Halloween of Yesteryear...

Let's get this straight...I LOVE Halloween. I was absolutely nuts about it as a kid and simply adore it as a parent and adult. There's not ONE THING I don't like about it. Hmmm, well, the only thing I didn't like about Halloween as a kid was finding out that one of my brothers or sisters found my hidden candy stash and stole the "good stuff" like the chocolate candies or the wax lips...and, of course, having to go to mass the next morning for All Saint's Day. That was a real killjoy. And there's no doubt about it, I was probably the worst of my siblings in finding their bag of candy and stealing the M&M's and Butterfingers. But I always gave my Dad a few of my Butterfingers...those were his favorites. So, I've been checking out vintage Halloween decor of my youth and found a few things to share. I still have my first Halloween costume in a box in the attic. Judging by the size of it, I must have been 3 and my sister was 2 when we first went trick or treating. It is a yellow cotton felt get up with a blue and white striped cording that was a clown outfit. No idea where the mask went but I do remember it!

My Mom used to decorate the house with cardboard jack-o-lantern cutouts and a witch one, too. I had the classic orange molded pumpkin head candy container that I carried until I was 11 and my neighbor told me that was stupid and you should carrying a pillowcase was cooler 'cause you can get more stuff in one. He also told me about Santa Clause that same night and I was ruined for good! If you were a child of the 60's, them you will remember these simple cupcake decorations...that was about as magical as it got!

Hey! I found a mask kind of like my old one!

And those goofy tin noise makers some people would give you!

Now, we did have one SPECIAL decoration in our attic...I'm sure my Mom and brothers and sisters will remember this one...ohhhhhhhhhhh!

Ahhhhh!

I love to decorate my house for Halloween and don't go overboard...just add a few things to the pumpkins, gourds, acorns and leaves that are already around the house. When I was a kid, I could not wait to design and craft my own costume...rarely did we buy for me because I would rather make mine. My favorite was when I made a police car costume out of cardboard boxes. I had received a red flashing light for my bike one birthday and thought I could stick that on top of my squad card. Must have been during my Adam 12 years...I was a weird kid and still am!

When it rains, it's time to get creative!

The Queen's gilded pumpkins...and regal pup!
Hmmm...the top is zebra, middle polka dots and bottom oak leaves

This pretty acorn was my inspiration to gild more around here

Love my urn collection with mini pumpkins

Wall table...maybe my next gilding project??

Our entry table with a punch of color from zinnias and handcrafted vases

It has been raining for six days in a row now and feels more like fall is really here. I decided to haul out the "Autumn" decorations from the attic and got to work. Fall is my favorite time of year for so many reasons. I love the muskiness in the air, the cooler weather and cracking open the windows at night, baking treats with lots of cinnamon in them and watching my husband cook up a big pot of Gumbo before LSU games. It's a "cozy" time and feels like something exciting is just around the corner!

As I set out all my pumpkins, gourds and candles, I thought about how these things will be out for a few months...better give everything a good dusting while I'm at it.

Last year I was inspired by gilded pumpkins I saw on the Country Living http://www.countryliving.com/homes/gilded-pumpkins-1008 web page and thought I would give it a try. I have a trio of large gilded acorns that I bought years ago and treasure them. I am attracted to the subtle coloring of the leafing on the smooth surface of the fake pumpkins and then aging it. So for the last two days, I have been painting base coats and sticky sizing onto my old pumpkins and then pressing on the gold leaf. I gave it a good coat of acrylic sealer and it brightens my doorstep.