Halloween sticker stash, part 1

I was rummaging around in one of my desk drawers today and found some Halloween stickers that I totally forgot about. Some I've had for a long time and can't even remember where I bought them initially! Check out some of these gems:

These two designs are both by the same manufacturer and I probably acquired them around the same time (though I have no idea when). They're made of a hard rigid plastic and thicker than your average sticker. No date on these, and the website listed on the back is a dead end.

 

Next up: These jacko stickers by Hallmark. If I had to guess, I'd say I got these sometime in the mid to late 90s, judging from the price tag on the back. The Big Party! was a chain established in New England around 1995 and filed for bankruptcy about 5 years later, and was bought out by another chain called iParty, which was eventually consumed by Party City.

Check out that massive discounted price, too, woooooo

 

 

Next up: These great glittery foil ones by American Greetings, and altho I don't see a date on them or any other clues to their age, I don't think they are very old. I probably got these at a Target.

Next: These fantastically illustrated jackos by a company called Tattoo King. It's a little hard to see from the scan, but these have a light dusting of iridescent glitter accenting the design. The back bar code sticker says these were made in 2018, so another recently purchase. I can't remember where I got these, but I'm glad I did.

 

 

Next: This set of truly vintage stickers - printed around 1984, with a design nod to even older vintage Halloween aesthetics. These are fantastic and I love these illustrations. Classic Halloween in every sense.

 

 

These were made by the B. Shackman Company, which according to their (inactive) Facebook page was established in 1898:

"Manufacturer and wholesaler of vintage-inspired European- and American-made fine paper goods. Established in 1898.

Since 1898 B. Shackman Company has been manufacturing and importing unique gift items. Many remember our famous store in lower Manhattan in New York City.

Now we primarily supply our items at wholesale for other stores and gift shops to stock, but you can also buy our wonderful products direct online around the world! Please contact us for information on how to get your Shackman products."

Sadly, their website is a dead end and they haven't posted on Facebook since January 2018. 

Here's a scan of one of their neat old catalogs from about a century ago, from archive.org.

Kringle Candle 2021 Halloween pre-order hype!

As you might know, I am a huge Kringle Candle fan, especially around Halloween time. They just announced their pre-order is happening on 1st August (just in time for Lughnasadh, an ancient Irish festival marking the beginning of the harvest season). I didn't buy any of these ones last season but I think I will this time around!

What's new & different for the 2021 season?

Comparing it to my post about it last year:

New/Different:
According to the Kringle website, in 2021 there will be 16 different candles! In 2020, there were only 10 (if I recall correctly). The selection seems to be some repeats from last year, plus new ones. There are some scents returning, although some of those classics are being described as new & improved formulas. I've added descriptions from their Instagram site where available. This post will be updated as Kringle posts more info.

The scents this year include:

[* New Scent for 2021!  / ** New scent formula]

1. Poison Apple - One whiff of this enticing scent will transport you to a dreamlike state. Top: Apple, Bergamot Mid: Apple Blossom, Muguet, Jasmine Base: Amber, Vanilla, Oud Wood
2. Lady In White - * All dressed in white, a flicker of light deep in the night, the Lady in White. A pungent but lovely blend of forest greens, woody herbs & patchouli. Top: Forest greens, Earth Mid: Herbal, Ozone Bottom: Patchouli, Wood
3. Graveyard Night - We’ve conjured a mixture of savory & sizzling aromas of pumpkin with cinnamon, clove & nutmeg. It's a flaming favorite! Top: Pumpkin, Apple, Clove; Mid: Vanilla Pumpkin, Orange; Base: Spice, Vanilla Cream
4. Witches Cauldron - Primary notes of clove and cedar dance mysteriously with hints of incense, citrus and other exotics to create this utterly bewitching fragrance. Top: Cedar, Clove; Mid: Incense; Base: Incense
5. It's Alive! ** - Fresh Fir, fresh balsam, zest of lime & life. Top: Green, Herbal; Mid: Fourgere, Smoke; Base: Wood, Amber
6. Sleepy Hollow - * Don’t lose your head over Halloween, betwixt in the twilight of pumpkin & spices, musk & smoke… Top: Pumpkin, Spices, Anise Star Mid: Clove, Cinnamon, Caramel, Bayberry Bottom: Sweet Smoke
7. Spectre - * Someone there? A waft of this mostly ghostly scent captivates. Top: Bergamot, Red Currant, Fig Leaves Mid: Waterlily, Gardenia, Pomegranate Seeds Bottom: Must, Warm Amber, Galbanum
8. Wolf's Bane - While folklore suggests this unassuming yellow woodland flower might repel werewolves, we're sure its delightful floral fragrance will have you happily howling at the moon! Top: Floral; Mid: Amber; Base: Powder
9. Fright Night - Fiendishly delightful citrus notes swirl intriguingly with rare wood accords to create a fragrance that will drive you batty with pleasure! Top: Fruit; Mid: Patchouli; Base: Citrus
10. Haunted House - This fragrance will haunt you with warm clove, fresh pine and touches of spice and floral spookily brought together. Top: Smokey Firewood, Cedar; Mid: Black Pepper, Sweet-Spicy Pomander
11. Day of the Dead - A magical elixir of sparkling citrus mingles with spiced florals and rich oriental accords. Top: Citrus Mid: Florals Base: Oriental, Wood, Jasmine
12. Blood Moon * - A combination of super fruits within a shadow of earthy notes, our Blood Moon fragrance is total lunar magic. Top: Vibrant Cassis, Tamarind Pulp, Cedar, Bergamot Extract Mid: Pomegranate Seed, Blood Orange, Cassis, Clove Bottom: Incense, Acai Berry, Orange Blossom, Wild Ivy
13. Nightmare - * A nightmarish combination of herbals & florals or is it just a dream? You decide. Top: Cardamom, Green Palms Mid: Lily of the Valley, Orris, Violet Bottom: Musk, Cedarwood, Ambergris, Sandalwood
14. Scarecrow * - Welcoming this scarecrow into your house with open arms is a no-brainer. Top: Tobacco, Oriental Mid: Bergamot, Herbal Bottom: Leather, Amber
15. Candy Corn - Who can ever pass by that dish of tri-colored Halloween candy? Nobody! Here's our take on the classic creamy vanilla, honey and light spice that bedevils every autumnal sweet tooth. Top: Creamy Vanilla Mid: Sweet Honey Base: Light Spice
16. Black Cat - Good things happen when this cat crosses your path. A complex blend of wood, citrus and musk create a bright freshness. Top: Spicy Cinnamon Mid: Clove Base: Cedar, Frankincense

(All info from Kringle Candle's official site & social media)

Teaser video below!

 As with last year - This is not a paid promotion! I just love their stuff. 🎃

Countdown to Halloween 2021 Instagram challenge

If you're new to reading my blog, you might not know that I also have an Instagram account. The 100 days countdown to Halloween began a few days ago, and I decided to participate in a daily-post challenge created by Instagram user @halloweenhappy - here is part 1 of the challenge! 

 

 

Check out my Instagram feed by clicking the collage below - and I'd love it if you'd follow me if you've got an account. I tend to post stuff there that doesn't make the blog here. I'm going to be posting a lot more frequently on here and Insta, now that the Halloween season is approaching!

Music Monday - Peter Murphy

 In today's rotation: 

 Peter Murphy - The Last and Only Star (Rarities)

 

(click the pic above to listen via Spotify) 

(& if you don't know who Peter Murphy is, get thee to a Goth Music 101 course)

Mysterious places: The Mima Mounds of Washington state

I recently paid a visit to a strange and beautiful place just a little further south of Olympia, WA (the state capital) known as the Mima Mounds, ("MY-mah") a 600+ acre nature preserve with unusual features: an expanse of hilly mounds that are fairly equal in size, height, and distribution which formed thousands of years ago.

The weirdest part is that, despite extensive research nobody knows for sure exactly what created them/how they got there.

I first became intrigued with the Mima Mounds a few months ago when I watched a virtual video tour about them by Pretty Gritty Tours, a Tacoma, WA based local business that conducts historical and cultural walking tours of Tacoma and the surrounding area. Since the pandemic, the Pretty Gritty team has offered quite a number of engaging virtual tours to help keep themselves and their patrons occupied and entertained. The Mima Mounds video tour is a fascinating, in-depth look at the site, including the history and science surrounding them - I've linked it at the end of this post, and I highly recommend it.

But, as with most things, you can't really get a sense for what a place is like til you go there and experience it for yourself.

The first striking thing about this place is how quiet it is. 

At least, it was the afternoon I visited.

Yes, that is to be expected in more rural parts, but anyone from western WA knows how hard it is to find true quiet anywhere near the I-5 corridor. I've been to lots of parks and nature areas of WA, and very rarely have I experienced peaceful silence like I found at the Mima Mounds.

We were also very fortunately to arrive on a beautiful day and at the ideal time, the mild golden hour before sunset. There was a slight breeze and the temperature was perfectly comfortable.

It's a surreal feeling to wander amongst the mounds, with only the birds for company. We saw only about 5 other human beings the entire time we were there (2 were leaving as we arrived, then a small group arrived after we did, but quickly went their own direction and out of sight/earshot).

It was surprising to find a beautiful park so empty, when most places like this are thronged with weekenders taking their evening strolls at this hour. It's almost eerie how quiet it was -- but in a comfortable way, not unsettling in the slightest.

Beautiful flowers and vegetation are plentiful here, and the tall golden grasses catch the sunlight and seem to glow. Meandering through here feels meditative, like walking a labyrinth. Old Earth magic resides here.

 

Notice the weird glitch in the above photo, it looks almost cut in half, and darker on the bottom - no idea how or why that happened.

 

You can learn more about the Mima Mounds by watching the Pretty Gritty Tours video below. 

 

 

 

(all photos copyright Petrichor & Pumpkins) 

Home Depot Halloween 2021

YouTube knows me well enough that it recommended this video today, and I have to say - I am seriously impressed with Home Depot's animatronic offerings for Halloween for 2021. Here are some of my favorites --

 

This guy is 12 ft tall!

 

Home Depot really seem to be stepping up their game, and honestly these ones rival Spirit Halloween's stuff, which I've found has been pretty ho-hum over the past couple years. 

It looks like many of these are already back ordered! A lot of people are going to have pretty epic home haunts this year, I bet. 

Maybe someday, when I'm not living in an apartment, I will too. A ghoul can dream...

Preview video can be seen in full below!

Vampires vs. The Bronx

If you combined The Lost Boys and In the Heights in a blender, the resulting smoothie might be something like Vampires vs. The Bronx (2020), which is currently on Netflix. This one didn't change my life or anything but it was fun as hell to watch. Check out the trailer below -

 

My rating: 6/10 Jackos

[ 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃 _ _ _]

Summerween 2021 Mixtape!

July 4th is over -- Orange and black stuff is starting to appear in craft stores and home decor shops. Spooky season has now begun! Here's a selection of tracks to accompany the sultry evenings where sweaty, creepy things go bump in the night.

If you'd prefer like a YouTube version of this list, it can be found below!