death makes a holiday

today's entry has a dark theme all around.

it started off this morning when i applied for a job at a crematory. how cool would that be?! holy geez. not only do i need *a* job, i need THAT job! please please keep your fingers crossed for me...i think it's about time some good karma came my way! sheesh.

then i found out that my swamp rat photography shop has been accepted to join the etsy dark team! three cheers for blood and guts. i was starting to feel overwhelmed by all the "cutesy" going on over at etsy. not that i haven't met loads of nice people already, because i have! and it's not that i can't appreciate cute as much as the next person, because i happen to love me some cute. see?



but i think y'all know how i roll by now. and besides, i feel a lot more at home among these artists and crafters and morbid ol' souls. it's really frustrating to be looked over or straight-out ignored by people who don't know how to respond to your obsession with dead things and serial killers. ya know?

i brought out all the halloween decorations today while josh was at work.



decorating our house for any holiday is a difficult task because i already have so much crap everywhere that it ALREADY looks decorated. ha. before i quit the thrift store, i made sure to grab up some cute halloween things so that i could actually get into it this year. if there is anyone still reading this thing that remembers my first post waaaaay back in january, you will understand how finding josh made my boring old house a home worth dressing up for the holidays.




i LOVE these guys! they are s'mores, all dressed up for halloween! technically they are ornaments because they have a hook on top, but i like them just as well sitting on top of our entertainment stand. i also have a frankenstein and a dracula, but they are packed away with the christmas oraments.


this little guy is an old favorite.


is this not the coolest candle holder ever?! she has hair on the back of her hand like a werewolf!!






in the background you can see a photo from when we went to halloweekends at cedar point last year. that's me, josh, my cousin amy and her husband matt, all posed in a real coffin (with some ghoulie hanging out with us)!!!


and here is one of my favorite things that i liked so much when i put it up, i just might leave it up year round. it looks even better with the lights out!




i just finished reading the book "death makes a holiday" by david skal. it is a cultural history of halloween, although i wish it went into more detail and was about 3 times the length. some of it was rather dry in places, but i really liked the chapter entitled "home is where the hearse is" that explored haunted houses and the art of "yard haunting." this is an interesting read for those interested in the history and traditions of halloween.



i am also a huge fan of vintage halloween imagery, so finding this book of vintage halloween graphics by jim heimann was a big score.



here are some great images (sorry the photos aren't the best)









looking forward to halloween this year, as well as dia de los muertos a few days later!!!