5th: Halloween Decor - Cat Clown in a Pumpkin

The '5th' in the title is referring to today's date, the 5th of October. This is because I'm taking part in The Countdown to Halloween, but joined up a little late. So the countdown commences from today here!

Anyway, the above photograph is of an ornament I got last year featuring a cat dressed as a clown, in a pumpkin. It came from TK Maxx and, strangely enough, in my experience, they often have odd handmade decorations like that in there. This one is approximately 20-25cm tall and even though I have no idea what exactly the Juggles the Kitty (that's not really his name, I just made that up, obviously) is supposed to be doing, it has cats, clowns, pumpkins and a vintage feel, so I love it! (Seriously though, what do you think he's doing there o.O?)

Most of it is made of something that feels like a slightly heavier version of papier mache, with the accents being made of various fabrics. The cat looks pretty derranged - in the nicest possible way though! - and he's got his tongue sticking out as well.

The pumkin is also fairly unhinged with his swirly eyes and slightly open mouth, but it's the details like that that make this piece rather charming!

This post is part of The Countdown to Halloween

Blog Events: Blogger Virtual Zombie Walk 2012

Don't forget, the annual Blogger Virtual Zombie Walk, started by Autumnforest of Ghost Hunting Theories, is back again this year on October 19th. The reins have been handed over to the excellent Zombies Everywhere blog this time, so get ready for the undead fun! You can sign up at Zombies Everywhere, right up until October 17th. Better get shambling over there, zombies!

Halloween Decor: Shocking Spider Shadow Maker

Halloween is fast approaching (finally!) so there will be quite a few posts about Halloween haul over the next year month here on HSL. I've decided to start with this little creepy-crawly candle holder, since I know how much you all love our arachnid friends! (They're adorable. Seriously!) Anyway, this is called a Shocking Shadow Maker and it's from a shop called Marks & Spencer in the UK.

In a softly-lit scenario it's glittery and unassuming, adding a subtle scariness to your decor. However, when back-lit it casts a shadow that's sure to send cold shivers down any arachnophobic's spine! The position of the legs - with one raised a little higher - particularly makes it startling I think.

It comes with a tea light candle in the holder, which is supposed to provide the shadow-casting illumination. However, if you don't want to light the wick, the same effect can be achieved by simply shining a well-angled lamp at it. 

Obviously, white / light backgrounds work particularly well with this item, as both the candle holder itself and the shadows are dark. However, if you use the candle provided, the silhouette can be seen in the shadow maker's self-produced glow, even against a black backdrop (though in my great wisdom, I didn't take any photographs of that...).

As well as the main product, on the label tied to it, there is also a mobile phone tag, which you can scan and be taken to a short, animated Halloween song / video. It's just an extra little Halloween surprise to make you smile.

Marks & Spencer don't seem to stock this particular item online (I bought it in-store), but they do have other Halloween goodies in their webshop: HERE. I guess if you're from the US, this will seem like a poor selection, but to be fair Halloween still isn't that popular over here and M&S do carry lots more in their physical stores. :)

Events: Grimmfest 2012

Grimmfest, the Manchester-based international festival of horror and cult films, kicks off tomorrow (October 3rd) with a preview night in Stockport at the Plaza Super Cinema. There will be screenings of Sinister and American Mary, as well as short film Dysmorphia. Also, those attending could win a Universal monsters blu-ray box set!

The main Grimmfest 2012 event begins on October 4th and runs through October 7th. For full details and scheduling, visit the Grimmfest page at Grimm Up North.

Events: Shocktober Fest Scream Park - Zombie Gathering

Join in the Zombie World Record!

Will you go out on a limb?   On Saturday October 6th,we need your help to gain a World Record for the largest Zombie Gathering.  And in return we will give you a FREE PASS to access the scream park, PLUS enjoy discounted tickets for the haunts on this night. 

Promising a monster of a night out:

One huge terrifying night out!  Doors open at 5 pm for the Zombie training ground with music, entertainment, fire pits and plenty of flesh eating zombies.

At 7 pm, the Guinness World Record Adjudicator will announce if we have the Zombie Record.  The current record is 4093 and held by New Jersey. Will you help us get it?

At 7.30 pm, the Shocktober Fest scream park opens and all the living dead from the Zombie Training Ground move to the Scream Park, free of charge.  And for Zombies, there’s discounted online tickets for the haunts too.   Go on …. get involved.

To find out more details, you can visit the Zombie Gathering page below: 

http://www.halloweenattractions.co.uk/shocktoberfest/zombie-gathering/

In addition to the world record event, the Shocktober Fest Scream Park will be running at Tulley's Farm on the following dates (grouped by popularity of the days):

• 6th October - Preview night & Zombie Gathering
• 12th, 13th, 18th, 21st, 24th October - Low-season
• 19th, 20th, 25th, 28th, 29th, October, 1st November - Mid-season
• 26th, 30th October, 2nd November - High-season
• 27th, 31st October - Halloween-season
• 3rd November - Fireworks Festival

The park opens at 5pm and entry to the park closes at 9pm. The park shuts down completely at 11pm during early-mid-seasons, changing to midnight during high & Halloween seasons.

To find out more, or to book tickets, visit the main Scream Park page below:

Shocktober Fest Scream Park

Fashion & Toys: Sugar Skulls Keychain

Sugar Skulls keychain in purple

This pretty little face was given to me for my birthday last week! It's a Sugar Skulls keyring (purple), which has carved / engraved patterns all over it, including a longhorn-type skull on its forehead and flowers on the side. 

Longhorn on forehead

Flower on the left side

The height of the skull part is approximately 2 inches / 5cm and it's fairly heavy for a keyring! I like that about it though.

Back of skull

The only place I've been able to find them online is on The Works webshop, although they don't have the keychain version, only the clips. There are four kinds available: purple, black, yellow, and cream, each featuring a different design / pattern. The purple type is exactly the same as this one, apart from having a clip, but it's much closer to the colour in the photos in this post, rather than the bright pink colour in the webshop.

You can find all four variants stocked at The Works via the links below:

• Purple version
• Black version
• Yellow version
• Cream version