Well, my spooky friends, we are well into the Halloween season. Invitations to haunted happenings are everywhere you look – lurking in your social feeds, whispering from billboards, and beckoning from storefront windows.
Haunted houses, moonlit hayrides, zombie paintball, masquerade parties, pumpkin patches, costume parades, midnight monster marathons, ghost tours, corn mazes, and pumpkin spice everything – it truly is the most wickedly wonderful time of the year.
I love this season and all of the frightful fun it offers, but this year, my Halloween bucket list takes a quieter form – less monstrous masquerade, more moonlit retreat. I’m savoring a slower Halloween season, free of the horrifying hustle and bustle, content to watch the season unfold and linger in the midst (and mischief) of it all.
I started off my seasonal celebrations by attending an event that included a trip to a local pottery painting studio. On a previous visit, I painted a haunted photo frame, which holds captive the ghosts of Halloween’s past.
Now, several years later, I was excited to paint a new little something so I picked out an oversized mug – perfect for an Autumn latte – and tried some of their newer glazes. Of course, I went with Halloween colors, featuring a black exterior with orange drips and a ghastly green interior.
I love the way it turned out, and I think I might need to make another one, reversing the drip and interior colors. What do you think?
We’re only ten days into October, and I’ve already been busy gathering up a bit of vintage spookiness. I had the good fortune of acquiring several antique German Halloween pieces, including a few rare finds, which I will share soon.
I also stumbled across some haunted relics of revelry: a trio of vintage Kirchhoff and US Toy noisemakers, whose rattles once echoed through Halloween nights, and now rest in our cabinet of curiosities.
A hauntingly beautiful, unsigned Ellen Clapsaddle postcard, postmarked November 1, 1924, will soon be framed and put on display.
While the image is loaded with timeless charm, my favorite feature of this piece is the note on the back. It appears that Alta is a bit miffed that Gracie has not yet responded to her letter, while within the same time frame, Alta has attended two Halloween parties. Tsk, tsk.
Since we have several pieces that have been waiting to be displayed, I made time to frame a few and prepare them for our gallery wall. This 1950s foil Jack in a Top Hat embossed die cut is one of my favorites.
A visit to the Mosley Street Melodrama for their production of Frank Enstein has been haunting my to-do list for weeks, and we finally made it happen. This delightfully over-the-top, audience-participation dinner theater is the perfect blend of camp, comedy, and creature feature fun – a wickedly good way to celebrate the season.
The cooler weather has arrived, bringing in all the Fall feels. I’m hopeful that it is here to stay. I’m looking forward to quiet hikes on crisp afternoons through turning leaves and evenings sitting on the deck with a steaming hot drink – in my new Halloween mug.
A few more frightfully fun festivities are waiting just ahead on the calendar, and I’ll be sharing those soon.
So tell me, what peculiar plans do you have brewing this season? Hosting a haunting of your own or perhaps just looking to stir up a little mischief? If you’re in need of inspiration, wander over to the Haunted Library and explore the 100+ Halloween Activities worksheet and the Halloween Bucket List. It’s brimming with eerie ideas to help you devise the perfect ghostly good time.
I hope your season of tricks and treats is off to a great start!
Until next time – stay spooky.
