I’ve tried an experiment. I ask people what their favorite season is. Then I ask if their birthday falls in that season. Remarkably, it almost always does. That’s true for me too. I absolutely adore fall. The colors, the cooler weather, orange everything. Fall fabrics make me drool. Well, not really but you get the idea.
Look at this. Our grandson Ethan helped get the fall decorations down. This doesn’t even include Thanksgiving. When you’ve been collecting seasonal decorations for over 50 years, this is what you wind up with.
A part of me feels the need to cull this stuff. It’s not that I don’t get rid of a few things here and there, it’s that I always find cute new irresistible additions. Sensibly, I am getting older. This is a lot of work I don’t need to be doing. And yet, I still want to. That might change soon. Grandchildren are moving on. Although Halloween is still a family thing, at least this year, it’s definitely on its way out. Will I still want to decorate when no one sees but me? I guess I’ll find out soon. I’m not counting my husband Carl as an admirer of decorations. He wouldn’t notice if a bomb went off in the house.
My attempts to rid my stash of things I don’t like all that much isn’t going well. When I asked Carl which of two pumpkin people to get rid of, he was no help at all. “They’re both so cute,” was his response. Was that sincerity or diplomacy? I couldn’t tell.
I’ll share my new finds.
My first purchase of the season is this antique spice tin decorated for Halloween. The tree is a bit plain. I know I have some interesting Halloween beads I could put on. Why I ever bought those, I couldn’t explain. And yet, they’re coming in handy now.
Next, I found this stuffed witch. She goes with a cat and ghost I bought over the past couple of years.
Lastly, a recent trip to The Shop Around the Corner in Simi Valley turned up these items: a cute crow (I don’t have many crows after all) and a glass shade painted to look ghostly. It will go perfectly in my ghost collection.
I highly recommend The Shop Around the Corner. They always have seasonal items. They even do things like offering a lot of pink and red merchandise for Valentine’s Day. I’m having trouble finding cute stores and as always, I like to support small businesses. If you know of any great shops, please add them to the comments below.
So I’ll just keep unpacking boxes, sorting and cleaning as I go along. What I need is a giant burst of energy that lasts at least a week. Why do I keep putting things off? Is that an aspect of retirement? Somewhere in my brain, do I feel like I have unlimited time? What I can do today, I can do tomorrow? Oh no, I’m turning into my husband! We must be spending too much time together.
I know there’s a thing called Swedish Death Cleaning. I may need to look into that. But for now, I’ll share some pictures of my finished displays and seasonal favorites.
I’m pleased with the beads. Adds a little sparkle. What do you think?
The gang’s all here
The haunted tabletop
Our 2024 mantle, designed by granddaughter Jadyn
Fred’s always keeping an eye on things. He’s a Celebrex store display.
A new tiny quilt. I fell in love with the fabrics.
Layered textiles are a sure sign of trouble.
I absolutely fell in love with a new line of fabric from Tilda, a British designer. This is the Halloween/Thanksgiving/Autumn bundle. Will I have time to do anything with it? It’s looking doubtful. But just gazing at it makes me smile.
This witch was sitting in a window display in Solvang many years ago. I had to bug the store manager to let me buy her. She remains one of my favorites.
Hope my rambling blog has put you in a festive mood! Happy Halloween!