The Annual Event of Tackling Seasonal Storage had begun. My Seasonal Storage is actually quite Organized but since it only comes out once a year I make it a point to Edit & Purge the Stash for each Holiday as well as Add To it every year.
So that was now in Full Swing for Halloween 2012! As I assessed the Halloween Storage Shed and it's contents I was able to Edit and Purge a substantial amount and split it equally between my Booth and Charity Donations. But there were those Favorite things that abide year after year... like my Whimsical Tole Painted Pumpkins, Dia de los Muertos Skullies and Velvet Pumpkin Collections.
And one of my Fav Additions to the Halloween Decor Stash this year was this beyond Awesome Framed Vintage Mardi Gras Mask that I 'scored' for a mere $12 at ZINNIA'S AT MELROSE Antique Mall this 'Third Thursday's' Melrose Crawl!!! You'll see a LOT more of it in this Post as I Photographed it like a Newborn Babe to the Family! *LOL*
I had a lot of Help this year from Princess T as we brought everything out of Storage and into the House to clean up, sort into "Keep~Sell~Donate" piles, and decide what rooms and where each Vignette & Dia de los Muertos Altar would be Created.
And I Promised you the 'Reveal' of my absolute Fav Halloween Decor 'Score' this year... and here he is... my Creepy Old Man Vintage Framed Portrait that I made an Offer on from one of our New Dealers at THE BRASS ARMADILLO WEST and was totally Jazzed that it was Accepted and he came Home with us!!!
We just Love him and NO, the G-Kid Force are NOT creeped out by him, we all think he is Adorable and Addams Family-ish Sweet... kinda like our own Uncle Festus. In fact, we are Glad he's now part of the Bohemian Valhalla Family and has found a New Home where he will be Appreciated. We always feel a bit Sad that the Actual Families part with the Photos of their Loved Ones... we could never do it, we pass ours along from Generation to Generation.
And it does make us Wonder about his Story... and who he is? And we went through great pains to find the perfect Halloween Masquerade Mask for him... which was no easy feat since apparently nobody dresses their Kiddies up anymore as Zorro or the Lone Ranger and so a plain Black Hero Mask was nowhere to be found... and this plain Black Masquerade Mask was the best I could do... but we think he wears it well and it was a perfect fit!!!
So he joined forces with the other Seasonal Items stacked up and ready to make their way into Halloween Vignettes for 2012.
And he'll be one of the "Keepers" that we'll never get rid of now that he's part of the Family... so he needn't worry about being discarded or Sold ever again. He has such a Sadness to his face that I Wonder if Happiness eluded him in Life? And it's only due to Black & White Vintage Photography and the absence of Smiles during that Era that tend to make the Portraits rather creepy I think... but absolutely Perfect for Halloween Decorating! We Love our Uncle Festus Portrait...
And our Mardi Gras Framed Mask...
And our ever expanding piles of Velvet Pumpkins which we add to each Season... you know how my Adoration of Velvet consumes me when it comes to Styling, Creating and Wardrobe! *LOL* My Middle Name shouldda been Velvet! *Smiles*
And this year we also dressed up several of our Pumpkins in Black Lace, which I really like the look of...
In fact... there were even more Black Accents to this Season's Halloween Decor... I'm going right back into my Black Phase I think, which I've had several times over a Lifetime, I've always liked Black and often come back to it as a Staple Hue... which Princess T thinks is Great because she's prematurely entered into her Black Phase... so we've gone very Goth and Dark Together! *Winks*
And we'll be making more Velvet Pumpkins this year since I Saved many Stems from last Season's Real Pumpkins and I always have Stashes of Vintage Velvet... ALWAYS! *Winks*
And since Outdoor Halloween Decor in Arizona is subject to extreme Climate wear since it's always still pretty Sunny and Hot during September and October... I always need to replace exterior pieces with new ones... especially Door Wreaths and Signage. So this year I bought an Awesome Hand-Painted "Trick-Or-Treat" Sign from my Friend Rhonda who makes and sells them at her Booth at THE BRASS ARMADILLO WEST. {Along with Killer Upcycled Frames} Rhonda's Art, Furniture Creations and Styling are Superb and she is such a Cutie and so very Sweet.
We spent a few days Editing, Purging, Adding To and piling up everything in preparation for the Styling to come.
BTW: If you don't have Time this Season to make all of the Black Lace covers for your Pumpkins, a few of mine were compliments of Martha Stewart's 2012 Halloween Line. You can buy a Trio of Black Lace Pumpkin Sleeves and right now they're on Sale at "Joanne's" Craft Store.
Our Resident Hambone had to get in on the Photo Op... such a Diva she is! *Smiles* But she did work mighty hard Helping Gramma out with the Seasonal stuff... the Guys rarely do, it's just not their "Thing". If we left it up to the Guys I doubt we'd have Seasonal Decorations in the House or the Exterior Entrance, you'd have no Idea what was being Celebrated!!!
So I'm really Grateful to have my Sidekick who Enjoys the Process, the Decorating and the Styling as much as I do and always pitches in. She'd rather Decorate and make Vignettes than Play as a matter of fact... and she's very good at it.
We have begun the Process of making our Vignettes... and in subsequent Posts we'll be Revealing them as they're being completed.
Look what else I 'Scored' at ZINNIAS AT MELROSE... Mardi Gras Masks for only a Dollar apiece to add to my Collection!!!
Color me Happy!!!
Very, very Happy in Fact... so there were the four of them for a buck each...
And the Framed one for Twelve Bucks...
It was the Mardi Gras Motherload of Picks... Mardi Gras Heaven!!!
But wait... I was like a Mardi Gras Mask Magnet!!! I also 'Scored' a Couple of Vintage Mardi Gras Masks whilst "Goodwill Hunting" for a mere 69 Cents each!!!
{Insert me doing my Mardi Gras Mask Happy Dance!!!}
And let us not forget the Sweet Lil Brown Eyed Creepy Doll Head I got at "Wicked Faire" for only $6...
And my Miniature Medical Cadaver I also 'Scored' at the "Wicked Faire" Event...
I'll show you some Close-Up Details of him...
All of his parts move so you can Style him in different positions and poses... and they're Selling those wee Lil Mardi Gras Hats this Season in several Shops so I might just pick one up for him... it should be just the right size!!!
And now the only thing left for us to Purchase for Halloween Styling will be the Specialty Pumpkins... finding the most Interesting ones we can... some of the Regular Pumpkins which they always have at the Dollar Stores now in the Produce Dept. ... and CANDY!!! *Winks... that will be ongoing since it never lasts thru Halloween, but we can't resist the snack-sized pouches which are perfect serving size.*
Source: MY ROMANTIC HOME Blog, Glamorous Halloween!
And if you want to see more Harvest & Halloween "Show & Tell" come on over to Cindy's Blog Party at MY ROMANTIC HOME. She's having a Glam Halloween that is simply Romantic!
And if you want to see more Harvest & Halloween "Show & Tell" come on over to Cindy's Blog Party at MY ROMANTIC HOME. She's having a Glam Halloween that is simply Romantic!
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian