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!

Perfect together.

While doing a little “walk through” at the shorehouse, it occurred to me that the ship painting I bought at the Ocean Grove Flea Market way back in May 2008…


…and the frame I found in the trash this past February…

...are a love connection!

I’m not sure if they will remain “an item,” but I think they look happy together. I picked up that cute little “Rooms for Let” sign last weekend for $3 at one of my favorite antique stores in Point Pleasant, NJ.

And speaking of things found in the trash, this weekend I’ve started to sort through my bins of Halloween goodies to try and develop a POA (Plan of Attack) for the outdoor display. I’ve got a lot of materials to work with this year, thanks to a massive trash haul this summer.

My neighbors down the road were moving out of state and had a “contents of home” sale. She made a comment about if it doesn’t fit in the POD, it’s not coming with us. When I saw the Rubbermaid container filled with their outdoor Halloween décor (marked $10) I had a feeling it wouldn’t sell and I decided to wait it out.

I was rewarded. Under the cloak of darkness I picked the entire container out of their trash.

It was filled with all sorts of goodies – I even found extension cords and bags of seashells at the bottom of the bin.

I’m trying to figure out what to do with the ghouls and goblins and tombstones. It’s a bit too early to set up the outdoor display, but I’m already jockeying to be the best (haunted) house on the block.

From Greenwich Village...

...to the Village People.

Yup...that's me and Felipe Rose, aka "The Indian from the Village People." (Note: Doesn't my head look a bit oddly twisted? I think I was taken back by how enthusiastic he was to be in the photo. Wasn't ready for the bear hug.)

A little Hallow-history: My first date with the man of the shore house was nine years ago at the Halloween Parade in New York's Greenwich Village. Over the years, the streets have gotten more crowded, our favorite quiet pub now charges a cover, and getting with viewing distance of the parade itself -- which was never easy -- is now an Olympic-like sport. With Halloween on a Friday this year, we knew it would only be worse (or better, depending on you age and tolerance level for throngs of people). So we made it a shore house weekend and Halloweened (word?) in Asbury Park, NJ.

I started off the evening with my fake choppers and some festive elixir:

Felipe was the official host of the evening. And our Native American friend still has the moves.

I was happy we could actually walk through the streets (well, street. This was a quite a bit smaller scale than NYC.) and see the costumes. There were some good ones, like Mister Christmas:

And this fairly realistic corpse with exposed innards (yes; blondie's eating his innards):

Other than that, I'd have to say the night was a real drag. Har, har. Check "the ladies" out:

Miss Cotton Candy won for Best Drag Costume...

Just check out the size of this tall drink of water next to mere mortals:

Hysterical.

I hope everyone had a festive Halloween! Now...off to the voting booths...

My $1.98 Pumpkin Vignette

You know I’m all about keeping it real, and keeping it frugal. Most of the time.

This is one of those times.

We recently bought a fabulous antique china cabinet, and I mentioned how excited I was to have a new display perch. So here’s my first crack, just in time for Sanctuary Arts' “Pretty Your Pumpkin Party”:


It’s not perfect (at least yet!) but it cost me a "whopping" $1.98. The mini pumpkins were .79 a pound at the Sunset Farm Market (really a nursery) in the shore house’s neck of the woods. I loaded up a small bag, to the tune of 2.5 pounds, and so far, so good. The candles and candlesticks were a recent gift, and that branch (much lovelier in person) is from our Krauter’s Plum Tree. I dumped seashells out of the (Home Goods) apothecary jar (and the cute little covered dish I recently treated myself to at Pottery Barn. I think it’s one of the few things I’ve paid retail for in 2008!), arranged the pumpkins, and Bob's your uncle.

I also started to put together my outside décor. I dried out my cornstalks, and added a couple of pumpkins. The mum was a gift from our California house guest last week (thanks, Kevin!). I think I’ll beef the scene up a bit this weekend.

There was also a bit of an impulse buy made while I was at Sunset’s. I couldn’t resist. (In fact I may add another – especially since all Halloween decorations are already 50% off there.):

I've named her Charlotte.

My mom knows I have a thing for old mini chairs, and she spotted this one at a flea market recently. Only thing was, the vendor was selling all of the fall decorations with it. But...for $20! So mom scooped up the whole thing for me, and I’ll be able to recycle the chair (which is old, and in very good shape) for other fun displays, and in "solo exhibitions." The only thing better was hearing this vendor would be in my town for the Harvest Festival this weekend. Whoo hoo!

Lastly, I wanted to share a photo of a house I spotted in Wanamassa, NJ, on my way back from the Sunset “pumpkin patch.” A little background: When it was obvious that the writing was on the wall for the Yankees (of whom I am a fan), and that their last season in Yankee Stadium would draw to an untimely close, my brother (the Mets fan) was quick to rub it in my face. You see, his team was in first place at the time, and my team was all but eliminated. He had a point. My team dropped the ball. In a sense, I had it coming to me.

Sort of like he has this coming to him:

Yup; payback’s a you-know-what, my dear brother.

There. I feel much better now. ;-)

Coming tomorrow, part deux: I’m going to share an easy little pumpkin recipe from Better Homes & Gardens I road tested. Two words: “Chocolate” and “yum.”