It's National Pumpkin Day!

Well, we're really in the thick of it now. 

If you're like me, your eyes are probably as glazed over as two giant pumpkin donuts and we still have four days until Halloween! That's why I'm backing off on the Spooky Events calendar for this week. I don't think I want to add anything to our long lists of things that need to be done before Halloween.

If you came here really hoping to get some suggestions read further for some very simple ideas and head over to Ghoulish Days- otherwise close your browser and enjoy the season. 

I'm not specifying any dates or times (sure, today is National Pumpkin Day- but we celebrate that all year long.)

Enjoy a Halloween relaxation story/guided meditation designed for kids- this old witch likes it too. It's called The Friendly Witch and you can listen to it on YouTube. We all deserve 20 minutes to just relax. This is the perfect season to be a kid again. 

Eat some of the candy you purchased for trick-or-treaters. Yes, you can!! But do it mindfully. Sit down, light a candle and think about how you celebrated Halloween as a kid while you eat some of the candy you love. Let's not fool ourselves we buy Halloween candy we want to eat and secretly hope that there will be some left over at the end of the night. Let's just eat some now as a sort of Halloween night blessing.

Drink a toast to family and friends who are no longer with us. If you have a sense of humor I suggest you drink a Corpse Reviver cocktail, but if that's too much work just grab whatever you have in the house and enjoy it while looking through some old photos. 

Dance. Nothing lifts my spirits more than dancing by myself when no one is watching. There are so many great Halloween playlists floating around, and I have a suspicious feeling that you already have some personal favorites on your phone. I have one that I listen to every year and I haven't even had the time to enjoy to it! I'm going to do some dancing.

I plan on doing one of these activities every day till Halloween to give myself a break from the panic. I'm going to focus on the joy of Halloween and not the regrets of not doing everything I thought I had to do to make it perfect. 

Blessed be!

Art Dolls from Hollywood Horror Films

Sandra Arteaga's art dolls have stepped out of old horror movies. Not the ones where people get slashed, but the old Hollywood movies of vampires, werewolves, and witches. They're spooky, a little creepy, kind of cute, and perfectly Halloween. 

Werewolf Girl

Invisible Girl

Witch with Mandrake Root Wall Hanging

Haunted House

Werewolf Baby

Gremlin Hour

Arteaga also has paper dolls and prints in her shop. Don't you just love the detail in their faces?!

Embroidered Halloween Pendants

Are you getting to that point in the Halloween season (just ignore that ridiculous opinion piece in Slate) when you don't know how we got to just 5 days before Halloween and nothing is finished yet? I'm looking at having to redesign an outdoor Halloween party into an indoor party due to rain forecasts and not sure if anyone will show up because of the damn pandemic and well, just ugh! Even our costumes were designed to wear outdoors. 😭

Then I see some beautiful piece of Halloween art and realize I can do this. I am the bringer of Halloween to my hive and I won't disappoint. I'll just let the magic of Halloween take over (plus a lot of low lighting.)

What made me relax a bit? The beautifully embroidered pendants by Sarah Buckley. Usually Buckley has lots of floral pieces, but around Halloween she releases some skeletons and skulls.  I have a skull pendant purchased a few years ago from Buckley and get so many compliments on it. There are just a few Halloween pieces in the shop so don't miss out.

Embroidered Skull in Leaf Pendant

Skeleton in Coffin

Webbed Skull Pendant

Raven Pendant

Haunted House Pendant

Treat yourself to a little Halloween gift. You deserve it.

Beware of Spiders!

I feature mostly whimspookal Halloween items on this blog, but every once in awhile I see something a little creepier that just makes me sit up in my chair. The faux taxidermy spiders from Lifelike Spider Art makes me want to giggle and run away all at the same time. 

First of all, these spiders are big, much bigger than you're going to see on your ceiling while you're lying in bed. I love the giant brooch and the huge spiders in this shop. 

And remember:

She who kills a spider, bad luck betide her.

Tarantula Brooch

Plush Sleeping Spider 

Posable Small Spider

Hair Clip Spider

Giant Posable Spider

Spider Backpack

I think this would make a wonderful gift if anyone wants to buy me that sleeping spider...

Halloween Witches & Scarecrows

Kelli Martin's shop Whimsies Handmade is stocked with Halloween witches, scarecrows, and pumpkin people dolls made of cloth and clay. Whether you call them folk art or primitive style they're a delight. I just love the outfits they wear and these art dolls are tall- almost 20 inches!

Primitive Scarecrow

Halloween Witch

Pumpkin Lady

Halloween Witch

Pumpkin Man

Scarecrow

I really need to add one of these to my collection once my bank account replenishes!

October 20 - 27

 

Don't panic. We still have 11 days till Halloween! Now is the time to really sink in and enjoy spooky activities that make you happy. You won't get everything done, you never will, and that is okay.

Wednesday the 20th

• Animal Transformations: Selkies, Werewolves and Witch-Hares, online event with The Last Tuesday Society, 3pm EDT, Donation
• Profs and Pints Online: Encounters with Ghosts, 7pm EDT, $12

Friday the 22nd

• (1966) It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown airs for the 1st time

Saturday the 23rd

• Art from the Strange Land of Beelaungeen Shop Update, 12pm EDT

Sunday the 24th

• Curious Coffins and Haunted Dolls by Dr Louise Fenton, online event with The Last Tuesday Society, 3pm EDT, Donation
• It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, on your local PBS station

Monday the 25th

• Halloween Hill Studio Shop Update
• Scrimshaw Pottery Shop Update
• Costumes, Rituals and Pageantry: Halloween & Mexico's Day of the Dead, online event with Morbid Anatomy, 7pm EDT, $8
• Every Day is Halloween with Lisa Morton, online event with The Last Tuesday Society, 3pm EDT, Donation
• (1978) Halloween film is released in U.S. 
• (1993) Vincent Price Death Anniversary (Actor)

Tuesday the 26th

• National Pumpkin Day
• Witch Hunting in England and America, 1645-52, online event with The Last Tuesday Society, 3pm EDT, Donation

Wednesday the 27th

• Cruel Intentions: Haunted Food & Doomed Relationships in Gothic Literature, online event with The Last Tuesday Society, 3pm EDT, Donation
• Profs and Pints Online: Werewolf Women, 7pm EDT, $12
• New England Gravestones, online event, 7pm EDT, Free

Creepy Cute Halloween Dolls

This is it! Today is the start of the 13 Days of Halloween. By my count, today is day one of Halloween and we have 12 more to celebrate. I'm going to try to really focus on enjoying the season from here on out. 

Tonight I'm going to go to the movies (which I rarely do) to see The Addams Family 2. I'm not that into horror, but I do love whimspookal. Tomorrow I'm going to a lecture about Lizzie Borden's attorney who lived less than 30 miles from me, and on Thursday I have a ticket to watch the virtual live performance   by Jared Mezzocchi called Someone Else's House about growing up in a haunted house in New England. I tell you all this to hold myself accountable and hope you have some fun plans going forward.

There is still time to purchase amazing Halloween art (though we never really stop, do we?) and I would hate for you to miss out on the spooky art dolls by Aleece at Creepy Cute Doll Works. I own two of Aleece's pumpkin figures and they're absolutely adorable.

Pumpkin Dad and Son

Pumpkin Girl

Pumpkin Container

Penny Pink Pumpkin Girl

Lil' Red

Madame Blu

If you're in the States, it's probably not too late to order and receive by Halloween. Get moving!

Macabre Mix Monday

It's a Macabre Mix Monday with a variety of pieces from a mix of Halloween artists. Make sure you visit their shops to find more delights. 

Halloween Cat Girl by Joanna Bolton

Halloween Witch from Myriam Powell Designs

Vampire Bat from Toys by Nina Mara

Frankenstein Art Doll from Waggledance Art

Corpse in Coffin from Ancasta Workshop 

Poukie Pumpkin Doll from Atelier Mary Khaos

I'd be thrilled to have any one of these pieces in my collection! I just need to replenish my coffers first. It's been quite a Halloween shopping season.

Miniature Art Dolls for a Spooky Doll House

It's been awhile since I featured any spooky miniatures. It's such a big category on it's own! Earlier this summer I purchased a miniature one-room cottage from Facebook Marketplace and had grand plans of turning it into a Witch's cottage by Halloween.... then we adopted two kittens. The kittens think the house is their's and until they get a little bigger I think I'll need to wait on my project. Oh, and our cat Scooter also put in a claim.

Scooter

Aunt Hazel and Uncle Rufus

So, I'm putting off on buying any miniatures right now, but don't follow my lead! The miniature art dolls from Julia Moiseenko of Juliola are simply fantastic. You'll also find lots of miniature accessories in the shop that will look dandy in any spooky doll house.

Pumpkin Boy with Little Pumpkin Toy

Pumpkin Girl with Skeleton Toy

Pumpkin Boy with Vampire Toy

Pumpkins with Mushrooms

Skeleton Doll

Big Witch Cauldron

Oh gosh. Maybe I do need to start buying now and saving for later?

Earthy Halloween Mugs

As soon as I saw the mugs by Mary Habib I pictured myself in a forest cottage enjoying a cup of coffee with a cat curled on my lap while jewel-toned leaves drifted to the ground. These wheel-thrown mugs are each unique and any witch who enjoys a cuppa will love them. The shop is Meraki Designed.

Pumpkin Patch Mug

Witch Flying High Mug

Fall Owl Mug

Cauldron Witch Mug

White Pumpkin Patch Mug

Harvest Mug

Several of the mugs can be made to order in a variety of sizes and colors. There is a large selection so visit the shop while you have your cup of coffee!