New Year's Eve Tradition

I'm not one for setting resolutions.  I have nothing against them mind you, but if I really want to do something I do it no matter what time of year it is.  Also, I think by making this list of new resolutions and "wiping the slate clean", we're missing out on something.  You don't really want to erase every aspect of this year, so instead I offer you a new way to look at the New Year.  Some of you may already do this.

Every New Year's Eve I burn candles with intent.  My bayberry candle gets burned on Christmas Eve as it's tradition in my family.  Instead, I burn a white 7-day candle to clear out any negativity (white for purity) and I get a few small tapers representing the things I'd like to invite into my home this year.  Usually it's blue for health, orange (or yellow) for happiness, and green for abundance.  Health, wealth, and happiness...a time honored toast for the New Year.  But use whatever you want or need.  You know the drill, set them somewhere they won't be disturbed or on your altar if you use one; light each candle with intent (whatever works for you, there is no "right" way); and let them burn all the way down.  REMEMBER-one of these candles will be burning for a week so make sure it's in a safe spot before you light it.

The twist on the resolutions is this...instead of making a list of all the things you want to change, make a list of all the things you want to bring with you from this year into the New Year.  Things you want to remember.  Just a slight change in the way you look at things can make all the difference.  So, make your list (before you light the candles) and place said list under the 7-day candle.  Again, leave it alone until it's burned itself out.  You can keep the list tucked away somewhere until next year or you can bury it with any remaining wax from your candles (if you have a yard).

Happy New Year!
~ Heathen

All Is Calm...

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas yesterday!  All the presents have been opened and the ensuing mess has been picked up.  Today is for relaxing with a nice big cup of cocoa and playing with your presents.  Enjoy the rest of your day as we look forward to the New Year!

By the way...all the holiday greenery and floral arrangements are SERIOUSLY discounted today at Publix (if you have one).  I got a huge bunch of greenery today for $2!  I ran out of coffee so I had to go to the store.

~ Heathen

Happy Holidays!

From Better Homes & Gardens

I may not be around much for the rest of this week.  Busy with last minute preparations and all.  I'll be popping in to read everyone's posts but I may not be leaving comments or writing my own posts.  So just in case, I want to wish everyone a very Happy Yule and Merry Christmas! 

Enjoy the lunar eclipse tonight if you're lucky enough to see it.  I don't know if I'll be able to stay up that late...work starts pretty early.

Happy Holidays!
~ Heathen

One More Week...

That's right it's crunch time, only one week left!  This time next week we'll be in the thick of it so, if you aren't done and ready (and I know I'm not), here's what to do this week...

Shopping List- If you buy your gifts, get them now.  If you make your gifts and still have some to go, get those remaining supplies you need.  This will give you time to wrap them and you don't want to get to the store only to find the item you wanted is gone for the season!  Don't forget, make sure you have all the food, paper goods, and wrapping supplies you're going to need.

Decorating -  Take a good look around, make sure you put out all the decorations you wanted to, and put the boxes/bins away.  That's it, no more this year.  Step away from the Christmas bin!

Baking - Okay, I don't do this part beyond Toll House cookies.  But if you do, the time is now.  If your family has a tendency to eat all the Christmas goodies BEFORE Christmas (like mine does), make and refrigerate or freeze the dough.

Cleaning - I can hear you all groaning even as I type this, but it has to be done. Trust me, you'll enjoy your Holiday so much more!  Put everything away and give your place a good cleaning (with cleaning products and everything), dust, run the vacuum and light a few seasonal scented candles.  Ahh, doesn't that feel better?

Now pause, put on your favorite Christmas music or movie, pour yourself a nice glass of wine or a yummy mug of cocoa and move on to the last step...

Wrapping - It doesn't matter if you use gift bags, pre-decorated boxes, craft paper, or meticulously wrap and adorn each gift like Martha.  They all get wrapped (except for the "Santa" gifts for the kiddies).

That's it, now you're done!  Sit back, relax, and enjoy the result of all your efforts!

~ Heathen

Baby It's Cold Outside!

I know Yule and the Winter Solstice is still a week away, but winter has definitely arrived here.  It is NOT supposed to feel like 25 degrees (F) in Florida!  And I'm not talking about north Florida either!  Although, I have to admit that it does help with getting into the Holiday spirit.  However, we are not equipped for this kind of cold.  I mean, how many warm sweaters and coats do you think we have lying around here in the land of the sun?  I know, I know, I can already hear some of you laughing.  But when your average mean temperature is around 80 degrees, this is a bit extreme.  If the clouds would just line up right we could even get snow!  Not that it would stick to anything, but it would be pretty to see for Christmas.

~ Heathen

Holiday Favorites

The Holidays mean something different to each of us.  Whether you celebrate Yule, Christmas, both, or something else entirely.  To that end, I'd like to share a few of my favorite things about the Holiday Season.

Candy canes, greenery, pomanders, and twinkly lights...

Stockings, Christmas trees, bayberry candles, and mistletoe!

All these symbols have meaning and work well for either Yule or Christmas!  Enjoy the holiday season!

~ Heathen

M.I.A.

Sorry I've been gone for almost a week!  First I was busy with holiday preparations and then, of course, I came down with a cold.  Nothing serious, just enough to keep me in a NyQuil induced semi-coma for the past few days.  That stuff just knocks me out!  So now that I am feeling a bit better, and able to have actual thoughts, I'm working on putting together a post for later this evening.  Until then, take care and I promise to get caught up with all the posts I've missed.

~ Heathen

Full Moon for the Solstice

This year we will have the Full Cold Moon or Full Long Nights Moon on December 21st, for Yule and the Solstice.  Not only that but there will also be a total lunar eclipse on the 20th, just hours before winter officially begins.  According to the article at space.com, those of us in the states will be able to witness the eclipse either during the middle of the night or in the predawn hours, depending on your location.  The last time these three events happened at the same time was in 1638!

I had a bit of a struggle finding additional info on this topic.  However, there's a very informative, and thought inspiring article about this over at Llewellyn.com for more.  I don't want any issues with copying someone's work, so head on over there and give it a read!

~ Heathen

A New Look for Yule and Christmas

While wandering around the blogs of so many talented people, I decided it was a good time to give my blog a face-lift for the holiday season.  There are so many beautiful blog templates out there, it was hard to pick one!  Thanks to Freyja Silver Blog Designs, I've found the one I like (for this season) and I hope you enjoy it too.  I'll try to get a more proper seasonal post up here later this evening.  Until then, have a happy!

~ Heathen

Christmas Movie Queue

Here's the list of holiday movies in my Netflix queue for the season:

A Christmas Carol (Disney animated)
Christmas with the Kranks
The Year Without a Santa Claus
Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Jack Frost (animated)
Frosty's Winter Wonderland / 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
Christmas Unwrapped (History Channel documentary)
Fred Claus
Four Christmases
The Santa Claus (1, 2, & 3)
Deck the Halls
Scrooged
Miracle on 34th Street
The Polar Express
Love Actually
Bad Santa
The Holiday
It's a Wonderful Life
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Surviving Christmas

Hope you're all enjoying the holiday season!

~ Heathen

Holiday Goodies For You

Today I've posted some new Holiday Art tags on my craft blog Heathen's Hobbies.  Hop on over and take a better look if you like!

~ Heathen

Signs of the Season

I know, the red cups have been out for a while now.  But there's just something about them!  The minute you see one it feels like the Holidays and you start having visions of sugar plums dancing in your head.  You can almost taste the gingerbread or peppermint (the caramel is a bit too sweet for me).  Even if you aren't a fan, you know what it means when you start seeing the tell-tale red coffee cups.  Personally, we buy Starbucks coffee to make at home, but the flavored drinks...well that's a bit tricky.  I don't even bother trying to replicate them at home anymore.  Besides, even if you get the taste right, it's just not the same without that red cup!

~ Heathen

Welcome to the Holiday Season

Image found at Remodeling My Space here.

The magical time of year is upon us again.  Life in Florida means no snow, not even flurries, but we still get that tingly and sparkly feeling.  Especially when the decorations start to be seen around town on the streetlights, the red cups come out at Starbucks (there's just something about those silly cups), and let's not forget the holiday music, movies and specials.  While we may not get to go sledding or build snowmen we still get into the holiday spirit.  The decorations have been brought out and the tree is up.  Planning for the holiday meal is in progress.  And there are even a few gifts under the tree already!  The holiday music playlist is ready and the movies have all been queued.

This is the time of year when we feel closest to our spiritual path, whatever that may be.  It's a time for twinkling lights, jingling bells, flickering candles, scents of home and the warm feelings that come with all of it.  When you start to stress over the gifts and the trappings, stop and remember what your celebrating and what it all really means to you.  Never forget that there is magic in everything, especially during this season.  Happy holidays to all!

~ Heathen

Happy Thanksgiving!

"For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see..."
excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow.

~ Heathen

Thanksgiving Traditions

I'm curious to know what your plans are for this Thanksgiving.  We all "celebrate" differently but most of us have annual traditions that we stick with.  What are your traditions?

This Thanksgiving I'll be taking most of the week of from my day job, something I don't usually do.  On Thanksgiving day I'll be dragging out the Holiday decorations, and putting up the tree as usual.  We don't typically do the whole big dinner thing, there just aren't enough people in one place to eat that much food.  We've tried it a couple times, but it's just too much.  Too much food and too much stress, what with me making a mess of the house by emptying all the bins and boxes marked "Christmas".  If it's cold out I usually just cook a big pot of chili and leave it on the stove so food is ready whenever we want to eat.  If it's not (I live in Florida remember) then I like to get some turkey from the deli for sandwiches.  Of course if I get turkey, I have to have stuffing!  But personally I like the boxed stuffing so it's super quick and easy.  Don't roll your eyes, you know you like StoveTop! ;-P

So leave a comment and let me know what your plans are for this year.  Whatever you plan to do, I want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Heathen

I'm Thankful For...

While visiting my favorite blogs, I realized today that I have not done a post about the things I'm thankful for.  Since Thanksgiving is almost upon us, I guess I'd better do that before I run out of time.  So here are a few things I'm thankful for this year:

• My job.  While it doesn't leave much free time to do the things I love, it usually pays the bills and there are far too many people without one right now.
• My family.  Sure they make me crazy some times, but they're always there for me when I need them.  And let's be honest, I love them.
• My hobbies.  Like most of you, I love doing something creative and I'm thankful I have the opportunity to be creative in my free time.
• My friends, both old and new.  In addition to the life-long friends I have, I've met so many new and wonderful friends here in blogland.

Okay, I know my thankful list is a bit generic but it's honest.  These are the things I'm most thankful for.  Maybe tomorrow I'll make a list of the creature comforts I'm thankful for...hmmm.

~ Heathen

New Art and a New Blog

Hello friends!  I've started a second blog just for my crafts.  Please stop by Heathen's Hobbies and have a look around.  To be honest, there's not much there yet but I'll update it as I get more crafts done.

My first official post features 3 large Christmas art tags that I created over the weekend.  I really love how they turned out and I hope you go over to see them.  As always, I'm open to any and all suggestions.

I'll also be creating a permanent link from this blog to that one in the very near future.  Only so many hours in a day unfortunately. :-)  Of course I'll let you know when I've posted something new to see.

Thank you and I hope you're enjoying the quiet season!

~ Heathen

The Holidays Have Arrived at Michael's

So yesterday I spent a couple hours wandering the aisles of my local Michael's store and the Holidays have definitely arrived!  I could have easily maxed out the credit card on all the wonderful things they have, but I was good.  Instead I just picked up a few Holiday craft supplies and of course a lot of inspiration!  For the next month I'll be spending my weekends and most of my free time crafting and decorating...and I'm so excited!  I didn't think I was ready for it, but after wandering through a veritable winter wonderland listening to Christmas music I realize I'm more than ready to get things started.  The decorations won't go up until Thanksgiving weekend, but the crafting has already begun.  I should have some pics for you in a couple of days.

Until then, head on over to your local craft store and soak up some good Holiday cheer!  Hope you're having a great weekend!

~ Heathen

Veterans Day

Today in the states we honor our soldiers, both past and present, for serving our country in times of war and in times of peace.  Like most of us here, I have several veterans in my family.  So for my post today I would simply like to say Thank You; not just to the veterans in my family, but to all the veterans out there.

~ Heathen

Putting the House to Bed

Before I settle in for the night I like to "put the house to bed".  Let me explain.  Prior to actually going to bed for the night I like to have some time to settle in and relax, usually in front of the TV since that requires minimal brain power.  But before that, I like to get my house in order; make sure the kitchen is clean, put away anything I dragged out during the evening, basically put things back in their proper place.  I call this putting the house to bed.  By doing this, the house feels calmer and more peaceful and therefore I can relax and feel calm.

Now, because this is the real world, I don't live alone, and we all keep different hours, this doesn't always happen.  Let's face it, sometimes life just gets in the way and life is more important than an orderly house.  I refuse to stay up late to do "chores".  But there is something almost meditative about the simple routine act of putting things in order each night.  I'm not talking Spring cleaning here, not even cleaning really, just tidying up and shutting things off.  All I know is that it helps me fall asleep faster, sleep better, and get off to a good start in the morning.

~ Heathen

Autumn Sounds Like This...

I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do. It is not an easy one to find.



~ Heathen

November

I do so love the quiet time.  This weekend the October decorations will come down and I can curl up a bit before the crazy days of the Holiday season.  For me this time of year is:

• Sweaters and boots
• Hot chocolate and flavored coffee
• Hearty meals and spicy deserts
• Curling up with a good book or movie
• Cloudy days and cool nights
• Candle light and a blanket on the porch
• A general sense of peace and calm

It doesn't last long since the Christmas decorations go up on Thanksgiving weekend, but I always looks forward to it and enjoy it as much as possible!

~ Heathen

Another Award!

I just received another award; this time from Leeanna at Can We Have a New Witch Ours Melted.  You can find the link to her blog in the post below since I passed on some awards to her as well!

Thank you so much Leeanna, I'm not going to do the lists again since I just did them.  Anyone from the list below is welcome to take this award as well.

~ Heathen

My First Awards!

Today I received three awards from Jeanne over at Candy Corn Chronicles!  She has a wonderful blog and some amazing crafts/art!  Please stop by her blog if you don't already know her.  Thank you Jeanne!

Okay, the rules are as follows:
1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass this on to 15 other great bloggers you've recently discovered.
4. Contact the selected bloggers and tell them about their awards.

Okay, here are 7 things about me...
1. I'm an 8-5, workaday, middle class, every penny counts kind of person.
2. Blue jeans and t-shirts or sweaters are my go-to comfort clothes; while my favorite work clothes are pencil skirts, wide leg pants, long sleeve button up shirts and heels of some sort.
3. I'm creative but I cannot stand chaos.
4. I'm a mom, wife, daughter, and sister.
5. I've been accused of not knowing how to relax; and I have to admit that it's true.
6. My favorite time of day is dusk/twilight when everything goes all blue.
7. I hate having my picture taken.

Now for the tough part...picking 15 blogs to pass these on to:
I know not everyone likes or takes part in awards so I apologize in advance if I list anyone who doesn't want to participate.  Here are the blogs I think are awesome.

The Halloween Tree
Can We Have a New Witch Ours Melted
The Whimsical Cottage
Child of Danu
Vintage Dragonfly
Raven Faes Creations
Jaded Pantheon
Smeared and Smudged
Frosted Petunias
Olde Baggs 'n Stuft Shirts
Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom
A Fanciful Twist
Feathers & Flight
Lost in Astral Space
Tannaleaf

Whew!  I wasn't sure I was going to be able to pull that last part off!  These are all great blogs for different reasons, please take a minute and see what they may have to offer you.

~ Heathen

New Artwork for a New Month

I hope you all had a good Halloween/Samhain.  Now it's time to put the decorations away and settle in before the mad rush of the Holiday season.  I have been busy working on some commissioned pieces for a few of my co-workers.  Some of the girls wanted to know if I could make them signs for their cubicles, and of course I was happy to oblige!  Each piece was tailored for the individual based on what they had in mind as well as their unique personality.

I still have a couple more to finish and I am so looking forward to it.  These are so much fun!

If anyone is interested, I will create any 5x7 piece to your liking & specs and will ship anywhere in the US for $25 (this price includes shipping).  Just drop me a line at heathenshobbies(at)live(dot)com.  I'll work with you to make sure you get something just for you!

Happy Halloween!

Thanks for dropping by.  Have a Happy Halloween and a Blessed Samhain!

~ Heathen

Poe inspired

I finally finished it!  My Poe inspired Halloween plaque is complete.  It really shouldn't have taken so long, but I had some orders for non-Halloween items that I had to finish first.  I'll post pics of them after this weekend.

So without further ado, I present to you my latest and last (for the season) Halloween plaque...

Front (it says Nevermore! at the top)

Back

Please note, the artwork does not actually come with a frame.  This, and all my other pieces as well, was done on a 5x7 canvas art board with acrylic paints, scrapbook paper, and other various elements.  You can't really see the detail here but I'm not sure how to make it so you can click and enlarge the image.  If anyone knows, please share so I can do this in the future.

So there you have it, I hope you enjoy!  Happy Halloween to all!

~ Heathen

Halloween Costumes

To dress up or not to dress up; that is the question I struggle with every year.  As you all know by now, I LOVE Halloween.  But since I'm too old to go Trick or Treating, and I don't usually have a party or costume event to go to, I'm never sure how to answer this question.  Do I dress up to hand out candy?  Full costume or just a witchy hat or vampire teeth?  Maybe just a cool Halloween t-shirt?  I honestly have no idea!  Though I'm quickly running out of time so most likely dressing up in full costume is out this year.

However, if I did have time to come up with a full costume I would have a full-on Masquerade Ball costume.  I just love everything about this theme, it's all so wonderfully over the top and decadent!

~ Heathen

The Dance from Legend

You'll need to turn off my music player at the bottom of the page before playing the video. Enjoy...



~ Heathen

It's here, it's here!

Today I got my Surprise Prize from Linda over at Olde Baggs n Stuft Shirts and I'm so excited!  She is just so talented, you must drop by her blog if you haven't already.  Thank you, thank you, thank you Oma!  Here is what she sent me as a parting gift for entering one of her wonderful giveaways...

Clockwise from top left: paper wall hanging, Halloween clothespins and witch ornament came tucked inside a good old trick or treat candy bag, Thrifty Witch wall plaque wrapped in candy corn tissue paper, and the Halloween miscellany was also tucked in the trick or treat bag.  The tiny skellie, cute tags, and Halloween confetti are a perfect addition to my candle!  Some of the pics don't do justice to the wonderful items; sorry, I promise I'll figure the camera out eventually.

I can't wait to find places to display the rest of these goodies!  So I'm off to do just that.  Happy haunting!

~ Heathen

Samhain / Halloween

Samhain, also know as Halloween, All Hallows Eve, and the Witch's New Year is the last of the harvest festivals and a time of dark mysteries. It's a time for new beginnings, reflection, and honoring the dead.

In the tarot, the Death card represents change; an end to something which has served its purpose. While not all changes seem good in the moment, change is necessary in all things. This season is the beginning of the end of the Wheel of the Year. After Halloween we change our clocks back, bringing more of the dark to our days, and prepare for Winter. As anyone who lives in colder climates knows, Winter is the dead season when the landscape is bleak. All the plants and animals, even the Sun, go into hiding and wait to be renewed come Spring. This is the quiet time.

On Halloween we carve and light Jack o' Lanterns as both protection for ourselves and guidance for the dead. We dress in costume in order to blend in with or ward off the roaming spirits. And we hand out food to children dressed as all manner of things! So this Halloween, enjoy all the revelry and goings on with the abandon of a child, but also take the time to consider the other side of this day. Remember lost loved ones and prepare for the changes ahead as the wheel continues to turn.

~ Heathen

Random Thoughts 10-19-10

What do you get when you drop a pumpkin?

Squash!

~ Heathen

Halloween Playlist

If you have your sound turned on, you're listening to a small sample of the current Halloween playlist on my iPod. With Halloween getting closer by the minute, I thought I'd share the complete list with you.

Man With the Hex - Atomic Fireballs
Even in Death - Evanescence
Crossing the River Styx - I Am Ghost
I Put a Spell On You - Marilyn Manson
The Widow - The Mars Volta
Monsters - Matchbox Romance
Killing Moon - Nouvelle Vague
Carnival of Lost Souls (complete album) - Nox Arcana
Haunted - Poe
Rev 22:20 - Puscifer
Black Magic Woman - Santana
Moon Over Bourbon Street - Sting
Hell - Squirrel Nut Zippers
Bloodletting (the Vampire Song) - Concrete Blond
Spooky - Classics IV
Bad Moon Rising - CCR
Theme from Sleepy Hollow Soundtrack - Danny Elfman
Theme from Tales from the Crypt - Danny Elfman
Witchy Woman - Eagles
Love Potion No. 9 - Herman's Hermits
This is Halloween - Marilyn Manson
Bela Lugosi's Dead - Nouvelle Vague
The Time Warp (movie version) - Rocky Horror Picture Show
I Put a Spell on You - Screamin Jay Hawkins
The Dance or Dress Waltz - from Legend Soundtrack
In the Midnight Hour - Wilson Pickett
Bad Things - Jace Everett
Creepshow - Kerli
Before I'm Dead - Kidney Thieves
Double Trouble - from Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban
Mystic's Dream - Loreena McKennitt
If I Was Your Vampire - Marilyn Manson
Welcome To the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
Diary of a Madman - Ozzy
Weak and Powerless (tilling my grave mix) - A Perfect Circle
Mourning Air - Portishead
The Undertaker (Renholder mix) - Puscifer
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Possum Kingdom - The Toadies
Happy Phantom - Tori Amos
Into the Mystic - Van Morrison
Moondance - Van Morrison
I'm Your Boogie Man - White Zombie
Witchcraft - Wolfmother
Welcome to My Nightmare - Alice Cooper
The Wizard - Black Sabbath
Cry Little Sister - Carfax Abbey (or the original from The Lost Boys Soundtrack)
Carmina Burana - Carl Orff
People Are Strange - The Doors
Home By the Sea - Genesis
Bells, Book and Candles - Graeme Revell (from The Craft Soundtrack)

Well that's it for this year, a bit eclectic I know but that's the way I like my music.  It changes a bit every season as I add a few songs and remove some that just don't work for me anymore.

What are you listening to in preparation for Halloween?

~ Heathen

The Charmed Life

It's October, the time of year to watch scary and Halloween type movies every chance you get right?  I know this, it is in fact my usual tradition.  However, instead of watching said movies I find myself obsessively re-watching the Charmed series!  I freely admit to loving this show, but why now during this spookiest of months?  I have every intention of popping in an appropriate October movie every night and yet...I can't stop watching this show!  "Just one more episode and then I'll watch a movie" I keep saying.  But do you think I ever get around to that movie?  Of course not, I'm obsessed.  And it's not like I haven't already seen the whole series, so again I ask you...why now?  I know it's magic and witches and the like, but still.  So I'm off to watch yet another episode of Charmed.  We've just finished season 4 and are about to start season 5, and I just can't get enough!

~ Heathen

The Fourteenth Day of Halloween

As promised I'm posting a few more pics of my Halloween decorations.  These are part of my Kitchen display...

It'd hard to see here, but there are a bunch of plastic spiders in this bottle.

my Fall flowers in a small cauldron

the Jacks are little tealight holders!

There's also a white light-up Jack o' Lantern on top of my microwave that glows red instead of the normal orange!  I'll try to get a pic of him to share, he's deliciously creepy!

Just a few more rooms to go...hopefully I won't run out of time!

~ Heathen

More Halloween Crafts

Here's another Halloween project I finished over the weekend.  My camera is not good for this sort of thing (or maybe it's me...) so we tried scanning instead. The picture quality is better, but because of the 3-D elements on the front of the piece it came out crooked. Ah well, we will keep trying.

Anywhoo, here are the pics of the front and the back of the piece.

Front

Back

Creepy crawlers! I'm working on a Poe inspired piece right now and I'll share once it's finished. Please feel free to leave creative suggestions!

~ Heathen

Random Thoughts

Madness takes its toll, please have exact change.

Happy Monday all!

~ Heathen

Superstition

October is the perfect time to relate myths and superstitions.  Here are some of the ghoul superstitions I found:

• If a candle flame suddenly turns blue, there's a ghost nearby.
• In North America, a black cat crossing your path is bad luck; a white one is good luck.  In Britain and Ireland, it's exactly the opposite.
• Ring a bell on Halloween to scare evil spirits away.
• If you see a spider on Halloween, it could be the spirit of a dead loved one who is watching you.
• To prevent ghosts from coming in the house on Halloween, bury animal bones or a picture of an animal near the doorway.
• Knocking on wood keeps evil away.
• Before sunset on Halloween, walking around your home three times, backwards, counterclockwise, wards off evil spirits.
• A person born on Halloween can see and talk to spirits.

I can't vouch for the truth of any of these, but I thought they were a fun thing to share!

~ Heathen

Werewolf Theme

This past week we watched some werewolf movies in honor of Halloween:

Skinwalkers
Cursed
American Werewolf in London

Here are a few others that I like but haven't gotten around to watching yet this season:

The Wolf Man (1941)
The Underworld Trilogy
Dog Soldiers
The Ginger Snaps Trilogy

What are some of your favorite werewolf movies?

~ Heathen

Midnight Dance

A little creepy Halloween spirit for you...



~ Heathen

Halloween Crafts

I've been busy the past couple weeks creating some Halloween artwork for friends and family.  I apologize in advance for the quality of the pictures, our camera is crappy.

for Mom

for a co-worker

for a co-worker's daughter

for my daughter

I plan on doing more throughout the month, but I wanted to share what I have accomplished already!  I absolutely LOVE making these.  I've seen some pretty amazing stuff out there from the rest of you and I hope you like my humble beginnings!  The goal is to make different ones for each season/holiday and offer them for sale online.  I haven't decided yet if I want to use Etsy, E-Bay, or just start a second blog dedicated to crafts.  Something to think about.

More Halloween goodness tomorrow!
~ Heathen

The Fifth Day of Halloween

Continuing on with the decorating tour.  After viewing the entry, you are led into the living room where you are greeted by even more Kindergoth plushies as well as some creepy and spooky sights!

First up is Bones sitting in the recliner...

and next is Voodoo guarding the couch.

Found this creepy dude at Spirit one year.

My macabre bookshelf!

There is also a shelf in front of the TV dedicated to the Hellraiser movies with two versions of Pinhead and several cenobites.  But they're a bit graphic so I didn't know if I should post them or not.  I will if anyone wants to see them.

That's the end of the tour for today.  As you can tell, I have a wide variety of tastes in my Halloween decorations.  That's why I like to have little vignettes.  As things get added or changed I'll update the pics.  For now, you'll have to come back for more decorations!  Thanks for dropping by!

~ Heathen

Spooky Movie List #1

So I thought I'd let you in on which spooky movies I watched this past weekend.

• The Lost Boys - not really spooky, but it's vampires and I love the movie
• Spellbinder - Kelly Preston as a witch
• Book of Blood - Clive Barker's story turned into a movie (medium gore factor here)

Unfortunately this is all I got around to watching this weekend.  However, I will be trying to watch at least one spooky/scary/Halloween movie every night throughout the month of October.  I think I'll do a weekly list of what we've watched.

In the meantime I have a question/challenge for you my pretties...list your favorite Halloween movies.  Not just scary, but movies that actually have something to do with Halloween.  This is not as easy as it sounds considering the sheer quantity of scary movies out there.  Here's my list...

• Halloween I and II (original of course)
• Trick 'r Treat
• Nightmare Before Christmas
• The Crow (first one only, anyone who lives near Detroit knows about Devil's Night)
• Scream (in the first one it is Halloween season)
• Hocus Pocus
• Halloween Town (any in this Disney series)

I know I'm forgetting some, but that's why I asked for your lists! ;-)

- Heathen

The Third Day of Halloween

I have started my Halloween decorating and have decided to share with you one creepy corner at a time.  Now I know the most logical place to start would be my front door, but I can't seem to get my wreath the way I want it yet.  So instead, we'll start with the entryway...who's that peeking around the corner you ask?  You'll just have to scroll on down to find out...

The first thing you see when you walk in.

close-up of the hanging jack

close-up of my Halloween broom

it's Zero, the very first Kindergoth I ever bought

here's a better look at him

As you can tell, he's quite old and has been through a lot.  But he still makes his annual appearance!  This year we gave him a pet demon mouse (one of the cat's toys) and charged him with guarding the cauldron.

More decorations to come throughout the month so stay tuned!

~ Heathen

A Friend is in Need

I'll be putting up a Halloween post later today, but right now one of our fellow bloggers needs all the positive energy and blessings we can send her way.  Danni over at the Whimsical Cottage is having a recurring health issue.  Please drop in and leave her some encouragement here.

Thank you all!

All Dressed Up For October

Welcome to the Halloween version of my little blog.  It will continue to change, little by little, right up until the big day!

I see a lot of you have dressed up your blogs for October, and they look great!  Just a quick post today (busy, busy) but I couldn't let the day go by without saying Happy October to all of you.  Enjoy the first day of the best month of the whole year!

Halloween is Creeping In

It's almost October and I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!  I know this blog is about seasonal living, but around this time of year everything else is completely taken over with thoughts of Halloween.  This weekend (and throughout October) my home will be once again transformed into it's alter ego.  Little vignettes everywhere, spooky ones, macabre ones, gothic ones, even some cute ones.  You never know what might be waiting just around that corner...I can't wait to get started!

Not only will my home be transformed, but this blog will also reflect the delightfully creepy month of October.  I mean, if you're gonna have a theme you gotta run with it.  Go big or go home as my honey would say.

I didn't think I was going to be able to wait until October to bring out the decorations this year.  But with only one more day to go, and a work day at that, I'm actually going to make it.  And then, the scary movie marathon can officially begin!  Hmm...that gives me an idea for another post...ah well, another time.