Update on Michael's!!

I just wanted to report that I was back at Michael's today, and I am thrilled to say that I saw the first official signs of Halloween! Yessiree, Michael's has the first of its Halloween decorations- a whole bunch of cool ribbon! They had some with skeletons, spider webs, black cats, and some that are just orange and black. I think I'm going to buy some this year and use them on tall vases that I want to decorate for Halloween. I figure I'll get some black and orange candles, or even a large LED flicker candle, and then get some black, dark purple, and red flowers, maybe a crow or some spider webs, some moss, and whatever else might look a bit gothic looking. I think I might even make a couple of wreaths to hang around the house.

I'm so happy that Halloween stuff is already coming out! I can't wait to get started on making some new, exciting things!

Halloween fun

If you're waiting anxiously for Halloween like I am, and you'd love to find some fun, Halloween-related things to do to while away the hot, summer months, then check out the following sites. 'Haunted Bay' has some cool sound effects, music files, puzzles, and other things to play around with to satisfy your Halloween cravings. Be sure to scroll down to the audio files and listen to 'Tain't No Sin to Take Off Your Skin (and dance around in your bones)', a popular Halloween tune from the 1920s! I also love the classic 'Peanuts', 'Haunted Mansion', and 'Beetlejuice' themes.

http://www.hauntedbay.com/downloads/sounds/

If you enjoy doing mazes and word searches, then check out this site:

www.hauntedbay.com/downloads/

I love doing Halloween-related stuff even when it's still a ways off in the distance. It sort of brings it a little closer to home while I'm waiting for it to finally arrive.

It's official: Fall has come early at Michael's!!

I went into Michael's today, still expecting to find nothing but the usual (boring) things you always find during the summer: flowers, colorful banners, summer-style arts and crafts, party supplies, and of course, 4th of July decorations. As I walked in, however, a wonderful sight caught my eye: flowers and plants in beautiful Fall colors-red, orange, and gold! As I walked over to that part of the store, I also found pumpkins (pumpkins!), bows and other fall-themed decorations, and even black crows. I couldn't believe it! One of my fellow Halloween Haunters on this site had told me she had already seen the first few signs of fall at a Micheal's near her, but I didn't expect to find several aisles completely filled up before the end of June! I certainly didn't expect to find pumpkins (not the tall ones for carving that you find for Halloween), but pumpkins, nonetheless. Nor was I expecting to find those black, plastic crows that are commonly used in Halloween decorations. It seems incredibly odd that we have not even celebrated 4th of July, and yet Autumn is already arriving. Needless to say, I, for one, am excited. For an autumn/Halloween lover like myself, this helps break up the seemingly neverending, dull, hot days of summer that I grow so tired of once the temperature gets much over 85 degrees. It's always a relief to me to see Fall finally showing up, as it means that not only are the cooler, colorful days on their way, but so is Halloween.

I suppose in a way I almost love the days shortly before Halloween arrives even more than Halloween night itself. The reason is that I love that feeling of complete excitement as preparation begins. I love it when it's finally time to look for new fall and Halloween items to use for decorations, going on that search for the perfect, carvable pumpkin, and making plans for the big night. I love seeing homes decorated with skeletons and witches, tombstones, and ghouls popping up out of the ground, orange and purple lights, and porches glowing with jack-o-lanterns. It is such an exciting thing. Seeing the first fall decorations in the store today gave me the first tiny sense of anticipation. It is already within me. Fall is on its way. The proof is there. The best part is that if they are already putting Fall out on the shelf, then Halloween can't be far behind. How I love this time of year!

Fall has returned (if only temporarily)

It may be only June 9th, but here in northern California, it seems as if Autumn has decided to pay us a little visit. It has gone from the high-80s back to the low-to-mid-70s in just two days. The sky is clouded, and the sun's rays are shining through only a few small openings. I am loving the cool, gentle breeze coming through the window behind me. I'm enjoying it while it lasts because I know that in just a matter of days, those 100-degree days, so typical of this time of year, will be here.

I purchased a packet of pumpkin seeds yesterday. The store had some for 'Competition Size'-100-pounders! I couldn't resist trying them. I've always wanted to have my own little pumpkin patch. Maybe this year I will get my wish.

Halloween art

I was looking through one of my October '09 magazines ('Country Living': 101 Halloween Ideas) when I came across something that I thought was very cool. A picture of an art print titled 'Girls Night Out' had bright orange pumpkins in the foreground, a full moon hovering over a presumably haunted house, and several witches gathered around a fire, immediately caught my eye. It was an ad for the artist Will Moses, whom I had never heard of before. I rarely see art prints that are Halloween in nature, so I got on my laptop and quickly checked out the artist's website. The above print, I was happy to find, is available in poster size, and there are several other Halloween prints available as card collections. I love the thought of poster-size images of Halloween decorating my walls all year-round, and 'Girls Night Out' is a must-have. It makes me long to live in a big old house with a pumpkin patch and gnarled, old Oak trees surrounding the backyard. Every Halloween night, I would dress in my favorite costume and invite family and friends over and light a big bonfire in the middle of the pumpkin field, and party and celebrate all night long! Halloween scenes like these are exactly the kind of Halloweens I envision mine to be.

Will Moses' Halloween

http://www.willmoses.com/itemlist.aspx?cats=12,-2