Confession is Good for the Soul... so I Confess, I'm Scheming... about how I can manage to attend a Halloween Inspired Event for an Evening in Mid-September?! Dare I even think that far ahead given the present Circumstances? I'm not certain. Should I pre-order tickets for something I might not even have a remote chance of getting to? I'm conflicted about risking that too. But I want to go... I NEED to go in fact!
Sure, I've managed to squeeze in a precious little bit of 'Me Time' since the string of Personal Crisis and Emergencies that have plagued us... and I've Passed on a lot of other Invitations and Opportunities because it just wasn't possible. But Halloween is my FAVORITE Holiday to Decorate for and to Enjoy the Styling of that others have Created... and so I don't want to miss ANY Halloween Inspired Events... it only comes once a Year after all! I'd really regret missing out... I'd resent it in fact!!!
So... there I was clear across Town after a Hospital Visit to see The Man... taking the opportunity to visit ANTIQUE GATHERINGS which I almost never get to visit given the distance from our Home and the commuting time necessary. And I'm Amusing myself by seeking out the Inventory that would make Great Halloween Prop Displays and Vignettes in my Mind's Eye and on the Canvas of my Imagination.
Because as well as Scheming a way to Attend a Halloween Inspired Evening Event later this Month... I'm also ready to begin Decorating Bohemian Valhalla for Halloween now that September has rolled in. In fact, while I rarely purchase Holiday Decor for any other Holiday anymore, Halloween is the one exception. Because I leave it up for so long I don't mind Investing in additional Decor for that particular Holiday... and it's just my Ideal Aesthetic after all! *Winks*
Yes... I'm one of 'Those People' that keeps my Halloween Decor up for a very long time before AND after the actual Holiday. And not because I'm lazy, too busy or procrastinating, like some other Holidays where it ends up staying up longer than intended because of exactly that... laziness, busyness and procrastination. No... Halloween goes up early and comes down late because I LIKE IT! I like surrounding myself with that particular Atmosphere and I'm reluctant to even take it down at all... and I don't even really know why, I'm just Macabre like that.
I'm also just Naturally drawn to the Colors of Halloween and Fall in general... Black, Saffron, Nature's Tones of Browns and Greens, Sepia and Orange. Those are Hues I feel more of a Connection to than any other Palette and can Live with for longer periods of time.
Sure pops of Vivid Jewel Tones thrown in tend to happen when I'm Decorating, but overall, I could Live with a Halloween Inspired or pure Sepia Palette quite easily year-round and never tire of it. There's something about Orange and Black in particular that I find to be very Appealing and of coarse that is the quintessential Halloween combo.
This Year for Halloween I'm probably going with a Mad Laboratorie Theme to my Styling, since I Sourced a virtual dismantled Laboratorie of Vintage Scientific looking Found Treasures over the past few months. And I've already been seeking out Halloween and Fall Inspired Inventory for the Showrooms. But it's just so darn hard to Source Vintage or Antique Halloween Decor though... it practically doesn't exist and I don't know why exactly?
You can Source Vintage and Antique Holiday Decor for almost every other Holiday quite easily... but Halloween, not so much is available. Maybe folks hold onto it... or never kept it and so it no longer exists, I dunno which?
And really, come to think of it, back in da day, I don't recall too many folks that actually Decorated and Styled for Halloween and went all out for Visually Entertaining the Trick-Or-Treaters. When I was a Kid it was typical to just find a sole carved lit Jack-O-Lantern sitting on the Porch and folks handing out Candy sans any Adult Costumes or Masquerade Parties. Sometimes even sans the Jack-O-Lantern on the Porch!
But I must say everyone handed out Candy in those days and most Costumes were Home-Made rather than Store-Bought. My first Store-Bought Costume was a Mrs. Bugaboo... and my Brother was a matching Mister Bugaboo. Costumes then were real simple Smocks with a cheesy and flimsy full facial Mask that easily cracked or the elastic band would break before the Night was out! Most probably never Survived more than one Season.
I remember our Bugaboo Masks were Glow-In-The-Dark, probably from something now deemed Toxic to make it so!? *LOL* Mine had a sweet Marilyn Munster type face with a faux rubber Black Widow Spider stuck on the cheek... my Brother's had a faux rubber Lizard stuck on the cheek of a Mask that resembled Richie Rich! Yeah, pretty Tame Stuff by Today's Horror and Costume Standards... but the fact it Glowed was Creepy enough when you were a Kid in those days!
I remember my Brother hiding behind the Shower Curtain in a Bathroom that had no Windows wearing that damn Mask, laying in wait for me to drop my pants around my ankles and then turn off the light so that it was pitch Black and that Mister Bugaboo Head seemed to be levitating and glowing eerily in mid air with no body!!!
You can't run very well with your pants down around your ankles... to either get away in terror or try to pulverize your Little Brother for the prank! *LOL* Maybe that's why the Memory of those particular Costumes are so vivid, from the Trauma of that Moment?! *Smiles*
Yet, even though I have Grandoise Plans for Halloween Decorating at Home to luxuriate in and lots of fond Memories of Halloweens Past... I still NEED to see, experience, be Inspired by and revel in the Halloween Vision others have Created at their Events, Shops and Shows this Season!!! I SOOOO look forward to it every Year... this will be the kick-off of the Season of Holiday Splendor after all!
And it will be a brief interlude that they Decorate for Halloween before rolling out the Christmas Decor... and I like to Enjoy my Holiday Season just one Holiday at a time without rushing in to the next one coming up.
Though I do understand the Retail aspect of the necessity of offering Product prematurely so that folks are put in the Mood for an upcoming Holiday and can have sufficient Prep time to make Purchases and Create, Decorate or Design their own Spaces with it all in time to Enjoy it properly.
I've already got Velvet Pumpkins on the Brain!!! This Year I'm determined to make some of my own I tell you... but then again, I say that EVERY Year don't I?!? *LOL* Got everything I need to do it actually... just gotta find the Time and get around to it. This Image has Inspired me to go out and buy some Velvet Animal Prints for some Funky Safari Velvet Pumpkins.
So I'm racking my brains to come up with at least one Willing Victim... um... I mean Volunteer, that will watch the G-Kid Force for a few hours on a Wednesday Night in Mid-September?!? And as of yet I don't know where The Man's Placement will be by Mid-September or his Condition then, so I can't make any projections about that of what backup I might need if by chance he would be Home by then, which isn't looking likely, but you never know. We'll just have to wait and see how it all unfolds I guess... preparing for the Worst while Hoping for the Best.
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The
Bohemian