Black crows, but not black toes

I am super excited for this blog too (though I'M intimidated by putting up my photos next to your pieces of photographic art). And I LOVE those tanks. You knew I'd pick orange. They look so softie.

You know what else I get excited about?

Yes you do. Bird stuff.

That's why I had to have these black paper crow silhouettes for my Halloween decor (they are by Martha Stewart Crafts and I found them at Joann Fabrics). Because crows are normal, and at the same time slightly creepy, when in the right setting. You know what else is normal but also a little creepy? Warty-looking gourds. My kids and I are pretending that you get warts if you touch them. (But since my son can't remember the word "warts" he just says "those things witches get on their noses.")


I don't usually decorate for Halloween (though to my husband's dismay, I've always really liked the holiday ever since I was a kid). Many people don't care to acknowledge Halloween due to its dark roots, but our family sticks to the positive aspects. And naturally, I stick to that which is cute, no matter the season.

But seriously, the spider web situation is killing me. I'm sure you have no problem with it at all....it's not sticking down, changing its shape every day, being picked at by the kids....that stuff is very frustrating to people who like order.

But one attempt at cuteness went awry. My mistake took place yesterday. I got a mani/pedi, thinking I'd reflect the season with some nail drama. So I chose a dark raspberry color for my toes, and a flat taupe for my fingers. What, you say? Isn't that black polish on my toes? Look at this horror!


Those are not dark raspberry. After that second coat, the sassy and dramatic color morphed into something too dark, and now my toe polish looks completely black to all people who are not 6 inches tall and examining my toes in direct sunlight.

I know you're thinking you won't get an October pedi because you've moved on, from sandals to boots, but you will cave. I know these things. So my advice, friend, when you do go, is to stay away from that which will morph into black. Not too dark. I'm liking plum or chocolate.

Moral of the story: Black crows = Yes. Black toes = No.

Here are a few more shots of my small corner of spookiness. Also at Joann Fabrics were the Martha 3-D black glittered chandeliers. Don't you love these? My son picked the Martha spider silhouettes to go with my crows and chandeliers. I straight pinned them with scrunches of fabric scraps inside display frames (also Martha Stewart, that I found at Michaels Crafts) which are about half the depth of a shadow box and come with a set of "specimen" pins. Perfect for my creepy, paper arachnid specimens.

I guess all that's missing in my display is the candy. When I find some, I'll share my Reese's Pieces with you.

Promise.