Hal⋅low⋅e'en Jet-set(ters)

Halloween in New Mexico!

2010-10-13T21:00:00.027-04:00

I recently returned from a quick trip to New Mexico where I attended the wedding of two dear friends in Santa Fe, and also visited good friends in Albuquerque. In between wedding festivities, I was able to explore both towns a little bit and snapped as many Halloween photos as possible! Here are the ones I'd like to share with you!...

Santa Fe:

The first place I spied Halloween goodies was at ACC Santa Fe at the Plaza in the heart of the city! Below are shots I took of their haunted home decor:

Next, I found 2 shops in Sena Plaza that featured gorgeous Halloween and Day of the Dead - themed displays. The first was a shop called Poem:

Owner Diane James stocks her store with exquisite Parisian-themed gifts and collectibles, and her Halloween display at the front of the little shop is fantastic.

Next to Poem is Todos Santos Chocolates and Confections, the best chocolate shop in Santa Fe offering beautifully packaged premium chocolates:

Albuquerque:

With less time to spend in Albuquerque, I did manage to find some specialty stores in Nob Hill where I got these fun shots (Jack-o-lantern cookies from Flying Star appear on the left):

...but the best Halloween "attraction" around was found at my friend Tye O'Dell's home on the outskirts of town:

Tye is an artist, a Halloween enthusiast, and prop designer extraordinaire! He transplanted the creepy tree from another area on his property to this hand-made cemetery in the photo above...

He designed and created concrete tombstones for his graveyard, which stays up all year round.

He is in the process of building a hearse for his home haunt...

Inside the house, a monster's hands creep out from under the sofa in the living room:

...and I couldn't resist getting a photo with my hero, Hellboy. This Hellboy was sculpted entirely by Tye. Every detail of this life-size figure was handcrafted by him:

Tye's Slimer sculpture emerges from the walls of his living room:

The above images are just a sampling of the amazing sculptures he has produced.

Well, I am off to Springfield, Missouri this weekend for the Annual Springfield Halloween Party. This year's theme is "Monsters" and I will be attending as the Bride of Frankenstein! I'll report back with photos and tales of my adventures in the Ozarks!

Until Then...Happy Haunting!

Boo, Y'all!

2010-08-28T15:49:00.013-04:00

I just wanted to share some photos of the Halloween treasures I found around town this week in Shreveport, LA...

Lewis', a local home and gift store, is one of my favorite places to shop each year for Halloween goods!

They have some wonderful items in stock again this year!

Lewis' will ship to you wherever you are if you see anything you like!

I loved this huge, fuzzy spider!

Red Door Interiors, which has locations both in Shreveport and Baton Rouge, LA, also has a fantastic Halloween display right now...

My favorite item they had was this beautiful, glittery garland. I bought two pieces:

These pink and black witches are fantastic, too:

More glittery garland...
...And one more shot of some Halloween items at our local Barnes and Noble!:

Happy Halloween shopping, everybody!

Gearing Up for Halloween In New Orleans!

2010-08-25T17:04:00.023-04:00

Hi Everybody! I just got back from New Orleans, where I celebrated my birthday with a friend over the weekend.

I have visited The Crescent City during Halloween weekend before. Back in 1995 I was there with some friends for Anne Rice's annual Memnoch Ball. If you ever get a chance to visit during Halloween season, it is a great place to be with lots going on! But this weekend, I was on the hunt for any early Halloween shopping I could do while I was down there...

Santa's Quarters, a holiday shop on Decatur Street, had an excellent selection of Halloween ornaments and a few decorative items:

I loved this creepy half-skeleton cat with a rat crawling out of its body:

I bought a shiny, vintage-style pumpkin ornament while I was there.

Just down the street from Santa's Quarters is David's Found Objects. Owner David Peltier had a pretty sweet collection of vintage Halloween items:

He told me this was the "overflow" from his own personal antique Halloween collection!

Across Decatur Street near the French market, Head to Toe had a very stylish Halloween display in the window:

This glittery skull purse is fancy!:

You can tell that owner Carol Earth has a good eye for sophisticated Halloween decor.

Pretty glass pieces from the window display:

...and one more shot of a beautiful witch in the window!:

Of course, it doesn't have to be Halloween season for you to come across some spooky things in the French Quarter!

Here are some shots I took at various gift shops around town...

A lot of the bigger gift/souvenir shops had a voodoo theme...

I liked this display of a skeleton playing a pipe organ...

Here's a scary guy greeting tourists at the entrance of one shop:

...and this display was on the back of the wall in the same shop:

My friend Elisabeth and I took a Haunted History tour of the French Quarter one night! Here are the long lines waiting for the tours just off Bourbon Street:

Tours meet up just outside Rev. Zombie's Voodoo shop at dusk:

Just before the tour, we checked out Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo on Bourbon Street:

What a fun weekend!

Next up: Halloween shopping in Santa Fe, New Mexico next month!

Halloween Shopping Around the South

2010-08-18T15:34:00.010-04:00

Weather-wise, it is still reaching into the triple digits here south of the Mason-Dixon. One thing that keeps me venturing back out into the brutal heat is knowing that there are already Halloween goodies out there to be found!

On a trip to Greenville, South Carolina last week, I got to visit an A. C. Moore arts and crafts store. I don't have one of these where I live in Louisiana, so it was fun to explore and see what they had in stock where Halloween merchandise is concerned. They did not disappoint!

These little fuzzy cat kits are really cute!

As usual, Martha Stewart has another amazing collection of Halloween paper goods and stickers this year.

If you have an A. C. Moore near you, you might want to check out the fun dishes and tablewear they have available for your Halloween party this year!

...and if you live pretty much anywhere in the eastern half of the United States, you probably live near a Cracker Barrel Restaurant!

Cracker Barrel has another fantastic collection of Halloween decor, toys, and costumes this year. Their "Best Witches" line is a lot of fun! I picked up the orange eyeball mug...

...as well as the light-up pumpkin on the right!:

Lots of glittery, witchy goodness!:

I also acquired one of these funky orange hats from their costume section:

They had green and purple hats, too!

These country-style pumpkin pillows are really cute and well-made:

So get your Halloween shopping on! I will be in New Orleans this weekend to celebrate my birthday...I will post more photos of any "Halloweenery" I find!

Halloween found right now all around us!

2010-08-07T14:48:00.025-04:00

I have spent the last few weeks hitting the stores in search of this years Halloween line up. Here is what I have found!

Yankee Candle Had their Halloween Boney Bunch preview parties yesterday (check your local Yankee Candle, this is a yearly event) and they are now up for sale!
Those of you in the know about these treasures, know that the most popular sell out often in under 48 hours in the stores but within the first 24 hours online!

~online Yankee sales offer $5.00 flat rate shipping for all orders under $100 right now~

Also, the wedding bunch Boney and his bride retail for $15-$30 depending on the piece. This Boney bride and her groom are featured each year in 3-4 different collectible scenarios. Once gone, that is it. You will then need to turn to ebay and break out the safe deposit box to even touch one of these coveted goodies for under $200 buck-a-roos!.

At this same time EVERY year Yankee Candle is kind enough to send out coupons to all on their mailing list. These coupons are for $5.00 off when you spend $25.00 or more. Plus once in the store they will offer a Boney collectible piece at a very discounted rate if you spend at least $20 in the store.
My store offered a large Boney The Skelly Candy Bowl (usually $30) for only $7.00 with my $20 purchase!
My store also allows me to do multiple transactions so that I get the most discounts applicable!

There are a dozen+ of Boney Bunch choices so head online (their website is currently timing out from such high visitor numbers-so come back later) or go into your store to find the ones that speak to you!

Eternal Slumber

These were the two I was SMITTEN with, turns out these are already sold out online but stores have a few here or there (ask them to please check the back for you).

Boney Claus

-------------------------------------------------

Michael's Arts and Crafts had their decorative items start to come out for sale 2 weeks ago!

The SpookyTown Haunted Villages by Lemax are now out at Michael's and may I say they hit a home run with this baby-The Wheel of Horror!!

Worth every dime of $129.00 asking price if you ask me-Plus just use the 40+% coupons they give out online and with every purchse. Haunted carousel with Skull baskets that hold every favorite Halloween Monster you have ever held near and dear to your heart.

Here is a lil video I shot with my iphone the other night.

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The Joanns fabric stores have loaded up with loads of creepy cloths and great decorative fabrics to help create festive table coverings and more.
Right now they are 20% OFF!

I bought the above patterns to use for small applications, Stripes, dots and harlequin patterns are just sooo yummy. Their selection goes way beyond what I have shown here.

So get your costumes under way soon my friends before all the best fabrics are gone. As of yesterday Joanns had little in the way of Haunted Home Decor but loads of autumn picks.
If you have an iphone download the coupon apps (Coupon Sherpa & Yowza) specifically have 40-50% coupons off at Joanns!

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Finally I leave you with the proof of Halloween is always here! I found this with Marie Patterson during one of our very recent cemetery photography days in Bucks County, Pa

~Happy Haunting Season my friends~

~dani~

National Halloween Convention 2010

2010-07-22T08:05:00.001-04:00

This past May all of us Halloween Jetsetters: Dani, Marie, Wendy, Brandi and Kristen attended the 2010 National Halloween Convention in King of Prussia, Pa.
Shamefully, we did not remember to get a picture of all of us together but we did have an amazing time!

What is so great about the NHC show is that male or female, Halloween housewife or die hard gore lover you will love this show. It is all encompassing of Halloween. A remarkable point is how the owners set this con up in sections of Halloween: Props, Gore, Animatronics, Collectibles and more. It has a great feel and flow and allows theme specific buyers/collectors to hone in on what they deem must have.

Please enjoy this picture diary of this world class 3 day event from my view of personal favs.

Here is me wearing the Halloween Queen Crown Miss Marie Patterson gave and receiving an awesome gift-The Art of Tim Burton Book!

Brandi in front of the 6 foot Halloween Tree (fully decorated) by SpookyTimeJingles artists that was raffled off

~John and his wife Elizabeth run a amazing art business filled with realistic skulls and oddities~
True artisan workmanship...must see!

The Gemini Company, Inc.
www.thegeminicompany.com

~Wendy gets fitted for some kick azz fangs~

Loki's Workshop

Roaming undead

Peeking in on Wendy Leaumont as she prepares her booth!

NHC co-owner Rob Kocher is now owner of Fright Times!! Badazz 1st issue too!

Connie Porcher of Celebrate 365 magazine with her sister Benita (whom makes gorgeous Halloween feather trees by hand in the vintage fashion)

I judged my first talent show as a "Celebrity" judge!

SpookyTimeJingles.com front booth

John Weisgerber of The Gemini Company, Inc (Brooklyn)

Man Eating plants..why yes thank you!

The following are some wicked good props who certainly scared plenty of peeps at the show
All by:
Creepy Collection Gore Props

There is something so friggin creepy and imposing when you are standing next to these Props. I felt like I was being stared down..I loved every spooky minute of it!

These below are some amazing artisan masks in which had loads of people captivated.

The Hills Have Eyes, anyone?
oogity boogity!

Now I shall leave you with my favorite prop of the show...
"Chunk"

Good Stuff!

Halloween Jetsetting heads to the Pacific Northwest!

2010-02-23T19:36:00.000-05:00

Woo wee...what a long time since a post. Well time to play catch up because personally I have made the Halloween Jetsetting a priority in 2010!!

In mid January, I hit the Halloween Jackpot! I was invited to visit with Janell Berryman of Pumpkinseeds Folk Art for a week in Oregon along the coast! Miss Janell was very recently hired as thee Holiday/Seasonal artist for Department 56!!

Janell and I have been friends for a few years now and I was delighted in her well deserved recognition and honored to be invited to throw around holiday ideas for her new D56 lineup.

Janell is a Halloween Queen from way back...12+ years of some creepy good Halloween designs has made her one of the most recognizable holiday collectible artist's around. Watching her work and seeing so many of her pieces in person made me foam at the mouth.

Due to her new position with D56, she will no longer be designing her Enesco pieces. If you have wanted an Enesco piece by her I suggest you make a quick dash online and search them out as what is out and about in the stores is what is left.

Here are just a few examples of the spooky spirited designs that Enesco has reproduced of Janell's work that are now in limited quantities..even Enesco does not have all of works. you will need to search online retailers. Collect away my dearies ;)

To reach Janell for possible Artist proofs or other art related goodies please visit:

http://pumpkinseedsoriginals.blogspot.com/

Great ! Ghoultide Gathering 2009

2009-11-02T17:03:00.000-05:00

Just almost 4 weeks ago was the amazing Ghoultide Gathering. I arrived in Michigan a bit beat up after a long road trip of 10+ hours from NJ. This road trip followed a good dose of jet lag from 2 days earlier when I had departed San Francisco (Halloween & Vine 2009).
So, needless to say, I was a bit worn. Of course the car trouble along the way in Pittsburgh didn't help nor the fact that we were stuck inside a 300 acre historic cemetery when the hose decided to take its hiatus.

The good news was that I was instantly transformed into my 'ole self quickly. Our hotel was fantastic (Hampton Inn in Northville, MI) and I quickly made the room all mine (important factor in my traveling experience) and readied myself for the evenings festivities.

Dinner at the local Macaroni Grill with a group of fellow Halloween artisans and collectors from all over the US!! What a treat! The biggest treat for me was to get to meet Kristen Beason & her hubster Chris in person. A total delight these two are. Gosh, how I LOVE nice people!!!

Chris & Kristen Beason

Joyce Stahl with collector Hugh sharing artwork!

Afterward was a lil chitty chat in the lobby with the group staying at the same hotel and I got to sit and talk with with a bunch of collector-guys & girls and "peeps" from EHAG, Pfatt. One of my highlights was to talk with William Bezek. So friendly, so likeable-just an all around nice guy. And again, I love nice people. I understand not everyone is as friendly or as chatty Cathy as me but crikey, does it help if can at least fake a smile! I have actually stopped buying from a few artist's over the years because their personality ( or lack there of) is in the crapper. So, needless to say I can continue to buy from Mr. Bezek for many moons and everyone is happy except perhaps my bank account ;)

I arrived at Ghoultide, a gorgeous lil destination in itself to find oodles of rain and people. The rain most certainly did not damper anyone's mood. The excitement could be heard & felt. Scott Smith's 5 foot + Pumpkin men flanked the tented entrance and dared all to enter. I willingly obliged ;)

Two lines formed outside two quaint buildings, housing the sought after artisans. I came prepared to shop! I had my LED lighted spooky purse

and a Halloween tote to carry my soon to be scored goodies. Great to carry a tote with you because shows always have so many takeaways to snap up! The doors opened and everyone flew in like the ravenous pack that we were .

I quickly found Debra Schoch's table of OMG's! I knew I wanted one of her "Bat Girls" and was hoping to find one that spoke to me. I quickly found a tall Skeleton that sang & a SO worthy Bat Girl. As I pondered this dilemna, I looked to my hubster, Michael. What is a girl to do, you ask...BUY BOTH I replied to myself in desperation! I left Michael to abscond with my goodies while I ran to do more damage to our savings account.

Over the next 3 hours I scored:
A sa-weet witchy poo painting by Irene Gates, who had yet been on my Halloween radar but is now FIRMLY planted there;)

A swanky needlefelted pin with a big black satin ribbon bow (yummy) by Lori Brechlin of Notforgotten Farm was a must have accessory!

And the surprise buy of the day was yet another piece by William Bezek (just saw and bought from him in Cali)!! It is the coolest skelly meets ghostly like luminary character I have ever seen! It is a different style than I have seen before from William and he mentioned that it was a piece created sometime ago and that he had decided to put it up for sale. Yee ha he did!! I adore such sweet & spooky characters and this belonged in our abode.

I was able to meet so many truly wonderful people, that it is an experience I won't soon forget.

Lori Davis (Nana) & Joyce Stahl

Kristen Beason, Me (Dani Nelson) & Elaine Thomas

I look forward to 2010 with a (so far) total of 4 shows already scheduled to attend. I hope to meet many of you along the way and to share in what we love, Halloween Destinations~

Halloween in the Ozarks - Part 3

2009-10-26T13:04:00.000-04:00

"Do you have an old cemetery in town, off the beaten path...the creepier the better?" - Mulder, The X-Files

In this third and final installment of my "Halloween in the Ozarks" report, I take you to two cemeteries I visited in Springfield, MO: Maple Park and Hazelwood Cemetery.

I've been photographing cemeteries since 1995 when I first visited the above-ground tombs of New Orleans. From the smallest towns in the Southern U.S. to the largest cities in Eastern Europe, I am fascinated by "Cities of the Dead" and always discover something I've never seen at each one I visit. Each graveyard has at least one unique tombstone design or material I've never seen before.

I took these photos in Springfield on a gorgeous fall day. The temperature was cool and perfect, and there was a light breeze blowing. I usually take my cemetery photos in black and white or sepia tone, but the spectacular fall foliage of the trees demanded that these be taken in color.

Click here to view all the cemetery photos I took that day.

And if you want to view all my cemetery photos taken throughout the years, visit this page!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween in the Ozarks - Part 2

2009-10-25T21:52:00.000-04:00

Springfield, Missouri, a town of about 400,000 (and home to several good friends of mine) sits atop a plateau of the largest mountain range in the country - the Ozark Mountains. Downtown Springfield is one of my favorite areas to explore when I go visit. It has charming restaurants, coffee houses, theaters, and shops.

Downtown Springfield has much to offer the Halloween enthusiast. Here are some photos I took of downtown stores and attractions that will be of interest to my fellow Halloween travelistas!:

Posters were on display advertising the production of EVIL DEAD: The Musical at the downtown Vandivort Center. I wish I could have stayed in town long enough to attend a performance!

The Good Girl Art Gallery and store displayed spooky and beautiful items in its windows:

The Hotel of Terror, I am told, is an annual Springfield tradition...

...as is the downtown Halloween Pub Crawl:

Just minutes from the heart of downtown Springfield, however, is where I hit the Halloween shopper's jackpot! Betsy's Hallmark store at 2934 E. Sunshine had the most spooky-licious window displays and Halloween offerings I encountered on my road trip.

Manager Debbie Kirk was kind and helpful, and explained that they were "getting low" on Halloween merchandise, although you couldn't tell by the inventory on display!

I walked away with the Department 56 Witch Leg lamp in the window (I couldn't resist):

Betsy's has all you need for perfect Hallloween party planning:

A fashionable witch greets you at the window as you enter:

...And one last shot:

I took the photo above on a stop in Branson, Missouri on my way home when I stopped for lunch. This shot is from Dick's 5 and 10 - a Branson landmark. It was chock-full of shoppers getting into the Halloween spirit!

Next up: Springfield Cemeteries!

Halloween in the Ozarks - Part 1

2009-10-24T21:19:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, October 15, 2009 I hopped into the Batmobile (my black Miata) and headed north!

I was headed for Springfield, Missouri for the 2009 Springfield Halloween party. This year's theme was "Wild West". Set in the fictional town of "Fairplain", the party took place inside and outside a barn at the Virginia Rose Bed & Breakfast.

It was a chilly night, but guests were undaunted by the cold temperatures, showing up donned in fabulous 19th century costumes. Curtis, the bartender, served hot cider and root beer floats, Milo G. Fountainbleaun (Snake Oil Salesman) hawked his homemade elixir to gullible townspeople, and saloon girls and cowboys tried their hands (and stomachs) at the ring toss and Pie-eating contest.
Above are a few photos from the party, as well as a collection here. I will also have portraits from the party posted soon!

Next year's theme is "Monsters!" Check out the web site and get your tickets for next year now!:

www.springfieldhalloween.com

~My Halloween & Vine 2009 by Dani~

2009-10-10T03:52:00.000-04:00

The show was worth the effort it takes to switch coasts for 4 days.
The artist's were dreamy.
The work stellar.
Petaluma, left me smitten.
****

Here are some pics from Dani's Halloween & Vine 2009
in Petaluma, California!

My first Flight to California (from NJ) just for Halloween & Vine!!

Got into San Francisco and met up with my Halloween & Vine roomie Wendy!

Long Line but everyone files in so quickly at "Go Time" that I didn't feel like I missed a thing!

Hard to judge so here is a pic taken by Jorge of HohoHalloween of the lineup!

Busy, Busy, Busy H&V floor!

Monkey-Cats Studio is sooo dreamy!

Which way do I go, now...which way do I go?

Edgar & Edgar Booth has something for every Halloween lover!

Me with Jorge of HoHoHalloween!

Look at this lil clip of Jorges table-YUM!

Some of the amazing William Bezek's offerings!
~found this & below pic online~

I was able to scoop up one of these!!
William was kind enough to help me choose the right face for me!
We chose the far right middle one with eyes looking upward!

But I did miss out on this basket of goodies ;(

See here is my 1st William Bezek goody next to my 1st Arbutus Hunter piece!

Look at Wendy's Vergie Lightfoot original (Left)
and my Scott Smith Original 2 sided ornament on the right!
The one side has the ticked off kitty!!

And the other side I have named "stoner" the Pumpkin!
The best part is this 2 sided ornie is squeezable with a squeaker in the center!

And look at Bat Boy! I am sooo smitten with him!
By Kerry of PaperMoon!

Here is everything in a lil photo shoot that Wendy & I scored at Halloween & Vine!

AND here is every last bit of Halloweenery we bought while in Petaluma!

Why did we buy from local Petaluma shops too you may be asking?

Here are a few windows displays that explain it all!

Marisa's (Halloween) Fantasia

Another Window of Marisa's

Paper White

ILeoni

Let's just say that security checkpoints were very interesting and that TSA agents looked at my carry on bag for 20+ minutes! Now, you know I was SOO NOT "checking" my H&V goodies. Those pieces were carry-ons the whole way baby!

Always on the lookout for Halloween

2009-10-09T09:50:00.000-04:00

I was traveling up I-95 this past weekend and since I'm always on the lookout for anything Halloween related, I just had to grab my camera and try for this shot....I was not driving...lol! I think I did pretty good considering the speed.

And a visit to an old cemetery in Newport, RI

Halloween and Vine 2010

2009-10-09T08:24:00.001-04:00

Hello fellow jet setters! I think it would be great if we could start making plans to put something together for the H & V show next year. My husband Chris travels for business and collects quite a few Priority club points with his traveling. I was thinking we might have enough points for a free minivan by that time. What are your thoughts???

Kristen