Vintage Photo Friday: The Halloween Edition

The photo isn't vintage. But my costume sure is. Anyone wanna guess what I am for this year's annual Halloween Costume Party? 

It's kinda cute. It's kinda creepy. It's very me...

Well...gotta dash. I have a party to throw!

What was your Halloween costume this year ? 

Use Your Braaains... A $10 or Less Costume Idea

Make this Halloween a BYOB. Bring Your Own Brains!

Halloween is the second most expensive holiday in the United States. And we don't even exchange gifts! Between the candy, the costumes and the decorations, it can get pretty costly. 

But if you're looking for something cheap, something easy and something with a little bite... you need to become  a zombie. 

In order to pass as undead you'll need two things...the attitude and the ensemble. So let's first discuss how to get the zombie look. 

1. First, you'll need to dig through your closet for some clothes you don't mind destroying. If you can't part with anything from your wardrobe, take a trip to the thrift store.  I estimate a cheap shirt and pant combo costing an average of $7. Make several tears and holes in these garments. You were attacked by the clawing hands of the undead and you did not survive. It's gonna get messy.
2. The dollar store is your friend. Most dollar stores have a small cosmetics section. Look for eyeshadows in green/gray/light blue and black...something to give you the perfect postmortem look. You might even find a tube of theatrical blood for a buck. If not, those can be bought cheaply elsewhere. 
3. Take a few cotton balls to your eyeshadows and dust over your face and any visible skin. Go dark under the eyes. Zombies don't sleep, so you want those under-eye circles! Don't forget to coat your mouth with a bit of the blood and maybe apply a few liberal squirts to the holes of your clothing. Finally, ladies, muss the hair in an undead up-do that looks like there was a struggle, or simply let it hang in your face. Like I said, it's messy being dead.

Now, as per the zombie attitude...  It's all about the movements and the moaning. Keep the eyes cold and unfocused. Think slow, painful motions combined with an exaggerated stupor. "Like a drunk who's lost a bet."

Since I like to get reaaaallly into Halloween and was acting in a neighborhood haunted house, I invested in edible theatrical blood capsules to dribble from my mouth. (Warning: they taste like cough medicine, but have a pretty horrific effect). I also borrowed a brain from my friend (literally) and gnawed on it a great deal. 

In short, I make a pretty unconvincing undead cannibal. Don't ya think?

Clothes: From my own closet $0

Eyeshadow palette in gray/green/blue: $1 from Dollar Store

Black eyeshadow: $1 from Dollar Store

Cotton balls: $1 from Dollar Store

Theatrical blood: $3 from convenience store

Edible blood capsules $3 from Halloween store

Brain: Free meal

Vintage Photo Friday: Beautiful Abandon

This is The Ball House as it stood in 1949. Built in 1903, the estate was renowned for its Victorian style in what is now Skagit County, Washington.

The property was first abandoned in 1913, following a terrible flood which terrified John Ball and his family and sadly, killed two of the family dogs. 

Ever since its last occupants in the 1930s, the house became something of a local legend. A regular attraction for spectators of the supernatural, The Ball House would succumb to natural wear and tear as the years went by. 

How do I know any of this?

The previous owner and presumed photographer personally inscribed this photo. With a bit of research, I found that the rest was history.

And sadly, the tangible history of this mysterious house is no more. 

According to The Skagit River Journal The Ball House fell mercy to the  Washington winds, and finally tumbled down back in 1996.

What a shame. It's the decrepit buildings, rich with history but in desperate need of repair, that most fascinate me. I would have loved to visit The Ball House. But in some small way, thanks to this thrifted piece of history, I feel almost as if I had. 

The Ball House   

Skagit County, Washington

Built in 1903.

Photographed in 1949 by Bill Osbourne

Thrifted in 2011 by Jackie Jardine

Let's Go Haunting: You Are Getting Very Sleepy...

Advanced Techniques of Hypnosis Book, Philly AIDs Thrift $2 

I hope that you are enjoying the special October editions of Let's Go Thrifting Haunting. In the last installment of delightfully spooky secondhand entertainment, I busted out the vintage Ouija board.

But for this evening's entertainment, I suggest you gather a few impressionable friends for some good ol' fashioned hypnotism. Ladies, don't forget to  get glam for the occasion, Old Hollywood style. 

Some swear by the power of suggestion for the treatment of addiction. Some enjoy self-guided hypnosis for meditation. I just want to make my friends cluck like chickens and other equally embarrassing shenanigans. 

No Hypnosis disk? No problem. (If you have epilepsy and are prone to seizures, please do not risk your health for hypnotism).  

Everybody else, give it a shot! 

Who's sleepy? 

And who's ready to come to school in the nude and cluck like a chicken...?

Let's Go Haunting: The Vintage Ouija Edition

The date was September 22nd. It was a breezy Saturday morning and knowing that the flea market season would soon come to an end here in Philadelphia, I decided to take a look around a few local spots.

I didn't find much, just a few records. When I was about to leave my second flea market, I spotted a sign. Across the street, tucked away just behind a sharp turn of a small residential street, was a homemade cardboard sign marked "Yard Sale." I decided to check it out before grabbing a cup of coffee. 

There was a small assortment of inexpensive dolls, scuffed and worn handbags and Christmas crafting supplies. Then, I saw it. Seemingly out of place, I found this William Fuld Talking Board.

While the Ouija board in its earliest form was born in 1890, this particular incarnation  of the Mystifying Oracle was sold to Parker Brothers in 1966.

I love the solid masonite board...

...and the cream color of the plastic message indicator...

...and the graphics with the detailed instructions on the back of the box.

Did you know that the Ouija rules state a preference to the two persons using the board being "a gentleman and a lady?"

According to the instructions, "it draws two people using it into close companionship and weaves about them a feeling of mysterious isolation..."

And in keeping with the mysterious, above all else I love this flea market find because...

September 22nd, if you recall, was the start of the autumnal equinox. Yes, I bought a vintage Ouija board.... secondhand... from some random yard sale...on the autumnal equinox---the celestial equilibrium between day and night.

OOOOHHHH creepy. Of course, you know my theories on secondhand scares and personal the imprint of the former owners. And with me bringing a secondhand Ouija board into the house, I feel like I'm just sending an open invitation to any ghost who just happens to be hanging 'round the neighborhood. Well, it is October after all.

Incidentally, this is how Regan's problems started. Just saying...

William Fuld Talking Board Ouija, 1966: $2

Ghost: Free with purchase