Countdown to Halloween

How do you choose who'll be handing out candy

during a cold & blustery Halloween night?

In our house we use the ever so diplomatic

rock-paper-scissors method to decide.

   Although I've never quite grasped the concept behind the game, I always win! 

 As in..... I'll be parked in front of the warm fireplace

 doing something much more constructive like knitting or Pinning,

 while the Candyman hands out candy to the little ghosts and goblins.

(Have you ever heard of a candywoman?  No, of course not.)

After all, it's only fair that I get to rest after doing all the decorating!

I recently won a $50 gift certificate to Shabby Apple (visit their shop here) from
 Sandi at A Cottage Muse (visit her here to see the vintage treasures in her home
 and the ones she uses to stock her space at Wrentham Country Store).

Sandi's mantel. 

 Don't you love the way she used the rusty old springs?

 For my gift, I chose a set of eight numbered cloth napkins which
 inspired me to decorate our dining room in black & white for Halloween.
I simply folded them and hung them on the rungs of an old ladder.
They add a bright spot to a dark corner and help
conceal some of the many cracks in the plaster walls!

Thank you Sandi and Shabby Apple!

The napkins came tied with the numbered ribbon I've used to hang silhouettes of our

 grandchildren created by my blog friend Tracy of Crow's Feet Chic.

I printed small images in black & white and framed them out

in a pair of matching thrift shop frames.  You can see them up close

in the first picture above.  Thanks again Tracy!

This is the first year we've had the circa 1960's Sears fireplace

in our dining room for Halloween and I used the same rock-paper-scissors

concept when it came to prepping the room for the boo crew.

Well, I guess there weren't any rocks involved, but I made

good use of paper and scissors.

I cut out a pennant banner using construction paper and newspaper I had in the house. 

 I stamped letters on the newspaper and taped each piece to the fireplace. 

No sewing!

A few of my old clocks, vintage black shoes, black licorice in the covered
apothecary jar, and a few dollar store crows to spook it up a bit.
I picked branches and rose hips from our yard and stuffed them into a
vintage vase for my rather sorry excuse of a "floral arrangement".
Floral arranging is not my cup of tea.

I removed my Blue Willow plates from the holder between the
windows and replaced them with 4 circa 1950 framed silhouettes.

Here's the whole set.

My blue & white stagecoach blinds weren't fitting in with the

black & white theme, so they've been temporarily tossed aside for

a no sew valance.  A few pieces of sheet music, some tape, a

paper punch and voila!  (That's what happens when I'm

stuck in the house on a wet, snowy day.  Do you see

the snow covered branches through the window?)

For the table, I filled my tool caddy with scented pine cones and tangerines (they're round and
orange and close enough to pumpkins for me!) and set it on a runner I made from leftover

kitchen curtain fabric.  As you can see there's no cauldron filled with candy yet.
  Why?  Somebody (me) can't leave the chocolate bars alone,
 so we don't buy them until the last possible minute.

In a few days, when you're discussing who'll be handing out

candy, remember the tried and true Ranger method of
rock-paper-scissors.

I always win.  :@

Vickie

I'm joining the parties at:

Knick of Time Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style Wow us Wednesday
Cedar Hill Ranch Cowgirl Up

The weather outside is frightful!

Sing along with me.

"Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the.....

Wait a minute.....

isn't that a Christmas tune?

What's wrong with this picture?

Isn't it supposed to be frost on the pumpkin?

I think you can see why up north we prefer

to buy our pumpkins and mums from Michael's.

I don't think I'll be outside today, my day off, working on the twig sign

I started....oh, 2 weeks ago.  Poor, poor me.

Don't worry,  I'll suffer in silence inside the house whilst

 drinking coffee and reading blogs. :@

This area is under the roof, so it's sheltered from the snow, but it

looks like we'll soon be exchanging the rakes for shovels!

I hope my silk mums don't freeze. 

If I had Photoshop, I'd crop out the utility meter and wires near our back door for your

viewing pleasure, but alas, I fear it would be much too complicated for me. 

 Do you see my newest find?

 The old screen door, painted in the same shade as our back door was meant for me,

 wouldn't you say?  I painstakingly wound vines from our fence around it to dress it up

 for the season, but the wind took most of them away.  Now that I think about it,

 I would have been wise to anchor them with wire.  Hindsight.

 Oh, well, there's plenty more where they came from. 

 I bought the house numbers from Restoration Hardware about 3 years ago,

but I could never find the right spot for them.  Now they finally have a place to hang out while

diverting your attention away from those sad yellow mums.....I hope.

Do you remember when I said the turquoise

paint on the bicycle would soon fade into a softer color?

I guess I was wrong.

In case I don't get my Halloween post out in time, I hope everybody

has a Merry Christmas Happy Halloween!

Vickie

*I'm joining the party at:
Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Friday