Spooky Monday Post #1!

Hello Lovelies!!!

I am so excited to be a part of Spooky Monday , courtesy of Wendy's Adventures in Wonderland!

This is my very first Spooky Monday Post !!!

First and Foremost, I want to share with you all , what Halloween means to me. It is a very special holiday to me, and holds so many memories of my childhood, even leading into my adulthood. I still feel like a child whenever that bewitching time of year rolls around!! It usually starts for me around late August. I start my preparations right at the end of summer, because 4 weeks of october are just not enough for me. Not only because 4 weeks is just not enough time to get everything done, but because I am alittle overindulgent in that respect, teehee!! I actually get some very odd looks from my librarian at the checkout counter, when they see me taking out Halloween books, when it's still August. Sometimes they even comment!

But anywho, when I was a wee one, my parents used to host some pretty wicked Halloween parties at my grandmother's house, and just last year I decided to start up the tradition again , hosting at my house! It was a tradition that has been lost, but why not bring something back so wickedly fun for everyone to share!?! So I guess my Spooky Mondays will partly be dedicated to showing off my party preparations, or memories from past Halloweens ... Another part of my Spooky Mondays will be sharing craft ideas, recipes, costume ideas, magazine articles, or books that I have found that have inspired me. And another very important part of my Spooky Mondays, will be the video I will include at the end of my post. The video will most likely be a Halloween Cartoon or TV Show from my childhood, that I have to watch every year in preparation, to help get me in the Halloween Spirit !!

Now without further adieu, I present you my very first SPOOKY MONDAY!

This past week I was very busy working on my wacky spooky birdhouses, inspired by Tim Burton's designs of Halloweentown from the movie Nightmare Before Christmas. He uses alot of vertical stripes, and swirly patterns. I bought these plain wooden unfinished birdhouses from A.C. Moore for a few cents each. I also bought some Black, Copper, and Orange Glitter to finish off my paint with.

The roof is made of craft moss, which I also bought from A.C. Moore, and painted it black after I hot glued it to the roofs. The bats sticking out of the rooftops are cut out of felt. I cut 2 bats out for each one (front and back). The metal attachment are just paper clips, wrapped around a wooden dowel to get the spiral shape. After you take it off your dowel, pull apart just a bit and make sure one end is straight enough to glue onto your bat. Now take 1 bat cutout, and place some hot glue in the center of the bat. Now place the straight edge of your paper clip in the center of the glue drop and press down. Now place more glue over that, and seal it in with another bat cutout!! Now glue between the bat wings on both sides, and smooth out. Take the loose end of the paper clip, and coat in hot glue. Insert it into the craft moss on the roof of your birdhouse, and make sure it is hidden pretty well... I also have painted my paper clip black, to match everything else...

Now, I want to introduce you to my little friend...

Her name is Willemina! We have been friends for a few years. I found her in an enchanting little shop along the main street in Chester, NJ. She sits upon tuffet from where she casts her magic. She is a good witch, and she specializes in love spells!!

She is a spider tamer... Most people , like myself , are afraid of spiders!! But she embraces them , and they tell her their secrets !!

She summons her dear friends by candlelight... even the flames dance for her!

She was happy to have met you all !!!

Next I want to share some books with you, which I have took out on loan from my local library! These books have so many great ideas, so if you could pick up any of these, you definitely should!!

The Big Book of Halloween Fun

by Susie Johns

on Amazon

This book is mostly kiddie costumes and party ideas, but there were a few cute decor things towards the back that I can't wait to try!! Including some scary finger puppets !! :-B

Halloween Tricks and Treats

by Matthew Mead

on Amazon

This book is mostly food ideas for your Halloween parties. There are also some cute decor ideas towards the back, including the hanging chandelier ghosties made out of white cupcake wrappers! I also plan on trying those !

Halloween:

A Grownup's Guide to Creative Costumes, Devlish Decor, & Fabulous Festivities

by Joanne O'Sullivan

on Amazon

This book is def my fave one... The beginning is mostly costume ideas, but towards the end is where the fun starts! It gives cool alternative themes other than your traditional Halloween stuff... They give some cool Dia De Lost Muertos decor ideas, and New Orleans VooDoo ideas.

They also give ideas for a classy Masked Ball Dessert Party!! And all of these ideas are complete with AWESOME color pictures !!!

So if you can run out and get ANY one of these books, or ALL , you will be filled with inspiration!!

I hope you all enjoyed my very first SPOOKY MONDAY POST!!! I am so sorry I took so long to prepare this!! I can't wait for the next one !

Now I leave you with this cute Halloween Cartoon from my childhood

Raggedy Ann & Andy: The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile

Trick or Treat!!