper Mansion.  It is one of Ray’s wonderful models. I have space reserved on my shelf for his Disneyland and Phantom Manor models.  My Corridor of Doors is also cool and is mostly my own creation.  Well, I did borrow Ray’s Door template, and photos I got from the net.  I also really love my Graveyard.    If I had to choose, I’d have to say my favorite one is whatever I will do next!  I think about it, make it, and then move on to the next project.  Another crafter, Marie (Darker Image) who you’ve interviewed before (great HM themed bags and maid costume) refers to this obsession as (Mr.) “Toad Mania”.  That’s a good description.

As much as I love my Haunted Mansion models, my true pride and joy is my Halloween town.  I’m a huge Nightmare Before Christmas Fan.  It always bugged me to see Christmas stuff before November.  So the movie really struck a cord with me.  I loved the characters and the sets.  I first started making it in September 2001. But it was only in the last 4 years that I got serious with it.  It’s still not finished, nor is it ever likely to be finished. Just like Walt’s idea of Disneyland.  Eventually I intend to make all the characters from the movie that there aren’t already toys for.  I’ve also got dozens of characters of my own imagination that I want to make.

Do you like the Nightmare Before Christmas Haunted Mansion overlay?

What could be better than marrying Nightmare Before Christmas and the Haunted Mansion?  I love the idea of it, and I was lucky to see it once in Tokyo.   I look forward to seeing the Disneyland version someday.  I printed out the Tarot cards to hang on my Halloween tree.  I liked Oogie’s Wheel of Misfortune so much that I just had to make one (or 2!)

My version spins and Oogie’s platform can also rotate.

Do you have any tips for making models?

My first tip would be to believe in yourself.  Most people look at a project and think “I could never do that!”.  I’ve found this to rarely be the case.   It is also wise to start small.  Which is advice I’ve never been able to follow.  Ray’s Crypts should have been my first paper projects, not my last.

Color outside the lines.  When I first made my Walt Disney World Mansion, I want everything to be accurate.  However, finding the right plants and the sheer amount of space needed to do that made it impractical, to say the least.  People will recognize elements taken from elsewhere.  In the end, my projects are unique, and fill with the aspects of the rides (all 3 mansions) that I love best.  Who care if the crypt arm-torches weren’t in the Corridor of doors?  I don’t have the space to make the entire mansion (but I’d like to!).

Find a community of hobbyists.  When I saw all the great creations on the Doombuggies forum, I was really inspired to make my own.  It was also great getting praise, advice and feedback on my projects.  It is also nice to meet really cool people who share my obsessions.  It’s good to have a network of like minded people.  They kept me inspired and it was fun to share tips.

Mistakes are just another way to make it look original.  Some of the world’s greatest inventions were accidents.  I’ve heard time and time again when an artist admitted that that cool effect was an attempt to cover up a mistake.  I believe that some of the Haunted Mansion effects (like the staring busts) were happy accidents.

Using your hands to make things reduces stress.  One of the biggest reasons for stress is our lack of control.  Crafting offers absolute control over your environment.  Also, it forces you to slow down. While you make crafts, your subconscious is filing things away and sorting things out.  Crafting reenergizes!  I have a long list of things I’d like to make.  It gives me something to look forward to.

Wow! Thank you, Karl, for giving us a peak into your miniature kingdom. I’m blown away by the amount of detail you add to each little vignette.  I could spend all day looking at ‘em!

Your insight and advice is something I truly needed to hear right now. I couldn’t agree with you more about the energizing qualities of crafting.  I’m at my happiest when I’m creating.

To see more of Karl’s creations, browse thru the pages of the Doombuggies forums here.

Also, since he has trouble procuring specific items for his craft in Korea, Karl is interested in trading.  Learn more about that here.

Here’s Karl’s display in all its spooktacular glory!

Now, you know how much I love it when a guest offers up a prize! It makes my day, and winning one of Karl’s miniatures will surely make yours! So don’t be shy.  You know how this works, right?  All you have to do is enter some feedback love in the comment section to be entered into a random drawing for his handmade Oogie’s Wheel of Misfortune miniature.

The Fine Print

One entry per boil or ghoul, please…no matter how spirited you are.

No entries after the witching hour (12:01am, pacific time) Tuesday, November 3rd.

Winner will be announced Wednesday!

One last thing, Happy Belated Birthday, Karl! I hope you had a spooktacular day! Thanks again for sharing with us!

Photo lovingly borrowed from website

Anyway, I found this video by Disney Parks on youtube and thought you might enjoy it!

“Its been 40 years since the Grim Grinning Ghosts first opened their doors and invited guests into the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. Take a look back to the beginning with Walt and the Imagineers who created the beloved attraction. From stretching rooms to hitch hiking ghosts the 999 Happy Haunts never disappoint and always invite guests to hurry back!” – Disney Parks Youtube channel