Falloween Theme Halloween 2024

The past few years I have been doing a separate decorating theme along with my regular Halloween classic stuff.  I like to give myself more work I guess.  This year I wanted to create a look that was all the rage a few years ago called Falloween.  It mingles fall colors with Halloween icons that are more in line with those hues. It's kinda tame but if done well it's got a great ambiance to it.  Another rage all the kids were doing awhile back was buying autumn prints from thrift stores and adding some Halloween flare by painting in ghosts and bats and shit like that.  I took both of these dealios, doing it my waaaay of course, turning my dining room into a spookifed fall forest you'd want to get lost in.

I had full intentions of doing the jazzed up thrift store painting idea but apparently the supply has dried up so I improvised.

I bought this vintage fiberglass TV tray for my Fall decor a few years ago and it's 'painting sized' so I just drew up some little ghosties on white decal vinyl and attached as appropriate.  Easy peasy, and using what I already got, yep yep, I likes it.

So the Halloween icons that work in line with Falloween in my opinion are going to be the white/ black things like ghosts, skeletons, bats, spiders.  No JOLs, witches, frankensteins, bright oranges, greens, or purples.  

Here is the sideboard in full as it's the primary focal point.  I probably should have dropped that middle spider web juuuust a skoosh or raised the tray but really it's fine, it's dandy.

The brittle crumbly vintage ghost blow mold is off to the right, Hang in there buddy!  One of these sad days when I go to unpack him he's just going to be a pile of plastic shavings.

The table centerpiece came together pretty well.  It's a melamine partitioned coffin shaped serving dish filled with some bitty faux pumpkins, spiders, skeletons, and vintage plastic fall foliage.

The china cabinet and Bernie Bones, our diner guest.  He doesn't eat much.

It's a fairly understated look but believe me it's a product of quite a bit of overthinking and rummaging through multiple bins !  

The previous other themes I have done were turning the entire living room into a Tiki Voodoo Swamp Hut and last year the dining room became a Fortune Teller's Atelier so this is definitely quite tame. 

 

HELLEMENT Hearse

For the first time ever I made a Halloween costume for my car, a 2006 Honda Element!

I made the 'curtains' by first tracing the full windows onto paper. Next I somewhat freehand drew the curtains then cut all the bits out.  I then traced them onto 1.25 Tree vinyl, cutting all of those pieces out.  And then applying all of it to the windows.  The 'landau bars' I traced from my computer screen kinda like a light box.  Confusing and labor intensive?  Why, yes.  I wouldn't do it any other way!  I don't have a cricut machine, nor do I want one or want to learn how to use it. 

But I do have a friend who has a cricut and knows kinda how to use it so I had her make me a badge/title on the rear.

It's hard to read but says:  HELLEMENT  Funeral Parlor and Crematorium

Here's a few more views:

A better close up...but don't look too hard.  Everything is wonky.

I think it turned out looking pretty awesome.  The thought crossed my mind to leave it on permanently but I think it's a bit much.  I honestly don't like drawing attention to myself.  I like to be wallpaper.

 

Billy Joel Big Shot

 

I've had Billy Joel fever for about 6 months.

I can, will and have listened to the Glass Houses and The Stranger CDs about a billion times.

And his new song?  Turn the Lights Back On.  Absolutely glorious.  His music has been my escape, sanctuary, and a block from negative shit.

So it only made sense that I was going to become a man for Halloween.  I don't look good as a dude though.  Yikes.  I'm definitely giving girl's PE coach vibes.

  "What's the matter with the clothes I'm wearing?"

I based my costume from his 'You May be Right' (absolutely love that song) video:

Here's a few very classic sullen Joel looks:

The head to toe:

White tie, white sneakers:

Went light on the props, but did have me a Piano Man Tips jar:

For my photo shot background I was able to get into the music hall at the University with their fancy Steinway grand piano!

"You may be right.  I may be crazy.  Ho! But it just may be a lunatic you're looking for."

Here is the original video.  Love his dance moves.  
Alright.  I gotta go listen to Anthony's Song a billion and one times now.

Halloween Tree

 

We got ourselves a first here, a Halloween tree!

The ornaments are the bits and bobs pulled off a few Dollar and a Quarter Tree Halloween garlands from the high dollar aisle of 3 bucks each.

There's pom pom bats and spiders along with felty pumpkins.  I added the googly eyes and sharpie markered on some facial features since the originals were blah and boring.

Beetlejuice Yard Decor

Check out this amazingly themed decorated Beetlejuice yard, not mine, but in my neighborhood.  This actually is the design they put together for last year with an updated set this season with scenes from the newly released movie.  I haven't gotten a chance to get photos of it just yet so enjoy the wonderment of the original:

Let's turn on the juice and see what shakes loose!

Woah,  Sandworms.  Ya hate 'em right?  I hate 'em myself!

I will live with you in this hellhole, but I must express myself! If you don't let me gut out this house and make it my own, I will go insane and I will take you with me!

If you act now you get a free demon possession with every exorcism.

Are you gross under there?  Are you 'Night of the Living Dead' under there?  Like all bloody veins and pus?!"

Go ahead.  Make my millenium!

Cute couple.  Look nice and stupid too.

And here a few night shots:

The homeowners didn't lean into all store bought licensed stuff except where absolutely necessary and handmade the rest with a great artistic edgy appeal. I thought this was just so well done!  

Here's a past post that's Beetlejuice-esque:

Getting a little anxious Porcupine Meatballs

 

Nosferatu Cake

 Here is a simple cake I made last year for a Nightmare Theatre get together for the viewing party of the 1922 film Nosferatu.  It's just a boxed chocolate cake, chocolate icing, sprinkled with coffin dusk aka silver sanding sugar baked in a coffin shaped pan.  There's a remake of Nosferatu coming out at some point this year, maybe it already has.

Here is the Nightmare Theatre version:

New Stuff Halloween 2024 Gurley JOL candle nuggets

 I saved the best for last!  I asked for these little nuggets for Christmas last year.  I love their little faces!  I had been holding out for years hoping I'd come across some at an estate sale for a quarter but that never came into fruition.  I can't remember how much they cost as it's not fun for me to brag about pricey prices since dirt cheap is what gives me the thrills.

New Stuff Halloween 2024 Scaredy Cat Pillow

 

This vintagey looking scaredy cat pillow is a newly produced item that I found at Ross this year for 10 bucks.  It's glorious perfection!

New Stuff Halloween 2024 JOL

 

I picked this vintage trick or treat JOL pail up at an estate sale on the last day, half price. I had gone to the sale the previous day, saw it but left it behind as I like to share vintage Halloween and I most definitely have my fair share of these kind of JOL pails, but I didn't have this exact one though.  He was still there on the last day so he came home with me for one whole buck.

New Stuff Halloween 2024 Frosty Frights

Something actually 'new, new' are these little nuggets from Wendy's kid's meals.  I thought they were most precious.  I particularly wanted the three on the far right. At the time of posting you can quite possibly still pick them up.  There are 11 of them in total but several are fruit loop colored so I didn't collect those.

Spooky Season!

 Yay!  Spooky Season is here!  It's been unofficially here since the summer with all the massively early Halloween merch released back in June.  I certainly don't have a problem with that as it helps curb my summer seasonal depression.  Summer can go back to hell from whence it came! However this year, while I appreciate all Halloween efforts, I have been severely displeased with the lackluster garbage presented.  And there was definitely an obvious, rather offensive trend, puking up the atmosphere and the vibe that is the true gloriousness that is Halloween, the culprits:  Pastels, disco balls, and florals.  

Nope.  Just nope.  This isn't a baby shower, it's not New Year's Eve, and Spring hasn't sprung.  The people who came up with these themes, the best I can fathom, hate Halloween, loathe Halloween, completely don't get it nor care too as they need to get to their Jr. League meetings and refill "Mommy's sippy cup" with a fourth helping of whatever pretentious wine that the other botox injected bimbos are raving about this week.  Or a bunch of 10 year old girls designed it.  Either way it's ridiculous.  But I have to not let the dickwads get me down.  Hidden among the garbage were some black and gothic spooky stuff tucked here and there.  I never thought the day would come that Halloween would be so disrespected though.   All I know is when Easter rolls around, everything better be black and covered in skulls and blood.

Anyway, I shouldn't bitch too much, I rarely buy much new Halloween merch anyhow.  I just go for the ambiance of it all.  I typically keep my eye peeled at thrift stores or estate sales for the rare vintage mid century piece to come along.  Last week I stopped in at a thrift that is only opened extremely limited hours and picked up this massive sized Gurley JOL candle for one buck!  He's got a bit of a booboo crease across his face but it makes him look like he survived a slasher attack! 

September Back To School Frito Kid and Coconut Cut- up Cake Party

I've been sporadically working my way through making all the monthly themed vintage coconut cut-up cakes and Frito Kid party ideas for a few years now.  I am juuust about there!  For this round I decided to double up and combine September's since they are both Back to School themed.  

Here is the vintage Cut-up cake inspo:

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from this little 1956 booklet:

Here's my take on "Ding Dong":

I am pretty sure it's suppose to be a school house but it's really a stretch of the imagination.

Now let's add in some 1954 Frito goodness:

The refreshments miss the opportunity for some Frito additions but I surely didn't!

Ice cream with Fritos is the BEST!

Did you know Circus Animal Cookies/Crackers don't come in the fun little boxes anymore?!

So I had to take it upon myself to fake some.  I turned a couple of mac and cheese boxes inside out, glued down a printed image I found out in internetland of the box front, and added my own little string handle.  I didn't buy any cookies out of principle due to the boring ass plastic bags they now come in.

 And lastly soda... I picked apple soda since that seemed most schooly inspired.

Here is the spread:

This puts me at finally making all the Coconut cakes except the god awful ones (May and June) that I just refuse to do.

I now just have Frito Kid November lastly left.  Because, spoiler alert, I did the December one last year after Christmas already and have it tucked back for this upcoming season.

Here are all of the themes collected together for your viewing perusal:

For the past Frito Party Goodness check out the below posts:

Frito Kid October Halloween Party

Frito Kid August Back Yard Barbeque

Frito Kid July 4th Party

Frito Kid June Cowboy Party

Frito Kid May Flowers and Fairies Party.

Frito Kid April Easter Party

Frito Kid March St. Patrick's Party

Frito Kid February Valentine Party

Frito Kid January Circus Party

and all the Coconut Cut-up Cakes corralled:

January Mr. Snowman Cake

February Ever-Lovin' Heart Cake

March Coco The Nutty Clown Cake

April Quick-A-Bunny Cake

July American Eaglet Cake

August Sailin' Down the Bay Cake

October Hallo Witch Cake

November Gobble-Gobble Gobbler Cake

December Dear Santa Cake