the worst halloween decorator ever and her accuser circa 1999
i was accused this week of being "the worst halloween decorator....ever"
ok. i can handle that. i've been called worse. but i must defend myself here.
first of all, i'm
not the worst halloween decorator
ever....i once worked with a woman who dressed her
muffy bear in a different halloween costume every week and displayed, said bear, in her front window 'scene'.
i'm, simply, not the worst.
i just have a few things going against me.
the weather for one. ya. the 90 degree, autumnal... WEATHER. ever tried getting your fall-on when you have a heat rash on the back of your knees from your new 'fall' boots ?
the other thing is that i'm getting, unfairly, compared to neighbors who really
love halloween decorating {on a level you've never experienced}
let me share with you some of my halloween dos~ all with a very restrained hand:
black toile: this is scary stuff. I had a bathroom papered in toile a few years ago and my, then, 3 year old was terrified to go in to the room. from the mouth of babes. scary. and scarier in black. i like pillows and maybe a runner made of toile.
black crows:
martha {
our lord and savior} made the best ones. but she no longer has them available. which sort of blows because my new 'step-dogs', {2 large labs who are akin to having big dumb, blonde quarterbacks lumbering through my home} have taken to playing a swift game of toss-and-chomp with my old ones. not nearly as life like, this one was found at
plum party.
the great white pumpkin:
how can you not love a white , or gray , pumpkin. even those crazy organic looking ones are fantastic. they all have that hazy dusty hue? i could stop right here with the decor. oh, except the dogs. the dogs would probably eat these too.
yes, a wreath. a simple wreath~when did i become a wreath person? seriously, this is coming perilously close to windsock usage. you know when? when my kids guilted me into it. the black crows, white pumpkins and toile weren't cutting it.
i begrudgingly ended up with the pumpkin number, above {about which
joni, duly, teased me} that's not a navy ribbon but i love the idea of using navy instead of ink black.
vintage decor {or vintage inspired}:
a little vintage decor makes for a great touch. weird+vintage is always creepy and it brings a little humor to the party. there are some great 'new' vintage finds out there. {the fact that this is such large type is not exponential to its importance. i just can't get this out of "large" type}
while rummaging around my bookmarked sites, i came across this shot, which seems like it would be such an easy thing to do and with seemingly great results:
or these ideas from
our lord and saviour's home page:
i could rig up the chandie shown above. and if i had a little north eastern, nook of woods in my back yard, this would be doable.
you know what? i could be
that mom. that best halloween decorator
ever. but first i need to go the beach, and cool off in the surf.
the worst halloween decorator ever and her accuser circa 1999
let me share with you some of my halloween dos~ all with a very restrained hand:
black toile: this is scary stuff. I had a bathroom papered in toile a few years ago and my, then, 3 year old was terrified to go in to the room. from the mouth of babes. scary. and scarier in black. i like pillows and maybe a runner made of toile.
the great white pumpkin:
how can you not love a white , or gray , pumpkin. even those crazy organic looking ones are fantastic. they all have that hazy dusty hue? i could stop right here with the decor. oh, except the dogs. the dogs would probably eat these too.
above photos courtesy of housemartin
i begrudgingly ended up with the pumpkin number, above {about which joni, duly, teased me} that's not a navy ribbon but i love the idea of using navy instead of ink black.
vintage decor {or vintage inspired}:
another goody found at housemartin
you know what? i could be that mom. that best halloween decorator ever. but first i need to go the beach, and cool off in the surf.
Comments
I did my small part of holiday decor with some skulls around the front lawn and I also got a black wreath that I dressed up with cob webs and spiders.
I wouldn't dream of decorating for Halloween.
Thoughts? Maybe baby doll heads and arms and other dismembered limbs popping out of some baked good? say a popover or biscuit?
(I just made myself laugh out loud)
White and pale green pumpkins are divine and fortunately for me, my Martha Owls are still perky.
I have to confess... I adore that black toile.
anne, you nailed it .that was back in our painting class wednesdays! i think the photo was taken with me laughing, saying, 'quick! quick! before she knows we're laughing!'
oh bb~ can i call you that? ok, you know i'd be right there with you, stirrin' up great halloween scariness. are you guys going to walk around with your arms straight out, refusing to break character? sort of like, rensaissance thespians?
pamela i love toile. but it's also scary.
i love moms. they're always your fan.
btw - I had to go to a party "in costume" last year and I wore the Bud delivery guy shirt that I talked the delivery guy out of when I worked at the Bull. Not the one he was wearing, just to clarify.
but still, i AM the worst at holiday decor.
PS: i'm in coastal orange county and love the s.cal beach vibe of your musings.
Here in New Orleans it sarts in earnest with Halloween (and the weather is not very Fall-like here either ha ha).
And then it segues into the harvest Thanksgiving stuff. Then Christmas which segues into Carnival/Mardi Gras hoopla. So for the next 5- 6 months we festoon decorate and decorate and festoon! Help me please!!!!!
I don't have kids, but I still get suckerd into it!
When we had our dance studio it made more sense to decorate for all the holiday themed parties. Now that we closed that money pit, I still have a shed load full of decorations (including those crows!) that I drag out and slop on the outside of the house.
Every year I buy tons of candy for the dwindling amount of kids who trick or treat. Unless you live in gated suburb places, so few kids come around anymore!
I long for the days as portrayed in the movie To Kill A Mockingbird.
Anyhoo, I think I'll add some swags of black toile this year!
xo xo xo
Die laughing every time you refer to MS as Our Lord And Savior. Just irreverant enought to make me guffaw out loud!
thanks for the shout out and the memory of one of the funniest nights of my life when I almost peed in my pants, probably actually did at this age of 53.11 - the wreath!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
omg - i am cracking up right now thinking about it!!! the garaoffice. with all that crap in it. and you just sitting there working. love the picture - you are too pretty for words!
joni, are you dying? do you remember that night? i had tears rolling down my face. that was the most hysterical conversation
and holidays? it's just difficult to decorate for seasonal holidays in L.A. nothing feels right.
So that has been kind of fun!
I howled when I read Mrs. Blandings post and yours when she thought you were in a cat costume in the photo! Too funny!
Have a good day......I enjoy your Blog, Megan!
When I'm not feeling like that much work I'll do the old Martha standby and drill a pattern into my pumpkin and poke white Christmas lights through from the inside.