Welcome, I'm so Glad you came to our Halloween Blog Party 2012 being Hosted by the Lovely Vanessa Valencia of A FANCIFUL TWIST, this is the 5th Year! I Hope you will Visit many of the Participants and Enjoy each Celebration being Shared... and perhaps even have Joined in to Invite us to your Halloween Party this Year?
As you Enter into the Bohemian Valhalla Halloween Party you will be Invited in to our World, to Shared Images and the Essence of Halloween as Celebrated and Enjoyed by us and seen through our Eyes & Customs.
Our Family Loves Halloween and the Activities and Traditions we Celebrate during this Holiday, which for us Celebrates Harvest Time and Honors those Loved Ones that have Departed and Passed from Time into Eternity. We will pick out Hats, Masks, Crowns and Costumes to wear during the Party... and if you've forgotten yours, don't worry, we have plenty to go around & Share!
You will be surrounded by an assortment of Jewelry Adorned Pumpkins... in Old Black Lace...
Vintage Hand-Dyed Velvets...
Or with Whimsical Tole Hand-Painted Faces and wearing Ribbons, Feathers, Hats and sometimes Straw Hair.
Sugar Skulls for the Dia de los Muertos Altars...
And the Marigolds, Memorabilia, Favorite Foods, Drinks and Notes in Memory of those Loved Ones. Feel free to add to it as you Feel Led to in Honor & Memory of your Family, Fur Babies & Friends who have Passed... everyone is Welcome at the Altar.
We'll make Caramel Apples... Gourmet of coarse... part of the Fun is choosing your add-ons and making Over-The-Top Creations that look as good as they'll taste!
And we'll cook up some Pumpkin Pancakes with Fresh Whipped Butter and your choice of a variety of Lucious Autumn Inspired Syrups... like Roasted Pecan & Maple Praline! Or perhaps you'd like to try an Arizona Desert Syrup of Agave Nectar?
And we'll go to the Local Bakeries and choose a variety of Beautiful Halloween Cookies! Or... if you're a better Baker than Yours Truly {which is why we're at the Bakery in case you didn't Guess ~ LOL}... you can Surprise us & bring over a batch of your Famous or Favorite Cookie Creations! *Winks*
We'll also hit all the Pumpkin Patches and Farmer's Markets to pick out the most Amazing Selection of Unusual Heirloom, Hybrid and Specialty Pumpkins, Winter Squash & Gourds we can Discover and maybe even take in a Hay Ride and a Camp Fire Cookout?!!!
Sometimes we might even get to pick them right out of the Local Farmer's Fields nearby during the Pumpkin Festivals! In case you didn't notice, this is a Spontaneous Party-On-The-Go, Gypsy Style... we might start out at the Bohemian Valhalla Residence, but you never know where we might end up and who will Join us along the way!?!
We'll pick up some Fall Florals as well... every Room & Porch looks more Festive and smells more Divine with Fresh Aromatic Plants, Herbs and Florals Adorning the Space!
Now I Hope that Skullies don't Creep you out too much? Because I have quite a Collection of them...
And every year I add to it... and have my Eye on one in particular that I'm Lusting over to add to the Collection for 2012 if someone else doesn't 'Score' it first!? My Favorite Skully Artist is 'The Creative Native', Yaqui Artist Ben Molina, who Adorns his Fabulous Dia de los Muertos Skully Creations Native American Style.
And of coarse we'll have Candy... LOTS of Candy. Even though the Bohemian Valhalla Clan aren't very big Candy eaters we always have bowls of it for our Guests. So help yourselves... if you don't take some of it Home with you it is likely to last 'til next Spring around here, Honest! Yeah, we're a bit Weird like that too. *Winks*
Which is also Evident by our Collections of Oddities and Old Doll Heads... which make perfect Halloween Vignettes... but will also find their way into other Seasonal Decor as well. *LOL*
Yes... we're a Quirky bunch and quite Addams-Family-ish... we even have our own version of Uncle Festus in the way of an Antique Framed Portrait of some unknown Old Guy that we 'Adopted'.
We even got him his own Masquerade Mask for the Party... nobody gets left out or Excluded at our Parties... it's all Inclusive.
And maybe you'll join us at the Desert Botanical Gardens for the Dia de los Muertos All Souls Procession? You can come as you are... or in Sugar Skull Splendor like this Sweet Family has... we've done both, so whatever you're most comfortable with is All Good and Cool.
Don't worry if you don't have a Mad Hatter Style Top Hat to wear in the Procession... I have a Collection of those too! *Smiles* "Is there anything you DON'T Collect?" you might be wondering? Well... lets just say I most definitely have strong Magpie Tendencies.
And I've always been drawn to the Mystical and the Macabre... so I'm really in my Element during Halloween and the Styling & Atmosphere of it.
Don't worry... I just threw this Image in for Creepy Halloween Ambiance... it won't be at the Party, it's in a Friend's Showroom Display & is a very Old Vintage 1930's Era Board. *I can hear the Sigh of Relief from many of you! Winks* Though I grew up in a Home that had one and Mom is quite a Gypsy Free Spirited Soul with Mystical Gifts that many Members of the extended Family have and would leave you jaw-dropped even if you're a Skeptic... I don't use Spirit Boards myself and I know it Creeps a lot of people out so we won't have one in the Home.
But I sure Wish I had this Guy on the Piano at the Party! *LOL* He was Playing at another Halloween Preview Party I attended recently. Love him!!!
I definitely have a weakness for Collecting Old Apothecary Bottles & Laboratory Equipment... I should have been a Mad Scientist! I add to this Collection on a regular basis, so yes, you will see a lot of this type of thing around the Party as well. Drink the Contents if you Dare?!??!!! *LOL*
The Raven was actually the Mascot of The Man's Unit in one of his Military Assignments... alas, he Donated the Real Deal to the Unit when he Retired... I would have liked to have kept him because he had an Awesome Wingspan and was way Cool & would have made a Killer Halloween Prop! But he went to a Good Home.
Are you having a Good Time at our Party? I Hope so... we've so Enjoyed having you over... and Hope that you come back again for a Visit to Bohemian Valhalla?
Because it's almost Time to call it a Wrap for Tonight my Friends and New Guests...
If this has put you under a Magical Halloween Spell that will now Inspire you to Celebrate Halloween in a new and different Tradition, Custom and Style... or even in your own Traditional & Cultural ways, I Hope you'll Share your Celebration with us too? I'd Love to come to your Party and see what you've come up with???!!!
Until Next Year's Halloween Blog Party... Be Well & Stay Enchanted
... Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian
... Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian