Boo!

Well it's just past 7:30 p.m. here on Halloween and nary a trick-or-treater in sight! We got a handful earlier but the circling cop cars lead me to believe that the holiday was not being supported by the local authorities this year. The worst part is the large bowl filled with chocolate within reach of me right now. Last year we had tons of kids come by, so I bought accordingly. Great. I think I feel my butt growing already.

I thought I'd show you what I did with all of the decorations I found in the trash during the summer.

I stuck the legs in my mailbox, and the ravens are perched on a branch I dragged home while on a walk with the dog last weekend.




I did buy a pumpkin, and used two of the buttons I bought in Brussels as eyes.



That way, tomorrow I can take the buttons off and the pumpkin will be able to hang out on the porch through Thanksgiving.

I did buy this flag, but for $8.95 including shipping (eBay) I think it was a great purchase.


This little guy was in my box of trash treasures, and he's perfectly at home climbing the flagpole.


And let me tell you, a little cheesecloth goes a long way! I bought four packages at the supermarket and cut and shredded it over almost everything in sight. It was a cheap and easy way to make a splash. And a home for Mr. Spider.


The nighttime photos don't do my "project" justice. The house is rigged up with blacklights and strobes and tombstones that "talk" when you walk past them. I'm pretty happy with how it came out. Here's a couple of shots...





Mr. Ghost is a damask yard sale tablecloth ($3). I always snatch those up. You can use them for everything from the intended use to craft projects (pillow backers or tote bag liners) and Halloween decorations! Plus they are totally wash and wear -- a little Oxi Clean and they look like a million bucks. Or at least more than the three or four dollars I pay for them.

He also got a pair of eyes, compliments of my Brussels button collection.


Inside the house I put together a few little vignettes with more cheap and found stuff. This curly branch came off the tree in our backyard. I have no idea what kind of tree it is (curly and thorny branches) but I love using the branches in flower arrangements and here I thought it looked holiday-appropriate all by its lonesome. The black candles are from the Dollar Store.


My great-grandma's cut crystal bowls glow thanks to these battery-operated tea lights, two for $1.19 (half off last weekend at JoAnn's).


In the photos you can see the tea lights, but in "real life" you don't see them at all; just their soft, flickering orange glow.


A vintage trick-or-treat bag turned art:


And a little pumpkin from the farmer's market (50 cents) rounds out the little scene.


I hope you're enjoying a safe and happy Halloween. And that you're not stuck staring at a bowl of chocolate like I am!

Southern living, New Jersey-style.

When I read that Cottage Living magazine's former editor-in-chief Eleanor Griffin landed at Southern Living magazine, I had to give it a try. And the airport terminal prior to an eight hour flight seemed like just the right place to make that happen.

“We’ve listened to thousands of our readers and we know that the Southern woman is changing,” Griffin offers. “She is busier than ever and wants to cultivate her own Southern style in a new, modern way.”

Well I am busier than ever but in fairness the furthest south I've ever lived is exit 102 on the Garden State Parkway. And that's not exactly near the Mason-Dixon Line so I wasn't sure I was the right demographic.

The cover is sort of what I would expect:

And I mean no disrespect; it's the requisite happy pumpkins and autumn tones and floral arrangements of an October magazine targeting the ladies. But when I opened it up, I think I was briefly reacquainted with the Cottage Living magazine I loved (and still miss. Moment of magazine silence...). Cottages and bungalows and New Orleans, oh my! Be still my Yankee heart.

I learned how to root my rose bush clippings, and may actually give it a shot this weekend. And caramel pecan pumpkin bread pudding? You had me at caramel, and kept me at pecan, and pumpkin, and bread, and pudding.

But my favorite was George's bungalow on a budget:

Maybe it's because I can relate to him. George's collection:


And Laura's:

What can I say. The man has good taste. (And I should have bought those little Eiffel Towers on the street in Paris. D'oh!)

A lot of the magazines I (and all of us) read are no more so I'm excited to become acquainted with a new-to-me magazine that may fill part of the void on my coffee table.

Maybe I'll even start to say, "y'all."*


* I think I already do. Go figure!

I need to catch-up...

...which reminds me of "ketchup." Which reminds me of fries. Which reminds me of Belgium.

So where was I...right...I left you with a piss boy teaser in my last post from a lifetime (in blog time, anyway) ago. Sorry about that...I've been burning the candle at both ends, burning the midnight oil, etc. (insert your favorite burning idiom here).

Anyhoo...

Manneken Pis, or more colloquially (and crassly) The Piss Boy, is a huge part of Brussels. Ironic, really, because…(pun alert) he’s rather wee. There are many stories as to who this Manneken Pis was – the stories run the gamut from it being the infant Duke Godfrey III of Leuven to being a young child who helped stop the king’s castle from burning down by using his, er, hose? Yikes. Having seen the sense of humor of the locals I’m going to say it’s all likely rubbish and the legends will remain larger than the little statue propped high up on a street corner.

One thing is for sure, the tourists love Manneken Pis. Just look at all of us:

And he’s everywhere. Shelves at all the tchotchke shops are lined with him:

Even my chocolate bar (that, incidentally, I bought to make Marylin’s scones) has his likeness on it:

And quite frankly, that’s a little gross.

Just a bit up the street from our young urinating friend lies another famous statue, that of Everard 't Serclaes whose own claim to fame is his taking of the city back from the Flemish.

The legend is that he brings luck to all who touch him. Some can be found going in for a quick swipe, hoping not to be caught:

While others sort of man-handle the poor guy:


I don’t know what the redhead above was wishing for but judging by the zest with which she groped him, she is now engaged and/or pregnant and/or rich.

Turning the corner from Mr. Serclaes was one of the most beautiful town squares I have ever seen, The Grote Markt (Grand Place). And, wow, is it grand. In my humble opinion it’s worth the hour train ride from Paris alone...

That was one sweet trip. And I do mean sweet:

Get thee to Brussels! But if you’re American you may want to wait until the dollar is worth more than a ball of lint. Just sayin’.

More Brussels? Visit my most excellent travel companion Jean. Bonus: See me out cold and practically drooling on the train ride from Paris.

Boy am I tired.

Everard 't Serclaes, Brussels, October 2009

After a whirlwind trip to Paris and Brussels the harsh reality of the real world smacked me square in the face yesterday within minutes of arriving to my office. That, after a nine hour flight seated next to an asthmatic dog. I wish I were kidding, but I've got the video to prove it. But enough about bad work days and worse flights...let's go to the Brussels flea market!

Minutes from the Brussels train station (which is only slightly over an hour from Paris...incredible, really) is the Place Jeu de Balle flea market.



"The Place du Jeu de Balle or Vossenplein is located in the heart of the Marolles, the Brussels working-class district par excellence. This square was also known as the 'Vieux Marché' (old market). ... You will meet antique lovers, strollers, occasional visitors. ... You should definitely make a stop at an outdoor café with a delicious beer and enjoy the live music, especially during the summer."

It's also apparently known for its whack array of product, mostly all of which is buried in boxes or strewn across blankets. And by "whack" I mean:


Yup; weird (which is not to say that the sassy blond with the dirty doll didn't totally become my Facebook profile photo faster than you could say, "Passez le bier!").

And EXPENSIVE. The harsh reality of the failing dollar was omnipresent during this trip. Yikes.

But there was no way I was going to a flea in Belgium and coming back empty handed. I scavenged a few buttons buried in boxes of sewing supplies:


They are quite large (at least 2" each) and lovely, but at about 90 cents U.S. each (EACH!) they are going to have to go on some very special bags or pillows. That glass domed tortoise shell one is yummy, though.

I also picked up a pair of Napoleon dishes (you know where those are headed) for 5 Euro each (about $7.35 each) which is so totally out of my normal thrifty price range.



But they are way cuter than an "I went all the way to Brussels and all I got was this rotten tee-shirt...and a fistful of buttons" shirt (or whatever the equivalent is). And I just looked up the markings...


...and found one of the plates listed on eBay for $34.95 (and saw similar versions later on at a Paris flea for much more). So now I feel a little better.

Tomorrow: The piss boy and the fondled statue. Now if that doesn't make you come back for more, I don't know what will.