Life’s unexpected twists and turns kept me away from the studio for the last quarter of 2025. The past few months gave us the good 🙂 – another successful Trunk or Treat, a wedding in Mexico, and pulling off a Christmas parade float miracle – as well as some bad 🙁 (another unexpected loss in the family),
Suffice it to say, I am ready to close the door on 2025. But before I do, I thought I’d post an update on some of the spooktacular vintage Halloween finds we unearthed.
With no time to conjure up new creations, I used the little bits of free time I had to seek out haunted treasures. The thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of adding fresh finds to our creepy curation allowed me a much-needed escape.
If you’re itching to start 2026 with frightfully fun vintage Halloween finds and a dash of spooky delight, you’re in the right crypt, so let’s get started.
After a grueling day of float-building, I was winding down with a little late-night Facebook “soul scroll” when I spotted an online auction back in my hometown. Tucked within a stack of nondescript vinyl was a flash of haunted goodness – a Peter Pan Records Monster Mash LP (swoon). It still looked to be wearing its original cellophane shroud, which gave me hope that the jacket was in good condition.
I threw down a bid, crossed my fingers, and a few days later – victory! I was the new guardian of this spooky classic.
After a quick dash back to my hometown to scoop up the stack of albums, plus a pit stop for a dozen Tasty Pastry nut rolls to fuel the parade float tear-down crew, I dug into the pile and unearthed a very nice, vibrantly colored album jacket with the correct album safely tucked inside.
So excited! I can’t wait to frame this mid-century monster classic for the album wall in the office.
I almost walked out of the thrift store empty-handed until something caught my eye from across the shop. There he was: a 1993 Blinky blow mold with his original cord, looking a little worse for wear – dirty and grimy from seasons of neglect. After a bubble bath in the cauldron, this glow lite is back from the dead and ready to light up the night once more.
I also couldn’t resist this oversized mystery pumpkin pail I found at an antique mall. Based on the handle hardware, we’re looking at a mid-century to 80s survivor. I’m still playing detective on the maker, so if you have any intel on this orange fellow, I’m all ears!
Since I didn’t have an eternity to prowl the local thrift stores, I took my hunt to the digital underworld – aka Facebook groups – and scooped up a haunted hoard of eerie ephemera.
I was thrilled to snatch up this trio of Beistle Favor-ettes. The owl, Jack, and cat make the perfect eerie companions to the ghost Favor-ette we managed to capture in the wild last year.
Crafted from paper, these little ghouls were produced in several designs between 1920 and 1949, and the decades of wear have only deepened their spooky charm.
Only one question remains – should I stand these up in our Cabinet of Curiosities or frame them flat for our gallery wall?
MEOW! This oversized cat looms at 20” high and is made up of three sections that allow it to stand menacingly on all fours. Each piece folds out, transforming this scaredy cat from a flat paper graphic into a fully formed 3D presence.
So far, I’ve only managed to track down one other example, recently spotted on eBay and attributed to the H. E. Luhrs Company, with an estimated production date somewhere between 1920 and 1949.
I love vintage Halloween graphics, sometimes more than the item they were meant to advertise. Such is the case with this old Collegeville Costume box, which lured me in with its beastly bright and colorful owl artwork.
The box arrived possessed by a NASA astronaut costume and mask, though it originally held a child’s skeleton ensemble. The astronaut will soon blast off to a new space, and I’ll be stalking the shops for the perfect skeleton to return this box to its rightful, bony purpose.
Sometimes I react before my brain has time to catch up. This mini cluster of paper graphics popped up in an online group, and I smashed ‘SOLD’ without fully knowing what I’d just claimed.
And now that they’ve arrived, I still have no idea where these came from or what they were originally used for. I do know someone else tried to grab them, too, but my keyboard reflexes were faster. Maybe that Halloween collector knows something I don’t.
They’re definitely paper, definitely older. The rectangular pieces measure about 7″ long by 2″ high and the circular ones are roughly 4″ in diameter.
Have no fear! I’ll frame them, add them to the gallery wall, and officially place them on my ever-growing ‘To Investigate’ list.
The antique store ghosts were clearly on our side during a December afternoon escape to a nearby town, where we set out to haunt one of our favorite shops. Seconds after walking in, my husband shot off like a rocket – he had already locked onto the black and the orange. Tucked inside a cabinet was a charming little skellie by H.E. Luhrs, which I scooped up immediately, especially since he was perched right on top of the treasure I was carefully trying to wrangle free from the pile.
The H.E. Luhrs owl die cut has been haunting my vintage Halloween wishlist for quite some time, so I was fully committed – edgewear and cellophane tape be darned. This impressive 1940s embossed paperboard die-cut is a big boy (about 22” high and 9” wide), and he, along with Mr. Skellie, has officially joined our ever-growing creepy collection as a proud resident.
This charming skull-and-crossbones glass ornament by John Derian practically leapt into my cart during a recent Target run. I love Derian’s work, so while technically this is a new Christmas decoration, I’m ignoring that and adding it to our haunted stash.
That’s a wrap on 2025!
I’m officially retreating to the studio, and I’ve got several projects brewing in the pipeline, including classic horror book-inspired Valentines for my fellow lovers of literature. These spooky love letters are sure to make your haunted heart skip a beat, so I’ll see you back here next week.
Until then – stay spooky.