Getting Ready for the Cold - in June?

It's 90-zillion degrees out and humid.  But now that I'm making and selling things like scarves and hats, I've resigned myself to the concept that the retail season is different from the actual season in which these things are worn.  So... I've added the first hat, a real, knitted skullcap-style hat... to Fabric of my Mind.  It's a soft, cozy tan acrylic in small/medium, so it's good for women, teens, and tweens.  The tan is a great neutral that goes with everything, and acrylic is warm and soft, washable, and perfect for anyone who's allergic to wool or straight up vegan.

From Halloween to Christmas Card in 3.0 Days

Sunday, November 4, 2012, in Wyckoff, NJ

Wednesday, November 7, 2012, in Franklin Lakes, NJ

How We Do Halloween

We generally throw a big Halloween party, since it's my favorite holiday, and this year we were able to do it right.  First, we decorated outside.  At the new house, though, we really need more outdoor decorations.  While what we've got worked very well in the tiny, ivy-covered front yard at the old place, our new expanse of lawn requires something more impressive.

This one's my favorite.  I got it at a craft show a couple years ago, and it's handmade.  My only lament is that I no longer have the artist's card so I can't find him to get more of his stuff.

We also had strobe lights, fog machines, and thunder sound effects hiding behind the bushes and scarecrow there.

My biggest lament was that all of this was out for the party on the 27th but had to come in before actual Halloween on the 31st because of the impending storm.  The storm is a post for another day.

For now, the inside of the house.

We took the regular lights from the bathroom and replaced them with blacklight bulbs and candles, a dim, spooky setting for the raven & mirror ghost.

With the overhead light replaced with a blacklight bulb, this reaper at the end of the hall was pretty creepy.

We didn't do much in the guest room, but I love how Nemo is side-eyeing the witch.

The kitchen kept its lights for drink mixing and pumpkin soup making.

I made these creepy apothecary bottles several years ago.  They're filled with things like Jellyfish Stingers (hot glue strings), Hair of Werewolf (dog hair), Swamp Fog (pulled cotton ball), and Toe of Demon (cut pieces of red taper candle).

The whole dining room and living room were lit by string lights, candles, and lighted decorations.  That lit Jack o' Lantern on a cat's back on the floor was my very first Halloween decoration, the one my mom put in our front window when I was a kid.

I love that death candelabra in the middle of the table.

These masks are actually my year-round dining room decor.

That blue skeleton is painted with blacklight paint.  The lamp has blacklight bulbs in it.  I did the shade years ago, with black paper bats and lightning streaks drawn on in highlighter so they glow when it's lit too.

The African mask is also year-round decor.  I "won" it at a charity auction.

One of my favorite things is that witch all the way on the left.  She's beautifully made, with poison apples in her sling, even.

I suddenly realized I have quite a few gargoyles.

This skeleton was actually the prop of the winner of best costume.  The prize is that gold glitter pumpkin.  He showed up in a suit with a briefcase and the skeleton, claiming to be a medical malpractice attorney with his unfortunate client.

Another favorite, my Nightmare Before Christmas tree.

And the cooler, which was out back.  Can't go wrong with a blow up coffin!

How do you do Halloween?

The House Smells Like Heaven

There's a good reason for that.

Candles.

We've been making candles, and now we've got some properly photographed for you (and on the website, too)!  They a good paraffin that burns really well and they are long lasting, with a good strong scent from top to bottom.  We're doing 9" round pillars with a 3" diameter, 4.5" square pillars that are 3" across, 3" round pillars with a 3" diameter, and the ever-useful votives.

First, the ones we've photographed...

Healing Tea.  These are a really pretty mottled sage green and are scented with Eucalyptus and Green Tea.  Amazing!  These are the favorites of a lot of people who've seen and gotten them, as we've been selling them already at craft shows.

Chocolate Decadence.  Wow, is that an appropriate name for these!  They're a mottled mahogany, and scented with a deep chocolate fudge, vanilla, and hazelnut.  These candles will fool guests into thinking you've been doing some pretty hefty baking... or get the romance going, according to those who say chocolate is an aphrodisiac.

Ocean.  These are a great mottled light aqua and really are great for evoking that crisp, clean ocean scent.  Relaxing and indulgent, they can turn any room into a spa.

While our Autumn Harvest, Lilac, and Cedar are available for purchase, we don't have those photos yet.

Autumn Harvest, as the name suggests, would be perfect for any Thanksgiving table setting, though they're really great any time of year.  In a beautiful mottled red, these candles are scented with crisp apples, warm cinnamon, and a touch of plums, pears, grapes, nuts, and just a bit of caramel.  Really truly amazing.

Lilac is as it sounds, in a pretty pale mottled lavender, these are scented with pure lilac, my favorite flower.  It's just a beautiful light floral.

Our Cedar candles are colored with a beautiful mottled reddish-brown and scented with cedar fragrance oil.  Fresh and woodsy, these are a great relaxing candle without being feminine.  Perfect for that candle-loving guy you know!

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