Falling for it

It feels like fall around here. Mom and I (Hannah) take a deep sigh of relief when this change of seasons happens. It's safe to say that fall is Mom's favorite season and one where she becomes even more creatively inspired than she normally is (how is that even possible, really?). Some of my fondest memories of childhood take place in the fall, and now that I'm an adult it's no wonder why. When the nights arrived earlier and chilled the air, and the leaves began to drift from their branches, I distinctly remember spending evenings in the garden harvesting the summer's veggies, and the building excitement for one of my favorite holidays: Halloween. Halloween was a big deal when I was a kid. Mom would enlist us to help her wood burn/decoupage/sew/construct/paint decorations and costumes that were almost always based on vintage ideas or patterns. Cheesecloth ghosts crept their way onto the front porch, hay bales appeared with our homegrown pumpkins atop them, and one of our creepier handmade family members, Wanda the witch, stood amidst it all, broomstick and cauldron in hand.   How lucky were we? 

Now her love of the fall and Halloween is translated through the shop. Today she worked on the window display and brought in some of my favorite decorations. She duplicated these cardboard honeys with originals from the 1930's that she borrowed from a friend. 

Mom painted this adorable canvas scene after being inspired by a children's story. I asked her "Why is the witch in a basket?" and she replied in an almost wounded tone "Because she needs it to fly up and clean the cobwebs". Oh, naturally. 

This is Penelope. Isn't she creepy and gross and awesome? Mom constructed her with pantyhose, stuffing, a chicken wire frame, and a 100% wool yarn (as her lovely hair). Stop by and say hello to her and her potions book in front of the shop. 

Paper mache candy bowl that Mom also made. Their expressions make me giggle every time I look at it.