Smiling Halloween Cats

I love Halloween black cats!

I used to have a very wonderful black cat.

It's because of her that I have a small collection of Halloween

black cat collectibles.

I have a fondness for the smiling ones.

The one in the middle is from Dept 56.

"Cat on Pumpkin" candle holder,

I got it a few years ago from the

now gone Desert Passage Shops
Dept 56 store, at the now gone
Aladdin casino.

It's still available today
but it's now from Glitterville.

Glitterville Halloween, Cat on Pumpkin candle holder

get one here

All that candy stacked up on its back

is a sculptural wax taper candle.

It's from Dept56 too,

but it's no longer available.

So I'll never burn it.

The other happy cat

is a little wooden treat box,

I found at Michael's some years back.

Reach your hand in under the cloth

to find a treat....if you dare.

 Next
is another Michael's find

This smiling cat 

is a little bas-relief sign

wishing everyone a Happy Halloween! 

He is several years old too

but surprisingly,

 I saw one just like it at Michael's this year!

Some of my cats aren't smiling

but I think they're happy!
 

This one is a Radko cookie jar

from his Shiny Bright Halloween line.

The Cat-o-Lantern.

Based off of the old blow mold plastic light

Here's an Ebay image of one.

They go for quite a lot now,

this one is listed for $45.

I think I like my cookie jar better.

Another find at that gone Dept56 store,

The Dept 56 Cat in the Pumpkin salt & pepper shaker.
The pumpkin with google eyes is the salt shaker
and the cat's head lifts off as the pepper shaker.

This little HomeGoods Annalee black cat,

bewitched its way into my collection last year!

Because it's not a holiday

without a little Annalee!
Finally, 

I have a black cat pillow.

This one reminds me most of my

beloved cat, it looks just like her.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful

Halloween season.

Halloween in full swing

We've just added the table runner to the hutch -buffet

That's it under the Dept 56 Google Eye Devil Cider Server.

Isn't it fun, wild, and Halloweeny?

Eden, my wife's friend, did a wonderful job on it!

It captures all the colors of the Halloween collectibles.

In the back is the Dept56 Google Eye Witch Spreader.

Her fingers come off her hands to reveal spreading knives.

CREEPY!!!

In front of her is the Fitz and Floyd

"Pumpkin Ghost" candle holders.

They are holding Frankenstein's monster candles.

My mother bought the candles for me back in the early 80's.

They have such a cute expression on their faces, very content....

which is strange,

 seeing how afraid the monster is of fire!

Next we have the

Dept 56 Google Eye Skull chip and dip server.

I found this on Ebay seven years ago.

The Dip goes in the skull!

GROSS!!! 

Like all the google eye line,

his eye balls jiggle and wiggle around when you move him.

Just to the right

is the newest Ozark addition this year,

even though they're a few years old and discontinued.

The Dept 56 Crows candle holder.

 

The candles look like ears of corn. 

Just the thing for party crows!

Next we find the
Dept. 56 google eye Bride of Frankenstein candy bowl
from the "Dr. Frankenstein's Laboratory" line,
Below the Bride we find the
Frankenstein Hand Vase

full of Twizzlers. 

I found it at an online company about 5 years ago.

The moment I saw it I knew I wanted it as a candy server.

I don't know if it's safe for food,

so I always use individually wrapped Twizzlers for it.

Next to the hand is

the Dept 56 "Dr. Frankenstein's Laboratory" Donor Skull

google eye salt and pepper shaker. 

The skull is the salt shaker

and sits under the tiny cloche jar,

the base is the pepper shaker. 

I purchased it on sale, at the now gone Dept 56 store,

at the Aladdin Hotel Casino shops,

which is now Planet Hollywood Hotel Casino.

The Fat Bat is a cookie jar

I found him at an after Halloween 75% off sale at

Cost Plus World Market a few years ago!

What a lucky find he was.

He has become my wife's favorite.

Next  we have the

dancing Frankenstein's salt and pepper shakers

an Ebay find of three years ago.

And a Kohl's Jack o Lantern candy dish.

Reach in for a treat....if you dare!

The little Halloween plates in the back are

this year's find from Kohl's as well.

Do you see the little candy corn elf?

He's from Annalee,

I found him hiding at HomeGoods

Remember, It's never a holiday without a little Annalee!

 One last Thing

I added the Zombie Head cookie jar to the

Halloween hodgepodge.

He sits on top of the fridge next to a pumpkin tissue box cover

I found at Target five years ago. 

It was their last one, I was lucky to find it too. 

When witches go riding

A little drawing I created last Halloween.

Just thought it would be nice to post it

on Ozark's blog.

Got the poem off of an old 1917 Hallowe'en card.

You will notice I borrowed the ghost and a bat

for the Halloween banner at the top.

Halloween Decorating!

October is finally here!

YAY!

I've been a little busy with other things

and haven't had time to blog.

 But I have been decorating!

My wife happened to catch a pic with her phone of

my Halloween hutch in the midst of being decorated.

We've hired her girlfriend to sew up a new

Halloween valance for the kitchen

and two table runners.

One runner will go on the buffet

This is the main fabric

that we found at Joann Etc.

and

this is the accent fabric. 

I love how it has orange and black stripes in it

to match the main fabric.

Check back soon as I post more about the decorations

and go a little in depth about the collection.

Halloween Dreaming Continued

I was just on Ebay recently,

and searched under the term

"Halloween Salt and Pepper"

and this popped up....

Pacific Trading Attractives
A Pacific Trading kissing Frankenstein and bride
magnetic salt and pepper shakers listed as "zombies".

Well let me tell you,

one of Ozark's other larks includes
an affection for the Frankenstein Monster.

In particular, 
a love for Herman Munster,

I have celebrated many a Halloween as

Herman Munster

Herman Munster with Halloween pumpkin bucket



Me as Herman with Halloween pumpkin bucket 

I hired a seamstress who, coincidentally, 

was from Transylvania.

How cool is that?

I bought the greenish brown fabric for the jacket and pants  

at a fabric shop where the woman working there

had actually met Fred Gwen dressed as Herman!

Fred Gwen was dressed as Herman, not the woman.

I then purchased the uncolored and bald foam forehead

from an actual Hollywood makeup shop.  

I did all the makeup myself

with lots of Fred Gwen reference shots setting around. 

 But I digress.....

That kissing salt and pepper shaker set,

while not Herman Munster,

 

would certainly fit in to the Ozark Halloween ensemble.

Through many shady dealings
in dark laboratories of old dank castles,
with crazed scientists
and their hunchback assistants
I was able to procure many a relic....

a One Hundred 80 Degrees

Frankenstein mug

 

The "Franken-stein"

image source

 designed by creative people from 

"One Hundred 80 Degrees"

started by Stephen Brown

the creative mind behind 

the world of Glitterville.

 

next we have a...

Frankenstein hand vase. 

(I use it to display

individually wrapped red Twizzlers

during the Halloween season.

They look like veins sticking out!)

And there's a.....

Dept 56 google eye Bride of Frankenstein Bowl.

Acquired exclusively from FTD about 5 years ago.

Her eyes jiggle as you move her around.

And I must not forget my

sock monkey Frankenstein

Given to me, as a gift,

from my art director boss.

So, as you can see,

this little Ebay find

will fit in quiet gruesomely this Halloween.

The End

Halloween Dreaming

I've just added a new dream acquisition to Ozark's wish list!
Which happens more than I'd care to admit.
But it is fun to dream.
I love Halloween and am constantly on the lookout for new and retro items.
Every so often I google the term "Halloween Cookie Jar" and see what comes up.

My heartbeat increased when this popped on the screen...

Where to get one

Isn't this dreamy? 

It's a perfect Halloween addition to Mr. Ozark's collection
of bright, shiny, not too scary, and fun
Halloween ceramics. 

Zombies are so "in" right now too.

I loved the first season of the AMC series "The Walking Dead".

It's all about zombies.

Season 2 is coming this fall!

This cookie jar is highly detailed,

I love the brains and blood and 

his whimsical zombie facial expression.  

 The hair sticks up in a way to form holds for your fingers to pull his top off...

 

to get his yummy innards.

This jar is huge...a human head can fit inside...um, "as shown" on the website where this thing is sold

at

ThinkGeek.com

I hope to be placing my order soon!