Hallowe'en 2016

Oh boy, am I late in posting this!

There is not a lot of room in the home so the mantle and fireplace is where I focus all of the seasonal displays. Christmas is the one exception to the rule. The living room and dining room are totally over the top Aladdin's Cave overwhelming!

This year I decided to display most of my paper Hallowe'en items. I had a lot more than I realized, this is about half! After putting all of the decorations away I discovered a box that had been overlooked, more cardboard and paper items!

This poster hung on the wall above my computer. It was tucked in a drawer, forgotten about, this is the first time that I have displayed it.

Here is a photo showing the whole Hallowe'en display. The only item moved from the Thanksgiving display was the small green stool. It went from under the marble top table onto the hearth on the right hand side.

Walking into the living room you can see a few items that are not completely visible from the front, the black cat on the pumpkin, the owl fortune telling game, and the side of the wooden box.

I hesitated in putting this picture in the post but decided to anyway, it's just a little closer look at the top half of this year's display.

The bare branches that were added into the mix of faux autumn leaves have been used to hang the Japanese rice straw leis, paper masks, gauze masks and the orange party hat on the right. The Mr. Peanut mask I purchased a couple of months ago. The four paper masks between the American Indian gauze mask and the paper black cat mask, my favourite, I think are villains from the Dick Tracey comics.

Here is a better look at the vignette that I created inside the Hudson's Soap box.The owl on the roll of dennison serpentine is an antique cloth tape measure. The witch candy container was made in U.S. zone Germany. the cat in front of her is a plaster filled celluloid cat.

Here's a closer look at the left side of the mantle, I love the cascading moss like effect that the leis give to the scene.

This picture shows some of the previous picture as well as some of the following picture. I wasn't certain if I should include it but you get a better look at the celluloid witch lantern, the black teapot and the smoker.

The black cat teapot looks extremely well behaved unlike the yowling black cat smoker or worse yet those mischievous black cat salt and pepper shakers.

The little fellow with a face on each foot is a Victorian match holder. The top of his head has holes in it for holding matches as do each of his toes. I suppose the burnt matches were placed in his mouth. He is not a Hallowe'en item but I have seen a lantern in the shape of a foot with a face on each toe, I love this little guy and used the likeness to the lantern as an excuse to showcase him.

I plonked an old paper party hat on the owl cookie jar. He stands next to a black cat teapot. The orange piece of card stock with the woman's face on it has recipes for Hallowe'en candy on the reverse side. My friend Karen gifted me with the bird jug, are you noticing as I am just now, that a tea party theme is emerging.

The wooden plaque above the German pumpkin is a pyrography or wood burning picture of "Cornish Litany".

My sculpture "Ready to Party" is hanging on the wall down in the righthand corner.

Here is a close-up of my sculpture "Ready to Party". It is available, go to this blog post for more information about it.

These plastic disguise glasses are from my youth, once I put them on absolutely no one recognized me!

Below the mantle are more treats, that lovely big German J-O-L with orange glassine paper inserts in the eyes nose and mouth, the happy family look of the pumpkin garland, and four paper plates behind the garland. Hanging on the left is a felt and cloth made in Japan witch.

This vignette features an early crepe papier table cloth resting on the brown stool. The black ebony dresser set has been put use to display various goodies. The two small bowls are filled with candy, the lidded box has place cards and seals in it, while the large tray holds the two candle sticks, an early doily, a corn cob pipe and J-O-L stickpin.

There are party nut cups, invitations, coasters, two orange and yellow milk bottle caps with ravens on them scattered about. There is also a small cloth witch standing beside a pair of brown Victorian walking boots.

The cast iron bowl is filled with bridge tallies and postcards. It is standing on a crepe papier napkin. The silver cat and moon diecut Is most likely from a party hat. Beside it are some black cat stickers and a very tiny but detailed witch on a broom.

On the marble table are two children's readers, a book of party ideas for the Hallowe'en host or hostess, and a copy of Tasha Tudor's book, "Pumpkin Moonshine" that I purchased in the early 1960s.

The black cat is a wind-up toy. He chases a butterfly so other than being black and a cat those are the only qualities that allow him to be present with his comrades, they are quite forgiving.

The box of cookie cutters are reproductions bought in the late 1990s.

The ceramic pumpkin candy dish is Japanese and stays on my dresser year round, he is a favourite.

This view shows the hearth and its contents of paper table cloths, paper plates, and a brown vintage basket filled with paper napkins of different designs. There are pictures following with close-ups of the rest of the treasure trove.

And here we are, a silk screened cloth trick or treat sack, another commercially printed cloth sack with exotic Egyptian pictures resting on a fez. The brown envelope in the back is a pattern for a clown costume dated 1919.

On the right mantle ledge in front of a New Yorker magazine and two children's magazines are some soft plastic candy containers, the witch still has some of her candy. The tiny black cat is made of wooden pieces held together with string. A vintage made in Japan mustache made of crepe hair used in theatre make up and two paper mustaches, all guaranteed to make one totally unrecognizable. The little pumpkin, once you push in his nose makes a very unscary wooing sound, and his eyes light up!

A closer look at the paper napkins and other tableware. The paper gun was an advertising give away from the Army and Navy Store. It is printed on card stock with a glassine paper insert attached inside. When it is brought down with a quick snap of the wrist the glassine paper shoots out with a loud snap.

And finally a close-up of the right hand side of the hearth only to show my nod to Guy Fawkes Day, November 5th, with the English children's book by Alison Uttley, "Hare and Guy Fawkes".

Thanksgiving 2016

  Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends!  

Thanksgiving has come and gone in Canada. We celebrate it on the second Monday of October, this year it was on October 10.

Here are pictures of this year's Thanksgiving display.

This photo shows the entire display. I don't own a lot of Thanksgiving items so I have stretched the collection by adding in anything autumnal.

All of the background material goes up first and this year I wanted to have an easy transition into the Hallowe'en display so the needs for Hallowe'en were also being considered. A mix of various faux autumn leaves went up and over the mantle mirror. In with the faux leaves were added some bare branches that I had made several years ago. The colours of the trees in and around Victoria were my inspiration for the abundance of faux foliage that were used.

Here is a close-up of the left side of the mantle. The turkeys, pheasants, and roosters, are almost hidden in the foliage.

This scarecrow was made about 30 years ago for our oldest boys scarecrow birthday party, two place card holders from the party are on the scarecrows left beside the dill pickle horn that he is holding. The crepe paper zinnias are vintage, possibly 1950's. Gurley candles stand beside turkey, grouse, and chicken salt and pepper shakers.

The rest of the mantle is filled with more turkeys, chickens, pheasants, ducks, squirrels, I love squirrels, and acorn related items, I love oak trees.

Here is a look at the display below the mantle. The vintage stools add interesting height variations to the display.

The large stool features a wood carving by a French Canadian sculptor that my parents bought in the 1970s I believe. That large ceramic turkey is also among my favourite Thanksgiving items. A large plaster plaque with a horn of plenty and a raised inscription saying, "GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD", is in behind the farmer and his turkey.

Salt and pepper shakers, turkey florist vases, and a turkey cookie cutter are on the small green stool.

My collection of Thanksgiving postcards are in a large plastic fruit dish made in England. The dish is a large oak leaf with acorns that mimics a hand carved wooden dish, it is quite beautiful.

These earlier blog posts here, here, here, and here, show most of the antique Thanksgiving postcards.

On the mantle ledge in behind the wooden carving of the farmer with his scythe are some nut cups, two Gurley candles, and two squirrel nodders. The small squirrel nodder is an early plastic while the larger squirrel is composition made in Japan. He has a rabbit fur tale that is a little tatty, but he is delightful none the less.

This last picture shows a group of squirrels on top of the tall green florist vase. On top of the fireplace screen and in front of it are various paper table cloths, seals, and other paper items.

Don't forget, everything in my Etsy shop from November 24 - 28 is 50% off. Spend a minimum of $25 and get 50% off of your purchase at checkout, shipping is not included in the discount.

Jack Horner Pies

This blog post covers all holidays and celebrations as the Jack Horner Pie was used as a table centrepiece and party diversion for all of the holidays as well as bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays, or any other event that you can think of.

This is an interesting blog post because the idea for it started once I saw the photograph and comments about this giant candy container witch that was posted in the Facebook group Early Hallowe'en. I had mentioned that I thought that it was used as a Jack Horner Pie, most people it seems had not heard of Jack Horner Pies.

Linda Eakin is the owner of this amazing candy container. She mentions that it is the size of a small child; 56 inches from the base to top of her hat.

Here is the background to the nursery rhyme Little Jack Horner, I scanned the page from "Popular Nursery Rhymes - Mother Goose rhymes with explanations and illustrations." I wonder who was first inspired to use this nursery rhyme as a party diversion. Diversion is what they were referred to and that best describes it as it is not a game really.

My mum started the tradition of a Jack Horner Pie after the Christmas dinner when I was in my early twenties. I am not certain why she did, probably it was something from her childhood that she wanted to recreate. We would have Christmas crackers before dinner and then after dinner was the Jack Horner Pie. Look at it as another reason to give and get a one more gift and maybe some more candy!

The first pie that we had was a very basic affair, an old cardboard ice cream tub with Christmas paper around the outside, tissue paper covering the top to hide the gifts, and ribbons coming out of the centre to each place at the table. At a given command everyone pulled their ribbon to retrieve the gift from the container. It started to look its age after several years of use so I decided to surprise my family with a brand new one.

This Jack Horner Pie is very elaborate to say the least. It is a 5 sided pyramid that stands 13 1/2" high and is about 15" across. The outside is covered in hand cut red tissue paper loops with vintage Dennison gold stars spotted on the outside. The bottom part of the pie is a 2' deep pentagonal box with a 2" ledge decorated with vintage gold paper edging and more tissue paper loops.

Once the gifts are pulled out the sides of the pyramid flop open to reveal a giant gold star that is 30" across. Like I said previously this is elaborate to say the least!

I bought this book in the late 1980's or early 1990's I'm not certain. Most likely it is out of print. It is a reproduction of a 1924/1925 catalogue.

On this page you can see listed 6 Jack Horner Pies for Hallowe'en. All of these were made in the United States. They were all very large.

ELSCO had 5  Jack Horner Pies for the Thanksgiving market that year.

Christmas had the most pies available, 9 Jack Horner Pies, they sound delightful.

I would loved to have seen all of these Jack Horner Pies, the descriptions sound intriguing.

On the back of this book is this information. I doubt that it will be of any use but if someone wants to try track it down go for it.

This large "Santa on a Yule Log" that I created in the early 1990's was bought by a friend. Unfortunately this is the only picture I have of it. It was about 18" high and about 18" long. The back end of the log has a plug that pulls out to reveal the gifts inside for the guests at the party.

The following images are scans from various Dennison party books that I own, the bogie books are reproductions.

As you can see Jack Horner Pies were used at various holidays and celebrations. When I first saw the giant candy containers I immediately assumed that they were used as Jack Horner Pies. If anyone has any information to add to this please leave comments on my blog post.

"The View From the Rim of the Twentieth Century Modern Snowball was Spectacular" is available in my Etsy shop. In the description I give instructions for using it as a Jack Horner Pie. Follow this link to my Etsy shop to purchase the Snowbowl.