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Home Decor

2024 Halloween Shopping

2024 Halloween Shopping

Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around to find interesting new items that fit my home’s spooky look, while also being of a decent quality and serving a useful purpose. While I do a lot of shopping at local & small businesses, it is still fun to keep up my tradition of seeing what the big box stores have to offer as well.

So many items out there are made for pure decoration, or have been slowing degrading in quality and will not last longer than a few weeks of heavy usage. There are, however, some highlights that truly stand out from the crowd each season . I have compiled a list below of my personal wish list items for this year’s Halloween haul.

Every late July/early August I stock up on hand soap from Bath & Body Works to last throughout the year. They always have a wonderful variety of Halloween & Autumn scents I adore. As my household began to switch over to more eco-friendly solutions, however, the amount of excess plastic from all these soap dispensers was concerning. I did not want to miss out on my favorite scents, but I did want to find better solutions for the environment.

This year Bath & Body Works delivered with Hand Soap Refills of popular Fall favorites. Scents include: Vampire Blood, Afternoon Apple Picking, Sweater Weather, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, Leaves, White Pumpkin, and more. Each container is equivelent to about three of the standard foaming hand soap plastic bottles – saving quite a lot of plastic! These can be used with any standard foaming hand soap container. Bath & Body Works also has a variety of dispensers in Halloween, Autumn, and normal people year-round designs.

Now that I have switched to the refillable foaming soap, I need a fitting dispenser to add to my home’s décor. Bath & Body Works’ Owl Gentle Foaming Soap Dispenser is the perfect addition to my vintage Halloween kitchen. While they do have some more direct Halloween options, like a Cthulu-inspired haunted house, black cat, and stack of pumpkins, I like that this was a little more subtle and fit with the look of vintage Halloween postcards. 

One other pro tip with any of the Bath & Body Works dispensers – the push top is the same as the ones that come on the standard foaming soaps. If you love the base, but want a different spout, save one of the spouts from your non-reusable bottles and switch it out. 

These items may not be new to the market for 2024, but they are high up on my list of things to look for while I am out and about. Instead of going through oodles of paper liners, these reusable silicone skull-shaped cups can be a better alternative. 

They are 3.5″ x 3.25″ x 2.75″, oven save up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and microwave, freezer, and dishwasher safe. 

One of my favorite appetizers to make for my movie nights and parties is a charcuterie board. This white marble ghost-shaped board is sure to make any spread pop. At 13″ x 14.5″ x 0.5″, it is a nice size for a cheese board spread. 

I have also seen some similar boards at local Home Goods stores in the $20-$30 range. They seem to be a little more of a budget-friendly solution, but you have to be lucky to snag one!

I admit, this piece is not one of the functional items I typically seek out, but it is one of the few purely decorative items I have fawned over in recent years. It is quite tempting to clear off a shelf in my horror movie-themed living room to add this to. I enjoy the reference to “The Blob” (one of the only horror movies to really terrify me), as well as many of the other horror nods throughout.  

The building lights up via three AA batteries or A/C adaptor. At only 10.24″ x 7.28″ x 5.91″, it is not too unwieldly for one’s mantle. 

While Halloween merchandise has been hitting the shelves earlier and earlier each year, I seem to find less and less that I actually need to bring into my home. I highly recommend instead of shopping the big box stores, go out and find amazing small businesses and independent creators to support. They offer Halloween products year-round and often have superior quality to most of the cheap items being sold in national chains. 

Nevertheless, it is still fun to see so much spooky while running my day-to-day errands. 

What cool items have you found this year? Share your haul pictures with me on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram

2024 Halloween Shopping

Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around

Read More »

57 Ghosts

Take part in a spirited séance aboard the historic – and haunted – Queen Mary with 57 Ghosts. From Master Magician and Apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, this 90-minute immersive experience takes

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Categories
Home Decor

2021 Halloween Shopping

2021 Halloween Shopping

The 2021 Halloween Shopping season has been unlike any other. Firstly, we are still in a pandemic (closer to the tail end than last year, but it is still complicating things).

Secondly, there have been severe shipping delays on merchandise. Retailers such as Spirit Halloween, Target, and more are seeing increased delays on products due to port closures and slow container processing times. These port delays due to issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have a ripple effect and are compounded by ground-shipping logistics once the items have arrived in the U.S. This has resulted in items hitting store shelves sometimes much later than expected. Affected items include animatronics, decor, and fog machines. 

Lastly, due to many people being unable to celebrate Halloween to the fullest last year, there is an increased demand to participate in the holiday this year. Poll after poll have shown that a majority of Americans plan to celebrate Halloween 2021 – and they want to buy more decor, candy, and other supplies. More shoppers are competing to buy the few items that made it to shelves!

Despite all the issues, I still managed to find a few items worth trying to snag before they disappear!

2021 Halloween Shopping Highlights

While many items from last year have returned for 2021, here are some new highlights for this season:

Images from Michaels.com

The green and off-white colors of this skull welcome sign are a wonderful change of pace from the normal black and orange Halloween color scheme. The vine-like pattern behind the skull adds a touch of whimsy. This sign will be the perfect addition to my home! The only detail to note is that the sign is a little large at 28” x 15.4”, so it may not fit easily above a doorway if you have lower ceilings.

DCWV makes some of the best Halloween scrapbook paper designs currently on the market. This year’s lineup at Joann is another smash hit. “Halloween Town” is a fun and bright pack with bold colors. “Haunted Harvest” features floral prints rich burgundy and moss colors. “VoooDooo” mixes purples, blacks, off-whites, golds, and greys with skulls, spiders, and voodoo occult images. “Halloween Party” is the perfect fit for a light and girly project – with its peach colors, flowers, and cutesy images.

Image from Kohls.com

As an owner of these pajamas in a different style from last year, I can say that they are in fact extremely comfortable. I love the new designs available for 2021 – Halloween characters in frames on a black background; pumpkins and fluffy black cats; and ghosts, cats, and pumpkins. Each set includes a top and matching pants with an elastic waistband.

Image from SpiritHalloween.com

Ever since I was a kid, I have loved buying new journals to write stories, poems, and ideas in. Absolutely anything one can imagine can be put to the blank pages. This Trick ‘R Treat journal looks so cute and would be a great way to flaunt my love for Halloween & horror. I also like that it has the built-in strap to keep the pages closed when not in use.

These glasses may be a little more fall themed than Halloween, but you have to admit, their cold, black eyes are pretty creepy! Each double old-fashioned glass has a unique owl design that is cut and polished by hand and then hand-painted by Turkish artisans. They have a 3” diameter and are 3.75” high with a 10.5-oz capacity.

If you like these, Williams Sonoma also sells hand towels, plates, and a tablecloth to match.

While the pickings were a little slimmer this year, it is still fun to go out and hunt for cool items. What did you find?

Share your haul pictures with me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

2024 Halloween Shopping

Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around

Read More »

57 Ghosts

Take part in a spirited séance aboard the historic – and haunted – Queen Mary with 57 Ghosts. From Master Magician and Apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, this 90-minute immersive experience takes

Read More »
Categories
Home Decor

HALLOWEEN SHOPPING 2019

HALLOWEEN SHOPPING 2019

Every year we get out Halloween shopping fix earlier and earlier. this August is no exception. The 2019 Halloween shopping season is already off to a strong start with stores across the nation offering new and exciting faire for lovers of the holiday and all its scary trappings. From major chains to specialty “Boo-tiques”, let’s take a look at the best new items for the Halloween 2019 shopping season:

2019 Halloween Shopping Highlights

1. Wheel of Fortune Wall Sign by Ashland ® . Michael’s ($18.00)

Michael’s has an incredibly strong selection of decor this year. They invested heavily in creating a vintage Halloween collection. Their Wheel-Of-Fortune wall sign has a spinner for guests to see what their future may hold on Halloween. This is a beautiful recreation of the holiday divination games of yore and certainly adds an element of fun to your party or room set-up. Fortunes include “Something Lost Will Come Back to You”, “Now Is the Time to Try Something New”, and “You Will Live a Long and Happy Life”. Although this piece could have benefited from more varied fortunes and clever new phrases for a modern audience, its authentic feel makes it one of the hottest items on my shopping list this year.

2. Animated Vintage Halloween Radio. Grandin Road ($59.00)

This product may have been on the market for a couple years now, but it is one of the most over-looked and under-rated Halloween props I have come across. This spooky battery-powered radio has four hours of listening content across its 19-channels, including selections from vintage horror radio classics like the 1938 Dracula or a reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven. The sound quality is decent – it certainly gets across the spooky old radio feel, while still allowing you to clearly hear the recordings. It is also nice to have something else to listen to instead of playing “Monster Mash” on repeat.

3. Halloween Mist Maker. Sur La Table ($25.00)

Sometimes just a small touch of whimsy for your table is all you need, and this Halloween Mist Maker from Sur La Table fits that purpose. This compact ultrasonic mist maker with color-changing LED lights is easy to use and creates a nice effect when placed in a pumpkin, cauldron, or bowl. This seems like a perfect alternative to a traditional fogger, which may be too big or bulky for your purposes.

4. Legend Of Sleepy Hallow Book Purse. Etsy – Novel Creations ($58.00)

Want that perfect accessory for the entire Halloween season and beyond? Check out Etsy seller, NovelCreations, for beautifully crafted recycled book purses. I love the above Legend of Sleepy Hallow purse, but they have other chilling titles such as Frankenstein, Dracula, The Handbook for the Recently Deceased, Classic Ghost Stories, Hocus Pocus Spell Book, and more. You can also add custom accents, credit card holders, and more (for additional fees).

5. Halloween Sheet Music Wall Prints. Etsy – Relections Wall Art ($20)

If by this point you still have any wall space left in your home, Etsy seller, ReflectionsWallArt, has a variety of ghoulishly unique prints. These old Halloween sheet music covers add fanciful frights to your walls – and would work very well if you have a music room. Now, if only they came with the sheet music as well! I’d love to learn some of these pieces, like the “Ghost Dance“.

6. Grim Reaper Globe Living Projection Halloween Inflatable. Home Depot ($199.00)

For fans of inflatable yard decor, this Grim Reaper Globe Halloween Inflatable is certainly a wonderful addition to your collection. The globe acts as a projection screen for the compact projector included with the kit. The projector includes five scenes and four transitions with sounds. If you are technologically savvy, you can upload your own scenes to the projector for a customized display.

The projector does look small and may not have enough lumens to give a theater-quality projection, but this is an exciting addition to the market and hopefully means that we can expect even more advanced consumer-friendly projection-mapping technology in the years to come.

7. Toscano Rest in Pieces Grim Reaper Sculpture. Lowe’s ($79.95)

Finding quality resin tombstones for your graveyard display can be difficult – the majority of stores only carry foam tombstones. Lowe’s is offering this over 2′ high tombstone for 2019. The durability and added weight from resin props means that it will stand up to the elements for a display meant to last longer than a few hours on Halloween night. I especially love that the design is creepy, yet not corny – it does have the morbid look of real old-time gravestones.

8. Good Fortune Box Wall Sign by Ashland ™ . Michael’s ($12.00)

As stated previously, Michael’s Halloween selections are top notch this season. Aside from the vintage Halloween collection, they also have a variety of Fortune Telling themed decor. This box wall art may only be 7.87″ x 5.91″ x 1.38″, but the design has a big impact. The moth’s skull and eyes pattern makes a beautiful addition to one’s wall and can remain up all year to accent a goth decor.

9. Twilight Woods Frangrance . Bath & Body Works ($14.50)

This fall marks the return of one of my favorite scents from a few years ago, Twilight Woods. The fragrance is described on the Bath & Body Works website as “an enticing blend of apricot nectar, mimosa petals, and Tuscan cypress”. The scent is also available as a shower gel, body cream, body gel, body wash, body butter, and shimmer mist. Get this and smell great while you do all your Halloween shopping!

10. Martha Stewart Black Cat Halloween Photo Banner . Home Depot ($7.50)

This eerie black cat banner from the Martha Stewart Collection creates a fun photo op for your Halloween party. The poleyester banner measures 72.57″ high by 43.75″ wide and has eyelets to hang with ease. This product appears to be on clearance, so get yours before they disappear!

What are your favorite Halloween items so far for 2019? Have you already bought any of the above items and have a review? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram @EmilyIsHorror.

2024 Halloween Shopping

Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around

Read More »

57 Ghosts

Take part in a spirited séance aboard the historic – and haunted – Queen Mary with 57 Ghosts. From Master Magician and Apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, this 90-minute immersive experience takes

Read More »
Categories
Home Decor Lifestyle

Home Decorating – Haunted House Style

Home Decorating – Haunted House Style

An old saying states, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”. I could not have become such a dedicated mistress of macabre without the influence of my father. He introduced me to my first horror film before I can even remember, and by the time I was four began a horror/sci-fi/fantasy movie collection with me. Growing up, we would go to every horror convention within a three hour radius of our hometown and would drive up to seven hours to go to haunted houses during October. He was always a fan of outlandish haunted house style decorating.

When I visited home this past December, he gleefully showed me his creepy graveyard scene he set up in the soon-to-be kitchen of his new house. Since it was all torn up and waiting to be remodeled, the space served as a perfect home for his growing collection of gravestones, ghouls, and other ghastly guests. Who says you can’t celebrate Halloween year-round?

2024 Halloween Shopping

Happy Halloween shopping 2024! For over two decades now, the Halloween shopping season has been my main time for household and clothing purchases. Each year, I love to shop around

Read More »

57 Ghosts

Take part in a spirited séance aboard the historic – and haunted – Queen Mary with 57 Ghosts. From Master Magician and Apparitionist Aiden Sinclair, this 90-minute immersive experience takes

Read More »