*DISCLAIMER... BEWARE... VERY LONG RAMBLING POST AHEAD!*
It has been Wonderful to already have a main room of Bohemian Valhalla Decorated for the upcoming Holidays so early. I'm so Thankful that Princess T pressed me to do it with her during her Eighth Birthday Day. It has improved the Atmosphere at Home and diminished a considerable amount of Stress coming at us externally outside of the Home that we have no control over. To have a Magical Halloween Retreat to Escape to within our own Private and Sheltered Space.
Of coarse I've kept ADDING to the Vignettes incessantly, because that's what I DO! *LOL* Yes, even though I'm Attempting to Minimalize and Simplify my Life and Style, I'm still a Work in Progress and apparently More is still never enough... NEVER! *Winks* I tried to Edit, I REALLY did... but then I still had all of these Wonderful Velvet Pumpkins that weren't being utilized yet... so what was a Maximalist to DO, except to try to find a place for them and squeeze them in, right?!?
So there's an Insane amount of them piled up on the Mantle... and the irony is, I still Intend to Create some more this year with the Hoard of Vintage Velvet and Pumpkin Stems I've amassed and are waiting to be Transformed into Vintage Velvet Pumpkins! I know... I'm a Sick Woman, I admit it! *LOL*
And then, because our Talented Friend Karen Lackey had to go and Create these Awesome Velvet Pumpkins with Seam Binding and Old Spools, and I spied them at the Pumpkin Patch at RUST AND ROSES in my Friend Tricia Samsal's Booth... well, I couldn't resist now could I?! I mean... just in case I don't get around to Creating some more of my own again this Season, you know! *LOL*
See, I can always Justify these things in my own twisted way and Rationalize why I do what I do! *Bwahaha!* And yes... there will be a Post to highlight the recent Fun Adventure to the Shop coming, with tons of Eye Candy of ALL the new Vignettes and Inventory... so stay tuned... and be sure to come back...
So, if you're Jonesin' for Velvet Pumpkins and have no Time or inclination to Create some... now you know where you can get some Locally at a great price while they last! I've now done my Civic Duty towards all of you who NEED more Velvet Pumpkins as desperately as I thought I did. *Winks*
And it's not as if I only had to find room in the Vignettes for the Velvet ones... because there were the faux ones covered in Black Lace too! I actually already have more Pumpkins than any Sane Person should in this Lifetime... but oh well! They look Awesome Hoarded, ummm, I mean Grouped together en mass! *LOL*
And of coarse we also got out all the Skullies... one can never have enough of those either IMO. And because as Payment for all the Help in Styling and Decorating for Halloween and pulling Gramma forward to get busy with it alongside her, we had to fill up the Candy Dish early as well with some of Princess T's fav Sweet Treats... she ADORES Mexican Spiced Tamarind Pulp Candies... they are delish... and how stinkin' cute are the tiny Tamarind Pulp Candy Mini Tamales!?!
Needless to say this stash won't last long so we'll have plenty of excuses to keep refilling it now with mini sized everything that the Shops are already offering for Trick-Or-Treaters. I always get a cache of fav mini Treats this time of year anyway, to fill up the Snack Box with because the serving sizes are perfectly scaled down to mini servings and you can get better prices than any other time of the year for Snacks and Treats.
So I had to snap these pixs before The Force even realized I'd gone on the Mission to fill the Candy Dish and Snack Box with our favs so that you could see it full and not empty! *Smiles* Actually, as a Family we don't have much of a Sweet Tooth and there aren't many actual Candies that we like or eat, just a select few and occassionally.
I Predict that we will need MORE Tamarind Pulp Candies soon, very soon! *Winks* Remember those Magic Eightballs? I Believe they were initially created in the Fifties by Mattel, I know I had one as a Kid so I was Jazzed when we 'Picked' this Vintage one for a mere Ninety-Nine Cents. Hard to read it's 'Fortune' now that the fluids are so 'Aged' but its Fun and the G-Kids enjoyed it as much as I remember us enjoying it as Kiddos.
I Predict that we will need MORE Tamarind Pulp Candies soon, very soon! *Winks* Remember those Magic Eightballs? I Believe they were initially created in the Fifties by Mattel, I know I had one as a Kid so I was Jazzed when we 'Picked' this Vintage one for a mere Ninety-Nine Cents. Hard to read it's 'Fortune' now that the fluids are so 'Aged' but its Fun and the G-Kids enjoyed it as much as I remember us enjoying it as Kiddos.
Believe it or not, most of the Candy the G-Kids will procure Trick-Or-Treating will be handed out to Friends and Guests during the Holidays because otherwise it will just sit and grow stale and old around here. They like the Process of Trick-Or-Treating and dressing up in Costume, more than the actual haul. But we do LOVE our Tamarind Pulp because it's more like a Spicy Fruit than a Candy. I know, we're Weird and Oddities in more ways than one! *LOL*
It's always so good to see our Favorite Seasonal Decorations that have been Stored away all year and are now ready to make their Appearance and be Styled in a Fresh way for this Season's Holidays. We always have a Cherished Memory and Story accompanying each Seasonal Treasure of Holidays Past.
But then there are the New Additions... this year I 'Scored' half of a Favorite Decoration at a Thrift Store that I'd always Admired and could never afford because he was so darn expensive Retail and Whole. The Creepy Old Butler Man with Skully on a Tray... their repertoire is hilarious and to us they're Sweet and Fun.
Don't know what happened to the bottom half of this Old Guy or what happened to him that he got damaged, but I don't care, I prefer only half of him to Style with anyway because it Creates more options of where to place him and I was able to get him for over 98% off his original Retail Price, which is practically Free, Booyah!!! He's Great for Serving up Treats 'cause now he can easily fit in a Chair or on a Tabletop! *Winks*
And you know how much I like to Rescue Found Treasures that are Delightfully Imperfect, Forlorn and have been discarded by the Average folk. *Winks* I was actually so Excited to discover this Old Guy and couldn't get him into my cart fast enough once I saw his Price! And I got a lot of second looks as he was sitting in the Child Seat portion of the Shopping Cart! *LOL* Funny how nobody even noticed him on the Shelf, but once in a Cart as someone else's Trophy Find, everybody was suddenly Intrigued by and Lovin' this Guy!
And then of coarse there's our other Beloved Creepy Old Man that we 'Scored' last Season, not sure how he feels about sharing the spotlight with the Old Creepy Butler, he doesn't look too Happy does he? *LOL* The G-Kid Force Love this Old Guy, they think he looks Sad and perhaps Lonely and Unloved, so were pleased to Welcome him to the Family. He's perfect for Addams-Family Style Luvin' you know, he fits right in here! *Winks*
And remember all the Old Laboratorie Treasures I 'Scored' throughout this past Year? Well, it was now Time to unveil them and Decorate with them... Test Tubes, Beakers, Pharmaceutical Apothecary, Vials and just about everything a Mad Scientist might have in their Laboratorie!!! Divine!!! I actually had procured too much, Imagine that?!? *Bwahaha!!!*
Apparently on the Canvas of my Imagination for Decorating and Styling in this Mad Laboratorie Theme I was going for I had PLENTY of room for it all! *LOL* But you know how Reality always Cramps our Style when we have these Unlimited Imaginations that know no boundaries and absolutely no Restraint!? And of coarse there were also the Found Treasures I INTENDED to Flip and then couldn't pry out of my hands once I had an Idea for them in the Project... like this Antique Pipe! Which Mr. Skully looks Fabu bubbling up on don't you think? Yeah, so now it's a 'Keeper'.
And I found some Great Antique Books in just the right Hues for Halloween Props and for only a mere Fifty Cents apiece at a Book Liquidator... and check out some of the Names, like 'The Nun's Story'... Ideal huh? *LOL*
We didn't add a lot of new Found Treasures to the mix this Season, but just enough to make it Fresh and more Interesting... as we Sold Off some of the Vintage Seasonal Decor that we've had for many years and had tired of, so it made room for a few new additions and Funded the Cause.
I'd have to say one of my Fav new Vintage Laboratorie Additions was this round Beaker with it's Stand... very Dr. Frankenstein!
And whenever I can procure more Old Skullies for a Bargain you KNOW I'm gonna snap them up since I use them year-round in my Cloche Displays... must find a wee Tiara or Santos Crown for this little Guy!
And along with 'Scoring' the coveted Vintage Mannequin Hands during this Month's SWEET SALVAGE Event... on a recent 'Pick' I also 'Scored' some Awesome Old Pathology Books from the Sixties for mere Cents... I'm keeping some and offering some at the Showrooms just in time for Halloween Decorating! Great for Styling with AND if your Inquiring Mind needs to know all about Pathology, which fascinates Moi by the way... good bedtime reading as well! At one time I had toyed with the idea of transferring from the DA's Office to the Medical Examiner's Office during one of my previous Corporate Lives. I still Wish I would have in fact.
And of coarse we HAVE to get some Ambiant Lighting for the Holidays don't we? I'm not really lighting a lot of Candles this year since I have some of those nifty faux ones that Pyro Kiddos and Curious Cats cannot light themselves on fire with... but I still like the LOOK of Candelabras with drippy Old Candles... even if just for Show.
And the Killer Black Canvas Vintage Hat Form that I got from my Friends Brett and Myko for only Nineteen Bucks... PERFECT for Halloween Displays of my extensive Mad Hatter Collection!!! I'll be rotating the Hats on Display so they all get a Turn to Show Out.
But this particular one that my Talented Friend Angela Created is my all time Fav even though it's too small to fit on my big ole' head so I can never actually wear it... damn they had tiny heads in the Victorian Era... and this was a MAN'S Hat!
I Adore ALL of Friend Angela's Creations in fact... she should be my Personal Stylist because it's as if we're Twins separated at Birth anyway, I've never met anyone who 'Gets' me as much as she does! It's as if anything she Creates was made especially FOR me and we could probably never be 'Pickin' Buddies because we'd be throwing down for the exact same Cool Stuff! *LOL* So working out Gypsy Trades between us has been Idyllic for both of us and she's one of the most Generous Souls on the face of this Planet I swear!
And so you've probably been Wondering where my Styling Partner and Sidekick is in all these Images huh? Well, being the Diva that she is, though she usually Adores having her Pix taken, because we'd worked so hard and were all sweaty and a Hot Mess, she was reluctant to Pose 'As Is' during the Process of pulling Halloween together at Bohemian Valhalla! *LOL* In fact, she kept evading me... as she busily Cleaned, Foofed and Primped all the Vignettes and the Spaces they'd occupy... so that I couldn't get not one Candid Shot of her in Action, doing what she does best, Styling, Organizing and Cleaning!
Yeah, she WANTED to have her hair styled, a Shower and change her Wardrobe FIRST... but since Gramma didn't have it in her to do all that before doing the Photo Shoot... it was like pulling teeth to get a few Candid Shots of her AT WORK and not Glammin' for the Cameras and Staging a Shot! She's like, "REALLY Gramma! You want to take a picture of me looking like THIS?!?!" *Bwahaha* Silly Kids, don't they realize they look Adorable ALL the time, it's not as if they actually LOOK like a Hot Mess like we do when caught off guard and not pulled together and groomed for the occassion! *Smiles*
She looked just Fine... I however, did NOT! She was relentless in getting almost all of it done in one day, in one fell swoop, and was a slavedriver about the Process, delegating like a CEO on Steroids! In fact, I was HER Personal Assistant in this Process actually and this was her Show. Now... she knew Gramma would keep ADDING to the End Result long after Completion, 'cause that's what Gramma DOES. *Winks* But, it could have been Complete as she Finished it actually... and probably a whole lot better Edited and Curated in fact. 'Cause she knows when to STOP, UNLIKE SOME PEOPLE! *Winks, I know, I could be a Hopeless Cause as an Editor and Striving Minimalist?!?*
She Insisted I take at least a few Images of HER Complete Vignette BEFORE I began ADDING to it incessantly. *Winks*
And before she bailed on me and left me alone to start going Over The Top in adding to the Decor like a Mad Woman, she struck one last Pose with her Fav mini Velvet Leopard Print Pumpkin that she'd picked out at a Flea Market last October. She wants to drag that poor thing around with her everywhere so it's a Wonder it's still in one piece actually!
And where is the Other One you might be asking? Well, Prince R is likely always rushing off to his next Social Engagement... which this day was heading to Choir Practice at the Church... anyway, he knows better than to Interfere with two Control Freak Estros on a Styling Mission! *Winks*
He Loves Style and might make a few Suggestions, but he's not getting into the Mix of The Princess and I when we're in the midst of one of our Grandoise Projects, I think it would be too much for any Man to bear actually. He'll just wait and Compliment us on the Results when it's finished... well, when he THINKS it's finished anyway... its hard to tell when Gramma is actually finished with anything with all that Adding To and all! *Winks*
Actually, the fact that our Menfolk have always left us alone to do Our Thing with Decor and Styling of the Household is fine with us... they Support our Mission Statement and usually Fund the Projects which is an important part of the Process, so they don't hafta be knee deep in it... well, unless we need something heavy moved, remodeled or built that is, then they come in mighty handy too. *LOL* Come on, you know you do that to your Guys too!
I'm just Sad that The Man is missing it all in Person this Holiday Season... he isn't likely to be Home for any of the Holiday Season in fact, which is why I'm going absolutely bananas about the pathological picture taking and documenting of it all... so he can have it Shared when we Visit him. It just isn't quite the same without the whole Family, though with being a Career Military Family we have often had to spend many Special Occassions separated when he was Deployed during Active Duty all those years. You just never really get used to the Separations... and this time is so much different and even harder than when he went away to War... I never thought that could be possible.
But he does like to hear me tell him about what we're doing at Home and he wouldn't want us to put Life on Hold due to Circumstances and Separations, whatever the reason and length. So it's important to have a sense of Normalcy to our days and our Holidays in particular, as best we can.
It takes a Special Effort to do that though, it's easier said than done, as anyone can tell you if someone Important to them is Missing during a Holiday Season in particular... it Magnifies the Absence because you so long for their Presence and for them to be able to be an intricate part of it all.
I've never been your typical Empty Nester because I've never actually had a completely Empty Nest yet. *Winks* But though I was totally Okay with our Kids growing up and leaving the Nest once they became Adults, it's always nice to have them back during Special Events and Occassions. And I've always wanted my Spouse by my side to grow Old with and Enjoy Companionship because he's truly one of my Best Friends and my Love, he Completes me. So the prospect of that not being possible or probable is a tough pill to swallow, especially when they're still on this side of Time and Eternity with us.
Some days I'm really struggling with that part... of being a Single Parent again and perhaps not having him be able to come Home and be with us at some Future point in Time. Of perhaps Raising the G-Kid Force alone and having my Beloved living somewhere else, somewhere he doesn't really want to be either. And somehow trying to make it all Work.
The Complexities of it all are still quite daunting and there is still so much uncertainty and Processes yet to Complete in order for it to even remotely Attempt to Work out. It's like a mere sliver of Light in the Darkness actually that you have to keep your Focus upon so that the amount of Darkness compared to the absence of Light doesn't Terrify you as you move into it and then through it, Hoping to be able to make it to the other side and OUT eventually?! Without getting stuck or held Hostage, or even worse case scenarios you dare not even think upon or about.
We're slowly navigating our way through though, it's a Journey we must take so we might as well just put one foot in front of the other and see where it takes us?
And Distract and Uplift ourselves in whatever ways we can so that Hope is kept Alive and we can still Enjoy Life even in it's mutated form that we must now adjust to and adapt to.
It seems the Older I get the harder Change is for me anyway... I just want to be Comfortable and take it Easy for a change and not have to keep Morphing with constant Change and carrying a lot of heavy Baggage into my Future that isn't possible to set down so I can take a load off. Do you ever feel like that my Friends, Burdened? You can still have a Good Time and Count your Blessings when you're Burdened, but it still weighs heavy upon you because it's always there and bears so much Responsibility and Pressure.
And lets face it... sometimes a Girl just wants to have Fun...
Blessings AND Having some Fun from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian