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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Halloween in School Disrespectful to Real Witches?

A Washington state school district is canceling its annual Halloween celebration, and the explanation has some parents baffled.
"Let them have their 30 minutes of dressing goofy and having candy," Silas Macon, a father of two school-age girls, said Wednesday outside Maplewood Elementary School after learning that the grade-school tradition of a party and parade in costume during the last half-hour of class before Halloween night won't happen this year in the district.
A letter sent home to parents Wednesday said there will be no observance of Halloween in any of the district's schools.
"We really want to make sure we're using all of our time in the best interest of our students," Puyallup School District spokeswoman Karen Hansen said.
The superintendent made the decision for three primary reasons, Hansen said. First, Halloween parties and parades waste valuable classroom time. Second, some families can't afford costumes and the celebrations thus can create embarrassment for children.
Both of those reasons seemed sensible to the parents who spoke to ABC News affiliate KOMO-TV in Seattle. But the district's third reason left some Puyallup parents shaking their heads.
The district said Halloween celebrations and children dressed in Halloween costumes might be offensive to real witches.
"Witches with pointy noses and things like that are not respective symbols of the Wiccan religion and so we want to be respectful of that," Hansen said.
The Wiccan, or Pagan, religion is said to be growing in the United States and there are Wiccan groups in Puyallup.
On the district's list of guidelines related to holidays and celebrations is an item that reads: "Use of derogatory stereotypes is prohibited, such as the traditional image of a witch, which is offensive to members of the Wiccan religion."
"I do lots of things that are not revolving around wearing a black outfit and stirring a cauldron," Wiccan priestess Cheryl Sulyma-Masson said in an interview with ABC News in which she explained that Wiccans, or Pagan Clergy, celebrate nature.

Friday, August 27, 2010

101 Halloween Ideas

http://www.101halloweenideas.com/halloween_ideas_01.html


This site has awesome ideas to make Halloween fun this year...check them out!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Vintage Halloween Decorating



Halloween collector and artisan Bruce Elsass throws frightfully whimsical parties in his home decked out in fanciful antique Halloween decorations. Take inspiration from his approach for ways to display your own collectibles. The decor in Bruce's dining room is typical of 1920s party decorating with exotic paper lanterns, colorful streamers, and ghoulish pumpkin faces. The room's focal point is a grinning Beistle black cat centerpiece that's nearly 80 years old.


A contemporary cat holds a lit jack-o'-lantern for the freeloading birds circling his tail. Their backdrop is a former doll's chest made from old orange crates and filled with German papier-mache pumpkins. For collectors, the smaller the pumpkins, the greater their value.




Majolica pottery -- stored year-round in a hutch -- complements the seasonal addition of Halloween decorations. The whimsical rectangular plates in back are paper pieces produced by the American Dennison Company between 1930 and 1950.








A grinning skeleton holds court among cobwebbydesserts. The homemade paper-pulp skeleton is held together with wires. The figure is surrounded by a permanent display case of antique bottles and jars, dressed up for the party with spray-on spiderwebbing. Dare kids and adults at your party to pick up candy and cookies at the skeleton's feet.


To view more go to this website:


http://www.bhg.com/holidays/halloween/indoor-decorating/vintage-halloween-decorations/?page=4

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Halloween Vignettes

So I was looking around today at some vignettes to see what I could do with my new and old Halloween Decor.  Here are some ideas I found....mind you there was loads but these caught my eye






I hope this helps to give you some ideas...I went on did a google search of Halloween vignettes images and loads popped up....happy decorating....

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Sneak Peek Open House Dollies

Ok y'all I am calling this a sneak peak LOL  anyways the characters are gettin restless in the old hollow to come out and play.  They are anxiously awaiting an adoption so be sure to stop by and peruse them and if you so like we can fill out the paperwork so one of them can be yours to take home or more ...I know they have been partyin and causing much chaos here at the house and I will be glad to adopt them to a good prim home.....

Rabbit Hollow Prims Fall 2010 Gallery

Monday, August 9, 2010

History of Pumpkin Carving

I grew up in the Northeast USA, where pumpkin carving was a MASSIVE Halloween tradition. Over here in Europe, people look at me like I’m an idiot when I tell them I want to cut a pumpkin up and stick a candle in it. At least, I hope that’s why they look at me like I’m an idiot – hard to know what these Europeeps are thinking. I was once asked why we (Americans) do this every October, and I realized I actually didn’t know. My answer was something along the lines of, “Well, cos we do.” Hmm. I may have just discovered the reason behind the aforementioned look.. Well, in case you’re clueless like I was, let me just fill you in on why we do it.

Where did all this start?

First, let’s mention that the idea of carving lanterns out of vegetables originated in Europe. Specifically, Scotland and Ireland. Which makes sense, considering the legend of Jack o’ Lantern started out with Stingy Jack – an Irishman.

Jack was cheap, eh?

Well.. yeah. I doubt he was a real person, however, so don’t get too upset about it. Legend says he was having a drink with the Devil and then refused to cough up his share of the check. He convinces the devil to turn himself into a coin, and once in that form, Jack puts him in his pocket. Seems Stingy Jack had a cross in there, which then made the Devil powerless. Before Jack released him, he made the Devil promise not to claim his soul.

So Jack was sly, eh?

Actually, I’m more inclined to think the Devil a total fool. If he could turn himself into a coin, surely he could have turned something else into a coin, and just paid for the drinks? Jack probably would have made a nice sized purse!




Well, he was sly enough to get away with it!

Depends on how you look at it – he saved his soul from the Devil, but God didn’t want him after that, either. So he was cursed to wander the earth in darkness. When Jack asked the Devil how he’d be able to find his way around, the Devil chucked him an ember from the eternal fire. I think we can all imagine how hot that would have been to hold, so Jack promptly carved a hole into a turnip and dropped his little light into it.

Sorry, did you say turnip?

Yeah. Sorry. If it were my legend, it would sound a lot better, I promise.

So what’s this to do with pumpkins, then?

It seems that people in Ireland and Scotland started carving faces into all kinds of vegetables, in order to keep ol’ Jack away – and other spirits, too. When these peeps emigrated to the USA, they brought their veggies along. No, I’m kidding. They got new ones – and discovered pumpkins were particularly well suited for scary faces and candles.

How long has it been associated with Halloween?

Wikipedia claims since 1866. I wasn’t there, however, so I can’t verify that claim. It would seem, however, a logical conclusion as the scary face thing does seem to go well with the general scary theme we associate with Halloween.
And there you are - the history of the Jack o' Lantern!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

How to Host a Kid's Halloween Party

Get ready for some serious sugar highs and heeby-jeebies because this Halloween party is all about getting the little ones grossed out and sugared up. Get ready for the oooohhhhs and aaahhhhhs because it's gonna be a good one!

Things You'll Need:

  • Marshmallows
  • Colored beanbag chairs
  • Ribbon, lifesavers or gummysavers
  • Sugar cookies, frosting, cake decorations, candy, sprinkles, cardboard base covered with tin foil
  • Pedestals, glass bowls, candy
  • Candy hearts, pen, foil
  • Pancakes, cake decorators, sprinkles, chocolate chips
  • Button candy, large swirl lollipops, lollipop tree
  • Jars covered in fabric or foil, gross supplies to place inside












Read more: How to Host a Halloween Party for Kids | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2001196_kids-halloween-party.html#ixzz0vywp3Y4H












Friday, August 6, 2010

Fall Drinks Sure to Please



Why not start the party with our Pumpkin Milkshake?  Bonus: it comes in the family-friendly mocktail version, too.*  Tip: Though pumpkin is inherently healthy, a lot of us try to watch our calorie intake around the holiday time, so it's easy to lighten this up.  Simply substitute low-fat milk, and low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt in the recipe.
*To make the mocktail, simply forego the rum.
Ingredients
  • 2 Oz Dark Rum
  • 1 Can Pumpkin Puree
  • 1 Pint Vanilla Ice Cream, softened
  • 4 Cup(s) Skim Milk
  • 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  •  Whipped Cream (Optional)
Steps
  • Place the pumpkin, ice cream, milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a blender. Blend slowly until thickened.
  • Serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top, if you’d like.
    Since everyone may not be in the mood for a thick milkshake cocktail (or mocktail), you have the option to lighten things up even more.  In that case, serve our special Blood Orange Martini, introduced to us by our favorite regular customer from our bartending days, Bernie McSherry.  Though it isn't pumpkin, per se, the pumpkin garnish and cinnamon make it the perfect and playful companion, and one that's just a touch lighter, for any Halloween or Thanksgiving party, than a milkshake.
    Ingredients
    • 1.5 Oz Orange Vodka
    • 1.5 Oz Campari
    • 1.5 Oz Orange Juice
    • A Sprinkle of Cinnamon
    •  Sliced or chunked raw pumpkin for garnish
    Steps
    • Combine the vodka, orange juice and Campari together and shake in a shaker with ice.
    • Pour into chilled martini glass and sprinkle cinnamon on top.
    • Garnish with sliced pumpkin on the side of the glass or chunk of pumpkin as a floater.
    No imbibing would be complete without a delicious snack, and with pumpkin cocktails, we'd be remiss in not providing a recipe for toasted pumpkin seeds! Ingredients: One pumpkin Olive oil, vegetable oil, or olive-oil based cooking spray Sea salt
      Directions:
      • Preheat oven to 400°F.
      • Cut open the pumpkin and scoop out the insides.
      • Separate and rinse the seeds.
      • Add the seeds to water (2 or so cups of water to every half cup of seeds—use half tablespoon of salt for every cup of water.
      • Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.
      • Remove from heat and drain.
      • Spread oil or spray over the bottom of a roasting pan, and then put the seeds out over the roasting pan, all in one layer.
      • Bake for 15 or so minutes or until the seeds begin to brown.
      • Remove from oven, let cool, and then enjoy!
      Source: 

    Monday, August 2, 2010

    NEW NEW NEW JUST LISTED

    Come in and see what I just put up how about a Witch vacuum cover?
    http://www.etsy.com/listing/52894096/primitive-witch-vacuum-cover-awesome

    or some pilgrims?
    http://www.etsy.com/listing/52893340/primitive-mae-and-amos-pilgrim-makedos

    New Halloween Website Opening Up

    We are 30 days away from opening the Halloween Artists Website WHOOHOO!....Hop on over to the blog

    or find the group on facebook to keep up with all of the news.....