Vintage Halloween Collector

Happy Halloween & The Spooky Road to Oct. 2012

2011-11-01T01:07:00.000-07:00

I wanted to thank all of you for coming to my Vintage Halloween Blog during the month of October and sharing your comments! I haven't had much time in the last couple of weeks to reply as much as I would have liked as it was a very busy time, but I'll be going through them more in the next few weeks. I hope to post more often through the holidays and next year leading up to Halloween, so be sure to bookmark and check back from time to time.

Hope you all had a fabulous Halloween and I look forward to more spooky blogging to come! Tonight we had 161 trick or treaters, so I gave out a lot of loot bags to the kids! Hope you had a good turnout.

If you want to share any of your photos from this year's Halloween and your decorations and displays, be sure to send them my way and I'll post them here.

Jenn:)

Oct. 31 - Day 31: Nancy Drew Halloween Party

2011-10-31T00:02:00.000-07:00

Nancy Drew & The Hidden Staircase
Halloween Party

No one got lost in the secret passageway or tumbled down the hidden staircase, but they did spot a rat or two and an old Sleuth member who wandered down into the depths of Haunted Twin Elms never to be spotted again until now...

A window silhouette of Nancy climbing the stairs and a ghostly creature lurking behind her...

The porch became the hidden passageway with the faux stairs I created with boxes and spray "stone" paint. The walls were covered with a faux stone room roll.

Cobwebs greeted guests as well as a spooky Nancy Drew silhouette lantern--these were hung on either side of the porch. A sign at the top of the stairs warned, "Enter if you dare."

A skeleton wearing one of our Nancy Drew convention tees from the PA/Witch Tree Convention reads a Nancy Drew book...

A haunting portrait...

Mostly black/white decor greeted guests in the parlor of Twin Elms. Paintings were haunted by covers made from vintage Nancy Drew book pages and silhouettes. Nancy Drew silhouette buckets were filled with candy.

Spooky ghostly images great guests in the hall as well as a Nancy Drew Halloween tree with black/white silhouette paper decorations. Goody Bags with the Nancy Drew silhouette were filled with candy and goodies.

Spanish moss and skulls fill this container and black roses fill a flask vase

A reverse silhouette effect in the parlor as the sun is starting to set. A creepy skull adorns a black cake stand.

Some of my vintage noisemakers and Johanna Parker's Tin Horns adorn this old desk

Nancy Drew haunts this painting made with old book pages...

Rice Krispy Treats and ghoulish glow in the dark witch fingers beckoned guests as did the Toile style Nancy Drew decoupaged pumpkin I crafted. Eyeball chocolates were yummy. Miss Flora's Brown Owl watched suspiciously...

A lantern glows from the vellum Nancy Drew silhouettes I created for the sides of it

Nancy Drew Silhouette Goody Bags

Reese's Cookie Cups garnished with edible bones and skulls adorn this silver 3-tiered stand topped with a couple of small skulls.

These were delicious--the recipe came from the bag of Halloween Reese's miniature cups. Martha Stewart's Everyday Food had a similar recipe in the October 2011 issue.

We had a gift exchange and I created a treat cone using a papier mache witch hat, painted it black and decoupaged onto it images I had copied from the endpapers of vintage Nancy Drew books--little black and white scenes of Nancy Drew. I embellished it with fun fringe and ribbon and added treats and toys plus a wire handle.

This year's party was lots of fun! Now to entertain all the spooksters arriving tonight! Happy Halloween to everyone! Make it a spooky one :)

Jenn:)

Oct. 30 - Day 30: Halloween Party Sneak Peek

2011-10-30T00:02:00.000-07:00

Halloween 2011 Party

Had my annual Nancy Drew Halloween party last night. The theme was The Hidden Staircase and so the house was a "haunted house." I went with a mostly black and white theme and here's a few images from the party--will post more tomorrow.

A great way to cover up your existing paintings is to "haunt" them with covers like these I created using white poster board and black construction paper for the ghostly faces.

The overturned vase was perfect for some dried Spanish moss and skulls.

Some of my noisemakers graced an old desk covered with filmy white material.

Outside sat some faux stone steps and a lantern I made using vellum I printed with silhouettes.

Jenn:)

Oct. 29 - Day 29: Vintage Bats at eBay

2011-10-29T00:02:00.000-07:00

Vintage Bats at eBay

Here are some bat items I've spotted at eBay--not as much with bats that are the main focal point of the decorations and items as other themes like withes and jack o' lanterns, but you'll find a nice variety.

Dennison Diecut

Bat Postcard

Bat Postcard

Bat/Moon German Diecut

Jenn:)

Halloween Blog Party Week 4 Prize Winner

2011-10-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Week 4 Blog Party Winner...

Lorelei - Congrats! Contact me at webmaster@vintagehalloween.com with your address to mail the bag to :)

Prize: Halloween Raven Clutch Bag

Jenn:)

Oct. 28 - Day 28: Vintage Postcard Edibles

2011-10-28T00:02:00.000-07:00

Wicked & Delightful Goodies

The SF Appeal online news website posted an article on edible spooky treats and edible vintage postcard images for cookies was one of them. I loved the look of these! So wanted to share with you. You can read more about this project and other goodies by clicking here.

And you can purchase the edible postcard wafers at Fancy Flours. Fancy Flours also has lots of other cute Halloween products!

Jenn:)

Spendy Halloween Results at eBay #10

2011-10-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Collectibles at eBay

Check out these 3 pieces that have ended at eBay recently! The pumpkin man above sold for $795.00

This scarce Beistle piece sold for $978.60.

Last but not least, is this Beistle diecut that sold for $699.95!

Jenn:)

Oct. 27 - Day 27: Vintage Halloween Postcards

2011-10-27T00:02:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Postcards at eBay

I love checking out the vintage Halloween postcards at eBay--there are so many listed! Some for less than $10 and some go into the hundreds. This is one area of collecting that you can pick up some of these pretty inexpensively which is nice. One thing I like about these mini works of art is the scenes they depict--so many are representative of the various parties and the merriment that goes on--and some of the games with apple bobbing, mirror/fortune/fate type scenarios and then also the mischief that went on.

Jenn:)

Halloween Cap'n Crunch

2011-10-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Halloween Cap'n Crunch

OK, it 's not vintage, but I had to share :) One of my favorite cereals as a kid was Cap'n Crunch! And I spotted their Halloween theme cereal at the grocery store this week--the ghosts turn the milk green!

Here's a recipe I found online for making bars with the Cap'n Crunch cereal instead of Rice Krispy Treats (though you could combine them!):

Ingredients:

Yield: 15 bars

Units: US | Metric

1 (18 ounce) box Cap'n Crunch cereal
6 tablespoons butter
1 (16 ounce) bag marshmallows
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
salt, a pinch

Directions:

1 Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with softened butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2 Add the cereal to a bowl; set aside.

3 Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat.

4 Add the marshmallows, vanilla, and salt; cook, stirring constantly, until the marshmallows are melted into the butter.

5 Immediately pour the marshmallow mixture over the cereal and stir with a large wooden spoon until all the cereal is coated with melted marshmallows.

6 Spoon the cereal mixture into prepared pan.

7 With buttered hands, gently but firmly press the cereal into the pan to compact the mixture.

8 Let the mixture cool completely.

9 When cool, cut into 15 large bars.

10 Serve right away, or wrap each bar separately with waxed paper or plastic wrap and store in covered container for up to 2 days.

Jenn:)

Oct. 26 - Day 26: Vintage Halloween Seals at eBay

2011-10-26T00:02:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Seals at eBay

Check out these lovely old vintage seals I've spotted at eBay! Nice and bright--these were gummed seals. Often you'll see them being sold as scraps but sometimes you can get a mint/full box too. Having the box is definitely a plus for collectors.

Jenn:)

Games for Halloween by Mary E. Blain

2011-10-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Games

I recently purchased this book at eBay for around $20.00. It's a small thin book around 4 1/2" x 6 3/4" in side and not quite 1/2" thick. Mine has a name inside and the date of 1916. The copyright is 1912 and it's a Barse & Hopkins publication.

In looking through it, it's definitely got some strange and interesting games in it! At this time, Halloween parties were mostly for adults. Here are some games in the book:

***

Flour Test:

A bowl is filled tightly with flour. During the process of filling, a wedding ring is inserted vertically in some part of it. The bowl, when full, is inverted upon a dish and withdrawn, leaving the mound of flour on the dish. Each guest cuts off with a knife a thin slice which crumbles into dust. The guest who cuts off the slice containing the ring will be married first.

Combing Hair Before Mirror:

Stand alone before mirror, and by light of candle comb your hair; face of your future partner will appear in glass, peering over your shoulder.

Jumping Lighted Candle:

Place a lighted candle in middle of floor, not too securely placed; each one jumps over it. Whoever succeeds in clearing candle is guaranteed a happy year, free of trouble or anxiety. He who knocks candle over will have a twelve-month of woe.

***

I have to wonder how many women stood alone before that mirror and no face ever appeared ;-)

Jenn:)

Oct. 25 - Day 25: Crafty Halloween Ideas #8

2011-10-25T00:02:00.000-07:00

Crafty Halloween Ideas #8 -
Decoupage Pumpkins

I decided to do a crafty decoupage pumpkin for my Nancy Drew Halloween party. Part of my decor is black/white mostly so the multi pic endpapers from the Nancy Drew books worked perfectly. It's kind of got a Toile look to it. I think I'm going to paint the stem black tomorrow once it finishes drying overnight.

Materials:

I purchased all of these items at Michaels.

Faux pumpkins
Modge Podge
Foam Brush
Images

Instructions:

Set up your table with something the pumpkin (and you) won't stick to--I used plastic. Also, cut out your images first so you'll have them ready to go assembly line once you start. Tip: Take a bowl to set your pumpkin in to work on as this makes it easier to work with. I covered my bowl with some saran wrap to keep the modge podge off it. Another Tip: Have your images printed at the copy shop--so the ink won't bleed as it will on an ink jet printer. If you have some special spray then you can print your own and use the spray to keep the ink from running.

Begin placing your images on the pumpkin--I started out at the bottom and worked my way up. You can brush the pumpkin with modge podge and then place the image but I found it easier to paint it on the bottom of the paper and then apply. I also wore some painters gloves so I wouldn't have to spend half the night scraping modge podge off my hands.

As you work it will go quickly. Sometimes you have to trim things certain ways to make it fit better--I find smaller pieces work better on surfaces like this that aren't flat.

Do about half the pumpkin at one time and then let it dry and then do the other side. I printed images for the earlier version of these endpapers with the 22 little scenes like the blue multi pic endpapers but didn't get a chance to start the second pumpkin.

It was a pretty easy project to do--you can't really mess up this kind of project! I completed mine while watching Dancing with the Stars and Castle with wait times for drying so it wasn't too time consuming.

Jenn:)

Vintage Style Halloween at Etsy - Jewelry

2011-10-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some neat Halloween jewelry pieces you can find at Etsy! The above pendant is from LDphotography.

Necklace from SihayaDesigns

Earrings from obsessedwithvintage

Owl necklace from AutumnBearStudios

Charm from fairylandbeads

Jenn:)

Oct. 24 - Day 24: Crafty Halloween Ideas #7

2011-10-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

Crafty Halloween Ideas #7 -
Ghost in the Mirror

Mary Beth sent in this DIY idea and here's her instructions:

"This is one of my favorite crafty DIY projects. I've used it for years. It's very cheap and very easy to make but it has a really big WOW factor.

Take a piece of wax paper cut to fit a mirror or your choice.

Trace a floating ghostly figure with a pencil angled from one side, so that the other side keeps its original straight edge.

Trim out shape with scissors.

Crumple the ghostly figure in a ball and then carefully uncrumple.

Using double sided scotch tape, adhere the ghostly figure to a mirror, using the straight edge as your guide.

Once adhered, add 3 black cardstock circles/ovals for the eyes and mouth.

Easy Peasy! Now you have a perfect ghost in the mirror.

I always put my ghost in my powder room because no one expects a ghost to be hiding out in the powder room!"

Jenn:)

Spendy Halloween Results at eBay #9

2011-10-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Collectibles at eBay

Here's a trio of interesting items that recently sold at eBay. The above fireplace screen looks fabulous all lit up doesn't it! It sold for: $999.99.

This old banjo sold for $871.00.

Check this one out! It's an old Beistle Witch Centerpiece. It sold for $810.00!

Jenn:)

Oct. 23 - Day 23: Crafty Halloween Ideas #6

2011-10-23T00:02:00.000-07:00

Crafty Halloween Ideas #6 -
Window Silhouettes

Part of any great Halloween celebration is setting the scene! One neat way to do so, is to create a window silhouette. Choose a window that has a great focal point to your house and the party. A front window that isn't obstructed from view from the street is ideal too, so everyone walking and driving by can see how spiffy you are ;) Ha!

I have been doing these for quite a few years now. I've had various themes before--witches, pirates, The Great Pumpkin/Snoopy, Sleepy Hollow/Headless Horseman, and the last several years I've been doing a Nancy Drew Mystery Halloween Party--as is my theme for this year which also includes a haunted house so it works well for Halloween. The above silhouette is my front window for this year and a take off on The Hidden Staircase book and I added a ghost to the side behind Nancy Drew.

Materials:

Silhouette Image
Black Poster Board
Tape
Scissors
Pencil
Tissue Paper

Instructions:

The first thing to do is figure out your design for the window and print it out to use as a guide. I printed mine out, divided it into 4 parts for the 4 areas of my window.

I then taped up my 4 pieces of black poster board into the window and then I used my printed silhouette image as a guide while I drew the outline onto the poster board in pencil.

Keep proportion in mind when doing this! If you happen to have a projector--projecting the silhouette onto a wall where you've taped your paper is much easier and goes quicker. What I do is old school since I don't have a handy projector.

Once you have the desired look, cut out the pieces. Begin taping your silhouette into the window--I try not to use too much tape and tape in areas where it won't show too much like on the backs of strips that are going across the panes, etc.

The key is to layer the tissue and not overlap too much as overlapping shows up darker. Piecing with tissue can be time consuming but it's worth it.

If you want to make a silhouette that you can use again and again without too much wear, you can make it out of felt. I have a red felt banner with black felt silhouette and in a window it glows nicely. If you used yellow or white and then a black silhouette on it, it will look great too and keep nicely.

If you have a lot of time on your hands, fill all your front facing windows with silhouettes for a complete look.

Jenn:)

Week 4 Halloween Prize

2011-10-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Week 4 Prize

Don't forget that those who comment on any of the blog postings from Sat. Oct. 22 through Fri. Oct. 28 will be entered to win the leather Halloween Raven Silhouette Clutch Bag. We carry this and several other styles plus coin purses in the Vintage Halloween Store.

Jenn:)

Oct. 22 - Day 22: Cats at eBay

2011-10-22T00:02:00.000-07:00

Cats at eBay

Spotted these vintage cat decorations and decor at eBay. The diecut decoration is going quite high right now as is the tiara below--up to $250.00 as of this posting!

Jenn:)

Halloween Blog Party Week 3 Prize Winner

2011-10-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Week 3 Blog Party Winner...

Sherry B. - Congrats! Contact me at webmaster@vintagehalloween.com with your address to mail the watch to :)

Prize: Halloween Witches Dance Watch

Don't forget to comment on blog postings through next week to win next week's prize: one of our Halloween clutch bags!

Jenn:)

Oct. 21 - Day 21: Vintage Halloween Collectibles Display #3

2011-10-21T00:02:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Collectibles
& Vintage Style Decor

Blog reader Mary Beth sent me these images of her decorating for Halloween which mixes vintage and vintage style so nicely! I love especially the Hobgoblin dishes and cups--from the Bruce Elsass collection from Bethany Lowe! You'll see quite a bit of Johanna Parker's products as well like the party hat on the cake stand above.

Everything looks so neat--thanks to Mary Beth for sharing her haunts.

If you'd like to share your decor and collectibles, send photos to: webmaster@vintagehalloween.com.

Jenn:)

Cat Bowling Game

2011-10-21T00:01:00.001-07:00

Anyone up for Cat Bowling?

There's a cute game of Cat Bowling that's quite addicting--click here to play!

Jenn:)

Oct. 20 - Day 20: Vintage Halloween Plastic

2011-10-20T00:02:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Plastic Collectibles

I really do like some of the plastic collectibles--but my wallet does not ;-) They can sell into the hundreds or more at eBay. I thought I'd highlight the prices of a view recent sellers. The above large candy container sold for $616.06. Here are a few more festive ones:

Sold for: $238.00

Sold for: $301.88

Sold for $330.00

Sold for $177.77

Jenn:)

Vintage Halloween Collectibles Display #2

2011-10-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Collectibles Display

Her's another great photo from Richard of some more of his collectibles--vintage and modern.

If you'd like to share how you decorate and display with your collectibles, send me some photos and I'll post them. Send them to webmaster@vintagehalloween.com.

Jenn:)

Oct. 19 - Day 19: Vintage Halloween Tally Cards

2011-10-19T00:02:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Tally Cards

Here are some neat vintage Halloween tally cards I spotted at eBay!

I love the imagery on these.

Jenn:)

Vintage Halloween Noisemakers at eBay #17

2011-10-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a neat Halloween Noisemaker I spotted this year--I ike the graphics which are a hodge podge of imagery, but work well together!

Jenn:)

Oct. 18 - Day 18: Crafty Halloween Ideas #5

2011-10-18T00:02:00.000-07:00

Crafty Halloween Ideas #5 -
Spooktacular Cupcake Picks

Need a cute idea for a cupcake pick for your parties this year? I created a PDF file featuring the spooktacular Beistle lantern image. This is free for your enjoyment and personal usage. Click here to access the file. Simply cut out the circles or use a 1 1/2" circle punch and then glue toothpicks onto the back--you can also sandwich two circles together if that's more aesthetically pleasing to you. I also recommend printing onto cardstock instead of regular paper so they'll hold up better.

This is one of my favorite Beistle images. Enjoy!

Jenn:)

Vintage Halloween Lanterns

2011-10-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Collectibles: The Beistle Lantern

One of the nicest Beistle designs in my opinion is this great lantern piece produced in the 1930s. They are very hard to find and sell quite high. I did a recent search at eBay and didn't spot one having been sold recently but I might have missed it.

At one time there were very nice reproductions being done--but I see that link on my links page is no longer working, so I'm not sure if you can still get those. If anyone is aware, please post in the comments.

Jenn:)

Martha Stewart Halloween Goodies - On Sale!

2011-10-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Sale! We've put quite a few of our Martha Stewart Halloween items on sale in the Vintage Halloween Store--check them out! Other items throughout the store on sale as well. Order by Tues. Oct. 25 to ensure timely delivery by Halloween. Our Express mail cutoff is Thurs. Oct. 27.

Jenn:)

Oct. 17 - Day 17: Crafty Halloween Ideas #4

2011-10-17T00:02:00.000-07:00

Crafty Halloween Ideas #4 -
Spooky Halloween Wreath

I wanted to do a wreath for the front door this year that was somewhat simple and elegant, so it wouldn't distract too much from what I'll be doing to the porch and the scene I'll be creating. Yet it will blend in well. All of my supplies save the paint (which you can purchase there) came from Michaels. Click on the images below for a larger view.

Materials:

Grapevine Wreath
Black Spray Paint
Glue Gun & Glue Sticks
Embellishments - Skulls, ravens, floral picks, and glittered skeletons

Instructions:

1. Spray paint the wreath on newspaper with the spray paint coating liberally. Let dry.

2. Set the wreath on a table and begin to add your embellishments--add the floral picks first and use your hot glue gun to adhere them to the wreath.

Halloween Floral Picks

Spooky Embellishments

3. Arrange your embellishments around the wreath to get your desired design and then using your glue gun, attach them to the wreath.

4. Once you're finished, you can create a hanger using wire or ribbon or if the grapevine wreath is sturdy enough, you can just hook it over your hook.

The skulls came from a Martha Stewart Crafts kit of skulls that you could decorate or glitter. I decided to leave them plain so they'd look more like real skulls to liven up the black and dark colors of the floral picks. The floral picks, ravens, and glittered skeletons were all back in a Halloween display by the floral department. If you do not have a glue gun, they are very inexpensive or you can use wire, fishing line, or ribbon to attach things to the wreath--though the glue gun works better.

I haven't decided yet whether I want to spray the wreath with a light semi-translucent glitter spray or keep it the way it is.

This project was very easy to do and took less than 10 minutes to spray paint, awhile to dry, and then around 10 minutes or less to decorate the wreath. It's a very easy project even for those who aren't very crafty.

Jenn:)

Vintage Halloween Collectibles Display

2011-10-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Collectibles Display

Vintage Halloween collector Richard sent me this display of some vintage Halloween diecuts in his collection. Click on the image for a larger view. Aren't they neat!

Jenn:)

Oct. 16 - Day 16: Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate Halloween

2011-10-16T00:02:00.000-07:00

Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate Halloween

I really enjoyed the 2011 issue of Celebrate Halloween! The cover features a cake covered in eyes and some cute flags.

Here are some highlights I enjoyed:

The metallic carved pumpkin table display of treats and sweets.

The Johanna Parker profile is really nice too and features some neat images of her work!

The cat and owl Johanna Parker cupcake pick templates are great.

Being a mystery and Nancy Drew fan I was delighted to see the Mystery Book Club Dinner Halloween Party theme piece--it featured all kinds of fun mystery theme decor and used the Nancy Drew silhouette on some of the printables. I almost fell over int he floor when I saw it as you don't see Nancy Drew done like this a lot and since Country Living was doing the Nancy Drew collecting spread, it was so neat to see her show up in two big magazines! Other mystery characters include Miss Marple, Perry Mason, The Hardy Boys, Sherlock Holmes, Nero Wolfe and many other neat ones.

Matthew Mead has a piece in here too titled "A Ghostly Gathering" which was clever.

A Mustache Bash was clever too. Lots of fun recipes in this magazine also. You can print all the templates from the magazine at the Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate website.

Jenn:)

Spendy Halloween Results at eBay #8

2011-10-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Collectibles at eBay

Check out this parade lantern that sold in September.

Final price? $965.55.

Jenn:)

Week 3 Halloween Prize

2011-10-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Week 3 Prize

Don't forget that those who comment on any of the blog postings from Sat. Oct. 15 through Fri. Oct. 21 will be entered to win the Halloween Witches Dance Watch. We carry this and several other styles in the Vintage Halloween Store.

Jenn:)

Oct. 15 - Day 15: Jols at eBay

2011-10-15T00:02:00.000-07:00

Jols at eBay

I spotted these jack o' lantern collectibles at eBay ending this weekend. The plastic one above certainly has a following among plastic enthusiasts but I really like this jol game below:

Nutcup

Postcard

Noisemaker

Paper Mache Lantern

Gurley Candle

Jenn:)

Halloween Blog Party Week 2 Prize Winner

2011-10-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Week 2 Blog Party Winner...

Ronda/Old Fashion Halloween - Congrats!

Prize: Victorian Trading Crackers

Don't forget to comment on blog postings through next week to win next week's prize: one of our Halloween watches!

Jenn:)

Oct. 14 - Day 14: Vintage Halloween Books

2011-10-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Books

Whether it's a kids' Halloween book or a vintage party book, I love old-time Halloween books! I've pictured a few here that are favorites - shown above is Heigh-Ho for Halloween by Elizabeth Hough Sechrist. Shown below are Hallowe'en Tales by Ethel Owen and a Beckley-Cardy Halloween booklet. There are some neat illustrations in these and also neat party ideas in them too. You can also get these cheaper than you can those Bogie Books. Some like the Hallowe'en Tales are a bit spendy at auction though!

Jenn:)

Heigh-Ho for Halloween Games

2011-10-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Heigh-Ho for Halloween

The Heigh-Ho for Halloween book I have lacks the dust jacket but I found it at Half Price books for $12.00 earlier this year. Was happy to snap it up!

There's a chapter on Halloween, "About Halloween," and then the book is divided into sections: stories, poems, plays, games, and parties. The last chapter is "Halloween Today."

The chapter on games features games with apples, games with nuts, guessing games, games with stunts, foretelling the future games, dutch doll, and a jack o' lantern dance.

Here are a few games:

Apple-Snapping

A dime is stuck into the cheek of an apple, the apple is tied to a string which is suspended from the ceiling, and with hands clasped in back of them the players, two at a time, try to bite the dime from the apple. The one who succeeds in biting the part of the apple containing the dime wins.

Apple Fortunes

An apple is pared without breaking the paring, then the long skin of the apple is tossed over the left shoulder. The paring is supposed to tell the name of the future husband (or wife) by forming the first letter of his name.

The Looking-Glass Husband

A very old game of superstition is that in which the boy or girl walks through a dimly lighted room backward, holding a mirror before the face and eating an apple at the same time. If the charm works the image of the person's future mate is supposed to be seen in the glass.

Jenn:)

Oct. 13 - Day 13: Vintage Halloween Candy Containers

2011-10-13T00:02:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Candy Containers

Here are some examples of old-time candy containers I've spotted at eBay. These sold in the $300.00 to 500.00 range! Some of these old-time containers have been reproduced, so you have to watch out for reproductions.

Jenn:)

Spendy Halloween Results at eBay #7

2011-10-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Collectibles at eBay

This plastic witch riding a rocket has sold recently in the hundreds! This particular one at eBay brought in $498.00!

Jenn:)

Oct. 12 - Day 12: Vintage Halloween Diecuts

2011-10-12T00:02:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Diecuts

I enjoy greatly the images on the vintage Halloween diecuts. Here's a sampling I've spotted at eBay. Some of these are German and they have nice deep embossing. Others are Beistle diecuts with great images. My favorite of all these is the one below with the cute squirrel!

Jenn:)

Crafty Halloween Ideas #4

2011-10-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Crafty Halloween Ideas #4 -
Aged Potion Bottles

I saw a blog posting online just tonight about a craft to make aged potion bottles and I love how they look! See the image above--they were painted with white paint and then there was a process to do the labels. Click here to see the blog entry at Make and Takes and the instructions for this project.

Jenn:)

Vintage Hallowen Store - Diecut Repros

2011-10-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Diecut Repros in the Vintage Halloween Store

We've got some great diecut reproductions in our Vintage Halloween Store. The Beistle set--half of which is shown above is one of our most popular sellers but I love the silhouette style of the B. Shackman set below.

Jenn:)

Oct. 11 - Day 11: Vintage Bogie Books

2011-10-11T00:02:00.000-07:00

Vintage Dennison's Bogie Books

One of my favorite party books for Halloween is the multitude of Dennison's Bogie Books! Unfortunately they can be very expensive! The recent auction I blogged about for the 1912 edition that ended at $885.00 is a high end example. Some others have sold recently in the $50.00 to $200.00 range.

If vintage Bogie Books are too expensive for your wallet, you can buy reproductions from Bramcost Publications--I've seen these at Amazon.com in their store and at eBay. The reproduction prices run around $12.95 each.

These reproductions are marked inside as being such so if you see one listed ask the seller about the inside copyright information if you're unsure if it's a reproduction or not.

Not only do you see the Dennison products available in the years they put these books out but you also get an idea of the specs of the item and prices and how they were supposed to be used. These books have recipes and party games and lots of decorating ideas with theme parties. Shown above are crepe paper costume ideas. I love the looks of these.

Jenn:)

Spendy Halloween Results at eBay #6

2011-10-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Collectibles at eBay

This neat German made lantern was recently listed and ended in this auction at eBay. The size was quite large too: 11 x 7.

End Result: $1281.50.

Jenn:)

Oct. 10 - Day 10: Vintage Halloween Party Games

2011-10-10T00:02:00.000-07:00

Old-Time Halloween Party Games #1

The 1933 Dennison's Halloween Book has several party game suggestions I thought I'd share a couple of them:

Bobbing for Apples

The time-honored way to do this is to have two tubs, one for the boys and another for the girls. In the boys' tub, float as many apples as there are players and around the stem of each attach tightly a slip of paper on which is written the name of a girl. Boys' names should be attached to the stems of the girls' apples.

The person who successfully extracts an apple with his teeth while kneeling beside the tub, his hands fastened tightly behind him, will find the name of his future mate written on the paper.

Instead of having two tubs, one may be used, in which case stemless apples are used and the first one to extract an apple will be the first to be married.

Jack o' Lantern

The children kneel on the floor forming a circle. There is a cardboard pumpkin for each player. On the back of one of them is written "Jack o' Lantern." The pumpkins are placed face up in a circle on the floor, one in front of each child.

At the word "Go," the pumpkins are to be passed to the right by placing a forefinger on one of them and pushing it along. This should be done as rapidly as possible while the leader counts slowly up to ten. When she calls "Stop," the pumpkins are turned over and the child under whose finger was the "Jack o' Lantern" is eliminated. The leader then redistributes the pumpkins so that the location of "Jack" will not be known and the game continues until all but one have been eliminated.

Jenn:)

Vintage Style Halloween at Etsy

2011-10-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Vintage Style Halloween at Etsy

I thought it would be fun to highlight some of the crafty items you can find at Etsy with vintage style flair. I love the book pages wreath kit featuring the owl above - from JunqueArt.

Halloween Decoration from AvantCarde

Love the Witch Silhouette card from Brandywine

So cute--a vintage style tag from Bluebirdlane

Jenn:)

Oct. 9 - Day 9: Spendy Halloween Results at eBay #5

2011-10-09T00:02:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Collectibles at eBay

This very fabulous Beistle Halloween Decorations Kit (with envelope!) recently sold at eBay for $565.00. It was complete and near mint as described by the seller. Would love to own one of these kits, the imagery is really great!

This set was for a group of 4--and included 4 of the following: lampshades, place cards, party picks (ice cream or fruit decorations), nut cups, and candle holders.

I love the little faeries and the owls especially.

Jenn:)

Crafty Halloween Ideas #3

2011-10-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

Crafty Halloween Ideas #3 -
Spooky Halloween Candle Holders

Another fun craft idea is to transform candle holders with papers and vellum. Cut out faces and even layer with other papers for the looks shown above. Wrap around the glass votives and hurricanes and tape with double-sided tape. Use tea lights or the faux battery operated ones which are safer.

This idea shown comes from the Martha Stewart Living October 1998 issue.

Jenn:)

Week 2 Halloween Prize

2011-10-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

Week 2 Prize

Don't forget that those who comment on any of the blog postings from Sat. Oct. 8 through Fri. Oct. 14 will be entered to win the Victorian Trading set of Halloween crackers

Jenn:)

Oct. 8 - Day 8: Ghosts at eBay

2011-10-08T00:02:00.000-07:00

Ghosts at eBay

I spotted these vintage Halloween collectibles with a ghost theme at eBay. I especially like the tally card below and the postcard of the Jol ghosts flitting about.

Jenn:)

Halloween Charm Bracelets in the Shop

2011-10-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Halloween Charm Bracelets

Speaking of ghosts--check out these ghostly charm bracelets in the Vintage Halloween Store. I've got lots of styles plus fall themes and even holiday themes.

Jenn:)

Halloween Blog Party Week 1 Prize Winner

2011-10-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Week 1 Blog Party Winner...

Mbrcutie - Congrats! Send me an e-mail with your address to ship the charms to: webmaster@vintagehalloween.com

Prize: Set of 4 Johanna Parker Charms

Don't forget to comment on blog postings through next week to win next week's prize: Victorian Trading Halloween Crackers!

Jenn:)

Oct. 7 - Day 7: Vintage Halloween Games

2011-10-07T00:02:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Games

One of my favorite collectibles are vintage Halloween games. These can range from inexpensive punch games to spendy games that run in the hundreds!

I'm showcasing a variety of games here in this posting I've seen at eBay in the last day or so that are ending shortly. There is a plethora of them listed right now since it's the right time of year for sellers to catch our eye especially.

Most games were based on fortunes or stunts or both and some involved dexterity puzzles or cards or simply bingo.

Some of the neatest games were made by Beistle and the imagery on them is fabulous.

We have several reproduction and vintage style games in our Vintage Halloween Store that involve fortunes and stunts, pin the tail type games, and dexterity games.

Jenn:)

A Visit to Schnepf Farms

2011-10-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Pumpkins on the Farm

Today we spent the afternoon until dusk at Schnepf Farms located in Queen Creek, AZ. It's a working farm and is open all year long for picking all kinds of vegetables and fruit. They have several festivals every year including a neat peach festival in May. The whole month of October is their Pumpkin and Chili Party which includes all kinds of fanfare, shows, rides, food, a corn maze, petting zoo, and lots of pumpkins! We went through the corn maze which was fun and caught a K-9 frisbee show with some cute doggies running around catching frisbees.

Our target was pumpkins and we had a lot to choose from! I'm always looking for the perfect shape but of course, pumpkins aren't perfect and have their quirks so I settle for almost perfect ;) A sincere pumpkin of course!

We selected 2 large pumpkins with interesting stems--another feature I look for--and a small cute little pumpkin to go along with some other pumpkins I've been picking up at the grocery store and farmer's markets over the last couple of weeks. I've yet to get a white pumpkin though, they didn't have those at Schnepf farms, so I'll be checking out the stores for those.

Pretty Peacock

Part of a hay bale from a kids' hay bale maze.

Woolly sheep!

Lost in the corn maze!

If you're ever in the Queen Creek, AZ area, I recommend a visit to Schnepf Farms. They've got a great shop there too with all kinds of canned goodies. We ended up with pumpkin butter, cherry amaretto preserves, cherry blueberry preserves, and peach preserves. Can't wait to dig into those!

Jenn:)

Halloween Games in the Vintage Halloween Store

2011-10-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

Halloween Games

We've got a festive sampling of games in our Vintage Halloween Store - check them out and add some fun activities to your parties!

Jenn:)

Oct. 6 - Day 6: Vintage Lanterns

2011-10-06T00:02:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Lanterns

It wouldn't be Halloween with some kind of jack o' lantern! Whether you're carving the real thing or lighting up one of these vintage papier mache lanterns--there's just something spooky and inviting about the glow inside a lantern. They even come in styles like the cat pictured above.

Lanterns have been reproduced and expert Mark Ledenbach has a section on his website that deals with figuring out if you may be looking at a reproduction or not.

Vintage lanterns can range from $50.00 into the hundreds and more depending on the style, age, and shape. Those pictured here are some I spotted on eBay years ago.

I own several lanterns--very basic ones, this is not a category I spend a lot of time collecting due to the expense but I enjoy displaying mine. I found mine in an antique mall.

Jenn:)

Halloween & Nancy Drew in Country Living

2011-10-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Halloween & Nancy Drew in
October 2011 Issue of Country Living

I was very fortunate to be asked to share my other passion--Nancy Drew collecting tips and books and collectibles in my collection with Country Living Magazine. They are featured in the October 2011 issue in the Collecting section spanning 3 pages with a very nostalgic layout. It turned out great! Here's a sample of page 1:

Author Katy McColl contacted me back in April and that's how it all began. Between interviews and e-mails and then sending off items from the collection in June and then edits and what not in August, it all came together for a fun feature for Nancy Drew fans and collectors.

The focus was on decades of Classic Nancy Drew from the 1930s to 1970s featuring books 1-56. We selected a book from each decade that was evocative of Nancy Drew's style and the decade as a whole so I sent off covers for #1 The Secret of the Old Clock, #20 The Clue in the Jewel Box, #31 The Ringmaster's Secret, #44 The Clue in the Crossword Cipher, and #48 The Crooked Banister.

They also wanted a few collectibles for showcasing the decades. A 1930s Lobby Card (repro) was sent off to represent the 1930s Nancy Drew movies.

A 1950s boardgame and then 2 diaries for the 1970s (which didn't make the cut). They had a copy of the Nancy Drew Cookbook on hand so they used that for the layout.

It was a great honor to be included in this issue and get to see Nancy Drew collecting be highlighted in a widely circulated national magazine! Hope you enjoy the issue and you are too inspired to collect and reread treasured volumes from the Nancy Drew series. They are timeless!

As for the Halloween theme articles in this issue, you may have noticed that this year's cover was more evocative of fall rather than Halloween--kind of like Martha Stewart's October issue looked more like a November issue. Though there was less emphasis in the images on the cover on Halloween, I enjoyed seeing the twist on pumpkin decorating--the toile pumpkin. It gave me some ideas for decoupaging a faux pumpkin for this year's Halloween party. There's an article inside on decorating these pumpkins.

In the fresh picks section there's a focus on black and white decor. I liked the glow-in-the-dark eyeball wreath. There is an interesting bird theme article--I liked the raven painted pumpkins best. On page 126 I couldn't help but spot a vintage tin Halloween jack o' lantern! It was a little light on Halloween this year but there were some nice basic ideas in what was there.

Jenn:)

Martha Stewart Halloween Goodies

2011-10-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Martha Stewart Crafts - Halloween

We've still got some great Martha Stewart Halloween items in our Vintage Halloween Store including these neat lanterns above that they aren't making anymore!

Felt Stickers

Elegant Witch Wine Labels

Cauldron Goody Bags

Classic Halloween Coasters

Jenn:)

Oct. 5 - Day 5: Collecting Vintage Halloween

2011-10-05T00:02:00.000-07:00

Collecting Vintage Halloween - Resources

One of the most complete guides to collecting vintage Halloween collectibles is Mark Ledenbach's Vintage Halloween Collectibles guide. His website is also a wealth of information and he blogs about current and past eBay auctions giving collectors advice. It comes highly recommended.

Another source for Beistle decorations is Claire Lavin's Timeless Halloween Collectibles - it's really great and the photography is nice too. Seeing all the great Beistle decorations and learning more about them is a must for collectors.

The first collecting guide I came across was Stuart Schneider's Halloween in America--he's got a new edition out but I haven't seen it just yet.

You can get a basic overview of collecting and more links to these and other guides at my website.

Jenn:)

Crafty Halloween Ideas #2

2011-10-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Crafty Halloween Ideas #2 - Cameo Pumpkins

Here's a pumpkin project you might like--it's from a feature in the October 1998 issue of Martha Stewart Living. I'll be highlighting some of my favorite ideas from her past October issues throughout the month.

I love silhouettes and cameos so this particular project stood out to me. I haven't tried it myself, but may attempt to do so this year for my particular theme. With faux pumpkins so I can keep them. But I think they look really great carved into these real pumpkins and I love the stems on them.

Cut out a desired cameo style silhouette at the right size for your pumpkin and use it as a stencil to draw the outline onto your pumpkin-either carve it out or carve away from it as shown above.

Jenn:)

Oct. 4 - Day 4: Vintage Halloween Invitations

2011-10-04T00:02:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Party Invites

Here is a sampling of some vintage Halloween invites I spotted at eBay. They're quaint and pretty simple in design and wording.

If you're looking for ideas for your party invites this year and you want to go vintage but don't have a lot of time to get crafty, just photocopy some vintage invites to use for your party. Embellish them with sparkles or glitter if you like. Or if you have time to be even craftier, use vintage image and make your own.

I like the "Kindly respond to" on the above invitation.

One of my favorite invitation wordings that I use on some cards in our Halloween shop is the following:

Come, Jack'o'-Lanterns, gather, And Jill-o'-Lanterns, too. Meet at the Witch's Hollow And Taste the Witch's Brew. The Password's, flying broomsticks, Cat's Green Eyes, Me-ouw, So if you would be jolly Just come, we'll show you how.

This Hallmark invite isn't as old--but I like the silhouette of the witch on it:

Jenn:)

Vintage Halloween Noisemakers at eBay #16

2011-10-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's an unusual noisemaker I saw at eBay a couple of months ago--the "albino" witch figure is very different from the usual imagery.

Anyone have one like this in their collection? You can see this one in Mark Ledenbach's Halloween guide.

Jenn:)

Reproduction Scrap Masks in the Shop

2011-10-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Speaking of vintage imagery...here's a set of crepe masks we carry in the Vintage Halloween Store from Bethany Lowe that feature reproduction vintage scrap images of a cat and witch - both old Dennison images. They're quite festive and we still have a few in stock...

Jenn:)

Oct. 3 - Day 3: Johanna Parker Chats About Halloween

2011-10-03T00:02:00.000-07:00

(Photo of Johanna featured in the 2011 issue of
Celebrate Halloween Magazine by Phyllis Hoffman.
Look for "Spirited Creations" on pg. 23)

Johanna Parker's creations are fancied by many fans and her Halloween pieces are spook-tacular! She was recently interviewed by me and the interview was a lot of fun. This week's prize for anyone commenting on this week's postings is a set of her Primitives by Kathy Halloween charms so be sure to comment and enter.

Read on below for some insight into her artistry and what makes Halloween so special to her...

VH: Tell us a little about yourself and how long you've been an artist.

JP: Well, according to my mom, I started drawing at the age of 3. All it took was a crayon or two and I was well on my way! I think I started with crayolas on manila paper, chalk on sidewalks, markers and the list goes on. I certainly have years of practice and dedication to the art of creating, but I wouldn't have it any other way. If I am away from my art for too many days, I feel that itch to create. Perhaps it's a therapeutic escape for me to hop into my imaginative world and sculpt and paint fanciful characters.

VH: What inspired you to become an artist?

JP: Well, I think it certainly comes from a passion and almost a need to create that lives inside of each artist. Perhaps my observation and fascination for the intricate patterns and design of the natural world also sparked my creativity to try my hand at design as well. And of course, my mother's creativity greatly influenced me. When I was little, she was very much into weaving and crafting with projects always at hand. Her artistic nature certainly inspired me, and her encouragement helped to set my creative wheels in motion.

VH: What is it about Halloween that inspires you and sparks such nostalgic and festive creations?

JP: Of all the days of the year, Halloween is the day where you can be whomever you want to be, play a new and exciting roll, dress outside of the box and act extremely silly without the judgement of others. I am attracted to the happy-spirited and innocent side of this popular holiday, and it inspires a slew of evolving characters each and every year. I am fascinated with the notion that my ancestors enjoyed and celebrated October 31st as well, and it is always a treat for me to come across a vintage Halloween novelty that marks a particular time in history when they were sharing in the festivities of the season as we do today....

VH: What's your favorite Halloween memory from childhood?

JP: Birthday parties of course as I was born on Halloween! I must admit, they all blur together a bit, but I recall dressing up with my friends, enjoying mom's special Halloween birthday cakes which were often iced like jack-o'-lanterns and once a pair of chocolate black cats, and of course opening presents and trick-or-treating at the end of a fun-filled day where it seemed like everyone was celebrating my birthday!

VH: When decorating and creating, what is your favorite Halloween "character" to create your designs around?

JP: Well, I think my signature black cat kicked things off for me and my folk art career, so I am a bit partial to that bright-eyed, wide-grinning character. However, I really enjoy the spooky, eye-catching nature of my owls and enjoying bringing those sculpted characters to life with a variety of paints.......

You can see a fun sampling of my original Halloween art in my Gallery:

http://johannaparkerdesign.com/gallery-Halloween-2010.htm

VH: Where do you draw your inspiration from, when you begin to work on new projects?

JP: Quite honestly, I just sit down and create. I have a couple of antique Halloween resource books that I rarely touch and a growing collection of vintage Halloween finds that I love, but I really try to do my own thing. I am certainly inspired by the Art Deco period and fascinated with the flowing lines and shapes of that era. So, such patterns and designs often appear in the painted work I do, but again, it all develops with my own twist. I must add that nature is a true inspiration for me as well. The intricate patterns and details on insects, birds, flowers and leaves to name a few, always capture my interest and remind me that as a designer, the possibilities are endless.

VH: What's your favorite Halloween tradition?

JP: Well, it's certainly one of my most favorite days to go people watching. Amongst friends or alone, my husband and I enjoy dressing up and going downtown for a birthday dinner and a lot of laughs. I enjoy seeing the creativity of others and what kind of costumes are dreamt up along the way by these mysterious, masked strangers.

VH: How are you decorating this year for Halloween--any special themes?

JP: Most likely, if time permits, I will deck the front room with my vintage Halloween finds in conjunction with my own originals and reproductions scattered in amongst a mix of fellow artist's creations. I am starting to amass a hearty collection of bygone delights sent to me from my mom and collector friends. Of course, I've picked up a few along the way too! We always display our one of a kind Halloween fire screen that my husband built, and I embellished with papier mache and paint. However, this year we have begun the hefty process of remodeling our 1939 cottage house, so we may be decorating with drop cloths and tarps! That in itself could be spooky! :)

VH: Aside from the usual candy, do you do anything extra special for your trick or treaters?

JP: I usually fill one of my big reproduction candy bowls that I have designed for Primitives by Kathy with lots of candy and let the kids pick out their favorite treats. My bowls get lots of fun comments throughout the night, especially from the parents! I almost always have Poritshead playing in the background for that eerie, theramin sound, light some candles and set a spooky mood. Last year, our cat Jack was prancing around in a festooned collar, sitting atop a stool where the kids could see him, and he was getting all the attention!

VH: What's your favorite Halloween candy?

JP: As much as I try to keep my hand out of the candy bowl, it's hard to resist an occasional Twix bars may be my fave, but honestly, October is the only time you'll catch me eating candy. The rest of the year I'm popping dark chocolate covered almonds.... That's a health food, right? :)

VH: Describe your favorite Halloween piece that you've created.

JP: Oh, this was a really difficult choice, but I have to say that this Rhyme Time Original cat sitting atop a ball that I made & sold last year on eBay is one of my faves. He was from a very small series of characters that I created, which included a rhyme to match each piece. I hope to start back up with this series next year as it was a big hit, and I enjoyed writing the poems to accompany the pieces.

We thank Johanna for taking the time to chat with us and hope you enjoyed it too!

Jenn:)

We carry some of Johanna's products in our Vintage Halloween Shop!

This Week's Prize - Johanna Parker Charm Set

2011-10-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

This week we're giving away a set of these neat Johanna Parker charms from Primitives by Kathy! We carry them and more styles and designs in the store. Comment all week long until Friday the 7th to win these. Drawing and winner will be posted on the 8th.

Jenn:)

Spendy Halloween Results at eBay #4

2011-10-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Collectibles at eBay

This Dennison's Bogie Book sold today at eBay for $885.00. It's the 1912 edition. And this copy appears to be in pretty good shape for its age. I love these old party books, they're a great source of decorating ideas and a provide a window into how vintage Halloween parties were planned and executed.

Jenn:)

Oct. 2 - Day 2: Vintage Halloween Collecting

2011-10-02T00:02:00.000-07:00

How I Got Into Vintage Halloween Collecting

As a child, I loved fall as a season and the turning leaves, the chill in the air, and the holiday festivities that would soon begin and run through Christmas. One of my favorite times of year. Halloween was always a favorite holiday and what I liked about it so much was not only the spooky atmosphere but the trick or treating :) Loved going and going for hours through the neighborhoods with my friends and seeing how much candy we could get before we had to be back home. I remember getting the old McDonald's coupons, sometimes getting money (coins), and even freshly baked treats. One of my favorite things was getting the goody bags full of loot that someone took the time to put together. I make these for the kids each year.

Every year our school would do a Halloween parade with everyone in costume and that was fun. There were school carnivals. All the fanfare that made this time of year exciting. We didn't have a huge amount of Halloween decorations at our house other than the usual cutouts or other simple things like carved pumpkins so as I grew up we didn't have much saved from this holiday like we did Christmas. I still have an old witch mask and pumpkin necklace that my mom made me one year for Halloween.

It was the Martha Stewart Living magazine issue from October 1996 that got me thinking about vintage Halloween collectibles. There was a 3 page feature on them in this issue--the pages are shown throughout this post--click on them for a larger version.

The article featured various vintage items from lanterns to cutouts to games and noisemakers. I was quite intrigued with the noisemakers and the games. Cited in this article was Stuart Schneider's Halloween in America guide to collecting vintage Halloween. I ended up ordering it on a whim. It was so fun to look through and see the history of collecting over the years and all the various kinds of decorations and ephemera to collect.

It wasn't until a year or more later that I got onto eBay and decided to search and see if anything was being listed and discovered there was--and then I started collecting.

My primary focus was on the games and noisemakers since I liked these so much and the noisemakers tended to go fairly inexpensively in some cases compared to other collectibles. I also like books on Halloween parties and children's Halloween books plus other miscellaneous party decorations and paper ephemera. It's an eclectic mix.

My other collecting passion is Nancy Drew books and collectibles and of that genre, I collect everything. With Halloween, I'm more selective.

How did you get started collecting? If you'd like to share photos of your vintage collectibles and how you display them, e-mail them to webmaster@vintagehalloween.com and I'll post them during the month here at the blog.

Jenn:)

Crafty Halloween Ideas #1

2011-10-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Crafty Halloween Ideas #1

Here's an old idea from the 1997 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine - decoupaged candy buckets! When I saw this idea I loved it and ran out and got some buckets from the local Home Depot and some bags of candy. Many Mary Janes and Tootsie Pops later, I had a stack of wrappers and made up some of these buckets. They were a really simple and easy project to do and I even sold some via eBay at the time if memory serves. That was before my website got started up. Makes a a great candy pail for giving out treats to the kids or for going around the neighborhood to collect treats.

If you use smaller buckets, you can give them as favors to your party guests.

Jenn:)

Oct. 1 - Day 1: Get Your Spooky On!

2011-10-01T00:02:00.000-07:00

31 Days until Halloween!

Welcome to my spooktacular Halloween Blog party! I hope you'll have a great time this month celebrating all the fun and spooky things to come...

Highlights for the month include: my interview with artist Johanna Parker, vintage Halloween collecting posts, recipes, eBay collectible highlights, Halloween party and decorating ideas, and some of my favorite things!

There will be one main blog each day and then several other smaller ones where I'll highlight what I'm finding in stores and in the magazines, vintage collectibles I like and I'll showcase some of the usual Halloween characters that make this holiday so fun!

WEEKLY PRIZE DRAWINGS:

Each week I'll be giving away a prize. To win, all you have to do is comment on the blog postings during that week and be sure to include your name. Everyone who posts will be entered into that week's drawing. Here's the schedule of drawings and prizes:

Week 1 - Comment Oct. 1-Oct. 7, drawing on Oct. 8
Prize: Johanna Parker Halloween Charms Set

Week 2 - Comment Oct. 8-Oct. 14, drawing on Oct. 15
Prize: Victorian Trading Halloween Crackers

Week 3 - Comment Oct. 15-Oct. 21, drawing on Oct. 22
Prize: Leather Halloween Watch

Week 4 - Comment Oct. 22-Oct. 28, drawing on Oct. 29
Prize: Leather Halloween Clutch Bag

If you want to share your vintage-style Halloween decorating (please no horror/haunt show type stuff as I like to keep it mostly vintage and vintage-style here) and your crafty vintage style Halloween projects with me, I'll post them here at the Blog throughout the month--just e-mail some photos to: webmaster@vintagehalloween.com.

Hope you have lots of fun!

Jenn:)

Witches at eBay

2011-10-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Vintage Witch Decorations

Here's some neat Halloween collectibles featuring witches I've spotted at eBay! My favorite are the noisemakers below and the Witch game above--which is a nice find!

Jenn:)

Halloween Collectibles at eBay 10-1

2011-10-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Vintage Collectibles at eBay Today:

Here are a couple of items ending today, Oct. 1, at eBay. The fortune and stunt game above is a lot of fun to play at your parties!

This owl noisemaker is cute and well, a hoot really ;-)

Jenn:)

31 Days of Halloween Blog Party - Oct. 1-31

2011-09-28T00:02:00.000-07:00

31 Days of Halloween Blog Party!

Join me here at the Blog for 31 festive days of Halloween starting on Oct. 1st and running through Oct. 31st. Help us spread the word about the party by grabbing a button at top right and displaying it on your Blogs or websites.

We'll be featuring decorating tips and highlights, vintage Halloween collectibles, recipes, and more party fun. A highlight will be a neat interview with artist Johanna Parker and we'll be giving away weekly prizes!

So join us and see what's brewing here at the Blog all month...it's sure to be spooktacular!

Jenn:)

Maybe Too Much of a Skeleton Frolic?

2011-09-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

So, there I was in Walgreens snapping up one of these spiffy life size skeletons for my annual Halloween party--couldn't pass up the $30 bargain!

At first I was carrying Mr. Bones throughout the store to amused looks from shoppers. Awkward! Then he ended up in the shopping cart sporting a goofy grin on what's left of his face--still a bit awkward.

I checked out and was headed out to the car when a woman going in squealed about how awesome Mr. Bones was. As I'm standing there holding Mr. Bones and chatting with her in the middle of the parking lot, his arm falls off, clattering across the parking lot. ;-)

Oh the things I do for Halloween! Ha.

Jenn:)

Spendy Halloween Results at eBay #3

2011-09-27T01:54:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Collectibles at eBay

I saved these two auction images from some recent Halloween noisemaker auctions at eBay that ended high. The above tambourine with the witch on a goose sold for $500.00.

This tambourine sold for $305.00.

These are definitely on the higher end of the noisemaker collectibles.

Jenn:)

Charming Halloween Charm Bracelets

2011-09-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

New Halloween Charm Bracelets Added!

We've added some new styles of Halloween charm bracelets to the shop and are having a big sale on those already in the shop. We've also added some Thanksgiving/Fall and Holiday/Christmas charm bracelets to the page on clearance too.

Check them out and add spooky flair to your fall fashion!

Jenn:)

Halloween at Target

2011-09-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

Halloween at Target

I stopped by Target and most of their Halloween items were out. If you're going for those Romantic Homes or BH&G Halloween skeleton frolic type displays, they do have some full size ones see above and below--the one below is glow in the dark too. $40.00 on these. The $30 ones at Walgreen's seem to have everyone beat.

Here are a few other odds and ends:

Spooky Portrait

Bowling Game

Bean Bag Toss Game

Spooky Candles and Decor

Jenn:)

Halloween Chenille Figures

2011-09-23T01:51:00.001-07:00

Halloween Chenille Figures

Crafting a big batch of our signature Halloween Chenille Figure Ornaments with Charms! Vintage flair with vintage old-time Halloween images for faces.

Headless above but below finished:

An easy craft to make and fun for party decor and for favors!

Jenn:)

2011 Halloween & Vine in Petaluma, CA

2011-09-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

Halloween & Vine 2011

If you're in the Petaluma, CA area this coming weekend, stop by the annual Halloween & Vine Show at Hermann Sons Hall at 860 Western Ave. It's on Saturday the 24th from 9am to 2pm.

We've sent out flyers and postcards plus Halloween picks for attendees to pick up. One of these years we're going to get up to the show--I hear it's always a lot of fun, there's a lot of neat artisan offerings, and lots of spooktacular merriment!

Enjoy!

Jenn:)

Halloween at World Market

2011-09-20T02:04:00.000-07:00

Halloween at World Market

They finally had everything out at World Market and I took some photos of some of the goodies. Above are some vintage postcard art ornaments.

Gurley-Style Halloween Candles

Name Your Poison Barware

Vintage Postcard Art Buckets

Spooky Jol Figure Lanterns

Old-Time Looking Jol Ornaments

Jenn:)

Spendy Halloween Results at eBay #2

2011-09-18T20:46:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Collectibles at eBay

Another search of completed auctions at eBay resulted in this gem of a lantern!

Sold for $1358.33!

Jenn:)

Halloween at Jo-Ann's #2

2011-09-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

HALLOWEEN AT JO-ANN'S #2

I checked out the Halloween decorations the other day at Jo-ann's and found a few interesting items some with a vintage flair and some using old vintage postcard images like these hanging decorations below:

I thought these gourds were clever.

I have a thing for owls!

Jenn:)

A Rogues Gallery of Martha Stewart October/Fall Covers

2011-09-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

MARTHA STEWART OCTOBER 2011 MAGAZINE

I received my October 2011 issue of the MSL magazine today and was underwhelmed at the cover for the October issue. It looks more like a November issue to me. Of course, October is fall and potpies are certainly fall comfort food! But it made me think of past issues with more of a Halloween flair to them. Below you'll find past Fall/October issues - a rogues gallery of sorts ;-)

Oct/Nov 1992

Oct 1995

Oct 1996
Oct 1997

Oct 1998

Oct 1999

Oct 2000

Oct 2001

Oct 2002

Oct 2003

Oct 2004

Oct 2005

Oct 2006

Oct 2007

Oct 2008

Oct 2009

Oct 2010 - Cover Style 1

Oct 2010 - Cover Style 2

Jenn:)

Spendy Halloween Results at eBay

2011-09-13T15:31:00.000-07:00

Vintage Halloween Collectibles at eBay

I recently did a completed search on the vintage Halloween category at eBay to see how some of the top collectibles are selling. This screen came up in the top highest ending items--it's gorgeous.

Sold for: $1638.99

It's not too easy to find one like this and in as good of shape considering age and wear and tear.

Jenn:)

Halloween at Kohl's

2011-09-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

Halloween at Kohl's

Kohl's has some cute Halloween items. I especially like the plates above and this silhouette towel design:

Spooky Owl Garden Stake

Spooky Loot Bucket

Webcaster Gun

The Webcaster Gun I hadn't heard of before, but I found their website online and they have a demo on how to use this to create realistic looking spider webs for your hauntings.

Jenn:)

Halloween at Hobby Lobby

2011-09-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

Halloween at Hobby Lobby

I recently stopped in at Hobby Lobby and saw some interesting items! They have some vintage-style pieces they had out last year featuring cat and Jol faces once again this year. And a few new items too. The book of spells above seems to be a popular theme this year in various product lines. Like the black owl.

This crow is cute too as is the one on a pumpkin.

I picked up a neat ceramic black cake stand for the party this year.

Jenn:)

A Skeleton Frolic Pt 2

2011-09-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

Update! If you are looking for 5' skeletons - and ones that don't cost into the hundreds, saw this one at Walgreens for only $30.00! Looks pretty good overall for any skeleton frolic scene you're setting like those seen in the Better Homes & Gardens Halloween issue or the Romantic Country issue.

Jenn:)

Woman's Day Halloween Special Issue

2011-09-03T01:27:00.000-07:00

Woman's Day Halloween Celebrations

I picked up this special issue today at the grocery store. Boasts 136 frightfully fun ideas.

Things I especially enjoyed:

The newspaper wreath painted black.

The Spooky Halloween Mirror craft

Lace Spiderweb Craft

The Thrill is On Halloween Party

Jenn:)

Matthew Mead's Autumn & Johanna Parker Tin Horns

2011-08-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

Matthew Mead's Autumn

You should be receiving Matthew Mead's Autumn Magazine any time now if you've ordered it from his website. If you haven't ordered, I recommend it. Click here to order it.

We are advertising this year in this magazine and our ad is featured below. Inside there are great Autumn ideas and delicious recipes.

There is a cute Halloween in white article called "White Magic" - and I especially like the fondant tootsie pop ghosts. I make Tootsie pop ghosts every year and this was an especially clever idea!

A favorite article is artist Johanna Parker's piece featuring her visit with her mom, collector Mark Craven, and Bruce Elsass of the Hobgoblins Collection at a gathering featuring Mark's vintage pieces, Johanna and Bruce's creations, and a host of good eats. Featured our Johanna's new tin horns which are spooktacular and a real treat:

We carry these tin horns in the shop--click here to order.

Jenn:)

Halloween at Grandin Road #2

2011-08-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

Spell Books at Grandin Road. Comes in various colors/designs. They open up to reveal compartments for filling with tricks or treats :)

Jenn:)

New Halloween Bags & Watches

2011-08-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

New Silhouette Items!

We have added some new silhouette items to our Vintage Halloween Store! These are new styles of coin purses, clutch bags, and watches. See the raven coin purse above.

Below are 2 new styles of clutch bags featuring a raven on one and a witch on a moon with old time post card saying on the other:

3 new styles of watches featuring 2 Bogie silhouettes and our moon witch silhouette:

Jenn:)

Martha Stewart Halloween 2011

2011-08-27T23:32:00.001-07:00

Martha Stewart Halloween 2011

Here it is--Martha's special Halloween issue for 2011. On the cover is "Motha" a very spooky yet kind of deco looking Martha Stewart.

There are some things in this issue that are repeats, but a lot of new items too. I especially liked these items from the issue:

1. Wrap-o'-Lanterns - cute ideas with a Jol punch.

2. Silhouette decoupage shadow boxes.

3. This Old Haunt--I liked how they added the "boards" to the house windows and other haunted embellishments.

4. Clip art - enjoyed the vintage-style images!

5. I liked "Motha's" outfit--especially her sparkly platform heels!

6. Patchwork of Pumpkins - with the carved cameos and "varmints."

I would have liked to have seen a bit more but overall enjoyed it!

Here's a couple popular items from the 2011 Martha Stewart Crafts Halloween line that we carry in the Vintage Halloween Store:

Elegant Witch Wine Labels

Classic Halloween Wax Bags

Jenn:)

A Skeleton Frolic

2011-08-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Halloween issue of BH&G and the Fall 2011 issue of Romantic Country have featured scenes with skeletons--very real looking ones, not the cheaper looking type ones. Shown above is a clever way to spice up your house on Halloween with a band of skeletons climbing on the roof.

Shown below is a friendly looking fellow sitting at the dining room table:

But how much does a skeleton like this cost? I've got a 3 foot one I got years ago at a party supply store but it looks more child-size compared to these. These are around 5' tall and those I discovered can be quite expensive.

Check out this one from Grandin Road at $79.00:

Here's a similar one at Spirit Halloween for only $49.99:

If you're on a budget, here's a more economical but not quite as aesthetically pleasing skeleton at Spirit Halloween for a bargain $19.99:

Sign up at Spirit Halloween for e-mails and you'll get sales and coupon codes to use on these too.

I checked some anatomy/medical websites and those skeletons--which look more like the ones in these articles--run in the hundreds++ and are quite spendy!

Another economical way to have a life size skeleton is to buy a bag of bones like these:

Using heads and hands/feet you can stuff an outfit or use a cape and add the head/hands/feet to give the appearance of a complete skeleton. Not quite the same effect though but maybe more in line with your budget.

Jenn:)

2011 BH&G Halloween Issue Out

2011-08-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

The 2011 Halloween BH&G issue is out and I've really enjoyed it. It boasts 233 thrilling ideas and downloads.

Some of my favorite articles inside include the following:

Stylishly Bleak - Black/white decor with some very clever ideas including black candelabras and clip art for hanging.

Skeleton Crew - Imagine driving down your block and coming across skelton's climbing up onto a house in a clever manner. Or opening a door to a skeleton hostess complete with a tray of goodies.

Cameo Appearance - cute ideas for cupcake picks.

I love the witch lady stand-up on page 49--very clever.

A Mad Tea Party - very clever and lavish ideas.

Black and White Magic - more great black/white decor.

Eye Spy - an article by Matthew Mead with clever ways to dress up lanterns and urns and other eye catching decor.

Thumbs up to this issue!

Jenn:)

Matthew Mead's Autumn Magazine

2011-08-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

Matthew Mead - Autumn

This year we are advertising in Matthew Mead's glorious Autumn magazine which begins shipping out in early September. Have you pre-ordered yours yet?

If not, I suggest you click here to link over to Matthew's site and place your order. It's only available at his website. And look for their Holiday 2011 issue which will be debuting on newstands nationwide throughout North America!

Jenn:)

Halloween Antiquing

2011-08-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Halloween Antiquing

Today I ventured into an antique mall in Apache Junction, AZ. I was hunting for books but also anything Halloween. I didn't see a lot of items, but the above orange and black vase was intriguing to me. It would go perfectly with Halloween decor due to the colors and the raven (or crow?) style bird. But at $60.00, I passed!

These Halloween candles were a bit sad looking but still neat to spy in a glass case.

This plastic witch head was spotted in another case.

At $59.00, I passed on this noisemaker since I have something similar that I got for less at eBay.

At $38.00, I thought this one was also overpriced. It's a pretty common one to find at eBay for less.

What do you typically find in your travels at antique malls?

Jenn:)

Halloween at Jo-Ann's

2011-08-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

My Jo-Ann's was still in the process of putting out their Halloween goodies but I took a few snaps of some neat items. The above tin hanging is one that you can change the date each day for a countdown to Halloween.

Glittery Silhouette Pumpkins

Quirky & Spooky Kooky Fabric

Jenn:)

Halloween at Michael's

2011-08-22T20:19:00.000-07:00

Michaels has rolled out their Halloween goodies. Some spooky skull decor--some very glittery and fun.

Being a fan of silhouettes and candy corn I liked this simple little trick or treat decoration:

Jenn:)

Halloween at Yankee Candle

2011-08-21T01:22:00.000-07:00

Candle Holders at Yankee Candle - nice and spooky!
Jenn:)

Halloween Nutcrackers

2011-08-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

Check out this neat set of Halloween nutcrackers from World Market!

I especially like the owl.

Jenn:)

Halloween at Terry's Village

2011-08-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

There are some cute items up at Terry's Village for Halloween this year. The witches dance candle display is fun--see above image.

Clever Candle Holders

Cute Pumpkin Frog Witch Decorations

Jenn:)