Halloween Decor Ideas! Mixing new with old.

 I love mixing antiques with new things. I noticed Michael's has a Victorian inspired section this year. Interesting twist than same old. JoAnn's has an unusual spin with snakes and pieces that remind me from scenes from the Great Gatsby movie with Leo DiCaprio.

I am just starting to pull stuff out and experimenting with layouts. The candlesticks below are going to be on a Frankenstein themed table.  My guess these sticks are from the 1920's-1930's. No markings. Hard to find consistent information online. I do know people are using the word jadeite for about everything mint so that does not make sense. I've had Czech glass with this black band. Fenton has made some things with a black band. Northwood has the color but, found no black bands. Online they are going for $75-$160. I used Hobby Lobby taper candles and taper rings from a country store. Taper rings are so hard to find!

The book, Halloween History ISBN 0-8160-1846-4

I have Byer's Choice Carolers for Halloween and Thanksgiving. These are from around 2001. Made in Pennsylvania. A lot of reproductions. Look for label on bottom. Yes, they are more but, still handmade in a factory. The haunted house is actually a ceramic house my Mom painted when I was a kid. It was popular to meet up and paint ceramics at a shop or house. I actually love buying these pieces. They are basically newer folkart and some have a a lot of character! I simply added layers of different color tulle to the mantle for some spooky, easy effects! The signs the carolers are holding are from a cake decorating set.

Add depth and height to a display by simply turning a vase, pretty cup or votive holder upside down. I used a julip type cup and set a wax pumpkin on top. So easy!

Below are old pieces of  English Ironstone mixed in with Halloween. Love the Victorian feel to it!

The oil lamps were always on my Grandparent's mantle. My Grandfather always added red oil and lit at Christmas time. I carry on the tradition because it was so special and makes me feel close to him.

Last but, not least is a sweet candle display on an end table. Keep displays high in the middle like a pyramid. I used beautiful Root candles. They are my absolute favorite. Long burns and burn down the middle or with a draft create beautiful wax drippings. The witch boot is Yankee Candle around 2004. Notice the mercury glass votive cup turned upside down and pillar added on top. I collect dried gourds. Truly a favorite for years. That is a dried pumpkin on the right.

HAPPY DECORATING!

Halloween is around the corner...DIY Headless Horseman

So, many people at the campground including me just can't wait to put out Halloween decorations! I like the classic, spooky fun. Thrills and chills! I'll pass on gorey and dead babies in a carriage. Yes, I have seen this for sale at a popular Halloween store. To me this is not the exciting, creepy night when I was a kid. I could not wait to put on a costume and visit all the neighbors! Some jumped out of bushes and gave you a fright and others had a welcoming light with carved pumpkins. It was just so exhilarating to be out there on your own being someone or something else for a night!

Last year I did The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in my yard. When I DIY something that is in the weather, I really try to use scraps from around the house. I usually switch themes the following year so I don't like to waste money.  Take your time working this form and you will be successful.

The body underneath the horseman was an old mannequin from my store. However when you prop something on a bench it is not difficult to get a form going. Maybe use some buckets for the core body shape. I love to stuff grocery bags and make arms and whatever. The grocery bags are waterproof. Always have twine, hot glue and zip ties handy as you can easily hold down and create poses with these items. Go to the garage and shed and find some things to make your form.

The arms were a $1 store purchase. Can't beat that! The cool burlap came from Joann Fabrics. I had leftover. This material and any nylon are great because it holds up in the weather. The red material I used for a Christmas tree skirt the year before. It was in a clearance bin. The legs were old pants stuffed with yep...grocery bags and plastic. 

Wrap your materials around your base. Zip tie, glue or pin down. The stuffed legs can be added in or set your core body on them before draping your cape. Tie off the bottom of the legs with twine. Once everything is draped and tied down then cut a slit in the cape and attach the arms. What about the pumpkin? To get the spooky effect you will need red glitter, craft glue and yellow craft paint. Add craft glue to your carved mouth and add red glitter. Color eyes and nose with yellow paint. Once lit it makes the mouth look so scary!!!! The rain made some of the glitter drool but, added to the fun! To top off I took an old piece of board from the shed and wrote "Watch Your Head," in black paint.

First Trip to Ocean City

 We decided a trip to the beach was needed and our choice was Ocean City because it is only a 6 hour drive. We usually go to Myrtle. I cooked for two days so any eating out would be to go or outside. I did not want to be on or near the boardwalk so we chose a 41st studio apartment with kitchen. It was 50 steps from the beach but, no ocean view. The accommodations were clean and decor cute. Downside was literally looking into other people's apartments on the balcony. However it was only $700 for 5 nights.

The beach is nothing like Myrtle or Hilton Head. We are accustomed to hard easily walkable beaches and combed and cleaned. This was not the case here. You walk onto choppy deeper sand and then it drops off onto the wet beach area for swimming. It is on a slant and you sink. Needless to say this is not solid, sandy beach. Of course kids don't care and find a way to slosh around in the surf. You don't see many adults walking for this reason and we tried and got some aching knees and hips from walking on a slant and fighting our feet from being sunk in the sand. Ocean City is extremely built up with huge high rises and condo buildings one on top of each other. We were non-peak and COVID. I can't imagine the craziness at full throttle. The main corridor is filled with neon signs and places begging for you to dine. This is just not my speed. This place is for your social butterflies, young kids looking for a good time and people who don't mind being so close to each other. That said we carved out some fun away from the corridor. We went over to the bay and marina. 

At the marina we went on an inexpensive fishing trip called Miss Ocean City with Captain Anton. Really nice Captain and crew. Just a pleasure being out on the water for the low cost of $30 plus tip. I tried to catch a big one but, no such luck. You will likely catch little sea bass and just enjoy the scenery. I got some great pictures with a long lens. We decided to go on the evening trip too. If you called, I'm sure with a large group of family and friends it could be chartered. https://www.missocfishing.com

We also went to Assateague Island. We just followed the signs from the marina. The first water bridge had horses hanging out and down the road too. More nice pictures. I guess this is not always the case. We went around 7PM so not a lot of people. We did have a 7AM SUV tour scheduled for $120 to take us down on the beach. After reading reviews about horse poo on the beach, inadequate bathrooms and being bitten by flies on the beach, we skipped it. Locals told us the flies are bad and said the island actually has a fly rating for the day. We saw the island from the boat too and just decided it was not worth going to another beach but, the one by our apartment. Also take a boat to the island or take a ride. After going to the island I thought the $120 SUV ride was ridiculous. It's cheap to get in and many places to pull off and see nature without actually paying to go in the park and beach. 

Plus keep in mind the water is not as clear as the South and you certainly can't see down like Florida. I'll be honest I thought the ocean stunk. The waves are not big and long either. It is like a washing machine and you come out with sand in every crevice. My husband loves riding waves and he was really disappointed. A local told us they call the beach, "The Bone Yard," because it just rips you. Hence, after one run you realized why it is just kids with boundless energy in the water. Also depending on the wind there will be flies :(

We ate at a restaurant on the marina outside. Food was great but, we literally were surrounded by flies. I won't mention their name because these are bad times and I don't want to make it worse for them. We actually put sauce we were done with at the end of the table so the flies would go there and not our food!

We got to go at OC Wasabi. https://ocwasabi.com/ The young woman who waited on me at the back to go entrance was ridiculously nice. The teriyaki scallops were delicious and locally sourced. My pomegranate rum drink muddled with mint, lime, strawberries and blueberries was awesome! They are also open late! Yeah, they get people eat late at the beach! 

Will we be back, no. However we did have fun. Our speed is a little more quiet, slower, solid sandy beaches and less developed. 

Shallow Rooted Pine Trees Lead To Monarchs and Finches

We had to cut down two very large pine trees this summer. One had already fallen and bounced off a power line. The pine were removed by a crane and stacked on a truck because so tall. One was half dead. Some pines do not get deep roots. 

In my area it was common for people building houses in the 60's and 70's to plant pine for privacy. Unfortunately builders and landscapers planted them way too close to houses. These monsters will cause monster damage with a bad storm or like we had a micro burst. A neighbor down the street was lucky as their pine fell between their house and barely missed a roof across the street. Many of us have been dealing with these old pines. 

There is different information about shallow roots. A couple stand outs were; pines should not be planted as a stand alone and need more of a forest type area, over saturated ground, planted in ground that is too compact and roots that have been disturbed and thus start the root damage. I think mine at times was over saturation and not enough planted together. 

So what happed after the pines came down? Well we started to get weeds. I let it go because I wanted to see what the bunnies and birds would bring to the party. We now have a cool area of thistle and native, non native flowers and herbs in an oval section. 

In the Fall we will be fencing it in so it can go any further and over run our yard. It has brought joy! We have beautiful monarchs hanging out and my favorite so far are finches literally sitting on a thistle head and eating! I can't believe the thistle holds them up! Some people really hate thistle. They look at and scream weed! I think the purple flowers are pretty. However I must say most thistle is considered an invasive weed....why? Because a lot are not from your area and well the bottom line is it ruins farmer's fields. I don't have a farm next door so I will continue to feed the butterflies, birds and anyone else showing up! The bunnies love hiding in the thick wild flower brush too!

You Got a Friend

I was coming down a road in Smicksburg, PA and came upon these intimidating, steel eyed cows wading in a small pond on a ninety degree day. I stopped for a roadside picture and got more than just wading! A Cowbird came along and began eating and knocking off the flies on the cow's nose. This was a first for me!

Check out the video:https://youtu.be/qibAQIUxuyE

Trumpet Vine-Destructive and Invasive Weed

When we first moved into our house a vine attached to our wood shed from our neighbors fence and before you could snap your fingers it was huge and out of control. We were so busy with remodeling that we just let it go. In the heat of the summer it bloomed beautiful flowers and yep looked like trumpets. We noticed hummingbirds enjoyed the flowers. We loved the thought of these birds hanging around. In the Fall they get giants seed pods like bananas.

This growth is just from this season!

If we only knew the destruction and relentlessness of this classified weed. We started hacking at it in the Fall.  It pulled the paint off our shed and got up underneath each wood board on the siding. It intertwined through the neighbor's chain link fence. It's woody branches/trunk are tough and 2-4 inches wide. It was hours of work cutting it back and putting in a burn pile. We tried to be so careful to not get any pieces on our grass.
The picture above is our neighbor's fence this year. This weed is back but, luckily not on our shed. It took us 4 years of cutting it off our shed to stop it however the fence is so close I am sure it will be back.

I have read to use a weed killer and it may take a couple applications. I learned from working at a large lawn company there are some weeds that just need dug up and removed. However if seedlings fall you will still have a mess.
I'm shocked to find this vine for sale online. Some weeds are pretty flowering native plants however the trumpet vine is down right destructive. I have read recommendations on planting in sandy poor soil where nothing grows and control it with something like a trellis. Good luck! Those seeds hit the wind and you are in trouble!!!

If you see this at a community park let your township know about it. It will take over anything in it's path.

Pasta Salad Success!

I'm sure most of you know pasta salad basics. It's noodles, italian dressing and veges. Sounds easy enough...until you have some bland stuff at your neighborly camping potluck.

Where do people go wrong?
They don't cook the main ingredient correctly. The pasta must be al dente. It should be slightly firm. This firmness will also not get weighed down by the dressing and become mushy or taste like gluten. I like spirals because it captures ingredients inside. Use a hefty noodle. Angel hair or thin spaghetti won't hold ingredients and can break up a lot. Like any pasta, salt the water and since this is a cold salad rinse the noodles in cold water and let drain for five minutes.
I actually blanch my cauliflower, carrots and broccoli. I then use this vege water to cook my noodles. Once noodles are drained I add to a large mixing bowl. I toss with salt to bring out ingredients.
The salad dressing. Add enough dressing. Pick a zesty italian but! Look at the bottle. The ingredients separate in the bottle. Pick one with low amount of oil. Oil does not give the salad taste. For one pound of pasta I use one large family size bottle. I also toss and add several times McCormick's Salad Supreme herbs. I personally can't imagine pasta salad without it. I usually dress down my noodles with half the bottle so marinated while I chop vegetables.
Vegetables. I think this is a big miss too. Don't make veges too big because you want a mixture in each bite. Don't make too small either or will be at the bottom of the bowl. A little smaller than a quarter will do good. You need to load up on veges. If you see mostly noodle in a scoop then you need more. I've had salads on my plate with a little tomato and pasta, yuck!

I use fresh carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber with hulled seeds, zucchini cut in match sticks, cherry tomatoes and green or black olives sliced in half.
Cheese. Use a firm cheese or will become mushy. Make small square chunks. I use swiss. Do not use muenster or farmers cheese. Both are too soft. I would not use anything pungent or like herb or garlic cheese.
Remember this a pasta salad and not anti pasta. Do not use additional herbs to mix as they may take over the salad. Unless it is a family choice don't add onions or garlic as it will also take over the salad.
Add your ingredients and toss. Add remaining dressing. Taste. You may need more salt to bring out ingredients. Cover the bowl! Otherwise it will taste like your refrigerator. Let marinate for at least a few hours otherwise the salad will not have an overall good taste.

I feed my rabbits and lawn with cuttings. I don't suggest if close neighbors or raccoon issues :)