Halloween

In Northampton

All of Hamp is rejoicing over the return of the landmark clock on the corner of Main and King, which was broken all summer long.



A spasm of ego or a pathetic plea?



This might be a good night to watch The Shining or A Clockwork Orange.



The view out the bus window last night heading into Hamp.



Pumpkins on a bench.



Nick outside Feeding Tube Records.



The ghost of music past.



Not everyone gets into the Halloween spirit!



The infamous Danger Bird in Northampton last week.



Flag Over Westfield by A. Mateus

Sunday Safari - Blacker than the Night

1940s Vintage Cardboard Halloween Die cut Decoration, thanks to Halloween guy


Happy Halloween to everyone! (especially black cat lovers)

Arthur Rackham illustration for Grimm's Fairy Tales,
thanks to ASIFA-Hollywood animation archive

 The Black Cat movie poster, 1934, thanks to This isn't Happiness

 Jenny Dalenoord Wiplala cover, 1958, thanks to art.crazed

 The Alarm of the Black Cat cover, 1942, via She Blogged By Night

 Tomb of Ligeia movie poster via wellmedicated

 Dick Bruna cover from Bruna's great set by juliensart on flickr

 Mas Negro que la Noche movie poster, 1975, thanks to Martin Klasch

Frans Haacken illustration from Peter und der Wolf, 1958, thanks to Arthur van Kruining

 Emanuel Schongut cover, 1960s

 Pablo Amargo poster

Los gatos con Mercè, Yolanda Mosquera

Cheap Thrills

 Evil Bunny, c. 1930’s, waxed, painted buckram with cotton tie

Phyllis Galembo is an American photographer and professor

who for the past 20 years has been documenting ritual costumes,

masks and masquerades across Africa and Latin America.

From the impressive and extensive portfolio showcased on her website,

this is a small sample of a series of charming and strangely spooky 

vintage Halloween costumes ranging from the 19th century to the 1960s.

 They were part of Dressed for Thrills: Halloween and Masquerade Costumes,

an exhibition originally hosted at F.I.T. Museum, New York in 2003.

Bongo Bear, c. 1930’s / early-1940’s, cotton flannel costume, buckram mask, 

Spotlite Costume manufactured by A.S.Fishbach, NYC.

Big Bad Wolf, c. 1939, painted buckram mask, cotton shirt and pants, 

cotton-covered wire tail, manufactured by A.S. Fishbach, NYC.

Hep Cats, early 1950’s, rayon jumpsuits, plastic mask (one with bells),
manufactured by Ben Cooper. 

Red Riding Hood, c. 1941, cotton skirt with printed illustrations of Red Riding Hood story
trimmed with gold ribbon, cotton cake, manufactured by Collegeville Costumes. 
Brown Bear, c. 1940's, painted buckram mask with cotton jumpsuit, manufacturer unknown.

Words Can Say So Much!

I had a teaser post on these a while back. (Click HERE to see.) They've since been finished...and have found their new homes! I hope their new owners are enjoying them as much as I did making them!


Above is the finished product...do you believe they started like this:



Both frames were dismantled and painted. I cut MDF for each frame, painted one with chalkboard paint and the music themed print with just a base color. I like to lay out and trace stencils simply for placement on a print...then when I'm satisfied with the total layout of the project I use the stencils again to stipple the lettering and design.



When I finished the entire board I lightly sanded the entire surface so it wouldn't look so "fresh". Since all the words on this project had a musical theme I decided it was more than fitting to cover the mat with sheet music.


This table was a set of treadle legs repurposed with a table-top type surface added. I wanted it to have a bit more of a fun flare than just a plain painted top. I applied the same treatment as above but only ran the words around the edge of the table. I hope it's new owner finds inspiration with every task performed at this funky table!

This post is linking to:

SNS #54

Make It For Monday

Check out The Old Painted Cottage for this fabulous burlap bag giveaway!

A to Z Bible Story Lesson- Letter J

J- Jesus

Polish Papers

One of the folk crafts that I love the most is decorative papercutting,

an art form which has evolved into various unique styles in different areas of the world. 

From Chinese Jan Zhi to Swiss and German Scherenschnitte, to Mexican Papel Picado,

I enjoy them all, and hope in time to feature each style on Animalarium.

Image from the beautiful Polish blog Cebrita.

Polish Wycinanki is one of the most colorful and charming papercutting traditions.

They became popular around the mid-1800's, and were used by peasants 

to decorate the whitewashed walls, furniture and wooden ceiling beams of their cottages, 

or to give as gifts. The intricate decorations are formed by multiple layers of colored paper 

which are folded, cut, torn, and sometimes embossed to create stylized patterns. 

The subjects represented are peacocks, roosters and other birds, 

as well as flowers and annual festivities. 

Styles vary by region; the most basic is the single color tradition from the Kurpie district.

The multicolor Lowicz Wycinanki developed in the more prosperous region west of Warsaw. 

These elegant, elaborately cut and arranged paper overlays were displayed tandem style 

over the windows, doorways, and walls of rural homes.  

image from Lowicz Wycinanki gallery at www.perfekt.krakow.pl

Design from Kickcan and Conkers.

One of the few books about Wycinanki available on amazon. 

A contemporary Wycinanki inspired decoration by Grzegorz Wacławek

from Lou et Tom, a lovely blog about the adventures of a French family in Poland.

 Wycinanki Bird Cards at Pressbound.

A Gathering of Birds by Wycinanki artist Susan L. Throckmorton 

 Typographic Wycinanki illustration at Cebrita.