Autumn Gathering Home party..

See that clearing in the woods....you're almost here!

Let my little friend guide you the rest of the way...

Past the children gleefully playing in the leaves.
So glad you have arrived.

Welcome to the Autumn Gathering Home party!
Come on inside...Sit down and make yourself comfortable. You're sure to see someone you know and you'll probably make a new friend or two.

Grab some witches brew and a party favor cone.

Feel free to set down your hat and partake in some bewitching conversation.

All eyes are on you....
We cannot wait to see all the wonderful creations you've been working on this Halloween season. Please share!

Anyone up for a game of Ouja?

Would you like a trick or a treat on the way out? Happy Halloween!

Thanks so much for coming to my blog party. Don't forget to visit all the other partygoers blogs for lots more fun and inspiration! Click on the links on the Autumn Gathering blogroll (on the right hand side) or just click through the comments and let the smell of the autumn bonfire lead you from house to house. Enjoy!

13 Days of Halloween:10 {Garland}

I have banners and garlands all over my home for Halloween. Seems like there are always new vintage-inspired designs coming out and they make everything just a little more festive! My latest edition is this amazing handmade garland by my Sweet and Sinister partner Candice Carpenter.

Elsie Flannigan has the cutest ghost kits available in her etsy shop. I found these fabulous cloth skull garlands in the etsy shop of Middleburg Folk Art Studio. or her leaf garland. Oh my!Last Halloween Candice Stringham posted this wonderful banner on her blog (below). I think the people at Memory Makers must have gotten wind of it, because they had a kit this year for a garland in their Spellbound collection that looks almost identical to it. I bought it and added my own embellishments and it turned out great.Here are a few of my flickr favorites. 1. halloween mailorder club banner, 2. halloween garland, 3. Halloween Garland, 4. Spooky Banner, 5. Halloween banners by Modern June, 6. halloween banner, 7. shabby Halloween banner, 8. Vintage Halloween Banner, 9. Spooky Mantle

We'll see you back here tomorrow for the Autumn Gathering Home party! My post will go live at 12 am, so feel free to stop by and party all night! Anyone can participate, just show us some photos of your Autumn or Halloween decorated home, favorite store, wherever and leave a comment on the party post. We'll follow the trail of leaves and visit your harvest celebration.

13 Days of Halloween:11 {Party Hats}

In looking at my Halloween decorations, I realized that almost every single decoration had either a party hat or witch's hat on their head. There definitely seems to be a party hat "thing" right now. Especially vintage style. I love it! Candice even has subscription kits for making party hats! In getting ready for my Autumn Gathering blog party in a few days, I thought I'd share some of my newly acquired fabulous party hats in the Dept. 56 Glitterville collection. I bought these last spring at a Cancer Society fundraiser with all items donated by Dept. 56. I was in heaven!

This sweet and sinister hat was made for me last year by the lovely Cerri of Little Pink Studio.

I'd love to see your Halloween party hats!

If you need a pattern, you can find one here with basic instructions.

Party on!

13 Days of Halloween: 12 {Old Time Halloween}

When looking through my Halloween decor, I realized that the ones that intigue me the most and therefore are my favorites are objects that have a past. As many of you know, the reason I love going to a good estate sale is because the items have had a previous "life", they have a story. A few recent Halloween finds are now among my favorites. Below is a cover of and old The Farmer's Wife magazine from November of 1926. I love that it still has the address of the recipient up the right hand side. The image on the cover is sweet and delightful. It was fairly torn up and very fragile, so I framed it in a floating frame to enjoy it for years to come. I shared this here on my blog when I found it at the same estate sale. I think this is my all-time favorite Halloween decoration. It is an old cigar box (which I have yet to date) carved into a face of a jack-o-lantern. Someone carved this simple face and I gathered from the wax and burn marks used it on All Hallow's Eve many decades ago. This to me is the ultimate Halloween find.



Another estate sale treasure was finding these wonderful black "witch boots". They are worn to perfection and I knew immediately they would make a great display piece.
Finally, awhile ago Laume emailed me these amazing pictures from Bodi, of old German Halloween lanterns left in a ghost town. I cannot remember where she said it was. They certainly have an eerieness of days gone by.

Do you have any old Halloween decorations that have particular significance to you? Do you have any props that have a totally different meaning, but you have creatively displayed them in a spooky way?

13 Days of Halloween: 13 {Countown Calendar}

Thanks to all who visited my little Halloween party here yesterday (see post below). Glad you enjoyed the festivities. Did you know there are only 13 more days until All Hallow's Eve!? I've always enjoyed the act of counting down. It builds excitement and new traditions can be built in. As a kid (and still today) I enjoy counting down the days to Christmas on our advent calendar. When I first saw the lovely countdown creation below by Matthew Mead for Halloween, I was delighted. The black and white theme, along with counting the last 13 days to Halloween was perfect (and oh so spooky)!So I decided to get my Halloween bits and pieces together and make my own creation. Using my old frame that I had spray painted black and stapled down chicken wire to the back I created 13 little "ornaments" to be taken off each day for the next 13 days. I had some tags and a matchbox ornament from folks on the Sweet and Sinister blog that I was thrilled to use. It's a fun way to get creative with some of the extra materials you may have laying around. Candice Stringham had a fun article in the October 2008 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine (below) about making a countdown calendar. She also suggested tucking in a little slip or attaching it to the back of each tag something that you will do on that day, such as "go to the apple orchard", "carve a pumpkin"...you get the idea. Love how new fall traditions can be incorporated into this.



Here is another such calendar that is in Matthew Meads new Halloween book. I love the vintage memo board he used. Will have to keep my eyes peeled for one of those.

This gorgeous calendar I bought from Kris Hurst last year and proudly have it displayed in my kitchen. The numbers are attached with velcro, so it can also be used to countdown to the big day. The possibilities are endless!

Do you count down the days to Halloween? I'd love to hear about your fall traditions.

It's a Halloween party...

Hello! Thanks so much for coming to visit. I am having a party here today as part of Vanessa's Fanciful Twist Halloween Bash!

I am thrilled to have my party at my favorite local haunt, a nursery called Nature's Harvest in Wayzata, Minnesota.

So come on in!!

Can I give you a hand?

The table is set with some devilish delights.

Be sure and say hello to an old friend of mine.

Grab a mug to fill with hot cider and have a seat, there's lots of entertainment and conversation. The dancing black cats are quite the show!

Such a grand party table....and we're just getting started!

Be sure and have your fortune read before you go.

Thanks so much for visiting.

Be sure and stop back here starting tomorrow, I will be posting the 13 Days of Halloween. Each days post will include inspiration and festivities leading up to All Hallow's Eve. Look forward to seeing you back soon!