Shivers of Delight

In Ghastlie Manor on Ghastlie Street there's a Ghastlie family there to meet. Mathilda Ghastlie with husband too extend a Ghastlie hand to you. It's a Ghastlie day for a Ghastlie walk, under Ghastlie trees on a Ghastlie block. A Ghastlie time for Ghastlie things like Ghastlie pets with Ghastlie wings. And that is all we know about the Ghastlie collection of fabrics from Alexander Henry Fabrics. If you're an avid stitcher and you read this blog, you probably already know about the Ghastlie collection. If you're on Etsy a great deal, you've probably seen the many wonderful items that use Ghastlie fabrics. I'm in love with the collection. It is slightly sinister and humorous at the same time. I want a book or a movie to go along with the fabric. I want more! Besides the Halloween collection, which I would call the everyday collection, there is a Christmas series as well. Even if you don't sew, you might want to start collecting these fabrics...

Next year when I'm planning our vacations I'm going to give some serious thought to finding a town that hosts a Krampusse (plural of Krampus) parade. The best parades are in Austria where they have been honoring the Krampus for hundreds of years. There are a few places in the U.S. that have started having Krampusse parades. Philadelphia hosts Krampaslauf ;  Bellingham, WA, hosts KrampusCon ; Bloomington, IN, had a parade and festival this year too. It's still pretty rare, but I have hope that it will grow. I'm much too busy, but maybe you can start a parade in your town. I promise to attend- or at least blog about it. I just want to put this thought in your head before the weekend: The Krampusnacht Festival in Klagenfurt, Austria. Most Krampus festivals take place around the time of our Thanksgiving vacation plus some so we can all head to Austria next year instead of to grandma's house! Klagenfurt supposedly hosts one of the largest festivals in the ...

I think I underestimated just how popular the Krampus is in this country. I could spend another week showing all the Krampus products available. So, instead, I just going to throw a few more at you. Let's begin with ornaments for your tree. A Krampus ornament would be so much more fun to find than a pickle. Krampus Ornament from Vintage Religion Leather Krampus Ornament from LeatherHeads Clay Krampus Ornament from ShaniDrakeCreations1 How about a candle to guide the Krampus to your house? Krampus Candle from MonsterCandleShop This would make a great bedtime story. Krampus Christmas Story by KrampusWorkshop Something to occupy the kids with while you wrap presents. Krampus Sticker Book at Amazon I could continue this post, but I have many, many things to do. Tis the season of over-doing!

Sweaters aren't your thing? Well, you can go subtle with a Krampus accessory. These dandies let people know you mean business and you won't receive angry glares across the holiday party buffet. Krampus Brooch from Studio NKM Krampus Black Snowflake Necklace from WonkyTreasures Krampus Earrings by WhimsyLovelies Krampus Hooded Scarf by BatGirl93 Krampus Fleece Ear Flap Hat by SnugglyComforts Krampus Hand Illustrated Purse by Quarley

"Baby, it's cold outside and I want to eat you" sang the Krampus. Step one of Krampus Week : Attire yourself in a Krampus themed sweater. There are a surprising number from which to choose. Beware, many sweaters that claim to be Krampus sweaters are really just devil sweaters. There is a difference. I'll start with my favorite. It's from Middle of Beyond (MOB). Also from MOB,  this pullover  comes in adult and children sizes. This pullover may be out of stock for now, but it's worth bookmarking for later at  Archie McPhee . Really more of a sweatshirt -from Rock World East Rusty Zipper takes gently-used sweaters and repurposes them. There are a bunch of Krampus-themed sweaters on their site. And finally, for the ladies, a Krampus sweater dress! Fabulous. It's at Inked Boutique .

I know I'm about a week late on this one, but I just wasn't ready to talk about the biggest improvement to hit this country's Christmas in years. Sure, we've been slowly introduced to the idea of punishing bad children in the current climate of "everyone is a winner" through the gentle tattletale Elf on the Shelf . It's time to notch it up a bit. Krampus will kick the ass out of Elf on the Shelf and he doesn't need a dark alley to do it. Mark my words, Krampus is going to start showing up everywhere. We're great at absorbing other culture's traditions here. Eight years ago I couldn't find any appropriate decorations for my Day of the Dead party and now you can find them at Walmart and Target. Next year, Krampus is going to make a break for it. You know he'll have made it here when he is a balloon at the Macy's Day Parade. I'll even get a t.v. for that one. I'm not going to go into the history of Krampus here. If you d...

The stockings were hung by the chimney with caution....... Sometimes you don't know you need a thing until you see it. This is what happened when I started exploring the world of spooky Christmas stockings. As I mentioned, my decorating style falls between Dr. Seuss and Tim Burton so I think any of these stockings would suit my decor. You can find these and more like them on Etsy. Gothic Skull Cameo Stocking by MTCoffinz Gothic Damask Bat Stocking by AijoEchoTotes Zombie Santa Stocking by DiamondDustStudio Nightmare Before Christmas Stocking by Redtastic WorkingClassPunx in Hollywood, California has an entire collection of stockings that I love. They have just the right mix of elegance and the macabre. I couldn't choose just one to show you. Black Bats Stocking Day of the Dead Stocking Pumpkin Damask Stocking Nevermore Raven Stocking Midnight Muertos Stocking Just imagine the frightening things you might find in these stockings.