Halloweeeeeeen!

Things are pretty low-key here at the ranch. I think I'm going to completely show my premature senior citizen status tonight by turning the porch light off and tucking in to watch some scary movies - but since I can't let the joy that is Halloween completely slip by, here are some shots from the day.

Oh! And some treats for you! Here are some great Halloween themed links for you to enjoy:

• Heidi Kenney over at "My Paper Crane" is one of the most creative people that I know of. Go here to see her post on her tour of the Beistle headquarters. You're not going to believe the vintage holiday eye candy in that place! She also designs and sells fabrics and you're going to LOVE this fabric that she's selling with Halloween pillow designs here. In fact, just go to her website, go to the home page and scroll on through because each and every post will leave you oohing and ahhing. I'm sure you'll recognize a lot of her work. She's big on the scene.

• My friend Jacob recently started a site called "The Carpetbagger" that I urge you to bookmark. He's a Southern transplant who has embraced the intricacies of the South better than anyone that I know. I met him years ago over on Flickr and have never failed to be amazed at the situations that he comes across the photograph on the back roads (and main streets) of the South. Go here to see his most recent posts on The Devil's Funeral ceremony and Christian haunted houses. And while you're there, just keep on scrolling through. He'll have you on the edge of your seat. You're not going to believe that half of the stuff that he comes up with could possibly be real....but it is. Oh, and he has a huge affinity for insane taxidermy, much like myself.

• Alexa over at "The Swell Life" is another outrageously creative individual. Every year, I can't wait to see what her signature pumpkin is for the Halloween season. This year, she is right on trend with her Honey Boo Boo pumpkin tutorial. Last year, she did a Snookie pumpkin and lo and behold, celebrity gossip mogul Perez Hilton featured it on his site - and Snookie herself even tweeted about it!  "The Swell Life" is another site that I recommend taking a journey through. I guarantee you that you'll be bookmarking some of her ideas to try.

• "Neato Coolville" (which is currently "Neato Ghoulville" for the Halloween season) is one of the most fun sites around.  Todd Frankin curates one of the most magical collections of things that will make you scream, "Oh! I remember that!" or better yet, gasp in glee because you've never seen such wonders before. From old comics, candies and products from our retro past to movie clips, commercials and found drawings (and everything in between), the posts at "Neato Coolville" will leave you smiling.

• And this just in: The lovely Ruth over at the ever fascinating and tastebud intriguing MidCentury Menu has recreated the cake recipe that has taunted and teased many of us vintage loving mavens through the decades - the Banana Spook Cake. I'm talking ghosts made out of bananas, people! Skip on over and see!

• And last one: Are you familiar with Caker Cooking? I recently discovered Brian's site and it's absolutely magical. You KNOW that I love interesting and wacky recipes and that site never fails to delight me. He's pulling stuff right out of those church and community cookbooks that our grannies felt compelled to buy (and contribute to)  and the contents are proving to be pure gold. Right now, there is an apple head doll competition going on - you know... doll heads made from apples. They stare out at you from the pages of old craft books and make you look closer...closer. Go here to see the entries and please vote for your fave! 

Have a fun Halloween, everyone!

Until next time,
x's and o's,
Eartha