Deadly DIY - Spooky Wreath

A really cool spooky wreath is the one major thing I have not yet aquired for my Halloween decor. Ok, there's a lot I have left to do on my decor, but I feel a wreath is tantamount. I just keep waiting for the perfect spooky wreath to come along...
Well, now I'm thinking, I should just MAKE my own spooky wreath...


Want to make one too? Check out this sweet spooky wreath tutorial from A Forest Frolic.

Dusty Walls and Ghostly Writings

There's something kinda spooky about chalk. Wipe clean your image and left behind is a ghostly image of drawings past. There's something wonderfully wicked about old dusty chalkboards. Dusty old anything reminds me of tattered sheets in the wind and creaky doors. Perfect for a little Halloween fun! Check out some of these wicked Halloween inspirations using chalkboard paint and some good old dusty chalk.


Poetic Home has some fantastic chalkboard ideas...


Old books and planters make great Halloween accessories! Not to mention that vintage typewriter... where can I get me one of those?


Apartment Therapy knows how to spook up some glam with chalkboard paint borders.


Make online has these fantastic chalkboard paint bottles. Write dusty messages or contents of potion bottles on them!


LittleBigHead made this super cute chalkboard pumpkin. Dress him up differently every day! I personally dig the mustachio look.


What about this charming chalkboard witch from Colonial Candle? I bet you could make your own with some chipboard and vintage photos.

Chalkboard paint is a great way to not only add a little darkness, but an ever changing surface! Paint a frame, paint and old statue... it all looks cool with chalkboard paint and a little imagination.

Deadly DIY - Hanging Leaves

Ever wish you could take the magical colors of fall and preserve them forever? Yeah, me too. Especially when sitting in the bleak blankness of Minnesota winter. Well, with this little tutorial from Martha, you can! Learn how to preserve leaves by dipping them in beeswax and create colorful fall hangings to let the season shine long after the leaves have fallen.

A Country Halloween

It's September, and in my eyes officially fall! I pranced over to Michael's store and bought some apothecary jars and lots of mallow pumpkins to liven up my buffet table, and am now happily watching Sleepy Hollow and ogling over Johnny Depp. Let the season begin!


Very much like my refusal to admit in public I'm a deep fan of Martha Stewart (but only when Halloween is involved) I am also as unlikely to admit that I'm quite fond of Country Living. They did a fabulous lineup of vintage images I featured before, but that's not all they have up their sleeves. They have a whole host of delectable images and ideas that make me think maybe country bumpkins know something I don't. These images just make me want to run away to a house in the woods as soon as the fall air arrives...












They have a variety of tutorials and templates you can try out to achieve some of these darling effects. Get all the ghoulish details over on the webpage.

Halloween Houskeeping

Good Housekeeping has a pretty nice gallery of Halloween decor ideas over on their site. Simple, classic and always in style. There's some pretty good stuff over there. Check out some of their great ideas...






See the full gallery of Halloween Magic over at Good Housekeeping.

Martha Stewart Halloween Edition

I may try my darndest to resist the mindless sheep following, but I admit I am a total sucker for Martha Stewart Halloween stuff. I spend ages at the Halloween section on their page, and get all googly eyed at the special Halloween editions. My supervisor, also a Halloween nut, was awesome enough to pick me up a copy of this when he saw it in stores...


Lookit! New shiny edition of Halloweeny-ness!

Among Halloweeny craftiness, there are also a number of large full page ads for grandin road, the carrier of this years Martha Stewart's halloween line. If you've ever flipped through previous Martha Halloween editions, there is a disappointingly high number of familiar projects, but they're still pretty and there's enough new stuff sprinkled about to make it worth while. I particularly love the victorian-esque nature of a lot of this years costume ideas. You'll have to get the mag to see all the pretty pics, but here's a peek at some of the goodies featured over at grandin road...











there are other Halloween goodies over there, you'll just have to head on over to check it out.

Pottery Barn - FREE SHIPPING!

EEEEEee!! The Halloween season has started over at Pottery Barn, with FREE shipping on their Halloween items!!


Get a move on while it lasts!

Spooky Sales - Stock up now!

There are a few key times to stock up on Halloween goodies... one is, of course, doing it right after the Holiday, when stores are trying to get rid of their leftover inventory. The other, however, is just before most Halloween merchandise hits the shelves, because stores are trying to clear out for this year's new stuff. So, here are some of the Halloween goodies you can snap up now...


Wrapables is having a sale on some of last season's spooky goods. Check out some of the tricks and treats they have on sale right now!


Target has a few too, but it's somewhat slim pickings, since it gets pretty well cleaned out during the Halloween season...


However, if you're looking for this season's stuff, well there's always a store that starts before everyone else... check out some of the blinged out skulls you can find right now at Michaels! Me, I'm trying to resist at least until September, we'll see how long that lasts...

A Halloween Apothecary

I've noticed a new trend rising up that I quite fancy taking up myself... apothecary jars! I love apothecary jars because they have a great vintage-y, somewhat "mad scientist" feel depending on how you use em. What's great is they can suit any season depending on what goods you fill them with... and what better use than for Halloween! Check out some of my favorite apothecary Halloween finds...





You can find these at The Garden Web, The Steampunk Home blog (awesome blog!!), Vintage Mint, Pottery Barn, and the Hostess Blog.

Etsy Finds - Pumpkin Hollow

I found a fantastic new Etsy seller for all-year Halloween goodness, Pumpkin Hollow.

Both spooky and sweet, depending on your tastes. If you're a fan of sweet, there's a whole collection of these adorable baby pumpkins, described, quite accurately as "tall and happy". If you're more for the spooky side, they have wonderfully creepy scarecrow, corpse and zombie goods.

Deadly DIY - Felted Pumpkin People

How cute are these guys? I think they'd make absolutely adorable place settings for a Halloween dinner party or even a wedding, if you were ambitious enough. Get the full tute over at Martha's.

Matthew Mead Halloween

Matthew Mead, fabulous designer who's worked for the likes of Pottery Barn and LL Bean, has a Halloween Book available with all sorts of cute Halloween ideas and inspirations. Here are a few fabulous sample goodies...





Want more? Go get the book!

Department 56 Halloween

I'm usually not one for such strong product placement, but I've always loved Department 56's Halloween stuff. They even have some cute tutorials, all though conveniently some of them require the use of their products. Still, you can learn to make Boo Bubblers, above.

Or Frankenstein's Lab filled with yummy goodies


Or some spooky tea stained Gauze!

Sadly, I was informed that Department 56 was bought out last year, and so 2008 was their last Halloween line. :( Saddness. If you have any of the Halloween Krinkles or Dept 56 collectibles, hold on to them tight!

Gothic Halloween Plates

I found this post about Tasteful Halloween Decor and loved the idea of black and white plates to add a little gothic ambiance to a room. Problem is, designer dishes can cost a pretty penny. Well, why not make some of your own?


Well Design Mom has a fabulous post on how to make your own gothic plates, using thrift store plates, stencils, and a little paint! Check it.