Scary, spooky, stitching time!

Sometimes I forget what time of year it is!  Embarassing, but true. Today I'm working on some Christmas designs for 2013. WHOA...that's next year! I'm planning a monthly series of Christmas ornaments for 2013. Yes, that's one ornament a month for the whole year. More about that later...

Meanwhile, to make sure I'm firming rooted in reality, I've been decorating my house for fall this week. Since my daughters are grown and gone, friends ask why I do this time-consuming job. Because I LOVE it! I make a giant mess, hauling totes from the basement full of autumn accoutrement...leaves, spiders (real and fake), haunted houses, and pumpkins...lots of pumpkins.

Sometimes I repeat things...my entry hall table has looked the same for several years now. Several years ago I did an arrangement I really liked, so I photographed it. Since I've finally figured out how to store photos in a logical way (thanks, Memory Manager!), I can find the photo and recreate the scene. I've had that funky Halloween Santa guy (right side, under cloche) for over 20 years, and he still makes me smile, with his bag of pumpkins on his back.

But this year, something new happened...PINTEREST!  Oh my, I should never have consulted Pinterest for Halloween decor ideas. Pinterest had SO many beautiful pics that took me to even MORE blogs where these ladies are SO creative. Where do they find the time??? And how do I choose what to do?

In all this internet cruising I got stuck in a rut looking at "Halloween Mantel" arrangements? I didn't know there were huge postings devoted solely to mantel decor...for all seasons! If I knew how to post my pic on one of those sites, I would. But, since I only know how to post it here, here's my finished mantel. At least I think it's finished...additional tweaking may occur.

My mantel is really wide, deep (a good thing) and high off the ground, so kind of an interesting challenge. But here's the good part...I only spent $3 on this grouping. I moved some little lamps I usually have in my kitchen, moved a painting from the living room, and filled in with stuff from my stash. The only additions were the 3 little black crows (right side) I saw on Pinterest ($1 each at Dollar Tree - love that place!).

Above is my new kitchen grouping. I brought out my favorite feathery owl (which my grown daughters think is truly creepy) and found him a place of honor in the front The only new addition is the BOO sign. I already had the frame, so I did some letters on my computer, added a border and printed it, and dropped it in the frame. EASY peasy!

Have you ever used blackboard paint? Everyone on Pinterest says it's a snap. Well., I still have black fingernails and even black blotches on my feet from drippy paint, but I think the finished product was worth it! I wanted a big blackboard surface to doodle on, but I didn't want to buy anything. I used a giant metal tole tray (I collect these and this is the biggest tray I ever scored on Ebay) and painted the BACK side. Now it's resting over my stovetop, conveying seasonal messages. Some bright (fake) leaves from Dollar Tree complete the little scene. This was my first attempt at seasonal messages...improvement will (hopefully) follow. 

But I digress...this post is called Spooky, Scary Stitching, and that was my intention when I began. I was going to post a bunch of photos of my Halloween projects. But hey...just check my website at www.lizziekate.com. to see the whole scary collection. Just go to the Categorical Listings button and click on Halloween. Meanwhile, here's one of my faves from my sampler friend Flora McSample. It's a L*K sampler-ish take on Halloween, and comes with some beautiful lavender linen and orange pumpkin button. It's quirky, quick and fun!

Happy Halloween stitching...and decorating!