vintage Halloween

I love vintage Halloween photos.  I found some good ones from when my dad was little in the family photos and have been waiting until now to share them.

This was marked "Glenn's party Oct. '50" on the back.  My dad is the kid in the "Kill the Umpire" outfit--lower left corner.  What an insane mask.  If some kid carried around that sign and wore that mask today he'd probably be sent immediately to therapy.  (For the record, my dad is relatively sane, and probably the nicest guy you'll ever meet.)  The skeleton costume is awesome...and how freaking creepy is the mask?  I think the poor kid next to Skeletor dressed as a pierrot is little pissed, frankly.

Here are the adults.  Not surprising for the time, I'm seeing a little bit of ethnic insensitivity sprinkled amongst the costumes.  I'm liking the bottles of beer, though, and the banjo as accessory.  This photo and the following three are from October 1949, and I'm guessing this is a party in my grandparents' basement.

My grandma as a cowgirl.  Her outfit is awfully cute--I just wish she wasn't wearing that creepy mask.  Looks like the other gals didn't quite get into the Halloween spirit, but they sure are wearing great dresses!

See the cutest kid the photo?  The hobo in the bow tie?  That's my dad!  And holy smokes--there's a kid with the devil on his costume in the back, on the left.  I'm pretty sure they don't let kids dress like Satan for Halloween anymore.

Is that kid on the left dressed as a Civil War soldier?  Whoa.  I'm loving the decorations--the witch's hat and the pipe cleaner skeletons!  And I'm pretty sure there are actual cornstalks in the background.  Well done, Grandma Edna!

I hope you all have a very happy and creepy Halloween!  My big Halloween plan is a long overdue viewing of the original The Wicker Man.

Don't forget to enter in our 3rd Etsy-versary Giveaway here.  And enjoy 15% off all purchases at the Etsy shop with code HAPPY3 now through Monday!

xo

K

happy halloween!

For those looking for vintage treats, there are still a few more hours left in the SmallEarthVintage 2nd Etsy-versary Sale!

xo

K

the itsy bitsy spider

Just in time for Halloween: 1940s gold vermeil over sterling rhinestone-encrusted jelly belly spider pin/fur clip, by Alfred Philippe for Trifari. Coming to the shop tomorrow!

xo

K

happy halloween!

That's this year's pumpkin, carved by Andy! (I did consult on the design.) We celebrated Halloween a day early--with sloppy joes, Ichabod pumpkin ale, and Young Frankenstein--because we're heading out thrifting on the day itself.

I seem to be reading some especially fabulous blog posts lately, so I thought I'd do a little roundup and share them here with you.

The above image of Margaret Hamilton is from Jessica's My Vintage Vogue, which is an always wonderful compendium of beautiful vintage fashion images, but which has been particularly delightful lately, since she's been showcasing lots of Halloween themed images. Go check it out!

This post by Missa of Thrift Candy on why she thrifts had me totally nodding my head in agreement.

This lovely treasury of images on Deidre's Hinterland Vintage blog made me want to curl up on the couch and read a book (even more than I usually do).

And this roundup of funny Halloween posts on the Kitschy Kitschy Coo blog really got me in a Halloween-y state of mind.


Finally, may I suggest a film for those of you trying to transition from the spooky trick-or-treating fun of Halloween into the cozy holiday spirit of Christmas?

Yes, I'm talking about Black Christmas, the great, campy-fun Canadian slasher flick set in a sorority house, and starring Margot Kidder (four years before she became famous as Superman's Lois Lane) and Olivia Hussey. I was just reading the IMDb trivia, and it turns out this is one of Steve Martin's favorite movies. He claims to have seen it over 20 times.

Happy Halloween, everybody! Hope you get lots of candy.

xo
K

by the pricking of my thumbs...

...something wicked this way comes. Halloween! It's been too long since I got to wear a Halloween costume, but I still love this time of year.

The above are classic circa-1940s Halloween decoration designs by Beistle, a company that is still in the party goods and decorations business. I don't believe they still make the above designs, which I remember vividly from my own childhood in the 1970s-1980s. Sadly, my mom--who is the opposite of a hoarder--got rid of our old Halloween decorations ages ago, but I was able to purchase the above set from Retroween.com, which describes them as 1940s reissues.

I particularly remember and love that black cat with the monocle, the owl, and the cat hissing at the pumpkin head up on the post!

Click here to read a fascinating history of the Beistle company.

xo
K