With Halloween just a week away, and playing hostess tomorrow night, I whipped up a few more decorations for the pad. It’s our first Halloween at the new apartment, and first holidays in new places can be a little disorienting. First off, you have to find the decorations, which are in a totally new spot in storage, and then you have to find new homes for all of the decor, so I had started decorating earlier, but got a little discouraged when I was having a hard time finding new places for things. Here’s a small taste of my decor…

I don’t have many vintage Halloween decorations, because they are a lot of money. Why you may ask? Nearly all of the decor that was produced in the 1950s and 60s was made of paper or cardboard, and over years of use, and being handled by children, items became damaged. This creates a market where they items are extremely rare. I recently scored a few good items for a dollar at a garage sale, and have them scattered about. I also love making my own decorations. Sketching out spooky images and framing them in fun thrift store frames can add a lot. I also have this massive portrait that I found at an estate sale that I like to put up. Simply having old things can add a spooky and elegant feel to your decor. The vintage Oujia board I found in my dad’s attic, and the pumpkin on the left is the one I found on Savie Island. Growing up I never was allowed to carve pumpkins (too much of a mess, my mom said) and instead grew up painting them. Last year I carved a pumpkin, rebelling against the Halloween tyranny of my mother, only to realize that I wholeheartedly agreed with her, and this year reverted back to painting. This Sleepy Hollow inspired creation is what I came up with this year.