HAPPPY HALLOWEEN!

Postcard available at:

www.cardcow.com

Double Double Toil and Trouble. . .

All pictures available here.

If you memorize just a fraction of this- you will be the most popular person at the next witches gathering! It will surely delight any of your wee friends.

WITCH Round about the caldron go;
In the poison’d entrails throw.—
Toad, that under cold stone,
Days and nights has thirty-one;
Swelter’d venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot!

ALL Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

WITCH. Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and owlet’s wing,—
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

ALL. Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

WITCH. Scale of dragon; tooth of wolf;
Witches’ mummy; maw and gulf
Of the ravin’d salt-sea shark;
Root of hemlock digg’d i the dark;
Liver of blaspheming Jew;
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Sliver’d in the moon’s eclipse;
Nose of Turk, and Tartar’s lips;
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver’d by a drab,—
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger’s chaudron,
For the ingrediants of our caldron.

ALL. Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
 WITCH. Cool it with a baboon’s blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.

Shadow Puppets

These puppets are available through Orange Moon Toys.

While shadow puppets are always fun, at Halloween they seem even more appropriate!  Using these puppets to tell a tale or two with underscoring from some of history's finest composers (see list below) and the lights turned low, how could you not be in the spirit of things?

                      Owl Shadow Puppets have great puppets!

They can be found at either their Etsy shop or at Maher Dry Goods.

For the best in scary music try these musical numbers (ranging from spooky to terrifiying)
1. Carmina Burana by Carl Orff
2. Mozart's Requiem-- specifics
3. Chopin's Funeral March
4.Toccata in D Minor by Bach
5. A Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky
6. Dream of a Witches Sabbath by Hector Berlioz
7. In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg
--Virtually anything by Danny Elfman

Fly off the Handle

  Broomchick on etsy has crafted these gorgeous brooms.   We know it's not politically correct to associate brooms with witches but it is Halloween Season.  Besides, it might be empowering for us to re-claim "Witch" like we did with that other powerful word that rhymes with "itch".  Wicked has never felt so good!

Slipper Heaven

WoolyBaby makes the best slippers for your little ones toesies. These slippers are made from upcycled sweaters! They do custom orders as well. So if you, too, discovered that moths had been snacking all  summer in your closet, you can now transform all those holey sweaters into something wonderfully sweet.

Halloween Haute

Talc (known for its sober minimalism mixed with a dash of excess) has created a Fall/Winter Collection that reflects its vision.  I'm loving the photos by Sofia and Mauro.  Having a Haute Halloween all Winter long, now that's my idea of fun!

Face Paints

 photos via Faces By Usha

In recent years, reports have surfaced about lead and other toxins in children's face paint.   Green Halloween  has a wonderful recipe for making your own natural face paint.  When we tried it too- we just used equal parts cornstarch, Vaseline (instead of diaper cream), and water. We didn't try to make designs with the paint- just smeared it on. It went on easily and more importantly it came off easily! It came off bodies, carpet, and clothing without any trouble. We would recommend purchasing travel size squeezable containers to store the face paint. Also, if you add all colors (of the grocery store food coloring set) you get great swamp green but not black which was what we were attempting. For vibrant black, head to your local bake shop and grab a set of baker's colors. They generally come with black. That works like a charm!  If you are not feeling adventurous or just need paint quicker- here are the best natural face paints on the market.

Imagine Childhood has these amazing natural face paints from German company Lyra.

Artemis Natural Body Paints are available through babynaturopathics.com

Their face paints are completely plant based and combined with almond oil. I bet they smell great!

Sunday Social

These pictures make we want to jump up and start singing "Hallelujah"!!  Master Photographer,  Jorg Meyer 's inspired vision of a Sunday Walk to Church is a delight for the senses. I love everything about these pictures!  South Carolina designer, Barbara Beach's already lovely designs are heightened by the creative brilliance of the photographer.

Fun Stuffed Animals for Halloween

Hansa Stuffed Animals has such a fun variety of stuffed animals that are fitting for the Halloween season.  All can be found at This Place is a Zoo.

Last Minute Disguises

The French/ American couple behind the company  Oeuf are known for their darling designs. Their fun and festive line for Halloween is sure to delight all! Can't wait to see parades of zoo creatures this fall!

This great booty/hat combo is perfect for those tots who desire to wear costumes everyday!  With these, I bet getting slippers on little feet will be easier and that hat will stay on ALL day!

Love these mustaches for every day of the week. You can find them at Bake It Good.

Maher Dry Goods has these delightful beards! How fun are these!

Some Halloween Decorations

The website Fright Catalog has so many great decorations (how could they not?- it's their job!)

I am a big fan of the multitude of Tombstones. It's always nice when all ages can be served by the decorations for this season. Sometimes, Halloween decorations can be so gruesome. Fright Catalog has plenty of decorations for the teen set, but they also have plenty to make the little ones squeal!

I love these dancing ghosts! Great Halloween fun but not too much for the very young!

Ann Wood

The splendid Brooklyn based artist Ann Wood's creations, simply put. . . inspire. Whenever I see her designs I am filled with a longing to be able to "do that"! The simplicity of her creations, along with her preference for using found and re-purposed materials, tricks viewers into believing we may be able to do what she does. But, just as anyone who's tried to perfect a homemade french baguette knows, simplicity at times just points out the need for technique, knowledge, and skill more than a complicated creation.
Her Cardboard Castle made for a Brooklyn shop's window (lucky shop!) has made the rounds on the blogs. How much fun would this be to make with the kiddies on a cold and raining day! With a little moody Chopin in the background.

The Castle becomes a real gem when you get closer to see the amazing detail!
There are more pictures here.

I adore this ghost ship!!

And I need these two birds!!

If you are like me and you need to have these amazing creations many are for sale here.
But act fast; most are one of kind treasures and they sell out quickly!

Another Amazing Grosgrain Fabulous Giveaway!

If you haven't participated in one of her giveaways before- NOW is the time to start! Adore, adore, adore these fabulous creations!!

Stop by today for your chance to bring these costumes home!

Masks by Abigail Brown

Abigail Brown  is a UK artist whose creations sell throughout Europe and the US.  Primarily known for her fabulous winged creations; aren't they amazing?!

 I love her masks as well. A great low tech toy for any child on your shopping list this year. They work well as a quick adult costume too!! Love those multi-taskers!

These great masks can be found at CraftburyKids