Sunday, October 31, 2010

Skeletons In The Closet!

and now for my latest Halloween creation...

www.chelseadigital.ca/SkeletonsInTheCloset/

Happy Halloween!

As you all are celebrating the best of all eves in the Northern Hemisphere it is already November here in the land of Oz.
We managed to put together a halloween housewarming party despite the many challenges of hosting the dark month in this land of sun and beaches. Some of the compromises included green and blue pumpkins, as the traditional orange ones cost 25$ each here since it is not the right season for them at all. No need to bundle up as it was a hot summer day outside, but we shuttered the windows and lit the lanterns!
The green and blue ones carved up OK, but were very soft and brittle so it didn't allow for any intricate designs. Made me feel pretty good about the whole thing though when a new friend said it was the first time he had ever seen a carved pumpkin in real life! Whoa, blew my mind. For many of our guests it was their first ever Halloween party! Pretty crazy.
I went pretty oldschool for the decor, Jack-o-lanterns, candles, webs and ghosts.
Now I can't wait to see the aftermath of Halloween madness that is happening in North America right now! I can almost hear eerie echoes of trick-or-treats! shouted across the seas...
Happy Halloween to you all!








Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Bereft of a true Halloween

I cannot capture the Halloween spirit.
For the first time ever.
But it's not me, it's where I am. I never would have thought that I could ever make it to October without the fever hitting me, the monster madness, the all consuming passion for the dark month. But I also never truly conceived of what October meant in a place like Australia.
I call it oppositeland for good reason, and the sunny skies, the spring flowers, the flipflops - none of these things say October to me.
I miss the smell of damp earth, the crunch of leaves underfoot, the brisk air and crisp mornings, the fog and pumpkin patches. So I guess I should have always said that Autumn was my favorite season, instead of saying October was my favorite month - but that doesn't work either because Halloween is part of what makes it dear to my heart.
But hard as I may try I feel like it just won't work here.
Case in point - I put some spider webbing up on the door this morning and caught a bird trying to eat the fake tarantula! It makes sense since there are GIANT spiders here - so of course they must be food for someone, but I've never had something prey on my decor before.

The dollar store Halloween section was about a 2 feet square and sadly disappointing. I tried to look up haunted houses and only found listing for actual hauntings!
I will continue to try - but my heart is not in it. I will have to be a voyeur this year and bask in the glory of a true Halloween from afar through all of you dark creatures out there spinning up a dark night for All Hallow's Eve.























a host of little ghosts visiting my apartment.

Thursday, October 14, 2010