Vintage decorations are always the best way to go, in my book. I suggest hitting late season yard sales for "blow form" decorations "die cut" cut outs from the 1940's, 50's, 60's and even 70's. Blow form is the term used for those plastic stand-up pumpkins, ghosts, etc that are made of hard plastic, are usually limited to two colors (the color of the plastic and the color of the painted parts; usually black), many times have a place for a light in the back and were often used as window decorations. The most popular I have found are the orange and black pumpkin sitting on the back of a cat. Die cuts are the heavy paper or carboard "cut outs" that are often times embellished with raised details, have traditional characters (cats, witches, pumpkins, moons, scarecrows, etc), sometimes have only a couple of colors and other times feature several colors. They definately have that "antique" look.
The best places to find vintage halloween are:
yard sales: don't hesitate to ask the person conducting the yard sale if they have old holiday decorations that they will part with even if you don't see them in their yard sale junk! Just ask!
flea markets: don't forget to haggle the price down
vintage shops: my favorites!! A wacky/tacky friend of mine in New York collects vintage halloween as well and we have a blast tracking down, buying and even exchanging "finds". My favorite place to find vintage anything is "Flower Child" (flowerchildvintage.com) vintage shops in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Joe, the owner, is always a great help and always finds the best stuff! Floors of tacky furniture, other-worldly decorations, time-warp clothing, baubles, books, vinyl (records), jewelry...you name it! Joe is a pro!
antique shops: these places have great items usually in very good condition but be warned, these people know how much vintage holiday decorations are going for these days so be prepared to pay. however, ask if the particular seller is working or available and try to negotiate a better price. Holidays are short lived and the seller may be eager to get rid of an item than pack it back up and keep it for another year. Yes, antiques shops do display seasonally sometimes.
on-line auctions: another favorite! I havesearched places like "E-Bay" (my personal favorite) and found GREAT deals on halloween and Christmas decorations. I suggest checking out several similar listings before bidding so that you know what similar items are going for.
Suggestions:
- NEVER use tape on paper decorations (die cuts), instead, use the pin hole that is usually already positioned for ideal hanging balance. Otherwise, you can use some of the newer "easyily removed or remove clean" hanging products that peel off of the wall without leaving marks and will usually also remove from the cut-out without damage. You can also just sit them around propped up by a book or something behind them to protect their delicate state.
- Think creatively and use items in different ways. An antique papier machet pumpkin can act as a guest marker around the table or a bowl to draw names from for a game. Vintage glass items and candles are delicate and can be used as dining table decorations (where, if dropped by adorers, will be less likely to be damaged). Old "treat bags/loot bags" can be used as a take home gift bag to party goers.
If Halloween is your thing, then check out my "Recipes That Work" blog. I will include some great Halloween recipes that I make over and over.
Happy Halloween!
